Over the past week, we finally began to see some separation between what can only be described as a volatile draft class, particularly from the college arms. We also saw the return of what might be the best prep-pitcher in the class, and two players from the Bayou State continue to disappoint despite high praise coming into the season.
Thanks to inclement weather the previous weekend, Sean Manaea's start on Saturday against Mercer was his first chance to pitch in fifteen days. The Indiana State left-hander gave up just two runs in his six innings of work, striking out eight while walking three in a 10-2 victory against Mercer.
While the overall line looks acceptable, there were some concerns that grew out of Manaea's start. For the third-straight outing his velocity dropped significantly the second time through the lineup, and he struggled to command his secondary offerings for most of the day.
"He hasn't been the same pitcher as he was this summer" an AL scout said. "In the (Cape Cod League), he was mid 90's with a wipeout slider and a dive bomb change. What I've seen this year has been more along the lines of low- to mid-90's fastball with an above-average slider and average change. That's a first-round guy, but that's not a top-five pick to me. I need to see that guy from the summer come back."
After impressing in front of a seemingly endless number of scouts, cross checkers and executives last Thursday, Ryne Stanek was less impressive in his next start versus San Diego State on Friday. Stanek didn't make it out of the fifth, giving up three runs and five walks as Arkansas beat the Aztecs 4-3.
"If you take away the second inning, he was fine" a National League cross checker said. "Four of the five walks came in that inning and [Arkansas head coach Dave] Van Horn pulled him before the pitch count got too excessive. It wasn't a dominating effort by any means, but you still got a chance to see why he's one of the three best college starters in this class."
We're going to run out of superlatives if Mark Appel keeps this up. The Stanford right-hander was sensational again, giving up just one earned run while striking out 15 with one walk in a 3-2 loss to UNLV. Once again, Appel held his velocity deep into the game, and located all three of his pitches well.
While Manaea looks to be the clear cut favorite to be the first collegiate left-hander off the board, there's a pretty good debate going on as to who that second southpaw will be when June rolls around.
The early favorite is Gonzaga's Marco Gonzales, another arm who Keith Law saw in the Coca-Cola Classic last weekend. Gonzales was good again on Friday against Hawaii, giving up one run in his eight innings and striking out five. More impressively, Gonzales got fifteen ground ball outs versus just three flyouts, and few pitchers in the class have better command than the Bulldog lefty.
Kevin Ziomek was one of the more inconsistent pitchers of the 2012 season, but he's been dominant in his last few outings for Vanderbilt. Facing a competent Oregon Ducks lineup, Ziomek pitched a complete game two-hitter, giving up one run and a walk while striking out 13 in Eugene on Friday. Control was a huge issue for the Commodore left-hander last year, but it's improved significantly so far this season.
The Big Ten conference isn't known for producing a ton of first-round talents, but they may have one in Minnesota left-hander Tom Windle. Windle no-hit Western Illinois on Friday, striking out eight and walking just one batter in his nine innings of work.
"I would still have Gonzales as that second-left hander off the board right now," an NL scout said. "He doesn't throw as hard as either of those guys, and probably doesn't have the upside either, but he's a more sure thing and he's got two plus offerings. If Ziomek had a third pitch, then maybe he's in the conversation, but right now (Gonzales) is the guy."
Windle will face off against Manea on Friday, and Keith Law will be there to scout it for Insider.
It's a deep class of left-handed pitching on the prep side as well, and two of the best in California started their seasons on Thursday. Cathedral Catholic (San Marcos, Calif.) left-hander Stephen Gonsalves went five innings, striking out four and walking one in a 4-0 win against La Costa Canyon. The 6-foot-6, 180 pound left-hander has lots of projection in his 88-to-92 mph fastball, and flashes a plus curve and change.
James Madison HS (San Diego) left-hander Ian Clarkin also made his debut on Thursday, striking out 10 in his five innings of work in a 1-0 loss to Serra. Clarkin is a more finished product than Gonsalves, sitting in the low 90's with a plus breaking-ball and developing change.
And last but not least, St. Pius X (Houston) right-hander Kohl Stewart made his pitching debut on Friday, throwing 46 pitches and sitting 90-94 with his fastball. If Stewart is healthy -- he hadn't pitched this season because of a strained elbow -- he's a strong favorite to be first prep arm off the board come June, but a scholarship to play QB at Texas A&M clouds his signability.
Hitters
San Diego third baseman Kris Bryant continues to put up big numbers this season, hitting three homers and drawing five walks over his three games of work in the USD tournament. Once again, Bryant played third base and right field, and he's taken a commanding lead at this point as the best collegiate bat in the 2013 class.
Bryant isn't the only third baseman currently making waves, though. Virginia Tech's Chad Pinder may have the best glove of any infielder -- not just third-baseman -- in the class, and also swings a quality stick. Pinder had a couple two-hit games against Georgia Tech this weekend, and he's shown some pop from the right-side this season.
Notre Dame has a few players to watch this year, and the best might be third baseman Eric Jagielo. The left-handed hitting Jagielo has had a huge season thus far, and hit home runs on Friday and Saturday against USC and Oklahoma in the Dodgertown Classic. He's less likely to stay at third long-term because of his size, but the bat might play at first and he's a first-day consideration if a team believes he'll stick at the hot corner.
The state of Louisiana has produced a ton of talented players over the last couple of years, but two guys who were on a lot of lists to start the year have disappointed. Louisiana State's Jacoby Jones continues to struggle, failing to record a hit this weekend against Washington, and scouts say his bat looks slow and the swing long this season. Jones was a guy that looked like a first-round pick after his freshman campaign, but has done nothing to earn that stature from the 2012 season on.
Scouts knew that Justin Williams (Terreborne HS, LA) was raw coming into 2013, but the results have still been inadequate. The left-handed hitting outfielder hasn't shown any of the raw power he shows in batting practice, and one scout told me that he already looks like a designated hitter because of how poor he's played in the outfield. There's time to turn it around and someone will fall in love with the tools, but he doesn't look like the potential top-15 pick many thought he was this summer.