|
|
KMATZ
Jun 13, 2021 20:36:01 GMT -8
niner likes this
Post by chinmusic on Jun 13, 2021 20:36:01 GMT -8
Class of 2021 RHP Jacob Kmatz, from Albuquerque's Sandia High School is putting the final wraps on his Senior season. At 6'3" with a big frame, and a polished breaking ball and a lively low 90-93 mph fastball, Kmatz has been dominating hitters since his sophomore year at Sandia. Another hard throwing power arm joining the Beaver program this fall. Jacob has led his Sandia Team to a tie for the District 5A-2 title this year (6-2) with La Cueva HS, and has helped them reach 14-2 overall with 4 games left to play to win the New Mexico 5A championship.
Sandia defeated Farmington-Piedra Vista 12-2 in the District tournament and will now face Albuquerque-West Mesa in the District final. The winner will play a 3-game series for the state title beginning June 22nd. Sandia's two losses were 9-8 and 8-7 to Albuquerque-La Cueva HS in District play.
Statistically, Kmatz has been impressive. His W-L was 8-0 with a 0.95 ERA and a WHIP of 0.81. He logged 44 1/3 IP, allowed 13 R (only 6 were earned), 26 H, and held opposing hitters to a .162 BA. His command was excellent, he struck out 72 (1.63/ IP) and walked 10 with 0 hit batsmen. His BB:K Ratio was a remarkable 1:7.2. He throws strikes and doesn't hit anybody. (Bells ringing?)
When not on the hill, Jacob played CF. Through 16 games he is 16-47 with 8 doubles and 3 triples. He has drawn 13 BB, been hit 5 times (It's a NM thing - throw at the opposing pitcher) and has 5 K's. He has stolen 2 bases.
Now to the nitty-gritty. His slash line is .340/ .523/ .404
Sidenote: Zach Kmatz is a very talented 5-11, 155 pound freshman P/SS on the Sandia varsity. You might call that a legacy.
|
|
|
|
KMATZ
Jun 14, 2021 15:57:15 GMT -8
Post by ricke71 on Jun 14, 2021 15:57:15 GMT -8
bvmsports.com/2021/03/12/sandia-star-pitcher-jacob-kmatz-eyes-major-league-future/"...Kmatz is considered to be the best high school player in New Mexico and he has a Division I baseball career ahead of him with Oregon State. That is, if he doesn’t end up signing with a Major League Baseball team first." “To make it real I’ve got to keep putting in the work and have a really good senior season and prove that I’m able to compete at that level whenever the time comes,” Kmatz said. “If things don’t fall into place (with the draft this summer), I’m super happy to be going to the school that I am for college.” Appears to me that he hopes he has a good 2021 MLB draft. Some prospects love the idea of College (3 years of development / advancement toward degree / not so many bus rides / diverse environment)..... .......others covet baseball. Kmatz sounds to me like the latter.
|
|
|
|
KMATZ
Jun 15, 2021 12:46:50 GMT -8
niner likes this
Post by chinmusic on Jun 15, 2021 12:46:50 GMT -8
Education is expensive now days and I think kids are making smart decisions regarding pro v college. Most set a $$$ figure on the value of a scholarship and a degree. In most cases, the pro contract offer is weighed against the college number as a basis for making the decision. Other factors certainly play into the decision making process but $$$ is the major consideration.
As I recall, the recent signings of Beaver commits (last 7 years), with the exception of Mick Abel, have all been in the $450k to 550k range. I believe Trace Loehr, Justin Harrer, Ian Oxvenad, Kevin Watson, and Jayce Easley fell in that range, and during that same period, 9 OSU players were drafted but opted to play college ball. Every prospect has a line, Grenier and Madrigal both set their line at $1m in bonus money. Above that line, they would sign, below that line, they would play at Oregon State. Madrigal went in the 17th round, Grenier in the 21st round.
