Winker
shows power arm, bat
The
2011 Perfect Game National Showcase began with the outfielders
showing their arm strength from right field. Windermere, Florida
native Jesse Winker was one of those players, hitting 91 on the radar
gun on throws made to both third and home.
Winker
is no stranger to Perfect Game events, particularly those associated
with the National Showcase, having attended the Junior National in
both 2010 and 2009.
"I
love coming out here, Perfect Game does a great job putting this
together,” Winker said after he took batting practice. “I love
coming to show what I have and to see where I rank among all the
other players.
“There
is a bunch of (great) talent here. From watching BP and from
shagging there's a bunch of guys that can swing it and throw it, both
infield and outfield. It's a lot of fun to watch and be part of.”
He
already was considered one of the top players in the nation eligible
for the 2012 draft, and after an incredibly impressive round of BP he
has cemented his status as one of the nation's elite hitters.
“It
felt great,” he said referring to the multiple balls he sent
sailing over the right-field fence. “Every time I take BP I just
try to hit a line drive, especially to left (field) just to get a
feel for my swing and the situation around me. By the fifth or sixth
(swing) I'll just let them fly. Whatever happens, happens, you've
just gotta swing hard.”
Winker
looks like a natural when he steps into the batter's box, with strong
proportions and sloped shoulders. He exhibits very good bat speed,
loft power to right field and the ability to smoke line drives to all
parts of the park.
His
power/power profile makes him a perfect fit for right field.
With a
busy summer ahead of him, Winker has shown that he knows what it
takes to succeed. “Play hard and have fun,” he said of his
approach to the game. “That's all I can really do.”
Workout
session recap
There
were some notable performances turned in from Thursday morning’s
workout session at the 2011 Perfect Game National Showcase at City of
Palms Park.
In the
outfield throw session, Jake Cosart from League City, Texas, topped
the charts with a throw that reached 98 mph. That was just 1 mph off
the event record of 99 mph set by Michael Lorenzen in 2009.
Cosart’s
brother, Jarred Cosart, recorded a 101 mph throw at the 2008 Perfect
Game World Showcase.
Skye
Bolt from Woodstock, Ga., got close to Jake Cosart with a throw
gunned at 95 mph, and two other prospects – Dylan Dore from
Alpharetta, Ga., and Connor Williams from South Jordan, Utah – had
94 mph outfield throws.
In the
infield throw workout, Kenny Koplove from Philadelphia, Pa., topped
out with a 94 mph throw from shortstop to first base.
Max
Foody from Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., bested the group in the first
base throw with a 91 mph bullet, followed closely by a 90 mph throw
from Tampa’s Keon Barnum. Foody’s effort was just short of the
event record of 92 mph posted by current Kansas City Royals first
baseman Eric Hosmer in 2007.
From
behind the plate, Niklas Stephenson’s 81 mph throw from home to
just behind second was clocked at a session-best 81 mph. Jason
Goldstein had the best Pop time among the catchers at 1.80 seconds.
To
view all of the workout results, be sure to visit the Perfect Game
National Showcase blog.
Lasting
impressions
Over
the next four days we will continue to provide day-by-day coverage
from the 2011 Perfect Game National Showcase. While comprehensive
scouting reports will be filed on all of the players in attendance in
the weeks to come, in addition to Jesse Winker's round of BP as noted
above, here are some of the other impressive individual performances
that stood out on day one:
• The
biggest story on the day was the emergence of right-handed pitcher
Clate Schmidt. He warmed up at 92, threw his first pitch at 94 and
his second at 95, staying in that range over his two innings of
work. He also dropped in some low-80s curveballs that were so nasty
it prompted a scout to say, “I swung my program at that.”
Previously listed as a primary shortstop, it's safe to say his future
now lies on the mound.
• Ryan
Burr was also impressive, although more for his ability to hit both
the inside and outside corners than for his pure stuff. And his
stuff was plenty good, sitting 91-93 while throwing a very sharp
curveball in the 75 mph range.
• Austin
Dean hit the ball well in batting practice, and had a nice battle
against left-handed pitcher Matthew Smoral in the first inning of
game three. Smoral had to use his entire arsenal
(fastball-slider-changeup) to retire Dean.
• Speaking
of Smoral, he came out firing mostly fastballs in the 91-92 range
before he grew more comfortable throwing his breaking ball.
Currently listed at 6-foot-8, 225-pounds, it's easy to envision him
in the 260-pound range, and carrying it well, in three to five years.
• Tanner
Rahier looked good at the plate during batting practice and in game
situations. He showed good bat speed and the ball jumped off of his
bat pretty well, including a single he ripped through the hole on the
left side of the infield in game two. He also threw 91 across the
infield during the morning practice.
• Overall
it was a strong group of catchers on the first day of the National
Showcase. Jason Goldstein, Blake Hickman and Chris Harvey stood out
in both the morning workouts and during game action. Brian De La
Rosa, who did not participate in the morning drills, showed very good
quickness behind the plate during game action with sound footwork.
• One
member of the Perfect Game staff who had not previously seen Albert
Almora this year felt he was as every bit as good as advertised. The
five-tool athlete threw 89 from the outfield and should be among the
leaders in the 60-yard dash when that drill is conducted on Saturday
night.
• On
his first swing of batting practice, Keon Barnum drew some awes from
the crowd for hitting a blast well over the wall in right field. He
also hit a rocket off of Clate Schmidt in game three that was snared
for an out.
• Two
of the louder hits in game action were triples to deep centerfield
off of the bats of Daniel Robertson of the Gray team and the
Gold's Jamal Martin.
• Eric
Neitzel hit three straight towering home runs clearing the left-field
fence to open his batting practice session.
• A
trio of hurlers from Illinois looked very good for the Maroon squad
in game one, combining for six scoreless innings and six strikeouts.
Right-hander Kyle Funkhouser threw 89-91 with a sharp curveball and
nice change, and left-hander Brett Lilek sat in the 88-90 range and
touched 91 while showing very good command of his three-pitch
repertoire. Ryan Perez falls into his own category with the ability
to throw in the upper-80s with both his right and left arm, and
created one of the more interesting storylines on the day.
• Jose
Orlando Berrios threw the ball well in game two, sitting in the 91-93
range with a sharp mid-70s curve. He showed four pitches in total,
all with some kind of movement to them.
• Be sure to read Jeff Dahn's player features on Carlos Correa, Keon Barnum and Kayden Porter.
Contributing:
Jeff Dahn.