Draft League Scouting Notes - June 11-13

Frederick Keys

After an 0-13-2 start to their season, the Keys finally entered the win column Saturday as the offense erupted to score nine runs on 12 hits and 10 walks in a 9-7 victory over Mahoning Valley. 

+The top three spots in the Keys’ lineup accounted for most of the scoring, as OF Dominque Collie (Weber International), C Brendan Tinsman (Wake Forest) and 3B Kevin Jimenez (New Mexico St.) combined to go 4-for-9 with six walks, six RBI and four runs scored. Tinsman hit a pair of doubles and walked twice to finish 2-for-3 with two RBI, while Jimenez went 2-for-4 with three RBI from the three-spot in the order. 2B Tyler Doanes (West Virginia) and Georgia State commit Max Ryerson both tallied two hits and an RBI, while INF Eddie McCabe (Georgetown) finished 2-for-4 with an RBI. Doanes, Jimenez and McCabe each picked up another hit on Sunday, as did C Zac Fascia (Purdue), who went 1-for-3 with an RBI and scored a run. 

+RHP Luis Guerrero (Chipola) walked five batters but also turned in his most dominant Draft League performance to date, striking out four over 3.1 one-hit frames. The live-armed righty was up to 96 mph in the outing and generated 10 whiffs on 13 swings (76.9%) with his low-80s splitter. RHP Kamron Fields (Texas Southern) was up to 97 mph and recorded six whiffs on 15 swings using his fastball in relief of Guerrero.

+LHP Ronan Kopp (South Mountain) gave up a pair of earned runs in 3.1 innings on Sunday, both of which scored after the 18-year-old left-hander had departed the game. Beyond that, Kopp looked good, piling up 10 whiffs on 22 swings (45.5% whiff rate) with a 92-95 mph fastball (T95.9). What’s more, Kopp once again showed improved feel for his slider and cutter, generating three whiffs while the pitch while showing at least average feel for executing the pitch against same-sided hitters. When it was all said and done, Kopp had recorded nine of his 11 outs via the strikeout to push his Draft League-leading strikeout total to 32 in 13.2 innings. He’s allowed just three hits, albeit while issuing 16 walks.

+RHP Will Stevens (Iowa Western CC) was tagged for seven earned runs on six hits and three walks in 1.2 innings in relief of Kopp. He showed big arm strength again in spite of those struggles, hitting 95.8 mph on the gun. LHP Shane Barringer (Bellarmine) worked two perfect frames, recording a pair of strikeouts and four ground-ball outs. His fastball topped out at 92.9 mph, and he missed bats with both his changeup and curveball. 

Mahoning Valley Scrappers

+LHP Jimmy Burnette (Saint Leo) took the loss Friday night in his first Draft League start but flashed some impressive stuff, striking out seven in 3.1 innings. He allowed one run in the first and third innings before permitting three in the fourth, all of which scored after the southpaw had left the game. He posted a 38.5% CSW and 50% whiff rate with his low-80s slider and a 31.5% CSW with his fastball, which sat 91-93 mph (T93.6).

+RHP Jacob DeLabio (Carthage) impressed once again out of the Scrappers’ bullpen, striking out five in two perfect frames. He sat a shade below 95 mph and topped out at 95.6 in the outing, averaging 2500+ spin on his heater. He’s posted 27 strikeouts (tied for second-most in the Draft League) against three walks in 12.2 innings while holding hitters to a paltry .170 clip.

+LHP Colin Floyd (Youngstown State) was solid Sunday in his second Scrappers start, tossing 3.2 innings of two-run ball with three strikeouts. He logged a 44.4% whiff rate with his 88-90 mph fastball and kept hitters off balance with his changeup and curveball, throwing the two pitches a combined 42 times. RHP Liam Eddy (Wichita St.) allowed one hit and struck out three over 2.1 scoreless frames, registering a 35.7% whiff rate with his 91-93 mph fastball in relief of Floyd. Fellow Wichita righty Aaron Haase was 92-93 mph with a high-spin breaking ball while fanning two batters during a perfect ninth. 

+SS Jalen Jones (SWIC) scored twice and went 1-for-4 with an RBI double in the Scrappers’ Saturday loss. OF Sam Crail (Saint Leo) reached base twice from the bottom of the lineup, going 1-for-2 with an RBI single and a run-scoring walk. Jones and Crail both added another hit on Sunday, with the latter contributing a three-run double in the fourth. 

+1B Dan Harwood (Butler) came off the bench Saturday to deliver a pinch-hit two-run single in the seventh. He went 1-for-2 with three walks, an RBI and two runs scored on Sunday. SS Branden Comia (Illinois) and OF Jack Kelly (Minnesota) notched two hits apiece in the contest as they both finished 2-for-3 with an RBI.     

