CATAWBA, N.C. — Jim Carrey was just rubbing it in.

Righthander Hunter Harvey from Bandys High in Catawba, N.C., went 6 2/3 innings last night against South Iredell High (Statesville, N.C.), while giving up one run on two hits. He walked one and struck out 11.

After each one of the strikeouts, a clip of Jim Carrey yelling, “Smokin’!” from “The Mask” played over the sound system.

Harvey sat in the 90-92 mph range with his fastball and touched 93 several times, even as late as the sixth inning. His fastball had good boring action and he overmatched the South Iredell lineup. Harvey didn’t allow good contact all night. Nine of the 20 outs he recorded came on batted balls—seven groundballs and two weak fly balls to right field.

He took a no-hitter into the final inning, but gave up a one-out single on a weak groundball up the middle. He started laboring at around 90 pitches and gave up a walk, hit a batter and then another single with two outs, finally exiting the game with the bases loaded at 105 pitches.

Of those 105 pitches, 70 were fastballs, 31 were curveballs, mostly in the 74-76 mph range, and he threw four changeups between 80-83 mph.
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Chandler Eden is a righthander at Yuba City (Calif.) High, the same school that produced Astros catching prospect Max Stassi. With his lean, 6-foot-1, 165-pound frame, Eden checked in at No. 99 on Baseball America's list of the Top 100 high school prospects last fall. I caught up with Chandler on the phone, after his game on March 21. Read or listen to the interview below to learn about how Oregon State discovered him, how hard he's throwing this spring, and who he picked to go to the Final Four this year. . .

Click here to listen to the .mp3 interview with Chandler Eden

You guys played today, how did it go?

We played a game. I pitched six innings and I think I had about eight 'Ks,' but we had some defensive errors and we ended up losing, 4-1. But it was one of the best, top-ranked teams in Sacramento. They were a pretty good-hitting team. It went pretty good though, other than that.

How’s the season going for you, overall?

The season so far, I’m 0-1. I started three games. The first two I gave up no runs through five innings, but our bullpen didn’t get it done in the first two. And then, this game that we played today, I gave up four runs. We’re doing all right though, so far. It’s been a little rough, but once league starts we’ll be fine.

I looked up your school on Google Maps and it looks like you guys have three baseball fields there?

Yeah, we have three fields. We have freshman, J.V. and varsity.

You guys are scheduled to play in the Boras Baseball Classic. Are you looking forward to that?

Yeah, the Boras Classic, I’m really looking forward to it because it’s the best teams in Northern California, pretty much. We get to compete with all of them and I think we’ll be doing pretty good in that tournament. We’ve got Del Oro to start with and if we win that, we’ll play against the No. 1 team in the Sacramento area, Elk Grove. So, I’m pretty excited about that.

Do you know which game you’re going to pitch?

As of right now, I don’t know if I will actually be pitching in that because I threw today. I threw like 88 pitches today. If I throw in that tournament, it will be late in the tournament, depending on how we do.

So there’s no chance you’ll pitch against Elk Grove?

No, I won’t be pitching against Elk Grove. Maybe, I might be able to close out an inning or so, but I won’t be able to pitch against them.
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Going through my notes file of all the 2013 high school players I’ve seen over the past several months, here are six players who didn’t make Baseball America’s Top 100 list, or the list of 50 players who just missed, but who are still guys that I really liked when I saw them. Some will be drafted out of high school, others may have to go prove themselves in college, but these are all guys who drew my attention for one reason or another . . .

Derek Rustich, 3b/1b, Grossmont HS, El Cajon, Calif.
I didn't see Rustich this summer, but I liked him when I saw him as a rising junior. He has good size at 6-foot-5 and 225 pounds, has strength in his lefthanded swing and already shows some feel for driving the ball the other way. Rustich is committed to Texas Tech and apparently he's also pretty good at basketball trick shots.

Austin Sexton, rhp, Sparkman HS, Harvest, Ala.
Sexton has a lean, projectable build at 6-foot-2 and 165 pounds. His fastball sat in the 87-89 mph range this summer, but there's room for more there as he continues to get stronger and fill out. He showed a clean, athletic delivery, a quick arm and good control and feel for his pitches. In addition to his fastball, he mixed in a slider and a changeup that both hovered around 80 mph. Sexton is committed to Mississippi State. Update: Sexton tore the ACL in his left knee playing basketball this winter and likely won't pitch this spring.
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Going through my notes file of all the 2013 high school players I’ve seen over the past several months, here are six players, listed alphabetically, who didn’t make Baseball America’s High School Top 100 ($) list, or the list of 50 players who just missed ($), but who are still guys that I really liked when I saw them. Some will be drafted out of high school, others may have to go prove themselves in college, but these are all guys who drew my attention for one reason or another.

