Taijuan Walker, RHP Yucaipa High School

Generally there is very little High School baseball on Saturdays, unless it's tournament season around Easter. Yesterday, there were three games at Arrowhead Credit Union Stadium (home of the Inland Empire 66'ers). The highlight of the three games was getting to see Taijuan Walker of Yucaipa High School pitch again.

Walker spun a no hitter just two weeks ago, but had his roughest outing of the 2010 season last week as he didn't make it out of the second inning. Yesterday's start was a big one for the right hander, as we see how he would bounce back from such a disastrous start the previous week. If yesterday was to be considered a test, it is safe to say he passed with flying colors.

In previous starts, Taijuan worked primarily with a fastball/slider combo, with the fastball around 90-92, and touching as high as 96. His slider had ranged anywhere from 80-85 with late break. Yesterday, however, Walker was using his spike curveball much more than in other starts, with nearly twenty percent of his pitches being the slower curveball. Yesterday the curve was a true knee buckler, with big downward break. The curve ranged from 71 to 78, and it looked like Walker's delivery slows down a bit when he throws the curve, something to work on down the road. Aside from one slider that was thrown in the first inning, Walker used just the fastball and curve for the first four innings. After the fourth inning, Walker implemented the slide piece much more, and it was coming in at 80-85.

Walker was perfect for the first five innings, with few balls being hit very hard. In the top of the sixth inning, Walker legged out a high chopper to the pitcher that was ruled an error. After hustling from first to third on a base knock, Walker then scored on a ground ball. I only mention this because the coach pinch ran for another runner in the inning, but did not pinch run to rest his pitcher who was throwing a perfect game (keep in mind that players can re-enter in high school ball).

After taking the mound in the sixth inning, after running the bases (plus it was a hot 85 degrees), Walker looked more fatigued and not as sharp to start the sixth inning. In the sixth, Walker gave up a weak single to right field, made an error on a pickoff throw to first base, walked a hitter, gave up an infield single and had a wild pitch. The sixth wasn't a good inning at all for Walker, but he was able to gather himself, and he did unleash his best slider of the day for a punchout to end the inning.

Walker had a perfect frame in the seventh, and ended the game with a 91 mph fastball. Most of the fastballs in the sixth were 87-89. On the day, Walker struck out twelve and walked just one. It was nice to see him mixing all three pitches in the middle innings, and throwing them all for strikes. Offensively, Walker had another opposite field home run, and a double in four at bats, the kid is truly a special athlete. After the game, Walker was named the player of the game.

Rob Rasmussen, LHP, UCLA

Today I'm gonna take a look at left handed starting pitcher of the UCLA Bruins, Rob Rasmussen. Rasmussen is listed at just 5'11", 170 pounds, and his size is going to be an obstacle as he will probably get grouped in with all of the small lefties that have failed to make it to the big leagues. Don't get me wrong, Rasmussen isn't a "crafty" lefthander by any means, but the smaller pitchers generally have to prove themselves at every level of the minors before they get their crack in the bigs.

I've seen Rasmussen on two occasions this year, early in the season against USC, and again this past Sunday against a more formidable Arizona State team. The outcomes of these games pretty well tell you what the key is for Rasmussen, and that is fastball command. Against USC, he wasn't hit very hard, but he was missing the zone, which led to four walks in 4 2/3 IP. He was able pitch around these walks and struck out six while allowing just one run.

On Sunday we were able to see what happens when he is in the zone, but misses his spots. ASU was able to pounce on several fastballs up in the zone which led to an early exit by Rasmussen. ASU knocked three homeruns off of the lefty, and had quite a few other loud outs. Rasmussen's line from Sunday ended after 4IP, and included an ugly 7 hits, 7 runs, 1 BB, and 6 strikeouts.

