Draft League Scouting Notes - June 4
June 7, 2021
State College @ Williamsport
Williamsport starter RHP Chase Costello (Stetson) turned in his best performance of the Draft League season, striking out nine over five innings. He allowed two runs, scattering three hits with three walks in the outing. The right-hander operated with a bit more velocity on Friday, running his fastball up to 95 mph and 2478 RPM in the first inning before sitting 92-94 for the duration of the outing. Opposing hitters are batting just .132 against Costello, who’s now punched out 14 in 11 frames.
RHPs Ben Terwilliger (Barry), Dominic Hambley (Belmont HS, B.C.) and Owen Holt (Alvin CC) combined to allow two hits over the final four frames to seal the Crosscutters’ 10-2 victory. Holt recorded four of his six outs via the strikeout while bumping 94.3 mph with his fastball. Hambley was up to 93.6 in the seventh, posting a pair of strikeouts while working around two walks.
Spikes starter RHP Louis Davenport III bumped 92.5 mph with his fastball and posted two of the day’s better spin rates with his heater (2587 RPM) and sider (2829). He struggled with his control, though, with four walks limiting him to just 2.2 innings. LHP Chris Wall (Columbia College) was scored upon for the first time this season but turned in another strong performance, striking out four over 2.1 one-run frames.
RHP Kiernan Higgins (Shippensburg) recorded five of his six outs via the strikeout during a dominant two-inning outing of the Spikes’ bullpen. He once again flashed elite spin rates with his slider, spinning it up to 3007 RPM, and this time Higgins also operated with more velocity, showing a fastball up to 94.8 mph. That uptick in velo could pay big dividends for Higgins, who has already shown a knack for spinning the ball and missing bats. RHP Drew Garrett (Missouri) struggled with his control but hit 95.1 mph with his fastball.
2B Mark Vierling’s (Missouri) 103-mph double accounted for one of five Spikes hits on Friday night. He finished 1-for-3 with a walk, as did INF/OF Michael Slaten (Benedictine). CIF Marques Paige (NW Oklahoma State) and OF James Jett (Lincoln Trail) also doubled in the contest.
INF/OF Freddie Matos (Butler) and OF Damone Hale (Yavapai) both collected two hits and an RBI to pace the Crosscutters’ offense. INF/OF Trey Steffler (Missouri Baptist) continued his strong campaign by going 1-for-3 with a walk, two runs scored and two RBIs. OF/1B Hogan McIntosh (Parkland) was held hitless but still drove in a pair of runs.
Mahoning Valley @ Frederick
Keys’ pitching on Friday night featured a pair of power arms in starter RHP Brock Gilliam (Washburn) and LHP Ronan Kopp (South Mountain). Gilliam was tagged for five runs on six hits in four innings but had his most impressive stuff of the season in a fastball that was up to 96.2 mph with 2500+ spin along with a slider that he spun as high as 2944. Kopp struggled with his control, walking five in 3.2 innings, but the 6-foot-7 southpaw again proved difficult to barrel, limiting the Scrappers to one hit. While Kopp still showed plenty of velocity in the outing, reaching 96.4 mph with his explosive fastball, Friday’s outing marked the first time that he made a concerted effort to mix in more secondary pitches, led by a high-spin (3150) gyro slider that he showed better feel for as he worked deeper into the appearance.
RHP Cole Ayers (State College of Florida) has the ability to pile up whiffs and strikeouts when he has both his fastball and curveball working. That was the case on Friday night, as the Scrappers starter fanned seven over five innings while allowing an unearned run on two hits. He’s tied for the league strikeout lead, having punched out 21 batters in 14 innings. Opposing hitters, meanwhile, are batting just .156 against him.
1B/OF Jason Hinchman paced the Scrappers’ offense with a 3-for-5 performance, furthering what has already been an impressive Draft League campaign for the Tennessee Tech product. OF Bobby Sparling (Daytona State) and 3B Tommy Benson (Triton JC) both hit the ball hard, generating respective exit velos of 101 and 99.6 mph in the contest, while OF Mathieu Vallee (Northeast Oklahoma A&M) went 1-for-3 with two RBIs.
C Mitch Hundley (Morton JC) delivered the game’s only home run -- a 384-foot shot to left field that had a 98-mph exit velo. He scored a team-high two runs in the content, also reaching once via a walk. INF Ethan Kavanaugh (Wallace Dothan) doubled and plated a pair of runs as part of a 1-for-2 performance.