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College  | Story  | 3/29/2017

College Spotlight: Week 6

Patrick Ebert      Jheremy Brown      Mike Rooney      Steve Fiorindo     
Photo: Justin Pondexter
 


Perfect Game College Player Database

Every week during the 2017 college baseball season we will be pulling at least one report, and corresponding video when available, of a player entered into the College Player Database. This week we will share reports on players from the Florida State/Notre Dame, Missouri State/Central Michigan and Clemson/Boston College series. All of the reports entered into the database can be found in one, easy-to-find place as linked above, and can also be accessed off of the individual PG player profile pages.

To access all of the reports you will need a College Baseball Ticket (CBT) subscription. To learn more about the CBT and to sign up today please visit this link.



Taylor Walls, SS, Florida State

Walls has enjoyed a very successful career at Florida State as the Seminoles were thrilled to welcome him back for his senior season. In a year in which there aren’t too many legitimate shortstops from the college ranks Walls could get drafted even earlier than expected (top 2-3 rounds) and be a quality senior sign. While he doesn’t offer much upside as a 5-foot-10, 180-pound athlete, he does just about everything on the field well and is a legitimate switch hitter with very good discipline and bat-to-ball skills from both sides of the plate.

Defensively he offers a very steady presence and consistently delivers strong, online throws to first base, including plays that are made on the move, both laterally and on charge plays. He displays soft hands and quick feet, with solid range to both directions and good feeds to second base. While he is a solid runner, he is more quick than he is fast, which suits him well both at shortstop and on the basepaths, as he gets good reads and runs the bases well with enough straight-line speed to stretch extra bases.

At the plate he does have some pop but for the most part his swing is geared towards hitting line drives to all parts of the field. He also draws his fair share of walks given his plate discipline, something the FSU coaching staff under Mike Martin’s direction has always preached.

While the box score may not have been particularly glowing in his three-game series against Notre Dame, he did draw seven walks and scored three runs, and the one hit he did collect was a scorching line drive up the middle off of a Peter Solomon low-90s fastball. Once on base Walls advanced to second on a groundout, moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on another wild pitch, showing very good instincts and first-step quickness from each base to the next.

Other Florida State players added to College Player Database:

• Dylan Busby
• Drew Carlton
• Tyler Daughtry
• J.C. Flowers
• Tyler Holton
• Jackson Lueck
• Quincy Nieporte
• Drew Parrish
• Cal Raleigh
• Cole Sands





Peter Solomon, RHP, Notre Dame

After opening the season as one of the team’s weekend starter, Solomon made his second relief appearance of the year in the second game of a doubleheader against Notre Dame. He lit up the radar gun by throwing a 96 mph fastball with his first pitch and the next two registered at 95 as he comfortably sat in the 93-96 mph range over his first several innings of work. A longer relief outing (109 pitches in 5.2 innings), his fastball did drop into the lower-90s (90-91) by the 11th inning but the pitch still proved to be difficult to catch up to.

A tall and slender 6-foot-4, 201-pound righthander with long, wiry strong limbs, Solomon threw from a three-quarters slot with a fairly quick and easy arm as the ball jumped out of his hand. His slider sat in the 83-85 mph range, and while it shows promise with sharp, two-plane break, he didn’t command the pitch consistently and will also need to harness the break of the offering.

He did a nice job getting out of a few jams, including a couple that he got himself into. However, he came into the game with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the seventh with Florida State catcher Cal Raleigh at the plate. Solomon got Raleigh to fly out to shallow center to end the threat, and also got out of a two-on/two-out jame in the top of the ninth inning in which he used his 93-94 mph fastball to overpower batters and walk away with no runs scored.

The game ended (essentially) in the top of the 12th when Solomon grooved a fastball down the middle of the plate that FSU third baseman Tyler Daughtry didn’t miss, send the ball over the fence in right field for a three-run home run. Florida State went on to win the game 8-3, although Solomon for the most part gutted through 5 2/3 innings, allowing five runs (four were earned) on seven hits and three walks, striking out six.

As electric as Solomon’s right arm is the consistency is the biggest thing holding him back at this stage of his development. If the light switch turns on and his feel, command and overall sequencing of pitches improves the sky is the limit.

