also available at www.SethSpeaks.net -

• I’m generally known as the positive Twins blogger, right? Well, I kind of go against that in my most recent Star Tribune Your Voices blog titled Twins Need to Deal.
• Also, be sure to listen in to last night’s SethSpeaks.net Weekly Minnesota Twins Podcast. Doogie Wolfson joined me for the first 25 minutes, and stuck around while fellow TwinsCentric writers John Bonnes and Nick Nelson joined for the last half hour. There was a ton of Twins talk, primarily focused on the Trade Deadline, but on a ton of Twins topics. It was fun to have such a strong panel answer many Twins-related questions, and I think you will enjoy it, so please check it out and let me know what you think.
  • HELP! I have been meaning to ask this for awhile. Does anyone with any technical knowledge know how to put all of my podcasts onto a CD? I, of course, have no clue how to do it, or how long it might even take. If anyone can help me out, please let me know. Thanks!
• As I mentioned last night, I spent some time chatting with Twins 3B prospect Danny Valencia last night and he agreed to doing an interactive Q&A with SethSpeaks.net readers. So, if you would like to ask the future Twin a question (or two, or up to 3), please e-mail me and I will send him the questions. I will accept questions until Wednesday night (around 10:00 p.m.).
• And, of course, as the Trade Deadline is fast approaching, please consider picking up a copy of the TwinsCentric 2009 Trade Deadline Primer for just $9.95.

Cuddyer was safe. Clearly he was safe. Slow-motion instant replay showed that it really wasn’t that close. But it’s hard to be upset at the call. It’s not like the Twins deserved to win the game. Sure, all wins are great, but they did not deserve to win a game that they played that bad. Too many mistakes. Too many bad at bats against the A’s bullpen. Yes, Cuddyer was safe, but the Twins did not deserve to win that game.

Alright, that Twins/A’s game was crazy! Twins get off to a fast lead, but Nick Blackburn has nothing and struggles to get through five innings despite the offense (Even without Joe Mauer) scoring him 12 runs. Justin Morneau had two home runs and seven RBI before the fourth inning. Jason Kubel had a three run homer. It was his 16^th. Michael Cuddyer had a solo homer. His 16^th. Blackburn was awful. Brian Duensing came in and struggled in the 6^th inning. Part of that was due to bloop hits, part of it due to an error. Then in the 7^th inning, he gave up another three bloop hits to load the bases, so they brought Bobby Keppel in. Now, Keppel has been excellent in his very small sample size of innings. Orlando Cabrera hit a blooper down the right field line that landed in just the right spot and scored two runs. A walk to Scott Hairston brought Matt Holliday to the plate as the tying run… and he delivered a game tying home run, a grand slam tying the score at 13. Jose Mijares came in and on the first pitch Jack Cust hit a long home run to dead center field that gave the A’s the 14-13 lead. The game is three hours long, and it’s only the 7^th inning, and it’s ridiculous. It’s hard to even be upset because outside of the two home runs in the 7^th inning, the A’s have not hit much hard. And then the play at the plate at the end, and there you have it.

That said, Message to Bill Smith… The Twins still need pitchers I don’t care of they are starters or relievers. They need help. Tonight was just another illustration. This simply should not happen. I know, it does happen. It happens several times a year around the big leagues, but it should never happen. Let’s not forget that along with two web-gem-like plays from Nick Punto, he also had an error and could have been given another one. Let’s not forget that with Duensing on the mound, Justin Morneau didn’t catch a foul pop up that should have been an out. This was an ugly game all around. I know, it even happens to playoff teams. But again, if you’re counting on Brian Duensing, Bobby Keppel and Jose Mijares, you’re not going anywhere. And yet yesterday, ground ball expert Cla Merideth, a 26 year old submarine pitcher was traded from the Padres to the Orioles for a 31 year old infielder who may have been designated for assignment within days by the Orioles.

MINOR LEAGUE REPORT

Monday – SethSpeaks.net Hitter of the Day – Jason Pridie/David Winfree, Rochester Red Wings

Monday – SethSpeaks.net Pitcher of the Day – Tom Stuifbergen, Elizabethton Twins – Steve Hirschfeld, Ft. Myers Miracle

ROCHESTER REPORT

Monday – Rochester 12, Pawtucket 5 – Yohan Pino had a successful AAA debut thanks to a lot of run support. The righty went the first five innings and gave up three runs on three hits. Two of those hits were home runs. He walked none and struck out three. Of the 65 pitches that he threw, 45 of them were strikes. Jesse Crain came in and struck out three in two one-hit innings. Crain in July has walked three and struck out 12 in 12 innings pitched. Tim Lahey gave up two runs on five hits and a walk in two innings. He struck out three. The offense was abundant for the Red Wings. Jason Pridie went 4-5 with five RBI and his 20^th stolen base. David Winfree went 3-5 with his 22^nd double and 13^th home run. Matt Macri went 3-4 with his 18^th double. Steve Tolleson went 2-3 with a walk. Matt Tolbert went 2-5 with a triple.  

