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Interesting thoughts from Jim Callis

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Greg Pappas Hangout Grand Counsel

Greg Pappas

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Jim Callis of Baseball America (great guy BTW) had the following to say earlier today, regarding the HS arms of '09 and '10...

This draft seems to be loaded at the top with high school pitchers, such as Jameson Taillon, Karsten Whitson, Dylan Covey and A.J. Cole. How would you compare them to last year's group of Tyler Matzek, Jacob Turner, Matt Purke and Shelby Miller? Which group has the most potential, and how would you rank them if you combined them all?

Mike Bryan

Bethesda, Md.

Before we get started, let's add two players to each group. Zack Wheeler was considered the equal of the other 2009 draftees you mention (and got picked ahead of all of them), and Chad James wasn't far behind. This spring, Stetson Allie has come on to rank right behind Taillon in the pecking order of high school arms, and Kaleb Cowart is in that mix as well.

Overall, the 2009 crop was superior to the 2010 group. Collectively, last year's top high school pitchers had better stuff and performed more consistently than the best prep arms from this spring.

I still have trouble trying to decide on Matzek vs. Taillon. I tackled that question in the March 29 Ask BA, and I'd still give Matzek the tiny edge I gave him then, but there's no right answer there. Based on their prospect status at the time of their draft, I'd rank the 12 pitchers in this order: Matzek, Taillon, Turner, Purke, Allie, Wheeler, Covey, Cowart, Miller, James, Whitson, Cole.

I agree for the most part, and see the difficulty in choosing Matzek over Taillon. I am not in Callis' league certainly, but I'd alter that list just a bit.

Taillon, Matzek, Turner, Purke, Whitson, Allie, Miller, Covey, Cowart, Cole, Wheeler, Hobgood, James.

I would have added Hobgood by a hair over James... regardless, Callis was insightful as usual.

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H0smash Major Leaguer Cup of Coffee

H0smash

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Jim Callis of Baseball America (great guy BTW) had the following to say earlier today, regarding the HS arms of '09 and '10...

I agree for the most part, and see the difficulty in choosing Matzek over Taillon. I am not in Callis' league certainly, but I'd alter that list just a bit..

Taillon, Matzek, Turner, Purke, Whitson, Allie, Miller, Covey, Cowart, Cole, Wheeler, Hobgood, James.

I would have added Hobgood by a hair over James... regardless, Callis was insightful as usual.

IF we get Taillon, do you think it would be wise to try to add a cut fastball to his arsenal?

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Greg Pappas Hangout Grand Counsel

Greg Pappas

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IF we get Taillon, do you think it would be wise to try to add a cut fastball to his arsenal?

Here is some info that speaks to your question... straight from Taillon himself:

My go-to pitch is just a good old four-seam fastball, and this spring so far it’s been 94-97 MPH. [Kevin's Note: After this interview I spoke with Jameson again and he informed me that at a scrimmage he threw four innings and sat 96-97 MPH, touching 99 MPH twice]. It used to be really flat and since I’ve had this kind of velocity spike its got some really hard, boring action to it now. I can locate that four-seam pretty well, and I’ve been working on a two-seam which has been coming in anywhere from 89-93 MPH. It’s got some big-time run, which was really big in the summer because it can break those wood bats. I’d say my second best pitch is my spike curve which comes in 82-84 MPH, and it’s one of my favorite pitches to throw. That’s kind of a new pitch actually, I just learned it last year with my pitching coach, and I really took to it. I don’t really throw a changeup too much, but when I do it’s mid to upper 80s circle change that runs pretty good. I definitely consider myself the typical Texas power pitcher.

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rhall Major Leaguer Cup of Coffee

rhall

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IF we get Taillon, do you think it would be wise to try to add a cut fastball to his arsenal?

No. Definitely not right away. He has big time stuff. Let him work on polishing up his fastball, curve & changeup. If he can command his curve & change, and throw his fastball to both sides of the plate, he'll be able to get both lefties & righties out without a problem. When he gets to the upper minors and they decide a cutter could really help him, then maybe they can experiment. But if things go as planned for big Taillon, he won't need one.

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H0smash Major Leaguer Cup of Coffee

H0smash

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No. Definitely not right away. He has big time stuff. Let him work on polishing up his fastball, curve & changeup. If he can command his curve & change, and throw his fastball to both sides of the plate, he'll be able to get both lefties & righties out without a problem. When he gets to the upper minors and they decide a cutter could really help him, then maybe they can experiment. But if things go as planned for big Taillon, he won't need one.

