PPG:  Kovacevic:  200 and bust for many starters

The evils of Bakerism…

Nineteen National League pitchers logged 200-plus innings in 2007, with Snell tied for ninth at 208 and Gorzelanny 17th with 201 2/3. The list included most of the league’s top overall performers, with Brandon Webb, Jake Peavy, Aaron Harang, Carlos Zambrano, Roy Oswalt, John Smoltz, Brad Penny, Jeff Francis, Dontrelle Willis ...

Hey, seeing a pattern yet?

By any standard, but especially with a 21-year-old, that is extraordinary handling of a pitcher, and there is a widely held view within the industry that this example and others reflect poorly on Fresno State’s sixth-year coach, Mike Batesole, despite his team having won the NCAA championship two weeks ago.

Gerrymandering…

On its surface, it might appear the Pirates are intent on stocking all their Latin American signings on one minor-league affiliate, that being Bradenton of the rookie-level Gulf Coast League: Bradenton’s 33-man roster includes 20 players in that category, most freshly arrived from the Dominican Republic and Venezuela.

By contrast, State College, the next level up in the short-season New York-Penn League, has a 31-man roster with eight players in that category.

and conspiracy theory.

The numbers will show the Pirates have been lousy in the first inning, getting outscored, 62-35. But that discrepancy is not so great at home, where they have been outscored, 30-20.

There might be something to that.

Ask the players, and they will attest that, for a standard 7:05 p.m. game at PNC Park, any lingering sunshine during the first inning can create a dazzling glare off certain Downtown buildings that makes life miserable for hitters, especially visitors unaccustomed to it.

Trifecta!

SportTicker: Detwiler’s bat helps Fresno State win CWS title

After 42 long, grueling days on the road, Cinderella finished off its inspiring tour knowing it was, in fact, the top dog.

Steve Detwiler had four hits - including two home runs - and rewrote four offensive records in fourth-seeded Fresno State’s 6-1 triumph over Georgia on Wednesday in the deciding game of the College World Series, helping it become the lowest seed in any sport to win a national championship.

Detwiler set new marks for the most homers, extra base hits, RBI and total bases in a College World Series championship game.
...
Fresno State, which had a pre-tournament RPI of 89, earned wins over No. 2 North Carolina, No. 3 Arizona State, No. 5 Rice, No. 6 San Diego and No. 11 Long Beach State before ousting No. 8 Georgia.

WSJ: Wagner: Baseball’s Other Racial Barrier

“Latino Players Forge a Big-League Presence, but Are a Rarity on College Rosters” (Including, strangely enough...Wagner)

It’s hard to watch the college-baseball World Series, under way now in Omaha, Neb., without noticing how different the college game is from the major-league version. Not in the caliber of play or the funny ping of the aluminum bats, but in the way the players look.

College players in the three main divisions are 86% white, according to the most-recent NCAA figures. That’s a big difference from Major League Baseball, where one study puts the number at less than 60%. The most striking difference is in the number of Latinos on the field: They made up about 29% of all major leaguers in 2007 but only 5% of players in college.

While the percentage of Latino players has more than doubled in professional baseball since 1990, accounting for top stars such as Alex Rodriguez and David Ortiz, the percentage of minorities in the college game remains extremely low. That’s especially true for Latinos, for whom college ball’s failure to keep pace with the diversity of the major leagues is most striking. And that’s embarrassing to some.

“We don’t like that we’re all-white, either,” says Ron Polk, who retired last month after 29 years as the head baseball coach at Mississippi State University. “I don’t want anyone to draw the impression that we’re happy about it.”

Cape Cod Baseball League pitcher faces DUI charges

The young 2008 Cape Cod Baseball League season was marred late Sunday night when a 20-year-old pitcher with the Brewster Whitecaps sustained major injuries when he was pinned beneath a truck driven by a teammate.

The condition of Barrett Dail, a University of North Carolina student, was upgraded from critical to serious last night at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, a hospital spokeswoman said. He suffered injuries to his legs and head.

...In Orleans District Court yesterday morning, his shaken Whitecaps teammate, Ryan Woolley, 20, a sophomore pitcher on the University of Georgia baseball team, pleaded not guilty to operating under the influence of alcohol resulting in serious bodily injury, negligent operation of a motor vehicle and minor in possession of alcohol.

