I think I've stumbled onto a sleeper of sleepers who seems like a perfect Giants draft pick. I was perusing the College Baseball Daily website and came across an article about a RHP named Jeffrey Gibbs who plays for Univ. of Maine. Gibbs is from Canada and had a scouting video on mlb.com for the 2009 draft coming out of high school. He's got great size: 6'4", 215 lbs. Here's the part that got my attention: He throws 97 MPH! Well, he actually uses an easier motion to sit at 92-94 MPH and gets more movement in that range, but he dials it up to 97 when he has to. He also has a drop-off-the-table breaking ball that generates swings and misses. He is reportedly hard at work this fall on a changeup that he plans to use more in the spring games.
His stat line in 2011 wasn't spectacular, but that makes him all the more typical of a Giants pitching draft pick, right?
8-5, 3.42, 76.1 IP, 46 BB, 69 K's. He held opposing batters to a .204 BA
This guy has the strength to go deep into games. He could be developed as a starter or else go to the pen and hump up that velocity into the 97-99 mph range.
One more tidbit: Keith Bilodeau, who the Giants drafted and signed in the 2011 draft, was a teammate of Gibbs last year, so we know the Giants are aware of him. The Giants seem to have a very active scout up in the far northeast.
I looked Gibbs up on some top college prospects lists. He was nowhere to be found! He isn't even listed as a top 55 pitcher for the draft by the guy at MLB Draft Guide! His coach says he could be drafted in rounds 1-5. He might be a bit of a reach in round 1 but I could so see the Giants drafting him in round 2 or 3. He would be a steal in round 5.
Jeffrey Gibbs is definitely one of several pitchers we'll be following closely once the college season starts.
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Excellent. Its fun to look at the first round of the draft, but the Giants real advantage in recent years has been hitting on guys pretty high up such as Belt and Hembree. (Ok, I'm a bit ahead on this, but its looking good).
ReplyDeleteAnother guy who had "Giants" written all over him to me is Ty Hensley - OK prep pitcher, maybe not as high a ceiling/hype as this years guys, but we know the G's have a great scout on the ground there - Daniel Murray - from getting Clayton Blackburn. MLB has Hensley ranked 33, maybe they reach, maybe he falls to the 2nd.
With the changes to CBA, coupled with the talent being skewed to HS, there will be new strategies in effect with drafting. I think the Giants are better set up for this type of thing already, as they don't go over slot or chase high profile guys anyway.
The video on MLB for Hensley excites me - "Goes after hitters, ability to throw strikes, confident on mound" means so much more than the radar gun. Which has him in 90-92 with reach back to 94. Its pretty natural as fans to yell "Matt Cain" every time you see a 6'4 righty who looks solid and salt of the earth type, but I'll do it anyway: Matt Cain!
ReplyDeleteOh, I completely agree that the new CBA draft rules play right into the Giants hands as they have been more or less following those rules all along and doing quite well with them.
ReplyDeleteI'll check out Hensley. Thanks for the tip.
I like you the way that you share your thoughts here guys.
ReplyDeleteFirst want to say I love your site and read it daily.
ReplyDeleteGibbs sounds like a great player. I have been reading up on the draft for next year and had my eye on a few players. One that jumps out to me is Ryne Stanek. RHP out of Arkansas. Looks like he was a Mariners pick a few years back who they failed to sign. Since there is about a 100 percent chance we draft a pitcher in the first round this year, and since we don't have any upper level pitchers ready I figure we are going to go for a pitcher that is only a year or two away. Which leads too Stanek. Here is a scouting report I found on him.
When scouts saw Stanek's 6-foot-4, 180 pound build and his ability to maintain a 90-92 mph fastball on the showcase circuit last summer, it was easy for them to project that he might throw in the mid-90s one day. That day came sooner than expected, as Stanek worked at 91-96 mph in his first game this spring. He has kept that velocity all spring, doing so with little effort. His delivery is fairly sound, though he does throw slightly across his body. His curveball is crisp and has two-plane break, giving him a second future plus pitch. He also throws a slider and changeup. Stanek is one of the cornerstones of a deep Arkansas recruiting class, but his step forward this spring means he'll likely bypass college.
Thanks to the newcomers for the kind words. Glad you enjoy the site.
ReplyDeleteIt looks like Stanek will be a sophomore. Not sure if he will be draft eligible or not. I seem to remember seeing him on a mock draft a few weeks ago, but he's not listed in BA's top 100 college draft prospects, so not sure. He does sound like a terrific prospect though. I don't see the Giants taking a chance on a draft eligible sophomore as they have more leverage to make bonus demands.
MLB Draft guide is going over the scrappers now - 2B/SS types in college who will be future utility and 2Bs. Its not an area of need, but I have to say I like Tony Renda a lot - saw him play a few games during Cal's run last year. If he drops into the third round the Gints could do worse, Pac10 player of the year and obviously a natural hitter. If Panik can stick at short...
ReplyDeleteHey, I got a link on MLB Draft Guide for the write up in Gibbs!
ReplyDeleteOh Canada, Oh Canada... I like it a lot. Check that Perfect Game World Showcase Jan 7-8, our PR academy boys are scheduled...
ReplyDeleteJust noticed you got a link for Cherry as well!
ReplyDelete