That's a good point. According to Greg's post, however, he's developing a two-seamer which is nice. It's always good to have four pitches. I really hope we can get him this year.

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rhall Major Leaguer Cup of Coffee

rhall

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That's a good point. According to Greg's post, however, he's developing a two-seamer which is nice. It's always good to have four pitches. I really hope we can get him this year.

I agree that having both a 4 & 2 seamer is a good thing.

The cutter is a different animal, though. There are a lot of people in baseball who like the cutter and a lot of people who don't like it. It can be a very effective pitch, but it's not always used correctly or taught correctly. BA recently did an article on this. Very interesting. If you're a subscriber, click here.

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H0smash Major Leaguer Cup of Coffee

H0smash

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I agree that having both a 4 & 2 seamer is a good thing.

The cutter is a different animal, though. There are a lot of people in baseball who like the cutter and a lot of people who don't like it. It can be a very effective pitch, but it's not always used correctly or taught correctly. BA recently did an article on this. Very interesting. If you're a subscriber, click here.

Thanks man. I'm a poor college kid, though, haha so maybe I'll subscribe when I've got a job but not yet.

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wickedwitch Major Leaguer

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The cutter is a different animal, though. There are a lot of people in baseball who like the cutter and a lot of people who don't like it. It can be a very effective pitch, but it's not always used correctly or taught correctly.

For those who don't know what a great cutter looks like, it's Rivera's primary (only?) pitch.

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rhall Major Leaguer Cup of Coffee

rhall

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For those who don't know what a great cutter looks like, it's Rivera's primary (only?) pitch.

Yep. That's his bread and butter. He doesn't even try. He started throwing it by accident in 1997. Most people have to consciously alter their finger pressure to throw it correctly, but Rivera's is totally natural. He had other pitches up until then, but it didn't take long for him to abandon his slider and the idea of trying to throw a straight 4-seam fastball.

The cutter is also what makes Roy Halladay one of the best pitchers in baseball. What separates him, though, is that he can purposefully cut the ball in either direction.

edit: on italized above... I went a little too far on that one. The change in grip is just as important, which is what makes Rivera even freakier - he didn't alter his grip, hence it being an accidental find.

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H0smash Major Leaguer Cup of Coffee

H0smash

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Yep. That's his bread and butter. He doesn't even try. He started throwing it by accident in 1997. Most people have to consciously alter their finger pressure to throw it correctly, but Rivera's is totally natural. He had other pitches up until then, but it didn't take long for him to abandon his slider and the idea of trying to throw a straight 4-seam fastball.

The cutter is also what makes Roy Halladay one of the best pitchers in baseball. What separates him, though, is that he can purposefully cut the ball in either direction.

Isn't that what Maddux used to do? He would say that he could alter his finger pressure on the ball to make it move one way or the other. (I know he threw a two-seamer and not a cutter, but the idea is similar, no?)

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rhall Major Leaguer Cup of Coffee

rhall

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Isn't that what Maddux used to do? He would say that he could alter his finger pressure on the ball to make it move one way or the other. (I know he threw a two-seamer and not a cutter, but the idea is similar, no?)

Yeah, being able to manipulate the ball with finger pressure is a special skill that Maddux had, too. For most people, making the ball move is just about changing grips.

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frode Rookie

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I could see Taillon being placed at the same level as Hobgood once he's signed, being a bit ahead of Hobgood at this point (IMO).

It'd be a great 1-2 punch that would flow up the minor league chain until they hit the majors. That's a pretty big deal.

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Three Run Homer Hangout Veteran Council

Three Run Homer

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Jim Callis of Baseball America (great guy BTW) had the following to say earlier today, regarding the HS arms of '09 and '10...

I agree for the most part, and see the difficulty in choosing Matzek over Taillon. I am not in Callis' league certainly, but I'd alter that list just a bit.

Taillon, Matzek, Turner, Purke, Whitson, Allie, Miller, Covey, Cowart, Cole, Wheeler, Hobgood, James.

I would have added Hobgood by a hair over James... regardless, Callis was insightful as usual.

The most dispiriting thing about this article is that Hobgood didn't even get a mention even though he was picked ahead of all of the other 2009 guys mentioned.

Ecchh. What a horrible wasted opportunity. I'm tempted to say that we shouldn't take high school pitchers so high in the first round any more, but really the problem is that you have to take the right guy.

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