Draft League Scouting Notes - June 16

Trenton @ West Virginia

Black Bears RHP Lane Flamm (Xavier) earned the win in his first Draft League start, allowing just two hits and a walk while striking out five over five scoreless frames. He threw his fastball at a 44.1% clip in the outing, sitting comfortably at 90-92 mph (T92.5) but generating zero whiffs. Flamm did, however, post whiff rates of 100% and 75% with his changeup and curveball, respectively, inducing three swinging strikes with each pitch. He also recorded four whiffs (44.4% whiff%) with his 89-91 mph cutter. 

RHP Ga’Von Wray, a Georgia Southern commit, tossed two scoreless frames in relief of Flamm. He once again showcased a deep arsenal, mixing a low-90s fastball with a cutter/slider, changeup and curveball in the outing. RHP Michael Hobbs (Saint Mary’s) fanned a pair of batters in the ninth while retiring the side in order on 14 pitches. He featured more velocity Wednesday than he did in his previous appearances, topping out at 95 mph. 

West Virginia’s efforts on the mound were backed by multihit efforts from 3B Kaber Rog (Eastern Florida State) and C Max Wright (Indiana State), as the duo combined to drive in five runs in the 9-3 victory. Rog turned in his best performance of the season, reaching base four times and scoring three runs from the second spot in the lineup. He finished 2-for-3 with a pair of opposite-field singles, one of which plated a run. Wright’s two-run single in the fourth put the Black Bears on the board, and he added another two-run knock in the following frame to finish 2-for-4 with four RBI. OF Garrett Spain (Austin Peay) scored twice from the leadoff spot, going 1-for-4 with a double and a walk. 

Thunder starter RHP Garrett Hawkins (University of British Columbia) retired the first nine batters of the game, striking out five, before surrendering a pair of runs in the fourth (albeit while striking out the side). He posted a 43.5-percent whiff rate with his fastball -- averaging 93.2 mph and topping out at 95.1 -- and recorded 16 whiffs on 34 swings (47.1%) in the start. Overall, Hawkins has compiled a 2.81 ERA with 22 strikeouts and two walks in 16 innings (4 starts) in the Draft League.

Mizzou commit OF Carlos Pena (Salisbury School, Conn.) became the second prep hitter to go deep in the Draft League this season. Leading off the eighth inning, the 6-foot-3, 210-pound left-handed hitter turned around a 91-mph fastball to drive it 415 feet over the right-field wall. The solo shot had an exit velocity of 104.4 mph, and Pena also recorded a 100.4-mph groundout earlier in the contest.

A day removed from clubbing his third Daft League homer, OF Jordan Hollins (Ottawa University, Ariz.) came off the bench to deliver a pinch-hit RBI triple (94-mph exit velo) to the right-center gap. Through 17 games, Hollins is leading the Draft League in both total bases (32) and RBI (17). 

State College @ Mahoning Valley

Mahoning Valley’s pitching held a dynamic State College offense in check Wednesday as five Scrappers hurlers combined to allow four hits in the 6-3 victory. RHP Cole Ayers (State College of Florida) led the way by firing five-plus frames of one-hit ball in one of his better Draft League performances. Ayers issued four walks but showed overall solid command along with the ability to execute his 92-93 mph fastball with armside run and plus breaking ball. The latter, at 82-83 mph, is a potential out-pitch at the next level thanks to its high spin rate, big shape and hard, downer bite. He allowed two runs -- one of which scored after he had departed the game -- and struck out two.   

RHP Liam Eddy (Wichita St.) sat 90-91 mph with an 83-87 mph cutter that featured some deception and late break. LHP Eric Sapp (Gannon University) operated at 87-90 mph and spun his curveball well in the seventh, pitching around two walks and a hit to post a scoreless frame. 

RHP Davis Feldman (Eastern Michigan) attacked hitters with a lively 92-94 mph (T94.3) fastball that he paired with a sharp, late-breaking slider at 83-84. RHP Aaron Haase (Wichita St.) fanned two batters in the ninth en route to his first Draft League save. Both punchouts came against Haase’s slider, which he spun at 2831 and 2847, respectively, while recording back-to-back swinging strikeouts to end the game. 