ROCKCAT RECAP

Monday – New Britain 1, Portland 19 – I am just guessing that Michael McCardell’s dreams for his AA debut went a little better than the reality that occurred. McCardell gave up 11 runs on 11 hits and three walks in just four innings. He struck out seven, and he really took one for the team in staying out there for so long. Carlos Gutierrez came in and was brutal again. He gave up four runs on four hits in his inning. Jose Lugo gave up two runs (1 earned) in the 6^th innings, but he did pitch a scoreless seventh frame. Then Alex Burnett pitched a scoreless eighth inning. Anthony Slama came in for the ninth and gave up two runs on a hit and a walk. He did strike out two. Brandon Roberts went 2-4 with his 15^th double. Steve Singleton went 2-4 with the lone RBI. Of course, going 2-4 dropped his batting average to .600.    

MIRACLE MEMOS

Monday – Ft. Myers 6, Dunedin 3 – Steve Hirschfeld started for the Miracle and threw five shutout innings. He gave up four hits, walked one and struck out four. Blair Erickson struck out three in 1.2 innings. Joe Testa then gave up three runs (2 earned) on three hits and a walk. Loek Van Mil recorded the save with a perfect ninth inning. Estarlin de Los Santos went 2-3 with a walk. Ben Revere was 2-4 with fourth triple. Evan Bigley drove in two runs with his 11^th double.   

SNAPPERS SNIPPETS

Monday – Beloit 3, Dayton 6 – Liam Hendriks threw another really strong game for the Snappers. He gave up two runs on six hits and a walk in six innings. He struck out eight. Matt Williams came in and gave up two runs on three hits. Then Billy Bullock gave up two runs on three hits, a walk and a hit batter. Ozzie Lewis went 3-3 with two doubles. Michael Harrington hit his fourth home run.     

E-TWINS EXTRAS

Monday – Elizabethton 6, Burlington 4 (13 innings) – Reggie Williams came to bat with a runner on and two outs in the top of the 13^th. He gave the E-Twins a 6-4 lead with a two run home run. Ben Tootle recorded his first professional save with a scoreless bottom half of the 13^th and the E-Twins improved to 21-6 on the season. Tom Stuifbergen started and threw five shutout innings. He gave up three hits, walked one and struck out five. There was a half-hour rain delay in the 3^rd inning that he did return from, but because of that, he was limited to the five innings. Tony Davis then struck out four in two one-hit innings. Matt Tone gave up three runs on two hits and a walk in his inning. The E-Twins still held the lead going into the bottom of the ninth, but Kyle Carr gave up a run on two hits and two walks and the game headed to extra innings. Kane Holbrooks through three shutout innings before Tootle closed the door. Williams also hit his fifth double. Michael Gonzalez went 2-3 with three walks. Anderson Hidalgo went 2-5 with a walk and his fifth double.   

GCL TWINS THOUGHTS

Monday –GCL Twins, GCL Reds – Postponed by Rain.

Please feel free to Send me an e-mail, or leave your questions or comments here.

also available at www.SethSpeaks.net -

• For thoughts on the events in the Twins system over the weekend, be sure to check out my Notebooks.
• Quickly, Jesse Spector from the NY Daily News touched base with Chris Coste. It’s a good, entertaining interview.
• Here is Travis’s choice as the Twins #7 prospect.
• Be sure to read Roger’s Weekly Minor League Update.

It was about ten days ago that the MLB Draft finished up. The Twins made 51 selections over the three days (And 50 rounds) of the draft. This blog posting is probably a week over due, but before I posted anything, I wanted to get some opinions from people much closer to it than myself. This article is a compilation of thoughts from several people in and around the Twins organization and others.

The Twins went in to the draft with several organizational needs to address. I think we all knew that they needed to get some middle infielders, but also needed to stock up on some pitchers. We talked about how the Twins have a bunch of #3 and #4 pitchers in the minor league system, but don’t have many that really ever project to be top of the rotation starters. The Twins bullpen the last two seasons has taught us that having guys who are able to bridge the gap between the starter and the closer is something we grew to overlook, we were spoiled for several years.

The first three rounds of the draft occurred on Tuesday, June 9^th. The Twins had four picks due to a supplemental first round pick for losing Dennys Reyes to free agency. All four picks were college pitchers. (I will discuss all four in more detail below) Was that a surprise? Well, it was not something that was intentional. Simply stated, all four were at the top of the Twins draft board when their pick came up. The strength of this draft crop was pitching, and as we mentioned, it was something that the Twins needed and were looking to acquire. They were looking to add velocity, and got four guys who, when right, have very good velocity.

