JUPITER, Fla. — Randy Taylor is a scout in Texas for the Rangers. He is the point man for the Lone Star State's Area Code Games team and is also in charge of choosing players for the Texas Scout Team Yankees, a team that is always loaded at the World Wood Bat  Championship every year. Those two teams this year have a lot of the same players and scouts were eager to get another look at righthander Casey Meisner this afternoon after he touched 92 mph in Long Beach, Calif.

Meisner, who attends Cypress (Texas) Woods High, has a tall, slender frame at 6-foot-7 and 185 pounds. Typically, pitchers that big have difficulty keeping everything in-line to the plate and in a good rhythm, but Meisner showed good athleticism and body control for his size.

The ball comes out of his hand fairly easily and he showed a business-like demeanor on the mound.

Meisner, a Texas Tech recruit, threw his fastball on a firm, downhill plane. It started out in the 88-90 mph range, but he settled in around 85-87. He mixed in a mid-70s curveball, but wasn't getting full extension out front and was getting under the pitch a little bit. His circle changeup is still a work in progress and it sat in the low 80 mph range.

[...] Continue Reading »

JUPITER, Fla. — After the first day of the World Wood Bat Championship was cut short, the second day got off to a late start with heavy rains and strong winds whipping through the area. Scheduled to start at 8 a.m., games finally got rolling around noon and players and scouts battled through intermittent rain the rest of the day.

While a lot of scouts called it a night before the final slate of games started—after 9:30 p.m.—they stuck around long enough to line up several rows deep to see Casey Shane pitch for the Houston Banditos. He pitched four innings, allowing one hit and two walks while striking out six.

Shane is a big-bodied righthander from Centennial High (Burleson, Texas) that stands at 6-foot-4, 200 pounds. His fastball is a nasty pitch that sits 89-93 mph with heavy sink and run. He also mixed in a low-80s breaking ball and mid-80s changeup that featured good sink and fade. The breaking ball flashed tight break, but he only threw it a a couple times and has a slider as well. [...] Continue Reading »

JUPITER, Fla. — DBacks Team BC has plenty of intriguing talent—for the 2013 draft and beyond.

As a fellow Canadian with a similar build and athleticism, it's easy for scouts to compare Tyler O'Neill to Brett Lawrie. O'Neill, who attends Garibaldi SS in Maple Ridge, B.C., doesn't have quite as much power as Lawrie had at the same stage, but he's very strong and shows explosive bat speed with a balanced, simple approach. He's an above-average runner with a 6.75-second 60-yard dash time and has at least average arm strength. O'Neill plays catcher for the same travel team that produced Lawrie—the Langley Blaze—and recently became a member of the Canadian Junior National Team, where he plays shortstop.

The similarities don't end there.

"He even walks like Lawrie," DBacks Team BC manager Doug Mathiesen said with a chuckle. Mathiesen is a Canadian scout for the Diamondbacks and has known O'Neill for about four years as the general manager of the Blaze program.

It's true. O'Neill exudes the same type of swagger as Lawrie and is clearly in a good mind set as he confidently approaches the plate.

"He's a hard-nosed kid," Mathiesen said. "He loves the game and loves to hit. Certainly, the makeup's all there. He's a good kid."
[...] Continue Reading »

LAKELAND, Fla.—Now in its 31st year of existence, the Florida Diamond Club Showcase displays the Sunshine State’s elite high school talent. Some of the most recent participants include major leaguers Tyler Pastornicky, Casey Kelly, and Todd Redman and a remarkable 54 members of the 2012 draft including first-round selections Mike Zunino, Albert Amora, Nick Travieso, and Brian Johnson.

And while high profile talents like Oscar Mercado, Nick Longhi, Brian Navaretto, Taylor Blatch, and Chris Okey made their presence felt throughout the weekend, a relatively unheralded outfielder stole the show in the showcase’s finale on Sunday afternoon.

Josh Greene, a 5-foot-10, 160 pound Forest High (Ocala, Fla.) product went 2-for-4 with a walk to help his North team defeat the East squad 4-1.

“I don’t go to that many showcases,” said Greene. “This is one of my major showcases. The talent here is amazing.”

Despite not being a regular on the showcase scene, the speedy leadoff hitter felt comfortable enough in to start off Sunday’s game with a bunt for hit attempt.

“I just play my own game,” Greene said. “I don’t try and get big and hit home runs because I know that is not me. I’ll try to get a bunt down and keep in the infield to show off my speed. That is probably what I’m here for.”

