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May 22, 2012

Prospects Will Break Your Heart

Baseball is My Stereo: Myrtle Beach vs. Wilmington

by Jason Parks

“Baseball is my stereo, and I’m looking for you in the woods tonight, looking for you in my flashlight, I’m searching.” –Somebody who listens to way too much Massive Attack who also happens to scout minor leaguers.

Over the weekend, I caught a three game series between the Myrtle Beach Pelicans and the Wilmington Blue Rocks, a Carolina League matchup featuring the two worst offenses in the circuit. True to form, the hitting was quite suspect and disappointing, which allowed the impressive pitching to shine even brighter. In the second game of the series, Myrtle Beach starter Nick Tepesch, along with reliever Jimmy Reyes, combined to throw a no-hitter, featuring 11 strikeouts and a lot of awkward contact. The standout pitching performance on Saturday night made the entire trip worthwhile, but the no-hitter was merely another game in the intense weekend, as it was sandwiched by two walk-off wins by the Blue Rocks, a dramatic conclusion for an offense that was more offensive [read: unpleasant] than anything else. With plenty of raw scouting material to choose from, I want to offer both the good and the bad from the weekend series, as there were more than enough of both to go around. Let’s start with the good, which means a healthy dose of the arms, which means Nick Tepesch, Jason Adam, and Kyle Hendricks. I’ll even mix in a hitter to keep it diverse (Jared Hoying), but for the most part, the good belongs to the mound. This is scouting in the nude. Let’s go.