SB Nation User Blog: bkmhoxx

KU Baseball Announces Weekly Honorees

bkmhoxx — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 20:16:12 -0000

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas baseball coach Ritch Price announced his weekly honorees for the first two weeks of Fall Ball. Honorees were selected by the Kansas coaching staff for their outstanding efforts.

For the first week of practice, freshman Travis Blankenship was named the Pitcher of the Week, while sophomore outfielder Brian Heere earned Player of the Week honors. Senior center fielder Nick Faunce made the plus-play of the week.

For the second week of practice, which ended Saturday, freshman Kevin Burk was named the Pitcher of the Week, while junior infielder David Nardowski was named the Player of the Week. Freshman outfielder Casey Lytle made the plus-play of the week.

The Jayhawks will resume practice Tuesday afternoon at 3 p.m. at Hoglund Ballpark. The team will scrimmage on Wednesday at 4:30 p.m., as well as Friday (4:30 p.m.) and Saturday (6 p.m.). All scrimmages are free of charge and open to the public.

KU Volleyball VS #3 TEXAS this Saturday 7pm

bkmhoxx — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 19:40:10 -0000

Im not sure how many of you are into watching college volleyball but this Saturday night (9/27) at 7pm at Horejsi, the KU women take on #3 Texas. These games are quite entertaining and you respect it a lot more in person.

Its also "Youth Organization Night" - $3 ticket for all Youth Organizations (little league teams, club teams, boys&girl scouts, youth groups, etc.)

just an FYI to gather some kids up and go down to Horejsi for some entertainment.

KU 09 Baseball Schedule

bkmhoxx — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 19:44:36 -0000

Thanks to bkmhoxx for publishing this. There actually has been a fair amount of baseball news recently. The Szefc hiring was made official. Fall practice is underway. Buck Afenir had a bad night. I am working overseas this semester which has made finding time and internet access to post updates more challenging so I'm happy to see other fans taking up the slack this fall. - JQ

The 2009 Kansas baseball schedule has been released.

http://kuathletics.cstv.com/sports/m-basebl/spec-rel/091708aab.html

There is an 8 game stretch where we play 3 on the road against Arizona St., 2 on the road against San Diego St. and then come home to play Texas in a 3 game set. WOW!

This should be a fun year as Coach Price had a great recruiting class the past 2 years and he is really starting to build a nice young nucleus. We had 2 of our recruits get drafted and they chose not to sign and come be a Jayhawk.

February 20th cant come quick enough!

There is one other item I'll highlight. Chuck Woodling of the LJWorld published an early preview of the '09 team worth taking a look at. Woodling reports that Price is approaching '09 as a rebuilding year in which he might start as many as five freshman. Woodling reports that Zac Elgie turned down a $250,000 bonus to come play at KU. Lee Ridenhour turned down $150,000. Price believes Ridenhour might be able to handle two-way duties, both as a pitcher and a position player. The article identifies Colton Murray, Jake Marasco, Jason Brunansky and transfer David Narodowski as other potential impact newcomers. - JQ

Middle infield prospects?

bkmhoxx — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 17:13:29 -0000

What do soem of you guys think the ceilings are of Brent Lillibridge, Hernan Iribarren and German Duran? At one point in time, these 3 guys were fairly well thought of as decent prospects. They all 3 have had their struggles this year. I know Duran has a lot more pop than the other 2 but i was curious to see what you might thing their ceilings could be.

Utility type guys?

Average middle infielders?

Or could one of them be something fairly nice?

any thoughts are appreciated.

Kansas Jayhawks in the 08 MLB Draft

bkmhoxx — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 16:47:41 -0000

Here is bkmhoxx' rundown of Jayhawks who are eligable today for the MLB draft. I will update with individual postings for each KU player selected today. Be sure to hit read more, there are ten players profiled here! - James

These are the notes that i published before the season began.
I will add my current TAKE at the bottom of each players notes.

Erik Morrison SS (6'1, 195 lbs)
Morrison is a senior who was drafted in the 49th round in last years draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates but declined their offer and came back for his senior season at KU. With a solid senior campaign, he should be able to drastically improve his draft slot. Morrison has some very nice tools and has very high upside. Defensively he has a plus arm I would grade to be about a 7. He is a good fielder with good hands. He will flash the leather a lot this year and show off his arm strength although it would help him to cut down on some of his errors (10) and keep his emotions in check. Offensively, Morrison shows a good swing with decent power (7 HR) and decent speed (6 SB). The issue with Erik will be whether or not he can keep his average (.296) at a respectable level or not. If he can eliminate just a few errors, get his average up n the .310-.320 range and show more improvement, Morrison could be looked at fairly early. My guess would be 8th round on the high side, 20th round on the low side.

CURRENT TAKE: This year E-Mo got his avg. up to .308, he hit 7 HR again and showed more speed with 13 Steals. He did have 16 doubles which shows possible power development in his future. He did however go from 10 errors last year to 16 this year, with 19 walks and 38 K's. I guessed rounds 8-20 at the beginning of the season, and while he did get his average up a little higher, I think his errors and strikeouts may hold him back a little bit. I personally think he can remain at SS at the next level. Most of his errors were throwing errors which are concentration errors. He will be a low risk/high reward type player for a team to take a chance on. He has a chance to be the first Jayhawk taken (I think it will be Paul Smyth). I would guess Morrison to go somewhere in rounds 15-20.

