Published: Saturday, January 5, 2008
New NCAA rule puts scouts in a jam
With the holidays behind them, this is the month when baseball scouts usually hit the road to evaluate college players for the June draft.
Not this year.
Because of a rules change by the NCAA, the college season won't start until Feb. 22. That's about a month later than many schools -- especially those in the warm-weather states -- have opened their seasons in the past.
That means the scouts have less time in an already tight schedule to prepare their reports for the draft.
"The Arizona schools would start playing in January, but the NCAA thought it was a disadvantage to the Northern teams," said Jim Fitzgerald, who scouts the Northwest for the Mariners. "It doesn't give us a lot of time. Usually we could pick off a few schools in January and February."
For Fitzgerald, it also forces him to keep a closer eye on weather forecasts as he plans his travel early in the season.
For example, Washington State University is scheduled to open at home Feb. 22 against Creighton, but a scouting trip there could be for nothing if the weather is bad. Washington, however, plays a four-game series at Cal-Riverside beginning Feb. 22.
"Do you go to Pullman and run the risk of getting snowed out, or do you go scout a game where it's a little warmer and you know they're going to play?" Fitzgerald asked.
Until there are games to watch, there's still plenty to keep the amateur scouts busy.
"We're doing home visits with some of the prospects and meeting with parents," Fitzgerald said. "Most of the four-year schools already have their schedules posted and (this month) we'll be contacting the high schools and junior colleges to get their schedules."
And when the college season opens Feb. 22, the real legwork begins for a busy three months before the draft.
Morrow finishes strong: Brandon Morrow, one of the most-discussed Mariners in offseason trade talks, has completed his winter work with some decent numbers.
Morrow, a right-hander who may jump from the bullpen to the starting rotation -- if he's not traded -- went 3-2 with a 2.72 earned run average in seven starts for Lara in the Venezuela Winter League.
A nine-hit, four-run outing in five innings Dec. 6 at Caribes blew up Morrow's ERA, but he followed that with victories in his final three outings. He allowed two earned runs in 161/3 innings in those games, a 1.10 ERA.
Morrow finished with 31 strikeouts in 361/3 innings.
Jimenez unbeaten: The most impressive Mariners pitcher in winter ball has been left-hander Cesar Jimenez, who is 4-0 with a 0.77 ERA in 21 relief appearances for Lara.
Jimenez pitched in 16 games last year for Class AAA Tacoma after coming back from elbow surgery and could compete for a spot in the Mariners' bullpen at spring training.
"He's left-handed and he's been to the big leagues, so I don't see why not," said Greg Hunter, the Mariners' director of minor league operations.
While not considered a true left-handed specialist, Jimenez has held left-handed hitters to a .083 average in winter ball.
"He doesn't have the real true left-on-left breaking ball to be that kind of guy, but he's got a really good changeup," Hunter said. "A lot of it depends on what happens with our whole staff."
Of note: Center fielder Adam Jones, one of the Mariners' biggest trade chips along with Morrow, is batting .304 with no home runs and 10 RBI in 69 at-bats for Lara. … Second baseman Jose Lopez, who the Mariners want to be more consistent at the plate, is batting .316 with 11 doubles, five homers and 15 RBI in 117 at-bats. … Outfielder Wladimir Balentien, who saw limited play with the Mariners as a September callup, is batting .191 with 27 strikeouts in 110 at-bats. … The Los Angeles Dodgers have named Jim Slaton, the Mariners' bullpen coach the past two seasons, as their pitching coach at Class AAA Las Vegas. He becomes the last of the coaches who weren't retained by the Mariners to find a job for 2008. Bench coach Mike Goff will manage the Reds' Class AA team in Chattanooga, pitching coach Rafael Chaves will be the Yankees Class AAA pitching coach and third-base coach Carlos Garcia will be the Pirates' minor league infield coordinator. Pat Rice, the former Mariners pitcher who was the organization's minor league pitching coordinator, will be pitching coach for the San Francisco Giants' Class AA team in Norwich, Conn.
