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Cape Cod MVP !! That's good enough for me !!

Justus Sheffield

Pick: 31st Overall (1st Round)

Pick By: CLE

Position: LHP

Born: May 13, 1996

School: Tullahoma HS

Class: HS

Height: 5'10"    Weight: 196

Bats: L    Throws: L

Comments: Sheffield's brother Jordan might have been a first-round pick in the 2013 Draft if he hadn't blown out his elbow and required Tommy John surgery. Jordan dropped to the 13th round and the Red Sox, turning down third-round money to attend Vanderbilt, where Justus also has committed. Sheffield is very similar to his older brother, as he has a compact build, plenty of arm strength and impressive secondary stuff. The biggest difference between the two is that Justus has the advantage of throwing lefthanded. While he lacks size, Sheffield could develop three solid or better pitches. He already works with an 89-92 mph fastball that can hit 94, and both his mid-70s curveball and changeup are advanced for a high school. A quality athlete with a clean delivery, he throws strikes with ease.

Player: Justus Sheffield
Primary Position: LHP
Secondary Position(s): OF
Height/Weight: 6’0/190
Bats/Throws: L/L
Date of Birth:
Home Town: Tullahoma, TN
School: Tullahoma High School
Travel Team(s):
Class of: 2014
Committed To: Vanderbilt
For player’s contact informations, coaches’ contact information, and player’s educational information, please contact matt@bigleaguefutures.net

Scouting Notes:

2013 Tournament of Stars notes from Don Olsen

He is a compact wide angular frame with a good deal of lower half development. Decent three piece relaxed delivery from a true ¾ slot, shows the ability to hide the ball and gives it some hop. The extension can see him fall to 3B at times, getting a bit of leak hand side, but works downhill. His fastball was 88-92 (93) mph, was able to change eye levels better, work both sides of the plate, not afraid to work out on the RHH, action shows some cut to the pitch as well. Curve, 77-78 mph, has good depth and rotation, flashes some plus action. CU/SL, 80-81 mph, showed a blend of horizontal and vertical break creating solid tilt. Change was deceptive, 78-79 mph, some depth and hand side movement. He pounded the lower half of the zone and showed pitchability maturation to his craft.

Awards/Achievements:

2013 USA Baseball 18U National Team Trials
2013 Perfect Game Underclass All-American 1st Team
2012 Perfect Game Underclass All-American 2nd Team
2011 Tennessee Invitational Tournament MVP

Mike Papi

Pick: 38th Overall (CB Round Ath Round)

Pick By: CLE

Position: OF

Born: September 19, 1992

School: Virginia

Class: JR

Height: 6'3"    Weight: 195

Bats: L    Throws: R

Comments: Both Papi's father and brother played college baseball, but it looks like Mike is going to be the first in the family to extend his playing career to the professional ranks. After a strong summer in the Northwoods League, Papi has kept hitting for Virginia. His plate discipline and pitch recognition are as good as any college hitter in this Draft class. He's more of a line-drive hitter right now, but there is some slugging potential in his left-handed swing, plus excellent bat speed and good balance at the plate. Papi is very versatile as a defender. He's more of a corner outfielder, but he can even play center field in a pinch, and he can even play first. Virginia's home park is not hitting-friendly, and many Cavaliers hitters have gone on to hit better at the next level. The team that thinks that will happen for Papi, and that more power will come, will take a long look in the top few rounds.

35. Mike Papi, OF, Virginia, PR 23

Papi is a highly productive player in college, who had somewhat of an in season slide. He has issues, I am not sure where he will play and he is not a great athlete. He just hits the ball and has an excellent eye. He doesn’t get cheated, and preforms every time out. He is the type of guy who just seems like he will get the dreaded intangible label to explain why a guy who his limited athleticism has been such a devastating college hitter.

( From the above IBI post )

With their 1st round pick (#21 overall) in the 2014 Draft the Cleveland Indians have selected outfielder Bradley Zimmer out of the University of San Francisco.