Preston Land 1B (6'3, 236 lbs)
Land is a junior with pro body. Land has a good arm although he will rarely get to show it this year playing 1b. He has some fairly serious raw power that could very well develop into plus power at the professional level. Land even has pretty good speed for a guy his size. He may project as a first baseman in the pros. This all depends on how much his power develops this year. My guess would be 20th round on the high side, 40th round on the low side and my guess is that he would stick around for his senior year.

CURRENT TAKE: Land had another rough year (mainly the second half). He definitely cant stop the ship from sinking once the leak starts. You can just see it on his face after each at-bat. That being said, he still has his senior season to get it figured out. The scouts love him and WANT to see him succeed. He has a perfect build to be a monster masher type first baseman. This year he hit .221 with 5 HR, 16 Doubles, 31 RBI, 32 Walks and 62 K's. I guessed rounds 20-40 at the beginning but i wasnt expecting another down year from Land. I would be shocked if he got drafted at all this year, but i do expect big things from him next year. His chances are almost gone so he MUST produce next year. His leash should be short as it will be time to play someone younger.

Ryne Price C/RF (5'11, 190 lbs)
Ryne is a senior who plays 2 positions. He will play RF and he backed up at catcher last year. Ryne will likely do the same this year, possibly backing up at catcher a bit more. Ryne lives for the game of baseball and you can see it when you watch him play. He has a few things going for him that I think could get him some looks at the professional level. He is a leftie with plus power that could easily develop into decent HR totals. He has a great arm and he runs fairly well. I can easily see a professional team taking a chance on Ryne at the catching spot if not RF. This will be a big season for him to show that his defense behind the plate will improve quite a bit and his strikeouts will drop. If he can do those 2 things and continue to show his positives, I think he will have a shot. My guess would be 30th round on the high side, 45th round on the low side.

CURRENT TAKE: Ryno had a very nice year. He hit .305 with 11 HR, 17 Doubles, 60 RBI, 22 Walks, 58 K's and 9 Steals. Ryne shows plus power and is a fairly good hitter as well. He also has decent speed for a guy with his build. Im not sure he can catch at the next level or not. If he can be converted, then he will be a steal wherever he is drafted. If he plays RF, then he will have a much tougher road to the big show. I guessed rounds 30-45 at the beginning of the season but that was before he had such a great senior campaign. I would bump that up quite a bit now to somewhere around 20-25. He too has a decent chance to be the first Jayhawk drafted.

John Allman LF (6`2, 225 lbs)
Allman is a senior who has worked very hard to get where he is. He doesn't really possess the tools that a lot of guys with his resume have. Allman has a good bat and hits for average with some gap power although his kind of power probably wont ever translate into HR's. He plays a good LF with decent range and shows good hands. This year I think John will need to cut down on some of his strikeouts, continue to hit for a high average and show a little pop in his bat. If he does that my guess would be 25th round on the high side, 40th round on the low side.

CURRENT TAKE: Allman had a great senior year. His avg. was way up to .365. He hit 17 Doubles with 6 HR and 48 RBI. He had more walks with 35 but his K's went up as well to 32. I think John helped himself a touch by hitting for such a high avg. this year and his defense was gritty and quite amazing at times. My preseason prediction was rounds 25-40. I would guess Allman to be drafted somewhere very near round 30 this year. (He does have a chance to go as high as the 20th round depending on what teams see him developing into.

Nick Czyz LHP (6'2, 215 lbs)
Czyz is a junior. Hes a talented leftie with a fastball in the 86-90 range. He has a good off speed pitch and a good curve but neither are a very solid "out" pitch quite yet. If he can improve his command and find an "out" pitch, my guess would be 8th round on the high side, 15th round on the low side.

CURRENT TAKE: Czyz had a good year. He had a few bad outings which ruined a few of his numbers. He showed increased velocity on his fastball which came in in the low 90's while topping out at 93/94. His slider worked well and came in around 80/81. I would say that his slider is now officially an "out" pitch. He had a 6.12 ERA in 64.2 innings, giving up 74 hits, striking out 59 and walking 41. He definitely needs to improve his command and cut down on the walks but right now, he definitely shows signs of a good bullpen guy for the next level. I originally guessed rounds 8-15 and i would probably narrow that down to somewhere near the 15th round at this point. I do think Nick could come back and be a top pitcher in the Big 12 next year and really improve his draft status. It will depend how much money he is offered this year. He has a good chance to be the first Jayhawk drafted.

Sam Freeman LHP (5'11, 170 lbs)
Freeman is a JUCO transfer that was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 24th round. He's also a talented leftie with a fastball in the 88-92 range. He has an excellent off speed pitch and a plus slider. More than likely Freeman will be a weekend starter and if he can prove himself in the Big 12, he should move up the draft chart nicely. I would guess 8th round on the high side, 20th round on the low side.

CURRENT TAKE: Freeman had a rough year. He definitely shows flashes of his dominance but its few and far between. He has a stiff and rather herky-jerky motion and is very quick through his delivery. This is one reason he is so tough to hit as its tough to pick up the ball and it happens very fast. However he did show very poor command of hs pitches and control of the strike zone this year. Freeman had an 8.53 ERA in 31.2 innings, giving up 45 hits, 20 walks and getting 20 K's. With his delivery coupled with a nice fastball and a great slow curve, I can see teams drafting Freeman fairly high despite his season totals. I guessed rounds 8-20 before the season and i would fit him somewhere near round 20 this year, but more likely to be near the 30th. Freeman definitely needs to stay and iron out his command. He could be a top 10 rounds draftee next year for sure.

