By John Klima
January 2, 2010
I’ve done some good work in Alabama. So has Brandon May, who went to work over the summer in the Cape Cod League and then signed with the Chicago Cubs. Here’s a look at some of that hard work.
By John Klima
October 23, 2009
This video shows why Bell was drafted and signed as well as the corrections and adjustments he needs to make as a pro. First the good: Bell has a good arm from the left-side. His fastball was 90-92 with below average command when I saw him. Body and arm speed and arm power from the left side will get you a job any year, as it did for Bell in the 14th round with the Rangers. The corrections he needs to make as a pro are evident: he’ll need to condition, close up his windup, create better extension and downhill plane. He was more or less throwing on a straight line the day I saw him pitch a no-hitter at Chatham. That’ll get you in the door, but it won’t keep you there. (more…)
By John Klima
September 18, 2009
Jorge Reyes’s month-long stint pitching for Orleans in the Cape Cod League is what drove his price and led him into pro ball. Reyes had substantially better stuff on the Cape than he did during the Pac-10, according to scouts I spoke to.
Reyes created more power. He struck out 40 in 34 innings on the Cape, which was a better ratio than the 75 strikeouts in 81 innings he compiled for Oregon State in the spring. Reyes signed and made three starts for short-season Eugene (Northwest League) and continued to show power, striking out 12 and walking two in 13 innings. Reyes went 1-1 with a 1.38 ERA.
Reyes slipped to the Padres in the 17th round of the 2009 draft, which probably isn’t what he had in mind when the college season began. This is why the Cape is so valuable for players who want to sign after their junior years, but didn’t go where they wanted in June. Reyes pitched with his fastball at 89-91 when I saw him in July, with a first inning bump to 92. His slider was 82-84 with sweeping action on right-handers. See his video on the next page.
By John Klima
September 2, 2009
“Tyler Blanford is a physical kid with a power fastball and power breaking ball potential,” Mariners scouting director Tom McNamara told Baseball Beginnings.
Here’s a look at a guy who could be in Seattle within two years. This film was shot in Blanford’s first 2009 summer outing, which makes this a game-time bullpen session. In three innings, Blanford hit 96 in the first inning and pitched at 94. In the second inning, he pitched at 93. In his third inning, he pitched at 92. His slider worked at 83 with hard, late bite and his fastball has late action up in the zone. Blanford said he was throwing from a side arm slot in an experimental mode, so it will be interesting to track his process as a pro to see what slot he uses and what role he settles in it. One thing you can’t hide is the power. As the saying goes, the tools never lie.
Read Tyler Blandford Q&A
Read Tyler Blandford Scouting Report
By John Klima
August 27, 2009
The story went that Alex Hassan had been drafted as a pitcher, though when Baseball Beginnings scouted him, Hassan looked as uncomfortable on the mound as drivers dealing with the Hyannis roundabout for the first time.
In the video, it’s easy to see that he’s feeling for what he should be doing, and has the look of a guy who took the ball to be a team guy. Playing for the Orleans Firebirds on the Cape, Hassan didn’t throw hard, looked like he was just trying to get it over and not embarrass himself. It was experimental mop-up work.
Drafted in the 20th round of the 2009 draft out of Duke University by the Boston Red Sox, Hassan signed in late July and traded the Cape for the next step up the ladder, the short-season New York Penn League. He also signed as an outfielder, not as a pitcher.
Hassan as a position player is more at home. He doesn’t have the flashiest tools, but he’s a decent enough athlete to have been able to play both ways in college. His body has room to fill out and if one of his tools does pop, the guess here is that it will probably be power.
Hassan was a very “armsy” hitter when I saw him on the Cape, but then went to Lowell in the New-York Penn League and hit his way out of there in 17 games, hitting .350 in 60 at-bats with no home runs, which indicates that he made some adjustments. However, in scouting, you have to go with what the player gave you on the day you saw him.
By John Klima
August 20, 2009
Pitching with confidence and poise, Tyler Lyons pitched his way back on to the national radar screen this summer at Chatham. Here is the first of several looks Baseball Beginnings captured on the Cape.
Read updated Tyler Lyons Scouting Report
Read Tyler Lyons Q&A
Watch Tyler Lyons Cape Cod League bullpen video
Watch Tyler Lyons vs. Cory Vaughn
Read Tyler Lyons scouting report from March in Palm Springs
Watch Tyler Lyons video from March in Palm Springs
By John Klima
August 19, 2009
If you compare this video of Lyons warming up compared to his in-game video from last March, it’s easy to see that he is healthier, stronger and more confident. While Lyons shouldn’t be considered a power pitcher, this does not mean that he should be classified as a junk baller. Lyons has better stuff than the vast majority of right-handers who threw in the same velocity range. And while he lacks one true premium pitch, he’s got enough to keep good hitters honest. Lyons is the kind of pitcher that you need to open your eyes on and not just sit back and point your radar gun. Along the lines of ASU right-hander Mike Leake, Lyons possesses all the indications that he’s going to be able to hang around the big leagues and be very steady. Time will tell, and if I’m right, you can say you saw it on Baseball Beginnings first.
