Parker Ford--baseball signee

[MsStateBaseball]

Is on campus this weekend, checking out the engineering school. He could be a high draft pick, so this is a good sign that he intends to go to school. He is a RHP that will be a weekend starter one day. Really need him. We need those premium starting pitchers.

[Todd4State]

I think he projects more as a closer- and potentially a really good one.

[smootness]

I would hope we don't take a top-100 pitcher and immediately throw him in the closer role.

He has said that his parents have always pushed him academically and that it would take a lot of money for him to go pro.

He looks to be projected as about a 3rd round pick or so now, so the sign ability concerns could push him back enough to come to school instead.

[Todd4State]

He's projected as a closer because we have commitments from Austin Riley, Grey Fenter, Kale Breaux, Konnor Pilkington, Ethan Small, and Noah Hughes. You're talking about Team USA guys and Under Armour All-Americans in that group. And yes I think we get at least three of them. It's just a loaded class as far as pitching goes.

[smootness]

He's projected as a closer because we have commitments from Austin Riley, Grey Fenter, Kale Breaux, Konnor Pilkington, Ethan Small, and Noah Hughes. You're talking about Team USA guys and Under Armour All-Americans in that group. And yes I think we get at least three of them. It's just a loaded class as far as pitching goes.

You may end up being right, and that is a crazy good group of pitchers, but Ford is ranked 53rd overall among HSers by PG. He's arguably the best of the group.

[Todd4State]

The pitchers that I listed are ahead of Ford right now in terms of being ready to start right now in college baseball/SEC baseball. That's not to say that Ford won't catch up to them at some point. Holder for example is being used as a starting pitcher by the Yankees. Ford may very well follow a similar career arc- and perhaps at a higher level than Holder. Also, just because someone ranks a pitcher 53rd it also doesn't necessarily mean that MLB sees him as a starting pitcher prospect either.

Fenter for example is seen as a closer prospect by some in MLB, but I think he will be a SEC starter for us.

[Todd4State]

Also, I don't trust PG as much as others personally- even though the rating in this case is in our favor. Kiley McDaniel is good, and the MLB.com guys are almost spot on.

[smootness]

The pitchers that I listed are ahead of Ford right now in terms of being ready to start right now in college baseball/SEC baseball. That's not to say that Ford won't catch up to them at some point. Holder for example is being used as a starting pitcher by the Yankees. Ford may very well follow a similar career arc- and perhaps at a higher level than Holder. Also, just because someone ranks a pitcher 53rd it also doesn't necessarily mean that MLB sees him as a starting pitcher prospect either.

Fenter for example is seen as a closer prospect by some in MLB, but I think he will be a SEC starter for us.

Fair enough, I'll defer to you on it. How do you know so much about these guys? (I'm not being sarcastic, I'm genuinely curious).

[smootness]

Just as a cool FYI, Ford was 6th at a national PG showcase in peak velocity at 94. At the same event, Fenter was 6th in avg velocity (92.3) and 5th in breaking ball spin rate.

In other words, if Fenter pitches in college, no matter what role, he will strike out a ton of guys.

[smootness]

Todd, what are your thoughts on who we will lose to the draft?

Pickett seems to have dropped a little recently and definitely isn't a 1st round guy anymore, but I still don't think we'll get him.

And Breaux, Pilkington, and Hughes are guys I think we definitely will get. I haven't seen them projected very high in the draft.

So it comes down to Riley, Fenter, Small, and Ford. I'm thinking we have a decent shot at Riley and Ford, then we'll see on the others?

[Todd4State]

My Dad knew a lot of baseball coaches/baseball people and introduced me to them growing up and it kind of went from there. I go watch our recruits play some if I can (California/Colorado is totally out of the question for high school baseball- ha!). My uncle and Dad taught me a lot of what to look for too. Honestly I'll say if you go to a high school baseball game you can pick up on who to talk to pretty quickly. Plus now you have YouTube, PG, etc that has video of guys like Pickett and Ford.

Mississippi has a pretty tight knit baseball community.

I've been to all kinds of baseball games, but some of the craziest crap happens at high school games in Mississippi. Brawls, Mom's running on the field because he called her kid out on strikes, etc

[Todd4State]

Pickett we still have to worry about probably more than the others, followed behind Riley. I think Ford is up there too- everyone says it's going to take a lot of money except for apparently Dale Burdick.

