Credit again to Shankbone for highlighting this guy first. Pentecost is an athletic college catcher out of Kennesaw St.(for some reason I always associated Kennesaw St with a pitcher named Kyle Heckathorn as I had never heard of it before Heckathorn got some ink as a draft prospect a few years ago). Pentecost is 6'1", 190 lbs so is on the small size for a catcher, but reportedly is athletic enough to play multiple positions. His sophomore stat line is not that impressive with a BA of .302 and just 3 HR's, but he won the Cape Cod League MVP hitting .346 with 6 HR in 130 AB, which got him some national notice. He's a name to watch as the college season gets underway.
BLF has him ranked at #24 overall. Matt Garrioch at Minor League Ball has him down at #54. BA has him at #28 and mentions his athleticism and "boffo" CCL. Kind of the type of sleeper the Giants like to surprise people with and they do like their CCL performances, but he also probably has to put up better numbers at Kennesaw St his junior season to justify anything approaching a #14 overall pick.
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Interesting kid.
ReplyDeleteI wonder how often the season immediately before the draft impacts draft status, especially with kids still growing and maturing, but that CCL MVP is impressive and worth a lot to build on.
Draft stock often gets raised a lot or lowered a lot depending on junior season performance. Just ask Jarrett Parker and Brandon Crawford how far it can drop if you flop. On the other side of the coin, lots of kids really start to hit their stride physically at about age 21 or so and combine that with the experience and they really take off. Can't think if any specific examples off the top of my head, but it is quite common.
DeleteThis kid is growing on me. I agree 100% with your and Shankbone's sentiments that Pentecost seems like the Giants style... as long as he doesn't tank this season. I can hear it now... the Giants draft an undersized catcher?! What are they thinking?! I don't know why, but the idea of taking a hitter in the first round is also starting to grow on me. Lots of arms out there, but the bats seem a little thin. Personally, I think the Giants are very, very excited to have a pick in the first 15. I'm excited to see what they do with it, and trust that they'll get their guy, whether it's one of the higher-upside P's or an all-around sleeper type hitter like Pentecost. I've enjoyed these profiles, and have learned a lot about the upcoming class. I've definitely got a few names that I'll be checking on come spring.
ReplyDeleteThere are just so many guys with such high ceilings who also appear to have highly developed skills in this draft, I have to say, if the Giants go with a Chavis or a Pentecost, I might just join the skeptics and say they went too far with the "go your own way" thing.
DeleteThat would be ironic DrB - Keith Law has Pentecost as a top ten talent.
DeleteI didn't like the 2012 draft at first because it wasn't balanced - all college pitching at the top. Sabean had said before the draft he wanted pitching to re-stock, and said some Sabean off-collar comment about HS players being a pain in the ass to scout. That was pretty extreme. 2013 they go with 8 HS guys, much more balanced.
I'm not sure about either of these guys yet. The class is pitching rich, I think I'd most likely want the best one available.
I looked over Pentecost pretty carefully. I like him, but would like him a lot better as a late first rounder than a top 15 pick. To me there is a bit of a disconnect between his CCL performance and his numbers at Kennesaw St, which does not exactly face elite college competition. I guess it comes down to how much you weigh the CCL which is wood bat but a relatively SSS vs his track record in college. I just want to see more before I jump on his bandwagon.
DeleteI am also wondering if, with the emergence of the Urban Youth Academies, travel teams, showcases plus the widespread availability of video resources and instruction on the internet, if the concept of the toolsy African-American prospects is more of a stereotype than a reality. It seems to me that a lot of these kids nowadays have the superior tools but also have highly developed skills and mechanics. I'm thinking of players like Stone Garrett and Marcus Wilson compared to a Michael Chavis type. Would I be selling Chavis' tools short if I thought maybe Garrett and Wilson have comparable hit tools but maybe higher ceilings?
DeleteI think that showcases like P/G AA trample all others, and the travel team circuit is a big feeder for that hype. Hard to tell about a hit tool with HS guys. Its one reason to have 3 more years looking at them, plus the CC for wooden bats, possibly some team usa stuff as well.
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