Slade’s Weekend College Baseball Roundup (Apr. 18-20)

Easter weekend of college baseball is in the books as we approach the month of May.

It’s about that time that the bracketologists break out their tourney predictions with just month left in the regular season. Here’s how the field is currently shaping up according to Kendall Rogers. Virginia still holds down the fort as the number one team in the country but a surprise team out West is hot their heels if the Cavaliers are to slip up anytime soon.

We also now have an official list of those on the Golden Spikes Award watch list, kind of a “who’s who” of college baseball right now. Potential 1st overall pick and high schooler Brady Aiken is also on the list for some reason. I guess stud high schoolers are eligible for the award too.

The complete 2014 preseason Golden Spikes Award Watch List is as follows:

Name, Position, Class, School

– Brady Aiken, LHP, Senior, Cathedral Catholic (Calif.) HS

– Brian Anderson, IF, Junior, Arkansas

– Brett Austin, C, Junior, NC State

– Tyler Beede, RHP, Junior, Vanderbilt

– Aaron Brown, OF/LHP, Junior, Pepperdine

– Nick Burdi, RHP, Junior, Louisville

– Michael Conforto, OF, Junior, Oregon State

– Austin Cousino, OF, Junior, Kentucky

– J.D. Davis, OF/RHP, Junior, Cal State Fullerton

– Tyler Davis, RHP, Junior, Washington

– Chris Ellis, RHP, Junior, Mississippi

– Joey Epperson, OF/IF, RS-Senior, UC Santa Barbara

– Thomas Eshelman, RHP, Sophomore, Cal State Fullerton

– Erick Fedde, RHP, Junior, UNLV

– Brandon Finnegan, LHP, Junior, TCU

– Blake Fox, LHP, Sophomore, Rice

– Kyle Freeland, LHP, Junior, Evansville

– Clinton Freeman, OF, Sophomore, East Tennessee State

– Jeff Gardner, OF, Senior, Louisville

– Aaron Garza, RHP, Junior, Houston

– Casey Gillaspie, IF, Junior, Wichita State

– Grayson Greiner, C, Junior, South Carolina

– Chris Haddeland, RHP, Junior, Linfield

– Ian Happ, IF, Sophomore, Cincinnati

– Seth Harrison, OF, Senior, Louisiana Lafayette

– Matt Imhof, LHP, Junior, Cal Poly

– Michael Katz, IF, Junior, William & Mary

– Nathan Kirby, LHP, Sophomore, Virginia

– Ross Kivett, IF, Senior, Kansas State

– Ryan McBroom, OF, Senior, West Virginia

– Daniel Miles, IF, Junior, Tennessee Tech

– DJ Miller, IF, Senior, Delaware State

– Corey Miller, RHP, Senior, Pepperdine

– Andrew Morales, RHP, Senior, UC Irvine

– Michael Murray, RHP, Sophomore, Florida Gulf Coast

– Aaron Nola, RHP, Junior, LSU

– Mike Papi, OF, Junior, Virginia

– Mark Payton, OF, Senior, Texas

– Max Pentecost, C, Junior, Kennesaw State

– A.J. Reed, LHP/IF, Junior, Kentucky

– Kyle Schwarber, C, Junior, Indiana

– Kade Scivicque, C, Junior, LSU

– Austen Smith, IF, Senior, Alabama

– D.J. Stewart, OF, Sophomore, Florida State

– Ryan Thompson, RHP, Senior, Campbell

– Trent Thornton, RHP, Sophomore, North Carolina

– Sam Travis, IF, Junior, Indiana

– Luke Weaver, RHP, Sophomore, Florida State

– Ben Wetzler, LHP, Senior, Oregon State

– Bradley Zimmer, OF, Junior, San Francisco

On with the weekend highlights…….

(ACC Highlights)

No. 5 Florida State (30-9, 16-5 ACC) remains in 1st in the Atlantic division following a road series win at Wake Forest. Luke Weaver tossed a gem (9 IP, 3 H, ER, BB, 7 K) in Game 1 while outfielder DJ Stewart set a new FSU record 58-game streak of reaching base.

No. 1 Virginia (33-7, 16-5 ACC) and No. 19 Miami (28-13, 16-5 ACC) are now tied for 1st place in the Coastal Division.

