Posts belonging to Category Prospects/Rookies

This Saturday I was able to see Josh Bell’s Jesuit Prep take on Richardson High at Jesuit, which is an absolutely immaculate baseball facility with a full turf playing surface, covered hitting tunnels, and a press box.  Clearly the tuition to attend the school must be through the roof.  I’m glad to see they are allocating funds appropriately.

While Texas 5A baseball is regarded as some of the finest high school ball in the country, aside from Bell, there was not a whole lot of interesting baseball being played, but I kind of figured that was going to be the case considering Jesuit was 23-5 and Richardson was 8-12 going into the game.  Nevertheless, Bell barreled up on three pitches, flying out to center in his first AB, grounding out sharply to short in his next, and lining through the right side for a single before drawing a bases-juiced BB.  He received no action defensively, but played center and was clearly the best athlete on the field today.  Bell is a product of the Dallas Patriots club system, so he has been raised in an environment capable of training a talent of this caliber.

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Kaleb Cowart entered the draft in 2010 as a guy who was perceived differently between organizations.  As is the case with all exceptional two-way guys, the question ultimately comes down to which spot will allow the player to reach the big leagues faster.  Here’s why: if the player can reach the bigs fast enough but then fails, the other option now becomes the only option.  Rick Ankiel, Tim Wakefield, Joe Savery, Matt Bush, and Mike Dunn all share a common history, they tried and failed to stick with the role their organizations drafted them to fill.  Now they all are seeing varying levels of success at roles the organizations did not initially feel fit the player or team best.

Cowart currently is trying his luck at third with the Angels and is likely to start the year in Single A.  As an 18-year-old, Cowart was one of the youngest players in his draft class and has terrific power and arm tools.  His hands at third play at average and his feet are good enough, but he is never moving back to a MIF position.  His hit tool grading lags behind the power, but he is athletic and has a chance to pick it up quickly now that he is a baseball player every day and not a student-athlete.

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The Los Angeles Angels drafted Kaleb Cowart with the eighteenth overall pick in the first round of the 2010 MLB Draft.  In his senior year at Cook High School in Georgia, the 18-year-old put together a phenomenal season, both at the plate and on the bump, and was named the Gatorade National Player of the Year.

A switch-hitter, Cowart hit .654 (second highest in state history) with 11 home runs, 59 RBI, and 55 runs.  Futhermore, he posted a 1.206 slugging percentage and .721 on-base percentage — that’s right, a 1.927 OPS — while swiping 36/36 bags.

On the mound, the 6-foot-3 right-hander went 10-1 with a 1.05 ERA in 71 innings, amassing 116 strikeouts and recording a save.

Last evening on The Baseball Show, co-host Clint Evans from Diamond Hoggers and I welcomed Derwood Morris from Off Base Percentage & The Bobby Classifieds onto the show for the first time. This came along with a return visit from our good friend MTD, also over at Off-Base Percentage.

We talked Jose Canseco, Manny Ramirez, Yankees, Reds, Dusty Baker, Vernon Wells, Phil Hughes, Jason Heyward, Atlanta Braves, Buster Posey, Off-Base Percentage, Bobby Classifieds, Fantasy Baseball, Joe Mauer heading to the DL, and much more!

If you had some laughs with us, give Derwood or MTD a follow on Twitter. Thanks to the crew from Off-Base Percentage for coming on the show!

Not a bad effort from the Angels’ leadoff hitter

Bottom 1: Peter Bourjos called out on strikes against Carlos Carrasco

Bottom 3: struck out swinging against Carrasco

Bottom 5: struck out swinging against Carrasco

Bottom 8: struck out swinging against Vinnie Pestano

Bottom 11: grounds out on bunt against Chris Perez

Final line: 0-5, 4 strikeouts against Cleveland Indians (4/13/2011)