Slade-OH
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Posts posted by Slade-OH
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On 5/12/2019 at 7:06 AM, Frobby said:
Rom continued his solid pitching last night, tossing 5 innings of one-hit shutout ball, walking 3 and striking out five. With Knight in Frederick now, I expect Rom will join the rotation full time, rather than alternating between starting and relieving.
Rom’s overall line so far: 26.1 IP, 24 H, 8 R, 6 ER, 10 BB, 35 K’s, 2.05 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 12.0 K/9, 3.5 K/BB. Very nice numbers for the 19-year old.
Encouraging start. Love seeing that strikeout rate where it is
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1 hour ago, Frobby said:
Hey Mr. Slade, great to hear from you! I hope you’ll give us your evaluation of some of the other Bowie players since you’re apparently seeing a lot of them, and I’ve always found your scouting reports very insightful.
And, it’s cool to learn that Bruce Zimmermann is your cousin and former teammate. He seems to be flying slightly under the radar but that may not last long. Let’s hope he enjoys continued success this season!
Yes that is the plan. I’ll be at most of his home starts so I’ll be taking some video of other players on the team and doing some write ups
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12 minutes ago, ChuckS said:
If this is true, that has to bump up his stock quite a bit. That fastball is the same range that John Means is in and Zimmerman's supposed to have a better slider and changeup according to Luke.
Thanks for the info Slade. Turns out we may have at least one prospect from that disaster of a Gausman trade that ends up being a solid major league contributor.
I would agree. I’m biased of course but he’s been the best starter in Bowie so far in my opinion. And the stats back it up.
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14 hours ago, Luke-OH said:
If he’s t95 sitting low 90s, he’s a backend rotation piece, he knows how to pitch and has useful offspeed pitches but was being held back by a poor fastball.
Yes he is. He’s been 91-94, occasionally bumping 95 in all three starts I’ve watched at Bowie
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Video of one of his strikeouts from his outing on May 10. Definitely the best I’ve ever seen him, minus the final inning where the ump squeezed him on several pitches which led to him walking the bases loaded. Our contingent behind home plate had been heckling the ump so we might be partially to blame for that lol. Finished with 11 K’s and just 2 hits allowed over 5.2 innings.
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Here’s a report (at the end of this post) on his pitches directly from the man himself.
Quick note: I’ve been at a three home starts and can verify he’s hit 95 several times in each start. Not sure about 96 though.
He made a point of emphasis (much like John Means) to increase his velo this offseason and did so successfully. He worked with the same trainer that worked with Corey Kluber several years back before his breakout for what it’s worth. I remember him only being 89-92 on that same Bowie stadium gun last August. He’s been comfortably 91-94 in each start I’ve watched this year.
He’s pitching up in and in the zone more now versus righties and primarily throwing from a 4-seam grip after being a 2-seam grip guy last year. So that could also be a factor in the average velo bump.
Report from Bruce: “Yeah primarily a 4 seam 92-94 top 96 this year. 2 seam 90-92, CH 80-83, SL I think has been 83-86 and CB 79-82. Attacking with the FB CH combo. Slider is sharper than my CB but CB is coming along well this season. Willing to throw in any count. Wanted to mix my pitches more cause I was 70% last year so bring that down a bit”
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Hey Hangouters. It’s been a while since I posted on here.
But, I figured it’s time to return and start a thread about my cousin Bruce Zimmermann since I’ve been going to most of his starts now.
Here’s a bio of who Bruce is and how he got to where he is now.
Bruce grew up here in Maryland in the Woodstock area.
He attended Cardinal Gibbons for one year before that school got the axe and then transferred to Loyola where I got to play on the same team as him my senior year in 2012.
Bruce flew under the radar with college coaches and scouts alike throughout high school, despite emerging as the staff ace at Loyola his senior year.
He finally got a D1 offer later that summer in 2013 from Towson. He would ultimately make their rotation and recorded ERA’s of 5.00 and 7.64 his first two seasons.
Not exactly promising but he took a step big step forward as a starter in summer ball of 2015, now throwing 89-91 mph. That attracted the attention of Mount Olive College, a D2 powerhouse down in North Carolina.
