The 2014 MLB Draft commences this week, so like most school children eagerly counting down the days until summer vacation, I am anxiously staring at the clock awaiting Thursday and draft day. The strength of this year’s draft lies in the quality and quantity of both the collegiate and high school pitching crop, with excellent prospects available, along with notable depth. In an effort to familiarize everyone in preparation for the draft, this is a brief introduction to a few of the top pitching prospects available.

Carlos Rodon  LHP  North Carolina State

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, like the rest of his Wolfpack teammates, struggled to live up to his overwhelming expectations heaped upon them prior to the season. Nevertheless, Rodon possesses an outstanding pitcher’s frame, listed at 6-3 230lbs, with some projection left in his lower half and 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.

Rodon features a premier 3-pitch mix, throwing a 90-94mph fastball with quality life, an expletive-inducing 86-88mph slider along with a quality, but inconsistent 80-82mph changeup with good arm action. His pure physical size, 92mph fastball, and solid left-handed pitching mechanics 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, Rodon struggled in 2014 with his fastball command and high pitch counts, leading some scouts to slightly sour on him from last season. That said, Rodon is one of the most complete collegiate pitchers I have ever seen, and his talent should not let him slip outside the top-3 picks.

Brady Aiken  LHP  California HS

7-Word Scouting Report: Athletic Lefty, Potentially Plus Fastball Curveball Changeup

Although well-known amongst high school scouts entering the season, Aiken began the season considered a mid-1st round selection and enters draft day as the co-favorite to be selected 1st overall. An athletic left-handed pitcher, Aiken possesses a mid-90s fastball, a plus “hammer” high-70s curveball, a promising changeup that could develop into his 2nd best pitch, along with the occasional slider. With a prototypical pitcher’s frame, excellent athleticism, and 4 potentially average or better pitches, Aiken projects as a good #2 starting pitcher in the future, and will not escape the top-5 picks Thursday evening.

Tyler Kolek  RHP  Texas HS

7-Word Scouting Report: Monster Texan, Elite Fastball That Touches 100mph

One of the top pitching prospects from Texas in recent memory, Kolek is armed with a monster mid-90s fastball that often touches 100mph and a hard-biting, devastating slider. Scouts also note that Kolek throws a reasonable changeup, though there is little need for it against the high school competition he faces. A massive young man, Kolek is still raw and will need development time in the minors to polish his overall game, but his raw fastball velocity will have him selected inside the top-10 picks.

Aaron Nola  RHP  Louisiana State University

7-Word Scouting Report: Polished Righty, Elite Control, Above-Average Fastball Curveball

Serving as LSU’s Friday night Ace in 2014, Nola showed all the qualities and moxie one might expect from a future major league pitcher. Nola features a low-90s fastball that he locates near-flawlessly to both sides of the plate, along with a high-70s curveball with late bite; in addition, Nola showed the occasional high-70s changeup with arm-side fade. Nola has an impressive pitchers physique with thin legs, a high waist, and the frame to add weight as he matures. Nola does not have the cleanest delivery, as he uses an active, drop-and-drive delivery which he repeats quite impressively.

What truly separates Nola is his exceptional ability to repeat his delivery and continually pounding the strike zone with quality strikes. His fastball velocity is not elite, perhaps reaching a maximum 94mph, but his elite control, along with an above-average curveball and repeatable delivery gives Nola the highest prospect floor in this year’s crop. Expect Nola to be selected inside the top-8 picks on Thursday.
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Sean Newcomb  LHP  University of Hartford

7-Word Scouting Report: Big Lefty, Massive Fastball, Promising Off-Speed Pitches

Newcomb possesses a very impressive present 4-pitch repertoire, as he features an easy, 90-94mph fastball, with late life and arm side movement, along with an equally impressive 82-84mph slider with quick biting, downward movement that he buried into righties. In addition, Newcomb throws a firm 82-85mph changeup with some downward movement that induces plenty of whiffs from right-handed batters, along with the occasional 76-78mph curveball with some looping action.

Newcomb is an absolute mountain of a man, an intimidating presence on the mound as he stands about 6-5 230lbs., and is fairly athletic for his size, which allows him to repeat his delivery and field his position reasonably well for a collegiate pitcher. His motion is fairly quiet and compact, and the ball seems to jump out of his hand and onto the batter. Like most college pitchers, Newcomb has his flaws, as he needs to command the strike zone better and continue to develop his off-speed offerings. That said, it is rare to find a left-handed pitcher with a mid-90s fastball, a relatively simple, repeatable delivery, and prototypical physical size for a starting pitcher. Newcomb is probably my favorite player in this year’s draft, and I anticipate him having a long career as a mid-rotation starter.