Not many doubt Rasmussen's stuff, which features a fastball with good movement at 88- 91,92, a plus curveball that ranges from 75-80, a change at 80-83, and a slider around 80-83. He was primarily working with the fastball/curve/slider when I was behind the plate, and I didn't get much of a read on the change. He did double up on the slider one time to record a strikeout, with the knockout pitch coming in on the right handed batter, and at his back foot. The varying speeds on the curveball help it play up even more. You don't get a feeling that Rasmussen is a small guy when he pitches. He pitches big, generally attacking hitters with his arsenal and working fast.

Rasmussen helps himself on the mound as well. He employs different pickoff moves while holding runners on and is quick to the plate. A solid athlete, Rasmussen also fields his position well.

Rasmussen's stats for this season are : 11 GS, 57 2/3 IP, 52 H, 23 ER, 22 BB, 78 K's

With lefties always being in demand, Rasmussen is sure to draw some attention on draft day. Some mock drafts have him as high as the first round or first supplemental, and others much lower. He probably has the stuff to merit a round one selection, but I think his size will be a big deterrent for many teams. With that in mind, I think he will probably be selected in the second or third round. Once he does sign though he should be a guy that rises to the majors quickly.

Daniel Robertson, 3b, Upland High School

This season, I have seen quite a few of the Upland High baseball games. I went to Upland (a long time ago) and still live in the area . I have been out to see Scotty Frazier pitch quite a few times, and any fan can quickly see that the team has a lot of talent outside of Frazier. Upland's shortstop, Ryan Goodman, will be playing for Cal Poly next year, CF Frankie Christian, will probably get drafted or go to college, and Daniel Roberston is sure to have a bright future down the road as well. I've been to quite a few high school games this season, and I feel Robertson's game could be up there with some of the elite offensive talent that will be taken at the top of the 2010 draft. . .and he's currently just a sophomore.

Robertson has pretty much all the tools, except for plus speed. He doesn't have bad speed, pretty much average speed down the line. Defensively, he has above average range at third, and he should improve with more work and game experience and his arm is very strong and accurate. When he is unable to range to make a play, he is leaves his feet well and make a diving stop, and he's able to use his arm strength to make the play. Robertson is also very good at coming in on a chopped ball and throwing on the run.

At the plate, Robertson is very quiet and he has good balance. He starts from a very wide base, and he doesn't really employ a stride, rather he just turns his lead foot in as he loads and then unleashes his swing. He gets good leverage with his legs, which should lead to even more power as he continues to grow. What is most impressive about Robertson's swing is that he uses the entire field, and he projects to hit to all fields for power as he matures. I have seen at least four of his doubles to the right center field gap, and one to the right field line. Daniel is listed at 6 foot 180 pounds, and he has the frame that suggest he could add another inch or two and at least 15 pounds of muscle before his draft year of 2012. This is why I see big power in the upcoming years. He has 11 doubles this season, and many of them have been to the wall or off the wall and one can easily assume some of these will be landing on the other side of the fence down the road.

The only slight knock on Robertson's offensive package is that I have seen him give away three or four at bats early in the count when he has swung at pitchers pitches, primarily on the first pitch of the sequence. Generally Robertson has a patient approach, and he has walked more than he has struck out this year(13BB/9K), but I have seen him swing at first pitch curveballs out of the zone, early in the count, which have resulted in relatively weak outs. BUT. . .this is just nitpicking.

So far this season, the Upland Sophomore is hitting 481, with an on base of 541 and an astounding 808 slugging percentage. Thirteen of Robertson's hits have been for extra bases (11 2b, and 2 HR), and he is currently leading his team with 30 runs batted in. Not bad for a sophomore. . . The sky is the limit for this kid, and I look forward to seeing how he progresses the next few years.

Michael Lorenzen, Fullerton Union High School

Last month I headed out to Fullerton to see the dynamic duo of Michael Lorenzen and Dominic Ficociello. I only got to see half of the duo, as Fico was suspended for coming out of the dugout to congratulate a fellow teammate. My glimpse of Lorenzen left me wanting and needing more. He had a solid game, with a couple of hits, one being a bullet home run to left field, but his swing looked definitely pull oriented, which doesn't always translate best once a hitter starts swinging wood.

