Posted in Uncategorized on April 16, 2008 | 3 Comments »
We’ve launched the new version of Saber-Scouting at http://www.saberscouting.com
So, switch those bookmarks and hopefully the new site will help us get more and better content to our readers with a fresh new design. Thanks for reading!
-Kiley & Frankie
Posted in Mechanical Analysis on April 15, 2008 | 14 Comments »
By Frankie Piliere
Part of baseball’s charm are the oddities of the game. Players often have their own style and flare. Juan Marichal’s delivery was far from ordinary but it is nothing short of a thing of beauty. What’s my point? Baseball is one of the few sports where something other than the standard is not only accepted, 
but also embraced. What I am also getting is that some players, pitchers in particular, are who they are because of their mechanics. Scott Patterson, Yankees’ Triple-A reliever, is one of those guys.
Patterson is a pitcher with underwhelming pure stuff, and while his command is above average, it is not the type of command that could, by itself, make him as dominant a pitcher as he’s been since joining the Yankee organization. So, what exactly is it that allows Scott Patterson to be such a chore to hit? I took the opportunity to go to Scranton to get an up close look at the big righty to get a better idea of just what makes him so deceptive. Find out more about the quirky Scott Patterson after the jump…
Posted in News & Notes, Scouting Reports on April 14, 2008 | 3 Comments »
By Kiley McDaniel
I’ve been inconsistent posting lately in part due to all the games I’ve been to. So, the good news for you is that a new site re-design is on the way shortly (the other reason I haven’t posted much) and that a bunch of piping-hot new reports, video, and draft content is on the way.
First up is a recap of my weekend of baseball action that took me to see Jays rehabbing relievers, Travis Snider, Deolis Guerra, Rick Porcello, Adrian Cardenas, Joe Savery, Michael Dunn, and a late-rising 2008 draft prospect, among others. Catch the full rundown after the jump…
(Pictured: Ft. Myers Miracle (Twins) RHP Deolis Guerra)
Posted in Scouting Reports on April 12, 2008 | 5 Comments »
By Frankie Piliere
University of Kentucky right-handed pitcher, Scott Green, reportedly turn down a high six figure bonus from the Boston Red Sox this summer and it truly appears now that he made the right move.
After an impressive showing in the Cape over the summer and a solid spring thus far, Green is firmly in the first round picture. I became a huge Scott Green believer when I saw him in the Cape. There were pitchers that had better stuff, but I see Green, who stands at 6-foot-8, as a really safe big league bet. Check out his scouting report and video after the jump…
(Scott Green phot credit: University of Kentucky Athletics)
Posted in Draft Buzz on April 11, 2008 | 19 Comments »
By Kiley McDaniel
Following the quasi-news of the Boras clients’ demands, Saber-Scouting’s coverage of the draft, from the rumors and innuendo side of things, has now kicked into full gear. After conversations with a number of baseball people, we have a draft buzz update chock full of information.
Inside: The Rays narrow the list for the first pick, a heavy favorite for #1, a bunch of hot bats angling for the top 10, and a young Derek Jeter, all after the jump…
Posted in Mechanical Analysis on April 9, 2008 | 24 Comments »
By Frankie Piliere
When you are the youngest pitcher in Major League Baseball and being touted as the future ace of the New York Yankees, I suppose that it is normal to be under the microscope at all times. And, boy has Phil Hughes been under the microscope.
What has come in question about Hughes the most is his velocity and its relationship to his mechanics. Has his delivery changed as so many have speculated? If so, what has changed? Why does he look so confused in the picture to the right?
Stick around and find out the answers to these questions and others after the jump…
(Phil Hughes Photo Credit: Hot Stove New York)
Posted in Scouting Reports on April 8, 2008 | 12 Comments »
By Kiley McDaniel
The Florida State League was loaded last year,
especially with top-end pitching and I saw most of the top prospects that came through the league. I’ll be going to the Rays home opener tonight, but before I leave, I wanted to give a look at another high-profile prospect from the 2007 FSL.