Police say Woolley failed field sobriety tests, and alcohol breath tests he took at the scene and again at the Brewster Police Station registered twice the legal limit. An 18-pack of beer was found in his black 2000 Ford Ranger pickup truck, the police said.

“I’m done with college ... I’m done with the Cape Cod League ... my baseball career is over,” Woolley said over and over at the Brewster station following his arrest…

az central: Schlereth gives D-Backs scare

Get Rock Hoover on the case!

The Diamondbacks got a scare Friday night when their top draft pick, Arizona left-hander Daniel Schlereth, stopped warming up in the bullpen and then was seen icing his pitching elbow during a super-regional game in Miami.

But Schlereth told the Diamondbacks that he felt discomfort in his left side - not his arm - and stopped throwing for precautionary reasons, scouting director Tom Allison said.

“I just traded text messages with him,” Allison said Friday night. “It was just precautionary, and he’ll get it checked out, and we’ll find out everything (Saturday). Obviously, with what he’s gone through already, with the elbow and the oblique, he wants to be extra cautious.”

Schlereth, whom the Diamondbacks took with the 26th pick in the first round, had Tommy John elbow ligament replacement surgery during his senior year in high school and had an oblique injury last year.

The State: Morris: Foolish habits mar college game

Get off my college lawn!

It is no wonder college baseball has little national appeal. Television network executives know the score. Who wants to watch a game in which coaches call timeouts between pitches to talk to the batter? Who wants to watch a game in which the catcher and batter look to the dugout before every pitch for instructions?

It makes me want to scream to the coaches: Let the players play the game! In case you did not hear me: LET THE PLAYERS PLAY THE GAME!

...The addition of catchers’ wristbands is a perfect example of attempting to make the game much more difficult than it is. Besides, whatever happened to a catcher learning to call a game? The first thing college catchers must learn when they turn to professional baseball is the art of calling pitches.

Next, you might have noticed college catchers and pitchers engaging in espionage whenever they meet on the pitcher’s mound. Get this: They talk to each other with their gloves over their mouths. They do not want opponents to read their lips. Seriously.

Most college games are not televised, and even those that are cannot be seen in dugouts or clubhouses. So who exactly is doing all the lip-reading in college baseball? Perhaps college baseball players take lip-reading courses these days and I am unaware of it.

FOX Sports: Whitlock: College baseball shares many of college hoops’ ills

Speaking of college hoop ills...What’s Marco Baldi up to these days?

When the NCAA enacted its new, get-tough Academic Progress Report standards, a little-known fact that the media ignored is that college baseball programs traditionally performed far below basketball programs.

Let me translate that for you: Baseball players were less likely to graduate from college than basketball players.

The APR forced baseball coaches to bring their kids back to campus for summer school rather than allowing them to audition in front of scouts and agents in the Cape Cod League. Yeah, the “cesspool” of street agents, runners, handlers, scouts and agents we love to rail against in basketball co-mingle in baseball at high school All-American games without raising a word of dissent.

I understand why the NCAA is comfortable with this arrangement. It generates a billion-dollar TV contract by micromanaging its basketball players, keeping them uninformed about their value and selling the public a lie about the “purity” of amateur status.

Why do we play along in the media? We’re not that stupid, are we? There’s no way we’re controlled by our biases. No way.

Scouting College Prospects Aaron Crow and Pedro Alvarez

A couple more scouting reports on two of the draft’s top prospects…

Crow offers a lot to like. A mid-90’s fastball that he commands extremely well, a hard slider many rate as plus, and a change-up that currently rates about average but in which he has shown a pretty good feel for. While his fastball command is better than his command on his breaking stuff, he still has pretty good control of both his off-speed pitches....

...On the whole, Alvarez’s swing is pretty simple. His hip rotation is aggressive and forceful; he doesn’t let his hands get out in front. Rather, he turns his hips and hands together. He could stand to let the ball travel a little deeper, but that may just be a result of this one particular swing.

Matusz Scouting Report

Stotle and Crawdaddy run a fine site over at Camden Depot.  The released a Brian Matusz review.  An excerpt:

Is Matusz Worthy of 1:4?

Matusz profiles as a #2 starter capable of pitching up to a #1 provided he’s able to tweak some of his mechanics. Usually, command is the last tool to come for a young pitcher. Matusz has command to spare, making him a prime candidate to move quickly through the Minors. He hasn’t necessarily been the best overall arm over the last two seasons (Price and Strasburg probably taking those honors for ‘07 and ‘08, respectively) but he has been consistent and consistently near the top of any SP list. While no pitcher should be considered “safe”, he is the best bet of the college arms to reach his potential and should be in heavy demand come Thursday.