Anyway, it was a slow Monday, with few games scheduled, so I wanted to check back in on the two Fullerton boys and perhaps see them in the cage or some BP. I guess my luck regarding Fico isn't good, because he wasn't suited up for today's practice, apparently injured. Bad luck part two was when I saw that the Fullerton varsity squad was playing against the JV team.

Like last month, Lorenzen was playing SS (he started at SS, then shifted to his normal home in CF). After seeing him field ground balls at short today, I think he could slide over to third and make a home there down the line, but he is currently a plus defender in the outfield, so a permanent transition to the infield probably isn't in his future.

To me, Lorenzen is like a Jeff Francouer type, when everyone thought he was going to be a stud.
He is listed at 6'3" and 185 pounds, but he seems a little bigger than that. He's a strong kid, and you can easily see him putting on a good 20 pounds of muscle the next few years. His body resemble that of a young Francouer, thin and strong, but not bulky. Lorenzen brings the whole shed of tools as he can hit, hit for power, run, field and throw. The tools have transitioned to the high school field, as Lorenzen is currently hitting .423, .512, .803. Michael has also swiped 8 bags on 9 attempts and has a BB/K ratio of 11/4. Only seeing him in person on one occasion in an actual game, I can't tell if the walks are a byproduct of him simply being pitched around or if he truly has a firm grasp of the strike zone.

I am glad I was able to see him again at practice today, as he helped to answer a few of the questions that I had about him, and he displayed all of the tools that he possesses. My main concern was whether or not he is just a pure pull hitter, and I saw some evidence today that he is more than just that. In his first at bat (he was using wood) and hit a high chopper for an infield single, he used his plus speed to easily beat the throw at first base. His second at bat he laced a line drive to right field that was caught, but he hit the ball hard, and this was the first time I'd seen him drive the ball the other way. Then came the third at bat, and this is what excites anyone who watches this kid play. He took a pitch on the outer half of the plate and just above knees (pretty much a pitcher's pitch, especially in High School), and laced a line drive that two hopped the right center field wall. Using his plus speed, Lorenzen cruised in for a triple. If I had a better camera, I would have recorded him running the bases, the kid has a great stride. It was nice to see him use the other side of the field, it was almost like he was putting on a show for me. The only thing he didn't do that I would have liked to see, was that he never really worked the count, I believe he only saw five or six pitches in the three at bats. Then again, it was practice.

Some of the other highlights from the scrimmage regarding Lorenzen were a steal of third base, and an even more impressive feat when he scored from second base on a wild pitch. He got a great read on the pitch and there wasn't even a play at the plate, as he beat the pitcher covering the dish.

Another impressive characteristic of Lorenzen is that he comes across as a good kid and a good teammate. Throughout the game last month, and again today, he was often helping teammates with instruction, advice and encouragement. Even after the practice today, he was talking about hitting with a teammate and using a broom as his bat. Overall, I left today's practice very impressed, hopefully next time I'll get to see the other half of this dynamic duo. . .

Will Smith, Minor League Pitcher, RC Quakes

I got a chance to see Will Smith pitch recently and was pretty impressed with what he brings to the mound. He's not a very hyped up prospect, by any means, but he is a guy that could be pitching at the back of the Angels, or another teams rotation for a long time. Baseball America ranked him as just the 15th best Angel prospect entering the season, primarily because he doesn't have front end stuff, but he does mix in three pitches, and he commands them well within the strike zone.

