John Klima | January 31, 2010
I got an email the other day wishing me a happy off-season. That gave me a good laugh. I didn’t have the heart to tell the poor guy that there is no such thing as an off-season. Baseball is all the time. Here at Baseball Beginnings, it’s another busy winter week for us. On the high school front, we’ll look at D’Monte Grissom, Vincent Velasquez, Drew Robinson, Sean Coyle, Tony Wolters and Brian Ragira. On the college side, we’ll inspect Seth Rosin, Chris Sale, Cody Hawn and Rico Noel.
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John Klima | January 31, 2010
Boston College’s Mickey Wiswall helped himself last summer in the Cape Cod League by proving to be one of the strongest left-handed hitters available for the 2010 draft. Wiswall has a strong frame and a low center of gravity. His hands and forearms are extremely strong. Wiswall doesn’t have a singles-hitter approach. The guy is aggressive with his cut and he knows he’s there to lift the ball. He doesn’t possess extraordinary secondary tools, but he should be able to make himself a decent defensive first baseman. Guys like this have to have it in their minds before they go into pro ball that the only way they’re getting to the big leagues is to hit one ball after another out of the park. When you have power like this guy, you can think that way.
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Tags: Boston College, Cape Cod League, Mickey Wiswall
John Klima | January 30, 2010
Austin Wates was one of the better prospects in the Cape Cod League last summer. The Virginia Tech outfielder is going to have several advantages working for him as he moves into professional baseball following the 2010 draft. Wates is going to be a better athlete than many players he will share the field with. This will translate in professional baseball into the ability to play all three outfield positions and run and defend well enough to cover them all. Offensively, Wates has a nimble frame with physical projection and the hands that should allow him to spray the gaps. As he ages, he should mature and develop modest power.
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Tags: Austin Wates, Cape Cod League, Virginia Tech
John Klima | January 29, 2010
Kendrick Perkins is among the better high school athletes available in the 2010 MLB Draft. He has a college commitment to Texas A&M, but we’ll have to wait and see if he gets there following the draft. Perkins gave up football at Houston’s La Porte High School, where he had been an All-greater Houston running back. His speed and his power are the tools that will take him into professional baseball. A good comparison for Perkins in terms of career path and talent is Carl Crawford, the Tampa Rays all-star centerfielder from Houston, who turned down a college football career to pursue baseball.
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John Klima | January 29, 2010
Jake Jelmini isn’t a player that is very well known, but he’s the kind of guy we like to shed some light on here at Baseball Beginnings. A defensive lineman for a football team that won a Southern Section championship, Jelmini reminds me of another South Bay (California) prospect who wasn’t on any prospect lists out of high school.
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John Klima | January 28, 2010
The prospect vs. prospect at-bat is one of our favorite features here at Baseball Beginnings. We thought it would be a good time to dust off the plate and have a look at two players from different parts of the country with Kansas left-handed pitcher Albert Minnis and New Jersey catcher Greg Brodzinski.
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Tags: Albert Minnis, Greg Brodzinski, South Carolina, Wichita State
John Klima | January 27, 2010
Jordan Shipers has some physical projection remaining on what was listed as a 5-10, 160 frame last summer. His arm speed will be his main weapon. When coupled with some physical projection and strength training, it’s easy to see why Shipers was a wanted man for a college baseball program and why scouts will monitor him this spring at South Harrison HS (Bethany, Missouri).
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John Klima | January 26, 2010
DeAndre Smelter is headed to Georgia Tech, if the 2010 draft doesn’t get him first.
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John Klima | January 25, 2010
Before I break down second baseman-outfielder Ryan Brett, there’s one subtlety to point out. I like that the guy isn’t using batting gloves to hit with wood. The reason is because it gives you a very clear view of how strong Brett’s hands and forearms are. It’s the reason he has bat speed with wood. It’s also why he’s able to generate bat speed to make hard and consistent contact. The sound is good. So is the bat control.
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John Klima | January 24, 2010
Welcome to our usual Sunday night message, coming this week. Before we tell you what we have in store, please take a nice look around the site. Yes, our nice little site that we work so hard to maintain. You’ll notice that, well, we do not firewall the content. Of course, we have to make sure we have some income. To that extent, please notice the nice red banner ad for our first sponsor, the Dusty Baker Baseball Camp. If you’re a reader and have someone who wants to play college or professional baseball, Dusty’s Camp is a good place to get some experience, exposure and major league instruction. Please visit his website and the other sponsorships we are lining up for the site. Without our readers exploring the businesses we partner with, Baseball Beginnings won’t be around. And if you’re interested in becoming a sponsor, you can email Jen for more information.
On that happy note, here’s what is coming up this week. We’ve got a lot of high school guys from around the country. The roster this week features Ryan Brett, DeAndre Smelter, Greg Brodzinski, Albert Minnis, Jake Jelmini and Kendrick Perkins. On the college side, we’ll look at Virginia Tech OF Austin Wates and Boston College left-handed power hitter Mickey Wiswall.
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