Other Notre Dame players added to College Player Database:

• Brad Bass
• Brandon Bielak
• Sean Guenther
• Michael Hearne
• Matt Vierling





Seth Beer, OF/1B, Clemson

It was a relatively quiet weekend in the Northeast for Clemson slugger Seth Beer, a top 2018 draft talent who collected just two hits on the weekend; coincidentally enough they were in his first and final at-bats of the series. While the batting average isn’t quite there yet this spring as he’s hitting .241 over the first six weeks, he has continued to do the two things he’s been known for: show off easy plus raw power and get on base. 

A top-of-the-scales athlete who’s swimming exploits have been documented in the past, you could slot Beer into any professional lineup and not think twice as he stands at a very strong and ideal 6-foot-3, 200-pounds with broad shoulders and plenty of physicality proportioned throughout. With the power and reputation that precedes him it’s easy to see why he’s being pitched to differently this spring with more soft stuff down and or pitches on the outer half, but rarely this weekend (and overall this spring) has Beer expanded the zone as he picked up another three walks with just two strikeouts in Clemson's series against Boston College. 

His hands aren’t too dissimilar from another potent lefthanded hitter in the ACC in Louisville’s Brendan McKay in that they are quiet, yet explosive, and brings an aura with him to the plate every time he digs in. The athleticism and balance are there in his swing despite a double tap trigger and he recognizes spin well while adapting his quick and fluid swing to pitch type and location. Throughout the weekend he would tend to pull off the ball or just get his arms extended enough to go with the outer half pitch and though he fouled off more than a couple of fastballs straight back, he didn’t miss an elevated Donovan Casey fastball in the ninth inning of Sunday’s game. 

In the final swing in the video (the home run), you can see how Beer stayed behind the ball and simply went with the outer half pitch, driving the ball deep over the left-center field wall for a solo shot. The power is easy in batting practice as he can leverage balls with ease and there’s been no shortage of in-game pop either as evidenced by his now seven home runs. 

Early in the season there was talks of Beer manning first base but throughout the weekend he played both left and right field where he made the plays and showed a nice read on a ball hit into the right-center field gap which he tracked down. A two-way player in high school, Beer has plenty of arm strength for a corner position though he wasn’t challenged this weekend and never had to come up throwing.

Other Clemson players added to College Player Database:

• Charlie Barnes
• Andrew Cox
• Logan Davidson
• Alex Eubanks
• Ryley Gilliam
• Pat Krall
• Chase Pinder
• Chris Williams





Donovan Casey, OF, Boston College

Scouts are going to be torn on what to do with Boston College outfielder Donovan Casey when it comes to the draft. On one hand you have a plus athlete who’s a double-plus runner, with plus arm strength and bat speed but shows inconsistencies with his swing and contact. Then you have Donovan Casey the closer who, despite still being somewhat raw on the mound, shows a very clean arm stroke that produces an easy 91-94 mph fastball with plane and plenty of extension. 

When you lay out all the tools and look at the grades it would be easy to say "position player" as the New Jersey native is 6-foot-3, 205-pounds of chiseled strength with a few pluses on the scout card. On a couple swinging jail breaks this past weekend against Clemson he registered a 3.87 and a 3.90 down the line and was steadily in the 4.1s on regular contact. That said, he’s hitting just .244 on the year with no home runs, though if you watch him take batting practice he can lose the ball with the best of them. As his balance at the plate continues to evolve he could begin to tap into some of the big raw power while manning center field at the next level.

On back-to-back days, however, Casey took the mound and after facing just one batter Saturday afternoon he came back on Sunday for an extended look and was even stronger in his second inning than his first. In a classic move you’ll only see in college, Coach Gambino brought Casey in from right field, somebody from the bench brought out his pitching glove in exchange for his outfield glove, and he went to work. 

Employing a high leg kick and a full and fluid, easy arm action, Casey ran his fastball up to 94 mph and powered the ball downhill to the lower third of the strike zone. There’s still some refining to do with his delivery, as one would expect, but it’s not all too hard to envision Casey sitting in the mid-90s rather easily if he were to focus solely on pitching. Though true in life his fastball is plenty firm through the zone and the potential is certainly there, especially for a pitcher who had less than 10 career innings prior to this spring. 

And though he’s still relatively new to pitching at the collegiate level, Casey shows the makings of a potentially advanced changeup in the upper-70s. With a similar release point Casey showed solid feel for the late tumbling pitch and regularly located the pitch down in the zone.

