Peter Flaherty - Baseball America

[00:00:04] Speaker A: Welcome to the ABCA's podcast. I'm your host Ryan Brownlee. Our sponsor is Core Energy Belt, the trusted source of professional baseball players in both Japan and the USA. With over 700 professionals, including two former MVPs, relying on these belts, Core Energy has established itself as a leader in performance and durability. I've been wearing their belts for a while now and the added back support has made a noticeable difference both on and off the field. They offer free shipping and a 30 day satisfaction guarantee. Go to corenergybelt.com and use code ABCA2025 to save 15 on your first purchase. I'll repeat that go to Core Energy Belt and use the code ABCA2025 to save 15% on your first purchase. This episode is sponsored by Netting Pros. Netting Professionals are improving programs one facility at a time. Netting Professionals specializes in the design, fabrication and installation of custom netting for backstops, batting cages, dugouts, BP screens and ball carts. They also design and install digital graphic wall padding, windscreen turf, turf protectors, dugout benches, dugout cubbies and more. Netting Professionals is an official partner of the ABCA and continues to provide quality products and services to many high school, college and professional fields, facilities and stadiums throughout the country. Netting Professionals are improving programs one facility at a time. Contact them today at 844-620-2707 or infoettingpros.com. visit them online at www.nettingpros.com or check out NettingPros on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn for all their latest products and projects. Make sure to let CEO Will Minor know that the ABCA sent you. Now onto the podcast. New to the ABCA Podcast visual and preview is Baseball America's Peter Flaherty. Flaherty enters his third year as national writer and analyst for Baseball America. Flaherty cut his teeth working in the Cape Cod League and with the New York Yankees. This episode is a deep dive into names to watch this season. Let's welcome Peter Flaherty the Podcast. [00:02:38] Speaker B: Here. [00:02:38] Speaker A: With Peter Flaherty, Baseball America and Peter what year is this for you with Baseball America? [00:02:44] Speaker B: I'll be entering my third season. It's hard to believe I still I think about it often, but it still feels like it was December 2022 and I was just hired and brought on board. So we're going on year three. I guess you could call me a veteran, but I'm just as fired up now, if not more, as I was in my first year, so and shout. [00:03:02] Speaker A: Out to Teddy Cahill he went to greener pastures, going to law school now. But obviously he recommended you come on with me. So I appreciate Teddy doing that. And for people that maybe don't know, you give a little bit of your background to people. [00:03:13] Speaker B: Yeah. So I grew up in the Boston area. Shocking to hear. I've always loved baseball and I've been around the game. My dad played in college, so from really the moment I could walk, I had a ball and a bat in my hand. I played through high school. I knew pretty quick I wouldn't be good enough to play in college. So I wanted to stay involved in the game as long as I could and then the best ways that I could. So I entered in the Cape cod League from 2020, 2008, 2018. Excuse me. Until 2021. As an Associate Scout with the Yankees from 2020 into early 2022 helping out legendary Northeast scout Matt Hyde. Was with the Yankees again until early 2022 and was approached with this potential opportunity from Baseball America. It was something that was incredibly exciting, interesting. Anything positive you could have to say. It was all that to me. I threw my hat into the ring and was fortunate enough to get the opportunity. And I've been with BA ever since. So. Say it's been a blast would. Would be a drastic understatement. But that's the, that's the Spark note version of how I got to where I am today with the Cape. [00:04:24] Speaker A: Were you with the entire league or with you an individual team? [00:04:27] Speaker B: I was with a single team. I was with the Ketua Cataliers. [00:04:30] Speaker A: Okay. Shout out Katua. I'm an alum, so. [00:04:33] Speaker B: Oh, no kidding. [00:04:34] Speaker A: Yep. Yep. [00:04:35] Speaker B: No way. [00:04:35] Speaker A: I know Maddie Hyde. Matt and I go way back because I coached on the east coast for a while. So shout out to Matt. He's. He's awesome. He's one of my favorite world. So that, that's great that, that you're able to have a mentor like Matt because he is. He is one of a kind. He's one of one. Especially in the scouting community. He's one of one. [00:04:52] Speaker B: No doubt, no doubt. I'm. I'm lucky beyond words, but that's awesome. [00:04:56] Speaker A: Yeah. You know, as you're diving in and I really like baseball America because you guys do a lot with the player side of it too. And do you have any impact freshmen? I know it's really hard to get on the field right now as a freshman at the. Especially the four year level. It's really hard when you look historically now, it's almost like the guys that play a lot. They're probably like slam dunk first rounders and big leaguers. But are there any guys this year out there that maybe we need to, to bear down on a little bit? [00:05:30] Speaker B: Yeah. From the position player side, I'll keep it reasonably brief. Obviously I think the most notable guy is Rentaro Sasaki out at Stanford. Japanese native is kind of pioneering this path. Not pioneering because he's not the first. Itsuki Takamoto and Riku Nishida are other Japanese natives who chose to attend college in the United States. And there are others and will probably be more that choose to do this. But he's an ultra physical kid, big time power, but he's not this one trick pony power only, all or nothing guy. He's got a feel for the barrel and a feel to hit, an impressive approach. He's, he's polished for a freshman. So the expectations and buzz surrounding him are at a there. It's really, really high. It's at a really high level. So I'm excited to see what he does. But I think it's also important for everyone to, to keep in mind that he is a freshman. So I mean he's, he's, he's draft eligible again as a sophomore in 26, but I'm looking forward to see what he can do. He could be a potential high