4040
by civ ollilavad
[This is a BA post, not from Tony Lastoria, so the speed gun measurements are probably accurate]
PHOENIX—Weekends start early in the instructional league. Instead of the normal 12:30 p.m. start time, games begin at 10 a.m. to give players a jumpstart on their weekends. There are no games on Sundays.
This Saturday took me to Goodyear, Ariz., where the Reds and Indians (whose complexes are separated by just a couple of blocks) were playing. Pitching matchups are not typically known in advance, so it’s usually a potluck if you’re a scout or media member.
On this day, the Indians were throwing a pitcher an inning, so there was a wide variety of arms to view. Lefty Justus Sheffield and righty Grant Hockin, taken by Cleveland in the first and second rounds of this year’s draft, respectively, pitched the third and fourth innings, so they were the clear headliners.
Sheffield, a short, stocky lefthander taken out of Tullahoma (Tenn.) High, cut through Cincinnati in order in his inning. He threw just eight pitches (six strikes, two balls, one swing-and-miss) in retiring the side on two grounders and a fly to shallow center. His fastball peaked at 92 mph. He also showed a changeup with a small amount of fade at the end at 79 mph.
Hockin, a tall righthander from Damien (Calif.) HS, didn’t fare as well in his inning. Reds catcher Garrett Boulware, Cincinnati’s 16th-rounder from Clemson, destroyed one of Hockin’s fastballs and sent it out over the high wall in left field. Boulware also popped at 2.40 trying to catch a runner stealing.
The longball was just a blip, though. Hockin retired the other three hitters he faced, utilizing a fastball that sat between 88-90 mph, a slider at 82-83 and a changeup at 83. He threw 12 pitches in his inning, eight of which were strikes. He got three swings and misses, including two consecutive on sliders to finish a strikeout of Dalton Carter, and another on a changeup.
There were other intriguing arms as well. Jared Robinson, a righthander the Indians selected in the 11th round out of Cerritos (Calif.) JC, was up to 93 mph and recorded a swinging strikeout of Montrell Marshall on an 80 mph slider. Luke Eubank, Cleveland’s 15th-rounder out of Oxnard (Calif.) JC, punched out two in the ninth and broke a bat. Eubank, a low-slot righthander, used a running fastball between 91-93 mph and a sweepy slider between 78-82 mph.
Some other notables from Saturday’s game: Indians shortstop Drake Roberts, this year’s 29th-rounder from St. Mary’s, pulled a single through the left side on a 90 mph fastball that was boring in on his hands. … Indians outfielder Gabriel Mejia singled and showed good instincts when he scampered to second when the ball got away from the second baseman on the throw in from the outfield.