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College  | Story | 4/14/2018

College Notebook: April 14

Jheremy Brown
Photo: Griffin Roberts (Brian Westerholt/Four Seam Images)



Auburn's Mize living his dream | Weekend Preview | College Player Database

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.


Griffin Roberts, RHP, Wake Forest



Righthander Griffin Roberts and his power arsenal are anything but a secret as he’s already found success both as a closer and as a starter while at Wake Forest and on the Cape. Typically when an arm makes the jump from closer to starter there are at least concerns in the back of one's mind regarding the delivery or effort level, or at the very least their ability to maintain their velocity deep into an outing. None of those questions have proven to hold true for Roberts – it’s worth noting he’s a plus athlete who reportedly ran around a 6.3-second 60-yard dash on scout day – as he has eclipsed the 100-pitch mark in seven of his nine starts and has gone at least six innings every time taking the hill so far this spring. 

Durability isn’t a concern for the physically built 6-foot-3, 215-pound Roberts, and neither is his ability to miss bats with any of his three offerings, as evidenced by his 90 strikeouts in 64 innings pitched to just 22 walks in the same stretch. He shows balance to his delivery along with the ability to repeat, and while he can get out of sync occasionally, Roberts is plenty athletic to make the adjustment and get back to pounding the zone as he rarely reached a three ball count in this look against Boston College.

After setting the tone in the first couple of innings, sitting at 92-95 mph with his fastball, Roberts popped a 96 in the third and continued to live very comfortably in the 91-95 mph range deep into the game, still touching 5's in the seventh inning. It’s not just the velocity though that stands out with Roberts’ fastball as the pitch will also show above average sink at times to either side of the plate, which when mixed with his secondaries allows little chance for the opposing hitter. And while most pitchers tend to lose their command late an outing, Roberts actually began working ahead in the count better which helped set up hitters that much quicker en route to striking out 11 while allowing just one base hit. 

If you know anything about Griffin Roberts prior to reading this you know about his slider as it’s the best breaking ball in college baseball. With the same fast arm action and three-quarters release point, Roberts tunneled the plus-plus pitch extremely well and hitters can’t help but read fastball on the 83-85 mph breaker until it takes a hard left turn away from righthanded hitters. Righthanded or lefthanded hitters, front door or back foot, Roberts showed extreme confidence in the pitch and more than once went to it successfully in 3-2 counts to record strikeouts. He would at times get under the pitch and it would back up on him some, which was still an average grade pitch, but more often than not the slider proved to be an overpowering pitch that lead to several swings and misses. 

And for a pitcher who is working in his first spring as a starter, Roberts has an advanced changeup and it’s a pitch he throws with as much confidence as he does his other two pitches. A third pitch that grades at least average, the 84-87 mph offering offers nice fading life down in the zone and like his slider was tunneled well through release with similar arm speed and release point. 

At the end of the day Roberts’ athleticism and overall arsenal should allow him to start at the next level as he’s proven this spring with a high level of success, though he could also be a fast riser through the minors if he were to hop back into the bullpen. If you’re able to watch him throw in person or even on TV it’s well worth it for his slider alone as there aren’t many in college baseball who can spin it the way the Wake ace can.


Morgan McSweeney, RHP, Wake Forest



It was a homecoming of sorts for Wake Forest sophomore righthander Morgan McSweeney as the Massachusetts native took the hill in Brighton to start game two of a doubleheader against Boston College and he didn’t disappoint. Strongly built with broad shoulders and a high waist at 6-foot-4, 220-pounds, McSweeney still stands to add weight moving forward, though is arsenal is already proving to be one he can consistently miss bats with while lighting up the radar guns. 

His mechanics are rather simple with a quick pivot side step at the start, setting the tone for the rest of his quick-paced yet balanced delivery, and though his halves would get disjointed at times, when everything was in sync McSweeney looked like an arm who will be featured on draft lists come 2019. Employing a fast and compact arm stroke, McSweeney came out hot with his fastball sitting in the 94-96 mph range, working mostly at 96 while bumping a 97 in the opening frame. And while the pitch was mostly true in terms of life, he showed the ability to power the pitch downhill with intent to either side of the plate and still racked up double-digit swings and misses on the pitch en route to punching out a career-high 11 to just one walk. 

The velocity was consistent for McSweeney as he still ran his heater up to 96 mph out of the stretch and by the fifth inning he was still working comfortably in the 92-95 mph band, though it was the development of his slider that was just as noteworthy. In his opening frame McSweeney showed his fastball, a changeup and both a slider and curveball, an arsenal he’d continue to feature, though rarely did he show both his curveball and slider in the same inning. Tunneled well and thrown with conviction, his slider proved to be a second swing-and-miss offering with late and tight tilting life which worked in the mid-80s and reached as high as 87 mph. 