Born: 11/27/1992 – Height: 6’5” – Weight: 205 – Bats: Left – Throws: Right

Ranks:

Baseball America: 14
MLB.com: 10
Keith Law: 12
Jeff Ellis: 6

Tony's take: This pick may not excite people and it may be more of a safe pick, but he was the highest rated player on the board and someone who could have gone much earlier in the draft. There are a lot of interesting arms still available for the Indians to take at #31 and #38 so this looks like a solid, safe pick before the Indians potentially take some gambles the rest of the night. He has bloodlines as his brother Kyle is in the Royals system and has played well for them so far. He is more of a polished player who could move quickly through the system and is a toolsy player, which is something you don’t see a lot of coming out of college. His bat and speed both grade out as above average or better and shows a good approach at the plate. He also could have at least average power if not more depending on how his frame fills out as a professional. The Indians will probably develop him as a center fielder at first because of his athleticism, speed, and strong arm, but he could settle in as a right fielder down the road.

Jeff Ellis: So you know I have to be extremely happy and fans should be too. I had him in the top 10 and so did Jim Callis. Zimmer has plus speed, I would grade it at 60 and on top of that he is 6’5” with a frame which screams power. Here is a potential five tool guy. I see a player who should have plus power, speed, and hit tool. His power needs to develop, but there are reasons a lot of people love Zimmer. He might be a college guy but the upside is there. I think he can play centerfield, and could stick there. He instantly becomes the number three prospect in this system by the time he signs. Zimmer could easily end up being the top bat from this class; worst case is an average bat in centerfield.

Press Release: Zimmer, a 6’5”, 205-pound outfielder, hit .368 with 10 doubles, 7 triples, 7 home runs and 31 RBI for the University of San Francisco Dons as a junior during the 2014 season. Zimmer, 21, walked 31 times and recorded a .461 on-base percentage. He posted a .573 slugging percentage and was 21-for-32 in stolen base attempts. The two-time All-West Coast Conference member made all 54 starts in center field and owned a .969 fielding percentage in 2014. He was named a 2014 preseason All-American selection by Louisville Slugger, Baseball America and Perfect Game USA. He is also one of 30 finalists for the Golden Spikes Award.

The La Jolla, CA native was named All-WCC during his sophomore season in 2013, hitting .320 with 7 home runs, 37 RBI and 19 stolen bases.

With their 1st round compensation A pick (#31 overall) in the 2014 Draft the Cleveland Indians have selected left-handed pitcher Justus Sheffield out of Tullahoma High School (TN).

Born: 5/13/1996 – Height: 5’10” – Weight: 196 – Bats: Left – Throws: Left

Ranks:

MLB.com: 39
Keith Law: 21
Baseball America: 41

Tony’s take: You had to know that the Indians were going to take some risk with this pick and go for a prep arm, and that is what they did taking the top left-handed arm on the board. I would have preferred Reid-Foley here and Ortiz was probably who the Indians wanted but he went just one pick earlier. That said, I see no problem with this pick as he has the bloodlines you like, is an athlete and has some good strength to go along with a good mix of secondary pitches that are very advanced for a high school arm. This is a more polished prep arm that doesn’t appear to be as much of a gamble as some of the high round prep arms in the last few drafts, so it will be interesting to see how he shakes out. I would also expect the Indians to double up on prep players with either a prep arm or bat at #38.

Jeff Ellis: Justus Sheffield is an interesting arm. Last year I talked about how the Indians seemed to target smaller guys who would have gone higher if not for their size. Well that is exactly the story from Sheffield who is listed at six feet but is really less than six feet. He has really good secondary pitches, three of them which are advanced for his age. He is an excellent athlete as well and starts the Indians new theme this year which appears to be bloodlines as both of the Indians first two picks had brothers who were also top prospects. He isn’t who I would have taken there, but I am fine with the pick. If the Indians decided they wanted a left-handed pitcher then I can’t blame them as they took the best one on the board.

Press release: Sheffield, 18, recently completed his senior season at Tullahoma (TN) High School, going 10-0 with a 0.34 ERA (3 ER/61.2 IP) and 131 strikeouts. On Wednesday, the 6-for-1, 180-pound southpaw became the first high school athlete from the state of Tennessee to win a Gatorade National Player of the Year Award after leading his Wildcats team to a third straight district championship and a second round appearance in the Tennessee state playoffs. Past pitching recipients of the award include Zack Greinke ('02), Clayton Kershaw ('06) and Rick Porcello ('07), while Cleveland's 2013 first round selection (5th overall), OF Clint Frazier, earned the distinction last year.