The outing I saw was his first start of the season, against a pretty formidable Inland Empire lineup. The most impressive thing to me was how quick he works, he would make Mark Buerhle proud. He operates with a simple rock and fire delivery which he repeats well. His fastball ranged from 88-91, and it looked like he used a four seamer a few times that touched as high as 93. He used the four seam up in the zone, and a two seamer that has nice run to it and he was able to get some good sink at times as well. The ability to mix up the look on the fastball is a definite asset, and he had great success on this night, taking a no hitter into the fifth innning. He did run into some trouble, and he finished with a line of 6 IP, 3H, 2BB, 6K's and he allowed 3 earned runs. He did allow a home run to Preston Mattingly, which was a "Cal Leaguer" and probably wouldn't have been a home run in several other parks.

Smith mixes his pitches very well, he commands a solid change around 80 MPH that has good sink and fade away from a right handed hitter. His curveball wouldn't be considered a plus pitch, it has average break, but he varied the speed between 75-80 and commanded the pitch well. He doubled up with the curveball on at least one occasion too, and the change in velocities particularly plays up when he did this.

Smith is the kind of pitcher that the whole package is better than the individual parts, which is why I could see him at the back of a rotation in the bigs down the road. He doesn't have the huge fastball, or wipeout slider, but he uses his full arsenal to his advantage, changes speeds and commands the zone. He knows his stuff, he trusts his stuff, and he can command his stuff, and that will often lead to a pitcher's success.

Being sick isn't fun

I'm hoping to get something posted tomorrow, I've been sick for about a week and my daughter is getting over strep throat (good times). I did get out to a game yesterday, and saw Yucaipa's Taijuan Walker pitch again, and he threw a no hitter. I believe that was the second no hitter I've seen, the other was also this year, by Scotty Frazier. It's a little weird, I didn't even realize Walker threw a no no until I read the paper this morning and checked Maxpreps to check his pitching line (3 walks, 9 k's).

Walker looked much better yesterday than when he pitched against Redlands East Valley a few weeks back. He was working at a much quicker pace and was mixin his offspeed much better. He missed up in the zone a lot again, but he was able to overpower most of the Eisenhower hitters. Yesterday he was working at 90-92 and touched 93 with his slider and change coming in around 80-83. I look forward to seeing more of him in the near future. . .

Zack Weiss, RHP, Northwood High (Irvine, CA)

Listed at 6'2", 195 pounds, Zack Weiss uses his strong legs to generate a fastball that topped out at 94 (two times) today. Most of his fastballs came in at 89-91 with good armside movement when he keeps the pitch down in the zone. Weiss maintained his velocity late into the game, hitting 92 and 94 in the seventh inning.

Some of the scouts at today's game were debating if Weiss was throwing a slider, so I looked at some of the video from the bullpen and it was in deed a slider that he was mixing in. From behind the plate, the slider looks a lot like the curve, but it comes in at 79-82, where the curve was coming in at 74-78. I thought either he was varying the velo on the curve or not getting on top of the curve which was giving it more velo with less break, but it is in fact a slider. If you look at the clip below, you can see that he strides slightly towards the right hand batters box. This allows him to generate a lot of torque which enables him to snap off a big curveball and also adds to his deception as the ball is harder to pick up out of his hand. Weiss' change-up lags behind his other offerings quite a bit. The pitch had inconsistent movement and very shabby command. When warming up between innings, he flashed a change that had good sink and arm side fade, but I didn't see this pitch at all during the game. He struggled with his release point on the change, bouncing the pitch a few times, and leaving the pitch up in the zone on several other occasions.

Aside from the issues with his change-up, Weiss was able to command his fastball and curveball quite well. From the third base side, you can see he sometimes lands harder and on his heal and this was usually when he would miss up in the zone. A few times he missed up in the zone with the fastball and that was the only time El Toro really hit the ball hard. Today he only gave up one run (they won 2-1), and that run shouldn't have scored, as the CF airmailed the cutoff man and the runner was able to come around and score.

The main thing for me regarding Weiss is can he take the next step. His body is pretty thick right now, and he isn't overly athletic. He does have large feet, I could see him growing another inch or two as he gets into his late teens, which would definitely help his cause. I just don't see a ton of projectability with him though, primarily because he seems to lack some athleticism. But time will tell. . . .