sportstr44

BASEBALL AMERICASCOUTING REPORT Glenn Albanese Representative: NA Signing Scout: NA Albanese looked poised for a breakout season this spring after an extremely loud fall where he dominated and looked like one of the better pitchers on Louisville’s staff. He had been slowly trending upward since recovering from Tommy John surgery that kept him out in 2018, but scouts were looking for him to add to his collegiate track record, as he entered the year with less than 20 innings under his belt. Albanese pitched just four games and 17 innings before his season again ended due to injury, but he was solid when on the mound. He posted a 3.71 ERA with 17 strikeouts (9.0 K/9) and three walks (1.6 BB/9). A big, 6-foot-6 righthander, Albanese is a bit of a slow mover on the mound, but he showed a solid three-pitch mix with a fastball in the 92-94 mph range that bumped 96, a high-spin, downer curveball that he showed ability to spot well as a strike or use as a chase offering and a low-80s straight change that was used infrequently this spring. Whether or not Albanese showed enough in his limited sample this spring to convince teams to draft him with the medical history he has on his track record is the biggest question, but he has stuff, physicality and showed solid control in a small sample.

BASEBALL AMERICASCOUTING REPORT Mo Hanley Representative: NA Signing Scout: NA Hanley is one of the most interesting Division III players in the class and was off to a strong season with Adrian College (Mich.) before Tommy John surgery ended his season after just five starts and 14.2 innings. In that time, Hanley struck out 27 batters (16.6 K/9) and walked nine (5.5 BB/9). He’s consistently shown impressive strikeout stuff and iffy control since 2018, and for his career has 12.6 K/9 and 5.4 BB/9 over 108 total innings. Hanley pitches in the low 90s from the left side and has shown the makings of an above-average breaking ball but will likely be an enigma for teams because of his injury, competition level and below-average control.

Albanese sat out his first year at Louisville while recovering from Tommy John surgery before spending the 2019 and 2020 seasons as a seldom-used reliever who relied heavily on his breaking ball. Undrafted as a redshirt sophomore last June, he raised his profile by showing the ability to maintain premium velocity as a starter while leading the Northwoods League in strikeout rate (16.2 per nine innings) last summer and continuing to dominate in fall practice. But a positive Covid-19 test and surgery to remove bone chips from his elbow limited him to just 17 innings this spring and put his Draft status in doubt. Last summer and fall, Albanese worked at 94-96 mph and touched 98 for five innings at a time, getting riding and running action up in the zone with a four-seam fastball and heavy life at the knees with a two-seamer. He also froze hitters with a hard curveball that showed signs of becoming a plus pitch. His pitches lacked the same power this spring, however. Albanese has little experience using a third pitch to this point, displaying a fringy low-80s changeup with some fade as a starter. He demonstrated improved control and command after moving the rotation, and he has enough strength and athleticism in his 6-foot-6 frame to succeed in that role if he can stay healthy. Teams are trying to figure out what to make of a nearly 23-year-old pitcher who worked 35 1/3 innings in four seasons of college.

BASEBALL AMERICASCOUTING REPORT Mason Albright Representative: NA Signing Scout: NA Albright transferred from the Midwest to IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. for his senior season, joining players like outfielder James Wood and lefthander Drew Gray as high-profile transfers to the Florida powerhouse. At his best, Albright dominates opposing hitters with his fastball from the left side, though there are many pitchers in the class who throw harder than the 93-94 mph he frequently tops out at. Scouts frequently call Albright’s heater an “invisiball” and he routinely racks up whiff after whiff with the pitch, even against some of the better hitters in the class. The pure spin rates aren’t outrageous (1900-2200 rpm), but something about Albright’s fastball routinely sneaks over the bats of hitters. Albright also throws a curveball and a changeup, though scouts have described his secondaries as fringe-average pitches. Albright has an extended, one-piece arm action that gets lengthy and inverted in the back, which isn’t always conducive to ripping off hard breaking balls, and he’s been slurvy in the mid 70s with decent shape. While Albright has shown fairly advanced command despite that long arm action, there are some scouts who think he’ll need to shorten it up to get to a more consistent curveball—but that change could also impact the life on his fastball. Albright is listed at just 6 feet, 190 pounds, so there’s not a ton of physical projection left and because of that some teams might want to see him perform at Virginia Tech, unless he’s signable on Day Two.