Stock Way Down: NC State (21-17, 7-14 ACC) continues to struggle, dropping a pair to..(Gasp!)..Boston College. But, top prospect Trea Turner, who’s power tool has been questioned, did hit a pair of home runs in Saturday’s game.

Sweeper Of The Week: Duke (24-17, 12-9 ACC) – The Blue Devils are rolling with a sweep at Virginia Tech and sit in 3rd place in the Coastal Division.

(American Highlights)

Making A Statement: Central Florida (25-16, 12-3 AAC) – The Knights proved they are the team to beat in the American with a huge series win over No. 13 Louisville. UCF is 18-5 in their last 23 games. Baseball America profile.

Control Artist: Aaron Garza – RHP – Houston – Garza headlines the stalwart No. 12 Cougars pitching staff and picked up a win with 6.2 scoreless innings without a walk allowed against South Florida. His 0.5 BB/9 is 5th lowest in college baseball.

(Big 12 Highlights)

Entering The Rankings: No. 29 TCU (26-13, ) – The Horned Frogs secured a big time road series win at No. 10 Texas and return to the polls. Top draft prospect LHP Branden Finnegan tossed a gem (8 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 11 K) in Friday night’s win and has a chance to go in the mid-1st round.

Stock Up: No. 9 Oklahoma State (29-11, 11-4 Big 12) – With a big sweep of Kansas, the Cowboys now take over 1st place in Big 12 play and have quietly cracked the top ten of the writers poll.

Pitcher Spotlight: RHP Jon Perrin tossed a CG shutout on Friday with 9 K’s against Kansas.

Debut Of The Year: Ross Vance – LHP – West Virginia – In his first ever start for the Mountaineers, Vance only hurled a CG shutout with 14 strikeouts to win Big 12 and National pitcher of the week honors.

(Big West Highlights)

Best In The West: No. 2 Cal Poly (34-5, 11-1 Big West) – This is becoming arguably the best team in school history. The Mustangs knocked off perennial Big West powerhouse No. 19 Cal State Fullerton with a sweep and are now ranked N0. 2 in the country.

Cal Poly closer Reed Reilly, an Orioles unsigned 17th rounder in the 2013 draft, earned national pitcher of the week honors for his stellar work (9 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 16 K) out of the bullpen lately.

Stock Down: No. 25 UC Santa Barbara (24-10, 5-7 Big West) dropped three spots in the poll after losing their weekend series to Long Beach State.

(Mid-Major Highlights)

Saint Louis (23-14, 11-3 A-10) regained the lead in the Atlantic 10 over the weekend after sweeping Richmond and top draft prospect James Norwood threw a two-hit shutout. Here’s video from his recent Apr. 12 outing.

Mercer (31-10, 14-4 A-Sun) regained the lead in the Atlantic Sun as well and top prospect, infielder Chesny Young, went HAM this weekend (8-for-10, 8 RBI), earning national hitter of the week recognition.

Hoosier Daddy? No. 24 Indiana (25-11, 11-1 Big Ten) swept Michigan State to increase their 1st place lead as the Hoosiers attempt to make a late run at hosting a regional if they keep this up.

Draft Stock Rising: Kyle Freeland – LHP – Evansville – In a world without an impressive crop of collegiate lefties emerges this stud from the small school in Indiana. He tossed yet another double digit K outing this weekend and has emerged as a lock for the 1st round. His 87-to-4 strikeout/walk ratio and plus command of a plus fastball remind me of Cliff Lee.

College of Charleston (27-12, 10-2 CAA) paces the pack in the CAA at the moment and swept James Madison over the weekend.

No. 16 Rice (29-13, 16-5 C-USA) emerged with a sweep in a big weekend showdown with UAB. Impressive considering ace Zach Lemond has been shut down as of late.

Hitter Spotlight: John Clay Reeves – C – The Owls junior catcher had a big weekend (5-for-12, HR, 3 RBI) and earned C-USA hitter of the week honors.

MAC Hitter of the Week: Tyler Huntley – C – Central Michigan – The Chippewas (25-15, 12-3 MAC) have the best record in the MAC and Huntley played a big role (.450, HR, 8 RBI) in their series win at NIU.

Entering The Rankings: No. 30 New Mexico (30-11, 14-4 MWC) – The Lobos swept San Jose State and have staked their claim to 1st in the Mountain West.

We now have a three-way tie for 1st in the Southland conference: Southeastern Louisiana (where my brother played), Texas A&M Corpus Christi, and Nicholls State. I think you know who I’m pulling for.