impact middle of the order bat for Stanford, a team I'm excited about. So I'm a big fan of him. Another guy I've got my eye on on the position player side is Brody Johnson down at Vanderbilt, corner infielder, physical kid, really intriguing hit, hit power, blend at the plate. And he's one of the handful of freshmen who already have this wood bat summer league experience. He played in the Appy League this past summer. He hit over.280 with six doubles, six triples, five homers and 47 RBIs in 43 games. He was the MVP of the All Star Game. Showed really, really well this fall. Physical kid. He looks to do damage each time in the box and like I said, that hit power combo is, is really intriguing and there's a real explosive, real appealing explosiveness to his operation. So there's a lot to like with Johnson if you're looking for kind of that next potential star in the sec. He fits the mold. J. Abernathy at Tennessee is another guy who sort of fits into that bucket. More of a slash and dash leadoff hitter. Vance Field a hit, quick hands, double plus runner plus bat to ball skills. Could be that table setter atop The Tennessee lineup from day one. And then on the pitching side, I think the, there are a, a number of potential impact freshman arms, but the guy I've got circled in particular is right hander Sean Jenkins down at East Carolina. And I think that of any freshman in the country, he's got the best chance to be his team's Friday night and opening night starter. And I, in the spirit of full transparency, I think he might be the leader in the clubhouse right now for that role. Strong, physical Kitty Reclass from 2020, from the 20 into the 2025 class or from the 2025 class into the 2024 class. So he'll be 17 for part of the season. He's got a legit four pitch mix. It's got a fastball that's been up to 97 with riding ride through the zone. The fall it averaged over 18 inches of vertical break. And he's got two distinct breaking balls in a low 80s curveball and a mid 80s slider. And then he rounds it out with a mid 80s splitter of which he does an excellent job killing spin. So he gets whis with all four looks the part of a, of a starter. He's an excellent makeup and I, I think he's got a chance to be a potential first round guy in 2027. There's a lot that's going to happen until then, but he certainly checks a lot of boxes early on. And, and that's saying something for East. [00:09:09] Speaker A: Carolina because when you look at the two, their last two Friday stars and you, Savage and Gavin Williams, obviously Williams has been in the big leagues already and you, Savage is probably going to be in the big leagues. That's saying something for them to, to throw a freshman out there on Friday night. [00:09:22] Speaker B: Yeah, without a doubt. And you, you mentioned those guys, which is a great point. And he could be. They're looking for the, the next in line. He, he is, he's right there. [00:09:32] Speaker A: That's crazy. What about transfers? [00:09:35] Speaker B: Yeah, I, the, the nature of the portal is, it's just nuts nowadays. You know, you've got thousands of kids entering and then with the court ruling this fall with the Diego Pavia case, it kind of opens the door now for guys to, you know, we saw even a few days ago with Alberto Ozuna who had previously exhausted his all of his Division 1 eligibility and he, because of the ruling, he was able to go back to Tennessee from the University of Tampa. So craziness in the portal, it'll really, until I think it's regulated in some manner it's going to be just as hectic, if not more hectic each summer. So I know that there's any coaches listening to it. That's not necessarily what they want to hear. [00:10:26] Speaker A: But hopefully once the house settlement comes out in April, I think April 28th is when they finalize things with that. Hopefully we get more clarification on on how to go forward and move forward with everything once that comes through. On in April. [00:10:42] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, without a doubt. But not to, not to get too off off topic but on an individual level, my my personal top transfer is Ivar Cat, former infielder at Washington. He's now headed to Oregon State. Entered the Portal after former head coach Jason Kelly took the pitching coach job at Texas A and M. He broke out this spring and hit over.320 with 14 doubles and 12 homers. Had a really good summer on the Cape was an all star long lengthy kid, above average raw power that he was able to tap into this season and during the summer actions only improved on the dirt at shortstop. I I got a handful of good looks at him this summer. I know there's he's not necessarily a slam dunk to stick at the position, but he's trending in the right direction. I like the offensive profile. He certainly got potential first round upside and then I guess switching a little bit to the sec. Gavin Keelan, former Louisville infielder, is now with Tennessee. I was a little surprised to see his name in the portal at the end of the year but again that's kind of that's that's the way things are nowadays and he was an everyday player for Louisville since he stepped onto campus as a freshman. Started shortstop over there during the spring and he had his most productive season to date. He had.330 with 23 doubles and nine homers. It's a real hitter ish look in the box. Got quick hands and a compact swing plus feel for the barrel bat to ball skills. It's power over hit but he'll shoot a gap or put a ball down the line and I think he's a second base second baseman without a doubt professionally on the on the dirt but again advanced hit tool. It's an above average hit tool and looks the part of a second to third round type this this in this year's draft and I mean we could we could go on and on and on with transfers. I think the the pair of Arkansas lefties and land will be Landon Beetle she's and Zach Root. Root is going to be right in the thick of that weekend rotation, his change up is is outstanding. It's a legit swing and miss pitch. He pairs it with a big breaking ball beetle. She's has the more I'd say explosive and powerful stuff of the two. At least when comparing the heaters he's been up to 96, 97 with it with life through the zone, especially in the top half of it. And he pairs it with a with an above average or at least it'll flash above average gyro