Post by redvol on Apr 21, 2008 21:56:31 GMT -5
I got to watch Tim Beckham's Griffin, Georgia team play this afternoon. It was quite a treat compared to most high school games I've been too. Griffin plays in the 4A level which encompasses the largest high schools in the state. They are close to Atlanta so play in a good league. Griffin has a hell of a team and I wouldn't be surprised if they win the state championship.
As promised if I ever got over to Griffin, I've posted my thoughts onBeckham's potential.
Game: Griffin vs. Lovejoy, GA (game 1 of an in-conference double-header)
Pre-game; Beckham took his pre-game drills seriously. He was a little aloof during the anthem which bothered me at first because I thought it might be a sign of an attitude. I'm no expert, but I swear there were a minimum of 8 scouts in attendance. Most probably thought I was one too since I'm middle-aged and taking notes.
1st inning; Beckham leads off. Walks on 5 pitches without swinging. Steals second but not by a large margin. Griffin scores 4 mostly by stealing bases and passed balls/wild pitches. On defense, Beckham turns a 6,4,3 double play flawlessly.
2nd inning; Beckham up again, walks on 6 pitches without swinging (I'm detecting a possible flaw here). Steals second easily this time. Steals 3rd without a throw. Scores on a double. Lovejoy's pitcher really struggling. Defense is non-eventful, no balls hit to him.
3rd inning; Beckham up with a RISP. Takes ball one. By now, I'm wondering if he'll swing at all. He removes all doubt by smashing a liner on the next pitch to right field. More impressive, the ball was on the outer half so he hit it where it was pitched. Lovejoy struggled mightily this inning and Beckham was up again. With 2 on, he smashes the 1st pitch to left field for an easy double - driving in both baserunners.
Game ended on mercy rule after Lovejoy's relief pitchers kept beaning. I didn't stick around for the 2nd game because I had to get on the road and Lovejoy was clearly over-matched.
Other notes;
Defense - smooth but maybe a touch too methodical fielding grounders. Free and easy arm with no limit on his range. Didn't get to see much in-game action because Griffin's pitcher was so damn good. #10 - worth a draft pick by someone.
Speed - fast on the run but probably not a base-stealer by trade. Got good jumps but competition was mediocre.
Hitting - very repeatable stride and balance. Could very well be a 20-25 home run hitter.
Body: solid. From some pictures I saw, I thought he might be a string bean. At the end of the game, I bumped into him going to the concession stand and shook his hand. He is a solid 6' and 190 lbs. with a death grip handshake.
Make-up: nice kid. I congratulated him on the win and he thanked me. I told him I hoped he got drafted in the 1st round and he said that was his goal. He plays on a very good team from what I could tell so this probably helps to keep his head on. Still, you could tell he was used to playing in front of major-league scouts and relished the attentiod but not to the point where he show-boated at any time during the game.
In short, I have no idea whether he would merit a #7 pick in the first round since I've never gotten to see first round talent at the high school level. However, I can't imagine the Uptons being tremendously better at age 17. He seems to me to have the body type that could stick at short instead of migrating to third base.
Personally, I don't see how Cincinnati afford to select anything but a pitcher but that's just the pennant starved fan in me coming out after listening to tonights game on XM during my ride home.
I hope all the draft followers found this useful.
As promised if I ever got over to Griffin, I've posted my thoughts onBeckham's potential.
Game: Griffin vs. Lovejoy, GA (game 1 of an in-conference double-header)
Pre-game; Beckham took his pre-game drills seriously. He was a little aloof during the anthem which bothered me at first because I thought it might be a sign of an attitude. I'm no expert, but I swear there were a minimum of 8 scouts in attendance. Most probably thought I was one too since I'm middle-aged and taking notes.
1st inning; Beckham leads off. Walks on 5 pitches without swinging. Steals second but not by a large margin. Griffin scores 4 mostly by stealing bases and passed balls/wild pitches. On defense, Beckham turns a 6,4,3 double play flawlessly.
2nd inning; Beckham up again, walks on 6 pitches without swinging (I'm detecting a possible flaw here). Steals second easily this time. Steals 3rd without a throw. Scores on a double. Lovejoy's pitcher really struggling. Defense is non-eventful, no balls hit to him.
3rd inning; Beckham up with a RISP. Takes ball one. By now, I'm wondering if he'll swing at all. He removes all doubt by smashing a liner on the next pitch to right field. More impressive, the ball was on the outer half so he hit it where it was pitched. Lovejoy struggled mightily this inning and Beckham was up again. With 2 on, he smashes the 1st pitch to left field for an easy double - driving in both baserunners.
Game ended on mercy rule after Lovejoy's relief pitchers kept beaning. I didn't stick around for the 2nd game because I had to get on the road and Lovejoy was clearly over-matched.
Other notes;
Defense - smooth but maybe a touch too methodical fielding grounders. Free and easy arm with no limit on his range. Didn't get to see much in-game action because Griffin's pitcher was so damn good. #10 - worth a draft pick by someone.
Speed - fast on the run but probably not a base-stealer by trade. Got good jumps but competition was mediocre.
Hitting - very repeatable stride and balance. Could very well be a 20-25 home run hitter.
Body: solid. From some pictures I saw, I thought he might be a string bean. At the end of the game, I bumped into him going to the concession stand and shook his hand. He is a solid 6' and 190 lbs. with a death grip handshake.
Make-up: nice kid. I congratulated him on the win and he thanked me. I told him I hoped he got drafted in the 1st round and he said that was his goal. He plays on a very good team from what I could tell so this probably helps to keep his head on. Still, you could tell he was used to playing in front of major-league scouts and relished the attentiod but not to the point where he show-boated at any time during the game.
In short, I have no idea whether he would merit a #7 pick in the first round since I've never gotten to see first round talent at the high school level. However, I can't imagine the Uptons being tremendously better at age 17. He seems to me to have the body type that could stick at short instead of migrating to third base.
Personally, I don't see how Cincinnati afford to select anything but a pitcher but that's just the pennant starved fan in me coming out after listening to tonights game on XM during my ride home.
I hope all the draft followers found this useful.
