5/19 Minors

single
Pop out
Fly out
K swinging

popout, GO, 2-2 double down the line, K-swinging … no runs for you
15 pitches or so there

at Martin tonight, except Petey Paramoore, who’d rather go down watching. Like a bitch

Batter 1 – Jermaine Mitchell

1. Pop out to Osuna

Batter 2 – Tyler Ladendorf

1. Ball, high
2. Bunted foul
3. Groundout to Mendonca

Batter 3 – Stephen Parker

1. Called strike
2. Called strike
3. Flyout to Martin

75 pitches, 57 strikes, 13 swinging strikes

to this.

I don’t want to look at a video clip and pronounce that his delivery is suspect. Some of the reports have mentioned his arm swing, but you have to look at the arm strength and the projection. He isn’t receiving professional instruction at his present level, so you have to assume any hitch in his delivery will be ironed out after he signs, assuming, of course, it is required. He looks very promising: Great size, room for projection, good present stuff. First-round talent.

Joe Ross
RHP / Bishop O’Dowd HS

Bats-Throws: R-R
Height/Weight: 6-2/180
Hometown: Oakland, Calif.
College Commitment: UCLA
Birthdate: May 21, 1993

SCOUTING PROFILE: Ross is the brother of Oakland A’s righthander Tyson Ross, a second-round pick of the A’s in 2008 who also attended Bishop O’Dowd High before going on to nearby Cal-Berkeley. Aside from being righthanded and throwing a 90-plus fastball/slider combination, the two don’t resemble each other as pitchers. Tyson was a big-framed 6-foot-5, 200-pounder at the same age and threw from an extremely compact arm action that concerned scouts; almost the exact opposite is true of brother Joe’s smooth, easy arm stroke. Ross has actually been more closely linked to fellow Northern California righthander Robert Stephenson over the past year, and both should go in approximately the same area of the draft, likely between picks 25 and 40—if signability doesn’t complicate their draft status. While Ross and Stephenson are very similar physically with long-limbed and loose athletic builds, their pitching styles and present stuff are not alike, giving scouts a good opportunity to see the differences between the two and make decisions based on those evaluations. Ross has a very clean, polished delivery that he repeats effortlessly. He already has solid command of all his pitches, and there is nothing to indicate that he might have control issues in the future. His three-quarters release point creates a nice angle to the plate, and his arm is loose and easy out front. Ross’ fastball is regularly in the 91-94 mph range and while it is fairly straight at present, he has the ability to spot the pitch well, especially on the inside half of the plate to righthanded hitters. His breaking ball is a low-80s slider that has good tilt and sharpness. He continues to develop his changeup. Unlike Stephenson, Ross has struggled this spring to achieve meaningful success at the high-school level, going just 3-4, 1.20 with two saves. In 46 innings, he has walked just 12 and struck out 59.

Projected Draft Position: Late First Round / Compensation Round

Robert Stephenson
RHP / Alhambra HS
Bats-Throws: R-R
Height/Weight: 6-3/180
Hometown: Martinez, Calif.
College commit: Washington
Birthdate: Feb. 24, 1993

SCOUTING PROFILE: For one of the rare draft years ever, the high-school talent in northern California may actually eclipse the talent in the traditionally-strong prep ranks in the southern half of the state. Stephenson is the top-rated high-school prospect in the state, though Joe Ross (No. 3 overall), a fellow NorCal righthander at Oakland’s Bishop O’Dowd High, is pretty much considered his equal and could give Stephenson a run for his money in terms of who will go off the board first. Both should be gone no later than the top 35-40 picks. While Stephenson and Ross are frequently compared because of their close geographic proximity, the better comparison to Stephenson may actually be on the other side of the country in South Carolina prep righthander Taylor Guerrieri, who is one of the top 2-3 prep righthanders in the entire draft. Stephenson has the same lean, athletic frame and should continue to fill out and get stronger over the next few years. Like Guerrieri, Stephenson wasn’t a well-known prospect outside of his local area heading into last summer. He did earn an invitation to Perfect Game’s National Showcase in June at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla., however, and his impressive performance there landed him a spot in the prestigious Aflac All-American Classic, played in August in San Diego. Between those two high-profile appearances, Stephenson took a big step forward with his raw stuff, and he was one of the most impressive prospects in the Aflac game. He has solidified that lofty status this spring. Stephenson opened the 2011 season with back to back no-hitters, and has consistently showcased his top-shelf stuff while going 6-2, 1.26. In his first 61 innings, he allowed only 27 hits and 17 walks while striking out 119. Stephenson’s fastball has sat at 92-94 mph, and he has held his velocity late into games, recently hitting 94 mph in the seventh inning of one contest. He also has topped out at 97 mph frequently this spring. Stephenson has the makings of two potential plus off-speed pitches, although neither is consistent yet. His curve is in the 78-80 mph range and has sharp, 12-to-6 biting action at times, while he has surprisingly good feel for his low-80s changeup that has good movement down in the zone. Stephenson has loose, athletic actions on the mound and a lightning-quick arm that comes through from a high-three-quarters release point, creating very good downhill angle to the plate. Where Stephenson may lose points to Guerrieri, and maybe even Ross, is his delivery has some extra effort, which creates inconsistency in his release point and sometimes prevents him from working down in the strike zone, where his pitches would have more movement. Stephenson committed to Washington in the NCAA’s early-signing period and would be seen as a major rebuilding block for a program that has struggled this year (13-29 through the first week of May), and pretty much since two-time Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum left the program in 2006. His projected high standing in the draft, however, makes it a longshot that Stephenson will ever set foot on the Washington campus.

Projected Draft Position: Late First Round / Early compensation pick

K swinging
dong
K swinging
GO

Batter 1: Out 1
Strike 3 (swinging)

Batter 2: Out 2
1: FO to RF (Prince makes sliding grab in foul territory)

Batter 3:
1: FO to Right Center (Prince with a diving catch)

If I’m remembering things correctly.