Hiarali Garcia RHP (6, 200 lbs)
Garcia is a senior. He throws from the right side with a fastball in the 90-93 range. He really needs to show a secondary pitch this year as his off speed pitches don't fool many hitters. With Garcia rating out at a 6 or 7 with his velocity, my guess would be 15th round on the high side, 25th round on the low side.

CURRENT TAKE: Garcia had a tough stretch this year but overall he proved to be a very nice pitcher. He had a 3.58 ERA in 37.2 innings, giving up 36 hits, 14 walks and 29 K's. For a guy that barely has a secondary pitch, that is pretty good. His fastball has nice velocity with a lot of life and doesnt allow the batters to settle in. Im not sure if Garcia has enough to get drafted but im sure hoping for him to be. I like how he pitches but does he have enough to get to the next level? I think my preseason prediction was a bit high. I could see Garcia going anytime after the 30th round or possibly not getting drafted at all.

Andres Esquibel RHP (6'2, 220 lbs)
Esquibel is a senior that has quite a bit of upside. His fastball sits at 88-91. He currently has only an average off speed pitch and an average slider. Esquibel pounds the strike zone and if he can develop a plus pitch or secondary pitch, he could prove to be very effective. My guess would be 20th round on the high side, 35th round on the low side.

CURRENT TAKE: Esquibel had a few bad outings this year that ruined his numbers. He had a 5.65 ERA in 73.1 innings, giving up 72 hits, 27 walks and striking out 45. He is a true "pitcher" that has good control and keeps the ball down. He doesnt have electric stuff but he does a good job on the mound. With 3 average pitches and good command, he will more than likely take his game to the next level. My preseason prediction was rounds 20-35. I would look for Esquibel to go off the board somewhere between those rounds. My guess would be more towards the 30-35 range.

Andy Marks LHP (6'2, 215 lbs)
Marks is a junior. Andy is coming off of labrum surgery and will get a slow start to the season trying to recover from that. Hes a talented leftie with a fastball in the 89-92 range. He has a plus off speed pitch and a plus curve but throws with a slower arm speed which makes his pitches easier to pick up for the batter. If he can have a healthy season, my guess would be 25th round on the high side, 40th round on the low side. I would expect Marks to come back next year and prove his health again and increase his arm speed and really move himself up the draft charts his senior year.

CURRENT TAKE: Marks had to have his shoulder worked on again. Im hoping things heal properly and we can get him back out on the mound next year. When healthy, Marks is a great addition to the pitching staff.

Paul Smyth RHP (5'11, 215 lbs)
Smyth is a junior. Hes a right hander with good movement on his cutter that comes in about 89-92. He gets more movement on his slower pitches that come in below 90. His arm angle is a big part of his success thus far. He has an average but improving slider and he is working on his off speed pitch as well. He also throws strikes but his weakness is the fact that I don't see an "out" pitch. I think Smyth can use this season to really find that "out" pitch and be a successful closer. If he can do this, my guess would be a late round draft pick maybe in the 50's. I would expect a team to take a chance on Smyth as he does have some possible upside as a bullpen guy to face right handers. I could see Smyth returning for his senior year and improving his draft slot and really finding that "out" pitch.

CURRENT TAKE: Smyth REALLY inproved his draft status this season proving to be KU's most reliable and clutch pitcher. He had a 3.73 ERA in 60.1 innings, giving up 67 hits, only 12 walks and striking out 51. He did hit 10 batters but i doubt tht hurts his status too much. I think most scouts really like Smyth and to lure him away from KU i could see him going in the 15th round and being offered a decent payday. I look for Smyth to be the first or second Jayhawk picked this year.

WOW!
7 to 8 Jayhawks with a strong possibility of going in this draft.
That is proof in the pudding that Coach Price is slowly starting to get the recruits that he needs to build a team to get us back to Omaha. Im anxious about this next years recruiting class coupled with several of the freshman from this year that didnt play much. It will be a fun, young and talented team next year!

BEAK 'EM HAWKS!

Luke Hughes and more

bkmhoxx — Thu, 08 May 2008 02:15:40 -0000

I have noticed the amazing tear that Luke Hughes (MIN) has been on to start the season. I was curious if anyone knew much about him and wether he is for real or not.

What do you all think his ceiling could be?

Other hot starters that i dont know much about

Luis Marte (DET)

Alfredo Figaro (DET)

Carlos Rosa (KC)

anyone know what these guys bring to the table?

Are they under the radar? or are they just starting out strong and will more than likely fade?

Wichita State Pros and Prospects Report

bkmhoxx — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 03:56:47 -0000

The Shockers have a few top tier draft picks on this team. Several of which id expect to make it to the show (MLB). It isn't a super deep team when it comes to pro prospects, but what the Shockers do so well is MAKE professional players out of hard working kids. So I would expect for many more to come out of the woodwork as the year progresses and to be there as a prospect next season. Let me go over who I am going to be keeping my eyes on tonight.

3B Conor Gillaspie, JR, 6'1, 200,
Gillaspie is quite simply, an awesome baseball player. He is a second team All-American. Last year he hit .325 with 6 HR, 63 RBI, 24 Doubles and 12 Steals as a sophomore. Gillaspie has a great bat and plays great defense. He doesnt have a lot of HR but he has quite a bit of pop in his bat. So far this year he is hitting .435 with 2 HR, 30 RBI, 7 steals, 6 Doubles and 6 Triples and only 4 Errors at third. He is athletic with a great bat and glove. I think he will be a 2nd or 3rd round pick, but could sneak into the late first round or supplementary first round. I can't wait to see his swing.

