I'm by no means a major league scout but I thought I would share some observations/opinions after seeing the Bats in person last night. Granted, this is all based on a very small sample size.
1. Richar has a very strong arm but looks to be more of a utility type guy and nothing more. I was less than impressed with his batting approach...it just seemed lazy.
2. Cumberland is another guy that looks nothing more than a bench type player. While he doesn't wow you in any aspect of his game, he's appears to be a very servicable type player. He's smooth in the field and at the plate. Think of him as a Ryan Freel type guy but with more talent. Again, he's going to be a 4th outfielder at best.
3. Stubbs is obviously the reason why I wanted to go to the game and he didn't disappoint. For all of you Stubbs haters or non-believers who have see him play in person recently, I would love to hear your thoughts as well. While his swing is still a little long (can't get around as well on a good fastball) this guy has the look and talent of a major leaguer. He obviously needs to put everything together to make it work and going from AAA to MLB is a big difference but this kid is extremely talented. He covers a crap load of ground in the outfield, has good wheels on the bases, great eye at the plate (called 3rd strike was low but the ump was calling that all night) and when he connects with a ball, it makes that special sound. This guy is more of a line drive hitter. He will never hit more than 20 HRs but you can chalk him up for 15-20 each year. This kid is good...believe it.
4. Fisher came in relief and I honestly forgot he was with Louisville. I was pumped to see him come in and witness his stuff in person. He has command over three pitches...fastball, some type of breaking pitch and I'm pretty sure the third was a change-up. He throws all of them for strikes. He's a smooth pitcher...nothing jerky about him and he always pitches from the stretch. I'm not sure what the gun is like at Clipper stadium but if I had to guess it was pretty close to being accurate. He consistently hit 92 and reached 93 and 94 a few times. I'm not sure why they ever took him out of the rotation but regardless, he's a major league caliber relief pitcher. This guy will contribute in the very near future. I was very impressed with his approach on the mound when the bases were loaded with one out.
On a side note, we sat next to a gentleman that had been covering the Bats for a Louisville paper for almost 40 years. He had to have been in his 80s but what a joy to hear him tell stories.
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