Well there is only 9 rounds left, so my question is will they pick anything other than a pitcher? My guess is they must feel like they can go out and sign some minor league free agents after the draft to fill other needs. I read something yesterday that said something about there being a lot of extra college players this year due to the NCAA allowing an extra year due to the COVID cancellation of the season last year.

BASEBALL AMERICASCOUTING REPORT Chase Silseth Representative: NA Signing Scout: NA Hailing from Farmington, N.M., Silseth first headed to Tennessee for his freshman season before transferring to the College of Southern Nevada in 2020, where he drew attention for six very good starts before the season was shut down. Arizona’s Friday night starter in his first year as a Wildcat, Silseth was somewhat inconsistent with a few bad outings —Oklahoma tagged him for 10 runs, Washington State for 12—this spring, but scouts like his stuff. He finished Arizona’s regular season with an 8-1 record but with a 5.29 ERA. Silseth stands out for his outstanding poise and mound presence, traits that will elevate his draft stock and likely get him selected in the first five rounds. His lively fastball has been up to the 96-98 mph range this spring, delivered from a power arm with effort. He also throws a slurvy breaking ball in the 78-82 mph range that at times looks like a 12-to-6 curveball, and a changeup around 80 mph with slight tumbling action that flashes plus and is used to keep hitters off-balance. He gets swings and misses from the breaking ball that also has plus potential. The command suffers when he gets tired, an indicator that he might have more success as a power arm out of the bullpen.

BASEBALL AMERICASCOUTING REPORT Andrew Peters Representative: NA Signing Scout: NA Peters was draft-eligible in the 2020 class, ranking towards the back of the BA 500 after throwing in just three games in the shortened 2020 season. He struggled with control and posted a 23.14 ERA in just 2.1 innings after transferring in from junior college. This spring was much better for the athletic, 6-foot-2, 192-pound righthander. He posted a 3.62 ERA over 32.1 innings and struck out 45 batters (12.5 K/9) with 13 walks (3.6 BB/9). Peters throws hard, with a fastball that has been up to 97 mph this spring, and also throws a low-80s slider and changeup. He has a Tommy John surgery on his resume, which could be a concern for some teams, but his athleticism and raw arm strength make him an interesting bullpen candidate.

BASEBALL AMERICASCOUTING REPORT Braden Olthoff Representative: NA Signing Scout: NA A transfer from Palomar (Calif.) JC, Olthoff went 4-0, 0.32 with 47 strikeouts in 28 innings with just 12 hits and three walks in the abbreviated 2020 season. Olthoff couldn’t match that performance in 2021, but he posted a respectable 6-3, 3.78 mark as Tulane’s Friday starter. He struggled to maintain his stuff as the season wore on and his ERA rose by more than a run in his final four starts. Olthoff was sitting 87-90 mph in late-season starts, down from the 90-92 mph with which he began the season. His fastball has sink and run, especially when he’s throwing it down in the zone arm side. It pairs extremely well with his frisbee of a big-breaking slider. Olthoff loves to throw plus 78-81 mph sliders that break just off the plate, tantalizing hitters who think they are going to yank a hanging breaking ball, only to find that the pitch’s late break makes it nearly unhittable. Olthoff can pitch on the edges thanks to some of the best control in the draft class—he walked 1.27 batters per nine innings in 2021. Olthoff has an average changeup that he tries to pair with his fastball against lefties. He often seems like a throwback to a different time. In an era where pitchers try to explode off the mound, Olthoff takes a simple step, seemingly barely using his lower half. He eats innings and is durable. He’s likely going to need to add velocity to have long-term pro success, but if he does, his excellent feel and understanding of how his pitches play off of each other could make him a valuable starter.

BASEBALL AMERICASCOUTING REPORT Nick Jones Representative: NA Signing Scout: NA Jones is a tall, 6-foot-6, 209-pound lefthanded reliever who put up silly numbers this spring out of the bullpen for Georgia Southern. In 42.2 innings and 29 appearances, Jones posted a 1.48 ERA and struck out 67 batters (14.1 K/9) and walked just five (1.1 BB/9). Among Division I arms with at least 20 innings this spring, his 13.4 strikeout-to-walk rate was good for the fifth-best mark in the country. Jones overwhelmingly throws a fastball in the 89-91 mph range that gets up to 93 and he comes at hitters with a lower, three-quarter arm slot that creates a tough angle. Jones has also thrown a slurvy breaking ball in the upper 70s and low 80s that plays up at times thanks to his arm angle, but he uses it infrequently. Jones was a true walk-on to the baseball team at Georgia Southern and this spring was named a finalist for the Stopper of the Year award.

