Barry Bonds

Grid Reference Points: Across: A-Q; Down: 1-16
I use the point where the edge of the marker is, not the center of the L stick, as this makes it easier to read. So, the amount should be the amount of squares either across or down until reaching the edge of the L stick icon. If the edge rests between two points, I shall list that as A/B on the Across scale, or 1/2 on the Down scale. I hope this is easy to follow. Any questions, PM me in Operation Sports.

When listed as A/B it will be half way or so through the B square. It just means that A is fully visible, and B is partly visible. Same goes for numbers. Eg, 7/8 - 8 will be partly visible, basically meaning 71/2 squares over is where the edge would be.

Remember that when a tiny little part of a square is visible, I'll not list it as a D/E for example, but just as a D. You may find that tiny little tweaks bring the features out a little for you. It should get you close enough to what I've got, and you can work off it or alter if you want.

General and Body

Skin Tone: 6
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 236 lbs
Body Type: Buff
Neck Size: Large

Head

Shape: 16
Forehead Wrinkles: 93
Head Size: 75
Head Scale: B/C; 9
Head Point: A; 11/12
Crown Height: 7
Forehead Shape: C/D; 13/14 (This means the top edge is at this point, so the cursor is as low as it can be)
Hairline Position: A; 7
Temple Depth: 97
Dome Shape: A (L stick should be right at the very left side); 5
Back Head Shape: E/F; 2/3
Face Position: 45

Hair: None

Cheeks

Blemishes: None
Skin Complexion: Aged 45
Cheek Definition: E; 4
Fat: I; 11
Cheek Bone: 65

Eyes

Color: 4
Bags: 81
Crow's Feet: 94
Eye Scale: 64
Eye Region: E/F; 3
Eye Position: F; 4
Depth Detail: J/K; 7/8
Bottom Eyelid: L/M; 8
Eye Detail: C; 2

Eyebrows

Shape: Thin Curvy
Color: Black
Bend: F; 9
Position: H; 10
Brow Shape: G/H; 8
Bone Position: D; 4
Brow Detail: D; 9
Outer Flesh: 51

Nose

Position: L; 9
Tip 1: D; 11
Tip 2: J; 3
Bottom: I/J; 3/4
Width: K; 13
Bump: C/D; 5/6
Size: D; 9
Bridge: M; Down is at very bottom
Nostrils: G/H; 3
Nostril Shape: D/E; 11
Nostril Depth: G/H; 5

Ears

Size: 64
Scale: I/J; 3/4
Protrusion: All way to left; 10
Rotation: 90
Position: K; half sqaure from bottom
Lower Ear Length: D/E; 9/10
Upper Ear Length: F; half square from bottom
Lower Ear Detail: B; half square from top
Middle Ear Detail: E/F; 7
Upper Ear Detail: E/F; 4


Jaw

Size: C/D; All way to bottom
Protrusion: G; 3
Corners: M/N; 10

Mouth

Smile Lines: 81
Lip Color: 16
Mouth Size: E; 9/10
Size Detail: L/M; all way to bottom
Position: E; 3/4
Pos Detail: G/H; 4
Corners: F; 8
Upper Lip: F; 2
Lower Lip: K; all way to the bottom
Lower Lip Width: 42
Under Lip: I; 6
Above Lip: J; all way to the bottom

Chin

Cleft: Zero
Chin Ball: C; 7
Chin Full: M; 3/4
Depth: D/E; 1

Neck

Size: all way to bottom left corner
Adam's Apple: D; 3
Double Chin: 65

No Facial Hair

Attributes: Up to yourself: Barry is the most patient hitter in baseball, has the best eye, draws more walks than anyone, and can still rake. Hits better off righties, can still run a little but won't steal many more than a handful. His glove is ok, but his knees severely limit his range in the outfield. He needs a lot of days off, so durability shouldn't be too high. Swings a maple bat. I think the Brown color looks best for him. He wears long sleeves a fair bit, and often a turtleneck, but I've given him the no sleeves, two wide wristbands and the elbow armor. Pants should be over the shoes.

RHSP Phillippe Aumont - Mariners

Mariners Canadian pitcher making waves at Spring Training (courtest The Baseball Daily Digest):

The fastball sizzled between 93 and 95 mph.

The superlatives flew twice that speed.