State College Spikes

+C Kenny Piper (Columbia College) was a weekend standout on both sides of the ball for the Spikes. He collected one of State College’s two hits, a 102-mph double, against the Black Bears on Friday and showcased a plus, accurate arm behind the plate by throwing out four baserunners. He reached base three times Saturday, going 1-for-1 with a walk and a hit-by-pitch, and should have had his first Draft League home run on a blast down the left-field line that was (incorrectly) ruled a foul ball. That’s okay, though, because Piper officially entered the home-run column with a 99-mph, 393-foot shot to left field on Sunday, accounting for the Spikes’ only run in their loss against West Virginia. 

+RHP Joe Miceli (Bergen CC) struggled with his control on Friday night as he issued five walks in three innings. He allowed two runs on three hits, striking out four. His fastball average 89.5 mph and topped out at 92 mph in the outing, and he posted a 100% whiff rate with his 75-78 mph, spinning it up to 2939 rpm while throwing the pitch 18 times. 

+RHP Kiernan Higgins (Shippensburg) added to his impressive Draft League campaign thus far by striking out a pair during a scoreless ninth on Friday. He spun his nasty breaking ball up to 2900 as he pushed his season strikeout total to 15 through nine innings.

+SS/CF Myles Austin (Chipola) reached base twice from the leadoff spot Saturday in the Spikes’ 8-2 win over West Virginia. He tripled and scored in the first inning and later reached via a walk to finish 1-for-3 with a sacrifice fly and a stolen base. He picked up another knock on Sunday, tallying one of State College’s four hits in the contest.

+2B Mark Vierling’s (Missouri) triple on Friday had an exit velocity of 101 mph off the bat, and he capped the Spikes’ six-run fifth inning the following day with a two-run single as part of a 1-for-4 performance. C Chase Stanke (Minnesota) also plated two runs in the frame with a single, while SS Tyler Heckert (John Logan JC) scored two runs while going 1-for-3 with a steal from the bottom of the lineup.

+LHP Chris Wall (Columbia College) did work with his heater on Saturday, recording 15 whiffs en route to a 38.6% CSW while sitting 90.9 mph and touching 94. The 6-foot-6 lefty racked up six strikeouts in 2.2 innings, during which he allowed one run on two hits and three walks. Overall, Wall has accrued 20 punchouts in 11 innings while holding the opposition to a .171 average.

+RHP Drew Garrett (Missouri) came out of the Spikes’ bullpen pumping 95 mph with a high-spin breaking ball on Saturday. He delivered a hitless frame, pitching around a walk.

+RHP Andrew Moore recorded three of his five outs via the strikeout out of State College’s bullpen on Sunday. The highly projectable righty had his good fastball in the outing, as he averaged 94.2 and topped out at 96.9 mph while generating nine whiffs (56.2% whiff rate) with the pitch. 

Trenton Thunder

+The Thunder offense was held hitless by Williamsport for the first seven innings on Saturday before breaking out with a three-run eighth. All three runs came on one swing, courtesy of a pinch-hit three-run home run by OF Jared Gillen (Wagner). The homer was Gillen’s second of the season and traveled 415 feet at 104 mph off the bat. He added another hit and scored a run the following day to finish the weekend 2-for-3.

+UTL Jordan Hollins (Ottawa University, Ariz.) played the hero on Sunday as he hit walk-off three-run homer to power the Thunder past Williamsport, 5-2. Hollins drove in four runs in the contest, following an RBI single in the second inning with his second dinger of the season in the ninth -- a 390-foot no-doubt that had a 98-mph exit velocity. INF Daryl Myers (Benedictine) and OF Adan Fernandez (Nova Southeastern) tallied a hit in both weekend contests. 

+LHP Nick Mondak (St. John’s) allowed one run on three hits over four innings on Saturday, striking out four in his first Draft League start. He operated with a fastball-heavy arsenal (82.2% use), sitting 87-90 mph and throwing a ton of strikes with the pitch, and effectively mixed in a changeup, curveball and slider/cutter. RHP Joe Sprake (Elon) struck out one during a perfect ninth while sitting 93-94 mph with a hard, swing-and-miss slider at 82-83. 

+RHP Dylan Heid (Pitt - Johnstown) proved that he was human on Sunday as he allowed a first-inning run -- his first run allowed in three starts -- but he still recorded seven of his nine outs via the strikeout over three innings, generating 10 whiffs with his explosive 91-92 mph (T94.3) fastball. He’s fanned 24 batters in 11 innings on the season, allowing just four hits and three walks. 

+RHP Jared Viertel (Missouri State) struck out three over two one-run frames in relief of Heid. He was mostly 91-92 mph in the outing and induced several whifs with his low-80s curveball. RHP Logan VanWey (Missouri Southern) handled the final two innings, posting one strikeout and walk apiece while bumping 93.5 mph with his heater. 