slider and then the change ups in effective pitch against righty. So those two guys will be serious factors for Arkansas. [00:13:27] Speaker A: Root has a lot of moving parts though. That's the biggest thing with him. When you watch him out of the wind up he's okay, but he has some issues out of the stretch sometimes just because he has so many moving parts. That's what got him a little bit last year when he looked in the postseason he was fine out of the wind up but once you got on the stretch he just, he had a lot of moving parts going on out of the wind up and it was hard for him to sync up out of the stretch and but good thing for him is he didn't usually let a lot of guys on base. [00:13:53] Speaker B: Yeah, I was, you hit the nail on the head because I was going to say to that point it got a little disconnected and out of sync at times. But. But yeah, I'm excited to see how those two dudes factor in and I think with lsu, I mean they had a legit transfer haul as as they've they've had the last couple of years. Daniel Dickinson on the position player side. Anthony Ionson from UC San Diego on the mound. Connor Ware also on the mound, lefty from Pearl River Community College. Really, really solid JUCO program. He's showed well this fall and has kind of seen his name tick up draft board. So I mean I have, I wrote this summer a piece on the top hundred transfers and we could have stretched that out to 200 because all the guys that we talked about are going to make a legit impact. But that list stretches so far beyond who we talked about. But it's, it's a real interesting dynamic that's been added to the, to the college game. [00:14:51] Speaker A: If you had to draft right now, who would be the first position player taken and who would be the first pitcher taken of the college. [00:14:57] Speaker B: Great. The. The latter is a tougher question for me than the former. So at the top of this year's draft last year we had star power like guys like Travis Bazana, J.J. weatherholt, Jack Caglion, Charlie Condon. At least right now from this chair there isn't that for me, at least that, that star power at the top of the class. This like if I'm Washington right now, I'm not sitting here saying awesome, I can take this. I mean they'll say this on draft day. They'll be excited about who they take at one, but it's. It. There's no, there are a handful of guys who could play their way into that range. So on the, on the position player side, collegiately, Lavallette is my top guy. 6, 6, 2, 3, 230 pound Adonis. [00:15:54] Speaker A: And has done it since he stepped on campus. [00:15:56] Speaker B: Yep, exactly. The track record has been excellent. He had 21, 21 homers as a freshman, 29 last spring and hit over. [00:16:07] Speaker A: 300 and still has some projectability with his frame too. Like that's the biggest thing with him is like you know his, his best days are still way down the road because he hasn't even fat. He hadn't tapped into his, his physical presence yet. I mean he's big but he's still got a lot more room for growth on his frame. [00:16:24] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. You know, he's a kid who could get a little bit more physical. It's a, it's a great body already and a great body to work with. Plus power. It's double plus to the pull side. He's also got a knack for getting the ball up in the air. It's a swing that's tailored towards it. So it only helps him in terms of tapping into the in game power. And I mean he's a long levered kid obviously at six six. I mean that, that allows him to generate high quality impact across all four quadrants of the zone. He can barrel at balls no matter where it's pitched. Like the plate coverage with power is just so impressive with him. And then his hit tool like he again, he's not a, a power only guy. It's not this all or nothing type profile. It's not a plus hit, but I mean it's probably closer to a 55, which is above average than it is average. Like there's feel for the barrel but you know, there's some susceptibility against secondaries and fastballs in the top half. But the approach and swing decisions are polished. Like last year he had an overall chase rate, I think of just 18%. And he's a bigger guy but I think he'll get the opportunity to Prove himself in center field. He moves really, really well for his size. He runs well, covers ground in either gap. And the instincts and first step and just the reads in general, they've improved with him over time and just naturally with the rep. So there, there are a lot of fun tools there with Lavallette. Loud tools, especially with his power. He'd be my first college guy right now. And then on the pitching side, I think that's where it gets really, really interesting because you've got, I'd say the two leaders in the clubhouse right now are Florida State lefty Jamie Arnold and UC Santa Barbara righty Tyler Bremner. And it's, it's kind of just like pick your poison. I think you could talk to however many people and you know, half would say Jamie or a little over half would say Jamie and the other half or a little over half would say Tyler. Like, you know, both are really, really good at a lot of things. But you know, if, if I were forced to pick right now, I'd probably say Bremner. It's a real simple delivery, repeats it well. Super easy. His fastball has been up to 97, 98. Averaged almost 20 inches of ride last spring. Consistently gets it and locates it above the barrel of opposing hitters. Easy, above average. But for me, the the secondaries with Bremer's money makers especially, especially his change up easy plus borderline double plus pitch. Gets great separation off his fastball. He'll throw it with conviction and he's got an incredibly advanced feel. Throw it in any count to both righties and lefties. There's some fade to the arm side, but there's tons of late tumbling life. It's got that classic falling off the table look. 46% whiff rate last spring. But I've been most impressed. I think it's. It's a cliche saying you could use a cross a lot of different facets of, of life in general, but the trend is your friend. And I think that that applies perfectly with, with Tyler Brenner slider. He doubled its usage in 24 compared to 23 and he's turned it into a bonafide out pitch. Mid to high 80s offering. It's got a ton of sharpness, can manipulate its shape. It's more of a gyro