Prospect Grade – A-
Suggested Draft Slot – 1-4
1:4 Recommendation – Strongly Consider drafting

I’m getting excited.

N.Y. Sun: Goldman: The Yankees’ and Mets’ Draft Pick Woes

Yankee/Met Drafts...as exciting as Jimmy Yawn & Fritz Polka can be?

...Recent second-round picks of the Red Sox — all fair game for the Yankees and Mets when they picked — have included Jon Lester, Dustin Pedroia, Manny Delcarmen, and Justin Masterson. In other words, many Red Sox second-round picks have been better than either New York team’s first-round picks.

In recent seasons the Yankees have shaken off some of their drafting doldrums, securing Kennedy, Joba Chamberlain, and Hughes with first-round or first-round supplemental picks, while outfielder Austin Jackson was a first-round talent the Yankees got in the eighth round when other teams were scared off by his basketball scholarship. Those players aside, the list of top Yankees picks since Jeter is largely a wasteland. The Mets have been perhaps slightly better overall thanks to Wright, Kazmir, and a few others, but due to aggressive trading they have even less to show for it.

The chicken-and-egg question is, are the two teams bad at drafting or bad at development? That is, did Eric Duncan fail the Yankees, or did the Yankees fail him? Would Billy Traber have been an ace starter if he signed with a team other than the Mets? There is no sure answer, but “both” is a disconcerting possibility.

Burwell: Times are changing for MLB’s talent draft

“That’s part of the major difference between baseball and college football and basketball,” said Troy Glaus, a first-round pick 11 years ago. “Everyone already knows who they are before the draft because their games are televised so much more than college baseball. They’ve seen these first-rounders a bunch of times. They’re so much more exposed than we were.

Heck, we were playing before 1,500 fans at UCLA. No one outside of campus knew who the heck we were.”

That is changing. Between ESPN and FSN, college baseball is all over cable TV now. ESPN is broadcasting a lot of NCAA tournament games and the College World Series has become a fairly popular broadcast property. “Baseball’s a little behind,” said Glaus, “but at least if you’re a top 10 or 15 guy, people know who you are. Ten or 11 years ago, no one knew.”

The times are changing. Sooner or later, we will have just as many baseball draft geeks as NFL draft geeks. Keith Law and his buzz cut will become as famous as Mel Kiper and his pompadour, and there will be Baseball Tonight specials that will run endlessly in the days leading up to the draft.

Kipper florentine yes...Kiper, no.

Gordon Beckham Compares to…Alex Rodriguez?

Scouting the second highest rated shortstop in the upcoming draft…

Beckham has a high leg kick that he gets down relatively quickly. Kind of like speeding up a delivery can improve the velocity for a pitcher, you want to get that leg up and back down forcefully and quickly before rotating your hips. Beckham does this, but he doesn’t do it with the greatest efficiency…

The actions Beckham incorporates with his swing are similar to Alex Rodriguez.  However, there are a few differences in which Rodriguez is much more efficient in the way he uses his body.

For instance, as both players stride forward, you can see Beckham’s bat begin to separate from his body, while Rodriguez is able to keep that bat connected with his body as he moves forward.

The significance? Rodriguez has the luxury of waiting before making the committment to swing. Since Beckham has a longer swing, he has to start the bat earlier than you ideally want…

Kansascity.com: After 19 innings and almost 7 hours, Central Missouri loses NCAA tourney game

In the spirit of Ernie Banks, the Mules and Seawolves played two on Monday night/Tuesday morning

The first baseball meeting between Central Missouri and Sonoma State (Cal.) is one that will never be forgotten.

A bases-loaded bunt by Sonoma State pitcher Kevin Asselin—his first collegiate plate appearance—pushed the winning run across in the top of the 19th inning for a 6-5 marathon triumph at the NCAA Division II Baseball Championship. When Jon Wegener of Raytown grounded out for the game’s final out, the clock read 2:53 a.m. The game lasted 6 hours, 45 minutes, the longest game in UCM history.

“I think it came down to them being a very good ballclub and us not executing,” said Mules coach Tom Myers afterward. “We’re a good ballclub, but when we don’t do things right, when we try to do too much and get outside ourselves, we’re not very good.”