A part-time center-fielder, Sheffield also batted .405/.478/.620 with 13 doubles, 3 homers and 16 RBI at the plate. Sheffield, a 2014 Perfect Game USA First Team All-American and returning First Team All-State selection by the Tennessee Baseball Coaches Association, is committed to Vanderbilt University, where his older brother, Jordan, is completing his freshman year as a RHP on the Commodores baseball team.

With their 1st round competitive balance pick (#38 overall) in the 2014 Draft the Cleveland Indians have selected outfielder Mike Papi out of the University of Virginia.

Born: 9/19/1992 – Height: 6’3” – Weight: 195 – Bats: Left – Throws: Right

Ranks:

Baseball America: 43
MLB.com: 45
Keith Law: 43
Jeff Ellis: 35

Tony’s take: This pick comes as no surprise as Papi was projected to the Indians in several national mocks at #31 or #38, though with so much prep talent on the board I may have preferred the Indians go that route one more time before going safe in the next few rounds. In any case, Papi has an exceptional approach at the plate with a good eye and a lot of patience, so the bat along with the ability to work deep in counts and draw a ton of walks obviously appealed to the Indians. He displays some very good bat speed and has a nice line drive stroke, and there could be some untapped power that the Indians can maybe bring out as he matures and gets on a pro strength and conditioning program and proper nutrition program. He should fit in right field but can also handle center field and even play first base.

Jeff Ellis: Michael Conforto went tenth in this draft and I don’t see a big difference between him and Papi. Papi has been a great player in college. He has shown solid pop from the left side. I had been told that the Indians liked him, so I did get this pick right in my mock. Papi’s best skill is his eye at the plate. He will always have more walks than strikeouts. He basically owns the strike zone. He has above average power and hit tool. I am not sure where he plays defensively, but most think he ends up at first base. He will be either a great defensive first baseman or a mediocre to below average outfielder with a good arm. The player he reminds me of the most is Nick Swisher.

Grant Hawkin

Pick: 61st Overall (2nd Round)

Pick By: CLE

Position: RHP

Born: March 5, 1996

School: Damien HS

Class: HS

Height: 6'3"    Weight: 195

Bats: R    Throws: R

Comments: Major League bloodlines are always a benefit, so even though Hockin is a pitcher, the fact he is the grandson of Hall of Famer Harmon Killebrew is a point of interest. Hockin's certainly made a name for himself as a projectable high school right-hander from Southern California. Tall and lean, he has decent stuff across the board coming from a clean and easy delivery. The UCLA commit will touch 92 mph with his fastball, and his two-seamer has some good run to it. His slider can be inconsistent, but he'll often throw it with good tilt and depth. Hockin's changeup will show a split-finger-fastball kind of action at times. When everything is working, he can throw all three for strikes. In a deep class for high school pitching, Hockin is behind the elite names, but with the chance to have three at least Major League average offerings, a team could find some very good value with him a little deeper in the Draft.

Scouting Reports
0
2014 MLB Draft Profile: Grant Hockin
by Staff | Posted on Monday, July 15th, 2013
Player: Grant Hockin
Primary Position: RHP
Secondary Position(s): SS
Height/Weight: 6’3/195
Bats/Throws: R/R
Date of Birth:
Home Town: Pomona, CA
School: Damien
Travel Team(s):
Class of: 2014
Committed To: UCLA

Scouting Notes:

2013 Tournament of Stars notes from Don Olsen:

Grant is a highly projectable with a loose arm and present arm speed. He has a nice frame, little sloped narrowness to it similar to Trevor Williams at the same age, looks to fill out similarly as well. FB was 87-90 (91) mph and showed solid command with the a little ability to work it and change eye levels, something to monitor as he progresses. His 2S was 87-89 showed run with enough tail to drop in on the RHH and away from the LHH. His curve, 80-81 mph, had good average depth and rotation on it to project. The CH showed a bit of fade at 78-79 mph, providing a third offering that projects. Good three pitch mix with arm speed.

Awards/Achievements:

2013 Under Armour All-American
2013 Perfect Game Underclass All-American 1st Team
2012 WWBA World All-Tournament Team
2012 Perfect Game Underclass All-American 2nd Team
2012 All-Sierra League 1st Team

Pitcher Grant Hockin got life lessons from Hall of Fame kin

One of the greatest gifts for a teenager is when a grandfather is able to live long enough to offer life lessons that can be cherished forever.

