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Post by redsfanman on Dec 16, 2016 14:29:50 GMT -5
I think the smart money will be on Jeren Kendall (as Callis and Mayo confirm) being the Reds' pick, until it isn't. At this point I wouldn't bet on anyone else, though. And the red flags that concern people are reasons why he isn't the top candidate for the Twins, in my opinion.
There are obvious things Kendall NEEDS to do - have a good season, cut his strikeout rate - to avoid falling off their radar, but certainly starts out ON the radar and under serious consideration. It seems like the title of 'best college hitter' is currently his to lose.
College teams like Vanderbilt (Kendall, Wright) and Florida (Faedo, Schwartz) start their regular seasons on February 17th.
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Post by The Duke on Dec 16, 2016 23:18:57 GMT -5
I'm hoping a hitter has an Andrew Benintendi-esque rise over the college season and becomes a clear choice as the top college bat. I suppose that might be Kendall, but he'd need a drastic cut in K rate while increasing his walk rate.
I think Kyle Wright has a good shot to be the top college pitcher if he can show a more slider this year. He's been up to 97, has cleaner mechanics than Faedo, has good control to go along with a good cutter and improving changeup.
Faedo already needing surgery on both knees worries me a bit, and last year he had trouble holding velocity deep into games.
Last year was by far the most I have ever followed college baseball, and I'm genuinely excited for the upcoming college season for the first time. ESPNU shows a ton of games.
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Post by floydgator on Dec 20, 2016 16:00:45 GMT -5
Faedo and Houck are both better than Wright, imo.
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Post by The Duke on Dec 21, 2016 0:08:45 GMT -5
Faedo and Houck are both better than Wright, imo. I only saw Wright once last year, so maybe I just saw him on his best day, but it was impressive. Faedo was great last year, but man, two knee surgeries already in his early 20's scares me. I never saw Houck pitch last year, but i'll make a point to try to catch him some this season. This is my first year knowing some of the names already going into the collegiate season. I'm excited for the college season for the first time. Looking forward to it.
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Post by The Duke on Jan 11, 2017 10:36:41 GMT -5
Every time I read something new about Hunter Greene, it's always overwhelmingly positive. A+ character, 6'4" 197 lbs at age 17, already touching 99 and sitting 93-95, a plus breaking ball, and he's been developing his changeup with positive reviews. Considering no RH HS pitcher has ever gone #1, there is a good chance he is there when we pick.
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Post by redsfanman on Feb 7, 2017 12:34:44 GMT -5
The Louisville Cardinals are coming to UC on March 21st, for a possible chance to see LHP/1b Brendan McKay, ranked #7 by MLBPipeline. Of course, if you really cared it wouldn't be that hard just to go to Louisville...
I think he's the only top ranked college guy whose team is even passing through UC or Xavier this year.
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Post by floydgator on Feb 7, 2017 16:29:20 GMT -5
McKay is probably the best player in college baseball, I'm not sure he is a top 10 pick-quality guy though. Is he likely to be drafted as a pitcher?
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Post by redsfanman on Feb 7, 2017 19:21:40 GMT -5
From what I've read (although I care less because nobody seems to consider him a likely target for the Reds) it sure sounds like Brendan McKay is preferred as a LHP (and elsewhere in this thread is predicted by MLBPipeline as a #3 starter), but the fact he's a two-way player drastically increases the chance to actually see him on the field (if anyone cares about saying "I saw him before he was drafted!"), in some capacity, when he's in Cincinnati, playing one game at UC. Teddy Cahill of Baseball America ranked him #4 on his list of college draft prospects ( www.baseballamerica.com/college/2017-college-top-100-draft-prospects/#iwAbJ6m94tckGvyQ.97 ) behind Faedo, Kendall, and Bukauskas... and ahead of Kyle Wright (who many in Reds country seem to like) Louisville’s Brendan McKay, the 2015 Freshman of the Year, could fit near the top of either the position players or pitchers. He has been the best two-way player in the country the last two years, and there is still no consensus as to whether he will be developed as a lefthander or first baseman in pro ball.Whether he's in the top 10, who knows...
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Post by The Duke on Feb 8, 2017 9:07:10 GMT -5
McKay is more of a 10-20 guy imo. The floor is high as both a pitcher and hitter, but I'm not sure about the ceiling. His stuff isn't over powering on the mound, he's more of a #3 or #4 pitcher who can eat is innings with this control. As a hitter he is a poor man's Votto. Walks a lot, good hit tool, solid power, but literally every tool will be at least a grade lower than Votto. Kind of like Yonder Alonso. I think he ends up getting picked as a 1B.
