Daniel
Norris
LHP
/ Science Hill High School
Bats-Throws: L-L
Height/Weight: 6-3/180
Hometown: Johnson
City, Tenn.
College
Commitment: Clemson
Birthdate: April
25, 1993
SCOUTING
PROFILE: It’s
been well documented how deep the 2011 draft class is in top prospect
pitchers. That’s unquestionably true in three of the four basic
pitching demographics; college righthanders and lefthanders and high
school righthanders. But the one area that is a bit thin is high
school lefthanders, where Tennessee’s Norris clearly stands out
among the nation’s prospects. In fact, only California southpaw
Henry Owens is a sure thing to join Norris as a high school lefty in
the first two rounds. Norris has been well known to scouts since the
summer following his freshman year when he began pitching for the
East Cobb Yankees, a predominantly 17-18 year old team in the East
Cobb (GA) program, a 5 hour drive from Norris’ home in northeast Tennessee. Norris was touching 87 mph just after his 15th birthday
but jumped up to 94 mph after his sophomore season, solidifying his
status as a top prospect. Although one of Norris' trademarks as a
pitcher is the wide variance in his fastball velocities during a
start, one thing that hasn’t varied at all is his prospect status
over the past two years, as he’s held down the number one spot in
the Perfect Game Rankings for almost two years. Norris’ fastball will
move anywhere from 88 to 96 mph during a typical outing, something he
attributes to focusing on location and movement at times over
velocity and power. The run/tail on his fastball can be plus at
times. His best secondary pitch is a 74 mph curveball that has very
sharp biting action and big depth to it, although it lacks ideal
velocity. Norris has been throwing what he calls a slider in the
upper 70’s over the last year, although it is more like a sweeping
slurve, that, like his curveball, will need some refining before it
reaches its potential. His low 80’s change flashes plus quality
now, with outstanding late movement at the plate, and should continue
to develop for him as he uses it more at the next level. Norris is
an above average athlete for a top prospect pitcher and is very quick
and sure handed off the mound. If drafted by a National League team,
Norris could also prove to be an above average contributor with the
bat. In addition to his complete package of fastball, breaking
balls, change up, sound mechanics and overall athleticism, Norris has
consistently impressed scouts over the years with his make up and
enthusiasm for the game.
Projected
Draft Position: First
round / picks 15-25
Perfect
Game Events Attended:
2008 WWBA 2008 Grads or 18u National Championship
2008 WWBA 2011 Grads or 15u National Championship
2009 WWBA 2009 Grads or 18u National Championship
2009 WWBA World Championship
2010 National Showcase
2010 WWBA 2010 Grads or 18u National Championship
2010 AFLAC All-American Game
2010 WWBA World Championship