West Virginia Black Bears

+The Black Bears’ pitching stole the show Friday night, with five different hurlers combining to post a two-hit shutout against State College. RHP JP Massey (Minnesota) sat 89-91 mph (T91.5) and posted a 100% whiff rate with his curveball while striking out three over three one-hit frames. RHP Luke Summers (Fontbonne) added three more one-hit innings, striking out two, in relief of Massey while running his fastball up 92.3 mph and 2500 rpm. West Virginia products RHPs Zach Ottinger and Madison Jeffrey fanned five of the six hitters they faced over the next two innings. They were up to 93.9 and 94.9 mph, respectively, in the outing. RHP Michael Hobbs (Saint Mary’s) struck out one batter during a perfect ninth. All three hurlers saw action again on Sunday, combing for six strikeouts -- Ottinger fanned the side -- and allowing just one run in three total innings. 

+Ryan McCoy may have recorded just one hit (an RBI single on Friday) over the weekend, but the Wabash Valley product continued to show excellent plate discipline by coaxing a pair of walks in all three games. INF Freylin Minyety, McCoy’s teammate at Wabash, capped his weekend by going 3-for-4 with an RBI single. INF Kaber Rog (Eastern Florida State) went 4-for-4 with a double and a walk on Friday in a breakout offensive showing for the Black Bears.

+LHP Cam Baumann (Iowa) kept the Spikes’ bats in check for four innings on Saturday in his first Draft League start. Pitching off of a fastball that sat 89-92 mph, Baumann recorded whiff rates of 66.7 and 100 percent with his changeup and curveball, throwing the two pitches a combined 18 times. He allowed one run on two hits, striking out four. 

+RHP Lane Flamm (Xavier) struck out the side Saturday in his Draft League debut. An undersized righty with a ridiculously quick arm, Flamm averaged 2434 rpm on his 91-93 mph fastball and spun both his curveball and slider better than 2500 on average.

+RHP Jeffrey Wilson (Pensacola State) struck out a pair during a scoreless ninth behind a fastball that was up to 93.7 mph and a hard curveball with late bite that averaged 2400+ rpm. 

+Florida State commit LHP Mitch Bratt (Newmarket HS, Ontario) has shown improvement in each of his four Draft League starts. On Sunday, the three-pitch southpaw delivered four scoreless innings against the Spikes, allowing two hits and a walk while striking out four. Bratt’s fastball topped out at 92.7 mph and averaged 90.1 in the outing. He was effective with his curveball, posting a 50% CSW on 20 pitches, and also induced a pair of whiffs with his slider. Altogether, Bratt has compiled a 2.81 ERA with 24 strikeouts in 16 innings so far this season. 

Williamsport Crosscutters

+RHP Nic Cosentino (State College of Florida) paced the Crosscutters in a no-hit bid against Trenton on Saturday. Cosentino worked the first five frames, allowing just a walk whie striking out six in a stellar performance. He was highly effective with his fastball early, spotting it well to both sides of the plate, then found his breaking ball in his later innings, using it to notch several strikeouts. He sat 88-89 and topped out at 90, showing a bit more velocity than his previous start. He spun his curveball at an average of 2634 rpm and posted a 50% whiff rate with his upper-70s changeup, throwing the latter 22 times in the outing. 

+RHP Zach Klapak (Lackawanna) was 92-93 (T93.8) with an 84-86 mph slider out of the Crosscutters’ bullpen during a perfect sixth inning. RHP Hunter Caudelle (Georgia Gwinnett) worked the final 1.2 frames, striking out three while sitting 89-91 mph. 

+OF Dakota Kotowski (Missouri State) powered the offense by driving in three runs with a three-extra-base-hit performance. After striking out in his first at-bat, Kotowski connected on a 108-mph double in the fourth and added another two-bagger in the sixth, both of which plated a run. He then tied a bow on his afternoon in the eighth, when he smashed a loud solo home run to left field, driving it 424 feet with an exit velocity of 105 mph. Kotowski added another hit on Sunday, finishing 1-for-4 with a run scored from the three-spot in the lineup. 

+OF Sean Ross (Indiana State) also racked up three hits for Williamsport, going 3-for-4 with two runs and a double from the leadoff spot.    

+RHP Devin Smith had his fastball-changeup combo working on Sunday as he allowed one run on four hits in four innings. Though his heater sat at only 87-89 mph, Smith used it to record a 24% whiff rate, and he posted a 33.3% whiff rate with a changeup that averaged 1272 rpm. RHP Dominic Hambley (Belmont HS, B.C.) and RHP Ryan Velazquez (Alabama State) both turned in a scoreless out of the Crosscutters’ bullpen. The former ran his heater up to 95.2 mph, while Hambley topped out at 92.4.