Attended the Surprise Saguaros against the Scottsdale Scorpions today. Surprise capitalized on 7 runs in the first 2 innings to win 11-3.
Below is some of what I saw (left my notes at the office):
2B Kolten Wong (Cardinals) - My first look at Wong and, after looking at the boxscore, appeared to be the player of the game after going 4-4 with a 2B and 2 RBI. He didn't really hit any balls hard though, just found holes. He features avg to slightly above avg bat speed in a slight uppercut swing. I think he is going to hit for solid avg (.280) and hit 10-12 HR's while playing solid avg defense. I anticipate the avg grade will rise the more I see. Defensively, he misplayed one ball by putting himself in a bad position on the hops and profiles as a solid avg defensive 2B.
1B Chris McGuinness (Rangers) - McGuinness features a non-physical 1B build (picture James Loney as opposed to Jack Cust). He does generate bat speed and has pull power, as he hit his 3rd HR (and 2nd I saw) to right center field. He appears to have pull power and really jumps on balls elevated out over the plate. I still don't have a great feel for him after 2 games.
C Kellin Deglan (Rangers) - I was real excited to see him, but he is physically not ready for this league. He is very slender and doesn't have a lot of muscle. This will come more into play as the season wears on. He features below avg bat speed and struggled to barrel balls. He also featured below avg arm strength with consistent 2.0 pop times between innings.
OF Slade Heathcott (Yankees) - Heathcott has a low hand position, almost beginning his swing with his hands next to his belt. He hangs in well against lefties and shows solid plate discipline. He is still a work in project in RF, as he really struggled to track the ball, which resulted in what should have been one error and then nearly dropped a 2nd fly ball after not knowing where he was in relation to the wall. Interesting player who shows enough speed to play in CF on a normal team, so will be interesting to see his routes and tracking ability later in the AFL.
RHP Boone Whiting (Cardinals) - Whiting was a godsend in this game, as he threw just 56 pitches to work 3.1 IP and get the game on a decent pace. He featured a FB at 82-92 (no joke, he added and subtracted, he really enjoyed throwing BP FB's in hitter counts. This sounds crazy, but really screws with a hitters timing), a CH at 75-79 and a SL at 78-81 that would devolve into a CB at the lower ends of the spectrum. Pitches to contact and has an idea of how to pitch with a solid repetoire and you can never count those guys out.
RHP Greg Peavey (Mets) - The former Oregon State ace, I got my first look at him as a pro. He threw 2 strong innings out of the pen. He has a rough arm action that puts a lot of pressure on his shoulder and elbow with a major stab in the back of his circle. He attacked with 3 quality pitches, with the SL being the best, though it got too big at times.
RHP Ryan Pressly (Red Sox) - Pressly came out throwing ched with a 4 pitch mix from a mdm, sturdy build. Featuring good present strength, he got up to 97 and worked consistently at 95-96. Of his 3 off speed pitches, the CB appeared to be the one he was most comfortable with at 81-83. The SL/CT and CH were still developing. Intriguing arm.
RHP Dellin Betances (Yankees) - Got rushed out there thanks to Nuding's struggles and, after a rough intro, settled in and threw the ball well. His stuff wasn't as electric as it was the last time I saw him, but he continued to throw strikes and use his extension to his benefit. The SL was a bit slurvier, even throwing one that I would have called a power CB and he threw more CH's and it flashed avg. He ended up leaving the game with an apparent blister issue.
RHP Heath Hembree (Giants) - Also not as electric as last time I saw him, he was up to 97, but wasn't as fine with his location. The SL continued to be solid avg and threw one that was above.
LHP Sam Freeman (Cardinals) - Freeman displayed the rest of his repetoire. In addition to a FB up to 97, he worked in a tight SL/CT that had a little tilt to it and a CH where he slowed his arm down a bit. He is going to settle in as a 3 pitch reliever (FB, CB, SL) and just needs to develop better FB command (tendency to miss up in the zone) to reach a ceiling as a special lefty who could close.
RHP Brandon Cumpton (Pirates) - Finally got a look at Cumpton and he got thrown off his game by having to replace Betances without warming up. He settled in with a FB at 91-93 and worked in a CB that was better in warmups, but a slurve in the game and a SL at 84 that he lost to his gloveside consistently. Will be anxious to see him in a more conventional outing.
Tomorrow, I will be attending the night game between Mesa (Rhee) and Scottsdale (Kaminska).
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