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College  | Story  | 5/10/2017

College Spotlight: Week 12

Britt Smith     
Photo: Michigan Athletics
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Perfect Game College Player Database

Every week during the 2017 college baseball season we will be pulling at least one report, and corresponding video when available, of a player entered into the College Player Database. All of the reports entered into the database can be found in one, easy-to-find place as linked above, and can also be accessed off of the individual PG player profile pages.

To access all of the reports you will need a College Baseball Ticket (CBT) subscription. To learn more about the CBT and to sign up today please visit this link.




Oliver Jaskie, LHP, Michigan

Coming into his start against Ohio State, Michigan's Oliver Jaskie was seen somewhere on the fringes of the fifth round in terms of draft stock. He was right on the cusp of the updated Top 150 a few weeks ago, and while he's had a good season he hasn't been that consistently dominant starter that evaluators have wanted to see.  On Friday night against the Buckeyes Jaskie delivered in every which way possible, in front of about a dozen evaluators at Michigan's Ray Fisher Stadium. He threw a complete game shutout, scattering seven hits and zero walks to go with a career-high 14 strikeouts.

It wasn't all that surprising that Jaskie dominated, however, what was surprising is how he dominated, given how much his stuff has changed since last season. Previously, Jaskie was more of a funk-and-deception guy with an above average changeup; now that profile is a bit different. He's still extremely deceptive with a big amount of hip tilt in his delivery, along with a plunging arm stab through the back and a large circle to a high three-quarters slot, hiding the ball from the hitter extremely well in the process. The delivery and subsequent arm stroke all do offer deception, but a delivery like that is usually pretty hard to repeat, and a lengthy arm stroke combined with a complex delivery often leads to timing problems, which means his command isn't always going to be there. Jaskie is able to put a lot of those mechanical concerns to bed, though, simply due to the fact that he's a plus athlete with a plus body to go along with extremely high-level makeup, all of which make it easier for prognosticators to buy into what he can do, rather than sell him short for what he might not be able to do.

His fastball peaked at 91 mph early on, and settled in at 88-90 mph for the entire duration of his outing. The pitch offers average life to the arm side and was aided tremendously by the aforementioned deception in his delivery, along with the quality of his off-speed stuff. He threw two separate breaking balls on this night; a slider and a curveball, both of which were a full grade better than anything he spun last year across three 2016 viewings. The curveball is thrown in the 78-81 mph range with good 1-to-7 shape and depth along with some sharpness. He was able to get a great deal of called strikes on the pitch and would throw the pitch in any count against any hitter, using it to get ahead in the count as well as to put hitters away. The slider was firmer, thrown in the 82-85 mph range, with sharp, tilting 2-to-8 shape; this was a swing-and-miss pitch against lefthanded hitters. It was especially impressive to watch him get a curveball over for strikes against those lefthanded hitters then ramp up and run the slider away for swinging strike threes.

Jaskie's best pitch by far heading into 2017 was his changeup, a pitch that has a 55 future. He couldn't get a consistent feel for the offering in this game, throwing the pitch anywhere from 80-85 mph, spiking those at 84-85 and losing those at 80-81 to the arm side and up. However, he threw a handful at 82-83 that one could even grade as potentially plus, with ideal arm speed and deception to go along with big fading life, and considering just how often his changeup has been consistently good the 55 future grade still works despite the inconsistencies of Friday night.

On the whole, Jaskie has a chance for a nice collection of MLB average or slightly better pitches, and the development of his breaking ball has been tremendous for his profile. He's got a good chance to be selected somewhere in the same range as '16 teammate Brett Adcock, who went in the fourth round last year to the Astros.

Other Michigan players added to College Player Database:

• Drew Lugbauer
• Alec Rennard




Ryan Feltner, RHP, Ohio State

One of the wildcard prospects in the Big Ten for the 2018 draft, Ohio State's Ryan Feltner has not enjoyed the sophomore campaign many envisioned he would have--though the stuff is still excellent, as is his upside. After starting the season in the Buckeye rotation, Feltner has pitched out of the bullpen recently, and he's not had a good year statistically by any stretch. 

Even still, Feltner is a highly-projectable, very athletic 6-foot-4, 195-pound righthander with a very live right arm. Out of the bullpen in the Michigan series, he touched as high as 96 mph on my gun before settling in the 92-95 mph range consistently for his 2+ innings. with relatively okay control of the pitch but without much in the way of command. When the fastball was in the zone, it was often middle-middle and there wasn't much in the way of feel to get north/south or east/west with the pitch. 

The equalizer for Feltner on this day was his changeup, thrown in the 82-84 mph range with big time fading action and quality deception. He liked to work backwards with the change, and showed the ability to throw it to both sides of the plate as well as swing it back over a corner for a called strike. It was his best pitch on this day, even with the plus fastball velocity. 

