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College  | Story  | 3/9/2020

Scout Take: Minnesota

Patrick Ebert     
Photo: Zack Raabe (Kelly Hagenson/University of Minnesota Athletics)

College Player Database | College Player Rankings
College Notebooks: Feb. 28 | Feb. 29 | March 1

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Minnesota Golden Gophers

What Happened: Minnesota played host to the Cambria College Classic, welcoming fellow Big Ten teams Iowa and Purdue as well as ACC foes North Carolina, Duke and NC State. Each Big Ten team played each ACC team, with Minnesota ace Max Meyer striking out 14 in a complete game effort over North Carolina on the first night. The Gophers managed to tie their game with Duke late to force extra innings, and held a lead over NC State heading into the eighth inning, but dropped each of the last two contests to finish the weekend with a 5-6 overall record.

Carrying Tools: Weekend fireballers. Friday starter Max Meyer and Saturday starter JP Massey have legitimate pro potential and early round draft aspirations for the MLB Draft. Meyer peaked at 97 mph and sustained his velocity well over nine innings, virtually shutting down the UNC offense. Massey sat easily in the low-90s with a body and delivery making it easy to dream about how good he could become with maturation and more seasoning. It was Massey’s first weekend start and it’s easy to imagine him getting better and better each time out. The presence of the domed US Bank Stadium is also a big plus for a northern school considering Minnesota gets to play 14 games at home from late February through mid March.

Concerns: Pitching depth. Past Meyer and Massey Minnesota has struggled to find the right fit of arms in pretty much every role, from long relief to short relief and including their midweek starters. Sam Thoresen and Patrick Fredrickson were expected to be much bigger parts of this team’s success, and without trying to single them out, having both of them find their previous form could be the difference of this team competing for the Big Ten title.

Best Player on the Field: Max Meyer. Meyer’s 6-foot, 185-pound listed stature appears to be generous, but the arm strength is absolutely electric. Reports from his previous start indicated that he touched triple digits, and he sat at 94-96 mph in his start against North Carolina to go along with an exciting three-pitch mix. It will be interesting to see if a team looks past his smaller stature and pops him in the first round of the draft, which is where his talents warrant selection.

Fearless Forecast: It’s important to remember that the Minnesota team that hosted a Regional two years ago took roughly a month to figure out their pitching staff and find a group that worked. Bubba Horton provided some much-needed long relief on Saturday and both Fredrickson and Thoresen both are still getting acclimated to their new roles, as is Massey. The starting lineup proved there is athleticism and depth with numerous hitters that can provide the big hit, including second baseman Zack Raabe, third baseman Jack Wassel, shortstop Jordan Kozicky, catcher Chase Stanke, first baseman Ronnie Sweeny and outfielders Andrew Wilhite, Easton Bertrand and Sam Ireland. If this unit comes together during conference play they have a shot to take the tournament title as Meyer and Massey could match up against just about anyone and find success.

Previous player reports:
 Feb. 28: Max Meyer
Feb. 29: JP Massey

Players covered: Zack Raabe, Jack Wassel, Patrick Fredrickson



Zack Raabe, 2B, Minnesota
With a smaller 5-foot-10, 177-pound stature, Raabe plays much bigger than his size, playing with a fiery intensity to him that allows his tools to play up. He was a base hit machine in three games against notable ACC opponents at the Cambria College Classic in Minneapolis, notching three hits in the first game against North Carolina before collecting four against Duke.


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