AFLAC Player Reports #2
Adrian Neito EAST C 6-0/195, B/R, American Heritage,Hialeah, FL
Summer Team – All American Prospects (FL)
Aflac Report: August 11th, 2007
Nieto has been recovering from a sore arm most of the summer. We struggled
with selecting him because we weren’t positive he would be able to throw
from behind the plate. He is fully recovered and showed a plus arm during
the week in San Diego and in the game. Adrian is a very good receiver, but
his best attribute is the bat. He can hit and hit with power from both sides
of the plate. He was a finalist in the HR Derby and swung from the right
side, so guess we have to think that side has a bit more power. But he has a
pretty swing from the left side and we’ve seen him hit it a long ways.
Nieto is a lot of fun to be around. There is no question about how much he
loves the game. During BP at Tony Gwynn Stadium they played a song from the
movie Rocky. Some of the guys on deck doing their best impression; let out a
couple “ADRIAN, ADRIAN ’s” Neito smiled and got a big kick out of that.
He was one of the most well liked players in San Diego .
Ethan Martin EAST 3B 6-3/200, R/R, Stephens County, Toccoa, GA
Summer Team – East Cobb (GA)
Aflac Report: August 11th, 2007
Martin is one of the top talents in this class. He’s a highest level
athlete and another of the Aflac All Americans who is a football star. Martin
’s arm strength is a real eye opener. He throws easy 90+ across the infield
and can throw mid 90s on the mound. He has that same easy bat speed and hit
several long balls over 400 feet during practice and the HR Derby. Martin
tied with Destin Hood for the HR Derby Championship. We threw him an inning
in Thursday’s scrimmage. He topped out at 93 mph but was very wild. It wasn
’t until later that we found out Ethan Martin has been playing here with a
broken thumb on his right (throwing) hand. It’s a crack at the tip of the
thumb. Doctors told him there’s not much they can do for it and that he
could play as long as he can put up with the pain. When we asked him to
pitch he did not say no. Ethan Martin showed us something in San Diego . He
’s not only extremely talented, he is also very tough. Martin (it’s a
common theme this year) has championship caliber makeup and was well liked by
his team mates. These guys did everything they were supposed to do and still
had a blast doing it.
Andy Burns WEST SS, 6-1/180, R/R, Rocky Mountain, Ft. Collins, CO
Summer Team – High School (CO)
Aflac Report: August 11th, 2007
Burns is one of the top players we’ve seen come out of Colorado in a long
time. He combines nice athletic actions with a solid arm, good hands and
feet. He runs well and has excellent instincts. His best attribute is his
hitting ability. He has a controlled easy swing that creates serious bat
speed. He’s going to hit for average and power. Burns has the body and
talent to play baseball for a long time. Some compare him to Peter Kozma, a
player we had at the PG National in 2006 and a first round pick. We’ve heard
comparisons to Ryne Sandberg and that actually makes sense. He not only
plays the game well he shows a lot of class in the way he carries himself.
He does everything very well and his bat has a chance to be extra special.
More importantly Andy Burns is yet another outstanding young man with great
makeup. The type that baseball needs as we enter into the next era.
Jack Armstrong EAST RHP/1B, 6-7/200, R/R, Jupiter, Jupiter, FL
Summer Team – All American Prospects (FL)
Aflac Report: August 11th, 2007
Armstrong is the son of the former major league pitcher by the same name.
Jack Sr. was good, young Jack might end up being better. Armstrong was the
winning pitcher in the Aflac Game after starting the game at first base. He
was also the only pitcher who did not top out at 90 or better. That didn’t
matter to us because we have seen him throw up to 92 in the past. Seeing
Jack pump his fist after the last pitch strikeout was very revealing and in a
good way. This kid competes!!! He didn’t have his very best stuff but he
was not going to lose this game. At 6-7 he is going to be a pitcher, but he’
s also an absolutely outstanding athlete. He can hit and hit with power,
almost making the final four in the HR Derby. Those who remember Ozzie Smith
doing those flips when he took the field, imagine a 6’7” pitcher who can
stand flat footed and do a complete back flip gracefully landing back on his
feet. That is what Armstrong can do. Yes, he is a star All State basketball
player as well. On this day it was Armstrong’s will and a very good
curveball that stood out. He pitched the final two innings, striking out
four to get the win. The bottom was falling out of that curveball. What a
performance he put on! After the game he said, “This is the greatest thing I
’ve ever been involved with” We learned a lot in San Diego about Jack
Armstrong, and it was all good. He’s still another of these very likable
guys who is and will be a great role model for younger people.