BASEBALL AMERICASCOUTING REPORT Ky Bush Representative: NA Signing Scout: NA A 40th-round pick of the Royals out of high school in 2018, Bush spent his freshman year at Washington State before transferring to Central Arizona JC for his sophomore season and landing at St. Mary’s this year. A big-bodied lefthander at 6-foot-5, 240 pounds, he previously struggled with his weight but emerged this season trimmer and with a better delivery, leading to major improvements in both his stuff and control. He went 7-5, 2.99 with 112 strikeouts and 19 walks in 78.1 innings for the Gaels during the regular season. Bush is an intimidating presence on the mound and powers his fastball downhill from the left side. He sat in the low 90s and topped out at 94 early in the season, but his stuff ticked up throughout the year and he sat 93-94 and touched 96 mph by the end of the season. His best secondary offering is an above-average slider in the mid 80s that gets swings and misses, and he complements it with a potentially average changeup in the mid 80s and a usable curveball in the upper 70s he can land in the strike zone as a change-of-pace offering. Bush struggled throwing strikes in the past, but he showed above-average control this season with his improved physique and delivery. His steady improvement over the past year has teams optimistic he’s on an upward trajectory. With his size, stuff from the left side and newfound control, Bush has pushed himself into top-two rounds consideration and won’t get past the third round.

BASEBALL AMERICASCOUTING REPORT Landon Marceaux Representative: NA Signing Scout: NA Marceaux isn’t particularly physical, with a somewhat skinny frame (6 feet, 179 pounds), and he doesn’t light up a radar gun. He’ll pitch at 88-92 mph on most nights and that velocity has remained remarkably stable since high school. But Marceaux, a 37th-round pick of the Yankees in 2018, has a lengthy track record of success in the Southeastern Conference thanks to his understanding of the craft of pitching, mixing three pitches with plus control and command. Marceaux stepped into LSU’s rotation from day one on campus. He filled the void created by Jaden Hill’s injury in 2021, as he went 6-6, 2.40 with 10.2 strikeouts per nine innings compared to 2.3 walks per nine. When Marceaux arrived at LSU, he threw a slow, big breaking, mid-70s curveball. It was effective, but a wise hitter could spot its hump as it came out of Marceaux’s hand. He and the Tigers staff transformed it into a sharper, 11-to-5, mid-80s slider that comes out of his hand looking like his fastball. Marceaux’s fastball and slider are both average, and he has to work his fastball around the edges of the zone, as it lacks bat-missing potential in the heart of the zone, but his 82-84 mph changeup is above-average. He consistently dots the bottom of the zone low and away from lefties and down and in on righties, and he can bury it with more depth when needed. Marceaux wouldn’t seem to be projectable, but teams that believe they can help a pitcher add velocity could be very intrigued by a productive, durable pitcher with present feel and command. He projects as a back-of-the-rotation starter.

BASEBALL AMERICASCOUTING REPORT Brett Kerry Representative: NA Signing Scout: NA Kerry has been an effective reliever for South Carolina for three years and after posting a 2.15 ERA this spring, finished his career with a 2.54 ERA over 127.2 innings—almost all of which came out of the bullpen. Kerry started seven games and relieved in 38 others. He has a fastball that sits in the low 90s, but scouts love the elite riding life he gets on the pitch and he pairs it with a fringe-average slider and cutter and a below average curveball and changeup. Kerry has always been a tremendous strike thrower and has a career 1.8 BB/9.

BASEBALL AMERICASCOUTING REPORT Jake Smith Representative: NA Signing Scout: NA Smith ranked as a top 200 member of the 2020 class out of junior college a year ago but went undrafted and made his way to Miami, where he pitched to a 3.45 ERA in 47 innings, with 63 strikeouts (12.1 K/9) and 14 walks (2.7 BB/9). Smith was used out of the bullpen for most of the season but transitioned to a starting role in April, where he was largely successful outside of a regional matchup against South Florida where he allowed five hits and five earned runs in just 3.1 innings. Smith has a three-pitch mix led by a fastball that sits in the 92-94 mph range and has touched 98 this spring. His slider is his best secondary, a low-to-mid-80s breaker that has shown above-average potential with solid tilt when he hits on it and keeps it down. His third pitch is a firm, upper-80s changeup that he doesn’t go to often but features solid fade and drop to the arm side. Smith has a bit of a funky arm action with a bit of effort in his finish, but he’s thrown enough strikes to warrant a shot at starting at the next level.