Jeff Hoffman  RHP  East Carolina University

7-Word Scouting Report: Tommy John Rehabber, Electric Fastball Curveball Combination
After an exceptional 2013 summer in the Cape Cod League, Hoffman entered 2014 as one of the top prospects for the June draft and did little to disappoint this season, overwhelming lineups with a mid-90s fastball, a low-to-mid-90s 2-seam fastball, a devastating late-breaking slider, and the occasional curveball. Hoffman possesses a near ideal pitcher’s frame, listed at 6-4 192lbs, with a wiry body type and plenty of projection remaining in his frame. The word that continually comes to mind in terms of Hoffman is “electric”, as his 4-pitch repertoire especially his above-average or better fastball and slider give him top-of-the-rotation potential.

Unfortunately Hoffman suffered an elbow injury last month and is currently rehabilitating from Tommy John surgery. Because of this there is plenty of risk involving Hoffman as a prospect, but his raw tools are as good as anyone in this draft class. Hoffman is one of the more dynamic pitching prospects in the past few years, and despite his arm injury, should still be drafted inside the top-20 picks overall.

Brandon Finnegan  LHP  Texas Christian

7-Word Scouting Report: Plus Fastball Slider Combo, Pitching Shoulder Concerns
A smallish left-handed pitcher armed with two massive offerings, Finnegan has overwhelmed collegiate hitters this season with a powerful mid-90s fastball with excellent life and a devastating slider he locates for strikes. Also, Finnegan will show a changeup with some arm-side run that will induce whiffs from right-handed batters.

Finnegan’s delivery is fairly polished though involving more effort than one might like, and his command of the strike zone is a bit below-average at this stage in his development. However, his biggest negatives for scouts are his size, as he is listed below 6-0, and injury concerns to his pitching shoulder last month. If a team can overlook his less than prototypical size and believes in his medicals, Finnegan could be selected anywhere between pick #8 and the supplemental 1st round.

Jake Stinnett  RHP  University of Maryland

7-Word Scouting Report: Massive Man, Fresh arm, Above-Average Fastball Slider

Stinnett is a physically intimidating man, listed at 6-4 215lbs, with an aggressive, bulldog-like approach on the mound. In addition Stinnett’s repertoire consists of a 91-94mph fastball with natural sinking action that he commands to both sides of the plate. Furthermore, Stinnett features an above-average 80-82mph slider that he throws for strikes, along with the occasional 81-83mph changeup.

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 #3 or #4 starting pitcher in the majors. He should be selected sometime on Thursday evening.

The weather locally this weekend was sheer nirvana and like college kids drawn to Natural Light, I was not going to miss the opportunity to drive to Frederick, as the Keys were hosting the Wilmington Blue Rocks, the Hi-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. Due to several rainouts, the games this weekend were the first I have attended at Harry Grove Stadium in 2014, easily my favorite local minor league park.

The Wilmington roster may be the most loaded from a prospect perspective in all the minor leagues, so naturally I wanted to get an up-close look at the Blue Rocks. Not to mention my rapidly developing prospect Man-crush on Raul Mondesi would not allow me to avoid Frederick this weekend. These are some of my scouting notes from this weekend’s series.

Raul Mondesi  SS  Wilmington Blue Rocks

Mondesi is everything I dreamed of and more – in the 5th inning Saturday I looked over at a baseball acquaintance of mine and said “I can actually feel myself falling in love with him”. The man nodded approvingly and understandingly.

Mondesi is a lean, wiry, switch-hitting shortstop with athleticism simply dripping off his body. A quick-twitch athlete, Mondesi has easy above-average speed, a cannon-like throwing arm, and is a no doubt shortstop prospect at the big league level. He moves well laterally and projects as an above-average defensive player.

Offensively Mondesi has good bat speed from both sides of the plate, and while he struggled against off-speed offerings, he did seem to have a plan and a solid approach of working the count during his at-bats. Only 18-years-old Mondesi is still growing into his body, though he did flash some legitimate pull power on Saturday evening, launching a ball just foul down the right field line. Mondesi is still raw, and needs considerable development time in the minors, but he should reach the majors near his 21st birthday and has the upside as one of the top shortstops in baseball.

