Prep Baseball Report

Prospect Review: Vanderbilt


PBR/D1 Staff

Prospect notes on the Commodores by Aaron Fitt of D1Baseball during his travels around the country this fall. For additional scouting notes on the Commodores, please see the David Williams Fall Classic which was played on November 10 in Nashville.

Vanderbilt will have plenty of holes to fill in 2020 after the departures of everyday stalwarts JJ Bleday, Stephen Scott, Ethan Paul, Philip Clarke, Pat DeMarco and Julian Infante, plus bulldog starting pitchers Drake Fellows and Patrick Raby. That’s a lot of experience to replace — but replacing the talent won’t be a problem, because Vandy has continued to recruit at the highest level year after year.

Last year’s D1Baseball Freshman of the Year and CWS Most Outstanding Player Kumar Rocker leads the way. In the exhibition in Kansas City against Oklahoma State, Rocker didn’t show the kind of electrifying stuff that made him a sensation in the 2019 postseason — in fact, just about all of Vandy’s big arms were down in terms of velocity, which is not uncommon in fall ball when pitchers are at different stages in their throwing programs and are working hard in the weight room. He sat mostly 89-91 and topped out at 93 with an 80-83 slider, and he seemed to be emphasizing his developing changeup, which was firm at 85-87 but flashed decent sinking action. Improving the changeup is one of Rocker’s goals this fall, and it’s scary to think just how good he could become with a third weapon, because he’s already proven he can dominate with his mid-90s fastball and wipeout slider when he’s in top form.

Fellow righthander and CWS star Mason Hickman also returns to the rotation after going 9-0, 2.05 with 129 strikeouts and 28 walks in 96.2 innings last year. His high-spin-rate fastball and advanced command remain his calling cards, and he’s as steady as college starters get. He did not pitch in Kansas City, but has seen time on the mound this fall.

Two key pieces of last year’s bullpen, closer Tyler Brown (3-1, 2.19, 17 saves, 65-9 K-BB in 49.1 innings) and power lefthander Jake Eder (2-0, 2.98, 4 saves), are being trained as starters this fall, although there’s a long way to go before Vandy settles on their roles...

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