Jordan Hankins Spray Chart

Mike Ahmed Spray Chart

Colin Moran Spray Chart

Chase McDonald Spray Chart

Player Profile: Brandon Moore

      
     Brandon Moore is a 6’2” 228 lb. Sophomore from the University of Arkansas. This Christian gentleman appeared in 29 games for the Razorbacks. He pitched a total of 81.1 innings, finishing off his spring with a 5 -2 record and a 2.43 ERA. He struck out 36 and only walked 11. He tallied 3 saves and posted an extremely impressive 0.95 WHIP. He has appeared in 9 games for Bourne, recording 21 strikeouts in 22 innings-pitched. Due to a few bad outings his ERA is at 5.73 and he has a 1.54 WHIP. He has pitched in some extremely tough spots, and is suffering from a lot of arm fatigue, in my opinion. He sat at 90 mph with his sinking fastball at school and has been anywhere from 82-89 on Cape Cod. He is trying to develop a slider that will compliment the late life on his fastball, that has been thrown anywhere from 76-82 mph, and he has an out-pitch in his change-up that will sit around 80 when his fastball is 86-89. It is very difficult to decipher between his change and his fastball because they have very similar action.
     As for mechanics, Brandon is a big-bodied pitcher with a very strong base. He comes to an ideal balance point and uses a front shoulder coil to put a little more behind his fastball. His arm action is, overall, very smooth (other than a slight back arm stab). He incorporates the bow and arrow technique to involve his upper body more. He throws from a low three-quarters delivery that adds even more late life to his fastball. His front foot step is very consistent and in the middle of his body. He bends his back leg before using a very nice, low leg drive. He pitches from a good power position and does a very nice job of tucking his front glove. I like the way he finishes off his pitches. By using a front shoulder coil, the bow and arrow technique, a back leg bend, and the front arm tuck, Brandon puts everything he can behind the ball. However, that has not seemed to effect his stamina. Moore has pitched 3.0 or more innings in 5 of his outings. I think Brandon has the toughest job out of the bullpen. He has taken on the role of long reliever. He has done a very good job of coming into some jams and keeping his team in the game for extended periods. His sinking fastball creates a lot of groundballs, and with a developing slider he should be very effective for Arkansas. I think he has a lot of to offer a Major League franchise. He could project as an inning-eating starter, a reliever, or even as a closer on a strong defensive team. It is rare for anyone to find a ground-ball pitcher with such a high strikeout rate, and that should speak volumes to the late-life on his pitches. Most importantly, teams will be getting a very determined pitcher who has a great head on his shoulders. These are absolute necessities for anyone to succeed on the next level. In this playoff run, I am sure Harvey Shapiro is going to use him as a very trusted arm that will eat innings out of the bullpen.

Player Profile: Jordan Patterson

   

     Jordan Patterson is a 6’5” 205 lb. Outfielder who plays his college baseball for the University of South Alabama Jaguars from the Sun Belt Conference. He is extremely polite and well-mannered. I have enjoyed talking to him throughout the summer. This past year he batted .323 (2nd on team) through 56 games and 217 at-bats (1st on team). He hits 15 doubles (led team, 9th in Sun Belt), 1 triple (2nd on team), 8 home runs (1st on team), drove in 44 runs (led team), and was 3rd in the Sun Belt in hit-by-pitches (17). He posted an impressive .938 on-base plus slugging (9th in conference in slugging and OBP). The end of his successful year was capped with a Second-Team All-Sun Belt Conference Selection. For the Bourne Braves he is hitting .263 with 5 doubles, 1 home run, and 8 RBIs. However, do not let these numbers fool you. Jordan merely started slow, he is currently on a 9 game hitting streak. In fact, he has hit safely in 14 of his last 17 games, and has collected 22 total hits in that span. In those 17 games he has raised his batting average 84 points (.179-.263) and his OPS 247 (.470-.647)! Jordan is hitting his stride at exactly the right time, for the Braves playoff push.

      Patterson is a strong-armed (major league level), athletic outfielder, who covers massive ground out in centerfield. He gets good jumps off the bat, closes quickly, and takes away hits. He has been an anchor defensively and should be brought into the argument of “gold-glove” caliber Cape League outfielders. As for hitting, he is a rhythm hitter who took a while to make the proper adjustments. He shifts his weight back smoothly, and implements a soft toe-tap to set his hands. His hands take a nice path to ball and he ends with a big finish. I think Jordan is an excellent runner but his long backswing prevents him from running any impressive times to first base. At the point of contact, Jordan had some problems getting out on his front font and letting the ball travel deep enough, early in his season. He stayed mentally tough throughout his early season struggles. I saw him constantly out near the bullpen taking extra swings off the tee. Now those problems are past him, and he is raking. In fact, I think every pitcher should fear the thought of Jordan getting those long arms extended on a fastball. While I think he will benefit from adding muscle, he shows the ability of an extremely gifted hitter (spray chart below). With his defensive tools, refined swing mechanics, and continued development; Jordan should gather a great deal of draft attention.

