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Koosman was underrated IMO. Toiled somewhat in the shadow of Seaver and some of the other phenoms that came through Shea Stadium. That 53.7 WAR doesn't lie.
The leg drive demonstrated in the picture above almost looks like a LH version of Tom Seaver. No wonder those Miracle Mets were tough.
JACKSONVILLE - The stats bear it out. Tebow has done better in most categories with his opportunity than MJ. Russell Wilson would probably have been the better prospect long term had he chosen baseball, but he didn't. He's doing OK in his chosen profession however.
Look out NY. As predicted, the Mets are scraping the cellar and will be out of contention by September. That can only mean a call-up for Tim Tebow. The icing on the cake would be a MLB HR in his first AB.
Tebow batted ninth as the DH for the Eastern Division in Wednesday's Eastern League all-star game and went 1-for-4 with an opposite-field double. He had a chance to give his team the lead in the seventh inning, but with runners on first and second and one out he popped out to left on the first pitch.
Prior to the game, hundreds of fans waited close to an hour for his autograph. His No. 15 shirt was the only all-star player jersey available for sale at the game.
The Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback turned baseball player is hitting .241/.319/.362 in 76 games for the Binghamton Rumble Ponies. He’s smacked five home runs with 33 RBIs.
Tebow has committed just one error in 75 chances in left field.
He’s been on a bit of a tear heading into Wednesday’s game. In his previous 10 games, Tebow is hitting .353 (12-for-34).
Mets' Tebow goes yard on first pitch of '18 | MiLB.com News
I like his approach and his comments. It shows a pretty advanced understanding of the flow and culture of the game. He needs to follow up and keep producing until the end of the season to put himself in position for a call-up.
The power is legit, he is not hitting fence scrapers and the approach and the swing are fairly well put together. From the comments and prior jacks, it does look like he hunts for certain pitches/locations knowing that if he gets it he can handle it. If he can do that in spots and cover the holes in his swing, where pitchers are getting him out...we should see some improvement. AA is the level where you should be able to determine what you have, one way or the other.
The Mets do know he is a ticket/merchandise selling machine....he still has to play.
Former football star homers in first AB for second straight yearAs Yogi Berra once quipped, "It's déjà vu all over again" for Tim Tebow. A year after homering in his first at-bat as a professional, the Mets farmhand did it again Thursday, launching a three-run blast on the first pitch he saw at the Double-A level for Binghamton. Mets No. 4 prospectPeter Alonso and Jeff McNeil also went deep for the Rumble Ponies, who opened the season with a 6-0 blanking of Portland at NYSEG Stadium. The crowd of 5,247 was the second-largest for a home opener in club history. Binghamton drew 6,282 fans for the 1993 opener. With the Rumble Ponies leading, 2-0, thanks to Alonso's roundtripper, Tebow ripped Sea Dogs right-hander Teddy Stankiewicz's first pitch over the right-center field fence. The former Heisman Trophy winner reached on a fielder's choice, grounded out and struck out in his final three plate appearances. "I felt pretty good," Tebow told reporters after the game. "He walked the two batters before me, so on one hand you're probably thinking he's going to be a little bit wild and be patient. But a lot of times after a catcher makes a visit to the mound, the next pitch is probably a fastball somewhat down the middle to try and get going again. That's what I kind of anticipated, that's what it was and I felt pretty good."