The Twins first pick was a right-hander from the University of Missouri named Kyle Gibson. He fell some in the draft due to injury. He had a fracture in his forearm. The Twins doctors have obviously reviewed all of his information and believe there will be no long term affects. The injury is not to his elbow or shoulder, so it is just a matter of healing and rest and he should be just fine. He is a very talented yet still projectable (6-6) college performer. Even through this injury, he continued to pitch and succeed. That also speaks to the type of competitor that he is, and again, could add to a thought that he could be a top of the rotation type of starter. He really knows how to pitch. He mixes his pitches well, he’s got very good control, and in general, just knows how to get hitters out. All reports indicate that he is a person with very strong character. The Twins were surprised that he was still available with the 22^nd pick which made it a very easy selection. The team expects to sign him and think he will still pitch in 2009. How much is still to be determined. It depends upon when he would sign, but we also have to remember that he has already thrown 106 innings this year.

With their supplemental first round pick, the Twins went with left handed starter Matt Bashore from the University of Indiana. He pitched as well as any left-handed pitcher in college the last six weeks of the season. He has displayed very good stuff and the ability to pitch. He throws his fastball between 89-94 (and pitches generally at 90-91), with a good curveball. Due to his size, stuff, innings and control, there is a good chance that he could be a Major League starter.

Brian Bullock was someone who some teams believed was the Top Relief pitching prospect. Now, Drew Storen went to the Nationals with the 10^th overall pick, but he’s been a reliever. Bullock’s transition to the bullpen is more recent. This was his first year as the closer at the University of Florida. He is a fastball/slider guy. His velocity spiked this year, up to 97-98 miles per hour. His slider improved over the course of the season and could be a potential strikeout pitch.

You have likely heard the story of Ben Tootle. He got sick this season and lost 15-20 pounds that he really didn’t have to lose, so his stock fell some in some eyes. But when he is healthy, he has two above average pitches. He has a darting fastball between 93 and 95 miles per hour. He also have a very hard breaking ball that could be a strikeout pitch. He has very strong makeup and throws a lot of strikes. That makes him versatile in the Twins eyes. They’re not certain if he will be best used as a starter or out of the bullpen. My guess is that he will pitch out of the bullpen much of the rest of this season just to keep his innings for the year down. I would guess he will be given a chance to start in 2010 but over time, if he can be best utilized out of the bullpen, they won’t, and shouldn’t, hesitate to develop that.

It is likely that each of these four pitchers (assuming they sign) would start at Elizabethton. As I posted yesterday, Bullock has already signed and will start out with the E-Twins. But don’t be surprised if one of more of them would end up pitching for the Beloit Snappers at some point. Brad Stillings was the Twins 7^th round pick out of Kent State, and he will start in the E-Twins bullpen. But several believe that he could be a big league starter.

As you also saw yesterday, the Twins will send Minnesota native and former Gopher Derek McCallum to Elizabethton where he will primarily play 2B. It is believed that he profiles as an offensive 2B, but he has the hands to play shortstop from time to time. Although he will maybe play some SS this summer, it is likely his future lies at 2B.

The Twins then took catchers with their fifth and sixth round picks. In the fifth round, they took Tobias Streich out of the West Virginia University. Then in the sixth round they took Chris Hermann out of the University of Miami. For a team that has Joe Mauer as its starter for (hopefully) the long term, has Wilson Ramos as a potential high ceiling catcher, and have several catchers that are defensive specialists (Butera, Christy, de San Miguel, Lehmann, etc.), it was surprising to see the Twins take two catchers this early. However, catchers traditionally go off the board quickly. If you want some quality catchers, you get them fairly early. The Twins believe in having catching depth throughout the minor leagues. Like pitching, you can never have enough catching. The position is so demanding that attrition tends to deplete many from the position before they get near the big league level. Streich is a defensive guy. He has a very strong arm and a durable body. Hermann provides some versatility. As I mentioned yesterday, he is already signed and will play in Elizabethton where he is currently listed as an outfielder. . He will likely get at bats this summer in the corner outfield positions as well as 2B and 3B. But the hope is that eventually he could be a left handed hitting catcher with top of the lineup hitting potential.

8^th round pick, James Dozier from Southern Mississippi, is another guy that may have gone higher in the draft if he were healthy. A broken collarbone meant that he could not play for quite some time during his senior season, and even when he came back, he was used as a DH. If he signs, he could be a steal this late.

When the Twins drafted outfielder Steve Liddle in the 15^th round, you had to do a double take. Was this one of those nepotism picks? Those usually don’t happen until the late rounds. Then you realize that Liddle, the son of the Twins bench coach with the same name, was one of the top hitters at Vanderbilt. He is a very good player. He is a good corner outfielder with a strong and accurate arm. He has a very good swing, and has a strong hitting presence. He has the type of swing that should develop more power over time. Although it is uncertain if he wants to sign, the Twins drafted him with every interest in signing him.