Prepare for more draft concerns over the 2022 through 2025 classes. There are some real Stallions in those classes.
|
|
|
|
KMATZ
Jun 15, 2021 20:06:20 GMT -8
Post by Henry Skrimshander on Jun 15, 2021 20:06:20 GMT -8
Kevin Watson signed in 2017. His first season at OSU would have been 2018. He was released in March 2020, when he would have been starting his junior year - a year that would not have counted against his eligibility. So he was out of pro baseball when he would have had two years of college eligibility remaining.
Jayce Easley signed in 2018, so 2019 would have been his freshman season. He played rookie ball in 2018, only four games of short-A in 2019, and not at all in 2020 because of Covid. He would have completed his Covid sophomore year at OSU in 2021. He now hitting .195 in low A and essentially has not advanced since signing.
Remember Brian Stamps? Very electric player, JC transfer. Played one year, signed in June, and was released before what would have been his senior year even started.
Unless you get life-changing money, go to college. Unless you get life-changing money, stay there.
|
|
|
|
Post by hawksea on Jun 15, 2021 20:30:31 GMT -8
Kevin Watson signed in 2017. His first season at OSU would have been 2018. He was released in March 2020, when he would have been starting his junior year - a year that would not have counted against his eligibility. So he was out of pro baseball when he would have had two years of college eligibility remaining. Jayce Easley signed in 2018, so 2019 would have been his freshman season. He played rookie ball in 2018, only four games of short-A in 2019, and not at all in 2020 because of Covid. He would have completed his Covid sophomore year at OSU in 2021. He now hitting .195 in low A and essentially has not advanced since signing. Remember Brian Stamps? Very electric player, JC transfer. Played one year, signed in June, and was released before what would have been his senior year even started. Unless you get life-changing money, go to college. Unless you get life-changing money, stay there. Kevin Watson was picked up by the Angels, Jayce Easley has a ton of walks, and really isn't doing terrible for missing basically 2 seasons of baseball (injured 2019, 2020 was Covid), and Jayce at least got decent money as a 5th round pick. I personally agree with you that going to college is typically the better decision, but there are other factors like grades, and being able to afford college. If you get a couple hundred thousand to make an attempt, it can be better to go for that than to have to go into debt for school if school isn't your thing. For staying there unless you get life-changing money, Donahue made it to AAA his second year, Malone has made it to AAA in his first full year (after missing a year due to Covid), and Alex McGarry is moving fairly quickly also. There are times where it's smart to leave after your Junior year even for a small amount of money, especially if you can get the drafting team to pay for you to finish your degree when you retire. |
|
|
|
Post by chinmusic on Jun 15, 2021 21:24:18 GMT -8
The ideal situation is to attend college for 3 years, get within striking distance of completing your degree, sign for big bucks, advance as far as you can for as long as is reasonable, come back and finish your degree and get on with life.
Education first unless you are the next Mick Abel.
I'm sure Mick has a plan to get his education underway in spite of signing out of Jesuit.
|
|
|
|
KMATZ
Jun 16, 2021 13:27:48 GMT -8
Post by Henry Skrimshander on Jun 16, 2021 13:27:48 GMT -8
Watson was drafted by Arizona.
Easley is an outlier, got decent money and his family has no financial challenges due to his pop's long career. I think had he come to OSU, he'd have started his pro career at the same level he's at now, with three years of college in the books. His choice, of course.
Signing after three years does make sense for some.
Donahue was facing suspension for at least part of his senior season for flunking a drug test during the NCAA tournament. He did not go to Omaha in 2017, so signing made sense. He currently hitting under .200 at AA; he hit under .200 at AA in 2019 as well. At 26, the end is in sight. Hopefully he comes back to finish his degree.
Malone is making triple-A money but has barely played. Supposedly they are turning him into a catcher and he essentially serves as El Paso's bullpen catcher, learning on the job. Yes, it made sense for him to go, and in retrospect it worked out because 2020 was a lost season.
