While things are hot all over the country lately, it’s
always warm in Florida, and the Florida State League has been a hotbed for
talent this year. Even though the bevy of top pitchers like Homer
Bailey (Reds), Yovani Gallardo (Brewers), Philip Hughes
(Yankees) and Mike Pelfrey (Mets) are long gone, there’s still plenty to
find in the Sunshine State. I talked to a number of scouts on both sides of
the state to get some impressions of some of the top arms that have shown up in
the season’s second half. Just for fun, we talked about some hitters, too.
- While Pelfrey and Alay Soler have graduated to the
majors after beginning the year at St. Lucie, righthander Philip Humberhas returned from Tommy John surgery and earned some rave reviews.
“He has two big power pitches with the fastball, which is 90-94 mph,
and that curve which is just a hammer and a real out pitch,” said one
National League scout about the third overall pick in the 2004 draft.
“He also has a power changeup–and I love those–it’s not a
touch/feel pitch; its velocity is in the 80s so it gets there with some speed
and just bottoms out.” Having just returned after missing nearly a
year, Humber still struggles with his location, but the scout didn’t see
it as a long-term concern. “It’s really going to depend on command
and control with him,” the scout added. “It has to improve, but
that’s always an issue for guys coming back from TJs–there’s no reason
it shouldn’t improve.” - I’m been pumping Cubs lefthander Donald Veal since
before the season, and he’s made me look smart with a breakout campaign
that includes a 1.20 ERA in five starts since a promotion to Daytona. The
National League scout was as impressed with his stuff as his stats.
“He’s awesome,” gushed the scout. “A big, strong,
athletic, physical pitcher with a great body and a loose arm–he was
sitting at 92, touching 94 and his arm works so easy with great extension–the ball just jumps on hitters and you see a lot of bad swings.”
While the scout graded his breaking ball as fringy but usable, he saw a
very good changeup from Veal, giving him three pitches and two plus
offerings, a formula that bodes well for his future as a starter.
“It’s a good straight change with nice deception–same arm slot,
same arm speed. He’s legit.” - Like Veal, Cardinals lefthander Jaime Garcia broke
out this year in the Midwest League. Unlike Veal, he’s struggled since
the jump to Florida, with a 4.45 ERA in five starts. Nonetheless, one
National League scout was impressed. “He’s 90-92 mph on both sides
of the plate,” he said. “Both the curveball and the
changeup show flashes of being plus.” What puts Garcia over the top
however, is how he uses his arsenal. “The pitchability is really
advanced for his age–he just turned 20,” said the scout. “He
mixes everything up, throws strikes, keeps guys off balance–he just
knows how to pitch. It was fun to watch.” - One American League scout thinks the Reds may have found a
usuable lefty in 2002 fourth-round pick Camilo Vazquez, who was
recently promoted to Double-A Chattanooga. “I realize his numbers
aren’t great, but he’s a bit of a sleeper for me as a potential No. 4 or 5
starter,” he said. “The curve is a real out pitch,
and his fastball is only in the upper 80s but has really nice movement
with some tailing action, and the change is usable. He’s got a chance to
break through.” - While the Dodgers affiliate at Vero Beach isn’t the
prospect-haven that it usually is, a National League scout found something
to see in second baseman Blake DeWitt, the team’s first-round pick
in 2004 who is batting .270/.346/.446 and has 13 home runs in his last 40
games. “I love it, he flat out rakes,” he said.
“Really nice swing with great timing and rhythym. Hard contact to
all fields, excellent pitch selection–he’s going to be a .300+ hitter
with 30-35 doubles and 15 home runs in the big leagues. He’s got a chance
to be special.” Drafted as a third baseman, Dewitt’s transition to
the middle of the diamond has been a difficult one, however. “He’s
rough with the glove, there’s no other way to put it,” added the
scout. “His range isn’t real good, his feet aren’t real quick, his
hands aren’t real good. But he’s 20, he’s a good athlete, and has great
makeup–there’s no reason he can’t become playable there.” - Like Veal, Brewers center fielder Charlie Fermaint
has been a long-time KG favorite, and a pair of scouts had similar
opinions on him, seeing him as a possible starting outfielder in the big
leagues now, with the potential to improve that rating. “He’s got a
lot of athleticism, with very good tools–if he can improve his plate
discipline and in-game power, he could become a real good player,”
said an American League scout, while one scout from the National League
was also impressed with his offensive abilities: “The hands, the bat
speed and the swing are all there,” he said. “There’s
some strength there, he can drive some balls.” Defensively, the reviews
were mixed. The AL scout saw plus speed, good instincts and an average
arm, while his NL brethren saw some effort problems. “He loafs on
some balls and flips some throws–so I’m left to wonder how good he’d be
if he played harder out there,” said the scout. “The overall
package is interesting and I do like him–I’m just not sure if it’s an
impact first-division kind of talent. He’s a tough one for me.” - One player the two scouts couldn’t differ more on is Twins
shortstop Trevor Plouffe, a first-round pick in 2004 who has
struggled mightily at Fort Myers, batting .216/.316/.290. “I still
like him and I think he needs to repeat the level, but I like his hand-eye
coordination and instincts quite a bit. He does hit some hard line
drives,” said an American League scout. “He’s an excellent
defender with easy actions and a plus arm; he’s still young and figuring
things out. I think he’ll hit much better than this.” A National
League scout disagreed. “He doesn’t belong in this league for sure,
but he has such a long way to go that I can’t see him being more than a
fringy utility guy at best,” he said. “There’s not a
whole lot to get excited about for me. There’s just not any strength to
his game. The glove is nice and the arm is a 60+ [on the 20-80 scouting
scale], but I don’t know what that’s worth if he can’t hit.”
Thank you for reading
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