Quick Hits and Quick Cuts

While the big club was losing in Mesa, I was winning in Peoria.

Day 3 of my trapesing around the back fields in Peoria. I shared more 40-man big-picture notes in my Cactus League Thoughts right here, but I’ll drop some more below, with some short video clips.

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The videos are vertical rather than horizontal for two reasons. First, to avoid catching multiple pitchers (or other distractions) in the frame. Second, to get the pitcher and the ball path in the shot, which can be done horizontally, but means more sideview distractions (there are five arms throwing at the same time).

Not much I can do about the shadows making it somewhat difficult to actually see the pitcher, but zooming in just meant no flight path.

Logan Evans, RHP

Evans, clearly, is working from the stretch here, but in games last summer used a two-hands-over-the-top style rock-and-fire windup. It’s a true three-quarter slot helping him produce good run and sink on a low-90s two-seamer, touching 94 mph.

I’ve seen the secondaries referred to as a slider and cutter, but in Class-A Modesto it looked like classic curveball-slider, with the latter being the better of the two, but both looking like legit offerings. The slider did occasionally get short and appear like a cutter. The slower breaker has good shape and sharp break. I think he has two breaking balls to use moving forward.

I didn’t see any changeups, unless a few of the two-seamers I logged were firm changeups or splitters, but there’s a strong foundation of strikes, size, and projectable stuff for the 22-year-old, so it’s a rotation profile at this stage. Reports of mid-to-upper 90s are real, though we should acknowledge it’s a bullpen session.

In the above short video it was Sunday-morning mode for Evans. Smooth and easy operation, but there’s power in his lower half. If his role were to be shortened down the road his strength and delivery would likely support the upper edges of his velocity range.

He can go east-west (two-seamer/slider) as well as north-south (two-seamer/curbeball), which is interesting in and of itself.

If you’re curious what his better stuff looked like in his short stint with the Nuts after the draft last season, here, including the sinker-slider whiffs at the end:

I imagine Evans heads out to High-A in his first full season. Let’s see if his velocity and overall stuff takes a step forward and backs up the reports of such from Peoria.

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Michael Morales, RHP

Morales can spin a curveball, but his pitch profile has lacked his first two full seasons in the system. He appears a bit leaner this year, and his fastball has reached 94 mph.

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Brody Hopkins, RHP

I told Joe Doyle Hopkins showed up looking like a 12-time Gold Medal winner in EVERYTHING. Beat Michael Phelps in the pool, beat Brian Shute on the mat, then showed up to play some baseball for the fun of it. His sinker moves a lot, his slider flashes big-time, but consistent release points weren’t, well, apparent in this one short session in the pen.

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AJ Izzi, RHP

First live look at Izzi; certainly looks the part, showing arm speed and an athletic delivery.

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Walter Ford, RHP

These were not 85 mph fastball, just FYI. ;)

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Jeter Martinez, RHP

“Arm late still?” A young college coach/scout standing near me kept saying. Over and over and over, like he knows something no one else knows, and as if Martinez is a 26-year-old toiling around in the PCL… still.

”Getting video for a website?” he asked me. “Sure," I said. “Which one?” he asked. “Not one you’d like,” I replied.

”Probably Barstool, then, huh?” he said.

Me: “You the bullpen coach over here at the Academy of Math & Science? Thought so.”

Anyway, here’s Martinez:

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