Yes, the Ragin Cajuns (36-5, 16-2 Sun Belt) are still really, really damn good. They ‘only’ won two-of-three with UT-Arlington this weekend but still rank No. 3 in the country.

(Pac-12 Highlights)

Keep On Rollin: No. 11 Washington (27-8, 14-4 Pac-12) – Another week another series win for the Huskies, this time at California.

No. 4 Oregon State (27-7, 11-4 Pac-12) had a bye so LHP Ben Wetzler‘s microscopic 0.68 ERA is still best in the nation.

No. 7 Oregon (31-10, 10-5 Pac-12) has rattled off nine wins a row and swept Washington State over the weekend. The bad news: Young stud LHP Matt Krook has to have Tommy John surgery.

(SEC Highlights)

No. 14 Florida (27-13, 12-6 SEC) sits atop the SEC East while No. 17 Alabama (28-12, 12-6 SEC) sits utop the SEC West.

The Gators swept Georgia and are now No. 1 in the RPI’s.

Other Sweepers: No. 21 Mississippi State (26-15, 10-8 SEC) – The Bulldogs pulled off the road sweep of Missouri to get back over .500 in conference play.

Arkansas (25-16, 9-9 SEC) pulled off a nice series win of No. 15 Vanderbilt at home. The Razorbacks rocked top draft prospect Tyler Beede on Friday for 6 earned runs in a 6-2 win.

SEC Hitter of the Week: Conner Hale – INF – LSU – Batted .587 in the Tigers series win at Ole Miss.

(Photo Courtesy Of: Wichita State Athletics)

Hitter Of The Week: Casey Gillaspie – 1B – Wichita State

I saw Gillaspie play back in late February and came away very impressed with his physicality and power potential as well his disciplined approach at the plate. Those two traits have continued as he is now batting .401/.506/.694 with 10 homers with a sick 31-to-16 BB/K ratio and looks like a potential 1st rounder. Why’s he the hitter of the week? He batted 6-for-12 with two doubles, a homer, 5 RBI, and for the hell of it – two stolen bases – over the weekend versus Southern Illinois. Baseball America has video and a nice writeup on Gillaspie in today’s three strikes column.

HM/ Austin Byler – 3B, Nevada, Caleb Adams – OF, Louisiana-Lafayette

(Photo: ECU Media Relations)

Pitcher Of The Week: Jeff Hoffman – RHP – East Carolina

Some weeks this award is made easy for me. Hoffman tossed a sensational outing that easily helped solidify his draft stock as a top ten talent. He went the distance against Middle Tennesse State, allowing just three hits and a walk while striking out 16! According to Christopher Crawford, “If he pitches the way he did on Thursday against Middle Tennessee State the rest of the year, however, that No. 1 overall pick debate might just be back on.” He ran his fastball up to 97 mph, flashed a plus-plus breaking ball, and showed plus command all night. Here’s a nice story on his rise from undrafted high schooler to likely top ten pick.

HM/ Kyle Freeland – LHP, Evansville, Branden Finnegan – LHP, TCU

The latest rankings via College Baseball Writers

Draft Prospect Stat Roundup from Baseball America

D1 Stat Leaderboard via Boyd’s World

The latest RPI’s via Boyd’s World.

 

Minorioles 2014 Top 20 Prospects

The official list. I’ll link their prospect profiles once I get them all finished.

1. Kevin Gausman – RHP

2. Dylan Bundy – RHP

3. Hunter Harvey – RHP

4. Jonathan Schoop – 2B

5. Eduardo Rodriguez – LHP

6. Michael Ohlman – C

7. Henry Urrutia – OF

8. Tim Berry – LHP

9. Mike Wright – RHP

10. Zach Davies – RHP

11. Chance Sisco – C

12. Adrian Marin – SS

13. Dariel Alvarez – OF

14. Josh Hart – OF

15. Parker Bridwell – RHP

16. Christian Walker – 1B

17. Stephen Tarpley – LHP

18. Steven Brault – LHP

19. Eddie Gamboa – RHP

20. Tyler Wilson – RHP

Because You Can’t Get Enough Prospects…Here are the next ten that missed the cut..

