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I had the privilege of attending the FIL and I’d like to share some of my observations on the players whom I was able to either see play in game/simulated/side action, speak with personally, or gather information about from the players/scouts in attendance.

On Martin Perez:

Exceptional player/person. I watched Perez throw a side session and I was really impressed with his stuff. His clean, repeatable mechanics in combination with excellent raw stuff point to a pitcher that far exceeds the 17 years of Martin Perez.

His fastball has excellent life and sources say he can already run it up to 94 mph. His curveball, perhaps his best pitch, is a serious hammer. He can drop it into the strike zone at will. His change-up shows promise and will end up giving Perez an arsenal of three above-average pitches to choose from.

I had the privilege of conducting a lengthy interview with Perez, and I can honestly say that it was one of my favorite ones ever. Perez is extremely confident in his ability, but, like Michael Main, doesn’t feel the need to wear it like a badge on his sleeve, or as a chip on his shoulder. He is also one of the smartest players I have ever talked to.

The cool thing is that his knowledge isn’t limited to just the baseball diamond. Perez can speak intelligently about anything you throw at him. I really can’t say enough about this kid. I have a feeling that he could end up being one of the top prospects in baseball at some point. No joke.

My interview with Perez should be ready to go later on this fall.

Link

I had the privilege of attending the FIL last week and I’d like to share some of my observations on the players whom I was able to either see play in game/simulated/side action, speak with personally, or gather information about from the players/scouts in attendance.

On Blake Beavan:

Blake Beavan: Lots of Beavan during my trip. He closed out the Friday game by uncharacteristically walking two batters, one on four pitches. He ended up getting out of the inning by striking out two batters, but he wasn’t that sharp. In his one inning of work, Beavan threw 29 pitches, with 26 of them being fastballs. Considering the average velocity of his fastball was 90.3 mph, I assumed he was only throwing two-seamers. However, when I was discussing the game with Beavan, he told me he was only throwing four-seamers and that he didn’t throw a single two-seamer. Odd.

I have enough for a good interview with Beavan, but I think I’ll wait until the spring to bust it out. Enough has already been made of his velocity drop and I’d rather not recycle the same subject matter. I will say this: Beavan is quite aware of his velocity dip, but feels confident that it will return to the 92-95 mph level.

Comments/Questions/Suggestions/Insults?

Q&A

In Part III of Baseball Time in Arlington’s three-part Q&A series with Coach Bagonzi, the venerable pitching expert weighs in on the risks associated with tall pitchers, the always interesting scapular loading debate and Derek Holland's mechanics.

Coach Bagonzi on tall pitchers:

"It probably is more difficult for really tall pitchers (6′ 5″ and up) to maintain the mechanical consistency and dexterity that smaller pitchers have, because corrections may inflate margins. However, I would never back away from signing a 6′ 6″, 220-pound pitcher, and I’ve seen more of this type lately - great leverage with tremendous potential."

Q&A

In Part II of Baseball Time in Arlington’s three-part Q&A series with Coach Bagonzi, the venerable pitching expert weighs in on the ever-controversial Dr. Mike Marshall, velocity and the Magnus Effect, and the importance of training the lower body for pitchers of all ages, as well as several other topics of great interest.

Coach Bagonzi on "doctoring" a fastball:

"All the time spent on “doctoring” the fastball is well worth it, because movement is priceless and important to pitching success. Having three or four types of fastballs surely fortifies one’s pitching kit - a riser, a tailer, a sinker and perhaps a cutter makes four pitches all coming out of the same delivery slot. Spin direction and amount of spin would be something all pitchers would do well to completely understand and master, for this is responsible for critical fastball movement."

Curious to hear your thoughts.

Q&A

Respected pitching guru and author of the book "The Act of Pitching", Dr. John Bagonzi answers questions ranging from the myth behind pitch counts to the importance of stride length. Very cool stuff from a very knowledgeable source. 

Coach Bagonzi on today's players:

"I’m not sure today’s pitchers are soft - they are generally bigger, look stronger, make a lot more money, and they have become conditioned to throw five to six innings. We didn’t use pitch counts; maybe we should have, but there didn’t seem to be a lot of arm problems, so some of this is mental. I favor a lot of throwing, but constructive throwing. The hard or "power" slider has a lot to do with arm problems in my opinion, and the jury is still out on the splitter."

Q&A

Respected pitching guru and author of the book "The Act of Pitching", Dr. John Bagonzi answers questions ranging from the myth behind pitch counts to the importance of stride length. Very cool stuff from a very knowledgeable source. Curious to hear your feedback.

Coach Bagonzi on today's players:

I’m not sure today’s pitchers are soft - they are generally bigger, look stronger, make a lot more money, and they have become conditioned to throw five to six innings. We didn’t use pitch counts; maybe we should have, but there didn’t seem to be a lot of arm problems, so some of this is mental. I favor a lot of throwing, but constructive throwing. The hard or “power” slider has a lot to do with arm problems in my opinion, and the jury is still out on the splitter.

Interview

Kasey Kiker on the heat in Texas: 

"I shouldn’t have any heat-related issues. I played a game in high school when it was 110 degrees outside. The whole team in Bakersfield is used to the heat. Definitely no excuses out of me."

Is this the forgotten man in our system? In your opinion, does his limited size play a role in his somewhat diminished prospect status?  Do you think he will be a starter at the major league level? Curious to hear your thoughts.

Interview

Neil Ramirez on his approach on the mound: 

"Basically, when you get on the mound...I call it attack mode. You really want to go after the hitters. You want to get ahead of them with your fastball. Well, you can get ahead of them with any pitch, but you never want to give in to a hitter and let them think they can beat you. I like to go after hitters; like I said, if I can get ahead of them, I'll put them away. I really like to attack hitters. I like to make sure they aren't comfortable in the batter's box."

*Curious to hear your thoughts about Neil Ramirez as a prospect? Where would you rank him in the Rangers’ system and what do you think his ceiling is?

Adam and Brett: I don't want to abuse the privilege so this will probably be the last thread I start to hype my own stuff.  I truly appreciate the platform.   Gracias.

Interview

Tim Murphy on retaliation: 

"It depends. Baseball is a funny game and you have to protect your guys. There are certain cases where it just happens. There’s no right or wrong way to answer this question, but it is just something that has to be done in baseball. You have to protect your own guys, so there are instances where stuff like that happens. Other than that, there’s not too much to it."

Curious to read your thoughts on Murphy.  I know he has a limited professional record but I'd like to hear if you think he profiles better as a starter or a reliever.  Also, where do you think he will start the '09 season? 

Gracias.  

*Shameless plug.  Delete if necessary.