Jason Pennini and Jason Woodell have been out at the back fields getting looks at guys drafted in June. This is the first part of our FYPD Live Looks
Brice Turang, SS Brewers - 1st Round VIDEO
Smooth at short, solid hands, IF actions, and reactions. Quick first step and nice range to get to ball off Sugilio’s bat. Plus arm. Patient hitter; took 11 pitches:zero swings in first two ABs. Wide base stance, kept weight back and bat path was linear, maybe a slight uppercut in his one swing in his third AB.
Justin Jarvis, RHP Brewers - 5th round VIDEO
Thin with room for good weight. High slot 88-90. Works down with some plane and below average effort. The CB shape was inconsistent and looked better in my previous look this spring. Only threw one change at 83. Looked worn down. Could benefit greatly from adding functional strength this offseason.
Jake McCarthy, OF Diamondbacks - CBA VIDEO
Baseball player body, strong and flexible. Fast bat/hands inside. Moderate leg kick with plus bat speed. Keeps weight on back foot until hips twist and bat enters the hitting zone. Good transfer of lower half energy into swing. Advanced approach. Looked comfortable working deep into counts and waiting for his pitch. Tracks spin well with overall good pitch recognition. 4.19 home to first.
Mike Siani, OF Reds - 4th round VIDEO
Overslot 4th round pick was signed for CBA round money. Good athlete, fast 4.25 to first from left, not max effort. Open base stance. Closes with short leg kick and quiet hands with little pre-slot movement. Hands are quick inside. Bat path is short to ball. Knees buckled on 85 mph breaker from Mike Matuella for strikeout looking. Good range in CF, moves well there. Arm was below average; more accurate than strong, throws lacked carry.
Alek Thomas, OF Diamondbacks -2nd round
Excellent athlete. Short but strong. Has functional strength for baseball. Upright base stance and stays relatively upright through slot position. Moderate leg kick as hands lower from shoulder length with body. Uncorks hips as he swings for effective use of lower half. Efficient, smooth, aesthetically pleasing swing. Displayed good range and jump in tracking down fly ball to CF.
Blaze Alexander, SS Diamondbacks - 11th round VIDEO
Thin, but athletic. Rocks slightly before pitch as a timing/momentum mechanism. Starts with his weight on the back foot. Center of mass remains back even through approach. Quiet hands slot above shoulder length. Good hands and bat speed offset length in swing. Bat path geared for loft and extra base hits.
Jason Pennini
Follow on Twitter @JasonPennini
CJ Alexander, 3B, Braves - 20th round
Tall, slender frame. Athletic. Good feel for hitting, consistent hard contact. Mostly pull approach with a linear swing but can beat shifts and produce hard contact to opposite field. Aggressive at the plate, will ambush fastballs. Gap power at present but may lead to over-the-fence power with swing adjustment. Struggles against hard velo in on his hands. Swing has slight loop which affects bat speed. Plus runner, aggressive on basepaths. Likes to run whether by SB or taking extra bases.
Greyson Jenista, OF Braves - 2nd round VIDEO
Athletic frame, strong build. Strong wrists, hands with swing. Good feel for the barrel, will use all fields. Gap power at present but has the build to project 55-60 game power. Struggles with pitch recognition. Consistently on front foot against change-ups, neutralizing lower half. Hit tool will improve to above-average once he keeps his weight back.
Tristan Beck, RHP Braves - 4th round VIDEO
Athletic delivery. Repeats well. FB 92-94 with sink. Attacks hitters. Extends the plate and generates groundball contact. Curve has consistent shape, tight spin. Showed a CH with depth and fade. Good arm speed on the CH. Mature pitcher. Profiles as mid-rotation SP.
Trey Riley, RHP Braves - 5th round VIDEO
Smaller but athletic with fast arm. FB sat 96 with run. SL flashed hard 2-plane tilt but lacked feel in 1st inning. SL flattens out at times especially early. 2nd inning, much more consistent bite with tight spin, leading to swing and miss. Stuff improved across the board in 2nd inning. CH is firm. Needs to improve in order to reach ceiling as a SP.
Jason Woodell
Twitter- @jasonatthegame
Daniel Lynch made his season debut in mid-May in Triple-A and Jake Kerns was on hand to see it. Here are his takeaways