Erik Decker was obviously one of the more interesting names drafted by the Twins. The Gophers football (and baseball) player was drafted for the second straight year in the baseball draft despite teams knowing that his #1 sport at this time is football. As one of the top wide receivers in college football, Decker will enter his senior season for the Gophers this fall and will likely be drafted in the NFL somewhere between the third and fifth rounds, maybe even higher if he can stay healthy all season. So, what does this mean for baseball? He is a very good baseball player, particularly with the glove. He has good baseball speed and knows the game. He is intriguing because he has never played baseball full-time and his athleticism and strength make him a very intriguing prospect. Now, does he have any interest in playing baseball this summer? I don’t know. Could the Twins find a way to sign him creatively, allowing him to continue playing football and pursuing that career, but inking him so that he does not go back into the draft in another year. One thing to remember is that dual sport athletes can receive their signing bonus over five years, which could alleviate some of the concern. It will be interesting to see what happens.

In the 28^th round, the Twins drafted another guy that, in my mind, is very intriguing. Pat Light was selected out of Christian Brothers Academy in New Jersey. He is 6-5 and just 195 pounds, so very projectable. He was consistently in the high 80s and low 90s, topping out at 93. His out pitch may be his slider and he has a changeup. His curveball is still a work in progress. He has signed to play at Monmouth where he could be a top pitcher already next season since their #1 and #2 pitchers were selected in the 8^th and 10^th rounds this year. This is a guy that, as Twins fans, we should watch whether he signs with the Twins as the summer progresses.

The Twins selected Aaron Senne with their 12^th round pick three years ago out of Rochester Mayo High School. Instead of signing, he went to the University of Missouri where he has spent three seasons. He was All-Big 12 in his sophomore season. He fell back during his junior season although he hit .305. He hit just six home runs. The Twins drafted him in the 32^nd round this year. The Twins really like his offensive potential. He had a disappointing year, but the power is still there. Hopefully he will seriously consider signing with the Twins, but he may want to go back to school and have a better senior season and move back up the draft. It’s a tough decision, but I was told that he certainly is strongly considering signing, and the fact that it was the Twins that drafted him, could factor into his decision.

Another local draftee was Ryan Abrahamson. The Twins drafted the 6-3, 200 pound Tartan High School outfielder in the 37^th round. The Twins will meet with him and his family to discuss options. The odds of him signing with the Twins is probably small. He definitely is looking forward to playing for the Gophers.

Just a couple other notes – The Twins took Marc Bourgeois in the 39^th round out of Chipola Junior College. That is the same school that fellow Canadian Rene Tosoni was drafted out of. His skill is his bat, but we probably shouldn’t expect similar results. The Twins drafted David Gutierrez out of the University of Miami in the 34^th round. He was a senior and brother of Twins #1 pick in 2008 Carlos Gutierrez. Both pitchers rely on their sinkers, but David does not throw as hard as Carlos. Still well worth the risk.

One player that the Twins would really like to sign is Ronnie Richardson. The Twins were able to draft him in the 11^th round because he fell due to signability concerns. He has signed a letter of intent to play for the University of Central Florida. He is a tremendous athlete with good skills and a very quick bat. His best skill is his incredible speed. At just 5-7 and 171 pounds, speed is his game, but he does have some gap power as well. On my podcast last week, Richardson told us that although the signing bonus will play a huge role in if he signs, he said that he will listen and other things will factor in. He specifically said that if he could get his college paid for that would help.

Following a draft, every team believes in their draft and the players that they selected. In reality, we won’t know for five or more years how good the Twins draft of 2009 really was. Once signed, those in player development have to go to work to make these guys what they can become. The Twins went in hoping to replenish their pitching and specifically a few power arms. This year, the overall draft crop was very mediocre, but the strength was in pitching. The Twins were also happy to get a quality middle infielder (McCallum) in a draft where there wasn’t too many.     

So what do you think now? Did the Twins draft as they should have, or is there no way to know that, as we said, for five years or more? Who are some of the names and/or stories that you are most intrigued by. Let me know what you think.

A quartet of fine starts from high-end draft-eligible righthanded pitching prospects (including three future pro relievers who took the ball as starters for their college teams), a host of current relievers and non-star starting pitchers put forth solid efforts (gotta show the little guys some love every now and again), a mixed bag of performances out of highly ranked 2010’s and 2011’s, and a huge baseball star (not to mention my personal favorite player of all-time) hits in the leadoff spot for Seton Hall…wait, what? Read on, my amateur baseball loving friends, read on…

Also, a slew of new content (lists, rankings, an updated mock, and even a creative idea or two…a first for this site!) is on the way…stay tuned!