Alec Grosser, rhp, Williams HS, Alexandria, Va.
Grosser has a athletic, projectable frame at 6-foot-4 and 190 pounds. He has long arms with a whippy, deceptive, three-quarter arm action. His fastball sits in the 89-91 mph range with good sinking life and he touched 93 mph at the Perfect Game National Showcase last summer. He got under his 74-76 mph slider there, but his build and present velocity are certainly interesting. Grosser is committed to George Mason.

Bryce Harman, lhp/1b, Byrd HS, Chesterfield, Va.
Harman draws looks with his professional build at 6-foot-6 and 205 pounds. He has extremely strong hands and power potential as a lefthanded hitter. He hits from an upright, open stance and shows simple swing mechanics, but will need to keep his head more balanced in his load for better pitch recognition. He also is intriguing as a lefthanded pitcher, where he sits in the 87-89 mph range with a mid-70s curveball. Harman is committed to East Carolina.
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Going through my notes file of all the 2013 high school players I’ve seen over the past several months, here are six players, listed alphabetically, who didn’t make Baseball America’s High School Top 100 ($) list, or the list of 50 players who just missed ($), but who are still guys that I really liked when I saw them. Some will be drafted out of high school, others may have to go prove themselves in college, but these are all guys who drew my attention for one reason or another.

Malik Collymore, ss, Port Credit SS, Mississauga, Ont.
Collymore has a tightly-wound, compact build at 6 feet and 190 pounds. He is a tick above average as a runner, shows nice infield actions and average arm strength, giving him a chance to stay at shortstop. Otherwise, he'll make a fine defensive second baseman. He has interesting bat speed and some sneaky power for his size. Collymore is committed to North Carolina State.

Tanner Draper, rhp, Riverton (Utah) HS
Draper has an athletic frame at 6-foot-3 and 190 pounds. His fastball has heavy life in the 87-89 mph range, but he drops into the mid-80s after a couple innings. He throws a tight curveball in the mid-to-upper 70s and an occasional changeup. Draper will need to do a better job commanding his pitches and is committed to Oregon State.
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We have a game recap on the High School Blog and will have more on the outstanding matchup between Clint Frazier's Loganville High and Austin Meadows' Grayson High later this week. To whet your appetite, here is footage of Frazier's first home run on the evening—an epic, three-run blast to put Loganville up 6-3, on their way to winning 14-4. This home run came on the first pitch he saw and was absolutely destroyed. It was filmed with a GoPro camera by Alyson Boyer Rode.

Going through my notes file of all the 2013 high school players I’ve seen over the past several months, here are six players, listed alphabetically, who didn’t make Baseball America’s High School Top 100 ($) list, or the list of 50 players who just missed ($), but who are still guys that I really liked when I saw them. Some will be drafted out of high school, others may have to go prove themselves in college, but these are all guys who drew my attention for one reason or another.

Angel Alicea-Nieves, 3b/rhp, Montverde (Fla.) Academy
Alicea-Nieves is an intriguing two-way player from the same small high school that produced Indians' 2011 first-round shortstop Francisco Lindor. A Puerto Rican, like Lindor, Alicea-Nieves stands 6 feet and 175 pounds. He's a solid-average runner with an above-average arm. He shows solid defensive actions at third base and a nice, fluid righthanded swing. On the mound, he sits in the 88-89 mph range and touches 90 with well below-average secondary stuff. He is committed to Wabash Valley (Ill.) JC.

Shaun Anderson, rhp, American Heritage HS, Plantation, Fla.
I got my first look at Anderson at USA Baseball's inaugural National High School Invitational and then saw him a couple more times on the summer showcase circuit. He has a solid, 6-foot-3, 235-pound build that is pretty well maxed out. His fastball sits in the 88-91 mph range and he mixes in a 77-79 mph slider and a 78-81 mph changeup. He shows a good delivery for his size and projects as a workhorse mid-rotation type in pro ball. He has a quick arm and the slider shows good potential at times. Anderson is committed to Florida.
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The 2013 draft class is loaded with catchers and Chris Okey from Eustis (Fla.) High is one of the best. Read or listen to the interview below to learn about his experiences with USA Baseball, the nastiest pitcher he ever caught and his father's days as a pro wrestler . . .

