In a game sandwiched by rain showers, I was able to catch the No.13 Boston College Eagles looking to bounce back after dropping the series opener to the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. The rain ruined any pre-game batting practice but subsided enough to deliver a matchup of intriguing prospects on both sides.
OF Travis Honeyman, Boston College
Honeyman caught plenty of national attention over the past calendar year with a strong Cape League showing before having to leave early with an injury, although he tried to play through it. The same hand injury caused a few absences earlier in the season, but Honeyman has really found his groove lately.
He ended every at-bat yesterday with a hard-hit ball, including a single and a home run, all against off-speed pitches. The home run was his third of the season he yanked over the left field fence. He is more of a gap-to-gap hitter but has some pop to the pull side.
The junior outfielder is a fiery competitor and a great athlete. He has an open, relaxed stance with a wide base before he attacks the ball with a big leg kick into a violent swing with great bat speed. He is a plus runner and gets out of the box well posting a 4.15 home-to-first time. He has been playing right field where he has gotten the job done but a lack of opportunity combined with BC’s refusal to take infield outfield has not allowed him to display his arm. Honeyman sets the tone for the Eagles’ offense and is really starting to live up to his billing for the ranked Eagles.
RHP/1B Jackson Finley, Georgia Tech
This is technically Finley’s fourth year of college baseball but the first one was shortened due to COVID and the next two were both cut short with Tommy John surgery and recovery. Now fully healthy, the well-built 1B/RHP is enjoying a breakout season on both sides of the ball.
He made the start Saturday and used a four-pitch mix with a simple delivery where he finishes high and throws from a ¾ arm slot. His sinker was in the mid 90s with lots of arm side run, he leaned on the sinker to start the game and started off most hitters with it to get ahead in the count. Worked the outside corner well letting the ball run back into the zone. As the game went on, Finley expanded the pitch mix and went to the breaking stuff more.
The slider was mid 80s, lived arm side, and induced the most whiffs. Left one over the plate which was yanked over the left field fence. His curveball was used as a change-of-pace pitch to RHHs and caught a couple of batters off balance but also lacks depth or much bite. Finley glove-signs his off-speed as a splitter but doesn’t kill the spin enough to be a true splitter so it would be interesting to see the grip. He used it against lefties for success as the movement and tumble mimicked the sinker, but he could not spot it right on right. From the stretch, the velocity ticked down and his command seemed to fade which caused him to allow more base runners. He really only made one big mistake pitch on the slider for a home run, the other home run was a well-placed sinker inside where the hitter maneuvered the barrel well.
At the plate, Finley was fanned by fastballs his first two at-bats but turned on one for an unlucky lineout later on. He has a wide stance with a small leg kick and wants to lift the ball but couldn’t get anything in the air with authority.
OF Cameron Leary, Boston College
Leary had a strong 2022 campaign and a hot start to 2023 that helped him get slotted in at 392 on the updated 2023 Top 400 Draft prospects. He has an open stance, but he really closes his front side and brings his hands back, gearing up his swing to turn on an inside pitch. This leaves him as a pull-heavy hitter and opposing teams counter that with a heavy shift. Saturday he was able to punch two singles through the 4-3 hole and the shift as well as drawing two walks.
Despite not being rapid out of the box, Leary is a solid base runner that is always looking to swipe a bag and has gone 9 of 10 on stolen bases this season. He cooled down since his hot start, but if Saturday’s production continues, he could start to rise up the draft board.
OF Jake DeLeo, Georgia Tech
Saturday was my first time seeing Jake DeLeo play for Georgia Tech, though he has been a mainstay of the Chatham Anglers for the past two summers. Heading into the game he was hitting comfortably over .400 and enjoying a nice junior season after an injury-plagued sophomore campaign. He only reached base once in five attempts but impressed defensively as he navigated the spacious center field well and got to balls in the gap.
He sets up with a closed front toe and holds his bat almost directly perpendicular to the ground. He uses a small timing toe tap and has good bat control despite the interesting hand setup.
RHP Chris Flynn, Boston College
It’s hard to not mention what Chris Flynn has done this season, carrying the Boston College rotation and being a large reason why they went from last place preseason to ranked 13th in the country. He’s a 23-year-old grad transfer from Roger Williams, but he outdueled Finley on Saturday and has only allowed 8 runs this season. It’s a straight over the top delivery with an 89-91 mph fastball that plays up in the zone as he gets ride on it. The breaking stuff isn’t wipeout but he shows great command and works all over the zone missing barrels and frustrating hitters. If he continues to be an automatic win on Saturdays, I think it will be hard for 30 teams to look away and not sign him.