The 2007 Heisman Trophy winner and former NFL quarterback created a buzz wherever he played last year. He went deep in his first at-bat with Class A Columbia in 2017 and needed only one game to go yard after his June promotion to Class A Advanced St. Lucie. Tebow finished his debut season with a .226/.309/.347 slash line, 34 extra-base hits and 52 RBIs in 126 games. "It's good to see him ready," Binghamton manager Luis Rojas said. "For him to be engaged, find his pitch and deliver that homer was pretty good. ... He's got a long season ahead, but he had a great spring and he worked really hard, so it's great that he started the season this way. Knowing the history and knowing that every first at-bat he's gotten in his professional career he's done the same thing is pretty impressive." Tebow acknowledged the uniqueness of homering in his first at-bat on consecutive Opening Days, but he downplayed the significance in terms of the marathon that is the 140-game Minor League season. "I don't know, it's pretty special," he said. "But baseball's a game where it's never too high and never too low. It's just one at-bat and just one pitch, so you have to be focused. Tomorrow is another day where I have to improve. "[Today] was a great day and it was a fun day, but it was just one day. We need to be focused on the next day." McNeil connected on a solo shot in the second to cap the scoring for the Rumble Ponies, who homered three times in a game on three occasions last year. Binghamton starter Drew Gagnon allowed two hits and a walk with five strikeouts over six innings. Austin McGeorge, Adonis Uceta and 29th-ranked Mets prospect Gerson Bautista completed the shutout, combining for six strikeouts over the final three frames. Stankiewicz (0-1) surrendered six runs on four hits and four walks with three strikeouts in four innings for Portland.
If he shows decent numbers in AA -- which is where the Mets would need to send him to determine if a late-season call-up is warranted -- then it seems like all systems are go for Timmy to take on the Big Apple.
Callaway on former NFL star: 'He's putting some really good swings on some pitches'
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- The procession of elite starting pitchers was new to Tim Tebow last year, when the quarterback-turned-outfielder faced Rick Porcello and Max Scherzer in the same month. Tebow did not fare well in those games. His transition to baseball was still raw.
And while it's true that no one ever quite grows accustomed to facing Scherzer -- "That's challenging for anybody," manager Mickey Callaway said after Tebow struck out against the three-time Cy Young winner on three pitches Friday in the Mets' 2-1 loss to the Nationals -- it's also clear that things have changed. Tebow's ability to recover, lacing a single off highly touted prospect Erick Fedde in his next at-bat, provided the latest evidence that he is improving before the Mets' eyes.
"I just feel a lot more adjusted to the game," Tebow said. "I feel like I have a much different approach and swing, so I can be a lot more patient seeing pitches and trusting all the work I've put in."
The differences between Tebow last year and this year are plain to the naked eye. Following an offseason spent transforming his batting stance, Tebow now positions himself more athletically, with his feet closer together. His swing is shorter, more compact. Tebow's trademark power is still obvious -- particularly during early spring batting practice, when he twice clanged balls off sheds beyond the outfield fence. But there is more to Tebow's game now than mere parlor tricks.
"He has a good swing, and he's putting some really good swings on some pitches," Callaway said. "He looks comfortable at the plate. And he tells us he's feeling more and more comfortable, like he's in a much better spot than he was last year at this time."
It is a swing that Tebow spent the better part of a year revamping, working this winter with Nationals second baseman Daniel Murphy and Mets assistant hitting coach Tom Slater. When Tebow arrived at camp last month, Mets players Jay Bruce and David Wright also offered advice.
Whether that translates into improved statistics from Tebow, who hit just .226 at two levels of Class A ball last season, remains to be seen. But he is at least building the foundation for the type of career general manager Sandy Alderson hinted at when he said he expects Tebow to play in the big leagues.
"I've been really comfortable," said Tebow, who finished 1-for-3 Friday to improve to 1-for-7 on the spring after missing several games recovering from a sprained ankle. "I think I'm getting more comfortable every at-bat."
Others are starting to take notice. Scherzer, who faced Tebow for the first time last March, did not attack him in quite the same way, starting the former Heisman Trophy winner out with a first-pitch curveball.
"I'm out there trying to get him out," Scherzer said. "I'm working on my instincts, what I needed to do to get him out."
Others will likewise give Tebow their best, not wanting to find themselves on the wrong side of headlines. In that sense and others, this spring is an audition for Tebow, who could advance straight to Double-A Binghamton if Mets officials see enough improvement.
It's something Tebow swears is not on his mind, even if such an assignment would put him two quick hops from the big leagues.
