By John Klima
July 21, 2010
Aaron Westlake is one of those rare hitters that I like better with wood than I do with metal, which is to say, I know hitters when I see them. Have a look from Vanderbilt’s Los Angeles swing and we’ll break him down a bit.
By John Klima
July 13, 2010
The radar gun will always love the right-handed Sonny Gray, and by that virtue alone, he will be drafted good in 2011 and be placed on the fast track to the big leagues. Take a look and then we will break him down.
By John Klima
July 6, 2010
I’m on the record for liking Jack Armstrong quite a bit. At this point in time, Summer 2010, the three college right-handers I’d want the most are Armstrong, Connecticut’s Matt Barnes, and UCLA’s Trevor Bauer.
By John Klima
July 2, 2010
I saw Mike Yastrzemski with Vanderbilt in Southern California earlier this spring. From a scouting standpoint, the name means nothing to me. That’s no disrespect to his family, but what it means is I need to look at a guy for who he is, regardless of name on the front and name on the back of the shirt and decide what kind of player each guy is.
By John Klima
May 15, 2010
Taylor Hill should have organizational value at the very least and could surprise in the coming years if he finds more power in there.
By John Klima
April 30, 2010
Gifted with a major league pedigree, the right frame for the job, and a smooth and explosive delivery that is as close to the big leagues as you’ll find in college baseball, Jack Armstrong set forth lofty goals for himself. His plan was to emulate the career path of former Vanderbilt left-hander David Price, who was the 1/1 of the 2007 draft.
Here’s the road map thus far: close the Aflac game in 2007 and drafted by the Rangers in the 36th round in 2008. The Rangers have a long history of not offering market money for probable major leaguer starters, so Armstrong went to the bullpen in Vanderbilt in 2009 and the summer on the Cape, where Baseball Beginnings grabbed him for this Q&A.
In 2010, he’s a weekend starter in Vanderbilt, complete with an outing at Dodger Stadium, where he was the only guy who physically belonged. I was beyond bitter when he was pulled after four innings. His numbers indicate a young power pitcher who is still learning, but he’s a guy whose ceiling should be substantial.
By John Klima
March 16, 2010
Aaron Westlake got his college career started in the right direction in 2009 when he won the SEC batting title.
By John Klima
March 12, 2010
Vanderbilt right-handed starter Taylor Hill will have organizational value following the 2010 draft based on a recent four-inning look.
By John Klima
February 26, 2010
Gerrit Cole threw three bad pitches in the first inning and two very good ones. He hit three Vanderbilt batters in the opening minutes, each with fastballs, and you have to give Cole credit for one thing. Not many pitchers can say they drilled the bases loaded. And not many pitchers can get out of a jam the way he did Friday night against Sonny Gray and Vanderbilt.
By John Klima
November 22, 2009
Mike Minor has the right frame, a limber and relatively loose 6-3, 200-pound build that produces easy 90-91 fastball velocity with arm speed and room to add another mile or two. In other words, Minor still has some projection, which is a nice thing to find in a top shelf college left-hander from a recent draft. Too bad he didn’t bring what he showed in the bullpen before his AFL all-star start. I was standing above him in Surprise. Better view than any you’d get on TV.