Carlos Carrasco is atop many prospect lists for the Phillies organization and has been for a few years. He shows a wide repertoire, some feel for his craft, and an ability to win without his best stuff. Pitching in nearby Clearwater, I was able to see him multiple times and got a pretty good impression. The full report is after the jump…
(Carlos Carrasco photo credit: Jamie Squire, Getty Images)
Posted in Chat on April 7, 2008 | 13 Comments »
By Frankie Piliere & Kiley McDaniel
We promised a chat last week, you submitted questions, and now we have to face the music.
A big thanks to all the people who have linked to us and to the readers for coming by. The quick response to the site has been unexpected and also made us step up our game with the content. More new stuff will be coming this week.
A special thanks goes out to those who asked questions for the chat. And a big tisk-tisk to those of you who asked hard questions. Get with the program! Without further delay, the questions and the answers, after the jump…
(Clayton Kershaw photo credit: Jerry Hale, MLB.com)
Posted in News & Notes, Our Opinion on April 7, 2008 | 6 Comments »
By Kiley McDaniel
Scott Boras is without a doubt the highest profile agent in sports history and many of his methods are heavily debated. A few teams deal with him with no fear, some allow him to out-leverage them, others just don’t deal with him at all. That being said, until recently, he seemed to always get his clients the best deal they could have gotten.
One tactic Boras utilizes for his top-shelf talents in the draft is float a seemingly ridiculous bonus demand early. We have the rumors of the early number Boras has put on two of his top clients for the June draft and a breakdown of said methods, all after the jump…
(Pedro Alvarez photo credit: Vanderbilt University)
Posted in News & Notes, Scouting Reports on April 6, 2008 | 3 Comments »
By Kiley McDaniel
As Frankie referenced earlier with his Chris Dominguez scouting report, not only can we not see every top prospect, but we obviously won’t see only top prospects. On any given field, there’s a bunch of guys that aren’t Rick Porcello. Extend that a bit, and even being in a hotbed for baseball like Tampa, you’re going to get a lot of games without an elite talent, but usually with some notable guys involved.
The night after the Porcello game for the Florida State League/minor league opener, I went to Clearwater to partake in the finest ballpark experience in the state (no joke) to see the Clearwater Threshers (Phillies) host the Dunedin Blue Jays (Toronto). Best of all, this game wasn’t the experience I talked about in the first paragraph—there was still some sweet prospectyness.
Inside: Travis Snider, Adrian Cardenas, J.P. Arencibia, and another prospect the Yankees traded with nary a thought, all after the jump…
(Bright House Field photo credit: Baseball Pilgrimages)
Posted in Mechanical Analysis, Scouting Reports on April 4, 2008 | 20 Comments »
Ah, yes, the question that just about every Yankee fan would like an answer to. There’s probably a lot wrong with the Japanese southpaw that the Yankees wish they could fix. But, there are also other things that seem to be more obvious, at least to me, that appear to be more correctable. All players, though, cannot correct all their flaws, and hence, that is where players are weeded out. So, whether Igawa can sort out his problems remains to be seen, but issues there are a plenty.
I went to see the Scranton-Wilkes Barre Yankees opener on Thursday specifically to examine Igawa up close and personal to see what I could discover about “what is wrong with him.” Of course, he didn’t make it easy on me by proceeding to toss six perfect innings against Lehigh Valley before being subsequently being lifted in favor of Scott Patterson. So, yes, the task I had laid out was to break down what is wrong with a pitcher who had just steamrolled through six frames with 7 strikeouts and no walks. Most would be deterred, but not me. Find out more after the jump…
Posted in Scouting Reports on April 4, 2008 | 14 Comments »
By Kiley McDaniel
I was able to make it out to see arguably the top pitching prospect in baseball last night on minor league opening day. The Lakeland Flying Tigers (why they’re flying, nobody knows) opened their Florida State League season versus the Tampa Yankees at Legends Field and I was able to get a good look at RHP Rick Porcello.