"I just worried about today, facing Max Scherzer," Tebow said, laughing. "We'll worry about that when I get there."
If the NFL doesn't want Tebow, then MLB does (modestly of course). If he continues developing, especially his power, he gets a late-season call-up. Especially if the Mets appear out of by late August, a more than modest possibility.
"The Mets actually have “modest expectations” that minor league outfielder Tim Tebow will eventually earn a major league call-up, Alderson revealed (Twitter link via James Wagner of the New York Times). “He’s great for baseball. He was phenomenal for minor league baseball last year,” Alderson said of the former Denver Broncos starting quarterback and ex-University of Florida football star. Prior to last season, which the 30-year-old divided between Single-A and High-A and hit .226/.309/.347 in 486 PAs, Tebow hadn’t played organized baseball since high school."
'Tebow Effect' Paid Off For Sally League Clubs | BaseballAmerica.com
No denying that there was a purely business component to this signing right from the get-go, primarily from the Mets standpoint. But when are people going to give this guy credit for his accomplishments?
He's doing even better in High-A than he was in the Sally League, showing legitimate power, even to the opposite field, after putting the game down for ten years.
Remember that was supposed to be a lark for Timmy. He was going to make a fool of himself and major league baseball. Hasn't happened. Time to give credit where credit is due.
If the Mets are out of it and bring him up in September, so what? He's earned it.
The same fools that hate this guys and ran him out of the NFL now want us to feel sorry for Colin Kaperdink.
F-you, ESPN, NFL, SJW's of all stripes and especially BLM ass-hats. You folks, and your ilk, ran Tebow out of the league for kneeling to God and now you want this POS Kapershit back in the league for kneeling to piss on the flag and this country?
Don't need y'all and don't miss y'all and apparently neither does Tim Tebow.
Tim Tebow has brought in tens of thousands of extra fans to South Atlantic League games this year.
Tim Tebowhas been promoted to the Florida State League and has played his last game in the South Atlantic League. On pure baseball terms, it's fair to say that a 29-year-old outfielder who hit .220/.311/.336 is as forgettable as a prospect could be.
But at the box office, Tebow is the greatest star the South Atlantic League has ever seen.
When we first wrote about the "Tebow effect" on fan attendance a little over a month ago, we calculated that Tebow was worth roughly 2,200 fans per game whenever the Columbia Fireflies hit the road. Since then, the Tebow Effect grew.
In comparing what teams have drawn in games where they played host to Tebow teams versus the rest of their home schedule without Tebow, it now appears that Tebow was worth 2,591 fans per game when the Fireflies were on the road.
To explain it more simply, there are 14 teams in the Sally League this year, but through Tebow's final game on June 25, nearly one of every four fans who have walked through the gate at a Sally League game has done so to see Tebow's Columbia Fireflies play.
This is a sober, fair and honest assessment of the pluses and minuses of Tim Tebow's effort. It does not include any of the usual histrionics, hysterics and biases that most commentators bring to their assessments. It shouldn't coming from a professional scout. They make their bones being correct about their opinions, not politically correct.
This is just a very professional analysis of the kids skills and chance to succeed. And if you don't think Michael Jordan wouldn't have gotten a call up by the White Sox back in the day, whether he "deserved" it or not, you're being naive and disingenuous.
COLUMBIA, S.C.—Baseball America provided readers with a scouting report of basketball star Michael Jordan in March 1994 before the beginning of what turned out to be his one season in professional baseball in the White Sox system.
Jordan, who was 31 at the time and had just claimed three consecutive NBA titles with the Chicago Bulls, hit .202/.289/.266 in 127 games at Double-A Birmingham.
Tim Tebow may not be as accomplished as Jordan, but his celebrity immediately translated into robust crowds for the Mets, who signed the 2007 Heisman Trophy winner last September. Fans flocked to see Tebow, whether at instructional league or the Arizona Fall League last year or at big league camp or in the low Class A South Atlantic League this spring.
