Saw Tupelo-Saltillo

[dawgoneyall]

baseball game today (first 4 1/2 innings. Had to leave to catch MSU basketball). Stratton pitched for Tupelo. I don't know what any of the guns they had on him today read but he had to be above 90 on most of his fastball. Needs some work on his curve ball but he looks very, very, very good.

The shortstop for Saltillo (jr) is better defensively than most if not all we have had since Maniscalco.

 

[Todd4State]

Last year he topped out at 91 on Trustmark Park's gun, which is a "slow" gun. I've heard three or four scouts talk about how the radar gun there was a mile slower than theirs, so he was probably topping out at 92. I wouldn't doubt that he throws harder now, though.

Obviously, I don't know what he threw today, but if he stays healthy, I could certainly see him throwing 94 in college because he has room to grow. Like most HS pitchers, he needs to develop a change up. He does need a little more work on his breaking ball, as you said.

The thing that impressed me the most about him was his poise and prescence on the mound. I saw him pitch in a Championship Game, and he seemed like he was in total control the whole time, even when he was tired.

In a few years, I think he will be a weekend starter for MSU. He certainly has a high ceiling.

 

[dawgatUSM]

I'm a Saltillo Alum that now lives in Hattiesburg, and from what I hear, Saltillo could be pretty solid for the next couple of years talent wise

 

[independencebowlmainstay]

Stratton will be a college guy. Gary told a few of us the other day that he is the best pitcher in the state, but he won't help as a freshman. The good news is you are very unlikely to lose him to the draft. Im not sure who told you he is pitching @ 91, but they are wrong. He may bump an occasional 91, but he is going to pitch @ 88-89. His makeup is good, but with no secondary stuff, he won't be dominant against good teams. He can be good, but it is going to depend on the coaching he gets in Starkville. Too many unknowns on him right now.

That being said, I saw Renfroe today, and he looked like garbage. I am a big fan, but his performance today in front of about 40 industry guys was nothing short of atrocious. He couldn't throw strikes, he pitched @ 89-90, and couldn't miss a bat. On top of that, it was Grenada. The bottom of the lineup was filled with 5 10, 150 lb. HS kids, and I think they swung and missed 4 times in three innings. Not impressive at all. He looked better at the plate than he did on the mound. Good news if you are an Ole Miss fan.

At this point, Renfroe is still the best prospect in the state, but he doesn't have Hamilton by much. He is a going to be special, if you can get him to campus. He needs to leave FB alone and concentrate on baseball. His tools and instincts in CF and on the bases can't be taught. You just have to have it, and he definitely has it. I was wrong on him last year. He is better than I thought.....probably just a tick below Wendell Fairley, and a tick about Justin Reid.

 

[Todd4State]

No Russ McNickle.

I honestly think that one of the Diamond Girls teaching out of a "Baseball for Dummies" book would have been better than that hack of a pitching coach.

I think you're right about Billy Hamilton. He even has a baseball name-there was a famous player in the late 1890's/early 1900's named "Sliding" Billy Hamilton. He's in the Hall of Fame and is third on the All-Time list behind Rickey Henderson and Lou Brock in stolen bases. And I may be wrong about this, but I think he's the guy that invented sliding into a base- but I might be mixing him up with someone else like Wee Willie Keeler. Of course, Keeler is the guy who they had to come up with the "bunt with two strikes foul, you're out rule" because he would delay games by bunting ball after ball foul. I do know that.

Oh, anyway- I think the thing that scouts really like about Renfroe is his baseball IQ. That's one of the things that people always talk about with him, and it's not surprising since his Dad played in the Big Leagues. The other thing about Renfroe, and the thing that I think that puts him ahead of Hamilton, is the fact that he's a prospect as both a pitcher and a player in the field. Personally, I think he will end up as a pitcher, as do most people that I've talked to, but he is athletic enough that he could cetainly find a home at another position and succeed. I know Hamilton pitches as well for Taylorsville, but I think he's pretty much a middle infield/outfield prospect.

I agree about Stratton's draft stock as well. I think going to college would definately benefit him, and I think that if he is drafted, it will be very late if at all. As a State fan, I'm much more worried about losing Ethan Bright and Hamilton in the draft as far as Mississippians. I think that Kolby Byrd has a chance to get drafted as well, but I want to see him hit for a higher average against the competition that he is facing. He certainly has raw power and a great arm, but going to the next level, whether that be the SEC or minor league baseball, it will be a big jump for him.

