6/26/2015 9:37:18 AM
Pitcher of the Day:  LHP Jason Groome.  Groome dazzled everyone at the PG National Showcase last week and this week in Cary was pretty much a repeat of the same stuff and performance.  The 6-foot-6, 220-pound New Jersey native threw three one-hit innings, issuing one walk while striking out six hitters.  Goome pitched in the 92-96 mph range with his fastball and dotted plenty of corners on both sides of the plate.  Just as impressively, he threw a scout estimated 80% of his curveballs for strikes, varying the velocity between 72 and 79 mph while showing great feel for the pitch.  His hard curveballs showed particular promise, as he will undoubtedly be developing more power on this pitch as he moves up the ladder and gets more instruction.  Groome also tried a couple of change ups, which while ineffective yet, was still good to see attempted.  There was plenty of scout discussion going around the stands about a Groome vs. A.J. Puk, who threw a dominant inning for the collegiate team two days ago, scenario for the first overall pick next June. 

Player of the Day:  CF Mickey Moniak.  We mentioned Moniak from the previous day when he could have easily had three or four hits but ran into bad baseball luck.  Today he actually went 3-3 and seems to simply square the ball up every at bat.  He showed his speed and youthful base running enthusiasm by turning on an inside fastball in one at-bat and driving it hard into the right field corner, only to attempt to stretch it into a triple and over slide third base so far that the third base coach almost had to jump out of the way to avoid a collision.  Moniak is making a strong case to become the #1 position prospect in the 2016 class when the next PG class rankings come out.

Other notable players and performances:

IF Duncan Pence, a big strong right handed hitter from Tennessee, blasted the day's only home run to deep left centerfield during the last game.  IF Nonie Williams had almost gone yard a few innings before but hit the top of the wall on what ended up being a triple.  Williams also picked up a high sky double, scored a couple of runs and generally caused havoc on the bases with his speed and aggressiveness.

RHP Reggie Lawson had about the easiest two innings any pitcher has had the first two days of games, retiring six straight hitters on about 20 pitches while working 89-92 on his fastball with consistent location at the bottom of the zone.  His 74 mph curveball showed some depth as well.

OF Carlos Cortes got rid of the splint he was wearing to protect an injured finger on his right hand and went back to driving the ball with the authority we've become used to with the versatile left handed hitter from Florida.  He picked up a couple of hits, including a booming hustle triple to right centerfield that ended in a perhaps ill-advised head first slide given his finger.

RHP Hans Crouse is one of the top rated pitchers in the 2017 class and one of the few 2017's in Cary.  His command was a bit erratic in his outing today but the stuff was absolutely top shelf, including a fastball that reached 95 mph and a breaking ball that was sharp and biting at 78 mph.

Kyle Muller and Joey Wentz are a pair of 6-6 combo left handed pitcher/first baseman who can really hit a ball hard when they square it up.  Both registered line drives registering 100+ off the barrel.  Wentz has shown a much better swing than he showed last week in Fort Myers and has been making consistent square contact, while Muller picked up three hits yesterday.

RHP's Lane Carter and Jack Little and 2017 lefty Jordan Butler combined on a five-hit shutout for the Brave team, a pitching rarity for this run heavy event thus far.  Little, a Las Vegas native, is very similar at the same age as Texas A&M right hander Grayson Long, a third round pick by the Angels this year.  He was steady at 89-91 mph with a very good change up and outstanding command.  Butler is already a highly touted 2017 prospect with three very good present pitches.

IF Daniel Baskt followed up his three hit/home run day with another pair of hard hit singles today and is really swinging the bat well.

Two more 2017's to keep an eye on are 1B/LHP Nicholas Pratto and IF/RHP Hunter Greene.  Both have been considered high level pitching prospects in the past but are looking much more like position prospects at present.  Both are strong and loose athletes who can drive the ball hard; Pratto from the left side and Greene from the right.

C Cooper Johnson is generally considered the best defensive catcher in the 2016 class but had a nice offensive day yesterday, going 2-3 at the plate with a double, a hit by pitch and a couple of runs scored.