Photo Credit: Al Dia Inc

I’ll lead with this because I know there are a few Missouri fans that regularly check in with the site. On Sunday, Missouri had 9 different pitchers throw exactly 1 inning apiece. A little digging revealed that this is something the Tigers normally do during mid-week starts, but it’s the first such occurrence during the weekend. I could make guesses as to why they decided to give this way a shot, but I’m curious if anybody out there knows the real reason before I start making stuff up. No matter the reason, I think it’s a cool approach that shows a willingness to try something against the grain in an attempt to gain a strategic edge. Now as far as prospects go… 

• David Hale (Princeton, ‘09): 6 IP 6 H 0 ER 2 BB 6 K against Navy

The best prospect in the Ivy League upped his 2009 scoreless inning streak to 13 to start the season. Of course, in those 13 innings Hale has given up 8 unearned runs, a testament to the shoddy defense behind him and the unreliable predictive nature of ERA.

• Ben Tootle (Jacksonville State, ‘09): 6 IP 6 H 3 ER 3 BB 13 K
• Brad Boxberger (Southern Cal, ‘09): 5.2 IP 4 H 3 ER 8 BB 5 K, 116 pitches
• Brian Pearl (Washington, ‘09): 6 IP 4 H 2 ER 1 BB 6 K

I remain unconvinced that any of the three will ever be consistent professional starters, but each young man on the list is plenty talented enough to emerge as legitimate bullpen stoppers as pros. Tootle is still on the cusp of the first round and in contention with Jason Stoffel to be the first reliever off the board. Boxberger is the hottest name on the list, but I’m not sure why his stock has gone up as high as it has. I do try to not dwell on the negatives when it comes to prospects, but 25 walks in 32.1 innings pitched is not the kind of performance that warrants a first round grade. One of the big concerns surrounding Pearl this spring has been addressed with his conversion to the starting rotation; when he was closing for the Huskies, crosscheckers were anxious about having to trek out to the Pacific Northwest without the guarantee of, you know, actually seeing him pitch. 

• Kyle Blair (San Diego, ‘10): 7 IP 3 H 0 ER 2 BB 9 K against Brown
• Michael Palazzone (Georgia, ‘11): 3 IP 1 H 0 ER 1 BB 5 K  against Mississippi State
• Kyle Smith (Kent State, ‘09): 6 IP 2 H 1 ER 2 BB 8 K against Eastern Michigan 

I think we’ll look back at last year’s San Diego pitching staff and truly be amazed at the group of talent put together by Rich Hill and his staff. In addition to 2008 draft picks Brian Matusz (4th overall), Josh Romanski (4th round), and Ricardo Pecina (8th round), the Toreros ‘08 staff featured future premium picks Blair (‘10) and Solis (‘10) as well as potential high round 2009 picks Matt Thomson and AJ Griffin (two personal favorites, especially Griffin and his monstrous groundballing ways). All told, that’s six top four round picks on one staff (Matusz, Romanski, Blair, Solis, Thomson, and Griffin), and three good bets to go in the first round (Blair and Solis, in addition to Matusz). Not bad, right?

Palazzone is still coming out of the bullpen for the Bulldogs, but his talent far exceeds the role. If teams thought him signable, he would have been a top two round pick last season. Armed with a big fastball (89-94), true plus curve, and a potentially above-average change, Palazzone should pitch himself into a bigger role before long. Smith has great size and stuff. Kent State has become a hot spot for scouts in recent years, in no small part to the recruitment and development of quality arms like Smith, a heck of an accomplishment for a MAC school any way you look at it.  

Other, more random players of note:

• Matt Price, a nice looking freshman arm for Virginia Tech, was allowed to pitch a whopping 140 pitches for the Hokies on Saturday. 140 pitches! A freshman! Not only that, he threw those 140 pitches in only 6.2 IP. To make matters even worse, the Hokies were up 4-1 after 4 innings, and 8-1 through five. Why in the world did Price come out for the sixth, let alone seventh inning? There is surely more to the story than just the score and pitch count, but I think it’s a stretch to say that there is any set of reasons out there that would explain away the risk 140 pitches can have on such a young arm.  
   
• Tyler Pill (Cal Fullerton, ‘11): 8 IP 7 H 1 ER 1 BB 10 K against Oral Roberts

Pill, a freshman at Fullerton, was a 38th round pick of the Rockies this past year. Pill doesn’t have an overwhelming fastball, but he has that hard to define but oh so wonderful pitchability that scouts love to see. He also more than makes up for lacking high-end velocity with an outstanding change, solid curve, above-average control, and plus athleticism. 

• Seth Frankoff (UNC Wilmington, ‘09): 8 IP 5 H 1 ER 0 BB 6 K (12/4 groundball to flyball, 110 pitches)

75% of Frankoff’s outs came via the punchout or the groundball, have to love that. Also, and I ned to be upfront about this, apparently Seth Frankoff is a very popular man around the internet. You wouldn’t believe the number of Google hits I get looking for information on him. Gotta give the people what they want, right? Frankoff has a good frame, playable stuff, and experience pitching on the national stage, so it’s not as though he is that random a prospect…just a guy with a disproportionate balance of interest to talent, that’s all. 

