On Tuesday, I charted the Wareham vs. YD game played at Red Wilson Field. For the first time this summer, there were scouts in attendance. And not just a few. By my count, over 10. Plenty were on hand to get a look at Brett Mooneyham (YD/Stanford), no doubt. I was impressed with the stuff of the big lefty and he will be my Pitcher of Highlight. His Red Sox teammate at short, Joe Panik, is also making a name for himself on the Cape. He will be my Player of Highlight.
Pitcher of Highlight
Brett Mooneyham, YD/Stanford, LHP, Soph., Atwater, CA, Draft Eligible: 2011
Height: 6-05, Weight: 235
Game Stats: 7IP, 6H, 2ER, 1BB, 7K
College Season Stats: 3-7, 5.07ERA, 87IP, 99/62 K/BB, 1.59WHIP, 10.24 K/9
Comments: When Brett Mooneyham stuck with his commitment to be a Stanford Cardinal after being drafted in 2008, the expectations were sky high. Mooneyham was widely considered one of the best left-handers in the country, but he wasn't drafted until the 15th round due to his strong ties to Stanford. Mooneyham hasn't quite lived up the those expectations yet. He was a Louisville Slugger & Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American in his first spring at Stanford with decent stats. But this spring, Mooneyham struggled at times and finished with less than stellar results. His size and stuff are undeniable, however, and that still has scouts salivating at one of the top LHP prospects.
The first thing you notice about Mooneyham is his size. His 6-foot-4 and 235-pound frame remind me of Jon Lester. Mooneyham's best pitch is his 90-93 mph fastball that has some life on it. He also features a slider and change-up which continue to be pitches in development, but could be bat-missing type pitches. Mooneyham's control on this day was good, but that has been his crutch throughout college and high school and is preventing him from ascending to the very top of the collegiate pitching ranks. His poise on the mound has also been a major red flag for scouts as well.
Mooneyham is a Team USA invitee so it will be interesting to see if he makes it or if he will return to the Cape. If Mooneyham can put it all together -- stuff, command, and poise, and overall good summer performance could shoot him up draft boards like it did to Chris Sale this past draft.
Player of Highlight
Joe Panik, YD/St. John's, SS, Soph., Hopewell Junction, NY, Draft Eligible: 2011
Height: 6-01, Weight: 180
Game Stats: 3AB, 1H, 1 2B, 1RBI, 1SB
College Season Stats: .374AVG, 18 2B, 10HR, 53RBI, .621SLG, .477OBP, 6SB, 38/17 BB/K
Comments: Joe Panik is an accomplished SS from St. John's University. In his first two years with the Red Storm, Panik has been nothing short of stellar. Offensively, Panik has feasted on Big East pitching, slugging .512 and .621, in his freshman and sophomore campaigns, respectively. He has shown a patient approach at the plate too, walking 67 times versus striking out only 32 times over the two seasons.
Panik has a compact stroke from the left-side of the plate. He has struggled a little at the dish with the wood thus far on the Cape however. The real story has been his exceptional play at short. I have seen him make difficult plays look easy with the glove, while basically making routine plays with his eyes closed. He also has a knack for turning some incredible double-play combinations as well. Panik has already turned 9 DPs in 8 games for the Red Sox.
If Panik's bat comes alive this summer (which I expect it to do), he could really help himself for the 2011 Draft. I don't think there is a question that his glove and arm can play at short at the next level. Whether he can repeat his success hitting against elite pitching, night in, night out, remains to be seen. In my eyes, Panik is one of the more entertaining players to watch this summer.
Others to Watch:
- Ronnie Shaban (YD/Virginia Tech)
- Alex Dickerson (Wareham/Indiana) -- Louisville Slugger & NCBWA First-Team All-American, Big 10 Player of the Year
Around the Cape:
Early Season Off. Stat Leaders:
- AVG - .400 - Ronnie Richardson (Harwich/UCF)
- HR - 2 - tied - Ricky Oropresa (Chatham/USC), Kolten Wong (Orleans/Hawaii), CJ Cron (Cotuit/Utah)
- RBI - 8 - Mike Nemeth (Bourne/UConn)
Where I'll Be Next:
- Hyannis, June 24th
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