Phillippe Aumont made his spring training debut Wednesday and dazzled the few dozen people watching as much as he did the San Diego Padres.

It was merely a B game on a Padres practice field at the Peoria Sports Complex, but it marked what the Seattle Mariners hope is an important moment in their history.

The 19-year-old Aumont, their first-round draft pick in 2007, looked every bit like a prospect who could be in the rotation in a few years.

Aumont pitched essentially a 1-2-3-4 inning - two groundouts, a strikeout and a high chop infield single that's common on the hard fields in Arizona.

In the bleachers, scouts noted Aumont's 95 mph stuff, his 6-foot-7, 250-pound frame and the fact that he's still a teenager.

Baseball Digest Daily

Baseball Digest Daily: Another very good site for researching prospects in depth.

Diamond Cutter's Prospect List 2008

Pretty good blog site, with in depth prospect analysis, and a Top 25 list.

OF Colby Rasmus - St Louis Cardinals MLB

OF Colby Rasmus - St Louis Cardnals MLB / Springfield AA

Position: OF Full Name: Colby R. Rasmus
Born: August 11, 1986 Columbus,Georgia
Height: 6-2 Weight: 195 Bats: L Throws: L High School: Russell County (Seale,AL)

Drafted - Selected by St. Louis Cardinals in 1st Round (28th overall) of 2005 amateur entry draft (June-Reg)

Will probably start at AAA. Should be called up some time this year, as Cardinals outfield is desperately thin.

Diamondcutter's prospect profile:

Colby Rasmus, OF: Colby Rasmus projects all plus tools and is the superior, impact-type prospect the St. Louis Cardinals organization has been waiting for ever since Albert Pujols was plucked from it. Rasmus is a perfect example of a five-tool player as he can run, throw, field, hit, and hit for power. He has very quick hands which gives him excellent plate coverage. Projects to have plus power and should be able to put up a fantastic stat line. Excellent bat speed, good pitch recognition, and plus runner. Not sure how much St. Louis will allow him to run once he reaches Majors but could have 20+ stolen bases per year. He’s doing an excellent job on his move to center field which is where the Cardinals desperately need someone ever since Jim Edmonds departure.

MiLB Top 50: #7

At 11 mins in this video, you'll see Rasmus AB for the US team, homers to deep right off the Dutch pitcher.

Usually wears white wrist tape, red team color/white batting gloves, socks different combinations, long, Cardinal stirrup and all the way to the shoes at times.

Wears #4.

Has moved to CF and will probably play there when called up, as Cardinals need to replace Edmonds.

2007: 472 ABs / 37 2B / 3 3B / 29 HR / 108 K / 70 BB / 18 S / 3 CS / .275 AVG / .371 OBP / .511 SLG / 2 GIDP

His swing can be a bit long, and he might get overmatched at the big league level with pitchers who can climb the ladder on him. He struck out over 100 times in AA in 472 ABs, so expect high strikeout numbers when he does reach the majors. I don't think he's quite ready, but desperation may cause them to rush him up to the typical St Louis hype - the old JD Drew, Rick Ankiel syndrome.

Baseball America's Top 20 Prospects 2008

Found here. From #1 Jay Bruce - #20 Fernando Martinez.

Many of them should already be in the game, as they have major league experience from 2007. Hard to argue with their top 7, although I'd have Kershaw bumped up a bit - but then, pitching prospects are difficult to predict.

I expected Bailey to be higher. He should be in the game anyway.

Project Prospect Top 150 List

Found here. Seriously skeptical about their rankings, especially the ranking of Rasmus at #2. Still, useful for finding prospects in all organizations.

Yankees Top Ten (MiLB)

Link here has an organizational report on the Yankees, a list of their top prospects. Also has a link to other organizational reports on the right-hand side, updated on specific dates.

MiLB Top 50 Prospects List

The entire list can be found here, and has bios, stats and videos on all the players. It should prove extremely useful in getting in the more obvious prospects.

OF Jay Bruce - Cincinnati Reds MLB

OF Jay Bruce - Cincinnati Reds MLB / Louisville AAA

Position: OF Full Name: Jay A. Bruce
Born: April 3, 1987 Beaumont,Texas
Height: 6-3 Weight: 195 Bats: L Throws: L
High School: West Brook (Beaumont,TX)

Drafted - Selected by Cincinnati Reds in 1st Round (12th overall) of 2005 amateur entry draft (June-Reg)

Video, stats and scouting report

Baseball's number one prospect according to Baseball America and MiLB.com. current Baseball America minor league player of the year. Should break camp with the big club, if Dusty Baker doesn't pull his old routine and play a scrub like Norris Hopper in his place.

