Brian Matusz - LHP Baltimore Orioles
The Orioles landed the best pitcher in last years draft at #4 in Brian Matusz. The 6-4 lefty from the University of San Diego is already physically developed and his pitching skills are highly advanced as well. Brian throws three pitches with command and confidence and is working on a 4th. He locates exceptionally well and works around the plate.
Brian's fastball isn't dominant, but he can call up 93-94 when needed. His fastball does have a good sink to it however and it is heavy, and as a result, Brian will throw a lot of GBOs. He keeps hitters off of his fastball with a swing-and-miss curve that he has great faith in, and uses as a punch-out pitch. His change has movement and he already has developed great arm action with it. Brian's slider lacks true bite but it has enough movement to force hitters to factor it in.
Brian did not pitch professionally last season, beginning his career in the AFL last fall, more than holding his own. The Orioles have started him in high-A this season but it's hard to imagine he will not be promoted to AA soon. While his rise through the system won't likely be as fast as draftmate Rick Porcello's in Detroit, if you get a chance to see him at a level near you soon, I wouldn't wait to take advantage of it.
The Orioles will try to add a foot or two to his fastball so that he can lead with it more than he does. His mechanics are good but there is more to be found there. Brian may come fairly quickly, a lot of what he needs is already in place and the right mechanical adjustments could fix a lot of concerns in a short period of time.
I am having trouble writing that he has #1 potential. I am just not sure he's going to be dominant enough for that. But he can be a very good number #2 if all goes as planned. The Orioles see Cole Hamels when they look at him and Brian has that kind of potential. But I am seeing a left handed Derek Lowe ... and there's nothing wrong with that. Keep in mind however, that Brian will start his major league career toiling in Camden, facing the AL East.
Long Term Fantasy Grade - A-
Seas Lvl W L ERA IP K/9 BB/9 HR/9 AVG WHIP 2009 A+ 1 1 3.45 15.2 10.4 4.0 0.6 .266 1.47
Tim Beckham - SS Tampa Bay Rays
The Rays took Tim Beckham with the #1 overall pick in last summers draft, adding him to the litany of tools-saturated prospects they tend to covet. Tim was the top rated, and of course highest-picked high school player in the draft.
Tim has a high baseball IQ, he's a hard worker, and he loves playing the game. He showed steady improvement in his professional debut last season and while the raw numbers won't wow you his skills and potential were definitely evident
Normally when teams draft toolsy players they come out of the SS position and organizations usually assume they will slot the player in the right position as they develop. The important thing to note here is that Tim can be projected to remain at SS. He is gifted defensively as well with outstanding range, so much so in fact that he can be a plus defensive player at the position even after he physically develops. Beckham is said to have plus makeup as well. He listens to coaches and installs upgrades. And he is handling the jump to professional ball with poise.
Tim should provide a speed/power combo in the middle infield, perhaps even approaching a couple of 20/20 seasons if his development goes as well as it can. We simply don't have a book on him yet and we won't be able to get a real handle on where he is in his development curve or where his holes are until he reaches pitchers that aren't too busy figuring out what they are doing to ask Tim to make adjustments.
We do know his age and we do know he didn't have the benefit of developing in college, so we can assume at this point that he is a couple of summers away from knocking on the big league door. That having been said, I reserve the right to change my mind about that the second he hits AA
You have to give high grades to this kid because it looks very much like he will play SS, or middle infield, in the majors
Long Term Fantasy Grade - A+Seas Lvl AB XBH HR SB AVG BB% K% OBP SLG 2008 R 177 14 2 5 .243 6.8 24.3 .297 .345 2009 A 57 4 1 0 .315 3.6 27.8 .333 .426
This is a small sample of Insiderbaseball.com's weekly Prospect Central column featuring in-depth analysis of over 120 prospects each season. Please visit Insiderbaseball.com or click the "Home" tab at the top of the page to see all the great insights and features available to our subscribers every day!