Bubba Starling  CF  Wilmington Blue Rocks

Armed with a name more resembling an adult entertainer than a baseball player, Starling has the apparent tools scouts dream on, with a statue-esque physique, a strong throwing arm, and above-average speed. These skills allow him to project as a prototypical major league centerfielder, which when combined with his home run power explains why he was the #5 selection in the 2011 draft, ahead of Anthony Rendon, Jose Fernandez and Sonny Gray.

Unfortunately as a two-sport star in high school, scouts have long questioned Starling’s ability to make contact, and in my eyewitness observation this weekend, I question if he will hit major league pitching. Starling seemed to struggle to recognize the spin on breaking pitches this weekend, which caused some poor swings on his part. However, the most troubling aspect for me is Starling’s awkward toe-tap during his trigger, which seems to cause him to be off-balance for the entirety of his swing. The bat speed is better than average and his athletic talent is outstanding, so he has the potential to make the necessary adjustments as a hitter.

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Sean Manaea  LHP  Wilmington Blue Rocks

The Wilmington starter Sunday afternoon was often discussed prospect Sean Manaea, a potential #1 overall selection last summer before a subpar junior season and some arm issues caused him to slide down draft boards. A massive left-hander with a relatively quiet, polished delivery, Manaea certainly looks the part of a top-of-the-rotation starting pitcher he was drafted as last summer.

In this start Manaea flashed a 90-93mph fastball, touching 94, along with an 88-91mph sinker with some late wiggle and sinking action. In addition, Manaea showed an inconsistent but quality 78-80mph slider which at times resembled a curveball, along with the infrequent 83-85mph changeup. Manaea consistently struggled with his fastball command, often falling behind Keys’ hitters, and could not find the feel for his slider until the 3rd inning. These negatives directly lead to his poor results in this outing, as he pitched only 4 innings, allowing 3 runs on 6 hits and 3 walks against 5 strikeouts.

This start was a tremendous microcosm of Manaea as a prospect, as he has both obvious current strengths and weaknesses. When he locates them in the strike zone, he showed an above-average fastball with late life and a quality 2-seamer that can break bats, along with a put-away slider that can induce strikeouts from lefties and righties. On the other hand, his fastball command (and control) is currently well below-average and he does not have confidence in his changeup, which causes him to struggle against righties.

If Manaea cannot manage to harness his control, and improve his changeup, he looks to be destined to have a career as a late-inning reliever in the majors. However, if the 23-year-old can refine his mechanics and make those improvements, Manaea has a chance to be a quality #3 starter in the major leagues, as soon as late 2015.

Quick Notes:

Wilmington’s starting third baseman, Hunter Dozier, was the Royals 1st round pick last June, and immediately stands out for his imposing physical size. Listed at 6-4 220lbs, he more reasonably resembles an NFL weak-side linebacker than a professional baseball player. However, despite his massive frame, Dozier shows quick instincts in the field and reasonably good speed on the basepaths. These attributes, along with a strong arm, allows him to project as an above-average or better defensive third baseman professionally.

The questions, as per usual, arise with his bat, specifically his ability to make contact, as his apparent above-average or better bat speed and physical strength should allow him to hit for above-average power. Dozier looks like a polished college hitter at the plate, with a good approach of hunting fastballs while recognizing and avoiding off-speed pitches. Dozier needs development time to refine his hitting mechanics, but he is an intriguing prospect with 20-10 potential from third base. I would be surprised if he was not considered a top-50 prospect in baseball at the end of this season.

Saturday’s starter for Wilmington, right-handed pitcher Luis Santos, was impressive through 5 innings before running out of steam in the 6th. Before tiring, Santos overwhelmed the Keys’ lineup with a 90-93mph fastball, an 86-89mph 2-seam fastball with sinking action, a decent 74-77mph curveball, and a quality 82-84mph changeup with excellent deception and sinking depth. Perhaps a long-term reliever due to his size (6-0 180lbs) and the resulting stamina concerns, Santos is a talented arm being overlooked in the talent-rich Royals farm system.

Matt Hobgood entered the game in the 8th inning for the Keys Saturday night in relief, and showed the stuff that got him drafted #5 overall in 2009, dominating Wilmington with a 91-95mph fastball (touching 96mph) and a hard-breaking 84-86mph slider. Hobgood struggled to throw his slider for strikes and tired in his second inning of work, but if the 23-year-old can polish his breaking ball, he stands an excellent chance of developing into a late-inning major league reliever.