We are about 15 games into the college baseball season and it’s been pretty exciting. There have been quite a few walk-offs, of which Kyle McCann of Georgia Tech has 3 of them.
Pretty soon the mock drafts should start to drop, so they’ll get added to the weekly write-ups as they come in.
In the meantime, I have updated my player tracker. This will have basic player info, stats, as well as additional notes. The pitchers are more detailed right now in terms of velocity and pitches thrown. I’ll continue to update and refine as the season goes along and more info comes out. Some of the top HS players have been added on separate tabs. This is a labor of love so enjoy.
Let’s dive into which players are trending up/down (stats are through Sat 3/9).
College player stock trending up
Jaxx Groshans, C, Kansas - Good catchers in college are as rare as they are in MLB, so when even a decent one comes along, I’m going to do my best to get his name out there. Even if he’s not a top prospect like Adley Rutschman, Groshans is slashing .419/.544/.930 that includes 7 HRs (including a grand slam on March 8). His strikeout rate is under 20%, too. On defense, his caught steal rate is really strong at 38%, he hasn’t committed an error yet, and has only 1 passed ball.
His brother, Jordan, was drafted in the 1st round of 2018 by those pesky Blue Jays.
Here’s a look at @Groshans_15 ‘s second long ball of the day pic.twitter.com/Z8uAG9HML3
— Kansas Baseball (@KUBaseball) February 22, 2019
Thomas Dillard, 1B, Ole Miss - The switch hitting C/LF is slashing .431/.547/.863 with 6 HRs. He has a 20% BB-rate and a 14% K-rate. All very solid numbers. He’s mostly played LF, but has caught a couple of games. I’d imagine he’s not going to win a team a gold glove in the future, so that puts more pressure on the bat.
Kody Hoese, IF, Tulane - Hoese isn’t a household name. Before this season, I doubt many people were talking about him. Maybe they still aren’t. Doesn’t change the fact that he’s off to an exceptional start. He’s helped Tulane to a winning record (so far) and if the pace continues, it would be their first season above .500 since 2016. The 6’3” 3B is slashing .379/.427/.727 while sporting a 10% BB-rate and a super low 5% K-rate. Hoese has already hit more HRs this season than his previous 2 seasons combined.
Junior Kody Hoese has now tied the school record for home runs in a single game with three. He's the 15th player in school history to do so. pic.twitter.com/VV3LykYl7c
— Tulane Baseball (@GreenWaveBSB) February 21, 2019
JJ Bedlay, OF, Vanderbilt - One of the bigger names in the draft. While I’m trying my best to stay away from talking solely about 1st rounders, Bedlay has been sizzling lately. He’s slashing .429/.514/.786. His only plus tool is his arm, but he should hit for average and offer some power.
And I know you love bat flips.
S/O to JJ Bleday, BV Alum and current All American at Vanderbilt, for this absolute bomb #MLBBound #BVNation #RUSerious pic.twitter.com/uiMyuL4S63
— BV BASEBALL (@bvbaseball20) March 1, 2019
Luke Ritter, 2B, Wichita State - Braves drafted Ritter’s teammate last year in Greyson Jenista. Ritter was already coming off a solid season, but has taken his game up a notch this year. He’s slashing .431/.547/.667 so far this season. He’s a little light on XBH, but is sporting a fantastic 20% BB-rate and 11% K-rate. He’s split time between 2B and OF, so this ups his versatility, too. Ritter is a senior, though, so that impacts his stock somewhat. He was drafted in the 37th round in 2018 by the Twins.
Isaiah Campbell, RHP, Arkansas - In addition to a 92-95 mph fastball, Campbell will throw a cutter, slider and change. He’s off to a fantastic start to the season and hopefully he can keep that up.
Isaiah Campbell, 96mph FB Outside, 87mph hard Slider and 94mph Paint Inside, part of his 10ks in 6 innings. pic.twitter.com/h8bsYxb0gp
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) March 9, 2019
Drey Jameson, RHP, Ball State - While Jameson has been inconsistent across his 4 starts, he’s certainly racking up the strikeouts. He’s struck out at least 9 batters each start. His fastball can sit mid 90’s and maxing out at 97. His slider will also flash plus. He can be a bit too hittable at times and he will walk a guy. If Jameson can work on his pitchability and not rely on being a thrower, he’ll continue to increase his stock. Standing 6’0” tall, there will be some durability questions. More info below.
Four names you're going to want to remember:
— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) March 6, 2019
Seth Johnson, Campbell
Jackson Rutledge, San Jacinto (Texas) JC
Drey Jameson, Ball State
Ryan Jensen, Fresno Statehttps://t.co/3Udwc484z7
Tommy Henry, LHP, Michigan - Henry isn’t a hard thrower, sitting in the low 90’s, but his slider is a solid pitch. He’s also a strike thrower which has allowed him to keep the walk rate under 2.00 per 9. Henry lifted Michigan over a good UCLA team, which earned him Big 10 player of the week.