• Josh Spence, junior college transfer now with Arizona State, with another impressive outing on the bump for the Sun Devils: 7.1 IP 5 H 3 ER 1 BB 10 K. Good thing I couldn’t find any more data than that, wouldn’t want to know more information from his start that could be put to good analytical use…

More notes from the weekend tomorrow…including a less than stellar update on the early favorite to go number one overall in 2010, info on a gaggle of college relievers, and additional thoughts on some of the top arms from the classes of 2010 and 2011…

1. Steven Strasburg (RHSP – San Diego State)

Alright, so far this is pretty easy…

2. Alex White (RHSP – North Carolina)
3. Grant Green (SS – Southern California)
4. Dustin Ackley (OF – North Carolina)
5. Kyle Gibson (RHSP – Missouri)

White is a confusing prospect. On one hand, he’s second on the board and, while Green may be very close behind him at number three, is a worthy candidate to go number two overall. On the other hand, if we pretended Strasburg wasn’t draft-eligible this year, would White as the number one pick in the country feel right? That may be a silly way of looking at it, but I can’t help it. Maybe it’s more about my personal hangup about what a number one overall pick should be. I like White a lot and genuinely believe he can front a big league rotation, but it would feel like a weak draft if he went number one overall. Ugh, that makes no sense. I’m just thinking out loud, disregard this paragraph…

6. Mike Minor (LHSP – Vanderbilt)
7. Tanner Scheppers (RHSP – Fresno State/St. Paul Saints)
8. Aaron Crow (RHSP – Missouri/Forth Worth Cats)
9. Andrew Oliver (LHSP – Oklahoma State)

Minor is a personal favorite and higher on this list than he’ll sure be on others – watching Cole Hamels every fifth day the last few years has turned me into a huge backer of lefties with plus changeups. Scheppers is also higher here than he’ll be on most rankings, but, remember, this ranking is based on the assumption of good health into the summer.

10. Josh Phegley (C – Indiana)
11. Mike Leake (RHSP – Arizona State)
12. James Jones (LHSP – Long Island)
13. Kendal Volz (RHSP – Baylor)
14. Mike Nesseth (RHSP – Nebraska)

Phegley as the third ranked college bat may seem a little strange, but his statistical profile is hard to ignore. He heads up an underrated group of college catchers that feature a surprisingly high number of players on the list – well, maybe it isn’t all that surprising, but it was surprising to me as I put the list together, whatever that’s worth. Leake over Volz is a little strange, but it came down to present plus command and movement over potential power plus stuff across the board.

15. Sean Black (RHSP – Seton Hall)
16. Jake Locker (OF – Washington)

Sometimes I have a hard time letting go. I know I previously admitted having Locker = poor man’s Grady Sizemore burned into my brain, but Sean Black this high could be just as egregious a selection. Black was a big prep prospect not too long ago who has failed to live up to the hype at Seton Hall. Loads of raw talent + more difficult playing conditions (subpar team, so-so conference, and colder weather) = potential sleeper prospect. Locker will fall down the list (and eventually off altogether) as other players emerge this spring, but I had to put him way up here as a nod to his prodigious talent.

17. Kentrail Davis (OF – Tennessee)
18. Robbie Shields (SS – Florida Southern)
19. Jared Mitchell (OF – Louisiana State)
20. Kyle Seager (2B – North Carolina)
21. Rich Poythress (1B – Georgia)

Counting Locker at 16th, that gives us sixth straight position players in a row. How about that? These five should all be big league starters if all goes according to plan, though only the two outfielders profile as potential all-stars.

22. Sam Dyson (RHSP – South Carolina)
23. Chris Dominguez (3B – Louisville)

All or nothing, here we come. Dyson’s arm is electric, but his injury history and control both need some cleaning up. Dominguez has his detractors, but two plus tools (arm and power) make him stand out in a weak college class for hitters. If he puts it all together this season, expect crazy power numbers out of Dominguez, especially in Big East play.

24. Ryan Ortiz (C – Oregon State)
25. DJ LeMahieu (SS – Louisiana State)
26. Trevor Coleman (C – Missouri)
27. Robert Stock (C – Southern California)
28. Ryan Jackson (SS – Miami)

Five spots, only two positions. Sorting out the college catchers and middle infielders is one of the trickier things to do in this class. Ortiz is an underrated player because his skillset is so broad. Players like this often get overlooked for not having one standout tool to suck scouts in. LeMahieu is a far better hitter than Jackson, but they are close in the overall rankings because Jackson’s defense is outstanding. Big league front offices realize the importance of quality defense now more than ever, so where Jackson falls on actual draft boards will make an interesting case study in just how focused teams are developing their own standout defenders through the draft. As I already wrote about in the mock draft, Stock = catching version of Sean Black. Of course, baseball is a weird game so there may be more to the story than that simple equation (I like equations, by the way…if you haven’t noticed. We might be able to claim that Stock = Black without the catching disclaimer if the Southern Cal product has a big season on the mound for the Trojans.