21. Olelky Peralta – RHP
22. Branden Kline – RHP
23. Glynn Davis – CF
24. Jonah Heim – C
25. Travis Seabrooke – LHP
26. Trey Mancini – 1B
27. Matt Taylor – LHP
28. Connor Bierfeldt – RF
29. Jon Keller – RHP
30. Wynston Sawyer – C

Slade’s Weekend College Baseball Roundup

The recycling bin of No. 1 Teams continues as Florida State dropped from the top spot with two losses over the weekend.

We had a no hitter tossed this weekend. I won’t say who yet but you might remember him playing a key role in Stony Brooks Cinderella run to the CWS in 2012.

With Carlos Rodon‘s continued struggles, he’s no longer considered the slam dunk to go top overall in this year’s draft, especially with the emergence of talented high school arms Brady Aiken and Tyler Kolek.

Keith Law released his top 50 draft prospects (subscription required). Here are the college guys listed in his rankings, all familiar names to this column.

1. Carlos Rodon – LHP – NC State (3)

2. Tyler Beede – RHP – Vanderbilt (4)

3. Jeff Hoffman – RHP – East Carolina (6)

4. Luke Weaver – RHP – Florida State (11)

5. Brad Zimmer – CF – San Francisco (12)

6. Michael Conforto – OF – Oregon State (13)

7. Aaron Nola – RHP – LSU (14)

8. Sean Newcomb – LHP – Hartford (15)

9. Kyle Schwarber – 1B/C – Indiana (17)

10. Trea Turner – SS – NC State (20)

11. Max Pentecost – C – Kennesaw State (21)

12. Brandon Finnegan – LHP – TCU (23)

13. Derek Fisher – OF – Virginia (24)

12. Brandon Finnegan – LHP – TCU (23)

13. Derek Fisher – OF – Virginia (24)

14. Matt Chapman – 3B – Cal State Fullerton (27)

15. Alex Blandino – 3B – Stanford (29)

16. Andrew Suarez – LHP – Miami (33)

17. Matt Imhof – LHP – Cal Poly (43)

18. Erick Fedde – RHP – UNLV (44)

19. Zach Lemond – RHP – Rice (47)

20. Jordan Brink – RHP – Fresno S

tate (48)

21. A.J. Reed – 1B/LHP – Kentucky (50)

On to the highlights…

(ACC Highlights)

Back to No. 1: Virginia – The Cavaliers (19-4) have reclaimed the top ranking they held a month ago after taking the series at Miami.

Upset Special: Maryland – Let’s here it for my Terps (16-6) who are looking like serious contenders for their first tourney bid in 43 years. They took down Carlos Rodon with a storyline 10-0 win on Friday en route to a sweep of No. 18 NC State.

Prospect on the Rise: Daniel Gossett – RHP – Clemson – According to Kendall Rogers of PG, Gossett was 93-96, still hitting a consistent 94 in the 8th in a Friday night win over former No. 1 team, Florida State.

Rebuilding? Nah: Georgia Tech – After last weekend’s impressive series win over Miami, the Yellow Jackets (15-9) made another statement with a road series win at UNC this weekend.

 

(American Highlights)

Conference play began in the conference of America and UCF (13-12) has grabbed a hold of the early division lead with a sweep of Cincinnati.

No. 19 Houston (19-4) still carries the best overall record in the division. They picked up a nice sweep of College of Charleston and their Team ERA of 1.53 leads the nation. The Cougars could host a regional if they keep this up.

(Big West Highlights)

Best Team: No. 9 Cal Poly – The Mustangs (20-4) continue to outshine pre-season favorite Cal State Fullerton after picking up three-of-four wins at Cal over the weekend.

Entering the Polls: UC Santa Barbara – The Gauchos (17-3) have been on the cusp the last few weeks and make their debut a No. 26 after a 4-game sweep of Wagner.

Player Spotlight: Tyler Kuresa – 1B – The junior draft prospect hit THREE homers on Friday for the Gauchos. Have a game son.

Pitcher of the Week: Andrew Morales – RHP – UC Irvine – Tossed a shutout versus Grand Canyon.

(Big 12 Highlights)

Baylor (13-10) has the early division lead following a series win over No. 24 Oklahoma State.

Stock Up: Oklahoma – The Sooners (18-7) bumped up to No. 28 following a series win over Kansas State.

Nation’s Best Lefty: Branden Finnegan – LHP – TCU – Finnegan continues to gain steam with scouts, posting his 5th double digit strikeout outing (vs Texas Tech) in six starts this season. He carries 1.44 ERA and has K’d a ridiculous 40% of batters faced.