TAKE: Im not sure if i just caught Gillaspie on a rough night or what, but he didnt really impress me that much. He obviously has a nice swing but on this night it wasnt to be. He went 1-4 with 3 RBI and a walk. He had a check swing ground out to first, another ground out to first, and a ground out to second. His only was an infield single to second. He managed to knock a run in on several of those ground outs so even his RBI total is a bit on the weak side. Gillaspie obviously is a great contact hitter that will suceed at the next level and i would still guess him to be picked somewhere near the 4th or 5th rounds, if not higher. On this night , however, i cant say i was all that impressed.

C Tyler Weber, 6'3, 220, SR
Weber is a gold glove caliber catcher and he also has a nice bat. Those 2 things are very rare to have in combination. Last year Weber hit .297 with 11 HR and 49 RBI. So far this year he is a hitting machine, batting .373 with 2 HR, 22 RBI, 6 Doubles, 1 Triple and ZERO errors. Amazing numbers for a catcher with his defensive abilities. I would expect his average to come back to earth and finish a bit above .300. I will be anxious to see him work behind the plate tonight.

TAKE: Weber DID impress me. He looked very good behind the plate with great catching skills and a nice arm. He was 1-4 with an RBI but did show some nice pop and some very nice swings. He had a fly out to CF, a ground out to 3B, a strikout and a double to LF. I think this guy will be able to hit in the minors and beyond and his work behind the plate should get him some notice. I would guess him to go somewhere near the 5th round or somewhere in that area.

SS/RHP Dusty Coleman, 6'2, 185, SO
Coleman is a fine young shortstop with tons of potential. He hit .264 with 10 Doubles, 1 Triple, 2 HR, 19 RBI and 7 steals as a freshman. Those are some crazy good freshman numbers for any position, let alone a shortstop. He also is a pitcher with a very hefty arm and could possibly be a closer at some point. So far this year he is at .367 with 5 HR, 32 RBI, 7 Doubles, 1 Triple, 6 Steals and 5 Errors. As a sophomore, he is well on his way to being an All-American and a high draft pick next year. Im excited to see his bat and his arm.

TAKE: Coleman was another player that had a rough night at the plate and failed to show me much. He was 0-5 with an RBI and a run scored. He had 3 ground outs and 2 K's in this one. Coleman being only a sophomore, did have a nice cut and showed good defense as well so if he can continue with his current numbers, id still guess him to be an early round pick after next season.

OF Ryan Jones, 6', 185, SO
Jones didnt get much time last year and he went through the typical struggles of a freshman but this year has come out in a frenzy. He is hitting .352 with 14 RBI, 4 Doubles, 3 Triples and 7 Steals. I think he is hiding some power in there somewhere and the power coupled with his athletic frame and speed will result in a very nice outfielder.

TAKE: Jones didnt get to show me much of anything tonight as far as guaging his future power. He was 1-3 in this one with his only hit being a bunt single. He also struck out once and grounded out to 3B, 2B and Pitcher. Jones also is only a sophomore, so we have until the end of at least next year to determine what his draft status could end up.

OF Andy Dirks, 6', 195, SR
Dirks is a true leadoff guy. Last year he batted .320 with 3 HR, 31 RBI and 19 SB. He knows how to hit the ball and he knows how to get on base and then once he is on base, he knows how to steal and score. This year he is at .333 with 3 HR, 14 RBI, 3 Doubles, 2 Triples and 9 Steals. He should be exciting to watch tonight.

TAKE: Dirks is exactly what i described him as. An on-base machine and a prototype leadoff hitter. Dirks had 3 walks and 2 K's in this game and you can just tell he likes to work the count, get his teammates plenty of pitches to see, wait on his pitches to hit and if not, than gladly take a walk. He was fun to watch and i think he for sure translates to the next level. I would guess somewhere in that 15-20th rounds.

OF Ken Williams Jr., 6'2, 198, JR
Williams is a transfer from Arizona and was drafted in the 36th round in 2004 by the White Sox. Rightfully so as his father is the General Manager of the Chicago White Sox. Williams is very athletic and seems to be putting things together this year batting .367 with 7 RBI, 5 Doubles, 2 Triples and 4 Steals. Im anxious to see if he has the tools to turn into something special.

TAKE: Williams is a very athletic speed demon with a nice bat as well. He doesnt have a ton of power just yet, but his game is built around speed. He went 2-4 in this one with an RBI and 2 runs scored. He doubled down the LF line, singled to CF and then struck out twice. He has a bit of bad body language and may have a slight attitude but its hard to really tell in such a short sample size. That was just a feeling i got. I do think Williams will benefit from staying through his senior year, but that will be determined this summer if the White Sox chose to draft him again. He needs to learn how to steal bases and not just rely on his speed and i think he could use some time to work on that power. He could definitely turn into something special if these assets develop for him.

Good for the Jayhawks but bad for prospect watching, we wont face any of the big 3 tonight on the mound.

