IMG LHP Brady Aiken left his first start of the year after 12 pitches with tightness in his arm. Aiken was throwing 92-93 before leaving the game.

San Clemente HS LHP Kolby Allard will miss 6-8 weeks with a stress reaction in his back. Allard is considered the top High School pitcher in the country.

Tommy John Surgery. So now what does he do?

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He still gets drafted in the first round and with how weak this draft is at the top it could be pretty high.

Duke RHP Mike Matuella has a torn UCL and will undergo Tommy John surgery.

The top of this draft is an absolute nightmare.

The Funk Man beat Nathan Kirby and #13 Virginia yesterday. I don't have any velos but I'm sure he threw the hell out of it. 7.2 IP 5 H 1 ER 4 BB 5 K's

Kirby 6.1 IP 9 H 6 ER 2 BB 7 K's

Serious question Keyser..are you a scout or involved in baseball ops?

I'm a scout.

Vandy RHP Carson Fullmer threw a compete game shoutout against Ole Miss and was still throwing 94 in the 9th inning. 9 IP 2 H 0 ER 0 BB 14 K's

From today's Klawchat. God I love this little man.

Jim (Urbana)

Hey Klaw. Any thoughts on Tyler Jay from Illinois? I've seen a couple times and looks sharp (but I'm not sure what to compare to). First round? MLB reliever? Closer?

Klaw (1:38 PM)

Late first round, future starter, but the Illinois coach appears to be severely confused about how to win baseball games and has his best arm buried in the bullpen. With Dillon Tate in the rotation for UCSB now, Illinois' use of Jay ranks as the single stupidest move I've seen any coach enact with a draft-eligible player this spring. It is unbelievable.

Virginia LHP Nathan Kirby and UCSB RHP Dillon Tate sustained Lat injuries over the weekend. Neither injury is considered serious and no timetable has been set but they could be sidelined for up to 3 months.

Stroudsburg HS (PA) RHP Mike Nikorak at 90-94 and touched 95 in his 5th start of the season yesterday. He struck out 10 and walked 4 in his 5 innings of work. Nikorak has been up to 97 this spring and could be in consideration for a top 10 pick.

Plant HS (FL) OF Kyle Tucker broke his brothers school record when he hit his 31st career home run. Tucker could be a top 15 pick after a very productive spring. The sweet swinging lefty has drawn comps to Teddy Ballgame (seriously Ted Freekin Williams).

Callis Mock Top 10. Oh Jim, no Jim just no.

1. D'Bags: RHP Dillon Tate- UC Santa Barbara
2. Houston: SS Brendan Rodgers- Lake Mary (Fla.) HS
3. Colorado: SS Dansby Swanson- Vanderbilt
4. Texas: RHP Kyle Funkhouser- Louisville
5. Houston: OF Daz Cameron- Eagle's Landing Christian Academy (Ga) HS
6. Minnesota: RHP Mike Nikorak- Stroudsburg (Pa.) HS
7. Boston: SS Alex Bregman- Louisiana State
8. White Sox: RHP Walker Buehler- Vanderbilt
9. Cubs: RHP Jon Harris- Missouri State (someone got a hot tip)
10. Philadelphia: SS Kevin Newman- Arizona

Allen HS (Texas) SS Kyler Murray sent a tweet saying he's opting out of the MLB Draft to play QB at Texas A&M. Very disappointing if true. Murray is easily the best athlete in the draft.

It is also very disappointing if you are a Razorback fan.

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2018
#ExtendLafleur
10 More Wins

Murray is listed at 5'11". Is Russell Wilson the only QB under 6'0"? He should stick with baseball.

I was kinda hoping Funk would slip a little to the Sox but that's apparently not going to happen.

I think he'll be there.

I am certain Brees is not 6'

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2018
#ExtendLafleur
10 More Wins

I forgot about him. Still not good odds. Stick with baseball, Kid.

BA released it's top 100 draft prospects today. Klaw released his earlier in the week but I don't have a subscription (BA's is free). Here are the players with Illinois connections:

4. Kyle Funkhouser RHP Louisville (Oak Forest HS)

16. Tyler Jay LHP Illinois (Lemont HS)

30. Alex Young LHP Texas Christian (Carmel HS)

69. Blake Hickman RHP Iowa (Simeon HS)

100. Bryan Hudson LHP Alton (Ill.) HS

http://www.baseballamerica.com/draft/to ... prospects/

Cal St Fullerton RHP Justin Garza has a torn UCL and will require Tommy John surgery. Garza was considered a 2nd-3rd round talent.

Keyser,

Do all Turf fields change anything when evaluating the fielding abilities of players?

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Interesting question. Yes field turf does change the evaluation of players because the ball gets on the fielder faster than it does on a grass/dirt field. Footwork is the most important element to infield defense so if you see a guy who has good range and ability to get his body in the proper position on turf it would positively translate to grass/dirt.

I'm not a fan of field turf but I think every northern school should have it because the weather is so shitty in March and April. Too many games get banged on playable days because the field is in such shitty condition from all the snow and rain.

BA released their latest mock draft on Friday. It looks like they just pulled names out of a hat which probably isn't a bad strategy for this draft.

1. D'Bags: Carson Fulmer, RHP, Vanderbilt
2. Houston: Dansby Swanson, SS, Vanderbilt
3. Colorado: Brendan Rodgers, SS, Lake Mary (Fla.) HS
4. Texas: Dillon Tate, RHP, UC Santa Barbara
5. Houston: Kyle Tucker, OF, Plant (Fla.) HS
6. Minnesota: Daz Cameron, OF, Eagle’s Landing Christian Academy (Ga.) HS
7. Boston: Alex Bregman, SS, LSU
8. White Sox: Tyler Jay, LHP, Illinois
9. Cubs: Andrew Benintendi, OF, Arkansas
10. Phillies: Walker Buehler, RHP, Vanderbilt
15: Brewers: Kyle Funkhouser, RHP, Louisville
23: Cardinals: Kevin Newman, ss, Arizona


http://www.baseballamerica.com/draft/ml ... rsion-2-0/

who would be the guy in this draft who could realistically fall to the Sox who we should be thrilled if he did

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

Alex Bregman. He's going to be a 2B at the major league level and he's gonna hit. He's gonna hit a ton. Walker Buehler would be a good get too. Guy's got nasty stuff.

On the flip side here are two guys they should stay away from. Carson Fulmer. The stuff is devastating but he has an undersized frame and max max delivery that screams future reliever. I wouldn't touch him with a top 10 pick. Daz Cameron. I just didn't see it. He has some tools but he looks really coached up. He's just too polished for a High School kid. I question how much is still in there.

How do we like Jon Harris going to the Cubs at #9?

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

He is currently #25 on the BA list... so that would be a reach for the Cubs. If you believe what they are saying he wouldn't be the best player available....Buehler, Jay, Funkhouser and Nikorak are all college arms that BA has higher.

they have Andrew Benintendi from Arkansas #9.

MLB Pipeline tlaked about him being a fit for the Cubs as well.

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