Through his first 25 games at Columbia, the 29-year-old Tebow hit .236/.313/.360 with two home runs and 25 strikeouts. A major league scout who requested anonymity furnished BA with the following scouting report of the former University of Florida quarterback.
BATTING Tebow shows some bat speed, but his swing is stiff. He is a physical specimen in the box (listed at 6-foot-3, 255 pounds) with good balance in his swing. He is just stiff, but I understand he has loosened up.
His limited pitch recognition is his issue. That is going to probably be his demise, just because of him being out of baseball for so long.
What he is doing is really difficult, but if somebody is going to (succeed), it is definitely going to be him.
POWER Tebow has slightly above-average raw power. When he gets on plane and on time in batting practice, he can hit the ball as far as any big leaguer.
He is probably going to hit for a little better power once he gets a better feel for the strike zone.
He is probably going to be a high-strikeout, low-walk guy because he has an amateur approach, which is understandable.
There are a lot of things he does not have. Because he plays left field, he is going to have to hit, and hit a lot. He is going to run into a ball every now and then because he is extremely strong and is a physical specimen.
But being able to get into the batter's box against a Max Scherzer in a playoff game—that is not going to happen.
SPEED He is an average to slightly above-average runner, but at times he does not give effort and just kind of goes through the motions. That is what you see in a lot of players . . . Nobody runs a hard 90 feet all the time anymore.
At times, he will show a little burst, but he is a side-to-side runner. He runs hard and runs strong. You know what he is. You have seen him on TV playing football. He runs the same way. He's an aggressive, athletic runner with a super athletic body.
That is not going to translate, especially after his body breaks down over 140 games in the minor leagues. He is not going to be a plus runner.
DEFENSE Defensively, Tebow has choppy footwork (in left field). His first step is slow. He will get to the routine play, but he is not going to win you a ball game there and potentially could get you beat. He is a left fielder only, and that is being generous in the evaluation.
ARM Tebow has a below-average arm with a below-average arm action.
MAKEUP Tebow has unbelievable makeup. You want your son to be him when he grows up.
He is the type of guy you want to have around young players. He is a plus in every department on the makeup side, from his work ethic to who he is deep down inside to who he is as a teammate. He's just an absolutely good person.
His motto is "pursuing your dreams in any way possible," and I tip my cap to him.
SUMMARY I believe Tebow is an organizational player. I do not think he is a major leaguer. But if he progresses like he has at low Class A and continues to hit at other levels, then if not this September, it will be next September—if the Mets are out of playoff contention—that he will (receive a callup), just as a marketing, public relations thing.
But if you are looking at him, without looking at those things, he is a mid-level organizational player. I would not recommend him to our club because we try to scout to build a championship club. He does not check those boxes for me.
Ouch!! That hurts. So more doesn't always equal better? Like you can have plenty of knowledge, yet not enough wisdom, which is the application of knowledge?
Preaching to the choir. This exemplifies the problem of relying blindly/too much on a statistical model per se, without paying equal attention to how you are going to use those statistics, that knowledge.
The Dodgers may have lost a game, a series, a shot at a World Series berth and a manager all because a SS didn't know he had the cover of 3B when the 3B was shifted into RF. You can say that is not a failure of the statistical model all you want, but in a reach to maybe shave what .005 or .010 point off the opponents average, to say nothing of being slavish adherents to a "follow the cool trend or get left behind" the Dodgers came up big losers. And that is with having a big check book to back up the Moneyball approach which seems like an oxymoron. But that's modern day baseball.
Let;s see if the Mets and the Matt Harvey saga come up to bite them on the butt when they least expect it for similar underlying reasons.
Here it comes, the Mets reverting to the Mutts once again. Talk about a franchise that can't seem to embrace prosperity. Talk about hypocrisy. There is not one person, whether it be Nolan Ryan or any one of these pseudo-tough talkers -- hiding behind a newspaper column or a Twitter pseudonym -- who if faced with the same scenario outlined to Matt Harvey by both his surgeon and his agent, wouldn't do exactly the same thing, which is act in his own long-term self-interest. Period!! Should be end of story.
