So so start to the season for Southern Miss. Pitching has been pretty good, but errors and bats aren’t great right now. Hopefully bats are just off to slow start
Just gave you the Hogs portion. If anyone wants the rest of the article, just let me know. The Scouting Trail, Week Two: Prospect reports from Globe Life PROSPECTS David Seifert - February 28, 2024 Checking in on prospects from Arkansas, Michigan, Oklahoma State and Oregon State. ARLINGTON, Texas — During my 34 years of playing, coaching and scouting college baseball I have many great memories, whether it’s experiencing the grind of a 56-plus game season or appreciating the talent on the diamond. From playing against Todd Helton (Tennessee) in college, to coaching in an NCAA regional against future major leaguers Sean Doolittle (Virginia) and Justin Smoak (South Carolina), to one of my first scouting memories: the 1997 SEC Tournament in Columbus, Ga., where Tim Hudson (Auburn) played center field and was also the ace pitcher for the Tigers. Earlier that same spring was the first time I ever personally saw triple digits on a radar gun, compliments of Matt Anderson (Rice). Making this hundo even more amazing was that it was measured with the “slow gun”, otherwise known as a Ra-Gun. This type of radar gun was 3-5 ticks slower than today’s TrackMan, Pitch Fx and Stalker guns as the Ra-Gun measured the speed of the pitch as it crossed over the plate, not out of the hand as today’s technology calculates. Spoiler Now back to the present day, as I leave Globe Life Field with the best single-game performance that I have ever witnessed: Hagen Smith against Oregon State. Our No. 7 ranked prospect for the 2024 MLB Draft, Smith was in total control throughout his six-inning, 17 strikeout dominance. Through five innings he had sent back 15 Beavers to the bench via the KO and for the evening 15 of 17 strikeouts were via his slider. He allowed just three hits and one walk over his six scoreless innings. Remarkably, even with a high strikeout total, he threw just 78 pitches, 59 of them for strikes. Smith’s fastball sat in 95-99 range all evening and he was still touching 97 into the fifth. And it’s not an ordinary heater. His No. 1 rides up in the zone and sinks when down. As good as his fastball is, his slider is even better. It’s at least a 70-grade offering and a top of the scale 80-grade would be an accurate evaluation as well. Ranging from 84-88 mph with spin into the 2500+ rpm range, it’s a swing/miss putaway pitch, and he used it to strike out the best pure hitter in the country, Travis Bazzana, three times. Oregon State knew the pitch was coming, and still repeatedly swung over the top of it, 18 times. Smith also flashed an 87-88 mph changeup with spin in the 1900s. Heading into this season, the main question regarding Smith by the scouting industry was “is he a starter or reliever in professional baseball?” For me that question has clearly been answered: he’s a frontline starting pitcher. As major league-ready as Paul Skenes looked last spring, Smith may be even more ready. The stuff he displayed with such a high level of command is more than enough to navigate through a MLB lineup. Young for his draft class, Smith doesn’t turn 21 until after the 2024 draft. He has slotted himself as No. 2 on my personal draft board, which obviously remains fluid throughout the season. It’s not fluid in the sense that it changes weekly based on each and every performance, but fluid as in there will be other talent that needs to be evaluated and re-evaluated throughout the season and the health of each monitored. For more on Smith’s jaw-dropping performance, please checkout Aaron Fitt’s post from February 24. MORE ARKANSAS 2024 DRAFT PROSPECTS: No. 37 Brady Tygart, RHP– As effective as he was during the first three innings, Tygart found another gear in the fourth and beyond. Sitting 92-93 with spin in the 2300s on his fastball and his curve in the 2500-2600 rpm range, the 6-foot-2 righthander revved it up over his final three innings. Touching 95 with good carry, his fastball played to its velocity with plus control and his 73-76 hammer curveball sharpened with increased spin into the upper 2900s. He also displayed a dirty sweeper at 78-80 with 18” of horizontal break. As a fourth pitch he mixed in a few 84-87 changeups that graded out as fringe-average, but with such good feel it’s easy to project for at least a grade of improvement in the future. For the evening, Tygart held Oklahoma State scoreless on three hits over six innings. He also struck out six while walking two and throwing just 78 pitches. Since his return from injury in late April of last season, Tygart has noticeably simplified his delivery and lessened the effort level. On this look he repeated his delivery so well