He can play centerfield, but probably projects better as a right fielder in the major leagues. The fact that BA and MiLB.com have ranked him so highly is testament to his ability, for they usually go with some "tools" guy who can run around in center or make dives at shortstop. It's rare that they go with the best player, but Bruce is indeed that.

MiLB:
In 2007, Bruce finished second in the Minors with 80 extra-base hits, hitting well over .300 across three levels of competition. In his two-plus years of pro ball, Bruce has belted out 165 extra-base hits for a career .543 slugging percentage. He may not have the jets of a Maybin or Upton, two of the other high school outfield draftees from 2005, but he's got some speed and can hold his own in center, a position he's played frequently in the Minors. That being said, he profiles as an elite right-fielder who'll hit for average and power while stopping runners from taking the extra base with his arm. The 2005 draft may go down as one of the best of all time -- and Bruce may be the most pure hitter of the lot.

Wears #32

Upright stance, hands high (seen in MiLB.com link video)

High socks, no wristbands, no taping.

White/gray batting gloves / team color/black batting gloves.

All black bat.

Two-handed follow through, tight to body, chest high (again, seen in video link).

RHP Mitch Atkins - Tenn AA

RHSP Mitch Atkins - Tennessee Smokies AA

Position: P Full Name: Mitchell Shane Atkins
Born: October 1, 1985 Greensboro,North Carolina
Height: 6-3 Weight: 230 Bats: R Throws: R
High School: Northeast Guilford (McLeansville,NC)

Drafted - Selected by Chicago Cubs in 7th Round (216th overall) of 2004 amateur entry draft (June-Reg) Jul 22,2004 - signed

Atkins features a low 90s fastball, curveball and changeup in his arsenal of pitches.

Appearance

Wears 3/4 length undershirt sleeves, visible.
Light colored fielding glove
Pants to shoe heels

Performance

Career: 382.2 IP / 3.77 ERA / 312 K / 139 BB / 1.33 WHIP / 368 H
Gives up his share of fly balls, needs to cut down on home runs.
Not a strikeout pitcher, control can be iffy at times.

His stuff is average, nothing stands out. Seen by John Sickels as a good sleeper pick. I'd rate him a C prospect.

Delivery and mechanics

High delivery, over the top, mid leg kick, high back leg finish.

RHP Adam Harben - AA?

RHSP Adam Harben - Tenn AA?

Position: P Full Name: Adam Benjamin Harben
Born: August 19, 1983 Little Rock,Arkansas
Height: 6-5 Weight: 210 Bats: R Throws: R
College: Westark Community College

Drafted - Selected by Detroit Tigers in 38th Round (1137th overall) of 2001 amateur entry draft (June-Reg) ... Selected by Minnesota Twins in 15th Round (452nd overall) of 2002 amateur entry draft (June-Reg) Jul 10,2002 - signed Sep 5,2006 - Traded by Twins to Cubs to complete Aug 31 trade

Acquired from the Twins in return for Phil Nevin, Harben is a tall, hard throwing pitcher with a lot of upside. He has a full repertoire of pitches, and definitely projects as a starter if he can bounce back from Tommy John surgery which caused him to miss most of the last year.

A pronounced ground ball pitcher, his hard sinker allows him to produce twice as many ground ball outs as fly ball outs.

Control has been as issue, he has always been a high walk guy (4.24 BB/9).

Was ranked as the Twins' 12th best prospect by Baseball America in 2006.

Repertoire
Sinker: Primary pitch, high 80s-90 mph.
Fastball: 90-96 mph, consistently in the lower 90s.
Curveball: Good breaking ball.
Changeup: Decent pitch, will probably need to develop it more after the Tommy John.

Pitchers who have undergone Tommy John Surgery in the Cubs’ system do not throw breaking pitches until at least 10 months after the operation, and Harben was limited to fastball-changeup late last year. Expect him to be eased back into his usual repertoire this season, building arm strength and stamina.

Delivery and mechanics




















Pretty much a straight over the top delivery, mid leg kick.

