News & Notes: Furious Weekend of Action

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)

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Scouting Report: Scott Green

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)

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Scouting Report: Carlos Carrasco

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)

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News & Notes: Clearwater vs. Dunedin

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)

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What Is Wrong With Kei Igawa?

By Frankie Piliere

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…

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Scouting Report: Rick Porcello

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)

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Scouting Report: Harold Martinez

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…

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News & Notes: Sarasota Classic, Part II

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…

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Scouting Report: Chris Dominguez

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)

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News & Notes: Sarasota Classic, Part I

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…

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Scouting Report: Dennis Raben

By Frankie Piliere

We’ve been neglecting the hitters of the world of late so I thought it would be time to break out the bats. And, if I’m going to give you a hitter, then we might as well start off with a bang. Bottom line: Dennis Raben is one of a handful of flat out mashers in this 2008 draft class, a group he firmly entrenched himself with after an outstanding summer in Cape Cod. Unfortunately, the lefty slugger is currently missing time in his college season with back problems, but I certainly hope he’s back soon and not hampered. He’s got some power in his bat that is a real rarity. Take a look at his scouting report and video after the jump…

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Scouting Report: Johnny Cueto

By Kiley McDaniel

Last season, I was able to see a number of impressive players, just as Frankie did in the Cape. Being in Tampa, these players were the occasional amateur stud, but mainly top-level prospects in the High-A level Florida State League. Three teams are a short drive from my place and a fourth is certainly in the neighborhood, so every good player came to my neck of the woods at some point. Before the new season gets going late next week, I’ll be rolling out some of my reports from last summer to whet your prospect appetites and also set the stage for what should be a steady flow of reports all summer.

First up is former Sarasota Red and current #3 starter of the Cincinnati Reds, Johnny Cueto. Cueto was a personal favorite of mine in this league, and when I filed my report a few days after the outing, I pointed out that Cueto “could be in the Reds’ 2008 rotation at some point depending on Cincinnati’s urgency.” It turns out Cueto decided to skip the gauging of urgency stage and not even give the Reds the option of sending him back to the minors for seasoning (despite a tough last spring outing). I definitely saw something in Cueto this night, and the full report is after the jump…

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Scouting Report: Kyle Gibson

by Frankie Piliere

Who says it’s too early to look at the ’09 draft class? I couldn’t ignore one of favorite talents in the country, Kyle Gibson, for much longer. I’m a firm believer that Gibson will be one of the first few picks in the ’09 draft. Of course, it’s crazy to think we can know that for any degree of certainly right now, but who doesn’t like look down the road a little? I saw quite a few of Gibson’s Cape Cod performance and couldn’t come away much more impressed and most of the other scouts around me appeared to agree.

Gibson is the real deal and will likely get big Team USA exposure this summer after a big coming out party in Cape Cod in ’07. He’s the ideal projection guy who also has some real polish to his approach and mechanics. Enjoy the scouting report and read up on Gibson. He could be next year’s most talked up college arm. Take a look at the report after the jump…

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Scouting Report: Shooter Hunt

by Frankie Piliere

We’re going to keep mixing in the tradition first hand traditional scouting reports (the type of basic straightforward scouting report a team would use for evaluation) with the mechanical analysis. But, remember this: if you see a traditional report on a player, a mechanical analysis will be coming down the line. I just think the two should be separated.

Anyway, I got a chance to evaluate Tulane righty, Shooter Hunt for a handful of games in Cape Cod over the summer. He’s really put together a monster spring, so considering the electric stuff I saw from him up there, he’s looking more and more like a very early first round pick come June. I hope you enjoy the evaluation and are catching a little MLB draft fever at the same time. The Shooter Hunt breakdown is after the jump…

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Scouting Report: Brett Jacobson

by Frankie Piliere

For our first entry, we have a scouting report on 2008 MLB Draft prospect, right-handed pitcher, Brett Jacobson of Vanderbilt University. This report was filed this summer while Jacobson pitched for the Harwich Mariners of the prestigious Cape Cod League. We’ve got the full report for you after the jump…

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