To be fair, again, Harvey, in his first year back from 2013 Tommy John surgery, shouldn't be criticized one iota about being concerned over his health, or about not being "all in" or any of that macho nonsense. It speaks poorly of our society in general, and of the baseball industry in particular, that Washington's Stephen Strasburg and his representative Scott Boras (who is of course Harvey's agent, too) and the Nationals still get guff for constructing a plan that kept Strasburg out of the 2012 playoffs yet ultimately succeeded in keeping the right-hander's surgically repaired arm intact.
No, this is all about Harvey wanting it both ways and being a nuisance both ways. He surely increased Advil sales among Mets employees with his incessant whining about everything from not wanting to rehabilitate in Port St. Lucie last year to wanting to pitch in a 2014 game to not liking the team's six-man rotation. And then, here in the stretch drive, he suddenly found religion on health matters after being opposed to them for so long.
And when Harvey gets tired of being the villain he can become the King of Gotham in Yankee pinstripes just as easily as he can in Mets second-class pinstripes. So be careful what you wish for Mutts fans, you just might get it, good and hard.
To the Mets, Matt Harvey is an expendable part. If he blows out an elbow for good, here comes Jacob deGrom or Noah Syndegaard or Zach Wheeler or Stephen Maatz or any one of a number of seemingly endless pitching prospects until one day you wake up and you've run out of pitching elbows to blow out and you're back in the bottom of the division, where you seem to be more comfortable.
The Mets need a surgeon who can do a brain transplant collectively on the organization and the culture surrounding the team rather than one that can continuously and endlessly perform Tommy John Surgery on young pitching prospects. And I will say if you think that Matt Harvey in any way shape or form needs a heart transplant given the circumstances then that to me is proof positive that, from a baseball standpoint, you might need a brain transplant.
And we hear time and time again, with nauseating repetition, from Mets announcers and pundits how smart and well informed Mets fans are. Read some of the comments from the NY Post article referenced above and make THAT case for me again. Pure garbage.
And using a Nolan Ryan quote from a pitcher who started his career playing under the shackles of The Reserve Clause is a totally asinine comparison from the Mets Twitter site. Granted they, as an organization, might pine romantically for a return to such a bygone era, but it sure does display their organizational bias, mind-set and ignorance. Maybe they have forgotten how Tom Seaver was run out of town. Or maybe they remember. I'm not sure which is worse.
Good Luck Mets, trash your product, eat your young and grind out them elbows. See how far you get. The height of organizational douche-baggery IMO.
This is the perfect remedy to remove the bad taste of the last two games in Miami. Matt Cain versus Jose Fernandez in The Rehab Bowl. Plus it doesn't get much better than a nooner in Miami, I tell 'ya. We shall see which of the two aces on the mend comes back closer to form.
The NL rookie of the year at 21 in 2013, Fernandez was the Marlins' opening-day starter last year, but his ascent was interrupted by an elbow ligament injury that required reconstructive surgery. He won't be the only pitcher making a comeback Thursday — his opponent, Giants right-hander Matt Cain, will start for the first time since July 2014.
It's good to see Fernandez back as well. Between him and the Mets Matt Harvey, I don't know of two more exciting pitching prospects to hit the league recently. Except maybe the Mets Noah Syndegaard....and maybe the Mets Steven Matz....Hey wait a minute, shouldn't the Mets be less of the Mutts with all this good pitching? IDK, maybe that's why they are still the Mutts.
Anyway, it's a pitcher's league now, that much is clear. Not a day goes by it seems that my iPhone isn't updated with some pitcher or another pitching a no-hitter through six innings or more....and that includes games from outside the greater Tampa Bay area. What's up with that Rays?