A lot of the Dulin's guys are pretty close as a group. Riley and Fenter are in that group. Pickett is not. Elih Marrero is not, but the rumor is he is coming to school.

Cohen does a good job of identifying who they think they can get into school. Vallot last year was a rare case of a guy with no MSU ties and Burdick surprised everyone by not coming. Pickett and Riley have MSU ties.

[smootness]

Good stuff, thanks. I totally forgot about Marrero. One thing that makes me think we may lose more than I'm expecting is the fact that we have so many guys committed, especially pitchers. It looks like our coaches are preparing to lose some.

If we can get Riley and Marrero, we'll end up with enough pitching to make it a phenomenal class.

Our pitching looked fantastic even before we added Fenter and Ford.

I like the guys who specifically talk about the fans and LFL, though. They seem to like that aspect, which could make them more likely to come to school.

[MsStateBaseball]

I think we lose Pickett. The one I am most worried about and have a GREAT need is Elih Marrero. We need elite HS catchers. If we lose 1 pitcher, I'd say we are in great shape whoever it may be. If we lose 2 pitchers, it is still good.

[smootness]

The good thing is that even if we lose Marrero, we have Stovall. If we get Marrero, Stovall can be an IF.

I honestly think that even if we lose 2-3 pitchers, it's still a great class. Riley, Ford, Fenter, Small, Padgett, Pilkington, Breaux, Hughes, James, Cyr...I mean, that is crazy.

[Todd4State]

I'm not sure that we expected Fenter and Trysten Barlow to de-commit from Ole Miss this summer when we took some commitments. Both are guys that you take, and the Ethan Small blew up this summer and de-committed from Austin Peay. Our only misses with this class IMO were Chris Cullen, Seth Beer, and Gene Wood. Because of the pitching we have via recruiting, we may move Barlow and Keegan James to the field. We'll have to see when they get here, but we have enough hitters that we should be OK if they are just better at pitching.

MSU has an advantage over a lot of other schools because of the baseball culture that we have. It's important, we place an emphasis on it, and there are high expectations. All of that makes MSU attractive. It's better than pretty much any minor league town below AA IMO in terms of sheer environment and atmosphere. And if you do well in the SEC you can get to AA pretty quickly like Lindgren.

[bulldogcountry1]

How much are these HS kids educated about the life of a low-level minor leaguer? I'm sure MBL doesn't have an orientation course (at least before signing), but I always wonder if these kids really know what to really expect.

[smootness]

Yes, it definitely helps to have guys go through the minors quickly. Hopefully Renfroe has a big year and is called up at some point. We can show multiple examples of guys coming to State and still getting to the majors within 5 years after HS. And those weren't even elite HS draft prospects.

[Todd4State]

I think we lose Pickett. The one I am most worried about and have a GREAT need is Elih Marrero. We need elite HS catchers. If we lose 1 pitcher, I'd say we are in great shape whoever it may be. If we lose 2 pitchers, it is still good.

I would say that we need Pickett more than Marrero because we have Stovall if Marrero goes. I'd like to have them all though! Plus, I think Gridley is a four year guy for us.

[Todd4State]

How much are these HS kids educated about the life of a low-level minor leaguer? I'm sure MBL doesn't have an orientation course (at least before signing), but I always wonder if these kids really know what to really expect.

It varies. Usually players know someone that they played with in the past that tells them what to expect. Some kids may not have a choice due to grades or the fact that their family is poor and they need money. There are a lot of factors there. I think the new commissioner is pro college baseball probably more than any other commissioner in MLB history, and that could help us out a lot.

[It_Could_Happen]

He's projected as a closer because we have commitments from Austin Riley, Grey Fenter, Kale Breaux, Konnor Pilkington, Ethan Small, and Noah Hughes. You're talking about Team USA guys and Under Armour All-Americans in that group. And yes I think we get at least three of them. It's just a loaded class as far as pitching goes.

Are you sure we are recruiting Riley as a pitcher? I've been around this kid a lot. He is a good family friend and the kid can do it all. He's the best pure hitter out of high school I've ever seen. He can also play 3rd and OF.