Not this year.
Because of a rules change by the NCAA, the college season won't start until Feb. 22. That's about a month later than many schools -- especially those in the warm-weather states -- have opened their seasons in the past.
That means the scouts have less time in an already tight schedule to prepare their reports for the draft.
"The Arizona schools would start playing in January, but the NCAA thought it was a disadvantage to the Northern teams," said Jim Fitzgerald, who scouts the Northwest for the Mariners. "It doesn't give us a lot of time. Usually we could pick off a few schools in January and February."
For Fitzgerald, it also forces him to keep a closer eye on weather forecasts as he plans his travel early in the season.
For example, Washington State University is scheduled to open at home Feb. 22 against Creighton, but a scouting trip there could be for nothing if the weather is bad. Washington, however, plays a four-game series at Cal-Riverside beginning Feb. 22.
"Do you go to Pullman and run the risk of getting snowed out, or do you go scout a game where it's a little warmer and you know they're going to play?" Fitzgerald asked.
Until there are games to watch, there's still plenty to keep the amateur scouts busy.
"We're doing home visits with some of the prospects and meeting with parents," Fitzgerald said. "Most of the four-year schools already have their schedules posted and (this month) we'll be contacting the high schools and junior colleges to get their schedules."
And when the college season opens Feb. 22, the real legwork begins for a busy three months before the draft.
Morrow finishes strong: Brandon Morrow, one of the most-discussed Mariners in offseason trade talks, has completed his winter work with some decent numbers.
Morrow, a right-hander who may jump from the bullpen to the starting rotation -- if he's not traded -- went 3-2 with a 2.72 earned run average in seven starts for Lara in the Venezuela Winter League.
A nine-hit, four-run outing in five innings Dec. 6 at Caribes blew up Morrow's ERA, but he followed that with victories in his final three outings. He allowed two earned runs in 161/3 innings in those games, a 1.10 ERA.
Morrow finished with 31 strikeouts in 361/3 innings.
Jimenez unbeaten: The most impressive Mariners pitcher in winter ball has been left-hander Cesar Jimenez, who is 4-0 with a 0.77 ERA in 21 relief appearances for Lara.
Jimenez pitched in 16 games last year for Class AAA Tacoma after coming back from elbow surgery and could compete for a spot in the Mariners' bullpen at spring training.
"He's left-handed and he's been to the big leagues, so I don't see why not," said Greg Hunter, the Mariners' director of minor league operations.
While not considered a true left-handed specialist, Jimenez has held left-handed hitters to a .083 average in winter ball.
"He doesn't have the real true left-on-left breaking ball to be that kind of guy, but he's got a really good changeup," Hunter said. "A lot of it depends on what happens with our whole staff."
Of note: Center fielder Adam Jones, one of the Mariners' biggest trade chips along with Morrow, is batting .304 with no home runs and 10 RBI in 69 at-bats for Lara. … Second baseman Jose Lopez, who the Mariners want to be more consistent at the plate, is batting .316 with 11 doubles, five homers and 15 RBI in 117 at-bats. … Outfielder Wladimir Balentien, who saw limited play with the Mariners as a September callup, is batting .191 with 27 strikeouts in 110 at-bats. … The Los Angeles Dodgers have named Jim Slaton, the Mariners' bullpen coach the past two seasons, as their pitching coach at Class AAA Las Vegas. He becomes the last of the coaches who weren't retained by the Mariners to find a job for 2008. Bench coach Mike Goff will manage the Reds' Class AA team in Chattanooga, pitching coach Rafael Chaves will be the Yankees Class AAA pitching coach and third-base coach Carlos Garcia will be the Pirates' minor league infield coordinator. Pat Rice, the former Mariners pitcher who was the organization's minor league pitching coordinator, will be pitching coach for the San Francisco Giants' Class AA team in Norwich, Conn.
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