Porcello was considered the top prep arm in the 2007 Draft and the best prep arm since Josh Beckett–and he was paid as such, receiving a $7 million dollar big league deal with a $3.5 million bonus. Since he signed, the buzz has been significant, with every writer you can imagine fawning over the early returns and putting him in the top 10-15 prospects in baseball despite not throwing a pitch. Last night, he threw his first pitches and Saber-Scouting was there.
(Rick Porcello photo credit: Rich Morris of Seton Hall Prep)
Posted in News & Notes on April 4, 2008 | 2 Comments »
A couple notes from last night’s game before I post the Porcello scouting report in a few minutes…
Inside: what really happened with Mark Melancon last night, how each pitcher looked, and a few interesting Tiger relievers, after the jump…
Posted in Scouting Reports on April 3, 2008 | 4 Comments »
By Kiley McDaniel
Harold Martinez of Miami’s Braddock High School was the first prospect I saw at the Sarasota Classic and you can find my preliminary thoughts here. His stock is slipping from being in the top 5 among high school players before the season and now he is more of a projection 3B prospect lacking some polish.
Find out the whole story with a full scouting report and video after the jump…
Posted in News & Notes, Scouting Reports on April 3, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
By Kiley McDaniel
This second Sarasota Classic update will cover the balance of the prospects I saw during my time at the tournament. Harold Martinez was the highest profile guy and hijacked that first update that was meant to cover a few players, so I’ll go rapid fire on the thumbnail sketch of the remaining prospects and have the full scouting reports coming up as soon as I can.
Inside this News & Notes: a scorching hot ’09 prospect, and possibly the best prep catcher since Joe Mauer. Find out more after the jump…
Posted in Scouting Reports on April 2, 2008 | 6 Comments »
By Frankie Piliere
We’ve been talking about a lot of sure fire (if such a prospect exists) players as of late. But, in my opinion, scouting gets even more interesting when you are evaluating wildcard type players. Chris Dominguez, a physically massive slugger from the University of Louisville, is one of those players. Chris has always been a player of great intrigue to me tools wise and I thought I’d share my evaluation of him with you. Check it out after the jump…
(Chris Dominguez photo credit: University of Louisville)
Posted in Our Opinion, Prospect Lists on April 1, 2008 | 6 Comments »
By Kiley McDaniel
Catch part one of this series here. I’ve dragged my feet a bit on getting to part two of the series, but all four of you eagerly awaiting more of the site’s methods on ranking prospects, wait no more!
This section will focus on a interesting philosphical debate including Ben Grieve, financial valuation of prospects, breaking down how we grade each tool, and why Drew Stubbs holds to key to the Adjusted OFP treasure chest. If that doesn’t make you want to read more…then read some of the less geeky stuff on the site, maybe you’ll like that more. For those of you wanting to delve further into prospect geekdom, follow us deeper into the rabbit hole after the jump…
Posted in News & Notes, Scouting Reports on April 1, 2008 | 2 Comments »
By Kiley McDaniel
First off, I’d like to apologize for the infrequent posting the last few days. Frankie and I have made some big plans for players to see and report on, various rankings, and story ideas, and we’re moving in that direction. When it comes to laying the groundwork and going to see players, sometimes the posts will be less frequent, but it should pick back up now.
Yesterday, I headed south to Sarasota to see some of the premium ’08 and ’09 draft prospects at the Sarasota Classic. The first day was canceled in the middle of the second wave of games due to rain, but I still got a good look at some top prospects. This post will focus on top ’08 prospect Braddock (Miami) High SS Harold Martinez. I’ll be back to Sarasota later this week to see the end of the tournament, but will be catching another matchup of top ’08 lefties in the Tampa-area tonight. Check the first dispatch from Sarasota after the jump…