[...] Continue Reading »

PEORIA, Ariz. – The 2012 Arizona Senior Fall Classic came to a close on Sunday, but not before six teams got the chance to take the field inside the stadium at the Peoria Sports Complex.

Game One featured the SC Mariners Scout Team, a Southern California team organized by scouts, and the NW Mariners Scout Team, a similarly built team based out of Washington that has historically been one of the stronger teams at the Classic. 

Taking the mound for the SC Mariners was right-hander Tyler Mahle out of Westminster (Calif.) High. Mahle, who is committed to UC Santa Barbara (where his brother Brandon goes), tossed three scoreless innings, working off an 86-88 mph fastball with good life and an inconsistent but developing 68-73 mph curveball. 

[...] Continue Reading »

PEORIA, Ariz. – With three days in the books, the 2012 Arizona Senior Fall Classic has been dominated by talent from the Four Corners region.

On Saturday, a pair of Colorado arms took the mound in front of dozens of scouts, establishing their cases as worthwhile follows this spring.

Derik Beauprez from Cherry Creek (Colo.) High was first to toe the rubber. The 6-foot-5, 220-pound righthander pitched 88-91 mph today, but struggled with fastball control throughout and appeared to be overthrowing. A Miami commit, Beauprez flashed a 70-72 mph curveball with good shape and a deceptive 77 mph changeup.

According to an American League scout on hand, Beauprez shows good upside but is a clear work in progress.

“He looks the part," the scout said. "He’s a good athlete and the arm works but he just needs to improve his consistency in the strike zone. It’ll all come down to how he comes out in spring. He’s going to have to improve but there is a lot of stuff to like.”
[...] Continue Reading »

PEORIA, Ariz. — For the second straight day, pitching talent was in abundance at the Arizona Senior Fall Classic as many west coast teams made their showcase debuts.

The SC Rays Scout Team, a Southern California regional team with a rich history at the Fall Classic, ran out a slew of impressive arms over two games Friday afternoon.

Lefthander Bernando Flores from Baldwin Park (Calif.) High stood out in the first, displaying an impressive three-pitch mix. The 6-foot-4, 170-pounder sat in the 86-88 mph range with good downhill plane, mixing in a developing changeup and 72-74 mph curveball with good depth.

6-foot-2, 178-pound righthander Greg Harris started game two for the Rays. The Oregon commit struggled through his first inning of work, allowing a pair of hard hit balls, but looked dominant in his second frame, striking out five of the six hitters he faced, as the teams agreed to play five-out innings to get players more looks. Harris showed tremendous command of an 88-90 mph fastball, touching 92 with late fade. He mixed in a 66-67 mph curveball with good depth and a deceptive 79 mph changeup.

Righthander Tyson Miller from Shadow Hills High in La Quinta, Calif., followed. At 6-foot-4 and 180 pounds, Miller has a very projectable frame that he uses well, staying tall throughout his delivery with good extension. He showed a solid two-pitch mix—pounding the zone with an 87-89 mph fastball and 75-76 mph curveball with great depth.
[...] Continue Reading »

PEORIA, Ariz. — The Arizona Senior Fall Classic kicked off Oct. 11 at the Peoria Sports Complex, home of the Mariners and Padres spring training facilities in Peoria, Ariz.

While teams from the Four Corners, California and the Pacific Northwest typically dominate the event, it was a matchup between two teams from Hawaii that drew one of the largest crowds of the day.

After impressing at the Area Code Games in Southern California back in August, a trio of Hawaii commits—infielder Kean Wong, catcher Iolana Akau and outfielder Marcus Doi—stood out again Friday, showing off their abilities both in the field and at the plate.

Wong, who attends Waiakea HS in Hilo Hawaii,  is the younger brother of Cardinals infielder Kolten. He displayed a quick bat, smooth stroke and feel for hitting with a sharply hit line drive into centerfield in his lone plate appearance.
[...] Continue Reading »

CHICAGO—Few remember who won and who lost showcase or all-star games at the amateur level. But the way the American team won the 2012 Under Armour All-America Classic will be remembered, thanks to Austin Meadows and Clint Frazier.

The two Georgia prep outfielders, the two best prospects on the rosters at Wrigley Field, hit back-to-back extra-base hits and Frazier scored the winning run on a pair of wild pitches to power the American team, skippered by Billy Ripken, to a 7-6 victory against Larry Bowa’s National team.

Meadows and Frazier were the two most anticipated players in the game and didn’t disappoint. Frazier showed off his 6.4-second speed in the 60 with a stolen base in the first inning following a walk, and even though he battled cramps in his calf muscles during the game, he still was able to bang doubles to left and right field.

