FSU v. FIU
In the second weekend of the college baseball season Florida State hosted Florida International (FIU) out of Miami, FL. FIU plays in the Sun Belt Conference and presented a much deeper and more talented roster than Hofstra (whom FSU played in the weekend prior). Florida State won the three game series, but FIU took game one. I was only able to attend Games 1 and 2 of the series (and I will be writing about FSU players in more detail at a later date), but a number of Florida International players caught my eye.
The first player that jumped out to me was FIU center fielder Pablo Bermudez (R/R). Bermudez is a senior out of Miami Shores, FL and is listed at 6’0” and 195 pounds. Last season, as a junior Bermudez was the Conference Player of the Year, hit .373 with 16 2B, 5 HR, and 17 SB. However, despite his solid season Bermudez was not selected in the MLB First-Year Player Draft. Bermudez had a very nice series, including three hits in Game 1, but in scouting the player’s on-field results (especially at the amateur levels) are not as important as the process. While he does not appear to be freakishly-athletic or super muscular, Bermudez seems to be every bit the 195 pounds he is listed. Defensively, Bermudez appears to be up to the task in center field. He looked comfortable patrolling the outfield and took good, accurate routes on both fly balls and base hits into the gaps. The only time that I was able to clock Bermudez’s home to 1st split was when he dropped down a bunt for a hit. So, while Bermudez recorded a scorching 3.68 from the right side, the results are slightly skewed given his head start. Regardless, a 3.68 on a bunt-for-hit situation should still clock around a 4.1 or 4.2 on a normal swing, which would give Bermudez a plus (60) to plus-plus (70) speed tool. At the plate, Bermudez appeared comfortable, was rarely off-balance, and he displayed plate discipline throughout the weekend, delivering solid AB’s in Games 1 and 2. While his power potential is rather limited, Bermudez displayed solid gap power, delivering a double to right-center field in Game 1. Overall, I came away rather impressed and was surprised to learn that he was not drafted at all last year. I fully expect Bermudez to be drafted this summer, but I think that the draft position (which round) will be dependent on his ability to handle top-notch pitching. Florida State’s pitching is rather pedestrian this season, so it will be interesting to see how Bermudez fares against quality arms such as conference foe Tyler Ray of Troy.
The second FIU player that caught my eye was second baseman Tyler James Shantz (R/R). Shantz is a junior from Greenwood Village, Colorado that is listed as 6’1” and 205 pounds. Shantz did not appear to be that tall, but he definitely looks like he is a solid 200 pounds. I honestly expected Shantz to be playing shortstop when FIU took the field given his athletic body type (but I will discuss FIU’s shortstop Julius Gaines next). Regardless, Shantz looked very comfortable at 2B and I think that he would probably be able to handle playing shortstop (at least at the college level) given how smooth his movements were. Balls hit to Shantz were few and far between, but his footwork on a double play turn was smooth and his arm was adequate. At the plate, Shantz showcased an (overly?) aggressive approach and appeared to be guessing quite a bit which left him vulnerable to off-speed pitches. However, like Bermudez, he hit a double to right-center field. Mechanically, his swing looked compact (and athletic) and the swing path allowed the barrel to stay within the zone for an extended period of time. However, from what I saw in my limited time at the game, it appears that Shantz may have to focus on honing his approach and recognizing pitches earlier out of the hand. Regardless, I think that Shantz is a very interesting prospect because of his athleticism/size and it will be fun to see how he develops as the year progresses.
Given my consternation with Shantz’s assignment to man the keystone, I was naturally curious about FIU’s shortstop, Julius Gaines. Gaines, a freshman out of McDonough, Georgia, is listed at 6’0” and 165 pounds, but I think that his weight is probably closer to 150 pounds. Because I hurriedly fell in love with Shantz’s athleticism, I felt a bit vindicated when Gaines made an error on a routine groundball to his right in the first inning of Game 1. However, after watching Gaines play 17 more innings of baseball over the weekend, I realized that the kid could play ball and could be a player to watch in the coming years. Clearly, Gaines’ lack of size and strength are detractors, but he is only a true freshman and given a couple of more years to fill out and work with strength coaches, he could easily end up weighing 175-180 pounds by the time he draft eligible. Even taking into consideration his first-inning error, Gaines remained composed and displayed polish and solid fundamentals in the field. I still have some questions about his athleticism and if he would be able to handle playing shortstop professionally—but again, he is young and I only got to see him play in two games, hardly enough time to get an entirely accurate portrait of his true defensive capabilities. At the plate, Gaines showed the ability to make adjustments within AB (something that is rare for a true freshman in college).
Exhibit A: In Game 1, in his first AB (immediately after committing the aforementioned error) Gaines flailed at a breaking ball early in the count, but fought off a couple of fastballs and later in the count ripped a single on a breaking ball.
Exhibit B: In Game 2, Gaines worked a ten-pitch AB, fouling off a variety of pitches, including a handful of sliders that had given him trouble early in the count. In the final pitch of his AB, Gaines made solid contact on a low-away FB and flew out to RF. Given more time to add strength and refine his swing, that fly out becomes an extra base hit.
Overall, Gaines is an appealing young prospect and I really liked his approach at the plate and ability to make in-game adjustments. Unfortunately, I was not able to get a home-1st time to measure his speed, and I still have questions about his overall athleticism and ability to stay at shortstop, but I think that Gaines is a player worth watching, especially if he is able to add some muscle to his frame.
No comments:
Post a Comment