Career: 518.1 IP / 3.39 ERA / 474 K / 244 BB / 1.35 WHIP / 8.23 K/9 / 4.24 K/BB

Prospect grade: B- (good sleeper pick)

LHP Jeremy Papelbon - Cubs: Boise A

LHRP Jeremy Papelbon - Boise A

Position: P
Born: June 24, 1983
Height: 6-1 Weight: 205 Bats: L Throws: L
High School: Bishop Kenny (Jacksonville,FL)
College: University of North Florida

Drafted - Selected by Chicago Cubs in 19th Round (569th overall) of 2006 amateur entry draft (June-Reg)

Brother of Jonathon Papelbon, twin brother of Joshua Papelbon (both Red Sox)

Drafted as a starter, the Cubs have moved Jeremy Papelbon into a relief role, and toyed with the idea of making him a closer, probably due to the success of his older brother.

Delivery and mechanics








































Baseball America (2006): Jeremy Papelbon is the younger brother of Red Sox reliever Jonathan. Jeremy's fastball velocity was better last summer when he ranked among the top 10 prospects in the New England Collegiate League. This spring he sat near 86 mph. He has some deception from the left side. He relies on command, which was not as sharp this spring as it was last summer.

RHP Mark Holliman - Cubs: Tenn AA

RHSP Mark Holliman - Tennessee Smokies AA

Position: P Full Name: Mark E. Holliman
Born: September 19, 1983
Height: 6-0 Weight: 195 Bats: R Throws: R
College: University of Mississippi

Drafted - Selected by Chicago Cubs in 41st Round (1233rd overall) of 2002 amateur entry draft (June-Reg) ... Selected by Chicago Cubs in 3rd Round (100th overall) of 2005 amateur entry draft (June-Reg)

The Cubs wanted Holliman pretty badly, when they drafted him twice, coming out of high school in 2002, and coming out of college in 2005. His stuff isn't anywhere near overpowering, but he has a good feel for pitching, and has pitched solidly at all levels. He has a solid repertoire of pitches, and should project as a starter.

Outlook: #5 starter.

He pitches to contact, gets a decent amount of ground ball outs.
Threw seven inning no hitter in AA last year; homered in the same game.
Stamina is there. He lead the Cubs minor leagues in innings pitched in 2007 (161.1 IP all at AA).
He is pretty much the finished product, and should get a look as an innings eater.
Decent hitter, hit .229 with 2 HR last season.

Four-seam fastball: Consistently 88-91 mph, occasionally hits 95 mph.
Two-seam fastball: Mid-High 80s.
12-6 Curveball: Mid 70s, decent break
Slider: Hard, low 80s
Change up: Solid, mid 70s

Good athlete.
Holds runners on well.
Very good defensive pitcher (drew comparisons to Maddux in college).
Something of a rubber arm, durable.

Performance
Career: 305.1 IP / 3.95 ERA / 229 Ks / 115 BBs / 1.31 WHIP / 286 H / 6.76 K/9 / 3.39 BB/9

Appearance
Wears #31 at Tenn AA.
Switches between black fielding glove, light brown fielding glove, which he uses more regularly.
Pants worn all the way to ankles.


Delivery and mechanics
Pretty standard mechanics, nothing fancy, doesn't get his pitching arm up very high, 3/4 delivery.































Scouting
Stuff: 60
Movement: 70
Location: 75
Control: 70
Mound presence: 70

Voted by SEC coaches as the pitcher with the best control in the conference (3.39 BB/9 as a pro).

LHP Mark Pawelek - Cubs: Peoria A

LHSP Mark Pawelek - Peoria A

Position: P Full Name: Mark W. Pawelek
Born: August 18, 1986 Springville,Utah
Height: 6-3 Weight: 190 Bats: L Throws: L
High School: Springville (Springville,UT)

Drafted - Selected by Chicago Cubs in 1st Round (20th overall) of 2005 amateur entry draft (June-Reg)

I'd rate Pawelek no higher than #4 in terms of Cubs pitching prospects. That's not to slight the kid, but Gallagher, Veal, and Samardzija have better arms, in my opinion. Personally, I think Gallagher is the best pitcher of the lot right now, and possibly has the best outlook as a major league starter, but considering he's already on the big league roster, there's no need to go into much more detail on him.

