Jake Stinnett      RHP       University of Maryland

Date Scouted:    3/21/14 vs. North Carolina State (8 innings pitched, 0 runs on 4 hits allowed, 1 walk and 14 strikeouts)

7-Word Scouting Report:              Mountainous Righty, Heavy Fastball and Quality Slider

Opposing Carlos Rodon and the other ACC Friday night starters is quite a challenge, but Stinnett has more than met the challenge this season, posting a 2.36 ERA with 51 strikeouts against only 20 hits and 8 walks in 42 innings pitched.  Stinnett is a physically intimidating man, listed at 6-4 215lbs, with an aggressive, bulldog-like approach on the mound. 

Stinnett overwhelmed a talented Wolfpack lineup with a 90-92mph fastball, touching 93mph, with natural sinking action that he commanded to both sides of the plate.  His fastball has life, and the natural deception in his throwing motion has his pitches seemingly jumping on opposing batters.  Furthermore, Stinnett featured a quality 80-82mph slider that he could throw for strikes, or bury in the dirt to generate whiffs from hitters.  Finally, he occasionally threw an 81-83mph changeup with some downward action, which serves as an option against lefties. 

As a senior with a perceived fresh arm due to being a third baseman early in his career, Stinnett will appeal to teams looking for a fast moving pitcher who lacks leverage in contract negotiations and should sign for the slot bonus.  Stinnett has two quality pitches in his fastball and slider, solid command of the strike zone, and a changeup that shows potential – this along with excellent size gives him a chance to be a back-end of the rotation starting pitcher in the majors.  However, his personality and his fastball/slider combination could make him an intriguing high-leverage relief pitcher especially if teams want a quick return on their investment.  Stinnett looks like a quality pick on Day 2 of the MLB Draft. 

Jake Stinnett vs Trea Turner

Trea Turner         SS           North Carolina St.

An obviously toolsy athlete with elite speed, Turner physically looks the part of a top draft prospect, with a solid frame with some projection remaining.  Offensively Turner shows a good eye at the plate, with a plan and approach during his at-bats.  His swing shows healthy bat speed and he showed good balance at the plate, getting his front foot down quickly and quietly.  Although not known for his power, he even hit a home run this weekend, though he will not hit for much power as a professional.  His game will be based upon gap power and utilizing his speed at the top of the lineup. 

Defensively Turner has a surprisingly quiet weekend, but did make an athletic play to his right deep in the hole which caught my eye.  He is clearly athletic enough to play shortstop in the majors, but does not flash the monster throwing arm expected from that position.  I have not watched Turner enough to have an opinion on his future as a shortstop, but I am intrigued to shift him to center field and take advantage of his outrageous speed.  Either way, Turner projects as an up-the-middle defender with a reasonable chance to hit atop a lineup at the next level, which makes him a Day 1 prospect.  If a team believes he will stay at shortstop long-term and develop some power as he fills out, Turner could be selected in the top 12 picks in June.

Brett Austin        C             North Carolina St.

Austin is an athletic switch-hitting catcher with obvious offensive talent, especially from the left side of the plate, where he flashed outstanding bat speed this past weekend.  In this limited sample, his left-handed swing looked faster, quieter, and simply more impressive than his righty swing.  He showed power from the left side, and was willing to work the count as the team’s leadoff hitter.  Currently his skills offensively are more advanced than are his defensive abilities.

Watching one weekend series is not enough time for me to extrapolate a decisive opinion about Austin and his future defensively as a catcher.  He is agile and quick behind the plate and shows a good but not elite arm with a nice release.  Austin is a bit more active behind the plate than I might like and did struggle to block pitches in the dirt this weekend.  I was impressed with the leadership qualities he showed handling his struggling pitchers, and I believe he has the skills to be a professional catcher with the proper refinement and development time.  Conversely, his average or better speed and athleticism might make him a better fit as a corner outfielder in the future, especially if a team wants to expedite his ascent through the minor leagues.

Switch-hitting catching prospects are always in demand, and in a draft light on collegiate bats, a team that believes he can stay behind the dish could select Austin on Day 1 next June.

7-Word Scouting Report:    Monster Lefty, Impressive 3-Pitch Mix, Devastating Slider

One of the premier pitching prospects in the past decade, North Carolina State LHP Carlos Rodon struggled to live up to his outstanding reputation against the University of Maryland last Friday.  On a chilly evening against the Terps, Rodon pitched only 4.2 innings, allowing 8 runs (all unearned) on 6 hits, striking out 8 and walking 4 – he also hit 2 batters during his outing.

My immediate first impression of Rodon is his outstanding pitcher’s frame, listed at 6-3 230lbs, with some projection left in his lower half.  He is physically imposing on the mound, with a quiet, confident demeanor and swagger.  His delivery, both from the windup and the stretch, is relatively quiet, compact, and relatively square to the plate throughout his motion.  His arm speed is particularly impressive, though he does not have much deception because he is so linear through his motion.  Overall, his measurables and his pitching mechanics appear to be excellent. 

Friday night Rodon struggled mightily with his fastball command, which along with an inconsistent strike zone from the umpire, forced him to throw 116 pitches in this appearance.  His fastball consistently sat 90-92mph on my radar gun, topping out at 93mph, being on the higher end of this range from the windup, and slightly slower from the stretch.  Rodon’s slider was as advertised, 86-88mph with sharp break, and had me biting my tongue to avoid the little leaguers around me from learning new curse words.  Finally Rodon featured a quality, but inconsistent 80-82mph changeup with good arm action and some sink away from righties. 

I have seen Rodon pitch on numerous occasions before, and in spite of his subpar performance Friday night, he showed glimpses of why he is a legitimate top of the draft prospect.  His pure physical size, 92mph fastball, and solid left-handed pitching mechanics immediately make him a quality prospect.  But the true difference-maker is his slider, one of the nastiest breaking pitches I have seen in person and certainly the best I have seen at the collegiate level.  It is a truly masterful pitch. 

On the other hand, I would not be telling the whole story if I did not mention my concern with his lack of fastball command on Friday.  It is also noteworthy that his velocity sat 90-92mph all night, topping out at 93mph, down from his reported 93-97mph in the past.  It was a cold evening in College Park Friday, and we are still early in the college season, but for a player expected to be selected #1 overall in June, his poor fastball command and diminished velocity is concerning. 

Carlos Rodon at-bat

Nevertheless, Rodon is the most talented and complete collegiate pitcher I have ever seen in person, and his talent should not let him slip outside the top-5 picks in June.  And if Rodon is able to find his previous fastball command and velocity as the draft approaches, he stands an excellent chance at being the first pick overall. With all due respect to the Public Enemy, I do “Believe The Hype” when it comes to Carlos Rodon.