RHP Aaron Shafer, 6'4, 205, JR
Shafer is one of the top pitchers in the country. He is a bulldog on the mound and is a 2nd team All-American. He has pitched 36.1 innings and has a 2.23 ERA while striking out 34 and walking 12. Shafer wont pitch tonight but who knows about when we play down there? He will be a pick in the top 2 rounds of the draft.
DNP

LHP Anthony Capra, 6'1, 200, JR
Capra is one of the top lefties in the country and is a 3rd team All-American. He has an outstanding fastball with a great breaking ball and a change. He has a microscopic 1.17 ERA in 23 innings with 34 K's and 5 walks. He may actually be better than Shafer but he doesnt possess the same size. He will be a top 3-4 round pick this summer. Once again, not pitching tonight so maybe next time?
DNP

LHP Rob Musgrave, 6'2, 195, SR
Musgrave is the last of the big 3. He is another one of the top lefties in the country. Musgrave throws 3 pitches very well and is very consistent. He is also a 3rd team All-American. This year he has a 2.13 ERA in 38 innings with 40 K's and 6 Walks. He too will be in that top 5 rounds somewhere and he wont pitch tonight either.
DNP

RHP Tyler Fleming, 6'3, 180, JR
Fleming is a transfer from Cowley College. He was drafted in the 39th in 07 by Texas and in the 20th in 06 by Texas. He has a nice fastball, a slider and a change. This year he has a fraction of an ERA at 1.71 in 26.1 innings with 14 K's and 3 walks. Fleming is another good pitcher and i wouldnt expect to see him tonight either unless WSU somehow gets in a bind.

TAKE: Fleiming did pitch in this game but it wasnt because WSU was in a bind, it was so he could shut the door and he did just that. He faced 5 batters, gave up zero hits, 1 walk and he struck out 3 and let me tell you, Fleming looked good. He is not a power pitcher. His fastball was around 86 and he had a slider around 83 biut these pitches just set up his curve. His curve was very nice with a ton of break and noone could even tough it. His curve came in around 71. I would expect Fleming to be drafted in the top 10 rounds but he could chose to stay for his senior year and try to get into that top 2-3 rounds after next season.

RHP Andy Womack, 6'2, 180, SR
Womack has gone through some injuries but has the ability to be one of the top relievers in the nation if healthy. He is currently sporting a 5.30 ERA in 8.1 innings with 9 K's and 5 walks so it appears something isnt right thus far and he may even be injured right now. I will see what i can find out tonight.
DNP

RHP Khol Nanney, 6'2, 185, SR
Nanney has had an amazing year thus far with an ERA of 0.90 in 10 innings with 11 K's and only 1 walk. I will be anxious to see if he is as dominant as his numbers portray.
DNP

Logan Hoch and Tim Kelley both pitched very well but im not quite sure where they are in the prospect world at this point. Hoch faced 9 batters and struck out 6 of them but i couldnt quite get a grip on why he was so effective. The Wichita St. pitchers do a great job of nibbling the corners, changing speeds and keeping the hitters off balance and constantly guessing.

Texas A&M: Prospects/Future Pros and who to watch this weekend

bkmhoxx — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 20:23:05 -0000

Let me begin by saying that the Aggies have a great offense (.304 team average) with a lot of consistent power through their entire lineup (72 extra base hits and 22 HR thus far). They score a lot of runs (about 7 per game) and steal a lot of bases (38). They really put the pressure on the pitching staff and on the defense. Along with that great offense comes even better pitching (2.97 ERA with almost 9 K's per game). They are a staff of strikeout pitchers and the bullpen follows suit (2.23 ERA). The Aggies have a nice collection of players that have been drafted and /or will be drafted. Some of them may get late round fliers in the draft but i would say quite a few of them will wind up in the top 10 rounds with a few possibly in the top 3-5 rounds. This is a tough team to beat and should be a fun weekend to really get a close look at some of these future pros and prospects. I will offer a recap with my findings and scouting information on Sunday evening to discuss what i took from this series.

2B Blake Stouffer - 6'1, 190, SR
Stouffer probably was more deserving of the Player of the Year award last year than Kyle Russell from Texas, but people love the long ball so Russell won out. Stouffer put up a ridiculous line of .398, 12 HR and 85 RBI. He led the nation in runs batted in and he wound up being selected in the 4th round by Cincinnati only to return for his senior year. Like Russell's decision to come back, Stouffers decision was somewhat of a head-scratcher for some and like Russell it appears to have been the wrong decision. He has gotten off to a horrendously slow start and still isnt finding a way to get his bat going. He is batting .213 with 1HR and 17 RBI thus far. He has stolen 7 bases and i guess with 17 RBI, one could say he hasnt been worthless by any means, but if he is going to be drafted again, anywhere near the 4th round, he is going to have to figure things out quickly. He is still a deadly hitter, so lets hope the Jayhawks take him seriously or his season beginning slump will officially be over this weekend. I will really be watching close to see what is ailing Stouffer.
FUN FACT: Stouffer is in the little league Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.

3B Dane Carter - 5'9, 165, SR
Carter has kind of come out of nowhere this year. He really battled injuries most of last season after transferring, therefore hasnt really had the statistics to get much attention as a prospect, but this year he has burst onto the scene in a serious way. Carter transferred from Vernon College where he did put up some nice numbers but nothing like what he is doing so far this year. He is batting .457 with 5 HR, 22 RBI and 10 SB so far this year. He has hit 4 doubles and 5 triples as well, giving him a slugging percentage of .772. I would say he is one of the top 10 third basemen in the country at this point. Whether he gets drafted high or not will completely be determined by how he continues in his senior season. If he can stay on a pace similar to what he has been doing, his chances will be good to be drafted in the top 5 rounds. Im not sure he has the power to play 3B in the pros, but he has the stick to play somewhere, maybe even 2b or OF? I will really be watching him close to see if he has any future power development in his swing.