(..)

The loss overshadowed a brilliant effort by the Mules relief corps. Chris Matlock carried the bulk of the relief duty with 9.1 innings of scoreless ball to extend his personal streak to 24.1 innings without a run.

What the article doesn’t mention is that Matlock struck out 13 and threw 148 pitches in those 9.1 innings.

2008 MLB Draft Preview: Scouting First Baseman Justin Smoak

Breaking down the swing of the draft’s top first base prospect:

We see the initial hand load as Smoak shifts his weight forward. Notice as he is moving forward, the bat stays connected with his body indicating a relatively short swing. This also gives you an indication of how strong Smoak’s wrists are.

We can also see Smoak firmly plant his front foot and then turn aggressively on that front leg. He lets his hips and hands rotate together as opposed to achieving extension, which is when the batter lets their hands get out in front to meet the ball, sapping the player of much of their power....

...You know what you’re getting with Smoak: a first baseman with plus power at both sides of the plate with the potential to hit between 30 and 40 homers on a yearly basis. He may not get much better, but he is already very good as is.

MLB Amateur Draft 2008: My Draft Board + Pedro Alvarez Scouting Report & Footage

With the MLB amateur draft approaching, I thought it would be a good time to start profiling some of the young talent that may be coming to a team near you. Generally speaking, this draft does not have a consensus top prospect, like a Justin Upton or David Price, so it’s anyone’s guess who the top pick will be and the Tampa Bay Rays are thought to be deciding between Buster Posey, Tim Beckham and Pedro Alvarez. After that, the draft can go just about any way and teams will need to see who’s available and trust their evaluations. It should be an interesting draft as it unfolds.

digitalburg.com: Mules Advance: Edge first foe in 11-inning come-from-behind classic

You can’t count a good mule out.

Down 9-1 after six innings to Franklin Pierce in the first round of the Division II World Series, the Central Missouri baseball Mules looked as if they were dead in the water.

They showed just how stubborn they were, though, scoring 11 runs in the next three innings, including six in the top of the ninth to tie the game at 12. A bases loaded hit by pitch in the 11th gave UCM all it needed for the 13-12 win.

It was Central Missouri’s (46-15) biggest comeback of this season and championship history.

The Mules will now face No. 2 Sonoma State of California in the second round winner’s bracket game on Monday night at 6:30 p.m.

MLB Draft Preview: Scouting College Pitcher Brian Matusz

Scouting projected top-5 pick Brian Matusz.  The below excerpt is relating to a comparison between Matusz and Clayton Kershaw:

What we can also see from the above side shot is the hip and torso separation. At the end of the animation, you have two ovals highlighting each pitcher’s torso and hips once their pitching arm has reached its ready-to-throw position. Which pitcher to you looks like he has created more separation between his torso and hips? In my view, that pitcher is Kershaw.

The significance of this separation is the tension created between the pitcher’s upper body and hips; at foot plant, Kershaw’s upper body is about to uncoil fury toward home plate, bringing the arm along with it. Matusz is much less efficient with his body in being able to produce velocity.

So there is a reason why Matusz, a projectable lefty, has yet to add much velocity to his fastball while in college

Orlando Sentinel: JAY BERGMAN: BEYOND THE CONTROVERSY AT UCF

“Former UCF coach Jay Bergman was a father figure to many players, but others aren’t surprised by allegations of abuse.”

Jay Bergman is a gentle guru who nurtured the careers of countless baseball players, some friends and colleagues said.

And Jay Bergman is a menace known for verbally abusing athletes, some former players and staff members said.

These are the two faces of Bergman, UCF’s successful baseball coach whose storied career ended when he was fired May 1 amid allegations of sexual harassment.

UCF equipment manager Chris Rhyce said Bergman used a bat to simulate raping him in early March. The incident followed what Rhyce described as months of verbal abuse by the coach.

...Bergman’s reputation took another hit when Rhyce accused the coach of sexual harassment.

Rhyce told the university in a written complaint that he was held down on the field, fully clothed, by a baseball staff member before a March 7 game while the players watched. Bergman was said to have grabbed a bat and shoved it toward Rhyce’s buttocks, three sources told the Sentinel.

Craig Biggio to become head baseball coach at St. Thomas

Until they move him to another position…

Craig Biggio will be named head baseball coach at St. Thomas High School on Tuesday, multiple people close to the situation have told the Chronicle.

