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.
[...] Continue Reading »

Righthander Andrew Church is taking the road less traveled this spring. Church transferred to Basic High in Henderson, Nev., after spending the past two years at Palo Verde High in Las Vegas. Church has been at the school all year, but was ruled ineligible about a week before the season started.

“What I heard from the school is that I’d be 100 percent eligible if I moved down there,” Church said. “So I moved down and now the athletic board ruled me ineligible. We’re going through an appeal process now.”

Church moved into Basic’s school district by himself. He is already 18 years old and got an apartment within the school’s boundaries, about 45 minutes away from the rest of his family.

“It’s not that hard,” Church said. “I feel I’m mature enough to handle it. It’s pretty cool. I had to learn quickly how to live, though.”

The board Church referenced is the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association.

Even without a high school team to pitch for, Church is staying busy. He is still able to throw bullpen sessions for scouts and will head to Maryvale, Ariz., this weekend to pitch against Milwaukee Brewers minor leaguers as a member of the Langley Blaze, a travel team typically comprised of players from British Columbia.
[...] Continue Reading »

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.
[...] Continue Reading »

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.
[...] Continue Reading »

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.
[...] Continue Reading »

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.
[...] Continue Reading »

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.
[...] Continue Reading »

Errol Robinson is a shortstop at St. John's College High in Washington, D.C. He ranked No. 92 on Baseball America's preseason high school Top 100 list and I was able to speak to him over the phone on March 6. Read or listen to the interview below to learn about the new amenities at his high school, his baseball-playing relative and the player he models his game after . . .

Listen to the Errol Robinson Q&A MP3

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I have to say, you're the first person to volunteer yourself for a Q&A, but I had you on the list of guys I wanted to talk to anyway, so it worked out nicely.

Oh yeah, definitely. I'm very excited.

You guys had some snow today and no school, right?

Yeah, we sure did. I think actually Mother Nature was giving us a little bit of a break before we really get into the season here. It'll be nice to get that warm weather coming now.

Were you able to get out and go sledding or do anything fun like that?

I kind of took this day as more of a relaxing time with my family.

Aside from the nasty weather up there recently, how's the season going so far for you?

It's going well for me personally and also as a team. I know we have our goal in mind and I think we're really ready to get underway and show everybody what we can accomplish this year.

Tell me a little bit about your team and your teammates.

We have a young group of guys now and I believe we can go to the next level with this team. We're taking a trip down to Florida for our spring break trip and we're going to see a lot of good teams down there, a lot of good arms. But this team is definitely ready to compete and it's great to see the young guys come up and compete and fight for those spots. We had a whole bunch of seniors leave us. Last year we had a lot of senior guys in the starting rotation and it's really nice to see the young kids come up and really work hard to really earn those spots.

Sure. What would you say your role is on the team?

Right now, it's really . . . I'm a leader on the field and I try to be a leader off the field. I was voted by my teammates captain, so it's just to keep the guys energized, keep a lot of energy on the field, in the dugout and really just set a model for the younger guys because we do have a lot of younger guys on the team, so I try to just display what it's going to be like and help the younger guys get through it because I know I definitely had my struggles being young last year and playing with a lot of older guys. Since I've been through some of the stuff some of the younger guys could be looking forward to in the future, I'm just advising them that way.
[...] Continue Reading »

UPDATED: Friday, March 8

The baseball industry knew in the fall that Drew Ward would try, and rumors circulated a month ago that he had gone and done it. But now his father has confirmed that the Oklahoma high school shortstop, previously a member of the Class of 2014, is reclassifying as a member of the Class of 2013, which would make him eligible for the draft come June. The family received instructions from Major League Baseball detailing what he needs to do in order to enter the 2013 draft, according to his father Gregg Ward.

"We got an e-mail that had four different things he had to go by to be eligible," Ward's father Gregg said. "He classifies in each one of them, so all he has to do is graduate. His age was on his side because he just turned 18 and when he graduates he won't have any eligibility left."