Because he wouldn’t have to sit out a year going from D1 to D2, Bruce transferred to a program that frankly offered him a much better opportunity for success.
Bruce emerged as Mount Olive’s Friday night starter his junior year and out together an impressive junior season: (3.21 ERA over 98.2 innings, 104 hits, 11 walks, 112 K’s).
In the 2016 draft, there were some scouts that reached out to him about possibly being a late round pick but that fell through.
So he got to work and became determined to make himself hard to ignore in 2017.
He had an even better year, anchoring a rotation of a team that finished ranked #5 in the country. Senior year numbers: (3.18 ERA over 99 innings, 89 hits, 24 walks, 129 K’s)
This time he had the scouts full attention and was considered one of the top senior sign prospects in the country.
Come draft day, he would hear his name called in the 5th Round by the Atlanta Braves, signing for a mere $10,000 but that’s how it goes when you’re a senior with no leverage.
Bruce has always had a chip on his shoulder dating back to high school so it’s no surprise to me how determined he was to quickly shed the “just a senior sign” label.
He got off to a promising start in short season ball: (3.09 ERA over 23.1 innings, 21 hits, 9 walks, 28 K’s)
But the real test would be can he translate that to a full season level.
He did that and then some in 2018. Bruce absolutely dominated the SALLY league and made the all star team. Low A numbers: (2.76 ERA over 84.2 innings, 74 hits, 18 walks, 99 K’s)
The Braves were so impressed they decided to test him by skipping him up to AA. Bruce was up for the challenge, punching out 10 in his first AA start.
As fate would have it, Bruce would hear his name called at the trade deadline, being sent back home to Baltimore in the Kevin Gausman trade.
His outings after that his AA debut were hit or miss with the more patient batters in AA giving him some challenges with limiting the free passes. But overall, not a bad start in AA: (3.14 ERA in 28 innings with Braves, 25 hits, 19 walks, 26 K’s. 5.06 ERA in 21.1 innings with Baysox, 25 hits, 7 walks and 16 K’s).
How would he follow that up?
So far, so good.
He currently sports a 2.53 ERA in 6 starts over 32 innings, with 25 hits, 10 walks, 29 K’s, and a .210 opponent average.
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From Baseball America this morning...
Zac Lowther, lhp, Orioles. A supplemental second-round pick from Xavier, Lowther isn't overpowering (87-92 mph) but pounds the zone while deception helps his offerings play up. He's off to a terrific start at short-season Aberdeen, including Tuesday, when he delivered five, two-hit innings against Lowell (Red Sox). Lowther is 1-0, 0.63 with 19 strikeouts and just two walks in 14.1 innings.
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The Orioles select another prep player in the 19th round, this time a right-handed pitcher from Pennsylvania.
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Orioles take another shortstop. This time from the college ranks.
Senior, Captain. Mason McCoy - SS - 6'0", 182 - Bats/Throws: R/R
Found this brief writeup on him from Baseball Draft Report:
"I’m a little surprised that I didn’t write about Mason McCoy last year. Could have something to do with him just having a decent first year at Iowa, but, regardless, he’s my kind of player. There’s nothing particularly flashy about McCoy’s game — average hit tool, average or better speed, average at best arm — but he’s, pardon the term, a gamer who gets the most out of his tools. It’s a strong utility profile that I think will play at the next level, though I’d be a little concerned about the arm being a touch short for the left side. Beyond that, McCoy can hold his own."
2017 Statistics at Iowa:
G AVG PA H 2B 3B HR RBI 61 0.326 280 83 18 2 5 34 BB SO OBP SLG OPS SB-Attempts 27 25 0.394 0.474 0.868 7-for-13Tony's Quick Take: This is where they save some money with a pretty obvious underslot senior sign guy. Probable 2B in minors, maybe utility guy. Doesn't bring a ton to the table tools wise. Probably a 10k signings so they can pocket $225 to use elsewhere. Will most likely sign quickly be starting in Aberdeen shortly. -
Jack Conlon - RHP - 6'4" - 220
<iframe src='http://m.mlb.com/shared/video/embed/embed.html?content_id=1452354583&topic_id=210960834&width=400&height=224&property=mlb' width='400' height='224' frameborder='0'>Your browser does not support iframes.</iframe>
After missing much of his junior high school season with a strained oblique, Conlon made an impression on the showcase circuit last summer with a big league body and a fastball to match. He's still making the transition from thrower to pitcher, but he has added some polish and has looked like a top-three-rounds pick when at his best this spring.