Quinton Miller EAST RHP, 6-2/180, R/R, Shawnee, Medford, NJ
Summer Team – Tri State Arsenal (NJ)
Aflac Report: August 11th, 2007
Miller is a very talented pitcher who we’ve seen at the top of his game.
This was not one of his best performances by a long ways. Quinton has been
recovering from a minor arm problem this summer and has looked very good at
times. When he’s at his best, he dominates with low 90’s velocity with a
very lively fastball that he seems to spot exactly where he wants. His off
speed pitches are equally effective. He just looked a bit tired during the
Aflac game and didn’t show his usual velocity or command. However, he did
throw his very last pitch 90 mph. Truth is, Quinton Miller is not the type
you can judge correctly on one or two innings of work in an All Star game.
Watching him pitch 7 innings is a treat. This kid can really pitch and it’
s fun to watch him carve up hitters. Quinton is yet another of the many
Aflac All American’s who all week long displayed the type of character that
stands out in the crowd. He has a very bright future.
Brett DeVall EAST LHP, 6-4/205, R/L, Rutherford, Panama City, FL
Summer Team – East Cobb (GA)
Aflac Report: August 11th, 2007
DeVall is a finesse type lefty who throws easily in the low 90’s. In fact,
that’s exactly what he did in his two innings of work in the Aflac game. We
’ve seen him up as high as 94 but he just doesn’t need that extra velocity
to be effective. His stuff is that good and we mean the stuff on all his
pitches. DeVall is one of the very top pitching prospects in next year’s
draft class. He has three quality plus pitches, with outstanding life and
movement, and he has great command of all three pitches. He’s as polished a
high school pitcher as you will see. To think he has that extra velocity if
he wants it is a bit scary. Brett conducts himself very professionally both
on and off the field. He very much appears to be that blue collar type that
professional clubs love. Last year at this time there was a lot of talk
about the top high school lefties. Three of them were on the same East Cobb
summer/fall team along with DeVall. Smoker, McGeary and Vineyard were the
other lefties. Smoker and Vineyard were early picks and McGeary was the guy
some people thought was the best. Smoker and DeVall were the top lefties on
that team in our estimation. And DeVall is the much bigger of the two. This
guy has a chance to be an extra special major league pitcher.
Austin Wright WEST LHP, 6-3/210, L/L, Conant, Schaumburg, IL
Summer Team – McHenry County Hurricanes (IL)
Aflac Report: August 11th, 2007
Wright actually looks bigger than his listed size. We’ve seen him very good
in the past and he didn’t disappoint us in the Aflac Classic. He has a slow
but smooth delivery that seems to create good leverage. His arm works
smoothly and his fastball can explode on hitters. He shows three pitches
that have a chance to be MLB quality. His breaking ball was better this time
than we had seen earlier in the year. Wright might end up throwing mid 90s
because he could still get a little more momentum going. He also showed a
very good left-handed swing with serious bat speed and power possibilities.
Of course, that is secondary because this kid’s future is as a strong,
durable lefty on the mound. Wright seems like a quiet sort who just goes
about doing his job. He will be one of the more interesting guys to follow
for the next nine months. Anything is possible here.
Chris Amezquita WEST INF/RHP, 6-2/190, R/R, Servite, La Mirada, CA
Summer Team – San Gabrial Valley Arsenal (CA)
Aflac Report: August 11th, 2007
Amezquita is one of the most interesting prospects in the nation. We named
him the top 2-way player at our National Showcase in June. He really looks
the part with his MLB body and good looks. He is very strong and should hit
with good power. Amezquita is fairly polished but with some big tools. His
arm strength is a definite plus and he shows it in the field and on the
mound. We’ve seen him throw 92 on the mound and 90+ across the infield. He
has nice actions and probably profiles best at 3B in pro ball. Chris’s bat
is what makes him all that more intriguing. He has a professional, compact
fluid swing that looks very easy for him. The ball jumps off his bat in a
hurry. He didn’t show us that much power in San Diego as we’ve seen
before, but the key is, we have seen that power before and know it’s there.