Team to Beat: No. 16 Texas – The Longhorns (19-6) appear to be back as they are now the highest ranked team in the Big 12.

(C-USA Highlights)

Ace of the Week: Zach Lemond – RHP – Rice – Another impressive outing (8.1 IP, 6 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 12 K) for Lemond, who carries a 1.06 ERA on the season and projects as a 2nd rounder, according to Keith Law.

Back In The Poll: Florida International – The Golden Panthers (20-4) return to the poll at No. 29 after a sweep of Marshall.

 

East Carolina (13-11) is tied with FIU for 2nd in C-USA play after their sweep of Charlotte. Jeff Hoffman: 7 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 2 K)

(Mid Major Highlights)

No-No Alert: Frankie Vanderka – RHP – Stony Brook – College baseball fans remember this name from the tournament when he pitched the Seawolves to a win at LSU. He three the third no-hitter of his college career this weekend against Albany.

Nation’s ERA Leader: Sean Newcomb – Hartford – LHP – He’s a potential first rounder and has pitched like one against the inferior competition he faces in the America East, having yet to allow an ER in 32.2 innings pitched. Read about him here.

Saint Louis, pre-season A-10 favorite, is tied with VCU for first after one weekend of conference play. Ace James Norwood and his mid 90’s arm pitched the Billikens (14-8) to a one-hit shutout of Rhode Island.

 

Florida Gulf Coast (16-8) swept USC-Upstate and Michael Murray (8 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 10 K) won A-Sun Pitcher of the week. Murray is 7th in the nation in strikeouts and could be a prospect on the rise.

Defending Big South champs, Liberty (18-7) is 9-1 over their last ten after sweeping High Point.

 

Guillermo Trujillo, Oral Roberts ace, threw a shutout on Friday at McNeese State, winning Southland Pitcher of the Week.

Rhys Hoskins went 4-for-4 with a HR, 2B, 3 RBI for Sacramento State on Saturday. He’s considered the top prospect in the WAC, which contrary to popular belief still exists.

Best Mid-Major Team: No. 5 Louisiana-Lafayette – The Ragin Cajuns (22-2) now have the best record in the country and look like regional host material to me. Outfielder Seth Harrison went 3-for-5 with two HR on Saturday.

Loyola Marymount (15-9) picked up a statement win Friday night at San Diego. They won again on Saturday to take over 1st in the WCC.

(Mountain West Highlights)

UNLV pick up a big win on Friday at San Diego State and moved into first with a series win. Ace Erick Fedde shined (9 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 12 K) and dialed his fastball 92-96 MPH according to BA.

New Mexico (16-8) is in 2nd place and the Lobos are 8-2 over their last ten games.

(Pac-12 Highlights)

Top Dog: No. 7 Oregon – The Ducks are the highest ranked team in the Pac-12 after their sweep of Utah.

Man On A Mission: Ben Wetzler – LHP – Oregon State – The Phillies unsigned 5th rounder carries a miniscule 0.59 ERA on the season, picking up a win (7 IP 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 8 K) on Friday at Arizona State.

Stock Up: Washington – The Huskies (16-5) are off to a surprising 5-1 start in Pac-12 play following a sweep of Arizona State. Senior Brandon Wolfe was named Pac-12 hitter of the week.

(SEC Highlights)

Making A Statement: No. 15 Mississippi State – The most shocking result of Friday was perhaps the Bulldogs 17-2 win over Vanderbilt, considering Tyler Beede (2 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 5 BB, 2 K) was on the mound and Vandy carries the 2nd best Team ERA in the nation.

No. 22 Kentucky (17-7) picked up a huge home series win over No. 4 South Carolina. The Wildcats lead the nation in runs scored and have me nervous about the Gamecocks chances of finishing in 1st in the SEC East.

Player Spotlight: Michael Thomas – C – The Senior won SEC Player of the Week hitting .412 with 2 HR.

No. 3 LSU (20-4) is now the highest ranked team in the SEC following their series win over Georgia.

(Photo Courtesy Of: Maryland Athletics)

Pitcher Of The Week: Jake Stinnett – RHP – Maryland

Scouts flock to see Carlos Rodon wherever he’s pitching, and that was at Maryland on Friday night. But, Stinnett stole the show with a sensational outing (8 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 14 K) in Maryland’s statement 10-0 win over NC State. The Senior won his third ACC Pitcher of the Week honors already this season and has reportedly seen his fastball bump up a few ticks, touching mid 90’s at times. As a signable Senior, he could find himself going as high as the 3rd-5th round range if he keeps this up. Here’s a scouting report from Friday night’s game.