In a 2017 draft that offers plenty of two-way talent, Boston College’s Donovan Casey appears to be another player who scouts are going to have to figure out as the spring unfolds.

Other Boston College players added to College Player Database:

• Johnny Adams
• Brian Rapp
• Jacob Stevens
• Michael Strem
• John Witkowski





Jake Burger, 3B/1B, Missouri State

Lauded for his prodigious righthanded power and exemplary performance track record, Jake Burger has been tearing the cover off the ball thus far in 2017 to the tune of a .396/.473/.769 slash line, good for an OPS of 1.242. He has nine home runs already and has only struck out 10 times in over 100 plate appearances. 

Profile-wise, Burger is well-known. An extremely strong and physical 6-foot-2, 210-pounds, Burger is thick through the torso and legs and the strength is obvious, and it shows up in a big way during batting practice. Capable of driving the ball out of any ballpark and with the ability to do it to all fields, Burger's raw power grades out as plus-plus from the right side of the plate. 

In game situations, however, this evaluator was a bit perplexed given how linear the swing can become. He collected six hits in the doubleheader vs. Central Michigan last week, in only 10 plate appearances (he walked once and did not strike out). He has some feel for manipulating the barrel to all four quadrants of the strike zone and shows above average bat speed, and while he does bar his hands into his load, he did not have a problem catching up to above average velocity in his first few at-bats against CMU's Dazon Cole. The hands are for the most part direct to the ball, and it would be fair to project out a potentially average hit tool on him in professional baseball. 

The concerns (and granted, this was a single day, two-game viewing) are how the swing differed a bit from BP to game and how his prodigious power did not show up. Of course, Burger is currently slugging .769, has hit nine home runs and has been college baseball's preeminent power threat over his time at Missouri State, so my concerns are alleviated marginally by his track record of performance, but I still have a question or two about how much of his power he'll be able to unlock in game situations in pro ball. 

With that being said, the bat-to-ball skills are solid and his strength/raw power are both prodigious so there remains a great deal to like about Burger's offensive profile. Defensively, his arm plays from third base just fine, and while he's athletic for his size and build he doesn't seem to have the range necessary to stick at third base long term. He comes in on the ball well and has the requisite athleticism needed to flip his hips and throw accurately across his body, which in it of itself checks off a defensive skills box, but he can get a bit heavy footed going side to side and a move across the diamond to first base eventually does seem to be in the cards here. 

On the whole, and this has been stated before, he does compare somewhat to Will Craig, who was taken in the first round by the Pittsburgh Pirates a year ago. Pegging where Burger will be selected is a bit of a crapshoot at this point in the evaluative process, because there are varying opinions as to just what kind of impact Burger will have at the next level.

Other Missouri State players added to College Player Database:

• Dylan Coleman
• Jordan Knutson





Dazon Cole, RHP/OF, Central Michigan

A hyper athletic two-way prospect with loud tools, Cole entered 2017 as a redshirt sophomore who looked to be the Saturday starter in Mount Pleasant in addition to seeing time in center field. He's already ascended to the Friday night role and continues to play center field when not on the mound. Thanks to a doubleheader on Friday he was able to showcase his two-way talents. 

Starting game one vs. Missouri State, Cole came out pumping 92-94 mph with above average life though below average command before settling in at 90-93 mph with more strikes. Cole ended up finishing five complete innings, allowing five runs (one earned) on six hits and four walks with three strikeouts to his credit. 

Mechanically, Cole is pretty clean throughout and his plus athleticism doesn't hurt him, obviously. He's able to create good angles to the plate from a three-quarters slot release, and his plus arm speed is impressive. The issues Cole runs into aren't due to violence or effort, simply just inconsistent repeatability to his delivery. His arm slot will vary at times, especially when he goes off-speed, and (though more rarely) his shoulders end up still tilted at foot strike, which can cause a pitcher to consistently miss up in the zone. On the whole, however, Cole's mechanics are compact and repeatable thanks to his athleticism, and he should be commended for the strides he's made on the mound since being a highly-touted two-way prospect out of Pontiac High School.

His best off-speed pitch was his changeup. It could be a bit firm at 83-86 mph but he definitely throws it with conviction and fastball arm speed, though he would noticeably drop the arm slot and leave the pitch up. It flashed above average potential, though the command and repeatability of mechanics for the sake of deception would need to become more consistent for the pitch to ever reach 55 (on the 20-80 scale) consistently. He also threw a slider up to 87 mph, but for the most part the pitch was below average as he struggled to feel out the proper release point. 