look against lefties where it's got that like more kind of vertical look. Similar IVB and horizontal look with more depth than sweep. But against righties, it'll look like a true sweeper at times with that hard left Turn tunnels really well off his changeup, I, I'd give it a 60. And he's got an advanced feel for his entire arsenal and his strike throwing ability just in general, it enables his premium stuff to play up with his ability to locate. So. [00:20:13] Speaker A: And another projectable frame too. Like there's another. There's another projectable body that is going to add strength as he gets older. He's going to be able to stay healthy. He's got a lot going on. I got a chance to watch him, Campbell last year and he's. He got a lot going on. [00:20:27] Speaker B: Yeah, without a doubt. And I think in just watching him, he's got this really calm mound presence and, and slow heartbeat. And I think that whether you're a pitcher or hitter, I mean that only plays in your favor. So it certainly does with Bremner. So he'd be my 11 guy. As a pitcher, he'd be my 11 guy. And then with Jamie Arnold, it's this fastball up to 96, 97. It just explodes out of this low release height with a ton of run and ride through the zone. His sliders really long and sharp. It's effective against both lefties and righties, but man, against lefties it's a, it's a really hellish look. It's got a ton of length and like I said, teeth to it. And I'm really excited to see what his change up looks like because last last spring he threw it sparingly, but he was more of a fastball slider guy and that was all he needed. He was outside of Chase Burns and even including Chase Burns, he was, you know, the, the best arm in the ACC or one of the best arms in the ACC last spring. Doesn't have the stuff that Burns does, but from a statistical standpoint at least. But the, the, the story of the off season with Jamie has been the strides that his changeup has taken, how it's this legit third pitch. It's really flashed during the fall and, and as we've gotten going here in the spring, it looks a lot better. I'm just excited to see him and, and see if he can go out and do it. So those are the two top arms of the college class right now, so it's really tough to just pick one. They both got really strong cases as to why they should be the first pitcher off the board. [00:22:07] Speaker A: Was it hard putting the top 25 together? [00:22:10] Speaker B: Yeah, I mean, I think especially in the preseason every year it's hard because you got to sift through so many teams because once you get this base top 25, it's a little easier to shuffle teams around, you know, kind of who's waiting in the wings. You obviously are keeping up with who's doing what on a week to week basis where you can plug teams in, but you know, where you more or less have this clean slate for everyone. It's, it's kind of harder. You're more projecting a little bit. Teams have returners, you look at who they've got in the transfer portal and piecing it together. So one was reasonably easy and seamless with Texas A and M in just looking at who they return with. Guys like Jace Lavallette, Gavin Grahoven, Cadence Sorrell, Ryan Prager who was a third round pick was a big bonus to get back Justin Lampkin, that's an outstanding returning core among other guys. Caden Kent you could throw in there. And then also in, in analyzing their transfer class. It's a really deep transfer class with Connor Harrison behind the plate. He had over 330 as a freshman at Saint Mary's. Wyatt Hensler from Penn, he's been the best player in the Ivy League the last two seasons. Gavin Cash is a powerful left handed bat who will, you know, he'll hit, he'll be a 14 to 20 plus Homer guy. And then Miles Patton is kind of my secret weapon in that transfer class. He's a strike throwing lefty from Long Beach State with, with stuff to boot. So we could go on and on about A and M, but it was relatively easy to, to stick them at one and go from there. And then at least in just looking at our ranking from 2 through 5, you could really shuffle those teams any way you want. And in that order, LSU at 2, Tennessee 3, Arkansas 4, Virginia 5. All are super talented ball clubs with Omaha National Championship aspirations. And you could shuffle them any which way. They're all, they're all deep and supremely talented. So I think as you get further down the ranking and, and actually like into the 20 to 25, 18 to 25 range, we had discussions probably about 10 to 12 ish teams that could have slotted in, in that 23 to 25 range. And I know we, we settled on the, the teams that we did with UC Santa Barbara, UC Irvine in Indiana. But there are a bunch that are, that are really close to banging down that door and I wouldn't be shocked at all to see them ranked during the 2025 season or in particularly short order. [00:24:51] Speaker A: So because Irvine, Indiana and Santa Barbara have got it going They've, they've all played really well here the last couple years. [00:24:58] Speaker B: Yeah, absolutely. And especially Santa Barbara and Irvine. They've, but they've made the Big West a really impressive conference and a really competitive one at that with, with those two clubs jockeying near the top. So, and I do like that you. [00:25:11] Speaker A: Put, you came out with the 10 kind of on the outside looking into. So I love the fact that they're like, hey, here the, here are the 10 teams that, that are on the outside looking in right now. [00:25:21] Speaker B: Yeah, I think that's important because, you know, and rightfully so. If I were a fan of a team, you know, every, every ranking, whether it's the preseason or on a week to week basis, you know, they'll, they'll say that their favorite team is ranked too low or why aren't they ranked and the team that they dislike the most is ranked too high. And I honestly love it because it means that people care about college baseball. They care about their team a lot. And I think it's, it's only good for the game. And I think providing the, those kind of next 10 teams will at least give them some clarity and just a little bit more of a look into our process and what we're thinking and what makes those teams good and why they might be ranked eventually at some point. So it's all a real fun process. [00:26:06] Speaker A: And I do like you put the eight sleeper teams in for the World