D1BB: Pilkington's summer on Team USA

I know Pilkington's stats for the summer were summed up in a recent baseball thread, but here is a blurb about Pilk from Aaron Fitt's piece on the top 10 prospects from this summer's Team USA. Pilkington is listed as # 4:

"Pilkington has performed well over his first two seasons in Starkville, posting a career 2.80 ERA and a 153-62 K-BB mark in 151.1 innings, and he emerged as a quality Friday night starter as a sophomore. He emerged as a legitimate first-round candidate last summer in the Cape League, but he was worn down this summer for Team USA, though his stats were solid (2.65 ERA, 12-5 K-BB in 17 IP). At his best in the spring, Pilkington ran his fastball up to 95-96 early in games and pitched comfortably at 91-93, though his stuff tended to drop off in the middle innings. He did touch 94 for Team USA, but he pitched mostly at 88-91. He located his fastball very well to the glove side against Cuba?s all-righty lineup, retiring the first eight batters of the game on just 27 pitches (22 strikes), but then his commanded started to falter. His stuff dropped off more at the end of the summer as fatigue took its toll. But Pilkington has a physical 6-foot-3, 225-pound build and obvious arm strength, and he impressed scouts and the Team USA coaching staff with his willingness to learn, work ethic and ability to stay in attack mode on the mound. His best secondary pitch is his 79-82 changeup, which projects as a slightly above-average pitch with a chance to be plus. His 74-77 mph breaking ball can flash solid-average with good depth, but its bite is inconsistent and it needs refinement. Pilkington has the makings of a quality three-pitch arsenal, and his arm strength and makeup give him exciting upside."

Here's the top 10 from the article for comparison:

1. Casey Mize, Auburn
2. Nick Madrigal, Oregon
3. Tim Cate, UConn
4. KP
5. Steven Gingery, TX Tech
6. Travis Swaggerty, South AL
7. Jeremy Eierman, MO State
8. Luca Dalatri, UNC
9. Sean Wymer, TCU
10. Braden Shewmake, TAMU

From Frankie Piliere's capsules about the Top 26-50 Cape Cod League prospects: #40 Jake Mangum - no big news here, but nice summary.

"There are a number of ways that Jake Mangum can impact a game, and a lot of them have to do with his legs. An above-average defender in center field, Mangum also possesses a strong, accurate throwing arm. On the bases and at the plate, however, Mangum is even more of an asset at the top of a lineup. A 65 grade runner on the 20-80 scale, Mangum is a threat on any ball hit on the ground. He can beat out a bunt and spoil a tough pitch as well as any hitter in the country. A free swinger at heart, Mangum has improved his ability to stay inside the strike zone, but he can still reach out and do damage on pitches that most hitters couldn’t touch. The switch hitter hit .319 with 11 stolen bases this summer for Hyannis, and he had more than a few lengthy, gritty at-bats against some of the league’s best pitching. Scouts would like to see Mangum show more flashes of the power he does show in batting practice in game action, and they’d like to see him take more walks. But, even as is, his aggressive, contact approach from both sides and all-out style on the base paths make for a very intriguing top of the order profile."

I'd like to see him take more walks also. Hopefully Cann will work with him this fall on his approach at the plate. I'd like to see him be more selective in his approach and swing at the more hitable pitches. He can pretty much hit just about anything, but needs to be smarter and attack those pitches that he can drive to the outfield. I think he had single digits in walks last year. His overall production would go way up with a better approach at the plate.

Regarding KP, I'm sure they'll get him the rest he needs to go into next year at 100%. Time to make bank for him. Can he surpass the 1.9 mil that Rook made this summer? Will be fun to watch.

From Frankie Piliere's capsules on the Top 101-125 Cape Cod League Prospects - Luke Alexander squeezes in at # 124:

"Very quietly, Luke Alexander put together a very strong summer for the Cotuit Kettleers, making steady adjustments at the plate and in the field. The switch-hitting infielder hit .272/.311/.404 with four home runs, as he came on very strong down the stretch. Alexander has particularly intriguing raw power from the right side and it its beginning to carry over into game action more consistently. He showed good foot speed and athleticism, and played a relatively clean, crisp second base for most of the summer. He looks like he has the physical tools to play third base or second base at the next level."

Hopefully, this analysis of power potential in games becomes reality in the spring. Also, does anyone know what a "kettleer" is supposed to be?

We're going to be better than expected next year. Whether or not we are a regional team, or a host, is going to depend entirely on whether or not a couple of hitters step up and become producers. Right now, we have a lineup full of good players, but we need a couple to be the Rooker/Gridley or Renfroe/Frazier of the team. They don't have to match those guys in elite production, as we have a good supporting cast around them, but they do need to become dependable 2/3/4 type hitters.

From Frankie Piliere's capsules on Cape Code League top prospects 151-175: # 165 Hunter Stovall

"A highly versatile, energetic sparkplug, Stovall can do a number of things on both sides of the ball to contribute to a team. Although the offensive numbers didn?t jump off the page this summer, he showed an advanced, all fields approach from the right side and even flashed some gap power. The 5-foot-8, 170 pound Mississippi State standout has the versatility to play third base, shortstop, second base as well as behind the plate, and he is reliable wherever he?s placed. That will bode very well for him with professional scouts. Expect to see him at shortstop this spring."