A redshirt sophomore who is draft eligible this season, Cole will undoubtedly draw interest from every Major League team thanks to his prowess both on the mound and in center field, though the bat hasn't come around quite yet. There are raw tools to be a successful hitter in there, as evidenced by a loud double to center field in game two, and he's definitely got the defensive chops and speed to play center field. However, at this juncture it looks like his path into pro baseball will be on the mound. It will be interesting to see how the spring plays out for him, both in terms of where he ends up being drafted and how he continues to develop on the mound in the Friday role for Central Michigan.

Other Missouri State players added to College Player Database:

• Tyler Hankins



Evan White, 1B/OF, Kentucky

White is an enigma as a prospect and that has been complicated by two sets of injury stints so far this year (groin early, hamstring recently as of late March). Setting defensive position aside, White is the rare five-tool player. At 6-foot-3, 205-pounds, White is an athletic specimen. In Kentucky's series against Mississippi, he stole two bases (against defensive phenom Cooper Johnson) while still recovering from a hamstring injury.  

White has been a three-year performer at Kentucky and his power is starting to catch up to his pure hit tool. In a very encouraging development, he is willing to take chances for big damage early in the count while still maintaining the ability to adjust to an all-fields approach late in the count.  

Here is the perplexing question regarding White: where does he play in professional baseball? Usually a question like this brings negative connotations. Not in this case, as one SEC coach remarked that White is the best defensive first baseman in the league in the last 20 years. His defense at first base is that good. However, he is athletic enough to be at least average in center field and maybe even a little better that that. Pray for the problem.

Either way you slice it, Evan White should be a first round pick in June.

Other Missouri State players added to College Player Database:

• T.J. Collett



Cooper Johnson, C, Ole Miss

Cooper Johnson is the best defensive catcher in college baseball as a true freshman and that is remarkable in and of itself. His skill-set was tested in Ole Miss' series at Kentucky as the Wildcats are an up tempo team.

Johnson changes the game defensively and it begins with his superior arm tool. He completely red lights the opponents’ running game outside of a first movement steal versus a lefthanded pitcher or maybe a hit and run. His throw game hits all three points of the trifecta: lightning quick release, outstanding accuracy and tremendous arm strength.

Johnson is also an elite receiver. His hands are soft and he possesses great flexibility which allows him to manipulate his stance in a variety of ways. His ability to receive and present a fastball at the bottom of the strike zone is in a class by itself and that alone is a game changer.  

Johnson, who is listed at 6-foot, 205-pounds, has the build, strength and athleticism of an NFL free safety. These qualities give hope that he will one day be a viable hitter. His approach is solid and there does not appear to be egregious swing and miss in the bat. However, there is no real track record of advanced hitting either. Having said that, Johnson’s defense is so elite that it’s hard to imagine him not catching in the big leagues someday.





Brendan McKay, 1B/LHP, Louisville

McKay has a very good and big build with a powerful frame and a strong back and shoulders. While the draft historically doesn’t have the greatest history producing first baseman where McKay is projected to be selected (top three overall picks), he is athletic enough to project a move to left field, where his arm would also be an asset. At the plate he has a wide base, keeps his hands near his shoulder and employs a short stride. He also has an easy, fluid lefthanded stroke through the zone with a long finish and release but a short path to the ball. In the third and final game of Louisville’s series against NC State McKay hit a line drive single to left field, showing off his bat speed and quick, short stroke and also had a strong showing during batting practice before the game.

Other Louisville players added to College Player Database:

• Nick Bennett
• Riley Thompson



Tommy DeJuneas, RHP, NC State

DeJuneas once served as NC State’s closer but has taken on more of a swing role for the Wolfpack this season. He came in to provide some stabilizing innings as part of a 8-1 loss to Louisville, delivering 4 1/3 innings while allowing one earned run to score. He attacked the strike zone with a lively 91-93 mph fastball that touched 94. DeJuneas’ changeup gave him a second swing-and-miss pitch, throwing quite a few in the 83-85 mph range. He throws the pitch with confidence and good arm action. He also mixed in a slider in the low-80s that had short, cutter-like life to it. With is three-pitch arsenal he has more value as a starter, and could re-join the rotation in the coming weeks.

Other NC State players added to College Player Database:

• Cory Wilder
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