[Todd4State]

Yes, it definitely helps to have guys go through the minors quickly. Hopefully Renfroe has a big year and is called up at some point. We can show multiple examples of guys coming to State and still getting to the majors within 5 years after HS. And those weren't even elite HS draft prospects.

He will be unless he gets hurt. Graveman moving through quickly helps as well. Lindgren will also be up as well. All of that helps. If Lindgren isn't up by July, he will be in the Future's Game.

[Todd4State]

Are you sure we are recruiting Riley as a pitcher? I've been around this kid a lot. He is a good family friend and the kid can do it all. He's the best pure hitter out of high school I've ever seen. He can also play 3rd and OF.

I see him as a dual position guy. P/3B/1B. I think Jeffrey Rea was the best pure hitter out of Mississippi I've seen but Riley may be the second best all-around behind Hunter Renfroe. I would compare Riley to Stephen Head but maybe a little more athletic.

[smootness]

I wouldn't be shocked if Lindgren is on the Opening Day roster. If not, he'll be up very quickly.

[It_Could_Happen]

I see him as a dual position guy. P/3B/1B. I think Jeffrey Rea was the best pure hitter out of Mississippi I've seen but Riley may be the second best all-around behind Hunter Renfroe. I would compare Riley to Stephen Head but maybe a little more athletic.

Do you think he makes it to campus?

[Todd4State]

Do you think he makes it to campus?

I think there is a chance. I'll say 51% that he goes to MSU.

[Todd4State]

I wouldn't be shocked if Lindgren is on the Opening Day roster. If not, he'll be up very quickly.

If he does well in spring training, it's certainly possible. He's in the mix for their LOOGY spot.

[AlSwearengen]

I remember marrero's dad talking about how he went through the minor league grind and wanted his son to go to college, so I think we have a good shot with him because of that.

[MsStateBaseball]

Al can you give us a link to that?

[AlSwearengen]

Al can you give us a link to that?

No. I can't remember where I saw it. A shot in the dark though, maybe it was an interview gene did when marrero came on a visit and before he committed. I am probably doing a little paraphrasing as well, but it caught my attention.

[ShotgunDawg]

If I had to say at this moment:

Most likely to lose to MLB is Ethan Small & Greg Pickett. Small will be a boarder line 1st round arm by the end of the Spring, due to him being a 6-3 lefty that may be sitting 91-94 & Pickett is a power bat and MLB teams normally buy those guys out of college since there are so few of them. Austin Riley would be 3rd on this list because I believe he will be tougher to sign than the other two, not because of talent. I actually believe, at this point, Riley more than likely ends up on campus.

I think Fenter & Ford will be on campus because MLB teams will value them as relievers in the draft, and that is basically the death nail for high school players. I wouldn't worry too much about losing Marrero unless he just really wants to play ball and will sign for little money.

[Todd4State]

Small is blowing up more than I thought then. That's pretty remarkable to go from a mid major recruit to a possible first round pick.

[ShotgunDawg]

Small is blowing up more than I thought then. That's pretty remarkable to go from a mid major recruit to a possible first round pick.

No doubt. He done blown up.

It could go either way at this point, but there is a real chance leaps up draft boards by June.

[Todd4State]

I could totally see it if he has a good high school season and stays healthy.

[KB21]

Seeing the talk on Elih Marerro, I saw a comment tonight that I think makes a great point. A catcher will receive 100 pitches in a game. He will swing at maybe 10 a game. Understand that a catcher's defense is much more valuable to a team.

[smootness]

Seeing the talk on Elih Marerro, I saw a comment tonight that I think makes a great point. A catcher will receive 100 pitches in a game. He will swing at maybe 10 a game. Understand that a catcher's defense is much more valuable to a team.

I think they're pretty equally valuable.

They may receive 100 pitches, but the difference between two different catchers may only be 6-8 of those pitches, due to framing, throwing runners out, etc.

In college, it is vital to have a good defensive catcher who can call games, though, and the difference between a very good one and a mediocre one is bigger than it is in pro ball.

Defensive value is huge, but a catcher with a bat is also huge.

[engie]

Defensive WAR at the catcher position is absolutely insane over the course of a season... as it becomes more and more measurable...