Graduation for Leedey is on May 17. Leedey is a tiny town of less than 500 people in western Oklahoma and the high school's student body doesn't crack triple digits. When Ward was a freshman, there were 12 kids in his class—eight boys and four girls.

Ward made another move for his baseball future a few weeks ago by verbally committing to Oklahoma. "We can't sign the letter until April 1 because he's coming out early," Gregg Ward said.

[...] Continue Reading »

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.
[...] Continue Reading »

Andrew Dunlap from Westbury Christian High in Houston is one of the draft's most fascinating prospects. Read or listen to the interview below to learn about his conversion from catcher to pitcher (and how he recently touched 96 mph), his new training buddy Trevor Bauer and why he won't be playing for his high school team this spring . . .

Click here to download the .MP3 interview with Andrew Dunlap

Welcome everyone to a Baseball America Q&A. I'm Conor Glassey and joining me on the line is Andrew Dunlap. Andrew, thank you for taking the time. How's everything going for you?

Oh, it's going well. I'm just training and working on this pitching thing.

Nice. Well, let's start off talking about Twitter for a minute. Twitter is how I got in touch with you for this interview. What's the story behind your Twitter handle, @DunDeuce?

Haha, oh wow, I did not see this one coming. So, my freshman year of getting hazed in high school, I went to an all-guys Catholic high school where they did a little bit of freshman fun stuff. So everyone would throw out all these nicknames based upon my last name, Dunlap. And so I had pretty much Dun-followed by any other word, expletive, anything you can think of. And one that stuck was DunDeuce. I don't know why, but that's how that came about.

Nice, so you're wearing it proud?

I'm wearing it proud, exactly. Another one that stuck was The Lone Ranger, because I would always stretch by myself and get in trouble a little bit, but that's another story.

Well, it doesn't look like you're super into Twitter, like some of these guys who I see are Tweeting 100 times a day.

No. I don't know. I had one about two years ago and I deleted it because I never used it and then I figured that it'd be good to just get connected again. Although I'm not like a huge social media guy. I mean, I'll get on it and I like to follow people, but I don't really have too much to say.
[...] Continue Reading »

Kentwood High catcher Reese McGuire ($) isn’t Washington’s only marquee talent for the 2013 draft. But that shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise. Over the past 10 years, the only states to produce more high school picks from the top three rounds than Washington are California, Florida, Texas, Georgia and Puerto Rico.

Righthander Dustin Driver from Wenatchee (Wash.) High first put his name on the map as a rising junior at the 2011 Area Code Games. With teams hand-picked by scouts, any time an underclassman makes one of the squads, it typically means they’re pretty special. Just consider some of the other rising juniors at the 2011 event and where they wound up on Baseball America’s High School Top 100 rankings more than a year later: outfielder/lefthander Trey Ball (3), shortstop J.P. Crawford (5), first baseman Dominic Smith (6), lefthander Rob Kaminsky (12) and first baseman Rowdy Tellez (16).

Driver checked in at No. 22 thanks to his 6-foot-2, 200-pound frame as well as his fastball that sits in the 90-92 mph range and tops out at 94.
[...] Continue Reading »

COMPTON, Calif.—Each February for the better part of the last decade, hordes of scouts have descended upon the MLB Urban Youth Academy in Compton for the MLB Scouting Bureau's Southern California Invitational showcase. The brainchild of longtime Bureau scout Dan Dixon, the showcase brings together the top draft-eligible high school talent in Southern California, drawing many scouting directors, crosscheckers and area scouts.

Nearly all of the region's top players were on hand Saturday, with the notable exception of first baseman/outfielder Dominic Smith, whom one scout called "by far the best guy out here." But most scouts came away with the impression that this SoCal crop features fewer marquee talents than usual.

"There is a lot of depth this year, it's just not depth at the high end," an American League area scout said. "It's depth at the middle to lower end. And a lot of those guys are going to college—they're not going to take 150,000 bucks. So a lot of these kids are good, but are they good enough to go in the top three rounds? Bottom line for me was there was no star power, other than (Carlos) Salazar—that was it."