Biggio, who retired following last season after 20 seasons with the Astros, was an assistant baseball and football coach this school year at St. Thomas, where his oldest son Conor is a student and football and baseball player.

MLB: Selig addresses Bethany College grads

Falls asleep, bangs head on podium, thinks he’s at Matheny College.

Selig gave a 23-minute oration, continually saying that baseball was “a metaphor for life.”

“As in life, baseball has had great success and it has had its problems,” he said. “One can’t dwell too long on success because it’s fleeting, and one can’t ignore problems because left unattended they get worse. Preserving the status quo or following the path of least resistance often is the most negative option, because it neither requires vision nor courage.

“You must not be afraid to act. You must not be afraid of failure. And, perhaps, most importantly, you must not be afraid of success.”

As Selig spoke, the wind loudly rippled flags attached to wooden poles to the left and right of the rostrum. Tree branches and leaves waved frantically to and fro and graduates held tightly to their tasseled caps.

“I was worried that the pages of my speech might blow away,” he said afterward. “But I held them with both hands and I made it through.”

John Sickels’ Preliminary Draft Board

1) Buster Posey, C, Florida State: Great bat, has proven to be solid defender.
2) Tim Beckham, SS, Georgia HS: Overall tools package.
3) Kyle Skipworth, C, California HS: Hits, fields, and intuition loves him.
4) Gordon Beckham, SS, Georgia: Love him almost as much as Posey.
5) Justin Smoak, 1B, South Carolina: Best college bat but not as valuable defensively as Posey and Beckham.
6) Aaron Crow, RHP, Missouri: Stock has dropped just a hair but still looks great to me.
7) Brian Matusz, LHP, San Diego: Could easily flip with Crow.
8) Pedro Alvarez, 3B, Vanderbilt: Injury knocks him back a couple of notches but still elite.
9) Eric Hosmer, 1B, Florida HS: All reports look great. Signability?
10) Yonder Alonso, 1B, Miami: Another bat impossible not to love.

How far will Scheppers fall? Sonny Gray?

The Daily Bruin: Statistics shed light on baseball’s performance

Well...glad to see UCLA teaches more than just Fundamentals of Ho-Dadaism: Nu-Wave Art 101.

A deeper look at the team’s statistics can provide insight and identify the root of the Bruins’ subpar performance this season.

The team’s overall batting average on balls in play, which is a statistic that measures a player’s batting average based on the number of balls put in play without counting strikeouts, sacrifice flies or home runs, is .333. This means that, compared to the team’s overall batting average of .272, the number of balls put into play that are falling for hits is high for the Bruins.

A high average of this kind is usually an indicator of luck and porous opposing team defense. The Bruins’ figure of .333 is actually lower than the average .348 of all the other Pac-10 teams, suggesting that perhaps the Bruins are running into a bit of tough luck when facing opposing defenses.

However, the difference between UCLA’s balls in play average and batting average, .061, which is higher than the .045 difference among the conference, could also mean that the Bruins just aren’t making contact with the ball as well as other teams.

MLB: Mayo: Crystal ball: Projecting the first 10 picks

J’onathan Mayo makes his picks…

1. Tampa Bay Rays: Buster Posey, C, Florida State

It appears the Rays have narrowed it to five names for the top pick (there’s no David Price this year): Posey, the FSU backstop who’s had a tremendous year with the bat to move himself into consideration; Georgia high school shortstop Tim Beckham, who’s got tools galore and can stay at short; Pedro Alvarez, the Vanderbilt third baseman who’s among the most polished hitters in the Draft; Brian Matusz, the lefty ace for the University of San Diego; and Southern California high school catcher Kyle Skipworth.

I believe Skipworth is on the outside looking in and I keep coming back to thinking (based on no real inside information) that it’ll be between Posey and Beckham. This week, I’ll go with what’s been the hottest rumor as the Rays get a good hitter who can catch.

3. Kansas City Royals: Eric Hosmer, 1B, American Heritage HS, Plantation, Fla.

The Royals would happily take Alvarez if the Pirates pass on him, but with him gone, they might go with one of the following two bats: Hosmer, the prep star, or Justin Smoak, the University of South Carolina first baseman. Hosmer is also a Boras advisee, but that doesn’t necessarily seem to scare the Royals, who took Boras clients in the first round in each of the past two years. That being said, enough may be enough and Smoak could be the option. Going pitching is still a possibility, and if that’s the case, Matusz is still in their mix.