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Post by The Duke on Feb 8, 2017 9:11:14 GMT -5
A guy is like to see still available at 38 is Florida State SS Taylor Walls. A good defender at SS, takes a ton of walks, and while he strikes out a bit much too, he did lower his K rate a good chunk from FR to SO year and had 14 more BB than K last year while showing some decent pop for a smaller guy (5'10" 180 lbs). I'll need to catch some FSU games this year and see him play, because the profile piques my interest.
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Post by floydgator on Feb 8, 2017 17:15:27 GMT -5
A guy is like to see still available at 38 is Florida State SS Taylor Walls. A good defender at SS, takes a ton of walks, and while he strikes out a bit much too, he did lower his K rate a good chunk from FR to SO year and had 14 more BB than K last year while showing some decent pop for a smaller guy (5'10" 180 lbs). I'll need to catch some FSU games this year and see him play, because the profile piques my interest. But he's clearly got questionable morals and very limited intelligence. If we are going to draft a player with just a HS education, I'd rather it be an 18 year old recent graduate than a kid on his 7th year of it.
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Post by The Duke on Feb 16, 2017 14:44:52 GMT -5
College baseball starts tonight, and Vanderbilt plays today with 2 potential Reds #2 overall picks playing in RHSP Kyle Wright as well as CF Jeren Kendall. You can stream the game live for free on VUCommodores.com/collegesportslive, first pitch is at 8:45pm EST tonight.
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Post by redsfanman on Feb 16, 2017 18:45:10 GMT -5
I've never, ever watched a game of college baseball online. A few random games in person. But, I'm intrigued, I'll watch a bit of it.
In addition to Kendall and Wright, 3b Will Toffey was listed as the #80 college player by Baseball America. The Vanderbilt Commodores play San Diego, for whom C Riley Adams is listed at #37 on that same list. Neither made the MLB Pipeline top 50, at this point... but hey, if I'm watching I want to have some idea of who might go in the early rounds on draft day...
It looks like the Florida Gators live-stream their games for free, too, but I'm not quite clear. Their season starts tomorrow (Friday the 17th) at 6:30. I read (in an Orlando newspaper) Alex Faedo will be pitching that night, which I assume means he's healthy and recovered from knee surgery, rather than merely speculating because he's their best pitcher. And I assume JJ Schwarz and Dalton Guthrie should be playing? (Really I'm just digging for confirmation from Duke or floydgator).
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Post by cbassxu on Feb 17, 2017 9:20:47 GMT -5
College baseball starts tonight, and Vanderbilt plays today with 2 potential Reds #2 overall picks playing in RHSP Kyle Wright as well as CF Jeren Kendall. You can stream the game live for free on VUCommodores.com/collegesportslive, first pitch is at 8:45pm EST tonight. Tuned in for the 8th and 9th innings. Vandy was down 3-2 and led off the 9th with a walk and a single. Jeren Kendall then came up and was asked to bunt (lol), ended up popping it up into a double play.
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Post by The Duke on Feb 17, 2017 9:47:54 GMT -5
College baseball starts tonight, and Vanderbilt plays today with 2 potential Reds #2 overall picks playing in RHSP Kyle Wright as well as CF Jeren Kendall. You can stream the game live for free on VUCommodores.com/collegesportslive, first pitch is at 8:45pm EST tonight. Tuned in for the 8th and 9th innings. Vandy was down 3-2 and led off the 9th with a walk and a single. Jeren Kendall then came up and was asked to bunt (lol), ended up popping it up into a double play. What a maroon. Your best hitter is up with a runner in scoring position and you play small ball. Way to overthink it. That said, Kendall should be able to get a bunt down. Kyle Wright was a bit pedestrian. 81 pitches (47 strikes) in 5 innings, 3 runs, 4 hits, 3 walks, 2 K's, took the loss. I haven't heard about how his velocity was yet. Faedo pitches tonight for Florida. I'll follow my top 5 (Greene, Lewis, Faedo, Wright, Kendall) in this thread pretty regularly. I may add someone or drop one of the 5 based on how the year in going . Senzel wasn't a top 5 guy coming into last season, but he has certainly liked the part of #2 overall pick so far.
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