Post by chinmusic on Aug 27, 2019 18:16:27 GMT -8
During the national championship run in 2018, Oregon State was capable of presenting a dangerous base stealing capability from the top of the order. Steven Kwan, Nick Madrigal and to a lesser degree, Caydn Grenier were accomplished in the art of theft and were all plus base runners, adept at looking for and taking the extra base. We didn't have that threat in 2019 and it affected the potency of the offense. The Beavers have some decent overall team speed with Harvey, Dukart, Mendazona, Jones, Casey and Mcmahan but none of them resembled the 2018 trio. In addition, they weren't on base nearly as often and Coach Bailey did not choose to run often when they were on base.
Two things hurt us in the speed area. We lost Jayce Easley when he was drafted in the 5th round in 2018 and signed with the Texas Rangers for $550k. Easley was lightening quick and pilfered over 80 bases in his final two years at Sandra Day O'Conner HS in Phoenix. Darious Foster, a 2017 recruit from Norcross, GA. via Oakland left the OSU program during his freshman year and transferred to USF. An outfielder with a long stride and a history of stealing bases, he would have helped.
The good news is, we have several new faces that we should keep an eye on with the start of fall ball. They can get us back into the base stealing mode in 2020. First, Justin Boyd, the SS from Legends HS in Parker, CO. Justin can fly and knows how to leverage his speed on the bases. He recorded a 6.54 in the 60 prior to his Junior year. He has a + grade for speed with the MLB scouts. Second, Micah McDowell, the outfielder from Calgary, Alberta might be pne of the fastest and most dangerous baserunner in Canada. Another + grade kid with MLB. McDowell has eye catching speed and with a great jump, frequently steals 3 or 4 bases a game, He attends the Foothills Composite school and plays for the Okotoks Dawgs Baseball Academy. A teammate of Cesar Valero and Alejandro Cazorla, a 2020 OSU commit.
Finally, let's watch our home boy, Jacob Melton. An outfielder with good wheels that brings us strong base stealing credentials. He was 16/19 at Linn-Benton CC last year and led the state of Oregon in stolen bases in 2017 and 2018 (Oregonian stats) playing for South Medford HS. He can really run and has swiped 71 bases with a high % strike rate in his last 3 years of compitition.
Two things hurt us in the speed area. We lost Jayce Easley when he was drafted in the 5th round in 2018 and signed with the Texas Rangers for $550k. Easley was lightening quick and pilfered over 80 bases in his final two years at Sandra Day O'Conner HS in Phoenix. Darious Foster, a 2017 recruit from Norcross, GA. via Oakland left the OSU program during his freshman year and transferred to USF. An outfielder with a long stride and a history of stealing bases, he would have helped.
The good news is, we have several new faces that we should keep an eye on with the start of fall ball. They can get us back into the base stealing mode in 2020. First, Justin Boyd, the SS from Legends HS in Parker, CO. Justin can fly and knows how to leverage his speed on the bases. He recorded a 6.54 in the 60 prior to his Junior year. He has a + grade for speed with the MLB scouts. Second, Micah McDowell, the outfielder from Calgary, Alberta might be pne of the fastest and most dangerous baserunner in Canada. Another + grade kid with MLB. McDowell has eye catching speed and with a great jump, frequently steals 3 or 4 bases a game, He attends the Foothills Composite school and plays for the Okotoks Dawgs Baseball Academy. A teammate of Cesar Valero and Alejandro Cazorla, a 2020 OSU commit.
Finally, let's watch our home boy, Jacob Melton. An outfielder with good wheels that brings us strong base stealing credentials. He was 16/19 at Linn-Benton CC last year and led the state of Oregon in stolen bases in 2017 and 2018 (Oregonian stats) playing for South Medford HS. He can really run and has swiped 71 bases with a high % strike rate in his last 3 years of compitition.