Hamilton is 6'1", 160 on MLB.com's Draft Tracker. Guess he ate his Wheaties in the past 15 minutes or so.
He still can play both minor league baseball and football. The Reds allowed Andrew Means to do that at IU and IIRC one of the reasons the Reds were able to draft and sign Adam Dunn in the second round is that they understood his football situation.
A couple of scouting reports now that MLB.Com has finally recovered.
Biographical Data
Player Name: Brad Boxberger
Position: Starting Pitcher
School: University of Southern California
School Type: College
Academic Class: Junior
Birthdate: 5/27/88
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 200 lbs.
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
Report Date(s): 3/13/09
Game(s): Winthrop
Focus Area Comments
Fastball: Boxberger threw his fastball up to 95 mph and maintained the velocity deep into his start.
Fastball movement: Had good movement throughout the start.
Slider: Threw a good hard slider.
Curve: Can also throw a good curve ball.
Changeup: Changeup grades out as average.
Control: His command is in and out, one week good, one week not as consistent. Overall, it's improved.
Poise: Has good mound presence.
Physical Description: Boxberger isn't anything flashy. He has a solid pitcher's body.
Medical Update: Healthy.
Strengths: He can throw several pitches for strikes and knows how to pitch. He seems to be improving from past performances.
Weaknesses: Command and stamina. The question is is if he can maintain his velocity -- some had seen him as a reliever in the past as a result -- though he's been doing it so far this season.
Summary: Boxberger definitely improved his Draft status with his first several starts. While many had seen him as a reliever in the future, he's emerged as a legitimate starting prospect with his performance. The key has been his ability to maintain his velocity deep into his starts, something he hadn't done in the past. And while his command is still a little inconsistent, it's better than it has been. Combine that with a full repertoire of pitches and if Boxberger keeps it up, he'll seriously enter the first-round conversation.Biographical Data
Player Name: Billy Hamilton
Position: Shortstop
School: Taylorsville (Miss.)
School Type: High School
Academic Class: Senior
Birthdate: 9/9/90
Height: 6'0"
Weight: 150 lbs.
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
Report Date(s): 4/13/09
Game(s): Sumrall HS
Focus Area Comments
Hitting ability: Hamilton has bat speed and strength, but has a very crude approach. There are holes in his swing that will need to be closed as he has trouble with pitches away and off-speed stuff.
Power: It's raw, maybe future average. For a shortstop, it's pretty good. He doesn't show much power now because of the mechanical flaws in his swing.
Running speed: He's above average, a real easy runner who makes it look effortless.
Base running: Hard to judge, but moves up bases when he gets the chance. He'll likely have to learn to read pitches to become a basestealing threat in the future.
Arm strength: It's above average, though he doesn't show it much.
Fielding: There are some who feel he's destined for the outfield, others who think he might be able to stay at short, even though he doesn't always seem natural there.
Range: His athleticism makes it pretty good. He's a better fielder on the move.
Physical Description: Hamilton is a very athletic middle infielder; a three-sport standout who resembles a young Tony Fernandez.
Medical Update: Healthy.
Strengths: Athleticism off the charts. All the potential tools are there, if a bit raw.
Weaknesses: Crude offensive approach makes some worry about his ability to hit at the next level. Hasn't been exposed to too much top-flight opposition.
Summary: Hamilton is the quintessential high-risk, high-reward athlete at this level who is sure to interest many in June. A three-sport star in Mississippi, he's got all sorts of tools, though his hitting approach is a bit crude and he's got some holes in his swing. But the bat speed, strength and running speed would make any scout at least intrigued, especially if you think he can stay at shortstop. Someone will take a chance on that -- and that they can sign him away from his football commitment to Mississippi State on Draft day.
"You can't let praise or criticism get to you. It's a weakness to get caught up in either one."
--Woody Hayes
They'll spend - but they want to spend the money through the draft, I imagine they'll try to pull a Sulbaran type deal or two later in the draft. Then the international. I see it more as Buckley looking for safer better bets to develop into something that helps the big league club, accepting less upside, and then jumping on a raw big risk HS bat/athlete. If Leake and Boxberger can become a solid 3-4 in the rotation in three years or so Buckley got what he wanted. I think I like this years 1-2-3 picks almost as well as last year's with the Tyler Cline clunker in there with Stewart and Yonder.
What number is our third round pick?
Domo Arigato, Here Comes Joey Votto
---TRF
"I do what I want to do and say what I want to say."
--Bronson Arroyo
I'd love to see them pick up one of the catchers that have fallen.
Is Hamilton a reach? That scouting report did not sound promising at all even though the athletic word was thrown around a lot.
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