Meadows showed the smooth, easy swing throughout the game that engenders comparisons to Colby Rasmus, and keyed the ninth-inning rally off losing pitcher Brett Morales (Tampa, Fla.), the game’s hardest thrower. Morales hit 93 mph in the ninth and struck out leadoff hitter J.P. Crawford with a nasty breaking ball to start the frame, but he hung an 0-2 breaker to Meadows, who slammed it down the left-field line for a triple.

With flexible lineups available to the managers, Ripken inserted Frazier into the four-hole to follow Meadows, and he let a 1-2 fastball get deep before rifling a line drive off the right-field wall to score Meadows and tie the game. Two of Morales’ next three pitches were wild, and Frazier loped home easily, joining Meadows in the dugout in a familiar scene. [...] Continue Reading »

The New York Yankees dropped their Thursday, August 16th matinee with the Texas Rangers, 10-6, but baseball in the Bronx was far from over. Just an hour after the big leaguers left the field, 32 high schoolers spread around the diamond to kick off the fourth-annual Summer Rivalry Classic.

In recent years, the Rivalry Classic—a one-game showcase in which players don the spring training jerseys of the Yankees and Red Sox—has become a favorite of scouts in the Northeast. The event marks a final chance for evaluators to watch players before they head back to school. This year, Yankees Northeast area scout Matt Hyde, alongside Anne Marie Yastrzemski, the daughter-in-law of Red Sox great Carl, organized the event.

“This is the fourth year that we’ve did it, and it all came to be as a result of Anne Marie Yastrzemski as kind of an addition to the Area Code games in the Northeast,” Hyde said, who managed the Yankees team. “It’s kind of grown into an event held in Yankee Stadium or in Fenway Park—we’ve had it both places—where the best players in the Northeast can play against each other. With the Area Codes and East Coast Pro Showcase, there are some guys that may not have made those teams, but we have heard about or we’ve seen and we want to get another look at. I think what [the Summer Rivalry Classic] does well is it gives us one more look at these guys.”

Scouts around the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic selected the two teams, providing plenty of East Coast talent to the game, but the event has attracted greater geographic diversity with time. Whereas four years ago the rosters were entirely filled with cold-weather prospects, this year seven players made the cross-country trip to play in Yankee Stadium.
[...] Continue Reading »

SYRACUSE — While the action on the field is typically great at big showcase events like the East Coast Professional Showcase, the atmosphere in the stands resembles that of a library more than a baseball game. Scouts and coaches scribble down notes and talk quietly amongst themselves, most players have one or two family members there, if that, and there are never any other fans present. So the loud cheers righthander Mark Armstrong received during his outing on Aug. 3 definitely stood out.

Armstrong goes to Clarence (N.Y.) High, about 135 miles west of Syracuse, just outside Buffalo, and had what looked to be about 10 family members at the event, rooting him on.

"It feels really good to face some of the top guys on the East Coast," Armstrong said. "This is a great environment and a great stadium. It's only two hours away, so it's nice to be local and not have to travel to find good competition. So it's overall a great experience to play in this ballpark."

Armstrong said the only other time he had been to Alliance Bank Stadium was to see Bryce Harper play for the Syracuse Chiefs. He threw three innings over two outings at the event without giving up a hit. Armstrong did allow two walks, but picked one of the runners off second base after they stole the bag and struck out five.
[...] Continue Reading »

SYRACUSE — Pitching is in Hunter Harvey's blood.

His father, Bryan, was a two-time all-star closer who spent nine years in the big leagues with the Angels and Marlins. He compiled a career record of 17-25, 2.49 and collected 177 saves. For all pitchers since integration with as many career innings as Harvey (387), only three have a better career ERA: Mariano Rivera, Billy Wagner and Jonathan Papelbon.

Hunter, a righthander from Bandys High in Catawba, N.C., also has an older brother, Kris, who was a fifth-round pick out of high school as a catcher and a second-round pick out of Clemson as an outfielder by the Marlins in 2005, but has since converted to the mound as well and is currently in Double-A Altoona, in the Pirates' organization.

At the East Coast Professional Showcase on Aug. 2, Hunter proved to scouts that there will likely soon be a third member of the Harvey family pitching in professional baseball. With his thin, 6-foot-3, 168-pound frame, Harvey has plenty of room to fill out and add strength. His fastball sat in the 89-92 mph range with good downhill plane and he mixed in a 74-77 mph curveball that showed flashes of being a quality pitch and an occasional 79-82 mph changeup.