SS Jose Duran - 5'11, 190, JR
Duran is a transfer from North Central Texas College where he went for .347, 10 HR, 53 RBI and 20 SB. He has a good glove and good arm with the occasional error as most shortstops have from time to time. This year he is more than doing well, he is tearing it up, batting .392 with 2 HR, 22 RBI and 6 SB. He is one of the top 20 middle infielders in college ball this year. His brother is German Duran and is a very nice prospect with the Texas Rangers. German has a chance to really step up to the elite status this year. I would definitely guess his brother Jose will be drafted fairly high as well. Im anxious to see Duran play defense and see what his bat looks like as well.

LF/1B Brian Ruggiano - 6', 180, JR
Ruggiano is a transfer from Temple College and already made an impact for the Aggies last year as a sophomore batting .255 with 1 HR, 14 RBI and 9 SB. He is a big part of the offense this year batting .329 with 2HR and 14 RBI. His brother, Justin Ruggiano is a good prospect for Tampa Bay and i would expect Brian to get some respect in the draft if he can continue to improve those numbers. I would expect him to come back for his senior year before entering the draft. I will be watching to see if he has any power development in his future in a similar fashion to his brother who had 20 HR in AAA last year.

1b/OF Darby Brown - 6'4, 230, SR
Brown had a broken hand last year and never really got to put together the year he is capabale of. He had 1 HR and 17 RBI in 118 at bats but is capable of much much more, as he has shown so far this year. He is batting .273 with 4 HR and 18 RBI and the past 13 games he has been on fire. He was drafted in the 46th round in the 05 draft by Cincinnati and with his size, i would expect a similar draft slot this summer if he can continue to hit well and show some power. I will be watching to see what kinda of athleticism he has and if his swing translates to future power or if it will end up as a high strikeout type swing.

DH/OF/1B Luke Anders - 6'6, 225, JR
Anders has an awesome story as he was recruited under the past coaching staff to pitch and he didnt get much playing time and that whole story. The new coaches decided they liked his swing and moved him into the batting lineup last year and the rest is history. He batted .336 with 11 HR and 46 RBI. And the rich keep getting richer. So far this season, Anders is batting .328 with 3 HR and 15 RBI. With his size and having a year left, id say he is a prospect if he can continue to show some pop and good hitting skills.

LF Ben Feltner - 5'11, 185, SR
Feltner is a small guy that is blazing fast and works his tail off. Last year he was 34 of 37 in steals and he also had 28 bunt singles. Those numbers are unheard of. He also batted .304 with 1 HR and 24 RBI so hes no slouch with the bat either. He is off to a slow start this year batting .214 with 6 RBI and 6 SB. He was drafted in the 26th round in the 07 draft by Milwaukee and in the 38th round in 06 by the Cubs. With his speed, id say he should be drafted somewhere in the 20th-30th rounds again, even if he has a statistically worse season this year.

INF Phil Carey - 6', 185, JR
Carey is a transfer from Winthrop where he did very well with the bat. He was drafted in the 25th round of the 05 draft by Toronto and only has 3 at bats so far this season. Im not sure if he is injured or if he just isnt playing much yet but he obviously has some talent to get him to the next level.

RHP Barret Loux - 6'5, 195, FR
Loux is a stud. Hes a tall pitcher who got drafted in the 24th round last year out of HS by Detroit. He hasnt disappointed as a freshman either with a 3.76 ERA and 26 K's in 26.1 innings. He will be going up against Nick Czyz tomorrow afternoon and should provide for some good pitching to watch. In 3 years id expect Loux to be a an early round draft pick.

RHP Kyle Thebeau - 6'1, 195, JR
Thebeau is purely a strikeout pitcher. Last year he had a 4.67 ERA but struck out 92 in only 79 innings. That is an extremely good ratio. This year he has a 1.12 ERA in 24 innings with 25 K's. He will be a tough pitcher to hit and im anxious to see his pitches and see how fast he is throwing.

LHP Brooks Raley - 6', 170, FR
Raley is another very nice freshman starter for the Aggies. He has started 3 games and made 7 appearances so far and has a 2.89 ERA with 27 K's in 28 innings. Those are good numbers for a senior, let alone a freshman. He also plays OF and has a decent bat and some good speed. He will face off against Wally Marciel this evening. Im very anxious to see what kind of stuff this kid is dealing.

RHP Jordan Chambless - 6'2, 200, JR
Chambless has gone through a rough injured past with a stress fracture, broken foot, sprained ankle and an arm issue. He missed last year with a medical red shirt. But when he is healthy, he is quite simply unstoppable and one of the best arms in the country. He was drafted in the 50th round last year by the Reds, 43rd round by the Dodgers in 06, and the 12th round by Cleveland in 04. His injuries have really caused him to slip in the draft from year to year but a strong junior/senior campaign would push him right back to the top. He too is a strikeout pitcher and has only pitched a couple innings this year, so im not sure of his status for this weekend.

RHP Carson Middleton - 6'3, 200, SO
Middleton is another big young pitcher for the Aggies. He is a transfer from McLennan College and was drafted in the 49th by Pittsburgh. Middleton will probably pitch Sunday against Sam Freeman. So far he has been very dominant with a 2.37 ERA and 18 K's in 19 innings. I dont know much about this kid, so if we dont get rained out on Sunday, i will be anxious to see what he has to offer.

