By John Klima
June 9, 2009
(photo: Baseball Beginnings)
Today, the Arizona Diamondbacks selected Matt Davidson 35th overall pick in the draft. Follow the links below for Baseball Beginnings content on Davidson.
Read Matt Davidson Q&A
Read Matt Davidson Scouting report
Watch Matt Davidson Video
By John Klima
May 16, 2009
(photo: Baseball Beginnings)
Matt Davidson, 3B
Yucaipa HS (2009 Draft)
6-3, 225
Games Seen: 1, Innings: 7 (Plus wood BP)
By John Klima
May 14, 2009
I suggest you turn on the audio for this one. All you’ll get is how the ball sounds coming off this guy’s bat. A wise old scout used to speak of watching for guys who could “wring a bat,” and “roll a pole.” He would have liked this kid.
Read Matt Davidson Q&A
Read Matt Davidson Scouting report
Matt Davidson Drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks
By John Klima
May 13, 2009
(photo: Baseball Beginnings)
Matt Davidson knows what you are thinking. Yes, he’s aware that you like his power, as evidenced by the home run balls he hits against the football bleachers during batting practice with a wood bat. Those were not cheap metal bat dings, mind you. I’m talking about Pro Stock wood shots mashed 450-feet away. (If I were scouting for a club, I’d slide that phrase into a report to see if my boss was paying attention.)
He knows home run power is why you want to draft him, but Davidson has something to say. He doesn’t want to be labeled as a one-dimensional player before he has a chance to develop his other skills.
Yes, he knows power punches his ticket and will always be his thing. He’s not sitting here saying he’s going to be Willie Mays, but he does want to say that if you automatically want to slap the “bad body” and “stick him at first base” labels on him before he proves what he really is, Davidson thinks he may surprise you as a pro.
Baseball Beginnings caught up with the power-hitting prospect from Yucaipa HS, where he talked about what kind of player scouts think he is, but more importantly for any player, what kind of player he thinks he should be. (more…)
By John Klima
March 20, 2009
Bryan Berglund, Right-handed pitcher (6-4, 190)
Royal High School (Simi Valley, California)
(2009 Draft Class)
The Simi Valley area, just north of Los Angeles’s San Fernando Valley, has a long reputation of producing quality major league prospects, especially starting pitchers. Over the years, major league starters, most notably brothers Jeff Weaver and Jered Weaver, have made their marks in the majors. Other future major league pitchers to come through Simi Valley include former Detroit Tigers left-hander Eric King and former relief pitcher Scott Radinsky.
Royal HS right-hander Bryan Berglund
At Royal High in Simi Valley, right-hander Bryan Berglund is poised to continue that tradition. The hard-throwing right-hander, who arrived in Simi Valley from Sweden at age 11, spent his formative amateur years playing year-round in hotly competitive Southern California. He’s near the end of that road, however, and as we zero in on the June 2009 draft, Berglund might just pitch his way into the first round. Baseball Beginnings caught up with Berglund for this exclusive Q&A. (more…)