"I don't use my changeup as much as I probably should," Harvey said. "I usually go fastball-curveball about the whole game. When my curveball's on, I'm a better pitcher. Some nights my curveball isn't where I need to have it, but my fastball usually helps me out a lot."
[...] Continue Reading »

SYRACUSE — The East Coast Professional Showcase has seen plenty of pitchers over the years who were not high picks (or went undrafted) out of high school, but went significantly higher out of college and then reached the big leagues.

Guys like Justin Verlander, David Price, Paul Maholm, Alex White, Mike Minor, Adam Warren and Eric Surkamp all fit this description.

Righthander Andy Ravel from Wilson High in West Lawn, Pa., doesn't have the strength yet to grind through a professional season—though a lot can change between now and draft day. Right now, Ravel has a thin build at 6-foot-1 and 165 pounds and he throws his fastball in the 85-87 mph range.

Growing up in Pennsylvania, Ravel is a Phillies fan, so he said it was exciting for him to put on their uniform, as they're the team sponsoring the Northeast players this year.

"You're always watching the games with your dad or brother and your family and you're like, 'I really wish I could put on that jersey and play one day.' And now I have that opportunity," Ravel said. "It's not the Phillies Phillies, but it's a step toward the Phillies and it feels pretty exciting."

Even without present strength and fastball velocity, the Kent State recruit does a lot of things that scouts like to see. He showed good athleticism and a loose, repeatable delivery. Ravel only threw one inning on Aug. 2, but threw a lot of strikes and showed feel for four pitches—his fastball, a 73-74 mph curveball, a 78-79 mph slider and a 78 mph changeup. [...] Continue Reading »

SYRACUSE – For several years, shortstop Blake Hennessey from Arlington Country Day High in Jacksonville, Fla., thought he was a member of the 2014 class.

Hennessey is age-appropriate for the 2013 class, but after being held back in seventh grade for academic reasons, he just finished his sophomore year of high school. But at the end of the school year, he met with his principal and she agreed to work with him to take extra classes with the hope of graduating a year early and being draft eligible with his age group in 2013.

"It was a hard decision for me," Hennessey said. "I was thinking I was a 2014 and I've got another year. But now. . . I mean, I've worked hard, but now I've got to work extra hard."

With that goal in mind, Hennessey has spent much of his summer on the high school showcase circuit. Here at the East Coast Professional Showcase, the 6-foot-1, 178-pound Hennessey has shown a nice, balanced righthanded swing and good actions in the field.
[...] Continue Reading »

SYRACUSE — While many of the day's top performers at the 2012 East Coast Pro Showcase were players who have already been on the high school showcase circuit for nearly two months, one pitcher opened some eyes as a relative newcomer.

Righthander T.J. McDonald from Village Christian Academy in Fayetteville, N.C., stood out first with his strong but projectable, 6-foot-3, 185-pound frame. His fastball sat in the 89-91 mph range and he touched 92 while also mixing in a sharp 74-77 mph curveball. McDonald threw two perfect innings and recorded four strikeouts.

McDonald said he's enjoying being around the other players and being able to receive instruction from professional scouts.

"It's been fun," McDonald said. "I'm learning some new things and just taking everything in. The scouts have just been telling us to 'play hard' and 'play pro. . . play cocky. Just give everything you've got. Don't hold back and just showcase what you've got.'" [...] Continue Reading »

The final game for this year's Prospect Classic ended in a 6-6 tie, but there were several standout performances. . .

• Oregon State outfielder Michael Conforto went 3-for-4 in the game with a double.

"I'm seeing the ball really well right now, especially against some really good pitchers," Conforto said. "I couldn't ask for a better game today and I'm feeling really good."

Hitting well is nothing new for Conforto, who hit .349/.438/.601 as a freshman last season, while leading the Pacific 12 conference in home runs with 13.

"He's got a great swing and. . . when you drive in 76 runs or whatever it ended up being in the Northwest, that's legit," Oregon head coach and Team USA assistant coach George Horton said. "We're in the same state, so we follow each other closely and those RBIs were clutch RBIs, as well. He hit third against right and lefthanded pitchers and, unfortunately, we're going to have to figure out a way to get him out the next couple years, but it's good to have him in my dugout.

"He's a tremendous player who has a bright future."
[...] Continue Reading »

For the second-annual Prospect Classic, USA Baseball decided to mix things up a little bit—literally.

Instead of having two games pitting the College National Team against the 18-and-under hopefuls, the event was expanded to four games—two games with the teams integrated followed by two games in the traditional format.