Series too, because I'm a traditionalist. I like it when teams that haven't gotten there before get there. I do really like that about our game. I still think there's a chance people will probably be like, you're wrong now with everything that's going on. But I do still feel like there's a chance with college baseball where we might have a team that gets in there this year that's never been in before. [00:26:30] Speaker B: Yeah. And, and to your point, I, I don't root for a team. I, I just root for the sport. I know people listening to it probably are rolling their eyes because that's, that's kind of an eyewash thing to say, but it's true. And like, who doesn't love when it, when a three or a four seed makes a run to Omaha? If you don't love it, I'd love to see what you got going on because it's, it's a blast watching a team make a Cinderella run, whether it's through a regional and a super regional or you got a 12 to a 14 seed in March Madness go to the Sweet 16 or Elite 8. So I'm all for a Cinderella team, all for a smaller program making a deep run and playing with the big dog. So. And baseball is the most unpredictable sport in the world, which is one of the things that makes it so great. So as always, everyone's zero on zero. They got to go out and do it. And even beyond those eight Omaha sleepers there, there'll be teams that, that surprise some people and are poised for a really deep run into June, I think. [00:27:25] Speaker A: And I'm a mid major guys product of mid major. So. And you have mid major draft lifts. So who are some names mid major wise that, that we need to pay attention to, draft wise? [00:27:34] Speaker B: Yeah, absolutely. I get we talked about them a little bit, but Tyler Bremner from UC Santa Barbara and I don't consider, that's. [00:27:41] Speaker A: The thing is like I don't consider schools like UC Santa Barbara. I know they're, you know, you know, people on the outside looking in. I don't consider Santa Barbara a mid major. I know, you know, if you want to label it that it is. But with, with the way that they have been here the last few years, I, I consider them a Power 4 school. [00:27:59] Speaker B: Yeah, absolutely not. I absolutely agree with you. That's the thing is when putting and ironically enough, whenever this comes out On Thursday the 6th, I've got 11 more of mid major draft prospects to watch and I don't. I gotta come up with a better title for it because like you like UC Santa Barbara is not a mid major. Coastal Carolina is not a mid major. So it's like what do you call these kids? And like I don't want to discredit the programs at all and say they're, they're smaller schools and whatnot. But it's a. I, I'm not a fan of the moniker. [00:28:34] Speaker A: Come up with a name. [00:28:35] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:28:36] Speaker A: Anybody listening in, if you got a, if that would be some good fan interaction. Anybody listening in has a better name than major. Reach out to me or Peter on that and we'll, we'll get it switched. I'll start using it because we've got to be able to come up with something maybe a little bit better than mid major. [00:28:52] Speaker B: No doubt. Because I'm with you. I think it discredits the kid and it might discredit the program a little bit. Which, which shouldn't be the case. [00:28:59] Speaker A: Look at the big leagues. I mean there's there, I mean Billy Wagner just went in the hall of Fame was division three. But I mean if you look at the big leagues, historically there's been just as many guys from smaller. [00:29:10] Speaker B: Even Aaron Judge went to Fresno State. [00:29:11] Speaker A: For sure. For sure. Yeah, but you mentioned Fresno and Coastal. Both have won national championships too. And also the great thing about college baseball is that you still have an opportunity to win a national championship, even if you're not quote, unquote, what people think. As, as a power four school. [00:29:30] Speaker B: Yeah. Like no matter where you're at, you got a shot. So in any event, I guess the guys that are not in traditional Power 4 conferences, so no Big 10, Big 12 SEC schools, you can throw those out the window. When talking about these guys. We talked about Bremner. Nick Dumanil from, from Cal Baptist is a guy that I really like. He, he really made waves last year as a sophomore. Swung the bat really well. But I was impressed with what he did this summer on the Cape. He hit.311 with 12 doubles, four home runs, single season. Brewster record 26 stolen bases. Just a really tooled out kid with a really impressive skill set across the board. There's poolside power. I think the biggest key for him is going to be shoring up the hit tool and polishing that up as much as he can because there's some swing and miss and some chase against secondaries, but he can really run. He's an excellent athlete. There are just tools on tools on tools. The, the key is just going to be the hit ability and how much he can put the ball in play. That's the case for a lot of guys. But he's a, he's, he's someone to keep an eye on. And we, funny enough we talked about it, Coastal. Caden Bodine, he's their, their everyday backstop. He's. As far as a hit tool goes, he's got one of the more polished hit tools in this draft. It's an easy 60 double plus bat to ball skills. Posted an end zone contact rate last year. I think definitely north of 90%. May have been as high as 94, but really advanced feel for the barrel. It's definitely hit over power with Bowdine, but again the, the hit ability with him and barrel sense is, is just outstanding and it doesn't stop there. He's a, he's an advanced defender. He receives really well. He's got a strong, accurate arm, good compact actions, good footwork and a really good leader who can handle a high level pitching staff. So those two guys, Dumanil and Bodine, they've, they've certainly got first round aspirations. And then we Also talked about Fresno. Murph Gray, third baseman, big league body, elite makeup. Another guy with a. With an above average hit, above average hit tool and a feel for the barrel and impact. So we could keep going on and on. By the time I drop my piece on Thursday, which in this case would be tomorrow, I'll have in depth scouting reports and deep dives on. On 24 of these players who. Who don't fit into that. Who don't go to These traditional power 4 schools