that I now project him to be a future starter in pro ball. With continued outings like this one, late during Day One of the draft is his likely landing spot. No. 57 Mason Molina, LHP– The lefthander dominated Michigan on Sunday with five no-hit, shutout innings. He racked up 10 strikeouts and walked just one. Molina has noticeably added some strength/weight in his back, shoulders and trunk since the USA Collegiate National Team Trials last summer. He repeated a starter-type delivery; long and loose in back with good direction and extension out front. He challenged in the zone with all four of his pitches, locating an 86-91 fastball that touched 92 (2100-2300 rpm) to all areas of the zone. Showing good carry to the catcher’s mitt his fastball lived in the 20-22” IVB range down in the zone and showed plus hop at the letters. His velo dipped a bit to 86-88 in the third inning, but it was back to 89-90 in the fourth. Molina also mixed an above average 81-84 (1850-2050 rpm) fading changeup, a sharp 75-76 curveball (2600s rpm) and a 79-82 slider (2400s) for strikes. He sold the changeup well with good arm speed for some swing/miss, but it was mainly effective as a soft contact inducer. Molina profiles as a back-end starter and will likely be considered early in Day Two. No. 164 Hudson White, Catcher– Starting behind the plate on Friday night, White handled Hagen Smith’s filth with relative ease, and outside of one botched slider from Jake Faherty in the ninth inning, he called and received a very good game behind the plate. White more than made up for that one mistake with an outstanding block in the dirt on a 96 mph fastball a couple pitches after his miscue. He throws with a quick release and an infielder’s loose action. And just as infielders take advantage of positioning by moving to the area a batter is most likely to hit the ball, White consistently did similar by moving to an area where he could “steal” strikes. It’s more subtle than just “setting up” where the pitch is called, it’s a data-analyzed likelihood based on movement patterns specific to the pitcher and how to set up to gain access to those spots. White fought for pitches he should by framing them up and left the other close ones alone. Although he started just once behind the plate over the weekend (DH on Saturday) and not playing on Sunday, he looked much improved defensively in all areas than from what I witnessed in the Cape. He has also trimmed up his body, looking strong, yet lean. Once his bat heats up this spring, look for White to be considered mid-Day Two this summer. No. 197 Kendall Diggs, OF– My first-ever look at Diggs was during the 2020 Covid summer at the Midwest Scouts Association Showcase in Kansas City, when he was a prep entering his senior year of high school. Playing third base at the time, he wore a bad hop ground ball to his face. Taking just a few pitches off, Diggs was back at the hot corner on a smoking hot, 95+ degree day. As a Razorback the grit and grind is still obvious. He’s the type of player that scouts cheer for. This weekend his swing was just a bit off. Instead of staying inside the baseball and driving it where pitched, Diggs was out front and around the baseball much of the weekend. Most of his contact went on the ground to the right side and he was not able to get to his slightly above-average raw power. With that said, his natural feel for hitting enabled him to have a very productive weekend, reaching base nine times with four hits, four walks and one hit by pitch. This feel to hit will also enable him to make adjustments quickly, whether it’s this coming week or his future years in pro ball. Jake Faherty, RHP– As tantalizing as he was in the Cape League this past summer, pumping heaters up to 97 with an upper-80s slider/cutter, Faherty still had pitched only one inning in two years as a Razorback. The slender-bodied, quick-armed righthander’s stuff was not an issue, but his control had been. Since last summer he has lowered his slot and the results have created better control with very good sink on an already hot fastball. He was very good closing out Friday’s game with back-to-back strikeouts against Oregon State for the save. His fastball was diving at 95-96 and his 85-86 mph slider was outstanding. His stuff was hopping. Faherty again took the mound on Saturday against Oklahoma State with a 1-0 ninth inning lead. He showed even more velocity, touching 98, and the same heavy life on his sinker. And his slider was firmer as well, leaving his hand at 89-90 mph with 3000 rpm spin. However, his control eluded him with two walks and a game-tying double. He then hit the next batter and was replaced on the mound. Faherty’s ability this spring to harness his big stuff in the strike zone will determine his ultimate draft