HM/

(Photo Courtesy Of: William & Mary Athletics)

Hitter Of The Week: Michael Katz – 1B/OF – William & Mary

Meet the nation’s home run leader. Katz has been an offensive force for the Tribe lately and batted .667 with 3 HR, 2 doubles, and 12 RBI, and 9 runs scored over the weekend. What did you do to top that? Nothing. He’s batting .427/.487/.864 with 12 HR and 50 RBI in just 23 games. The 6’3, 220 pound junior could be a darkhorse Golden Spikes award candidate and figures to see his draft stock rise if he continues to mash like like this.

HM/ Joey Pankake – 3B – South Carolina, Brad Zimmer – OF – San Francisco, Rhys Hoskins – OF – Sacramento State, Seth Harrison – OF – ULL,

The latest rankings, via College Baseball Writers

Boyd’s World D1 Stat Leaderboard

That’s all I got this week. Stay classy, not crassy

 

 

 

Welcome (Back) To The Show: Steve Johnson, RHP

Heeeeeee’s back. In a season full of surprises, Steve’s impressive performance last year both at AAA and with the Orioles might have been one of the bigger surprises. He seemingly went from run-of-the-mill AAA fodder to legitimate prospect overnight. As thoroughly broken down in my preseason prospect profile, he combines deception and mastery of pitch sequencing to keep hitters off balance despite a mediocre repertoire. Most Orioles fans are pretty familiar with Steve’s background being the local kid from St. Paul’s High School and the son of former Orioles pitcher and current MASN broadcaster Dave Johnson. With that in mind I’m going to skip the “Background Check” I usually do and go straight to the scouting report and expectations.

Height: 6’1″  Weight: 220
 Birthplace: Baltimore, MD   Age: 25

Scouting Report

– Fastball: 87-91 MPH. Pitch doesn’t have much life. However, Steve is very successful with it because he hides the ball well resulting in the pitch sneaking up on hitters. He also has supreme command of his fastball and does a great job spotting the pitch high and away out of the zone, getting hitters to chase.

– Changeup: 77-82 MPH. Might be his best pitch in terms of quality of pitch. Gets great arm action and sets up his fastball well, especially when he wants to go back to the fastball to put away a hitter with two strikes.

– Curveball: 68-72 MPH. Everyone loves a slow curve. Not the most exciting pitch in the world but it keeps hitters off balance as long as he doesn’t hang it up in the zone.

– Slider: 83-85 MPH. He’ll mix in an occasional slider to once again, keep hitter off balance. Not a particularly effective pitch though as hitters batted over .300 against it last season.

Why He’s Here

Steve received the callup because Miguel Gonzalez has a boo-boo on his thumb and apparently that requires a trip to the DL. The trip is retroactive to May 4 so Gonzo will be returning in 8 days once the blister fully heals. Once again, this appears to be a spot start type of callup rather than opportunity to run with a rotation spot. However, Steve was very impressive in his 46+ innings pitched last season, so its possible he could put himself in line to stick in the rotation some point later this season, if he comes up with a strong outing today.

What to Expect

It’s worth noting that after years and years of carrying the extreme, and I mean extreme, flyball pitcher label, Steve may be in the process of finally shedding that tag. It’s only three starts but he posted a much improved GO/AO of 0.93 at Norfolk. For year he has been sub-0.50 which is simply terrifying for a pitcher with aspirations of making Camden Yards his home in half of his starts. Perhaps, he’s added a two seamer or cutter to his repertoire in an effort to combat his flyball tendencies. Whatever the case, it will be interesting to see what types of pitches he throws today and whether he can maintain his new and (somewhat) improved GO/AO. I did my homework, I studied the matchup, I consulted the number crunchers, I ate my wheaties, and I’ve made a conclusion that Steve will turn in a solid outing against the Twins today. Not the only reason but one of the main factors: The Twins are 28th in the MLB in home runs hit at home which should theoretically bode well for him in a spacious flyball pitcher’s park like Target field.

Predicted Final Line

6 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 8 K, and a W. I’ll say O’s win 8-3.