29. AJ Pollock (OF/2B – Notre Dame)
30. Jason Stoffel (RHRP – Arizona)
31. Bryan Morgado (LHSP – Tennessee)
32. Kyle Heckathorn (RHSP – Kennesaw State)

Pollock is a hard player to figure, but if the position switch to second base actually sticks, he’ll fly up draft boards this spring. He is a very good basestealer, has playable pop, and is difficult to strike out. Pollock is one of the few I haven’t seen play yet, so I’m just throwing this out there…what about Chone Figgins as a comp?

33. Ben Tootle (RHRP – Jacksonville State)
34. Shawn Tolleson (RHSP – Baylor)
35. Jake Cowan (RHSP – San Jacinto JC)
36. Blake Smith (OF/RHSP – California)

The first junior college player to make the list is a righty with a great frame, 95 MPH fastball, and three plus pitches. Cowan, the former Virginia recruit, will be in contention to be the first juco player picked in 2009.

37. Tyler Lyons (LHSP – Oklahoma State)
38. Jeff Inman (RHSP – Stanford)
39. Ryan Weber (RHSP – St. Petersburg JC)

Weber is the second junior college arm on the list, a fact worth noting because neither the aforementioned Jake Cowan or Weber is Daniel Webb. Webb, the consensus top junior college talent, failed to crack the top fifty. Blazing fastball or not, he was just too raw a prospect for our tastes.

40. Micah Gibbs (C – Louisiana State)
41. Matt Thomson (RHSP – San Diego)
42. Brad Boxberger (RHRP – Southern California)
43. Tommy Medica (C – Santa Clara)
44. Brad Stillings (RHSP – Kent State)
45. Steve Fischback (RHRP – Cal Poly)
46. Nick Hernandez (LHSP – Tennessee)
47. Gavin Brooks (LHSP – UCLA)
48. Jordan Henry (OF – Mississippi)
49. David Hale (RHSP – Princeton)
50. Ben Paulsen (1B – Clemson)

And that’s 50. Not a very inspiring last group, but, let’s be real, it’s not a very exciting year for high-end college talent. I think I picked the wrong year to start doing this…

Check back all weekend long for occasional updates on college baseball’s opening weekend.

An estimated crowd of 8,629 piled into Veteran’s Field last Saturday night for the 46th Cape League All-Star Game. Of the nearly 9,000 fans in attendance, there were probably at least 50 Major League scouts. The entire section of the stands behind home plate was roped off with signage saying “Scouts Only.” If you walked by that section at any point in the game, you would see at least a dozen radar guns pointed toward the mound, clocking the pitches from the fresh meat on the hill.

In typical Cape League fashion, the early portion of the game was dominated by great pitching. The East offense was dominated by the first four pitchers that toed the rubber, going hitless until the 5th inning. Then in the 6th, the offense for the West exploded for five runs off of Martin Viramontes (Orleans Cardinals, Loyola Marymount), as he could only record one out.

Viramontes’ struggles set the plate for the most inspiring pitching performance of the night. With just one out, and the West All-Stars rounding the bases as if it were a merry-go-round, Chris Manno (Harwich Mariners), a 6 foot 3 lefty from Duke, was asked to warm up as quickly as possible and enter the game an inning before he was scheduled. I watched him warm up in the bullpen. Clearly he had never warmed up with this particular bullpen catcher before that night, as Manno directed him through his typical routine, which appeared to be very precise and specific to him.

When Manno was finally loose, he was called upon with the bases loaded, and two outs to get out of the jam, with the meat of the order coming up. He answered with back-to-back strikeouts to the number two and three hitters, Jimmy Cesario (Falmouth Commodores, Houston) and Marc Krauss (Bourne Braves, Ohio). Manno came back out for the 7th inning and sat down the four, five and six hitters in order to complete his perfect 1 2/3 inning, and holding the deficit to 6-1 in favor of the West.

The bottom of the 8th inning was an event in itself. The East All-Stars came to the plate looking to erase the 5-run lead built by the West—a very tall task in a Cape League game. The game had been flying to this point, but this inning saw two interruptions. The first came at 9:11 p.m. when the PA announcer interrupted the game to observe the 9/11 tragedy, which was a very nice gesture. Then, the game resumed, but perhaps not without rattling the concentration of Seth Blair (Cotuit Kettleers, Arizona State), who was on the mound for the West. He proceeded to give up three runs to make it a 6-4 ball game.

Then, at precisely 9:33, Blair was interrupted yet again. This time it was in the middle of a Grant Green (Chatham A’s, USC) at bat, when three streakers emerged from the right field foul territory, ran through the bullpen (where Ben Tootle was currently warming up), and across the outfield making a swift exit, hopping over the centerfield fence. It’s tough to say how this would affect a player’s mental concentration, but if it did in fact have an effect, it was positive for Grant Green as he reentered the batters box after being keeled over in laughter. Green, with a runner on 3rd, proceeded to hit the first pitch he saw deep to center and out of the park, over the same fence that was just scaled by streakers in the prior seconds. The game was tied 6-6.