value, but there’s no doubt his stuff has top round characteristics. FUTURE DRAFT HOGS: A superstar in the making, freshman righthander Gabe Gaeckle replaced Faherty in the ninth inning with the bases loaded and one out. He struck out the first batter on a 99 mph heater and then got the third out on another 98 mph bolt for strike three swinging. Gaeckle’s stuff was electric. His weapons include a high spin fastball (2600 rpm range), a nasty, late-actioned slider at 88-90 (3000 rpm) and an 81-84 hammer curveball with spin into the 2800s. He finished with six strikeouts over 2.2 innings of hitless, scoreless relief. Sophomore Wehiwa Aloy has seen better days than this past weekend at Globe Life. He did show sure hands, smooth actions and enough arm for the left side of the infield, however his range played fringy for shortstop and he will likely need a change of position at the next level. He also ran in the 4.30-4.34 range from home to first base all weekend, but struggled to make much hard contact, ending the three-game set at 0-for-13. He was also prone to swing/miss on anything moving away from him. Sophomore righthander Gage Wood showed plus control of a 92-93 mph tailing fastball, an 82-85 mph slider and 85 mph changeup. Freshman lefty Colin Fisher had some sneak to his 90-93 mph fastball while mixing in an above average 77-78 slurve that spun into the 2500s. MICHIGAN With 26 new faces on the club and 19 freshmen, the Wolverines are in a transition stage. They do not have any top round prospects eligible for this summer’s draft, but junior transfer Will Rogers looks to be transforming into a two-way talent. He struck out six in 3.1 innings of relief on Sunday, featuring a 90-92 fastball and getting swing/miss via a low-spin 73-77 mph curveball. He then finished the game behind the plate after also starting Friday’s game at that spot against Oklahoma State. Although he previously played primarily left field during his collegiate career at Arizona State, he’s an athletic backstop with good speed and a strong arm behind the dish. Michigan also had a few notable standouts for future drafts. Freshman Dylan Vigue will be draft-eligible by age in 2025. He generates fairly easy velocity from a three-quarter release point. The 6-foot-3 righthander pitched off a heavy 92-96 mph fastball (2450-2481rpm) with very good sink and mostly 18-19”, and up to 22” of horizontal movement. At times he did struggle to control that vast movement, but competed throughout. He also flashed an above average 82-85 slider (2500-2600 rpm) for some swing/miss and a 77-81 curveball at 2600 rpm. Vigue lacks a putaway pitch at this point in his college career, but has the makings of one in his slider to go along with a sinker that has a chance to become an elite pitch. Jonathan Kim is an athletic lefthanded-hitting center fielder with plus speed and some pop from his 6-foot, 190 pound frame. He tends to pull off the baseball at the plate and as a result gives away the outer half, but his athleticism and tools project to the next level. Another two-way talent for the Wolverines was infielder/right handed pitcher Mitch Voit. Built strong and athletic at 6-foot-2, 200 pounds he has a quick arm and flashed plus pitchability. His low-90s fastball is straight, but with three usable offspeed pitches in his 83-84 slider, 76-78 curve and 76-78 changeup, Voit missed barrels, holding Oklahoma State in check with two earned runs in five innings pitched. Sophomore righthander Kurt Barr impressed on Sunday with two scoreless, hitless innings of relief. With a clean and compact arm action his top pitch was a low-90s sinker that showed late dive to his armside, followed by a 77-79 downer curveball and 80-81 changeup.
princeton has technically only committed one error when their RF dropped a routine flyball but they have hilariously misplayed 3 others that were generously ruled hits. anyways its bottom 1 with 1 out and unc is up 10-1 princeton coach just letting this starter eat it
You can charge a player with an error if they miss a routine pop up even if it doesn’t hit their glove in the outfield. I don’t do it running game changer for my kids games although I did really want to do it last weekend when my kid was pitching and they hit a pop up to the LF. I probably would call it an error at the college level.
oh the error was just a guy straight up dropping a fly ball the other three were a blooper that shoulda been made resulting in a double, a pop up on the infield behind the mound that no one got to somehow and the CF not sure if to dive or play it off the hop that rolled to the wall for a double they have figured it out since. 12-1 after 2 and 12-2 top 8
Our pitching is so very salty. Excited for this season. I’m sure this means injuries will fuck us soon