Today I was at the first of three GCL games I will be attending this and next week. The GCL O’s lost 5-4 at home today. What follows are some notes from the game.
Matt Hobgood started the game for the O’s and pitched 1.2 innings. I was closely monitoring Hobgood and had readings from two different guns. On one he was sitting 86-88 mph with nothing more, and on the other he was sitting 87-89 mph with one 90 mph fastball. On top of the diminished velocity, the movement and sink on his fastball was much less than normal. Hobgood video from the game >>
Ryan Berry threw two innings, allowing a pair of hits and one run that came on a homer. His fastball sat in the 86-89 mph range and hit 91 mph once, showing he’s responded nicely after the shoulder injury. Today was the first time I had seen Berry live and his whippy arm action makes him look like a future reliever to me.
Matt Bywater was sitting in the 84-86 mph range with his fastball. His changeup was an above-average pitch with tremendous late fade.
Glynn Davis turned in three singles on the day, but he has above-average bat speed and I could see some solid gap power in the future. Davis video from the game >>
Miguel Chalas took over after Bywater, Hobgood and Berry, and went on to throw 3.2 scoreless innings. He’s a small guy at 6′ 0″, but he brought the heat with a 92-95 mph fastball that touched 96. He flashed an inconsistent breaking ball that I’d call a slurve. Chalas signed in 2009 out of the Dominican Republic for $65,000; he’s an international guy that fans should keep an eye on.
Another international guy that should be followed closely is Venezuelan lefty Eduardo Rodriguez. He signed for $175,000 and scouts were raving about his stuff. He has an 88-91 mph fastball and what’s supposed to be an above-average curveball and good changeup. I should be seeing him Wednesday, so I’ll have video and more notes after that game.