After watching scouting video of him in 2005, I felt that he was pretty easy to pick up. He appeared to have a pretty effortless, smooth delivery, and didn't do much to hide the ball. He doesn't look to throw the ball as hard as the gun says, anywhere from 90-94 mph on his four-seamer.

Upon entering the draft, he already boasted a solid slider (84-85), excellent change up (76-77), and a 12-6 curve (67-73). His breaking ball was widely considered to be at the professional level while still in high school. His curve would be best described as a Zito type, a slow curveball with plenty of break.

His mental make-up has drawn much praise, he won't be rattled easily on the mound.

He suffered a break to his non-pitching arm last season, which funnily enough happened when he tripped over his playstation, holding him back from what should have been a promotion to AA. 2008 will be the year that he's expected to make the leap to AA, and possibly beyond. I wouldn't count on seeing him in Chicago this season, but mid 2009 seems like a possible time frame for a big league call-up. The arm break was a freak injury, and he recovered extremely quickly from it.

Unlike Ceda, he still definitely projects as a starter. Right now I'd project him as a #3-4 starter.

Performance

Career: 124.2 IP / 3.41 ERA / 126 K / 60 BB / 1.30 WHIP / 102 H / 9.13 K/9 / 4.35 K/BB



Pawelek has a pretty impressive 9.13 K/9, but he has never pitched above A ball. He does not project as a high strikeout pitcher, and will probably be closer to a 7 K/9 pitcher at higher levels.

His walk totals have been unusually high for a pitcher with his makeup. I'd expect this to be an area of improvement as he develops further, as he is generally regarded as a pitcher with a good feel for pitching.

He gets more than his fair share of ground balls, doesn't give up many deep fly balls, a good thing for any pitcher hoping to pitch at Wrigley Field.



Delivery and mechanics






























































Brings the glove high in front of body as he comes set, lowers glove as he goes into his windup, brings glove up by head, leg kick relatively high, extends non pitching arm straight in front of body, arm slot high 3/4. Tilts head back as he rears back on the delivery, tends to drive forward in delivery, a lot of elbow action on the curveball.

Appearance

Wears high socks, black glove with team color lacing.

Scouting

Stuff: 65
Movement: 65
Control: 50
Location: 60
Mound presence: 65

Best pitch: 12-6 curveball





Repertoire

Four-seam fastball: 90-94 mph
Curveball: 67-73 mph, plenty of slow break.
Slider: 84-85 mph
Change up: 76-77 mph

Locating pitches has seemed to be a problem for Pawelek, but as a lefty, will get plenty of chances to show he was worth such a high draft selection.

RHP Jose Ceda - Cubs: Peoria A

RHP - Jose Ceda - Peoria A

Position: P Born: January 28, 1987
Height: 6-4 Weight: 275 Bats: R Throws: R

Jul 31,2006 - Traded by Padres to Cubs for Todd Walker

Deric McKamey: I believe Ceda has the stuff to be a #3 or #4 starter, with his 90-97 MPH fastball and lethal slider, but will have to overcome some issues to make it happen. He lacks a serviceable change-up as he doesn’t repeat his arm speed. That also negatively affects his command. The biggest issue overall, is the effort to his delivery, which may be the culprit behind his sore shoulder in 2007 and could affect his stamina as a starter. He has yet to be extended as a starter for a whole season, maxing-out at only 11.5 batters faced/game in 2006. The Cubs want to see what he can do as a starter and plan to start him there in 2008, but I think he would make a dynamite reliever with his overpowering velocity, slider, and aggressive approach.

Pitching repertoire
Four-seam fastball (mid-high 90s), hard slider, changeup.

I think McKamey has nailed it with this kid. He reminds some people of Carlos Zambrano, probably because he has that lively arm and big build, but as far as stuff goes he's a different type of pitcher. He probably will end up in relief, but then the same thing was said about Zambrano when he was in the minors (he was actually used as a closer for some time).

He has the quintessential relievers arsenal, the blow you away fastball, lively delivery, power slider. Everything he throws is hard, and that's what you're looking for coming out of the back end of your pen. He could be a future set-up man or closer, and for this reason may get fast tracked to the big league club, as early as this year.

Feb 21. 2008: ''He's got some size,'' Piniella said. ''He's got a really good arm. I don't know how you can throw 23 innings (A ball in 2007) without giving up a hit. That's hard to do. That alone merits another look.''