Read updated Tyler Lyons Scouting Report
Read Tyler Lyons Q&A
Watch Tyler Lyons Cape Cod League game video
Watch Tyler Lyons vs. Cory Vaughn
Read Tyler Lyons scouting report from March in Palm Springs
Watch Tyler Lyons video from March in Palm Springs
By John Klima
August 3, 2009
I believe Tyler Lyons went curveball, fastball, change-up, change-up in this four-pitch at-bat. It’s a very nice and concise look at why Lyons has a chance to pitch in the big leagues. I liked the way the ball came out of his hand much better in July than I did in March when I saw him in Palm Springs and he was recovering from a dead arm period. In some of the additional video we have on Lyons, it shows his above-average curve ball and his ability to command all four pitches and control his fastball. I also like Lyons’s delivery points and I think he’s one of the most mechanically sound pitchers I have seen the Yankees draft recently. If they sign him after selecting him in the 10th round in 2009, I hope they don’t bury him simply because he’s not a power arm.
Cory Vaughn is what we call a “gunshot guy.” A gunshot guy is a hitter whose wood bat makes a sound like a gunshot when he makes solid contact, as opposed to the wet newspaper sound. Show up for BP or early work and you’ll hear it. I had the park to myself. The scouts were sleeping it off.
Vaughn, the son of the Greg Vaughn, has a leaner and more athletic body than his father had when he first came to the major leagues. Cory Vaughn hits from a wide stance and has a short trigger. He has fast hands and keeps the firm front side even when he is fooled. He’s going to have the power to play a corner and I think he’s going to be athletic enough to steal some bases if he wants to. He’s a first-round talent in 2010. His numbers weren’t much to look at on the Cape, but I’m not scouting results. You can’t hide the power and you can’t hide this guy’s body and athleticism. If I were looking for a comparison at this stage, Matt Kemp might work.
This at-bat was captured in Chatham recently. We’ll have much more Cape Cod League coverage in the coming days, as Baseball Beginnings continues its efforts to become a national destination and one of the baseball world’s top sources for new insights on rising players. We know a player when we see one.
We also have a Scouting Report and Video on Lyons, and a Q&A coming soon as well as an updated video and report. In pro ball, you file more than report on the same guy often, if you’re doing it right. Watch Lyons vs. Vaughn after the jump.
By John Klima
July 3, 2009
Here’s a look at Glenn’s raw power, captured inside an empty Goodwin Field at Cal State Fullerton. Yes, I was standing behind the batting cage shooting BP. Yes, I talked my way into that opportunity. Yes, I am that good.
Glenn was streaky this season at Arizona, but he wasn’t the only guy on that team out of his element. He doesn’t need me to tell him what the Blue Jays will. But still, you can’t discard a player with power. Sometimes late-round picks surprise you. We’ll see what happens with Glenn, a proud product of Tulsa, Oklahoma, who could probably hit a ball from here to there if he got into one.
By John Klima
June 18, 2009
Brad Boxberger got lost a bit in the national shuffle during the college season, overshadowed as USC played .500 baseball, Grant Green had all the attention, Robert Stock pitched his way out of college and Mike Leake and Arizona State made their run to the College World Series.
But Boxberger has the makings of a middle-of-the-rotation major league starter. He has the aptitude to pitch above his grades, but we’ll have to see how his stuff translates in pro ball. He has enough velocity for a right-hander to get by, touching 94 with max effort, but usually working at a breezy and effective 90-92. As a college pitcher, Boxberger needed time to get loose early in the game. He got a reputation, however true or unfounded, that he was a bad first inning pitcher.
What Boxberger does have is three pitches and an effective knuckle-curve deal which showed tight rotation and bite. That’s where the comparison to Mike Mussina comes to mind. Neither right-hander had overpowering stuff, but both had a breaking ball for strikes and both understood how to change speeds, pitch backwards, and screw with pitch sequences. It would be one thing if Boxberger was smoke and mirrors and no velocity; it’s quite another when he’s smoke, mirrors and stuff.
We captured this video late in the season at Cal State Northridge. It wasn’t his best outing, but the video gives a clear idea of his physical description, arm action, and some of his stuff’s life. Click to see the video.