His curveball was the go-to secondary in the first couple of frames and when his hand positioning was right the 79-81 mph breaker showed nice 11-to-5 shape with depth as well as maintained arm speed through the release. Thrown in a similar range as his slider, McSweeney showed confidence in throwing his changeup, though he does drop down from his regular high three-quarters slot, tipping the pitch some. Prior to his Friday night victory over Boston College McSweeney was just 1-4 on the year while averaging a strikeout per inning, both of which improved in what could be a turning point for the highly talented sophomore.


Rayne Supple, RHP, Wake Forest



It was a quick look at the Vermont native out of the Wake Forest bullpen but junior righthander Rayne Supple is an arm MLB teams will be certain to see down the stretch leading up to June’s draft. After a freshman season in which he finished with an 8.49 ERA, Supple appeared in just eight innings last season as a sophomore but has really come into his own this spring and his draft stock has continued to trend upwards with every outing. 

In what ultimately ended up being a two save day for Supple, as he worked the last frame in both of Wake Forest’s wins over Boston College in Friday’s doubleheader, the physically impressive 6-foot-3, 215-pound righthander impressed with a low-effort delivery that produced some higher octane stuff. Remaining online and pretty compact with his arm stroke while showing plenty of arm speed, Supple sat between 92 and 94 mph with every fastball, all of which showed plane and consistent sinking life to either side of the plate. He showed feel in his curveball, a pitch he threw with conviction in the low-80s and showed 12-to-6 shape with depth when on top, giving him a pair of power pitches which he proved capable of missing bats with.

His delivery doesn’t offer many moving parts so it’s surprising to see he had 15 walks in 26 innings entering the game, but as he continues to log experience it’s an area where he should continue to settle and pound the strike zone as a result. He’s a good athlete with a sound delivery, a low milage arm and a power arsenal, all ingredients that scouts look for in drafting a pitching prospect come June.


John Aiello, 3B, Wake Forest



It wasn’t the loudest of looks from an offensive standpoint for Aiello, a former Perfect Game All-American, as he went 0-for-7 with five strikeouts, but the track record of success and elements of his swing still have him squarely on the radar of MLB teams. A switch-hitter throughout his days as a prep, Aiello gave up hitting lefthanded following his freshman season and as hit exclusively from the right side since where he shows alluring raw power in batting practice with easy bat speed and leverage to his stroke, launching balls to the middle and pull side parts of the yard. In this look against Boston College, Aiello’s timing at the plate appeared off, though when he did square the ball it jumped and over 36 games this spring the physically built 6-foot-3, 215-pound third baseman is hitting .275 with a team-high seven home runs. 

Checking in at No. 182 on Perfect Game’s most recent Top 250 MLB Draft prospect list, Aiello has put his raw strength on display with 20 home runs last season as a sophomore, a trait that plays well given his long-term profile at third base. Aiello, who is strong yet loose and athletic defensively, shows soft hands out front with solid glove skills and has the knowledge of how much arm strength he has to put behind his throws. On the lone ball hit towards Aiello, a chopper, he put a quick transfer on display and had plenty of arm and carry to complete the play and nab the runner at first base.


Sean Hughes, RHP, Boston College

Throughout this spring righthander Sean Hughes has proven to be one of head coach Mike Gambino’s go-to options out of the bullpen and it’s hard to blame him as the strongly built 6-foot-1, 245-pound junior out of Virginia has risen to the occasion. Asked to throw an inning during game one of Friday’s doubleheader against Wake Forest, Hughes punched out two of the three hitters he faced for an unblemished eighth inning of work.

As his frame suggests, Hughes is all about power on the mound and that’s exactly what he brought as he lived mostly 93-95 mph with his heater while showing some whip to his arm action from an over-the-top release. There is effort behind the fastball for Hughes but there’s also an attack mode to his overall approach in which he comes after hitters with his fastball and has managed to punch out 17 in 13 2/3 innings of work. On the flip side, he has also walked 11, including one in this look, though he’s been able to navigate around the free passes as he sports the lone sub-2.00 ERA on the staff. 

Like his fastball, Hughes throws his curveball with intent from the same higher release point, giving the low-80s bender 12-to-6 shape with late snap and depth when on top. While he’ll have to continue to iron out his overall command, Hughes has proven capable of completing the task at hand as evidenced by his numbers and gives Gambino a true power option out of the ‘pen.