Morning Call: Schuler: Swindle using all the angles to swipe spot on major-league roster

So far in his career it seems the better R.J. Swindle does, the worse his chance of keeping his job.

Swindle was 5-1 with a 1.94 ERA in his first pro season after Boston took him in the 14th round of the 2004 draft. The following spring the Red Sox let Swindle go, unwilling to deal with a back injury he developed late in the season.

Two years later, after surgery repaired his herniated disc and the Yankees signed him out of the independent Northern League, the left hander was 4-2 with an 0.61 ERA in 21 appearances at Class A Charleston, then earned a save for Triple-A Columbus with two scoreless innings on the last day of the season at Toledo.

Swindle’s ERAs have been consistently impressive in the minors, and his K/BB ratios have been off the charts.

So far he has 309 K’s and 56 walks in five professional seasons.  If you count just the affiliated minors, it’s 186 K’s and 18 walks.

In two years with the Phillies, Swindle, who comes at you anywhere from sidearm to straight over the top, has risen up four levels, from low-A Lakewood to Lehigh Valley. And despite his less than overpowering stuff, all he’s done is get people out—he has a 1.72 ERA in 621/3 innings, allowing only 41 hits in his two seasons in the Phillies system.

...

Swindle’s secret, besides his unorthodox pitching style, is control. He’s walked one—intentionally—all year, eight in 44 innings last year, and only 18 in 1592/3 innings in affiliated ball. But despite his success so far, Swindle realizes he has little margin of error.

‘’I know if I didn’t get people out I’d be released pretty quick, so I know I’ve got to keep changing speeds and hitting corners because I know if I don’t perform, throwing like I do, I wouldn’t last very long,’’ Swindle said. ‘’But I’ve done that every step of the way, from high school to college to here.’’

Seeking another lefty in their bullpen, the Phillies recently shifted Double-A starters Fabio Castro and Josh Outman to the Reading bullpen, a move Swindle could have interpreted as another lack of confidence in his abilities.

His ability to befuddle minor leaguers without throwing above the low 80s may not translate to the NL, but I’d like to see a Bastardo-Swindle bullpen in Philadelphia one of these days.

He would be the first player from Charleston Southern University to make it to the major leagues.

Carmi Times: Keegan Dennis throws 172 pitches in Logan win

Hey, Coach Halstead...F you and the peppenhorst you rode in on!

“That’s obviously the most pitches I’ve ever thrown,” said Dennis. “I’ve hit 120 to 125 before, but it got to the point that my adrenaline was going so much. This is probably the best game I’ve been in intensity-wise, both teams playing well and people hitting.”

Dennis (5-6) scattered 10 hits, including four home runs, allowed nine runs and walked five batters, but the righty struck out 14 during his complete-game effort.

While most pitchers would have been pulled at some point, Logan’s veteran head coach Jerry Halstead had his own philosophy in this situation.

“What happens is you get to a point where you say ‘OK, it’s the second game of the tournament, and you’re not very good today,’” Halstead said. “‘Are we going to quit at 30 pitches so we can bring you back in a couple of days, or are we going to burn you?’ The next thing we know he’s at 70 pitches, so we’re going to burn you now.”

..."It’s about as gutty and competitive while not being close to being his best. As far as competing, that’s about as gutty a performance as I’ve seen in 25 years of coaching,” Halstead said. “He got knocked down two or three times and continued to pick himself up. That’s a true sign of a competitor. He didn’t go duck and hide. He got right back up.”

Sickels: Top College Hitters for the 2008 Draft

Here is how I rank the top college hitters for the 2008 draft, as of May 6th. I’m looking at the stats and trying to make a contextual adjustment for comparison purposes, as well as scouting reports, TV and video, intuition, etc. 

1) Pedro Alvarez,3B, Vanderbilt: Hitting .294/.400/.471 in 24 games, his OPS is approximately +10 percent compared to context. Obviously this is much below expectation and his previous standards, however the injury is the main factor here. Scouts are cutting him slack and he’s still expected to go in the Top Five overall, and at this point I don’t see any reason to override consensus given his track record.

2) Buster Posey, C, Florida State: HItting .464/.562/.827, OPS is about +63 percent better than context. Posey’s stock is rising due to his tremendous hitting this year as well as the fact that he’s proven to be a reasonable-enough defender behind the plate. Ranking him ahead of Smoak and Alonso may be a bit controversial but he’s done everything asked of him and finding a catcher who can hit and field is harder than finding a first baseman who can hit.

