By: MAAAHTY

MAAAHTY — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 14:19:43 +0000

I do not see how Miami does not make the winners category here, despite having a club made up largely of underclassmen and pitchers returning from surgery, for the second season in a row Miami got its likely ace (JUCO Transfer Enrique Garcia) to turn down draft money after transferring from Potomac State after twice being that Conference’s pitcher of the year yet going largely unnoticed by pro baseball primarily because of a presumptive lack of competition, he was moved from reliever to midweek spot starter to #3 starter to #2 atarter whose middle game wins salvaged conference games for Miami and / or put Miami in position for sweeps in their late conference run. He has a legit 94 m.p.h. fastball, in starting to throw his deuce for striked with consistency, and conventional wisdom was after putting up sensational numbers in the ACC he would likely be a first day draft pick. Not only was he not first day, he was drafted almose exactly the same spot that he was after his sophomore year at Potomac and after his freshman year at Potomac, so most thought he would sign (resignedly) until he looked at Scott Maine from Miami the season before, who had stellar numbers his junior season but due to scouts’ questioning of his durability due to his car accident almost two years prior, he came back for 2007 and was Miami’s #1 again and despite putting up less gaudy numbers than in 2006, he rocketed from a round in the 20s to I believe the sixth round as the lefty proved durability was NOT an issue. Garcia now is coming back for his senior season to prove that last year was not an anomoly and he puts up the type of numbers he put up as soon as he was part of the rotation in 2006 for the entire 2007 season as either the ace or the #2 (to super soph Eric Erckson, no shame there) and he is hoping that he will prove that after two years of pitching and putting up videogame like numbers at Potomac he will have a second season to add to his first with similiar numbers against the best college conference in the country. Also, it was a major coup for Miami to keep Yasmani Grandal, who was BA#27 ranked overall prospect and top HS catcher but slippped precipitously in the draft as rumors were he was unsignable. He was signable, but only if you were willing to start at a 2.5 million dollar signing bonus. The Red Sox negotiated with him until the eleventh hour, but the success of future teammates Alonso and Raben with the wood as they skyrocketed up the prospect chart playing this summer made him realize the one deficiency in his game – his hitting – could benefit greatly and greatly benefit his bank account if he were to play a few seasons of college baseball as well as a couple seasons using the wood down the cape. An excellent keep for the canes.

Comments on: Winners And Losers–College Style

By: MAAAHTY