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College  | Story  | 3/30/2018

Talented Harris solidifies stock

Photo: Rutgers Athletics



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During the season Perfect Game scouts will be traveling to some of the top series to watch the very best players in college baseball. Those observations, captured with both written notes and video, will be shared in the College Player Database as linked above, notes that can also be accessed on the players' individual PG profile pages. Throughout the season select reports will be shared in feature format to promote the players, the teams and college baseball as a whole.


Jawuan Harris, OF, Rutgers



A two-sport star at Rutgers, Harris has been both a standout centerfielder and a dynamic football wide receiver/defensive back since he stepped foot on campus back in 2015. The athleticism stands out in a big way, viewed through either an offensive or defensive lens. While Harris' routes and reads are still unrefined in the outfield, his plus speed and outstanding athleticism allow for him to still cover a tremendous amount of ground out there, and once he refines those routes and the overall finer points of outfield play he has a chance to be a plus defender. The arm strength is in the average range, a solid tool that will play well in center field, though if centerfield doesn't work out left field would be a better fit. 

Offensively, Harris is still a bit raw in terms of recognizing spin and laying off fastballs at the letters, but there is an approach there as he noticeably shortens up with two strikes to try and battle/put the ball in play. His set up and overall swing are very quiet with an ever-so-slight leg lift with the front foot getting down very early, and a small, somewhat hitchy, hand load. Once he gets going (though the hitch does cause the trigger to be a bit tardy at times) it's a very direct path to the ball with above average bat speed and a good amount of lift through the zone. Despite the fact that Harris doesn't really load much or really create separation it's not a punchless swing as his football-ready strength and bat speed allow him to drive the ball in an impactful manner when he barrels it up. This was on display when he sizzled a three-run triple way up the pull-side gap to break things open for Rutgers in the first game of their doubleheader against Michigan State. 

There's a lot to like in Harris's profile, the athleticism obviously being No. 1. He's a plus runner who looks like he might be an impact defender in the middle of the diamond to go along with an idea at the plate with some power there as well. The way-too-easy player comparison here is Rajai Davis with maybe a touch less speed, and while Harris is going to fall somewhere early on Day 2 on the PG MLB Draft board, it's entirely possible that a team betting on his athleticism and tools could take him later on Day 1.


Serafino Brito, RHP, Rutgers



Rutgers' closer at this point in the season, junior righthander Serafino Brito locked down both of the Scarlet Knights' victories over Michigan State, helping them to sweep the doubleheader and move to an impressive 4-1 in early Big Ten conference play. Brito is a medium-framed, athletically-built righthander who fits well at the back end of games. He works exclusively from the stretch and has a bit of funk in his delivery, but repeated well on this day and was adept at throwing strikes.

In the 36-degree mid-Michigan weather, Brito worked in the 90-92 mph range during his outing in game one, generating solid sink to the pitch and doing a good job filling up the zone with it. It's easy to imagine him throwing a bit harder in warmer weather, seeing as he has solid arm speed and it's not impossible to see him being more 91-94 mph in those scenarios. He's got a bit of a unique arm action in that there really isn't much in the way of a traditional arm circle, as he more goes back and up as compared to the more traditional full circle, but the arm stroke itself is clean and quick and he's definitely on time moving through. 

He frequently went to his curveball, a pitch that was pretty consistently a 50 on the 20-80 scale, with a few checking in below that grade. It's thrown with 11-to-5 shape and good depth in the mid- to upper-70s with a fair bit of power behind it. He liked to use the curveball early and often and it was a pretty good barrel-misser for him, though it falls short of having the necessary hammer qualities to be a plus pitch. He dives it down under swing paths and got a fair amount of groundballs with it, as hitters hit the top of the ball, much in the same way they do his sinker. 

His numbers so far in 2018 are pedestrian, but the stuff he showed against Michigan State was solid and consistent enough to where he should finish the season strong and potentially be one of the better closers in the conference. From a draft perspective, he's a reliever with the potential for a couple of average pitches, so he could hear his name called later on Day 3.


Riley McCauley, RHP, Michigan State



A previous bullpen ace for Michigan State who got a good amount of buzz in the Cape Cod League last summer, Riley McCauley is now the Friday starter for the Spartans. While his results thus far in 2018 have been okay, McCauley is definitely better suited for the bullpen long term as his stuff plays up quite a bit in short stints. 

A smaller-framed righthander, McCauley is well built throughout his body and is physically strong for his size. Working exclusively from the stretch, McCauley's delivery is pretty solid throughout, incorporating his lower half well and driving downhill, rotating his hips well and getting online through his release. The arm action is of medium length with a gentle offline stab through the back, spiraling his elbow up cleanly and getting his hand up at foot strike. The mechanical profile as a whole is solid, and while he's better suited for the bullpen, it's due more to stuff than it is mechanics. 

His fastball worked in the 88-91 range for the most part, coming out at 90-91 and settling more at 88-89 as his outing wore on. He is able to create average sink when down in the zone, but that wasn't consistent, as his arm slot tended to drift a bit and would negate some of the life, but he did do a good job throwing consistent strikes with the fastball. The fastball command, however, was below average, as that tendency for his arm slot to drift a bit caused the fastball – while in the zone – to stay up some. He didn't get barreled overly hard save for a few exceptions, but he did give up significantly more contact than he really should have. 

His curveball and changeup are both potentially average pitches viewed through the lens of McCauley as a starting pitcher. The curveball is thrown in the 76-80 mph range or so, with 11-to-5 shape and good depth, flashing 55 on the 20-80 scale but more often being in the 45 range. He casts the pitch a bit at times, but when he's on top and really pulling down through the rotation the pitch can be a bat-misser. His changeup, thrown in right around the same velocity range, showed solid average potential as well, a pitch he turned over well out front, generating fading life down in the zone. It was especially effective against lefthanded hitters. 

In the past out of the bullpen McCauley has been in the 92-95 mph range while showing a plus curveball, which is what evaluators are definitely hoping they can count on once he's drafted and moved back into that bullpen role. It's kind of a difficult profile to stack up from the perspective of the draft, as the 2017 version of McCauley was a pretty safe Day 2 bet as a potentially two-plus pitch reliever. Given where his stuff is at right now, scouts are forced to almost guess as to whether or not that stuff will return with a move back to the bullpen. If the right team thinks yes, McCauley could still hear his name called on Day 2 of the draft.
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