The New York Mets have spent $900 million on player salaries since their last playoff appearance. Nothing says futility quite like this illustration, and the Mets are not even the worst offenders, eh? Hosers!!
The New York Mets have gone eight seasons since their last playoff appearance in 2006, spending more than $900 million on player salaries during that stretch. That's an average annual payroll of $114 million, the highest among any team that has not made the playoffs in the last four seasons.
However, the Mets are still nowhere close to the Toronto Blue Jays who have spent more than $1.4 billion on player salaries since their last playoff appearance in 1993. The Seattle Mariners, who last made the postseason in 2001, are the only other team with more than $1.0 billion in player payrolls since playing in the playoffs.
Here is a look at the 20 teams that did not make the playoffs last season and how much they have spent on player salaries since last making the playoffs. Read »
Matt Harvey Asks New Yorkers About Matt Harvey I love it!!! This should forever destroy the notion -- perpetuated mainly by NY broadcasters -- that NY fans are the most knowledgeable fans on the planet. Some of the reactions are priceless. Mets fans are FAN-tastic. I'll cut them a break though, they may be out of practice since the team has been down for so long. But Lucas Duda?!? C'mon Duda, pay attention to your team, man!!!
'67 Mets - Seaver, Koosman, Gentry and some guy named Ryan. First name was Nolan I think.
The Mets have been blessed with great pitching staffs at various times in the franchise history. Now, it seems like they are looking to usher in the next wave. Comparing Matt Harvey to Tom Seaver is quite heady stuff, but remember this is from the same pool of group-thinkers that was ready, willing and able to order up a Hall of Fame bust for one Jeremy Shockey. And we see how that turned out.
So maybe he is Tom Seaver 2.0. Based on this side by side comparison, sure. Maybe better.
Harvey's off to a great start, no doubt. Based on about a half-season of starts in his career ( small sample ) you can get to a 14-10 record 198 IP, 232 K's all good solid numbers. Even better for a 23-year old who is 6-4, 235 lbs. From there we can project further. He is, after all, only 23 years old. He can only get better, right? Well, no not really, but it's easier and more fun to project from that premise.
Pitching
Year
Team
G
GS
W
L
SV
BS
HLD
CG
SHO
IP
H
R
ER
HR
BB
K
ERA
WHIP
BAA
2012
NYM
10
10
3
5
0
0
0
0
0
59.1
42
19
18
5
26
70
2.73
1.15
.200
2013
NYM
6
6
4
0
0
0
0
0
0
40.1
21
7
7
2
12
46
1.56
0.82
.153
Career
16
16
7
5
0
0
0
0
0
99.2
63
26
25
7
38
116
2.26
1.01
.182
"He can only get better". Maybe after potential, the most damning words that can be laid on a prospect. And "projection" is a word that in hindsight gets scouts and analysts in as much trouble as the word "potential" gets a player into.
Because the players' "perceived potential" flows naturally from the "expectations" put onto them that flow from the scouts / analysts "faulty projections". And who gets burned publicly? Not the scout or the analysts. The player who didn't live up to the "flawed analysis", that's who.
Because let's face it, in the entire range of possibilities three things can happen. He can progress or get better and that's where the mind's first reflex goes to wander. But he can also get worse (GASP!!) or remain virtually the same (DULL, no projection!?!). We never consider the other two possibilities as much. There's no fun in that.
4. Matt Harvey owns April: Savvy baseball pundits knew a Matt Harveybreakthrough year was a possibility, but that doesn't discount the fact that he's been the breakout star of the first month of the season. On an otherwise boring New York Mets pitching staff, the 24-year-old Harvey has been pitching more like Stephen Strasburg than Stephen Strasburg has. Harvey is 4-0 and is in the top five for strikeouts, ERA and WHIP.
I know everybody wants to be recognized as the first to "call" this guy the next whoever or whatever. It drives traffic and gets your name in the paper and junk as the "next" prospect guru, but... let's just see if the kid can be the first Matt Harvey, shall we?