Click here to download the .mp3 interview with Chris Okey

You guys are already playing now. How's the season going so far for you?

Oh, it's been going fantastic. We're out there having a good time. I'm enjoying my last year with my teammates, the kids I've grown up playing with. It's just awesome and we're all having a good time. We're winning ballgames and we'll lose a few, but you know, it's something we always work hard and try to fix every time we play.

In about a month here, you'll be coming up to North Carolina. Baseball America is based in Durham, North Carolina, and you're coming up for the USA Baseball National High School Invitational. How excited are you for that?

Oh, beyond words. Every year we've been trying to get into a bigger tournament like this because we feel we have the talent and the chemistry to go up there against some bigger teams with some great talent, like the ones we'll be facing. We're excited to go up there and show 'em what we have. Win, lose or draw, we'll have fun and play hard. We're looking forward to the experience.

I know what to expect out of you since I saw you play a lot this summer. But tell me a little bit about what I should expect to see from your team and your teammates?

You should expect to see a lot of kids who know each other with awesome chemistry. You're going to see a lot of dirty jerseys out there because all we do is try to see, when we leave the field, who has the dirtiest uniform. We like making plays for the guys next to us. We're going to make the plays and we're never going to give up, even if we're winning 12-nothing or losing 12-nothing. We're going to stay out there at the same pace of the game and keep playing hard until the final out. If we're up by then, then good job for us for the next game, and if we're down, we'll go out and get 'em the next game.
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GREENSBORO, N.C.—Las Vegas had a banner year for baseball talent in 2010. Bryce Harper was the headliner, destroying junior college competition as a 17-year-old on the way to a National League rookie of the year campaign two years later.

Then there are players currently enjoying success in the minor leagues like Padres righthander Donn Roach and Red Sox righthander Aaron Kurcz (who were both teammates with Harper at Southern Nevada CC), Pirates righthander Nick Kingham and Rangers third baseman Drew Robinson.

Two players—third baseman Kris Bryant and righthander Michael Wagner—are now juniors at San Diego. But what happens in Vegas, sometimes winds up in West Virginia.

Righthander Aaron Blair from Marshall is one of the top righthanders in this year's draft class. How does a high school player from Nevada wind up at a college nearly 2,000 miles from home?

"I went to Jupiter, Florida, my senior year and I played with the Ohio Warhawks," Blair said. "And they saw saw me throw out there. I came on a visit and committed the next day. I had a lot of fun on my recruiting visit. I really liked the coaches and the players I was with. Everything was great."

Blair's emergence at Marshall capped a fine year for the program's pitchers. Athletics righthander Dan Straily led the minor leagues in strikeouts (190) and became the first Marshall pitcher to pitch in the big leagues since Rick Reed in 1988. Other recent picks like Padres righthander Joe Church (17th round, 2012), Rockies lefthander Mike Mason (24th, 2012), Rangers lefthander Greg Williams (12th, 2011) and Blue Jays righthanders Arik Sikula (36th, 2011) Ian Kadish (NDFA, 2011) had solid minor league seasons in 2012.
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CULLOWHEE, N.C. — Washington State outfielder/first baseman Jason Monda was born to be a Cougar.

His Washington State roots run deep. Both of his parents attended the university before his father, Greg, spent six years in the minor leagues after the Reds made him their 15th-round pick in 1983.

"Obviously I've been a Coug since day one, so it means a lot to me," Monda said about wearing the crimson and grey. "I'll be a Coug until the day I die and hopefully the Cougar tradition stays in the Monda family for a while."

"His entire family, they all go to Washington State," Washington State head coach Donnie Marbut said with a chuckle. "I think he lives with three cousins and his twin brother (Michael), who is on the team now as a backup catcher for us. Jason's biggest fan is Michael and Michael's biggest fan is Jason, and I think they bring out the best in each other."
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It's a bit of a light year in the Northeast for college pitchers. One of the most exciting draft-eligible arms in the region was on display in Cary, N.C., on Opening Day, so there were about a dozen scouts taking in the 2013 Ron Fraser Classic at the USA Baseball National Training Complex.

Righthander Pat Young from Villanova took the mound against Monmouth to open the season. Young, who stands 6-foot-7 and 208 pounds, gave up three runs on nine hits with a walk and three strikeouts over 5 1/3 innings for a no-decision.