Noah Song, RHP, Navy - I wrote about Song last year. It’s not for certain he’ll even continue baseball after this season (senior year). He’ll still have to commit to 2 years of active duty before committing to professional ball. However, what he’s doing this season is ridiculous. He leads D1 in strikeouts with 52 and as a starter he’s sporting an 18.57 K/9. He’s also given up just 1 run in 25 innings. I think there’s a lot of talent in his arm where he sits mid 90’s (max 98 mph). It’d be a great story for him to choose baseball, but it’s understandable if he wants to focus on serving his country.
#NavyBaseball pitcher MIDN 1/C Noah Song in action against Cornell. #Annapolis pic.twitter.com/MFbt9jh6gi
— Ward Carroll (@wardcarroll) March 9, 2019
Aaron Ochsenbein, RHP, Eastern Kentucky - I’ll root for anyone named Aaron. Our kind have to stick together. It’s a good thing that Ochsenbein has been pretty good. He has 20 strikeouts in 12.1 innings on the season and keeping the walks to a minimum (2.98 BB/9). He’s not a hard thrower, but can reach back to hit 96. He does have a 4 pitch mix, so he’ll likely need to narrow his focus a bit. As a senior, don’t expect him to go in the early rounds.
College player stock trending down
James Ciliento, OF, Bryant - Last season Ciliento hit .377 with an OPS of .960, but this season has been a bit more challenging. While has has improved his walk rate, his strikeout rate has jumped to 24%. Meanwhile, when he is making contact, it’s not finding empty spaces despite having a .318 BABIP. He’s also a bit older for a junior being 22, but not entirely sure if that hurts his stock a lot. Ciliento will have to hit a lot better to offset the lack of power.
Chase Strumpf, 2B, UCLA - Strumpf is seen as a top 50 prospect, but he has gotten off to a slow start. He’s slashing .275/.383/.471 while striking out 28% of the time. He has just 5 XBH so the lack of power is concerning.
B3 | UCLA is on the board after this RBI single from Chase Strumpf.
— UCLA Baseball (@UCLABaseball) March 10, 2019
USC 4, UCLA 1
Tune in here: https://t.co/5OTbrE7PZe#GoBruins | #BeatSC pic.twitter.com/jTWKNKGOv1
Parker Caracci, RHP, Ole Miss - Our first closer on the list and Caracci can bring the heat to the tune of 99 mph. He was coming off a successful 2018, so returning for his senior year was a head scratcher. Needless to say, it might have been the wrong choice. He’s got a talented arm and hopefully he can reduce the walks. Since he’s a senior, there’s not much chance of him getting picked high. With a mediocre season, the Braves could snatch him up in the later rounds. Just look what he was doing last year.
MVP? No doubt. It’s Parker Caracci. pic.twitter.com/zq1UAHknLL
— Michael Martin (@mmartincpa) May 6, 2018
Ken Waldichuk, LHP, Saint Mary’s - Coming off an excellent 2018 season and an okay Cape Cod, expectations were pretty high for Waldichuk. Just check out the Baseball America article below. However, this season hasn’t been that bad per say. He’s had one really awful start, 2 okay starts, and one excellent start. Waldichuck stands 6’4” and 220 lbs, he’s about maxed out. He’ll throw 89-93 and max out around 94, so he’s not exactly lighting up the radar guns. Just need more consistency getting back to last year’s control.
7 pitchers from small schools with MLB Draft potential
— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) February 9, 2019
⚾️ Ricky DeVito
⚾️ Seth Johnson
⚾️ Hunter Gaddis
⚾️ Jeff Belge
⚾️ Levi Stoudt
⚾️ Adam Lukas
⚾️ Ken Waldichuk https://t.co/JwdcCkSRgZ
Kyle Hurt, RHP, USC - Last year, Hurt was part of a no hitter in which he pitched 7 innings. He’ll also be draft eligible as a sophomore since he turns 21 in May. This season has gotten off to a rocky start for Hurt. He’s allowed multiple runs in every start and currently sports a 7.71 ERA. His other key stats are a 11.37 K/9, 7.42 BB/9 and a 1.76 WHIP. Hurt’s fastball can sit 92-94 and he throws a curve and change.
Conor Grammes, RHP, Xavier - Our 2nd closer on the list. Grammes throws just as hard as Caracci hitting a max of 99 mph. However, his control is much much worse. He will throw a slider that flashes above avg, but he’s going to have to gain fastball command if he wants to succeed long term. The walk rate sits at 8.24 with a whopping 2.06 WHIP.
That’s it for this week. Let me know your thoughts on how some players performed this week on the diamond.