Comparisons to Seaver right out of the chute are a bit unfair to the kid. Give him time to be himself NY.
IMO, Seaver and that Ryan kid on the far right of that photo shown above were the two closest things to the "perfect pitcher" model that Tom House tried to pigeon-hole Mark Prior into. And we see how that went....good for Tom House, not so good for Mark Prior.
Talk about flawed analysis and unreasonable expectations.
1. Joey Bart 6-2, 215 C Power arm and a power bat, playing a premium defensive position. Good catch and throw skills.
2. Heliot Ramos 6-2, 185 OF Potential high-ceiling player the Giants have been looking for. Great bat speed, early returns were impressive.
3. Chris Shaw 6-3. 230 1B Lefty power bat, limited defensively to 1B, Matt Adams comp?
4. Tyler Beede 6-4, 215 RHP from Vanderbilt projects as top of the rotation starter when he works out his command/control issues. When he misses, he misses by a bunch.
5. Stephen Duggar 6-1, 170 CF Another toolsy, under-achieving OF in the Gary Brown mold, hoping for better results.
6. Sandro Fabian 6-0, 180 OF Dominican signee from 2014, shows some pop in his bat. Below average arm and lack of speed should push him towards LF.
7. Aramis Garcia 6-2, 220 C from Florida INTL projects as a good bat behind the dish with enough defensive skill to play there long-term
8. Heath Quinn 6-2, 190 OF Strong hitter, makes contact with improving approach at the plate. Returns from hamate bone injury.
9. Garrett Williams 6-1, 205 LHP Former Oklahoma standout, Giants prototype, low-ceiling, high-floor prospect.
10. Shaun Anderson 6-4, 225 RHP Large frame, 3.36 K/BB rate. Can start or relieve
11. Jacob Gonzalez 6-3, 190 3B Good pedigree, impressive bat for HS prospect.
12. Seth Corry 6-2 195 LHP Highly regard HS pick. Was mentioned as possible chip in high profile trades.
13. C.J. Hinojosa 5-10, 175 SS Scrappy IF prospect in the mold of Kelby Tomlinson, just gets it done.
14. Garett Cave 6-4, 200 RHP He misses a lot of bats and at times, the plate. 13 K/9 an 5 B/9. Wild thing.
2019 MLB Draft - Top HS Draft Prospects
1. Bobby Witt, Jr. 6-1,185 SS Colleyville Heritage HS (TX) Oklahoma commit. Outstanding defensive SS who can hit. 6.4 speed in 60 yd. Touched 97 on mound. Son of former major leaguer. Five tool potential.
2. Riley Greene 6-2, 190 OF Haggerty HS (FL) Florida commit.Best HS hitting prospect. LH bat with good eye, plate discipline and developing power.
3. C.J. Abrams 6-2, 180 SS Blessed Trinity HS (GA) High-ceiling athlete. 70 speed with plus arm. Hitting needs to develop as he matures. Alabama commit.
4. Reece Hinds 6-4, 210 SS Niceville HS (FL) Power bat, committed to LSU. Plus arm, solid enough bat to move to 3B down the road. 98MPH arm.
5. Daniel Espino 6-3, 200 RHP Georgia Premier Academy (GA) LSU commit. Touches 98 on FB with wipe out SL.
2019 MLB Draft - Top College Draft Prospects
1. Adley Rutschman C Oregon State Plus defender with great arm. Excellent receiver plus a switch hitter with some pop in the bat.
2. Shea Langliers C Baylor Excelent throw and catch skills with good pop time. Quick bat, uses all fields approach with some pop.
3. Zack Thompson 6-2 LHP Kentucky Missed time with an elbow issue. FB up to 95 with plenty of secondary stuff.
4. Matt Wallner 6-5 OF Southern Miss Run producing bat plus mid to upper 90's FB closer. Power bat from the left side, athletic for size.
5. Nick Lodolo LHP TCU Tall LHP, 95MPH FB and solid breaking stuff.