or fit into that bucket. So, as is the case with every draft, you know there are guys from. From all levels collegiately, whether you're at a. At a blue blood like Texas A and M, Florida State, Clemson, Tennessee, or you're at some of these smaller schools. If you can play, you'll get found, you'll get scouted, and you'll get drafted. [00:32:30] Speaker A: I love that you put out your projected field of 64, too. Oh, yeah, you did. [00:32:35] Speaker B: Host, too. [00:32:35] Speaker A: I love it. I was rolling through it this morning. I love the fact that you put all the host sites in. I love that part of it. [00:32:43] Speaker B: Oh, yeah, we had to. We got to check all these boxes off before. Before February 14th. [00:32:50] Speaker A: Love it. And I mean, it looks like a lot of the same schools, but a couple different in there. I know you guys came out with. You feel like SEC has a chance to maybe get a record amount of teams in. [00:33:02] Speaker B: Yep. Yeah. So. [00:33:03] Speaker A: Because Mississippi State's improved, because I know there's a couple teams in that haven't been in that that look like maybe they're. They're improved this year, too. [00:33:13] Speaker B: Yeah, Mississippi State was in there last year. They went to the Charlottesville regional. We've got them projected in there again this year. Coach Lemonis has done a really good job of bouncing back after shout out Coach. A rocky couple of years. Yeah, he's a. An outstanding coach and. And leader. And they've got another strong team. And then as far as the host goes, full disclosure and projecting those at least to keep it a little easy to start. 1 through 16 is just our 1 through 16 ranking. So Texas A&M1, they're number one in our poll. North Carolina State, 16. They're 16. So that's where the hosts kind of line up now. And they'll shuffle as we get deeper into the season, obviously, and things start sorting themselves out. But in the spirit of transparency, that's how we do it. [00:33:59] Speaker A: And geographically, I mean, you gotta. It's a good spread, too, for the host site. [00:34:03] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:34:03] Speaker A: Because it's a good geographical spread. Too. [00:34:06] Speaker B: Yeah. Self. I love, I love how, you know, you can go from coast to coast like a Corvallis regional and you got, you go as far east as a Charlottesville or Raleigh and you throw in sites like Norman or this year Norman might be a little tough just given where Oklahoma's at, but we've got him in the field. But you know, you could have Stillwater, Austin or College Station or Dallas. So yeah, you could. Any geographic region in the country. There's a, there's a regional contender. [00:34:37] Speaker A: What do you feel about the coaches changes, Coaching changes that were made in the off season? [00:34:42] Speaker B: Yeah, I mean the coaching carousel, as per usual, it's a, it's an interesting cycle to follow. It's kind of a brutal cycle to follow. But you know, there are programs bringing in high impact coaches and leaders that are there that are going to better their program in the immediate and also long term. I think Coach Hare from Campbell going to Ohio State, that's a really excellent hire for the Buckeyes. He had a sustained track record of success at Campbell, both of winning at the team level and developing guys at the individual level. You look towards someone like a Zach Netto who's the everyday shortstop already for the Angels, or Cade Cuhler who is a high draft pick of the Atlanta Braves. He just, he, he built Campbell into as household a name I think in the college baseball world as, as one possibly could. [00:35:38] Speaker A: So go watch him run a practice. If anybody is close to Ohio State, go watch Coach Hare run a practice. Because Campbell's close to us here in Greensboro. So I would sneak down there and watch him practice. He runs a phenomenal practice. You can see why he's developed the guys that he has. Because of the way that he runs practice. [00:35:58] Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah, without a doubt. So, I mean, I think he was, he was someone that I was. That I was excited about and kind of raised my eyebrows at when, when I saw that news. And I'm trying to think and, and bounce around from, from school to school here. Gosh, I don't know why I'm kind of blanking, but he was, he was the one that, that immediately stood out to me. If, if you had others you wanted to discuss, I'm more than open to it. [00:36:25] Speaker A: I mean, I, the obviously Sloss is a big one because that's the highest profile of how everything went down and that's probably the highest profile one. And the other one for me, because it's close to home, is Mitch Hannis. Yep, that, that's the biggest one. Who's Another very similar to Coach Hare from a developer standpoint. There's some other ones in there, but I think Coach Hare and Coach Hannis are very similar from a development standpoint. How they go about their business, how they run practice. You can see why those guys have had the success that they've had. [00:36:56] Speaker B: Yeah, Coach Hannah's did a great job at Indiana State. And obviously that. That whole saga with Texas and Texas A and M with Coach Schlossnagle, it. [00:37:07] Speaker A: Just adds to the. It adds to the spring now. It just adds. [00:37:10] Speaker B: Oh, yeah, I'm. [00:37:10] Speaker A: It was already cranked up, but it just. It just cranks it up a little bit more. [00:37:14] Speaker B: Oh, yeah, you're. You got to check your pulse if you don't have that Texas, Texas A and M series circled. Because even just watching from a. From someone who covers it and is a fan of the game perspective, I was juiced up when that whole thing went down and how it settled and it's like, all right, here we go. So I'm really looking forward to that series. You brought up a great point with Coach Hannah's was outstanding at Indiana State. And then obviously, I think I wouldn't be doing my due diligence if Coach Gilmore, legend at Coastal Carolina, won a national championship, won more than 1300 games. He retired after as about a good. As a. About a great career, as one could have. And he's an equally outstanding human being, so. [00:37:59] Speaker A: And Kevin Schnall's in that crew, too. Shout out, Coach Schnall. I've known you for a long time, but Kevin's