Young sat in the 92-94 mph range and topped out at 95 with some natural sinking action. His 79-81 mph breaking ball is developing right now, but showed signs of becoming an average slider. He only threw a couple changeups during his first outing.
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RALEIGH — Appalachian State senior Rob Marcello wasn't drafted out of Royal Palm Beach (Fla.) High. He wasn't drafted out of Indian River State (Fla.) JC as a teammate of Padres 2011 first-rounder Cory Spangenberg. And he wasn't drafted as the Mountaineers' Sunday starter last year, after the 6-foot-3, 245-pound lefthander went 6-5, 5.31 with 48 strikeouts and 30 walks over 83 innings.

This year, his role has changed and has boosted his draft stock. Marcello is now in the closer's role, a move that has boosted his fastball into the 91-93 mph range and getting as high as 95.
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Here are a few videos taken at the World Wood Bat Association's World Championship in Jupiter, Fla., last week.

Rowdy Tellez, 1b, Elk Grove (Calif.) HS

Tellez was mentioned in a few blog posts during the event because he mashed. Over his six games at the event, Tellez went 5-for-12 with three doubles and a triple. He drew nine walks and did not strike out at all.

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JUPITER, Fla. — Three middle infielders helped themselves out this week at Perfect Game's World Wood Bat Championship and all three have relatives to look up to as players.

Edwin Diaz, ss, Martinez HS, Vega Alta, P.R.
For the second-straight year, there's a prospect in Puerto Rico named Edwin Diaz. Last year's version was a lanky fireballer, but this year it's a slick-fielding shortstop with a father by the same name who spent 13 years in professional baseball, including a couple cups of coffee in the big leagues with the Diamondbacks in 1998 and 1999.

Diaz attends the same high school as his father—a second-round pick in 1993 by the Rangers—and the school also produced the Molina brothers. He has a lean, wiry build at 6-foot-2 and 175 pounds. He's a righthanded hitter with some bat speed and a gap-to-gap approach.

Playing for the Texas Sun Devils, Diaz went 3-for-12 over four games with a double and a stolen base.
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JUPITER, Fla. — Mother Nature made it a challenge, but another World Wood Bat Championship has concluded with East Cobb Baseball claiming an 8-2 victory over Chet Lemon's Juice in the event's championship game Monday afternoon.

East Cobb collected nine hits to score its eight runs and got four innings of one-hit baseball from Wesley Jones (Redan HS, Stone Mountain, Ga.). He allowed two runs (one earned), walked two and struck out three. His fastball sat in the 86-89 mph range and he mixed in a sharp 77-79 mph curveball.

Jones is primarily a shortstop and hasn't been pitched in a while, but he earned MVP honors after going 11-for-21 (.524) with four doubles and 10 RBIs in eight games. He walked twice and didn't strike out during the five-day tournament. Jones was surprised he got the start on the mound in the championship, but said he was ready for anything this week.

"I prepared for this and I felt like I had a shot," Jones said. "It's been really fun. There's a lot of talent out here." [...] Continue Reading »

JUPITER, Fla. — As a 6-foot-6, 205-pound lefthander, A.J. Puk leaves little doubt that he has a future on the mound, but he's sticking with the Evoshield Canes during his shutdown period and showing off a sweet swing with pop that might have some scouts thinking twice.

Puk swings a quick bat from the left side and hit the ball with authority in a playoff game against the Diamond Devils at the World Wood Bat Championship. He went 2-for-3 with a single, double, RBI and two runs scored. He's now 3-for-11 in five games with two doubles and four RBIs.

"I really enjoy hitting and have always been a hitter," Puk said. "My pitching has started to pick up the last couple of years. In the beginning I thought I was going to be a hitter, but now I'm playing both ways and enjoying it while it lasts.

"At the next level, I'm probably a pitcher because I'm 6-foot-6, but I enjoy hitting and I'll try to do it as long as I can."

When he's on the mound, Puk has a fastball that can reach the low 90s. He's still raw as a pitcher, but his size, stuff and inexperience gives scouts a lot to dream on. Committed to Florida, Puk has a chance to be a two-way threat in college, much like Brian Johnson was the last the three years for the Gators. Puk has more upside on the pound, but could have a similarly potent bat. The program's success the last several years drew the big southpaw to Gainesville—as did the warmer weather. Puk goes to Washington High in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where high school baseball seasons are played in the summer and teams usually don't get outside until the end of May. [...] Continue Reading »

JUPITER, Fla. — Lefthander Ian McKinney from Boone High in Orlando has a knack for coming up clutch in big games.