We surveyed an area scout, a crosschecker and a scouting director to get impressions of the talent assembled in Compton, and the consensus was that Salazar—a righthander from the small town of Kerman, just west of Fresno—and San Diego lefthander Ian Clarkin (Madison High) stood out above the rest of the pack Saturday. [...] Continue Reading »

Since the 2012 high school season began, something was off about shortstop Andy McGuire (Madison High, Vienna, Va.). He knew it, his coach knew it and others familiar with his ability knew it. For months, McGuire couldn't figure out why he wasn't firing on all cylinders, and the answer finally came right before he was to report to Southern California with Team USA. A partial tear of his labrum and bone spurs in his left hip was limiting McGuire's mobility. After winning a gold medal in Korea at the IBAF 18U World Championship, he had surgery to fix the tear on Sept. 19.

"I had to play without really telling anyone something was going on," he said. "I wasn't really sure what to tell them because I didn't know exactly what it was, but I knew it was throwing me off because my feet weren't working as quickly."

McGuire described it as discomfort rather than pain and saw an orthopedic doctor in March, but X-rays and an MRI didn't reveal anything so he took a few days off to see if the discomfort would subside. It came and went so he played through it and his on-field performance suffered.

"That was tough, not performing to the best of my ability after working really hard in the offseason," McGuire said. "That was more of a confidence and mental thing that I as struggling with." [...] Continue Reading »

This year's High School Top 100 list stands out for a few reasons . . .

Premium Positions

While the top of this year's draft doesn't compare to the premium talent available from the high school ranks in 2012, there is some interesting depth and it's clear that the strength's of his year's high school class are two positions teams can seemingly never get enough of: catchers and lefthanded pitchers.

The Top 100 list features nine true catchers, two players who may remain behind the plate, but probably fit better at first base in Zack Collins from American Heritage High in Plantation, Fla., and Corey Simpson from Sweeny (Texas) High and two players in California—Dom Nunez from Elk Grove High in Sacramento and Chris Rivera from El Dorado High in Placentia, Calif., who have intrigued scouts in brief looks behind the plate. [...] Continue Reading »

COMPTON, Calif.—El Camino JC, the site of the MLB Urban Youth Academy, played host to the 2012 Jesse Flores Memorial All-Star Game on a beautiful Sunday afternoon in Southern California. In what has become an annual event, the game is presented by the Professional Baseball Scouts of Southern California (PBSSC) and is designed to honor the late Jesse Flores as well as showcase the top high school amateur talent in Southern California. Flores, the first Mexican national to play in the major leagues, had a long, successful scouting career with the Twins, signing more than 70 major leaguers, including Bert Blyleven, Rick Dempsey, and Craig Nettles

The day kicked off in typical showcase format with batting practice and infield/outfield in the morning culminating in an afternoon 11-inning offensive affair with the North edging out the South 7-6. Overall, the position players outperformed the pitchers from a prospect standpoint, as the event was lacking the elite arms that SoCal typically produces.

The most impressive of the position players was Lakewood (Calif.) High shortstop J.P. Crawford.  The 6-foot-2 180-pound Southern California commit is a four-year starter for the same powerhouse program that produced top catching prospect Travis d’Arnaud and Phillies 2012 supplemental first-rounder Shane Watson. Offensively, the lefthanded-hitting Crawford utilizes an open stance with his hands held high that bears a striking resemblance to that of Dodgers outfielder Carl Crawford, a distant cousin of J.P. Although he does not possess the present strength that Carl does, J.P. has strong barrel awareness and the ability to lace line drives to the gaps. He shows good weight transfer and potential for more pop but must continue to keep his lower half in sync.

With the glove, Crawford is a premium quick-twitch athlete who projects to play the position long term. While he is not a burner, Crawford is a plus runner with enough range and the fluid actions to handle the position. He did a good job of coming through the ball and getting his feet in position to allow his soft hands and plus arm to work seamlessly.

Scouts are plenty familiar with Crawford, a showcase veteran. But on Sunday, he flashed a tool scouts have long been looking for: power. 

[...] Continue Reading »

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.

[...] Continue Reading »

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.
[...] Continue Reading »

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 »