Jake Palomaki, SS, Boston College

In a lineup that features plenty of young faces, senior shortstop Jake Palomaki gives head coach Mike Gambino that leadership presence both atop his lineup and to anchor the middle of the infield all the while taking charge on both sides. The switch-hitting Palomaki may not be overly physical with his listed 5-foot-10, 175-pound build on the roster, but he’s a gamer who is full of quick-twitch muscle and has shown he’s capable of handling the barrel while showing his athleticism defensively. 

Though he picked up just one hit and drew a walk in the doubleheader against Wake Forest, Palomaki is still hitting .333 on the year and showed interesting components which help build his profile. He showed no problem turning around velocity as he was able to spin on 94 mph on his hands while getting the barrel out and his speed keeps defenses on their toes, nearly beating out a ground ball to first base with a 4.15 down the line (lefthanded). 

That same speed and quick footwork were both highlighted with his defensive play, whether with his range to either side, actions around the bag or with his vertical hop which he showed to snaring a line drive while fully extended with both feet off the bag. Then there was a slow grounder hit just to the right of the second base bag which Palomaki took a quick first step to, picked and stepped on second for the force, and while his momentum was taking him away from first he showed enough arm to complete the double play and help the Eagles get out of the inning.


Tommy Henry, LHP, Michigan



Michigan's Friday starter, sophomore lefthander Tommy Henry, saw a good amount of innings out of the bullpen during the 2017 season as a true freshman. He's taken quite well to starting this year and leads an extremely talented yet still extremely young Wolverine staff. 

He's a long, lean prospect at 6-foot-3, 190-pounds with the limb length you want to see in a projectable young pitcher, and there's good athleticism throughout as well. The delivery is quite easy, hunching back onto his back leg a bit as he loads that back hip, driving downhill well, landing with his hips inline though there is some open toe to the plant foot. The arm action is very long though very loose as well. It's quite offline through the back and it's easy to see that arm stroke potentially creating some timing concerns, though he had solid average command on this day. The totality of the mechanical profile, even with the length concerns, is a good one in terms of projecting out his command long term. 

The fastball worked in the 88-89 mph range early on before settling at 86-88 mph, showing average arm-side life with a bit of sink there as well. The fastball comes with good downhill plane, created from a high three-quarters slot, and he showed the ability to work downhill to both sides of the plate with the fastball while also elevating when he wanted to. He worked in a host of off-speed pitches as well. The changeup is advanced, showing above average, thrown with fastball arm speed and intent in the 78-81 mph range with good fading life; a very effective offering against righthanded hitters. He also showed an average slider in the same velocity range, with good late tilt and sharpness to the break. He worked in the occasional curveball in the 73-74 mph range, more of a get-me-over offering at this point but successful in stealing a strike on occasion. 

Overall, there's a lot to like about Henry. He's got very advanced pitchability and feel for a sophomore, and while it would be easy to give him the "touch-and-feel lefty" tag, there's more to it than that. He's very projectable and it's easy to envision him throwing harder next year as he adds more strength this offseason, and the off-speed stuff is already pretty solid. He could very easily be a relatively high draft choice next year if he continues along this developmental trajectory.


Jeff Criswell, RHP, Michigan



Michigan has a history under head coach Erik Bakich of not being afraid to pitch their true freshmen, usually out of the bullpen. Jeff Criswell has seen some seriously high leverage innings already in his first season donning the maize and blue, pitching in somewhat of a set-up role for the Wolverines, and he's enjoyed a good bit of success in doing so. 

Criswell pitched the eighth inning of Michigan's series-opening win over Maryland, showing some seriously high-octane stuff and the type of upside that made him a closely followed draft prospect as a prep product last spring. He's a physical, strongly built prospect at 6-foot-3, 210-pounds, with some room to fill remaining as well. He has some effort to his delivery, and there are some mechanical concerns in terms of how good his command will end up being, but when it comes to evaluating players who are two years away from their draft year, one is better suited to "look for loud" and nitpick in the following years. 

Criswell is loud, to be sure. He worked 93-95 mph with his fastball, showing the ability to get it down in the strike zone, and it should be effective for him as a swing-and-miss pitch as well as a ground ball-inducing pitch. He also showed a very hard, shorter slider at 87 mph that has some serious sharpness to the spin, and absolutely has a chance to be a plus pitch for him long term. 

Criswell will likely continue to pitch out of the bullpen in 2018, but Michigan also has a tendency to want to move freshmen bullpen arms to the rotation in their sophomore years, as seen with Tommy Henry and Karl Kauffman this year. It will be interesting to see how Criswell's career unfolds and how Michigan chooses to use him in the future, but that is absolutely a high-octane, high-upside arm to track closely.
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