His game at bats are usually better than his BP sessions. He can hit top
level pitching. Amezquita is still another of these guys with great makeup.
He shows respect for the game, his team mates and coaches… and not that it
matters he even shows respect for us. This is another real good kid with a
bright future.
Ricky Oropesa WEST 3B/1B/RHP, 6-2/215, L/R, Etiwanda, Rancho Cucamonga, CA
Summer Team – San Gabrial Valley Arsenal (CA)
Aflac Report: August 11th, 2007
Oropesa is very much a power type player. He has one of the strongest arms
of any infielder in the country and he can hit a baseball as far as most any
hitter in high school baseball. His BP sessions are fun to watch as he will
hit some monster shots that leave the park in a hurry. For some reason he
slumped a bit in the HR contest but game day BP was a treat to watch. He put
on quite a show. Oropesa is a big, strong young man who you would think is
physically mature. But one look at his young face tells you he has room to
get bigger and even stronger in the future. Right now it’s hard to pigeon
hole him at any position and there’s still plenty of time for that. He only
needs to relax his arms a bit and he will enter the highest level of power
hitters. His approach appears just a little tight which works in BP but can
cause problems with changes of speed. At any rate he is a serious talent.
Pitching is certainly in the mix too. He didn’t throw from the mound this
week, but he has mid 90 capability on the mound. In fact, we have already
seen him throw up to 94 mph in Cincinnati this year. Once again, Oropesa
joins the others here in the good makeup and good kid category. These guys
this year, like Ricky Oropesa, were just a lot of fun to be around.
Sonny Gray EAST RHP/IF, 6-0/180, R/R, Smyrna, Smyrna, TN
Summer Team – Brentwood A’s (TN)
Aflac Report: August 11th, 2007
Gray suffered the disappointment of not being allowed to participate in the
Aflac Game itself, but he was in San Diego all week and made his mark. Sonny
and Brent Warren were given the Sportsmanship award at the Aflac Banquet.
Gray is one of those kids with great character and great personality. One
of those guys you can’t help but like. All week he smiled and looked like
he was having a blast. Always on time, doing whatever anyone asked of him
and all the while smiling. It’s no wonder he was one of the players team
mates seemed to like the most. Then there was some practice time involved
where Sonny topped out at his customary mid 90s from the mound and showed a
real plus slider. Gray is also an All State “Shotgun” QB on his High
School football team. He’s a very talented athlete who would be a prospect
as an infielder if it weren’t for his magical right arm. Last year Jarrod
Parker went early in the first round. What is so interesting about that is
that Parker was a 6-0 RHP, some claim 5-10. Sonny Gray and Parker are very
much the same type of pitcher. Scouts need to understand that this kid is
very special in many ways other than the electric arm everyone knows about.
Baseball needs as many Sonny Gray’s as they can lay their hands on. It’s
in the best interest of the game!
Brent Warren – WEST – 6-3/175, L/L, Xavier, Robins, IA
Summer Team – High School (IA)
Aflac Report: August 11th, 2007
Warren had a good week in San Diego and showed some of his abilities. Due to
NCAA rules we were not able to run the 60 but we already know that he can run
well. It’s one of his best tools. Warren ’s story is well documented, a
serious heart defect was discovered over the past year and he had life
threatening open heart surgery performed at the Mayo Clinic over the winter.
He was informed that his career as an athlete was over, but later released
to play baseball again. A left-handed hitter, he can occasionally hit the
long ball and projects to hit them more often. He is 100% healthy, but still
hasn’t gained the necessary strength to show off all his talent. His arm
plays well in CF. His makeup is off the chart and if his health stays in
good shape, he will have a very bright future in the game. Those scouts who
can envision Warren at 200 lbs will understand what is possible here. During
the week he flashed some power including hitting one half way up the wall of
the dorms behind rightfield at San Diego University . Warren laid down a
bunt and used his speed to get a basehit in the 5th annual Aflac game. He
also played very well in the outfield. He pitched two quick scoreless
innings in the scrimmage on Thursday. At the Aflac Awards banquet he was
named the co-recipient of this year’s Sportsmanship award, along with Sonny
Gray (Tennessee ).
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