He worked in a breaking ball in the upper 70's with some downward bite, shaped like a curveball but thrown with more downer-slider action and conviction. The issues Feltner faces are all about consistency of command and consistency of stuff, and the command is the likely culprit in terms of why, with that quality of stuff, he's hit so often by opposing hitters. The arm stroke is long and pretty loose, though there were often timing issues getting the arm up on time, which in turn leads to issues commanding the baseball down in the zone. 

Given Feltner's athleticism and stuff, he's a candidate to really break out next spring, given that adjustments need to be made. With three pitches and that quality of arm strength, he could all of a sudden become a draft priority guy next season.

Other Ohio State players added to College Player Database:

• Jake Post
• Connor Curlis
• Jalen Washington




Brent Mattson, RHP, Eastern Michigan

Generating some buzz amongst area scouts in the Midwest recently, Eastern Michigan's Brent Mattson has been starting on Sunday's for the Eagles this spring and doing a solid job. 

At 6-foot-7, 200-pounds; Mattson possesses a very long, relatively lean build with good strength throughout, in addition to the potential projection that goes along with that physique. In his start against MAC-leading Kent State on Sunday afternoon, Mattson ended up taking the tough luck loss, but still was pretty good. He threw 7 innings, allowing just 2 runs on 8 hits and 1 walk while striking out 4. 

Touching 93 mph early on with his fastball, Mattson worked mostly in the 88-91 mph range, flashing some heaviness to the pitch down in the zone but lacking even average fastball command. He walked only 1 but was consistently in the middle of the zone; which, obviously, can lead to consistent hard contact against. He also showed a quality changeup, consistently a 50 (on the 20-80 scale) pitch, which led to a good deal of empty swings from Kent State bats, both resulting in swings-and-misses and weak contact. He mixed in a breaking ball as well, though he struggled to consistently release it out front and left it a bit loopy. 

On the whole, Mattson has a lot of things to like when studying him from an evaluative perspective. He's obviously got excellent size and physicality; and shows the ability to pitch with a pair of average pitches and is able to throw strikes. He's likely to garner some draft interest as a result; and it'll be interesting to see where/if he's selected this June. 

Morgan Cooper, RHP, Texas

Standing 6-foot-4 and 225-pounds, Morgan Cooper fits the mold of the classic Texas power pitcher. Being bumped up a day early in the rotation from his scheduled Saturday slot might have been a reason for the only blemish on what has otherwise been a stellar season for Cooper. His power stuff was present with a fastball that maintained 93-96 mph velocity with some sinking arm-side life. However, the usually steady command that Cooper displays was not shown on Friday night in his start against TCU.

With a better than 3-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio and an ERA of 1.45 on the season, Cooper walked three and allowed seven earned runs in just three innings of work. The tight strike zone did not help his sinking fastball get many calls and his inability to consistently find the zone with his off-speed offerings plagued him throughout the outing.

Cooper showed an array of off-speed offerings including a power 12-to-6 shaped curveball, which consistently sat in the 78-79 mph range. His slider showed late break and short but solid down action at 86 mph. Struggling to get these offerings into the strike zone consistently, Cooper turned to a cutter that was routinely thrown at 89 mph, also with late and sharp bite. While looking for a pitch that he could sustain some consistency with, Cooper also showed a changeup in the 85-86 mph range.

With a clean and easy delivery, a track record of throwing quality strikes and pitching deep into games, Friday night can be chalked up to an anomaly rather than the normal. With a night of near misses all around the zone opposing batters showed a high level of patience and squared up the pitches that found their way into the heart of the strike zone. Cooper has more than enough power stuff to be successful and has shown that with his consistency throughout the year.

Other Texas players added to College Player Database:

• Kyle Johnston
• Nolan Kingham
• Nick Kennedy
• Chase Shugart
• Beau Ridgeway
• Blair Henley
• David Hamilton
• Austin Todd


Brian Howard, RHP, TCU

Brian Howard took the mound with purpose on Saturday in his start against the Texas Longhorns. The 6-foot-9 Howard, mixed and matched a combination of pitches that kept the Texas hitters off balance all afternoon. With an 11-inning marathon that ended just before midnight on Friday, in which TCU's bullpen was heavily used, Howard went eight innings without allowing a run while surrendering just one hit. 

After a rough outing in Lubbock last weekend, Howard showed no signs of a bad outing hangover. Utilizing a combination of cutters and sliders, as well as a four-seam fastball that sat 89-91 with boring arm-side action, Howard kept the Longhorns off balance. His slider flashed depth and solid late down action mostly in the 83-85 range. While it was Howard's cutter that was effective getting inside on the lefthanded hitters and generated 14 flyball outs. 

Understandably, Howard's command wavered slightly in the fourth inning, after TCU posted a seven-run bottom half of the third. The long wait triggered some off target pitches, however he was able to right the ship and get out of the fourth unscathed. Mixing in a true 12-to-6 shaped curveball at 74-76 mph in the middle innings and throwing a few changeups at 79-81 mph allowed a different look as the Texas order rolled over for the third time. 