The 23 consecutive scoreless innings came last year after being converted to a reliever. He now throws exclusively out of the stretch, as the conversion to reliever seems to be permanent. He has impressed everyone this spring with his pure stuff, and might make the club as a middle reliever, but he must reign in his control problems.

Delivery and mechanics


Jose Ceda - March 2 2008 Spring Training from Joe Ryan on Vimeo.

Appearance
Light colored fielding glove.

Pants worn all the way past ankles, as per usual.

Concerns: Weight; lack of effort affecting command.

Scouting

Stuff: 75
Movement: 75
Control: 40
Location: 45
Mound Presence: 45

Considered by Baseball America to have the best fastball in the Cubs farm system.

RHP Jeff Samardzija - Cubs: Tenn AA

RHSP - Jeff Samardzija - Tennessee Smokies AA

Position: P Full Name: Jeffrey Alan Samardzija
Born: January 23, 1985 Merrillville,Indiana
Height: 6-5 Weight: 215 Bats: R Throws: R
High School: Valparaiso (Valparaiso,IN)
College: University of Notre Dame

Drafted - Selected by Chicago Cubs in 5th Round (149th overall) of 2006 amateur entry draft (June-Reg)

A bit of a tricky one to rate, Samardzija was a top football prospect coming out of Notre Dame, but obviously felt more at home on the diamond. No denying his athletic ability, but remains something of a mystery on the mound. He's obviously an athletic pitcher, but he has much to prove if he's to be considered a top pitching prospect. His stuff, whilst excellent, has not brought about high strikeout totals.

He drops and drives well, evidenced in this comparison with Roger Clemens:

From insidetheivy:

Deric McKamey: I rated Samardzija the way I did because he is a special talent, but there are lots of questions in regards to realizing it. He is highly athletic and has excellent arm action which helps him generate both velocity (88-95 MPH) and movement. He derives natural, late life to both his fastball and slider, and that’s something that’s difficult to teach. His experience level is less than most college-drafted pitchers of his age due to his two-way status as a football player, so he still, in essence, is learning how to pitch. He doesn’t repeat his ¾ slot or his arm speed for his change-up, which negatively affects his command. I think the improvement in his base skills (K/BB, K/9, and oppBA), as well as the lower ERA in Double-A, means that he has perhaps turned a corner. And let’s not forget that he was less than two years removed from playing Division 1 football, so he was still in the transition of re-shaping his body (muscle memory) to baseball.

Pitching repertoire

Four-seam fastball (low-mid 90s), two-seam fastball (high 80s-low 90s), hard breaking slider, circle changeup.



Delivery and mechanics

Videos showing Samardzija's delivery from both the windup and stretch:

Good front view at 50 secs:

Good clips of delivery in this video:






Performance grading
171.2 IP / 4.26 ERA / 82 K / 56 BB / 1.49 WHIP / 199 H / 4.31 K/9 / 2.94 BB/9

I don't think statistics do justice to Samardzija's talents. He's not a strikeout pitcher, but will pitch to contact, and saw major improvements with his command last year at AA, suggesting that this raw college pitcher is finally "getting it". He had a 2.67 ERA after a month at AA last year, and only a poor outing in September pushed his ERA up over 3.00.

Entering 2008, Samardzija should be pushing for promotion to AAA.

Right now he needs polish, but should be looking at a the back end of the Cubs rotation in the next year or so.

Some have argued that he may be suited to a relief role, possibly as a future closer. Either way, he will get his chance with the big club, and figures very much in the team's future plans; a lot has been invested in him.

Appearance


Wears hair long, as in above picture, and always clean shaven.

Wore #34 with Tennessee in 2007, wore #22 at A ball, seemed slated to wear #30 with the big club.

Wears deep brown-red fielding glove.

Shirt sleeves clearly visible under uniform, come down to forearms.

Physically lanky build, but extremely strong upper body build.


Scouting

Stuff: 70
Movement: 70
Control: 60
Location: 65
Mound presence: 65

I'd limit his stamina in comparison to a Donnie Veal, until we see him get more innings under his belt. Remember that some have talked about him as a possible closer, but he continues to be very much considered a starting pitcher. His control is improving greatly, and he should look to make the next step up this year. Some have him rated higher than Veal, but as of now I'd have him as a B prospect if the lefty is a B+ rated prospect.