in that Coach Hare, Coach Hannah's crew as far as being able to run a practice, being able to develop. Coach Schnall does a really good job on that side of things, too, and very happy for him to get his opportunity finally. He's been doing it as an assistant for a long time. So I'm extremely happy for Coach Schnall getting his opportunity to take over the program. [00:38:20] Speaker B: Yeah, I'm happy you hit on that because Coach Schnall, I think, is an excellent predecessor to Coach Gilmore. He was in and around the program and he played at Coastal. I think he won Big south player of the year in 1998 or 1999. And he's one of the top assistant coaches in the game and I think in with baseball America. Teddy used to run this, actually. I think he was voted twice by sitting head coaches as one of the top 10 assistants most ready to become a head guy. So I think he fits perfectly with that program. He knows its Philosophies, what it's all about, how to run it. I think that's a great hire and I don't think Coastal is going to miss a beat. Coach Gilmour is irreplaceable. He's one on one. But that's. They're in good hands with Coach Schnall. [00:39:08] Speaker A: When you look at the history of hires like that, I think that's the right thing to do because Kevin played, there was an assistant there where I think if you bring somebody from the outside, probably doesn't. It's not as seamless as it would be because Kevin's been there forever. And I think ads get that wrong sometimes where they, they don't hire from within. Somebody that's had a lot of tradition and success and they bring somebody in from the outside and they, they say it all the time, don't ever follow a legend. But I think it makes it easier when you hire an assistant who's been with you. [00:39:39] Speaker B: Yeah, especially from within. Because I mean, to your point, I think that the, the, the best case scenario or best hire could be, you know, right in front of you or right in your program and, and you might not even realize that. I hope and think that with Coach Schnall it was relatively easy to recognize that. But I'm with you that I think that there's some value, especially when taking over for a long tenured coach, that you want someone who is closest to him and knows what he was about and withholds the program standards, knows its philosophies. And there isn't much of a learning curve there for, for the coaching staff or any of the new guys that are coming in and especially the returners. So I think it's a real perfect marriage and in a lot of different ways. [00:40:18] Speaker A: Are you going to be able to get out early, see games? [00:40:21] Speaker B: Yes, sir. Opening weekend I'm at the Desert Classic out west. It's always a really fun tournament put on by MLB this year. The teams that I'm looking forward to seeing most, Vanderbilt, Grand Canyon, uc, Irvine, Nebraska, those are, that's a really strong quartet of teams. Austin Peay is going to be out there and, and they've been on the rise lately. They've, they've, they've done an excellent job in the Atlantic Sun. They can really, really swing it that ballpark too. [00:40:54] Speaker A: If you've never been to Clarksville, go to Clarksville and watch some games. Because the ball flies. [00:40:58] Speaker B: Yeah. I was going to say if you, if you love runs and you, and you love home runs, just Go and watch a series at Austin P and you'll get your fix. So I'll be out there early and then as the season goes on, you know, I'm in a lucky enough position where, you know, you could see a high profile series come down the pike and you put in for it and get sent to it. So I'll be bouncing around, hopefully make my way down to SEC country and that Texas, Texas A and M series for sure. It's going to be one of the hottest tickets in the college baseball world. So I'll be around ballparks all spring and then also during the summer I'll be, I'll be out on the Cape, covering the Cape. So very, very blessed to say that I can do this. And it'll be. I'm ready to go full bore for the next five and a half, six months. [00:41:44] Speaker A: Do you live in Cotuit? Then when you go up there, are you staying in Cotuit? [00:41:48] Speaker B: So I. Right outside of Cotuit in Mashpee, it's probably, it's equidistant between Falmouth park and Cotuitz park. So it's 10 minutes west to Falmouth, 10 minutes east to CO to it and then like 20 minutes further Hyannis. So I mean, you know, from playing for CO to it and playing. [00:42:07] Speaker A: I coached at Falmouth too, for Shout Out. Coach Trundy passed away, you know, right before the convention. So sorry for that. He was a huge mentor of mine. So Coach, true Coach Trundy meant the world to me. So it was a huge loss for baseball as a whole. But the Cape especially because Coach Trenny passed away and great mentor to me. So yeah, I was right in that neck of the woods as a coach and a player. [00:42:29] Speaker B: Yeah, I mean, if you want to talk about a legend in a, in an elite human being, Coach Trundy is, is kind of the standard for that. So really unfortunate loss. But he, he more than left his mark in the Cape League with Falmouth and in the baseball world. So. But like I said, as you know from playing and unless you're going to Orleans or Wareham, you know, everything is kind of, you know, clustered together and it's very easy to bounce from park to park and game to game. So you can double up, see a lot of guys and, and you know, just expand your Rolodex of, of live looks. [00:43:01] Speaker A: How much difference is it up there now with the, especially with where the draft is as far as roster management for the Cape League teams? [00:43:09] Speaker B: It's a lot different the draft certainly throws a wrinkle into it because I think that, and this is the route I've seen teams go, you want to bring in a handful of draft guys before the draft because one, they'll want to throw or they'll want to get another handful of games to improve upon or solidify their stock. And then also just from a, a team standpoint, you know, that could net you a handful of, of wins which matter a lot in the end. So. [00:43:37] Speaker A: Well, the draft schedules cramp too. Like, that's the thing that people probably don't realize if you don't pay attention to is they don't play as many games. So like, every win is, every game is important up there because they