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A reminder to our readers…

Jen Marder — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 11:14:13 +0000

As a reminder to our readers who are baseball families, please be sure to take a look at the Dusty Baker Baseball Camp, a partner of Baseball Beginnings. There is still time to register for the showcase starting on July 18 and for Sessions 1 and 2 starting on July 25. For information, you can visit the website or contact Bruce Carmichael at (530) 644-3067.

Among the four-year universities looking for players are Fresno State, UC Irvine, UC Santa Barbara, University of San Diego, Nevada-Reno, St. Mary’s, Sacramento State, Chico State. Cal State Monterey Bay, Cal State Los Angeles, Cal State Hayward, Patton University, UC Davis and junior colleges from the Sacramento area that often send their players on to four-year schools.

Guest instructors include former Oakland A’s ace pitcher Dave Stewart, as well as scouts from major league clubs will be attending the Instruction Plus Showcase.

Baseball Beginnings on the College World Series – UCLA

Jen Marder — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 18:07:39 +0000

As the College World Series continues today, we at Baseball Beginnings wanted to bring your attention to the players we have covered who are playing. With UCLA playing an elimination game today, with Trevor Bauer pitching, we bromg you links to the UCLA players that we have covered.

Gerrit Cole
Watch Gerrit Cole Video
Watch Gerrit Cole vs. Jack Marder
Read Gerrit Cole Scouting Update
Read Gerrit Cole vs. Sonny Gray
Watch 2009 Gerrit Cole vs. Grant Green
Read 2009 Gerrit Cole Q&A
Read 2009 Gerrit Cole Scouting Report
Watch April 2009 Gerrit Cole Video

Trevor Bauer
Watch Trevor Bauer Video
Watch more Trevor Bauer Video
Watch more Trevor Bauer Video
Watch more Trevor Bauer Video

Rob Rasmussen
Watch Rob Rasmussen Video
Read Rob Rasmussen Scouting Report
Read Rob Rasmussen Scouting Update
Watch Rob Rasmussen Video
Watch more Rob Rasmussen Video
Read Rob Rasmussen Q&A

Niko Gallego
Read Niko Gallego Scouting Snapshot

Matt Grace
Watch Matt Grace Video
Watch more Matt Grace Video
Read Matt Grace vs. Bryce Ortega

Baseball Beginnings on the College World Series – ASU

Jen Marder — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 14:29:02 +0000

As the College World Series begins, we at Baseball Beginnings wanted to bring your attention to the players we have covered who are playing. Since ASU plays its first game today, we start by bringing you links to the ASU players that we have covered. Keep an eye out for more in the coming days.

Seth Blair
Watch Seth Blair Scouting Video
Read Seth Blair Scouting Report
Read Seth Blair Scouting Update

Kole Calhoun
Watch Kole Calhoun Video
Read Kole Calhoun Scouting Report
Read Kole Calhoun Scouting Snapshot

Baseball Beginnings on the College World Series – South Carolina

Jen Marder — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 13:59:49 +0000

With South Carolina playing its first game of the College World Series today, we at Baseball Beginnings wanted to bring your attention to the video we have published on South Carolina’s Jackie Bradley, Jr. We will be covering more of him in the future.

Jackie Bradley, Jr.
Watch Jackie Bradley Jr. Video

Coming Sunday: AFLAC coverage

John Klima — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 18:52:43 +0000

Stay tuned to Baseball Beginnings on Sunday as we bring you our coverage from the AFLAC game in San Diego. If you discovered us through our coverage of the Area Code Games, stay with us in the coming months as we roll out scouting reports and player videos in anticipation of the 2010 draft. We’ll also work in some Q&A features from Area Codes, Aflac and the Cape Cod League.

Click here to see the roster for the 2009 AFLAC Game.

Area Codes Sneak Preview — and David Wright wearing a Pirates uniform

John Klima — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 12:29:21 +0000

Once upon a time, the Area Codes were the only game in town. It was the pioneer of showcase events, before other people realized you could make a lot of money promoting games where you could charge the big league clubs a pricey sum for their scouts to walk in the door. The younger scouts loved it because the process screened players and then got them all together at the same time. The older scouts bemoaned the closing of the frontier, where the days of finding a sleeper and hiding him were coming to an end. As Spider Jorgensen once told me, “We’re nothing but birddogs now.”

Now the Area Codes have been around so long that guys who played there as kids are starting to have kids who aren’t far off from playing there themselves.

Of course, there are tons of other showcases today, and they don’t need me to mention their names. But the Area Codes still have clout for any kid who wants to get drafted or who wants to play four-year college ball. We’ll be there in force (actually, I’ll be there in force), covering the scouting daily, so keep your browser right here all week. We’re going to tell you who’s doing what and we’re going to collect tons of material for the future.

In the meantime, here’s a look at a high school third baseman from Virginia, film vintage Summer 2000, when future Mets third baseman David Wright was entering his senior year at Hickory High School. You get contact once here, but listen for the gunshot effect. He’s wearing a Pirates uniform here instead of the Mets, who took him 38th overall in 2001. I have no witty or snarky comments for the suffering Pirate fans at this time.

Just a reminder…

Jen Marder — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 05:02:01 +0000

…to keep checking our Twitter page. We are doing updates from the Cape Cod League.

2009 Pro-Side Scouting Report: Aroldis Chapman, LHP

John Klima — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 02:50:24 +0000

Aroldis Chapman, LHP
Cuban National Team
(Free Agent)

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Tall, lean and loose, thick legs, high hips, long arms, legs and fingers. Whippy body; physically matured, limber and powerful.

STRENGTHS: FB pitches at 93-95 with glove-side run, topped 100, several 97-98. 2-seam FB at 91-92. SL 82 and hard, glove-side sink. Overall command average to below-average. FB control ranges from average to above average. Workhorse type; different look from left-side; looks like an athlete. Repeats delivery and well-coordinated for big man, smooth gas, easy effort, arm speed is a blur.

WEAKNESSES: Freeze frame him and it looks like his elbow will snap off. Lacks third pitch, DNS CB, would need third pitch and different plane variation to become true top-tier starter. Doesn’t show a flair for pitch ability; relies mostly on FB velocity and control of that pitch. Highly talented though still incomplete arm, inconsistent command and control are concerns. Needs to learn to pitch like a professional.

SUMMARY: True rarity, power arm from LHP, easy gas, should be a No. 1 starter based on pure physicality of stuff and body. Two put-away power pitches; prefer if he had a third show-me off-speed pitch to start with. Age listed at 21, but body looks more like 28. As is, could have a year or two of exceptional success and a number of workhorse years if he can stay healthy.

Overall Future Potential: 60

Read The Risk Factors of Aroldis Chapman

What the Grade Means

More Cincinnati Reds prospects:
Read Mike Leake Q&A
Read Mike Leake Scouting Report
Read updated Mike Leake Scouting Report
Watch Mike Leake Scouting Video
Read Who Will Be the Better Pro: Stephen Strasburg or Mike Leake?
Read Brad Boxberger Scouting Report
Watch Brad Boxberger Scouting Video
Read Chris Heisey Scouting Report
Read Yonder Alonso Scouting Report

Q&A with Nationals 3B Ryan Zimmerman

John Klima — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 12:17:57 +0000

For the first Q&A installment of Big League Beginnings, I ran down Zimmerman when the Nationals were in town. Baseball Beginnings, spanning the back waters to the big leagues.

Read Ryan Zimmerman Q&A