Finishing the day with 114 pitches, Howard was the workhorse that TCU needed in the Saturday matchup with Texas. Howard showed the ability to pitch to his defense. He allowed four walks while striking out four en route to the win. TCU is now 25-9 in games that Howard has started in his career for the Horned Frogs.

Other TCU players added to College Player Database:

• Nick Lodolo
• Mitchell Traver
• Charles King
• Sean Wymer
• Durbin Feltman
• Luken Baker
• Evan Skoug
• Austen Wade




Darren McCaughan, RHP, Long Beach State

McCaughan, a 6-foot-1, 200-pound righthanded pitcher, can really pitch, his most recent example of this tossing a complete game shutout opposite Cal Poly ace Erich Uelmen, allowing just three base hits and a walk while striking out 11 batters. He commands the strike zone very well, effectively mixing and matching between his fastball, slider and changeup.

McCaughan was able to throw any of his three pitches at any time, in any count and to both right and lefthanded batters, making very few mistakes over the heart of the plate. His fastball worked mainly at 86-88 mph with good run and sink on the pitch and the ability to get the ball in on the hands of righthanded hitters, even without premium velocity. He could also get occasional cut action on his fastball over the plate.

He also leaned on his 78-80 mph slider that has nice, late action while also displaying good feel for his changeup, getting a few swings and misses on the offering. McCaughan has a good delivery and repeats it well, with a long arm swing in the back and a direct stride towards homeplate.

Other Long Beach State players added to College Player Database:

• David Banuelos
• John Sheaks
• Lucas Tancas




Erich Uelmen, RHP, Cal Poly

A strongly built righthanded pitcher with a good, 6-foot-3, 210-pound frame, there is still room for Uelmen to add, and hold, more weight/strength. He works off of a two-seam fastball that displays good arm-side run and sink while sitting in the 89-92 mph range. He uses his four-seam fastball more on the glove side half of the plate while also showing good feel for a 79-82 mph changeup that is probably his best pitch. The offering plays up due to Uelmen’s somewhat herky-jerky delivery

The delivery itself is slightly up-tempo with a lot of moving parts as he bounces his hands below the belt and up to his chest while working on the extreme first base side of the rubber. His slider sat in the 79-81 mph range and got some swings and misses but overall had inconsistent action.

In this game, a contest against Long Beach State opposite the Dirtbags’ ace Darren McCaughan, Uelmen struggled to command his fastball early in the game but did manage to find some rhythm and settled in. He finished by allowing three runs (all earned) on seven hits and three walks over six innings of work, but he did strike out nine batters. The early command issues and high-energy presence created more of reliever vibe, but he does have the size and stuff to stick as a starter at the next level with the necessary adjustments/improvements needed.

Other Cal Poly players added to College Player Database:

• Spencer Howard




Ryan Lillie, RHP, UC Riverside

Lillie is a converted catcher that initially worked out of the UC Riverside bullpen but has workd himself into the team’s Friday night ace. Shorter in stature at 6-foot, 210-pounds with a very strong lower half, not surprisingly given his catching background. He has a very good work working in the 92-94 mph range early and touching 95 a few times. He maintained his velocity well, and was still throwing 92-93 in the seventh inning.

Lillie does a nice job incorporating his lower half as part of his delivery to produce that velocity, using a high leg kick while loading the back leg to generate inertia towards homeplate. The ball jumps out of his hand and his effortless arm action makes it look as htough he’s playing catch.

The fastball has better life when thrown to the arm-side half of the plate, getting good run in on righthanded hitters, but the pitch tends to flatten out when thrown to the other half. Lillie’s primary secondary pitch is a 81-83 mph slider that he shows some feel for and good shape, and at times he leaned on it fairly heavily, doubling and tripling up on the pitch multiple times. He also threw a changeup that flashed promise, thrown in the 83-85 mph range, and some of the better ones he threw had downward action and arm-side run with what looked to be a split grip. He doubled and tripled up on the pitch to a lefthanded batter, although overall he lacks consistent command and feel for the pitch at this point in time.

While his size and command could lead to a future bullpen role at the next level, Lillie could flourish in shorter stints, especially if his velo bumps up a notch or two as a result. With greater command and feel for his changeup, which could come with more experience and repetitions, he has a chance to stick as a starter.


Trey Harris, OF, Missouri

Trey Harris has been a known commodity in the scouting community for some time coming out of the East Cobb travel ball program and was ranked No. 329 in the final installment of the 2014 class rankings.

Harris is a versatile player that can play either second base or outfield and do so at a high level. For the time being, his accurate arm is good enough to keep him in right where he also shows solid strength out of his hand. His strongly built 5-foot-10, 210-pound build may push him to left field or second base at the next level.

Harris has a lot of strength in his swing as indicated by the 12 home runs he has on the season and had a really impressive single in his first at-bat in the Vanderbilt series. He does however, at times, have trouble recognizing spin. Both his versatility and raw power should be intriguing for pro teams next month.

Other Missouri players added to College Player Database:

• Brett Bond
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