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Summer Collegiate | Story | 8/9/2010

Selman brings heat to the Northwoods

Patrick Ebert

Two years ago left-handed pitcher James Jones, who was coming off his freshman year at Long Island University, was creating quite a buzz in the Northwoods League, coming out of the bullpen for the Waterloo Bucks while frequently touching, and eclipsing, mid-90s heat. The Seattle Mariners liked his athleticism enough to spend a fourth-round pick on him in the 2009 draft, although they decided to develop him as a toolsy outfielder given his sweet left-handed stroke.

Fellow lefty Chris Sale may not have been throwing as hard as he is now, but he too was dealing during the summer of 2008 in the Northwoods League coming off his freshman year at Florida Gulf Coast. He impressed scouts not only with his easy arm strength but also with his then-developing wipeout slider and changeup. Sale, of course, was the 13th overall pick this past June, and recently was called up by the Chicago White Sox who intend to use him out of their bullpen as they attempt to secure a postseason berth.

Looking to follow in their footsteps is Mankato’s Sam Selman, another promising lefty who joined the Moondogs coming off his freshman year for Vanderbilt.

His first year for the Commodores didn’t go that well, posting a 9.00 ERA, which isn’t uncommon for a freshman, but in his defense he logged only six innings in four relief appearances. He did strike out eight batters, but also walked four.

Control is Selman’s biggest obstacle that he will need to overcome, and much of it appears to be due to a lack of a consistent release point and overall mechanics. His fastball has been in the 92-95 range during the early innings of his four starts (in eight total appearances), sometimes dipping to the upper-80s later in games and touching 96-97 on occasion. Both his curveball and changeup show promise, but like his control and mechanics, he needs to find more consistency with both to reach his full potential.

So far this summer he has struck out 22 batters in more than 31 innings of work, but has also issued 20 walks. Opposing batters are hitting only .185 off him, and he hasn’t allowed a single home run. His stuff is not only hard to hit, but hard to hit hard, and he has induced some awkward swings and broken a few bats in the process.

As the 2009 draft approached, Perfect Game had the Austin, Texas, native ranked as the 47th best high school prospect thanks to a marked increase in fastball velocity. It was a good year for prep lefties, as a pair of more established hurlers, Tyler Matzek and Matt Purke, went among the top 14 selections. It was also a good year for talent in the Austin area, as Shelby Miller and Everett Williams were taken in the first and second rounds, respectively.

Despite his dramatically improved prospect status and early-round talent, Selman was selected in the 14th round by the Angels out of high school, but most considered him to be a difficult sign given his commitment to Vanderbilt.

Physically, Selman resembles former Missouri State lefty Ross Detwiler, with a lean and athletic frame and plenty of room for added strength. Selman has more herk and jerk to his delivery than Detwiler did, but he also has more natural sinking movement to his fastball when he is able to keep it down in the zone.

This summer should serve as a springboard for the young southpaw, and Vanderbilt has a knack for developing promising young lefties, highlighted by David Price, who started the All-Star Game for the American League squad last month.

However, it won’t be easy to crack an already loaded Vanderbilt rotation that boasts Team USA ace Sonny Gray and two of the top arms currently pitching on the Cape: Jack Armstrong and fellow lefty Grayson Garvin (who led the Cape in ERA at 0.74). Finding a spot will further be complicated should Taylor Hill, a 30th round draft pick of the Cleveland Indians this past June, return for his senior year.

Regardless of how it shakes out, Selman is another piece to what continues to be a very strong program, and should he continue to mature both on the mound and physically, he could become a premium pick for the 2012 draft.

The thoughts and opinions listed here do not necessarily reflect those of Perfect Game USA. Patrick Ebert is affiliated with both Perfect Game USA and 5 Tool Talk, and can be contacted via email at pebert@5tooltalk.com.

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