John Klima | November 13, 2009
Jackie Bradley Jr. held his own as a true freshman from South Carolina playing last summer for Hyannis in the Cape Cod League. He made our list of prospects to watch from the 2009 Hyannis club, and though he’s a 2011 draft class player, it’s never too early to look into the future here at Baseball Beginnings.
John Klima | November 5, 2009
The feeling here is that if Jack Armstrong was in the 2010 MLB draft, we’d be talking about him as a solid 1/1 candidate.
ESPN and MLB PR types would shoot me, but Armstrong is better than Strasburg, and it ain’t even close. Armstrong hits 96 in this video (twice) with a power curveball, and a great body. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I read that line about not caring about if the guy looks good in blue jeans, too, assuming it was really spoken. But let’s get something clear. This guy is as close to big league ready as there is in the SEC right now. I’m not saying he won’t have some refinements to make, but I’m willing to bet he’s going to be making them in the big leagues. I saw Prior, too, and Armstrong’s arm action, slot, and extension are all achieved with less stress on his elbow. Freelance pitching coaches can pan me all they want, but if I was sitting in a front office, I’d be telling the owner that if he doesn’t sign this guy, he may as well go back to whatever business he came from.
John Klima | October 29, 2009
Looking ahead to the 2011 draft, Valencia infielder Christian Lopes has been on the radar for a few years already. Here’s a look at some BP footage of Lopes assembled from the Area Code Games in August and a few swings from rounds with the Brewers scout team at USC. If you listen closely, you can hear USC coach Pete Carroll blowing his whistle during football practice on the field next door. I had to make sure my camera was aimed in the right direction, otherwise I’d be in deep trouble, being an Alabama fan and all. (more…)
John Klima | October 20, 2009
Trevor Bauer had a great freshman season but didn’t get the results he hoped for last summer with Team USA. This is our first look at Bauer since last spring at USC. Keep in mind this guy skipped his senior year of high school to speed up the draft process. Having not seen Bauer last summer, I can’t confirm reports that his velocity had slipped. That said, I wouldn’t be terribly concerned about any young pitcher’s dead-arm period. It would be a different story if he were further down the line. Last week at UCLA, Bauer was back to 91-93 and his change-up was 81-82. His command wasn’t as sharp as it was last spring, but it’s also October, so it’s not quite time to push the panic button. Bauer is still going to be a guy many scouts love and will watch in 2011. He did drop down a few times with a lower slot that I had never seen before, sort of a Jeff Weaver look. He looked a little rusty and gave up some hard contact against wood. (more…)
John Klima | August 26, 2009
And the winner is the Oregon Ducks. Jack Marder was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 30th round. He figured the chances of signing were remote, so he said he wasn’t surprised or frustrated to play college baseball for Oregon. College baseball is a good fit for a player like Marder, whose best tool is the bat.
He played in three games at the National Baseball Congress World Series and went 7-for-14 playing for Conejo Oaks of the California Collegiate League. In 33 games and 120 at-bats, facing college pitchers while he was only a few weeks removed from high school, Marder wasn’t one of these guys who let the bat swing him. He hit .375 (45-for-120) with eight doubles, two triples and 27 RBIs. He stole 11 bases in 12 attempts. This is a guy who won’t be confused with Jimmy Rollins (or Vince Coleman if you’d like to go retro), but Marder has this solid history of being a better offensive weapon than his tools say he should be.
After the jump, you can have a look at Marder swinging the bat this summer for Conejo Oaks.
John Klima | June 4, 2009
While his little brother, Bryce Harper, is on the cover of Sports Illustrated, here’s a look at his older brother, Bryan, twirling a few innings this spring as a freshman for Cal State Northridge. Bryan Harper is a lanky left-hander learning his way. He has some arm speed to work with and has yet to physically mature.
If you are discovering Baseball Beginnings for the first time and you like learning about future major leaguers, this is a good place to be. We have Q&As, Scouting Reports and Scouting Videos on several top 2009 MLB draft prospects, including a good number of first-round picks. You might say we’re like Bryan here; gangly, loose, whippy and planning for the future.
Get the Flash Player to see this player.
John Klima | April 22, 2009
Gerrit Cole can strike a guy out or strike fear into him.
Sometimes both.
When he’s locked in, he’s difficult to deal with. When he’s getting loose and looking for his location, he can be wild. It’s the curse of guys with great stuff: sometimes stuff has a mind of its own. One thing to like about Cole: watch him when he misses. You have to like a young pitcher who expects himself to be better when he struggles, rather than to just sit back, throw hard, expect velocity to get outs, and quit pitching with all four weapons. I believe we’d call that an intangible.
Get the Flash Player to see this player.
Learn more about Gerrit Cole:
Gerrit Cole Q&A
Gerrit Cole Scouting Report
Watch Gerrit Cole vs. Grant Green
John Klima | April 17, 2009
UCLA right-hander Trevor Bauer skipped his senior year of high school baseball to push himself. He hasn’t missed a step in his rookie year, so this self-starter gets to be the first kid in our 2011 Draft Content. Bauer lists Lincecum as his hero and he has a delivery that, like Lincecum’s, is all his own. Bauer is known for power bullpen sessions, for warming up by throwing as hard as he can from in front of second base to the catcher. You can look up his numbers elsewhere if you like, but suffice it to say, he’s coming along. For those of you around the country just finding Baseball Beginnings, have an early look at Bauer and his don’t-screw-with-me breaking ball.
Get the Flash Player to see this player.
If you scout Southern California, you know the name Jack Marder. In addition to having Canadian blood, the Newbury Park HS infielder can hit. You’ll meet him soon on this very site, and if he gets away from the draft and plays college baseball at Oregon, I assure you he’ll be here three years from now as well. Marder describes facing the high-octone, high-energy voltage of Bauer, the human slingshot: (more…)
John Klima | April 7, 2009
This is an old-fashioned display of talent against talent. The footage here is the first two recent at-bats between Gerrit Cole and Grant Green. Cole, the freshman right-hander at UCLA who didn’t sign with the New York Yankees after they drafted him with the 28th overall pick in the 2008 draft, left a pitch up for Green in the first inning. Green, the USC shortstop who will be a first-round draft choice in 2009, did what professional hitters do with mistakes.
Cole evened the score in a brief encounter in their second at-bat. His final fastball, a four-seam demon, registered 97 mph on the guns. There’s very little I need to add to this exchange. I do have additional editorial content written and video on Cole and Green individually that is scheduled to run in the near future. For now, sit back and enjoy. Roll the duel:
Get the Flash Player to see this player.
Read Grant Green Q&A
Read Grant Green Scouting report
Watch Grant Green Scouting video
Watch Grant Green Scouting video Part 2
What kind of pro will Grant Green Be?
Oakland A’s Select Grant Green
Gerrit Cole Q&A
Gerrit Cole Scouting Report
Watch Gerrit Cole Scouting video