don't play as many games. [00:43:48] Speaker B: Yeah, absolutely. It's a 40 game sprint. So, I mean, any win you can get is a good win. And you know, teams will bring on those draft guys to help in that regard. And then the portals, another wrinkle because, you know, you'll, you'll have a guy that is. Enters the portal before the season, takes his visits, is late getting there, or he comes out, enters the portal when he's there, takes his visits, and then it's, you know, you got to hold that roster spot or something like that, and then you could take his visits and not come back. So there are a ton of variables. And then you throw Team USA into it. I do not envy any general manager head coach in that league because staying on top of that roster and, and staying on top of it in a way where you kind of don't miss a beat and you keep winning games, it's a near impossible task. So I'm sure it's a lot of fun. I'm sure it's a fun challenge. I know you and I are probably partial to it, but it's the, it's the best summer league in the world and the best baseball you can, you can find, I think in the United States at the amateur level from, from June until August. [00:44:54] Speaker A: It's like no other place in the world. [00:44:56] Speaker B: Without a doubt. That's the. This is another cliche, but it's like, you know, when people say, oh, you have to be there, it's annoying, but the Cape is such a perfect example that once you go and you get your first taste of it, you know, you'll, you'll really get it from the ballpark. [00:45:12] Speaker A: The baseball part of it, it's just everything. The geography, the, the, the. Just the history of the Cape itself, it's just, you feel, you feel like you're in the old times, honestly. [00:45:23] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:45:24] Speaker A: You feel like you're back in the 40s and 50s. [00:45:26] Speaker B: 100. It's such an intimate, special environment where it's just, it's all baseball. So I like to call it heaven on earth and I think that's about as close as you can get. [00:45:37] Speaker A: Any other shout outs before I let you go? [00:45:41] Speaker B: No, I got nothing. Shout out to Baseball America for sure. The esteemed Teddy Cahill. Impossible shoes to fill. Coming on. But I'm flattered. He, he dropped my name to you and was excited to come on. And I will say I've thoroughly enjoyed. I'm a three time now attendee of the abca and you as well as the rest of the board and, and, and committee do an outstanding job of, of putting on a stellar convention every year. It's, I think I saw some coach say it on Twitter, I forget who, but it is the ultimate like battery recharger. Being around so many coaches from all levels and people who are just as passionate about the game as you are chopping it up, getting to hear from the best minds in the game. It's. It's just fantastic. So I've been very fortunate to attend every three for three years now and I couldn't recommend it enough. I think it's a mandatory baseball pilgrimage for anyone out there listening. [00:46:40] Speaker A: With your first experience that first year you went without ever having been there. What did you think with your first convention? [00:46:47] Speaker B: Oh man, I'll never forget. Was sort of like trying to drink out of a fire hose, but in the best way because you get this itinerary and I use the ABCA apps to make it easier, but you get this itinerary of and it's just stacked speakers on top of stack speakers. It's, you know, you could sit in the main convention hall all day and listen to coaches talk about their philosophies to their practice plans, to specific intricacies within the game. Or you could go down to the trade floor and walk through and, and see some of the brands and, and, and, and gear and what they're up to in developing or you know, there are satellite rooms and halls where there are Q&As and other talks. It's like no matter what you want, what, no matter what you're going there for, whatever your mission is, you'll be able to accomplish it. Whether it's networking, listening to coaches speak, anything, you know, you'll find just about anyone in the baseball world there. So I thought it was fantastic. Have been lucky enough to get my feet more under me year after year. And hopefully that trend will continue going forward. But it's, it's just fantastic. And it falls at, at the perfect time to the new year. The season's just a little over a month away. Everyone's excited, everyone's rejuvenated, ready to go, getting ready to go back to practice. So it's, it's just a blast. [00:48:11] Speaker A: All right out of left field here. What is your favorite book behind you or have you read any books behind you? [00:48:16] Speaker B: Bad question. This is the live. The library is a little eyewalk. I can't take any credit for it. I was thinking of like this is like my go to background whenever I got to be on camera. I just impressive. [00:48:28] Speaker A: I told you that pre call. My wife would be extremely impressed. [00:48:33] Speaker B: That's all Credits to Pops. He put it together. Let's see. [00:48:35] Speaker A: It's awesome. [00:48:37] Speaker B: Oh, man. I there. There's a Red Sox book and a Ted Williams biography by Ben Bradley Jr. I love the Ted Williams book, so those two Red Sox ones are my favorite. [00:48:50] Speaker A: Love it. All right, Peter, thanks for your time. Appreciate you. Hopefully I run into you this spring. [00:48:55] Speaker B: Likewise. Thanks so much, Ryan. [00:48:57] Speaker A: Always great to get a new perspective on the upcoming Division 1 season. Peter's a great addition. And another shout out to Teddy Cahill for all his hard work in the past covering Division 1 baseball. Thanks again to John Litchfield, Zach Halen and Matt west in the ABCA office for all the help on the podcast. Feel free to reach out to me via [email protected], twitter, Instagram and TikTok CoachBCA or direct message me via the MyABCA app. This is Ryan Brownlee signing off for the American Baseball Coaches Association. Thanks and leave it better for those behind you. [00:49:39] Speaker B: And you know that way. [00:49:42] Speaker A: Yep Wait for another lift and the. [00:49:48] Speaker B: World will always return as your life there before your name and you know that I'd wait. [00:50:02] Speaker A: Wait for another. [00:50:08] Speaker B: D.