i_see_it_all wrote:north dakota has terrible pitching. maybe 3-4 guys in the state that are worth mentioning.
you put a zach elgie in a summer league down south with all the dominicans and the real baseball players, and he's just another slow 1b that cant hit a curveball. id love to see his swing the first time he sees a split finger fastball. if elgie plays division I baseball at a big school straight out of high school, he is in for a wake up call. look at andrew gudmunson, went to nebraska, didnt have a sniff down there and was back up north after 1 season. elgie is a guy who will crush the 78 mph fastball over the fence because he's that strong. you get a guy throwin high 80's with a tight breaking pitch and a changeup (like nearly all D1 pitchers have) elgie's hacks will look uglier than they did against freshman stephen laylock.
bottom line is athletic, versatile players have a much better shot because they can play more than 1 position and have multiple tools. elgie is not very fast and cant play anything but first and maybe catch.
id take frenzel anyday of the week. lefty, better swing, more athletic, and a better arm.... he will go farther than elgie my friends. but if were talking 77 mph fastball, ill take elgie:P
Frenzel has a great swing, there is no debating that, but there is no way he is faster or more athletic than Elgie... Frenzel will be a third baseman in college, not a short stop, IMO, very good instincts and good arm, but not good enough range IMO... Elgie could play catcher, either corner infield or probably either corner outfield... He will probably have to rein in his swing at the next level, but he certainly has all the tools.
And by the way, I wouldn't be badmouthing Laylock as some mediocre freshman... He's got a bright future ahead of him, as long as his arm doesn't fall off from throwing over 150 pitches in a game... There's no shame in not getting in good cuts against Laylock...
BTW, anyone know how Schroeder's arm is doing... He looked to be in pretty rough shape when he was playing outfield at state. Hope his wing is OK, cause he's got a bright future.
Also, I'd like to point out that it's not all about throwing in the upper 80s, lower 90s... Look at what Sundheim did in the championship... He probably didn't even reach 75 on the gun, but was getting outs against a pretty good hitting Bismarck team. Same with Laylock, he doesn't have overpowering stuff, but he knows what he's doing out there.