Player Profile: Steven Goldstein

Steven Goldstein is a Freshman at State University of New York at Stony Brook, better known as the Stony Brook University SeaWolves. He is 5’11” and a very stocky 175 lbs. He bats and throws left-handed and has played in LF since joining the Bourne Braves. This past spring he was named a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American and competed in the College World Series. He hit .337, drawing 22 walks and striking out 21 times, in 166 at-bats. He collected 8 doubles, 3 triples, and hit 4 home runs. His most impressive stat is a .909 OPS (on-base plus slugging). He flashed his speed around the basepaths going 14 for 19 in steal attempts. On June 10, 2012 in the Baton Rouge Super Regional Championship, Steve shined brightly with the spotlight on him; he went 2 for 5 with an RBI. For the Braves, he was a late season addition. Through 6 games, he has 23 at-bats, 6 hits, 4 runs, 1 double, 2 walks, and is hitting .261 with a .320 on-base percentage. I am excited to watch him step-up in the CCBL playoffs the same way he stepped-up against the LSU Tigers on June 10th of this year.
    In the field, Steve takes great routes to fly-balls and covers a lot of ground. I love the fact he sprints to the spot of the baseball and is waiting underneath it before it lands.  He has made two outstanding diving plays, so he has appeared outstanding in the field. His hitting mechanics changed last game, but I would like to breakdown what I saw the first 5 games he played. He starts with a batting stance very similar to Jeff Bagwell (picture below).

He then takes a small step that borders on a toe tap. With his low stance he might have problems with keeping his head behind his hands (borderline risk in slow motion). However, I have a lot of faith in Steven's athletic ability, so he should be able to adjust. The most interesting thing about his swing is the way he aligns his entire body with the baseball. Most hitters like to stay strong through their core muscles and drive the baseball. The only other hitter I know to align their body with the ball is Major League Baseball's best contact hitter, Ichiro Suzuki. (picture below)

In fact, Steven stays even lower and more aggressive in his crouch. The first is a pitch chest-high. A lot of pitchers will try to blow a high fastball by a player who stands like Goldstein. He fouls it off in the video, and shows how tough of an out he is.

 

Another pitch to compare to Ichiro is the outside fastball. A lot of MLB pitchers pitched Ichiro outside because they felt that he was leaning away from that pitch. Unfortunately, they were pitching it exactly where Ichiro wanted it. He slapped the ball the other way and legged-out infield singles. In this picture set, Goldstein aligns his shoulders and hands with a belt-high outside fastball, and Ichiro attacks that pitch. I hope the reader can see that their upper bodies are aligned with the pitch, but Steven is in a lower crouch.

 

      There is no doubt in my mind that Goldstein has a very rare swing. However, I feel that he should be confident in the box. If he has confidence in that stance, and with those swing mechanics, then he should continue to use them. There is a lot to be said about a hitter having confidence when he steps into the box, and I feel like it is the most important thing involved in getting a hit. My notes on this Seawolves' Outfielder's swing: needs to keep his head behind his hands, he shows great plate coverage despite unorthodox approach, shows ability to square-up baseballs, and hits well to all fields. I feel like those are all positives. I have also noticed how fast he was out of the box. He was 4.19 down to first twice, and had a 3.76 on a bunt the other game! He finishes his backswing early to get a head start down to first like most fast left-handers (discussed here: John Murphy).

     As for a rundown, Goldstein still has another year of development before his draft-eligible summer. I hope he is back with the Braves, because he seems to be in the middle of a lot of big plays in his short time here. I think he is one of those players that makes things happen. His baseball mentality has been forged in the Aaron Payne mold of doing all the little things that help a baseball team win games. As for tools, I feel like he is a plus fielder, above average runner, and can hit for average. I have not seen his arm frequently enough, but arm strength can always develop. As for hitting for power, Goldstein hit 4 HRs in college, has an extremely powerful base, and plenty of hand speed. I think that certainly shows power potential. However, he needs to decide whether to hit like the Bagwell/Ichiro hybrid he is now, or change his approach. The decision is his. I just hope the Braves welcome him back next year, so that I can see it myself.