Last year at the World Wood Bat Championship, we wrote that, "Goliath Goes Down In Jupiter" when the Cardinals Scout Team lost to Central FL PG Royal. The metaphorical "David" in that matchup was McKinney.

This year, the 5-foot-11, 185-pound McKinney is on the Cardinals Scout Team/FTB Chandler and dominated the Atlanta Blue Jays in the second round of the playoffs. He tossed four no-hit innings, but did allow an unearned run with three walks and eight strikeouts. The mercy rule was enacted and the Cardinals beat the Blue Jays 9-1 in five innings.

"He was on a younger team last year and played with us all summer and beat us last year when that team's first three hitters were (Albert) Almora, (David) Dahl and (Jesse) Winker," Cardinals Scout Team/FTB Chandler head coach Jared Goodwin said. "He actually threw in the night game on Sunday last year, too. So, he's been pretty good on that day."
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JUPITER, Fla. — Royals Scout Team righthander Dakota Hudson from Sequatchie Country High in Dunlap, Tenn., interests scouts because of his size, stuff and relative inexperience.

Throwing into a heavy wind, Hudson sat in the 87-89 mph range and topped out at 91. He mixed in 76-78 mph breaking ball that he calls a slider, but breaks more like a downer curveball and flashes hard, late action. He also threw a couple 81 mph changeups. Mostly, though, Hudson threw fastballs. He threw about 45 pitches over his three-inning stint and only seven of those pitches were of the offspeed variety.

"My two-seam (fastball) was moving real well," Hudson said. "My offspeed was moving too, I just couldn't throw it for a strike . . . At my school, they preach a whole lot about spotting up your fastball. So, if you can go off your fastball, you can be successful any game."

Over those three shutout innings, Hudson didn't give up a hit, walked two and struck out five.

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JUPITER, Fla. — UCLA head coach John Savage has a list of 96 traits for successful pitchers. The list becomes Commandments when recruits show up on campus and Bruins pitchers are continually quizzed as they work to commit the list to memory.

Lefthander Jonah Wesely from Tracy (Calif.) High is committed to UCLA and showed that he already has a good feel for the list, even if he hasn't studied it yet. Pitching for Team Elite, Wesely threw a complete-game (seven innings), three-hit shutout against the On Deck O's while walking three and striking out seven.

His fastball started in the 89-92 mph range with natural cut. He was 88-90 in the middle innings and was mostly 85-87 in the final inning, but still touched 89. Wesely has strong legs and uses them well to drive toward the plate. There's a little funk to his delivery, but it adds deception and he hides the ball well. He has a four-pitch mix with a 70-72 mph curveball, a nasty 79-82 mph slider and a 79 mph changeup. Wesely pitches with a good tempo and generated lots of ground balls.

Here are a few items on Savage's quiz that Wesely aced today . . .
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JUPITER, Fla. — From Roy Halladay, Jon Adkins and Drew Storen to Tyler Skaggs, Kevin Gausman and Noah Syndergaard, the Ohio Warhawks have an impressive list of pitching alumni.

This year's group features two of the pitchers generating the most buzz at Perfect Game's World Wood Bat Championship: righthanders Carlos Salazar from Kerman (Calif.) High and Jordan Sheffield from Tullahoma (Tenn.) High.

Every year, there's a handful of players—mostly pitchers—that skip out on the World Wood Bat Championship because they're shut down for the offseason, nursing injuries or catching up on school work. That typically opens the door for other players to catch scouts' eyes. Salazar hasn't been a secret—his name has circulated for a little while now—but he hasn't been to many events this summer, so a small army migrated to the Ohio Warhawks' first game on Saturday to see Salazar start. Even his own team lined up along the fence to watch his pregame bullpen session.

A short, stocky righthander, Salazar is about 6 feet tall and around 200 pounds. There was some buzz leading up to his start that he touched 98 mph a couple weeks ago in the Fresno area.

"Today was a little different," Salazar said. "I'm a kid from a small city and seeing that many scouts behind the plate was a little frightening, but after the first inning I got over it and back in the zone. I went out there with my same routine and didn't change anything."

Salazar sat 93-95 mph in the first, but had trouble finding the strike zone. He was around the zone, but not in it as much as he would've hoped.

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