Wednesday May 13, 2009

Clemson Baseball 2010

Clemson Baseball 2010
I keep a file on my laptop with the depth chart in football for 2009, 2010 and 2011. I do the same for basketball. For some schools it is difficult to do in basketball because of the early jumps to the NBA. It is hard for a Tar Heel fan to plan depth charts too far in advance because of the underclassmen going pro. The same can be said every year for baseball.

In college baseball you often times lose your top signees and top juniors to the Major League Baseball draft. However, because this team is so young, I have tried to begin looking at 2010 for the Clemson baseball program.

I know the 2009 regular season has not ended yet and I know the draft will be a factor but let’s look at what 2010 could look like. Today let’s look at the pitchers and tomorrow we will take a look at the position players.

Pitchers
I am very excited about the young arms and the potential of the 2010 squad. However two questions remain. First is the draft and second is player development.

Seniors-Trey Delk, Matt Vaughn, Ryan Hinson, Clinton McKinney.
The Tigers will miss Delk but missed him much of his senior season anyway. Vaughn, Hinson and McKinney has been inconsistent in the bullpen as seniors but will be missed.

Draft Eligible-Chris Dwyer, Graham Stoneburner, Tomas Cruz, Alex Frederick, Justin Sarratt, Josh Thrailkill

Dwyer has electric stuff and is the one pitcher on the staff that has number-one starter potential. In his true freshman season he is 4-4 with a 5.01 ERA but has been hot and cold throughout the season. Scouts like his 68 strikeouts in 64.2 innings. He is draft eligible because of his age but I am not sure what his plans are heading into the June draft. Dwyer’s presence could turn a good rotation into a great one.

Graham Stoneburner is just a sophomore but he is draft eligible and could intrigue some teams with his power pitching. He also is valuable with 62 strikeouts in 54.2 innings. But he must develop better command and better off-speed stuff. At this point we are not sure if he will be doing it in Clemson or in the minors in 2010.

Tomas Cruz has been very valuable in the bullpen this season with his dangerous change of speeds. A 2-3 record and a 3.40 ERA does not tell the entire story of his effectiveness. Cruz is fourth in innings this season and first in bullpen innings. I have not seen his draft projections but often times change of speed pitchers don’t get drafted as high as power pitchers.

Not Draft Eligible-Casey Harman, Scott Weismann, Kevin Brady, Richard Mounce, Will Lamb, Craig Gullickson, Kyle Deese, David Haselden, Joseph Moorefield.
Casey Harman has looked a little like Dwyer at times. The left-hander has been lights out at times and inconsistent at others. He also is a strikeout guy with 59 in 62.1 innings. Harman is not draft eligible this season so he could be atop the rotation next season if Dwyer leaves.

Scott Weismann might have the best stuff of any right-hander on the staff. I am not sure if he will remain in the bullpen but his 2-0 record and 1.03 ERA is impressive. He holds opposing hitters to a .198 batting average. He has been the most consistent of the freshmen pitchers.

Kevin Brady (0-0, 1.69) but only pitched 10.2 innings in his true freshman season but was injured early. He looked very promising and should be a candidate for a weekend starting rotation next season.

Richard Mounce (0-0, 1.69) and Will Lamb (0-0, 1.80) are two freshmen that have futures on the mound and as position players.

Kyle Deese looked good at times but had some control issues as a freshman this season. David Haselden has not pitched a lot as a freshman but his start Monday puts him in the conversation for next season.

Signed in the Fall for 2010-Scott Firth, Mike Kent, Kevin Kyle, Dominic Leone, Jonathan Meyer, Richie Safer, J.T. Wauford, Madison Younginer.

Eight of the ten players signed by the Tigers in the fall are listed as pitchers. Younginer is a right-hander from Mauldin, SC who could be a first or second round pick in the June draft. He is ranked number-one in South Carolina by Perfect Game. He is number 19 high school player and the 36th draft eligible player by Baseball America.

Richie Shaffer is an infielder/RHP from Providence High School in Charlotte, NC. He is the 27th ranked high school player by Baseball America and 28th by Perfect Game.

Dominic Leone is a right-hander from Norwich, CT. He is the top payer from his state and 263rd in the country according to Perfect Game.

Mike Kent is a right-hander from Springfield, VA. Kent is ranked 13th in Virginia and 304 in the country by Perfect Game.

Scott Firth is a right-hander from Buffalo Grove, IL who is the top player in Illinois by Prep Baseball Report and 391st in the nation by Perfect Game.

Jonathan Meyer is a right-hander from San Diego, CA that is ranked 67th in California and 395 in the country by Perfect Game.

Younginer and Shaffer might be s stretch to ever make it to Tigertown but the other six pitchers might have a chance to make an impact in 2010.

Summary
The position players like Jeff Schaus, Kyle Parker, Chris Epps, Addison Johnson, Will Lamb, Richard Mounce, Brad Miller, Jason Stolz, John Nester, Phil Pohl coming back in 2010 the position players look to be solid. Ben Paulson, Mike Freeman, Wilson Boyd and Addison Johnson are draft eligible and it is unclear who will be back next season. The only position player seniors this season are Matt Sanders and Adam Ward. Tomorrow I will look at the position player outlook for 2010.

The position players look solid for next season so the key will be the draft eligible pitchers and player development of the young pitchers next season.

The Brad Hughes All-State Insurance Agency

Prayer List
We have started a prayer list on the blog. Here are the guidelines:
*If you are offended by prayer or prayer lists then I apologize in advance. The blog is free and the prayer list will be on the bottom of the page so you don’t have to read it.
*If you would like to add someone to the list please e-mail me at mickeyplyler@hotmail.com
*If you want the reason for the prayer to be added to the name please specify in your e-mails.
*Please let me know when it is appropriate to take the person off of the prayer list

Those who need our prayers include:
Finn Brookover, Mrs. Kathleen Bowers, Larry in Naples, FL, RTG-Pawsitive Tiger, Mary-Louise Pawlowski (John's daughter), Sandy Wright, Jo Ann Bachman, Frank Taylor, Kenneth Bryant, Pruitt Martin, Got igers and his family, David Rowland, Leonard Gillespie and his family, Jim S, Christine Hepfer, Daniel Rosborough, Amy Murphey, Jack Huffman, Nancy Winkler, Dr. Nancy Strom Morgan, Edward Putman, John Reeve, Eileen Woodrum, Ethel Southard, Vinnie Brock, Jean-Pierre Bailey, Kaitlyn L, William Perry, Delores Weaver.