3) Gordon Beckham, SS, Georgia: Hitting .412/.524/.874, OPS is about +79 percent better than context. Has also stolen 16 bases in 17 attempts, producing power, plate discipline, etc., and he can play shortstop. Some people compare him to Khalil Greene, others say he’ll hit better than that. Again, this might be controversial ranking him ahead of Smoak and maybe I’ll change my mind.

4) Justin Smoak, 1B, South Carolina: Hitting .401/.515/.808, 19 homers, 44 walks, OPS about +64 compared to context. I have loved Smoak’s bat since high school...power, plate discipline, switch hitter, good glove. I could see him possibly developing into a Lance Berkman-type hitter if all goes well. Smoak fights expectations sometimes, but I think that’s because people have been watching him for so long that he gets nitpicked. Yesterday I had him ahead of Posey and Beckham, and I might go back to that again.

Thanks to Demeterreader.

ESPN: Central Washington offers the ultimate act of sportsmanship

OK, it’s not baseball, it’s women’s college softball. And Division II softball, at that. But this is still one of the coolest things that’s happened on a ballfield that I’ve I’ve ever read about.

Holtman and shortstop Liz Wallace lifted Tucholsky off the ground and supported her weight between them as they began a slow trip around the bases, stopping at each one so Tucholsky’s left foot could secure her passage onward. Even with Tucholsky feeling the pain of what trainers subsequently came to believe was a torn ACL (she was scheduled for tests to confirm the injury on Monday), the surreal quality of perhaps the longest and most crowded home run trot in the game’s history hit all three players.

“We all started to laugh at one point, I think when we touched the first base,” Holtman said. “I don’t know what it looked like to observers, but it was kind of funny because Liz and I were carrying her on both sides and we’d get to a base and gently, barely tap her left foot, and we’d all of a sudden start to get the giggles a little bit.”

Accompanied by a standing ovation from the fans, they finally reached home plate and passed the home run hitter into the arms of her own teammates.

Then Holtman and Wallace returned to their positions and tried to win the game.

Yale Daily News: Martin: What stats can’t tell us about baseball or life

Bill James is ruining our youth, our future, our game, our secret beane sauce...and must be stopped!

I was really annoying when I was little, I tried to change my behavior and become a better person, I began learning about Buddhism in high school and dug it for a while, I later came to love baseball statistics and — boom! — I discovered the power and limitations of free will. All of this was tied together by a single statistic: runs created. Runs created the perfect encapsulation of my realization. Although it is a statistical formula, it explained my philosophy of life as a high-school senior, or at least one who wanted to get into college. I claimed that my life to that point had illustrated that although much is guided by strong forces we can’t control, important decisions remain in our hands and what we make of ourselves depends on how we handle those decisions.

I wrote it then, but I don’t know whether I buy it now.

...The longer I follow sports, the less I understand life. Although I once thought my favorite sport, and the numbers it generates, could help me figure it all out, I’ve given up hope of that. There are lessons there, I know, but I struggle to believe them. I have less faith in numbers than I once did, but what does that say about me?

Maybe nothing more than that I’m happy now watching a game and seeing only the game. After all, that’s ok, too. I have permission.

Scouting Report: Kyle Gibson

Who says it’s too early to look at the ‘09 draft class? I couldn’t ignore one of favorite talents in the country, Kyle Gibson, for much longer. I’m a firm believer that Gibson will be one of the first few picks in the ‘09 draft. Of course, it’s crazy to think we can know that for any degree of certainly right now, but who doesn’t like look down the road a little? I saw quite a few of Gibson’s Cape Cod performance and couldn’t come away much more impressed and most of the other scouts around me appeared to agree.

stlcardinals.com: One for the Birds

We’re not selling genes here…

Ever wanted to be a cyber scout? This is your chance. The Cardinals are looking for you to find a new Cardinal for them. The task is straightforward. They want you to find a player for the 2008 amateur draft that might normally be “under the radar;” that perhaps is not getting all the attention he deserves. You find who you think is a good one, you make the argument for him, and you submit it. The Cardinals will attribute one player they take (or nearly took) in the 2008 Amateur Player Draft to the winner of this contest. If that is your player and you made the most compelling argument for him, you win.

Rules are here, more info here.