OF Sam Crail (Saint Leo) went 2-for-4 with three RBI to pace the Scrappers’ offense, and OF Bobby Sparling (Daytona St.) scored a team-high two runs as part of a 1-for-3, two-walk performance. 1B Dan Harwood (Butler) went 2-for-4 with a double, and C Duncan Hewitt (Butler) and OF Jack Kelly (Minnesota) each contributed a run-scoring knock. 

Spikes starter RHP Griffin Miller, an Oklahoma commit, cruised through the first two innings before yielding a pair of runs in the third. He went on to complete four innings, mixing six hits with four walks and five strikeouts. He showed good feel for pitching to both sides of the plate with a 91-93 mph fastball that featured plus life. Miller also generated three whiffs on as many swings with his 77-81 downer curveball, throwing the pitch eight times.

LHP Chris Wall (Columbia College) dominated for two innings in relief of Miller but was unable to record an out in his third inning of work, ultimately allowing four runs on two hits and two walks. The 6-foot-5 southpaw sat 90-92 mph with late tail and sinking action and also flashed a solid slider at 81-82 mph that had deception and late, sharp break. RHP Kiernan Higgins (Shippensburg) was 92-94 mph and once again threw his nasty 81-82 breaking ball with elite spin, notching a strikeout during a scoreless ninth. He’s pitched to a stellar 0.90 ERA while posting 16 strikeouts against two walks over 10 innings (7 games) in the Draft League. 

Spikes 3B Damiano Palmegiani, an Arizona commit, recorded the day’s top exit velocity (105.1 mph) via an opposite-field double, his only hit in four trips to the plate. SS Lukas Cook (Walters St. CC) scored a run and went 1-for-3 with a 97-mph double off the wall in right-center field. Purdue commit OF Curtis Washington Jr. walked in all four of his plate appearances from the leadoff spot.   

Frederick @ Williamsport

RHP Peyton Zabel (Iowa Western CC) pitched around a lot of traffic on the basepaths (3 ER, 7 H, 2 BB) but still managed to complete four innings in his fourth Keys start. The 6-foot-7 right-hander struck out the side in the third inning, recording a trio of swinging strikeouts against the heart of the Crosscutters’ lineup. RHP Dylan TeBrake (Creighton) struck out two over two one-hit frames in relief of Zabel en route to his first Draft League win. He flashed a pair of impressive pitches, pairing a fastball that topped out at 93.6 mph and 2452 rpm with a low-80s curveball that he spun as high as 2914. 

RHP Adam McKillican (Georgia Gwinnett) followed TeBrake by striking out three over the next two innings. He recorded a 43.8% whiff rate (16 swings/7 whiffs) with his fastball, touching 94.5 mph. RHP Anthony DeFrancesco (Arizona Christian) slammed the door with a perfect ninth to earn the save in the Keys’ second Draft League victory. He struck out two and once again posted well above-average spin rates on his fastball (T2711 rpm) and slider (2906).

OF Paul Komistek (Cincinnati) and 2B Tyler Doanes (West Virginia) collected two hits apiece to pace Frederick’s offense. Komistek hit a 99-mph RBI single in the first inning as part of a 2-for-5 showing from the cleanup spot, while Doanes finished 2-for-5 with a double and two runs scored from atop the lineup. 

OF Dakota Kotowski (Missouri State) paced the Crosscutters’ offense by going 2-for-5 with an RBI single, and OF Lance Logsdon (Quincy) tallied the team’s only extra-base hit via a fifth-inning double. C Brittan Kittle scored a run and reached base four times from the bottom of the lineup, going 2-for-2 with a pair of walks. 

LHP Tyler Bosma’s (Miami Ohio) curveball topped out at 3039 rpm, highlighting his ability to spin the ball as well as just about anyone in the Draft League. The big southpaw used the 75-78 mph offering to rack up five whiffs on six swings and registered three whiffs on as many swings with his changeup. Altogether, Bosma allowed four runs (two earned) on four hits and four walks in five innings, striking out four. 

RHP Owen Holt (Alvin CC) was 89-91 mph (T91.8) and offered a look at all four of his pitches while striking out two in relief of Bosma. RHP Ryan Velazquez (Alabama St.) turned in one of his better performances, striking out a pair during a clean eighth inning. He posted a 41.7% CSW with his fastball in the outing, bumping 95.8 mph. LHP Holden Christian (Loyola Marymount) showed a velo uptick in the ninth, throwing his heater as high as 91.3 mph while averaging 90.2 (29 pitches).