The first game took place June 29 at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park and ended with a 2-2 tie after seven innings. As usual, the pitching was ahead of the hitting—especially the college pitchers—and the most impressive arm was lefthanded starter Marco Gonzales from Gonzaga.

Gonzales has an athletic 6-foot-1, 185-pound frame. He repeats his effortless delivery well, allowing him to fill up the strike zone. Last year at Gonzaga, he went 8-2, 1.55 with 92 strikeouts and 23 walks over 93 innings.

Gonzales gave up one hit over four shutout innings. He didn't allow a walk and stuck out three.
[...] Continue Reading »

Every young athlete dreams of being featured on SportsCenter.

As the countdown continued on a weekly edition of the Top Ten two Septembers ago, one high schooler got to live that dream.

Andy McGuire watched from James Madison High on his laptop at lunchtime as his own highlight was portrayed across the screen. Instead of being overjoyed, he was overcome with laughter.

The native of Vienna, VA was featured on ESPN’s Not Top Ten as a sophomore for a now-infamous play he made during a football game.

“It was a kick return,” McGuire said. “It carried a little and I ran back, turned around, caught it and there it was, the goalpost. I hit it pretty hard.”

McGuire made a fantastic catch before heading directly into the goalpost and dropping straight to the ground. For what it’s worth, he held onto the ball.

The talented young shortstop looks forward to making it onto ESPN once again in the future, though for something more prominent next time. He’s certainly on the right track, now immersing himself fully into baseball, his No. 1 sport.

He is the first player from Virginia to obtain a scholarship to Texas, an interesting choice considering the options closer to home.

“I visited four schools,” McGuire said. “Virginia, Florida, South Carolina and Texas. I always wanted to go to Texas so when the offer was made, it wasn’t a tough decision. But my dad kind of made me slow down and look at the other schools.

“He wanted me to look at Virginia just because it’s in-state and it’s such a good school, so I looked at that. South Carolina I liked a lot and Florida I liked a lot but Texas was just where I wanted to go.”

Texas has been on the infielder’s mind ever since he went to the school as a young swimming prospect. Before focusing solely on baseball, McGuire was a nationally-ranked swimmer who ended up in the Lone Star State in the interest of college recruitment at age 11.

“My favorite color’s always been orange,” he said. “I went there on a swim camp and I liked it a lot, but not the swimming part…it was a college recruiting swimming camp for the kids and the USA coach was there and they had a lot of Olympic swimmers there. It was ridiculous.

“But I really liked the school after that. I figured that I had to reach out to them [for baseball] because I knew that they don’t really recruit that much out of state, but I guess it worked out for me.”
  [...] Continue Reading »

MINNEAPOLIS — King High in Tampa has produced a single-digit draft pick each of the past two years and that streak looks like it will continue after righthander Brett Morales shined on the mound on the second day of the Perfect Game National Showcase at the Metrodome.

Morales had plenty of scouting attention this spring, as he was teammates with White Sox supplemental first round first baseman Keon Barnum. But Morales mostly pitched in relief for the Lions.

“I was a starter, but our second baseman got suspended, so I had to play second base for six weeks because we didn’t have a second baseman,” Morales said. “So then I would relieve instead of starting the game, so I could play second base.”

Morales has been playing baseball his entire life, but he’s mostly been an infielder, moving between shortstop, third base and second base. It wasn’t until this past year that he really started seriously focusing on pitching.

Already, he shows a fastball in the 90-92 mph range and touched 93. He has an athletic, 6-foot-2, 185-pound build and a loose, effortless delivery. Morales mixes in a very good 78-79 mph circle changeup and a mid-70s 12-6 curveball. He pounded the strike zone with all three of his pitches.
[...] Continue Reading »

MINNEAPOLIS — Southern California typically has a good number of intriguing prep lefthanders and the 2013 draft class will be no exception.

One of those players will be Chris Kohler from Los Osos High in Rancho Cucamonga.

On the second day of the Perfect Game National Showcase in the Metrodome, Kohler showed a lot of potential. He has a lean, athletic 6-foot-3, 190-pound frame. He has a smooth, easy delivery, which helps him fill up the strike zone and he pitches with a quick tempo.

Kohler throws three pitches—a fastball in the 87-89 mph range, a circle changeup between 78-80 mph and a 12-6 curveball in the 72-73 range.

"I pitched pretty good and I felt pretty good," Kohler said after his outing. "I was stoked and was excited. I felt pretty good and I guess it went great."

Kohler has been playing baseball his whole life, but only really started focusing on pitching full-time about two years ago. He is committed to Southern California. [...] Continue Reading »