(When was the last time State had 2-4 guys from Mississippi potentially drafted in the same year? THANKS GREG!!!)

 

[independencebowlmainstay]

Hamilton should never move out of CF. I saw him run a 6.53 this summer, and that was on four different watches. Not just mine. He won't pitch, even at the collegiate level. But he is going to be something.

There is no question that Renfroe's baseball smarts(makeup), and frame lend to him being special. However, at some point, that has to translate to the field. I have seen him four times, including the Area Code Games last year where he was dominant, and more often than not, he is just ok. At some point, you have to dominate HS hitting if you want 700k.

As for Bright, you have NOTHING to worry about. In fact, I am still shocked that State signed him. Other than looking the part, he brings nothing to the table. He is 6 5, probably 225 pounds. I have now seen him 17 AB's in HS, and have seen him hit the ball out of the IF three times, and strikeout 8 times. Against bad HS pitching. Yesterday against Grenada, the best ball he hit in four AB's was a lazy fly ball about 30 feet past the SS. He literally had the pro guys back there laughing at the fact that he looks like he does, then plays like he does. Hell.....he couldn't hit in BP. I have literally never seen him hit a ball out of the park, even in BP. One of the guys I was with yesterday said this about Bright, and the perception that he looks like a bug pus. He said, and I quote," I bet his girlfriend ***** slaps him when he gets out of line." I about fell out laughing so hard. It is amazing to me that a kid his size doesn't hit the ball harder than he does, even when he get solid wood on it, which is rare in itself. IMO, and those of the guys I was with yesterday, he isn't even a DII prospect at this point. He just can't hit.

 

[JacksonDevilDog]

I saw him in the playoffs at NWR last year and the kid can rake. You can probably follow Manny Ramirez for a few games and not see him hit anything. I agree with you that Bright would look like a D2 propect with the old coaching staff at MSU. That has changed.

Also, didn't Hamilton sign with a Juco, or will he be at MSU next season, barring MLB draft?

 

[independencebowlmainstay]

Billy has qualified academically, I was told last Saturday. There are two different scenarios with him not ending up @ State:

1) The draft. That is pretty sell explanatory.
2) He decides that he doesn't get the money this year in the draft that he wants, and enrolls in JUCO. This makes him draft eligible again next year, instead of coming to Starkville and having to stay three before he is eligible again.

In all honesty, I think it comes down to what he gets in the draft, which is going to depend on who takes him. He is probably a 3rd round talent, but there is some risk there. So, a big market team can take him down the board, say the 11th-13th round, and still pay him 3rd round money. The money isn't the issue, it is the risk. You will pay him 500k in the 11th, but you don't want to use an earlier pick to pay him the same money, when you can get a lower risk player, although the upside may not be there. Say, a Connor Power player. Good player, not as much risk, but is never going to be a superstar. Worst case scenario, Power is probably a AA player. Worst case with Hamilton, he never figures out how to hit with wood, and is stuck in A ball. But, the upside of him becoming a Curtis Granderson in what you are banking on.

As for Bright, we will just have to agree to disagree. It isn't like I saw him over 17 consecutive AB's and he was on a bad streak. I saw him over 6 games, and he just can't hit. He is too long through the zone, and gets fisted too much by guys that throw 78. He can't shorten up enough at this point to hit with wood. He hit BP for some of us this summer at about 82 MPH. He literally couldn't get the head of the bat on the ball when he knew the speed, and about where the ball was going to be. How do you think he is going to hit SEC pitching? There is no amount of coaching that can help his lack of bat speed. He just won't be able to catch up with it. Very similar to Bukvich and Andy Mills the last few years @ Ole Miss. Great hitters @ 85, but couldn't catch up above that. That is why Buk never hit @ Ole Miss. All that being said, my opinion doesn't matter anymore. The gus I was with opinions do matter, and they all think he can't play.

 

[TilloDawg]

for Saltillo....both starters gave up 1 hit. Both teams only had 2 hits for the game.

Stratton can bump 91 at times, but he's a 88-89 thrower consistently. We were checking with the KC Royals scout who was there yesterday.

 

[booman]

Great game. Saltillo shortstop Drew Chisholm, played inTupelo in earlier years. His family moved his 7th grade year. He is also great hitter. You are right , made great plays. May be over-looked by State because of size , but fast as lighting.
Sorry he is not at Tupelo.