With another week comes more live looks from our hard-working crew! Without further ado…
RHP Luis Ramirez, Long Beach State University
During his outing, Luis Ramirez flashed a legitimate four-pitch mix consisting of a sharp sinker with arm side run, a tumbling changeup, and two different variations of his slider; one with tight bite and two-plane movement, and another one with a slurvy profile. Ramirez was consistently mixing in his pitches from the get-go keeping NDSU hitters off balance. He was able to spin his breaking ball in for a strike at will, regardless of the count or the situation. However, his sinker command was faulty and consistently was finding its way in the middle to the upper part of the strike zone, leading to a lot of NDSU barrels. Ramirez generated loads of ground balls with his pitch mix due to its prominent lateral movement. All in all, he showcased a true SP prospect profile with his arsenal, breaking ball command, and will to compete.
-Jackson Thomas
CF Druw Jones, Wesleyan
The top guy on our 2022 board did top guy things this past Wednesday night, showing off nearly every tool in the belt. He had some early issues picking up Brady Jones’ fastball on a three pitch strikeout looking to open the game, and even swung through a rare right-right changeup. But when Druw got to two strikes, he showed off his ability to identify a pitch and adjust. He picked up a 92 MPH fastball at the top of the zone, got off the curve he was expecting, and drove it over the center field fence. It was also a demonstration of Druw’s internal resolve and ability to handle an adverse environment, with Decatur students chanting “overrated” at the top draft prospect prior to the dinger. Defensively, he glides and makes bucket catches on routine outs just like his dad Andruw, and showed off an absolute cannon arm with a 70 grade throw into 3rd base to cut down a foolish Decatur baserunner. The physical projection, bat + hand speed, and defensive prowess in center field were all on display, and it’s hard to find a hole in Jones’ profile--which is why he’s firmly ensconced at 1-1 right now.
-Will Hoefer
RHP/SS Brady Jones, Decatur
There was a large scouting contingent at Decatur to see Druw Jones, but opposing him was Brady Jones--a pitcher that merited many of those in attendance to whip out their radar guns and take some notes. The 6’0” 190 lbs. right hander went six innings and surrendered only one run--the solo homer to Druw Jones. He sat in the low 90s all night long, touching 95 MPH with the fastball in the first inning and grabbing some 3s and 4s throughout the evening. It’s a lively four seamer, with equal parts arm side run and carry, and comes from a low release point due to Jones’ smaller stature and drop and drive delivery. The flat approach angle of the pitch got swing and miss all night, and checks a lot of boxes for data friendly teams. He worked off that heater with a mid 80s changeup that Jones sells his arm well on and has late fade, as well as a high 70s curveball with efficient downer movement and strong location. Both secondaries elicited whiffs throughout the evening, and Jones has great feel for each pitch. The one real bugaboo was some issues commanding the fastball in the 2nd. Jones works with a lot of effort to get to his velo, and while he is a really good athlete there will be times where his crooked base will cause him to lose the release point and miss armside. The size and lack of a real standout secondary offering will probably ensure that Jones makes it to Georgia State, but there’s a possibility that a team likes the athleticism and fastball traits enough to try and pluck him on Day 3.
-Will Hoefer
SS Termarr Johnson, Mays
This past weekend was the Minority Baseball Prospects Showdown, a two day event were some of the top majority black schools in the Georgia/Alabama area (along with a two team contingent from Maryland) showed up to play at the LakePoint Sports complex in Emerson, GA. The main attraction from a prospect standpoint was Termarr Johnson, and to the consternation of scouts in attendance he was routinely pitched around in each of the two games for the Mays Raiders. Termarr did get some pitches to hit on Saturday, and showed off his quick hands and whippy bat speed on a line shot through the middle that he turned into two bases with hustle. While there were some pitches that he would’ve liked a second chance at, he did not whiff all weekend long. In the field, Johnson lined up at shortstop and looked good when the ball came his way. He showed range to his right with good actions around the second base bag, and had soft hands, fluid transitions and good throwing mechanics. On the basepaths, he identified spots to take extra bases and created runs with his legs. While the concern about how his body will mature is keeping Termarr behind Druw Jones and Elijah Green on our board right now, there’s no doubt that he has the best bat amongst the preps in the 2022 draft and is solidly locked in as a top 10 overall pick.
-Will Hoefer
Danny Serretti, SS, North Carolina
After spending the first seven games in the two-and three-holes, Serretti made his second consecutive start batting cleanup on Wednesday. The switch-hitting junior doesn’t draw a lot of walks, but he does display good patience at the plate– he saw 22 pitches over his four plate appearances against Winthrop pitchers. He gave Carolina its first lead of the game with an RBI double to left-center in the first. Draft-eligible in 2021, Serretti struggled to barrel up the ball, leading to his return to Chapel Hill. He’s shown improvements in that area to start this season, however, to go along with good contact skills and developing power. He is incredibly smooth and sure-handed at shortstop, and his draft day value will largely come from his defense.
-Harris Yudin
Mac Horvath, 3B, North Carolina
It’s been a slow start to 2022 for Horvath, who was one of just two Tar Heels in the starting lineup not to record a hit on Wednesday. The draft-eligible sophomore is still raw, with plenty of power to tap into going forward – he flew out to the warning track in the third inning – but has recorded just two extra-base hits in his first 38 plate appearances. He does, however, boast an advanced approach and good contact skills, with eight walks and just five strikeouts to start the year. Horvath’s defense stands out at the moment. He is smooth going to both sides, and has shown off the arm strength to stick at the hot corner. Additional hard contact could lead to Horvath hearing his name called in the first five rounds– otherwise he will likely be back in Chapel Hill for his junior season.
-Harris Yudin
Tomas Frick, C, North Carolina
Frick’s fourth multi-hit game of the short season lifted his OPS above .900. The sophomore backstop has cut down on his swing-and-miss a bit thus far in 2022, but has only seen the ball leave the yard once. Given his strong build, it’s reasonable to expect him to start hitting for more power. However, despite a strong defensive profile, Frick holds little draft value until that power begins to emerge.
-Harris Yudin
Alberto Osuna, 1B/DH, North Carolina
Osuna, Carolina’s DH on Wednesday, gave the Tar Heels a permanent lead in the second inning, launching the first pitch he saw from Winthrop’s Dalton Mims over the center field fence. It was only his second D1 homer, but there should be more to come. He has a large frame with a very thick lower half, and there could even be more in the tank if he were to utilize that lower half more. The JuCO transfer has obvious power that will be appealing to teams, but his limited track record and tendency to swing and miss could limit his draft stock.
-Harris Yudin