Scouting Snapshot: Taylor Hill, RHP, Vanderbilt (2010 Draft)
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.
Baseball Beginnings
Scouting professional prospects and identifying future major leaguers
Ace vs. Ace: Sonny Gray vs. Gerrit Cole
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.
Scouting Mike Minor, LHP, Atlanta Braves
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.
Scouting Video: Jack Armstrong, RHP, Vanderbilt (2011 Draft)
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.