Then Mark Fleury, Harwich’s catcher from UNC, gave the East All-Stars the lead with a 2-run shot to cap the score at 8-6, capping the come from behind victory, that was closed out by Brad Boxberger (Chatham A’s, USC) in the 9th.

Grant Green took home the MVP honors with his game-tying 2-run homer in the 8th inning. Here’s a look at all of the notable performances from the game:

Grant Green (USC) 1-4, HR, 2 RBI
Mark Fleury (UNC) 1-2, HR, 2 RBI
AJ Pollack (Notre Dame) 2-3, HR
Rich Poythress (Georgia) 1-2, HR
Tim Wheeler (Loyola Marymount) 1-4, 2B, 2 RBI
Ben Paulsen (Clemson) 2-4, 2B, 2 RBI

Chris Manno (Duke) 1.2 IP, 0 H, 4 K
Bryce Stowell (UC Irvine) 1 IP, 0 H, 3 K
Sammy Solis (San Diego) 1 IP, 0 H, 2 K
Brandon Workman (Texas) 1 IP, 0 H, 2 K
Adam Wilk (Long Beach State) 1 IP, 1 H, 3 K
Andrew Carraway (Virginia) 1 IP, 0 H, 1 K
Nick McCully (Coastal Caronlina) 1 IP, 0 H, 1 K
Dallas Keuchel (Arkansas) 1 IP, 0 H, 1 K
Brad Boxberger (USC) 1 IP, 0 H, 1 K, SV
Russell Brewer (Vanderbuilt) 1 IP, 0 H, 0 K
Buddy Baumann (Missouri State) 1 IP, 0 H, 0 K, WIN

The All-Stars have been named, and the game is slated to take place on Saturday night at Veterans Field in Chatham.  Here’s what the teams look like:

WEST
C – Trevor Coleman (Falmouth), Missouri, 2010
1B – Ben Paulsen (Hyannis), Clemson, 2010
2B – Jimmy Cesario (Falmouth), Houston, 2009
3B – Chris Dominguez (Hyannis), Louisville, 2009
SS – Dusty Coleman (Bourne), Wichita State, 2010
LF – Marc Krauss (Bourne), Ohio, 2010
CF – A.J. Pollock (Falmouth), Notre Dame, 2010
RF – Trent Ashcraft (Hyannis), E. Carolina, 2009
DH – Kevin Patterson (Cotuit), Auburn, 2011
P – Bryce Stowell (Bourne), UC Irvine, 2009
Reserves
C – Dale Cornstubble (Hyannis), Central Michigan, 2010
IF – Raynor Campbell (Wareham), Baylor, 2010
OF – Jordan Henry (Bourne), Mississippi, 2010
Pitchers
RHP Brandon Workman (Wareham), Texas, 2011
RHP Andrew Carraway (Hyannis), Virginia, 2010
RHP Nick McCully (Bourne), Coastal Carolina, 2010
RHP Eric Pettis (Bourne), UC Irvine, 2010
LHP Dallas Keuchel (Wareham), Arkansas, 2010
RHP Russell Brewer (Hyannis), Vanderbilt, 2011
RHP Seth Blair (Cotuit), Arizona State, 2011
RHP Ben Tootle (Falmouth), Jacksonville State, 2010
EAST
C – Tony Sanchez (Y-D), Boston College, 2010
1B – Ryan Wheeler (Brewster), Loyola Marymount, 2010
2B – Nick Liles (Y-D), Western Carolina, 2010
3B – Rich Poythress (Orleans), Georgia, 2010
SS – Grant Green (Chatham), USC, 2010
LF – Ryan Ortiz (Y-D), Oregon State, 2010
CF – Cory Olson (Chatham), Orange Coast, 2010
RF – Tim Wheeler (Orleans), Sacramento State, 2010
DH – Brent Millville (Brewster), Stanford, 2010
P – Matt Thomson (Orleans), San Diego, 2010
Reserves
C – Mark Fleury (Harwich), UNC, 2010
IF – D.J. Lemahieu (Harwich), LSU, 2011
OF – Ty Kelly (Brewster), UC Davis, 2010
Pitchers
RHP Brad Boxberger (Chatham), USC, 2009
LHP Sammy Solis (Chatham), San Diego, 2011
LHP Buddy Baumann (Brewster), Missouri State, 2010
RHP Martin Viramontes (Orleans), Loyola Marymount, 2011
LHP Adam Wilk (Orleans), Long Beach State, 2010
LHP Chris Manno (Harwich), Duke, 2010
LHP Brian Dupra, (Harwich), Notre Dame, 2011
RHP J.J. Hoover, West Virginia, 2010