Grant Hockin, a standout senior pitcher at La Verne Damien, was the recipient of such influential advice from the man he called "grandpa," Harmon Killebrew, a baseball Hall of Famer from the Minnesota Twins who hit 573 home runs in 22 major-league seasons.

"He always told me to treat everyone with respect and don't take anything for granted," Hockin said. "He never acted like he was bigger than anyone. He was very humble. He was known as a man of great character."

Killebrew died in 2011 at age 74 when Hockin was a freshman at Damien. If only Killebrew could see Hockin now.

He's 7-2 with a 1.35 ERA and a fastball in the low 90s. Every game he pitches, scouts come out armed with their radar guns and pencils to see and write down not only how he performs but his reactions to good and bad moments.

Hockin's level of consistency is making his senior season very specia

"He's just a workhorse," Coach Al Leyva said. "Besides the talent, he's just smart. Mentally, he gets it done. The ability is there. If he can stay healthy, you're going to see that guy pitching in the big leagues."

Hockin, a 6-foot-2, 205-pound right-hander, has signed with UCLA, so he has lots of good options for the future. What's clear is that he knows how to perform in front of a crowd. Nothing seems to faze him, particularly the scrutiny he receives from scouts trying to figure out just how good he might become.


"It's really exciting, kind of fun," he said. "I've always been used to that, because they were coming when I was a freshman. I've always thrown in front of scouts, so it's second-nature. It doesn't really bother me."

During games, Hockin's composure comes straight out of his grandfather's lessons.

"I was always taught to have an even-keel attitude," he said. "Don't really go crazy, because you don't want to have an emotional high, then come back and have an emotional low."

Last season, he got to play with his brother, Chad, now at Cal State Fullerton.

There are only weeks left in his high school career, but Hockin has done a lot of growing up over the last four years. What has he learned?

"Take everything in and don't take anything for granted," he said. "The friendships I've had here are probably going to last forever."

His grandfather hit 40 or more home runs eight times in the major leagues. No one knows what would have happened if Hockin had gotten to pitch to his grandfather in his prime, but the way the youngster goes about his daily routine, Killebrew's presence is still being felt.

It's the gift that never goes away.

With their 2nd round pick in the 2014 Draft the Cleveland Indians have selected right-handed pitcher Grant Hockin out of Damien High School (CA).

Born: 3/5/1996 – Height: 6’3” – Weight: 195 – Bats: Right – Throws: Right

Ranks:

Baseball America: 109
Keith Law: 49
MLB.com: 92

Tony’s take: This is a bit of a reach for the Indians as a lot of publications had him more in the 100 range when ranked among all draft prospects, so either the Indians really like him and see something different or this is a guy they think they can get underslot. He is a projectable high school arm with a commitment to UCLA. His fastball, slider and changeup all have a chance to be solid average offerings, and there is some upside to his body. He is another player with bloodlines in professional baseball as he is the grandson of Harmon Killebrew. The Indians really seem to be targeting players who have bloodlines within the game as this is their third of four players taken so far with such comps.

Jeff Ellis: The big story for Grant Hockin in most cases is that he is the grandson of Harmon Killebrew. Hockin is a good sized right hander who needs to fill out. The hope is that if he fills out that he can add some more velocity which is a necessity as he sits in the high 80’s or low 90’s. The Indians are targeting guys with clean throwing motions it seems and guys who have four legitimate pitches. His best pitch is his slider. In a lot of ways Hockin is a bigger right handed version of Justus Sheffield. He isn’t a bad pick, but not really as high as a lot of other arms left at this point. The Indians seem to be passing on power to add guys with advanced secondary offerings.

I'm not wild about this draft. A couple of bats with little power and two soft tossing high school pitchers one under 6'. I would have preferred 4 projectable power pitchers!

joez, thoughts? I know sea loves the big guys and we drafted 3 of'em.....

Frank,

In my opinion, they didn't have too many choices left. They picked the best athletes available at the time. I'm not crazy about the draft but it was OK. ALL of my choices were long gone by the time our first choice was selected. Too bad we didn't have the same draft order as we had in 2001.

By the way, weren't you a participant in the Cape Cod League?

I'm kind of partial to players who come out of that league.

Being an MVP of that league speaks volumes. I'll be keeping tabs on Bradley Zimmer.