Conlon can pitch at 92-95 mph with life on his fastball and back it up with an 81-84 mph slider on days when his mechanics are in sync. His changeup lags behind his other two pitches, though it has some fade and he shows some feel for it. He has a classic pitcher's build at 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds that bodes well for his durability.
Conlon lacks consistency, however, because he has a rough delivery with effort and a head whack. The Texas A&M recruit doesn't always stay on top of his slider, so it can become quite slurvy. Some scouts think he's destined for the bullpen, while others point to the progress he has made as a senior and think he can remain a starter if he continues to develop.
Tony's Quick Take: It's the 4th round and at this point the chances of these guys becoming a big leaguers are down to 31% (for high schoolers) and 18% for playing three or more years. Conlon seems a bit like a project since some of the reports talk about a hack whack and having a fastball that's pretty straight. That's not a great combination but I'm assuming the Orioles saw something different. Maryland shortstop Kevin Smith was still on the board and he was taken with the very next pick by the Blue Jays. The percentages say take the college hitter over the high school arm, but the O's choose to go with upside though the system is barren with legitimate shortstop prospects.
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8 minutes ago, Diehard_O's_Fan said:
So is there any chance at all that he goes to college rather than signing with the Orioles? I would hope that there is no chance of that happening since the Orioles drafted him so high.
He might now that Orioles drafted him.
Kidding aside, I'd like to think the Orioles did their homework here and expect to get a deal done, perhaps overslot. But, you never know for sure. Phil Bickford, for example, spurned the Blue Jays back in 2013 and he was taken 11th overall.
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I was at the game tonight and came away impressed with Means pitch sequencing. He had an 88-91 MPH fastball, and 81-83 MPH changeup, and a 71-73 MPH curveball. He wasn't afraid to throw any one of those pitches in any count and pitched backwards to several hitters. I liked his tempo on the mound and his strike throwing ability. I don't know how his stuff will play at higher levels but it was clear to me that he knows how to command his three pitch mix.
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So after striking out just one batter in his first start spanning five innings, Alvarado has now fanned 39 over his last 5 starts covering 26.1 innings. Just 6 walks over his last five outings too. Might have to get down to Delmarva soon to see what this kid is throwing and whether he should be on the prospect radar now.
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Jim Callis said on MLB Network that Hughes has a lively fastball that can touch mid 90's early in his outings before decreasing to 89-92 MPH. He thinks he could be a 4-pitch starter with continued development of his secondaries.
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Notre Dame basketball fans should be familiar with this name as he's a two sport athlete for the Irish.
He wants to return for his senior year of basketball at Notre Dame according to this article but is still expected to sign: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2087689-pat-connaughton-will-be-steal-for-mlb-team-willing-to-allow-notre-dame-return
Video courtesy of Bullpen Banter:
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/wDpsM6rZTC8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Some notes courtesy of Perfect Game:
"In what was also a very brief summer season for Connaughton in 2013, he made a very brief pit stop in the Cape Cod League with only two starts for the Harwich Mariners. But, Connaughton also made a very nice impression in that short amount of time. Reaching 94 mph with his fastball, Connaughton lived consistently at 90-93, and mixed in a sharp 72-75 mph curveball. He’ll vary the speed with it at times and overall needs to be more consistent with his feel and command of it. He also mixed a mid-80s changeup as well, but this will also need further development."
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Good info here. I wasn't aware JJ was hit around again yesterday...yikes:
http://touch.baltimoresun.com/#section/-1/gallery/p2p-79808862/
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Yea, I caught the tail end of that game, just in time time to see the BS. Jim's not making too many friends out their in Oakland
Where do 2019 picks fall into our Minor League Rankings?
in Minors
Posted
Threw this together on a whim
1) Adley Rutschman - C