Other talented pitchers i want to mention but will cover a little more later and as i see them pitch this weekend:
Kirkland Rivers
Scott Migl
Blake Rampy
Travis Starling
Shane Minks
Alex Wilson

The Aggies are stacked, but like Texas, this is a great year to get a win or 2 from them.
Go Jayhawks
Game time in less than 1 hour!

Beak Em Hawks!

High Upside/Ceiling

bkmhoxx — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 14:37:12 -0000

Im curious what you guys think some of these names can amount to as far as upside or ceiling. I have a decent idea of what they have done thus far but do any of you know what scouts or people closer to the organization have said about them? Have you seen any of them play?

Jonathan Lucroy C MIL
Austin Romine C NYY
Danny Worth SS DET
Brad Suttle 3b NYY
Matt Mangini 3b SEA
Caleb Gindl OF MIL
Brian Friday SS PIT
Lucas Duda NYM
Jamie Skelton C DET
Andrew Lambo LAA
Adam Moore C SEA
Greg Halman OF SEA
Kuo Hui Lo OF SEA
Damon Sublett 2b NYY
Darwin Barney SS CHC
Jess Todd P STL
Barry Enright P AZ
Brant Rustich P NYM

Just comment if you hapopen to have an idea or have heard anything about any of these guys.

thanks a lot!

Baseball Player Breakdowns : Current Jayhawks that may have a future in professional baseball

bkmhoxx — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 00:21:35 -0000

Another in-depth look at the KU Baseball roster by bkmhoxx moved up from the diaries. Be sure to hit "read more" for the full story.

On occasion, I will be providing a more in-depth look at some of the players for the KU baseball team. I will be giving a perspective that has more of a "scout" feel to it. I like to figure out a players ceiling and talk about their strengths and weaknesses. I use their statistics as a tool but not as an overall measuring device. I like to look at a players make-up and tools and try to figure out who is going to have a break-out year and/or who has professional quality skills. I get my information from watching the players in person, from websites, from talking to other writers and scouts and from coaches and people close to the program. I then take all of my information and make guesstimates. I will sometimes use a professional grading system of 2-8, with 2 being poor and 8 being outstanding. I enjoy reader comments and your opinions are always welcome.

This second installation will cover current players for the upcoming 2008 team. These are players that currently show certain skills or upside making them capable of being drafted and/or playing at the next level. You can use this to "get to know" some of these kids and then you can go to the ballpark and make your own observations. The younger players and newcomers are very difficult to project as i have seen very little of them in person and they have more than likely played much lesser competition than what the Big 12 will offer them. And remember that NCAA/MLB rules wont allow a player to be draft eligible until he turns 21 (normally his junior year). So in some cases, I am projecting 2-3 years down the road.

Erik Morrison SS (6'1, 195 lbs)
Morrison is a senior who was drafted in the 49th round in last years draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates but declined their offer and came back for his senior season at KU. With a solid senior campaign, he should be able to drastically improve his draft slot. Morrison has some very nice tools and has very high upside. Defensively he has a plus arm I would grade to be about a 7. He is a good fielder with good hands. He will flash the leather a lot this year and show off his arm strength although it would help him to cut down on some of his errors (10) and keep his emotions in check. Offensively, Morrison shows a good swing with decent power (7 HR) and decent speed (6 SB). The issue with Erik will be whether or not he can keep his average (.296) at a respectable level or not. If he can eliminate just a few errors, get his average up n the .310-.320 range and show more improvement, Morrison could be looked at fairly early. My guess would be 8th round on the high side, 20th round on the low side.

Ryne Price C/RF (5'11, 190 lbs)
Ryne is a senior who plays 2 positions. He will play RF and he backed up at catcher last year. Ryne will likely do the same this year, possibly backing up at catcher a bit more. Ryne lives for the game of baseball and you can see it when you watch him play. He has a few things going for him that I think could get him some looks at the professional level. He is a leftie with plus power that could easily develop into decent HR totals. He has a great arm and he runs fairly well. I can easily see a professional team taking a chance on Ryne at the catching spot if not RF. This will be a big season for him to show that his defense behind the plate will improve quite a bit and his strikeouts will drop. If he can do those 2 things and continue to show his positives, I think he will have a shot. My guess would be 30th round on the high side, 45th round on the low side.

Robby Price 2b (5'11, 176 lbs)
Robby is a sophomore who plays multiple positions. He plays 2b but can also play many others. Robby is a student of the game and he knows it very well. He is a contact hitter that hits to all sides of the field. He puts up a nice average and gets on base a lot. Robby is a very good defender and I think this may get him a look down the road in pro ball. His arm needs to improve along with his speed. He is still young and has a year or two to get better but with his contact hitting skills and his plus defense, my guess would be 30th round on the high side, 45th round on the low side (in next years draft) although he will play for KU at least 1more year and I would guess he would stay for his senior year and could very easily improve his draft status to a pick near the 20th round.

John Allman LF (6`2, 225 lbs)
Allman is a senior who has worked very hard to get where he is. He doesn't really possess the tools that a lot of guys with his resume have. Allman has a good bat and hits for average with some gap power although his kind of power probably wont ever translate into HR's. He plays a good LF with decent range and shows good hands. This year I think John will need to cut down on some of his strikeouts, continue to hit for a high average and show a little pop in his bat. If he does that my guess would be 25th round on the high side, 40th round on the low side.

Tony Thompson 3B/IF (6'5, 220lbs)
Thompson is a freshman and I personally haven't seen him play yet. He is a very big kid yet very athletic. He has a pro-body. He uses the entire field with his bat but he also possesses plus-power. He is an average runner. He is a pretty good defender with room to improve and has a great arm. This will be a fun year to watch Thompson and see how he handles big 12 pitching. If he destroys the ball as expected, I could see him being drafted very early after his junior year. My guess would be a possible top 10 round draft pick, but we get to enjoy Thompson in a Jayhawk uniform for 3 years before that can happen.

Jimmy Waters C/UTIL/LF (6'0, 200 lbs)
Waters is also a freshman that I haven't seen play yet. He is a leftie with gap to gap power that may translate to some HRs as he develops. He has been described as a pure hitter. He is a great athlete and a good runner. It sounds like he may give catching a shot this spring, while also possibly playing some LF and DH at some point this season. If he can find a spot on the field and really improve his defense, he too could be drafted very high. I see him sneaking into the top 10 rounds and we get to see Waters for 3 years as a Jayhawk as well.

Nick Czyz LHP (6'2, 215 lbs)
Czyz is a junior. Hes a talented leftie with a fastball in the 86-90 range. He has a good off speed pitch and a good curve but neither are a very solid "out" pitch quite yet. If he can improve his command and find an "out" pitch, my guess would be 8th round on the high side, 15th round on the low side.

Sam Freeman LHP (5'11, 170 lbs)
Freeman is a JUCO transfer that was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 24th round. He's also a talented leftie with a fastball in the 88-92 range. He has an excellent off speed pitch and a plus slider. More than likely Freeman will be a weekend starter and if he can prove himself in the Big 12, he should move up the draft chart nicely. I would guess 8th round on the high side, 20th round on the low side.

Shaeffer Hall LHP (6'2, 195 lbs)
Hall is a talented sophomore. He's a leftie that has been drafted twice before. He has 3 pitches he throws for strikes. He has a plus off speed pitch and a good breaking pitch and he also locates the ball very well. Hall has 1 more season after this one before he is eligible to be drafted. After next season, my guess would be 12th round on the high side, 20th round on the low side although he may be a 4 year player that can really be special as a senior.

Hiarali Garcia RHP (6, 200 lbs)
Garcia is a senior. He throws from the right side with a fastball in the 90-93 range. He really needs to show a secondary pitch this year as his off speed pitches don't fool many hitters. With Garcia rating out at a 6 or 7 with his velocity, my guess would be 15th round on the high side, 25th round on the low side.

Andres Esquibel RHP (6'2, 220 lbs)
Esquibel is a senior that has quite a bit of upside. His fastball sits at 88-91. He currently has only an average off speed pitch and an average slider. Esquibel pounds the strike zone and if he can develop a plus pitch or secondary pitch, he could prove to be very effective. My guess would be 20th round on the high side, 35th round on the low side.

Andy Marks LHP (6'2, 215 lbs)
Marks is a junior. Andy is coming off of labrum surgery and will get a slow start to the season trying to recover from that. Hes a talented leftie with a fastball in the 89-92 range. He has a plus off speed pitch and a plus curve but throws with a slower arm speed which makes his pitches easier to pick up for the batter. If he can have a healthy season, my guess would be 25th round on the high side, 40th round on the low side. I would expect Marks to come back next year and prove his health again and increase his arm speed and really move himself up the draft charts his senior year.

Thomas Marcin RHP (6'3, 204 lbs)
Marcin is a sophomore. Hes a right hander with good stuff and a fastball in the 93-94 range. He has a plus slider but his downfall thus far has been his command. He has had troubles locating his pitches and throwing strikes. If he can improve his command, the sky is the limit. Marcin is a sophomore so he still has 2 years left to improve before being draft eligible. My guess right now would be a late round draft pick. I would expect Marcin to improve his command in the next 2 years at KU and really increase his looks from scouts.

Paul Smyth RHP (5'11, 215 lbs)
Smyth is a junior. Hes a right hander with good movement on his cutter that comes in about 89-92. He gets more movement on his slower pitches that come in below 90. His arm angle is a big part of his success thus far. He has an average but improving slider and he is working on his off speed pitch as well. He also throws strikes but his weakness is the fact that I don't see an "out" pitch. I think Smyth can use this season to really find that "out" pitch and be a successful closer. If he can do this, my guess would be a late round draft pick maybe in the 50's. I would expect a team to take a chance on Smyth as he does have some possible upside as a bullpen guy to face right handers. I could see Smyth returning for his senior year and improving his draft slot and really finding that "out" pitch.

Jordan Jakubov RHP (6'4,200 lbs)
Jakubov was one of the most highly recruited players in the state of Kansas. He is a great athlete with a professional body and a very fast runner. He throws in the 88-89mph range. Jakubov did however have Tommy John surgery this summer and will be red-shirted this season. Jakubov should be ready to pitch next spring and does bring a lot of skill.. He has a good opportunity to have a professional career if he can overcome the TJ surgery. After 3 years at KU, I could see Jakubov in the 10 th - 35th round area.

There are others on the team that can improve enough to be considered possible draftees (Marciel, Manos, Larson, Afenir, Etc) but for now I just went with the ones I felt were the closest. Of course not all of these players will be drafted, but each one offers something that pro scouts will be interested in. I will revisit this list as the season progresses and see how it looks.

My next project will be covering the opposing players that will have a shot at professional baseball in their future. I will probably cover the higher draft pick caliber players for that article. I will also go over the players that are coming to Lawrence so you can go to the park with some existing knowledge of who might be special to keep an eye on for the opponent.

Rock Chalk