McGarry redshirted in 2018 and had already been in college for four years. No reason for him to stay and there's a good chance he already had his degree, he was all-district all-academic.
I should have been more concise. Go to college unless you hate school, or get life-changing money. I still think unless you are drafted in the top 15 rounds, your chances of ever advancing past high-A or AA are very slim (yes, I know there are exceptions). In the long run, it makes more sense to stay for the fourth year and get your degree, even if you do lose some bargaining power. Late draft choices don't get much of a bonus anyway.
Obviously other's mileage may vary.
|
|
|
|
KMATZ
Jun 29, 2021 6:33:03 GMT -8
Post by ricke71 on Jun 29, 2021 6:33:03 GMT -8
Class of 2021 RHP Jacob Kmatz, from Albuquerque's Sandia High School is putting the final wraps on his Senior season. At 6'3" with a big frame, and a polished breaking ball and a lively low 90-93 mph fastball, Kmatz has been dominating hitters since his sophomore year at Sandia. Another hard throwing power arm joining the Beaver program this fall. Jacob has led his Sandia Team to a tie for the District 5A-2 title this year (6-2) with La Cueva HS, and has helped them reach 14-2 overall with 4 games left to play to win the New Mexico 5A championship. . Interesting update: 6/28 - Jacob Kmatz signs with Bend Elks WCL summer team. |
|
|
|
KMATZ
Jun 29, 2021 11:03:29 GMT -8
Post by chinmusic on Jun 29, 2021 11:03:29 GMT -8
A view from the cheap seats: It isn't enough to be a good prep pitcher and play professionally. Dominating high school teams with one or two decent hitters is a world apart from say, advanced "A" ball where you will face a lineup 1 through 9 that can hit and is graced with plate discipline and power. If you are talented enough to sign out of high school in today's game, you need velo and electric stuff. You also need to locate with some degree of precision.
Mick Abel is a good example of that. He touched 97 with good movement, had maybe the best prep slider in the country, a nasty curve ball and a + change. He also threw a high % of strikes. Mick had the tools to face 9 competent hitters every time out. For fun, look at some of the prep pitching phenoms that sign out of high school - you will see many 4.5 to 5.9 ERAs in their first few years of pro ball.
Kmatz is really good and ready to face a D-1 lineup with some refinement.
|
|
|
|
KMATZ
Jul 6, 2021 16:49:11 GMT -8
Post by abureid on Jul 6, 2021 16:49:11 GMT -8
Met his dad at an Elks game. Apparently the young man is excited to be a Beaver. Been to Corvallis, met his roommate (forgot who it was) and was joining the Elks for the summer
|
|
|
|
KMATZ
Jul 7, 2021 18:33:40 GMT -8
irimi likes this
Post by chinmusic on Jul 7, 2021 18:33:40 GMT -8
Lotsa good ballplayers out there that want to be a Beaver.
Go Beavs !
|
|
|
|
KMATZ
Jul 8, 2021 6:32:28 GMT -8
Post by ricke71 on Jul 8, 2021 6:32:28 GMT -8
A view from the cheap seats: It isn't enough to be a good prep pitcher and play professionally. Dominating high school teams with one or two decent hitters is a world apart from say, advanced "A" ball where you will face a lineup 1 through 9 that can hit and is graced with plate discipline and power. If you are talented enough to sign out of high school in today's game, you need velo and electric stuff. You also need to locate with some degree of precision. Mick Abel is a good example of that. He touched 97 with good movement, had maybe the best prep slider in the country, a nasty curve ball and a + change. He also threw a high % of strikes. Mick had the tools to face 9 competent hitters every time out. For fun, look at some of the prep pitching phenoms that sign out of high school - you will see many 4.5 to 5.9 ERAs in their first few years of pro ball. Kmatz is really good and ready to face a D-1 lineup with some refinement. Jacob Kmatz had his first post-high school experience last night, starting against (far and away) the best hitting team in the WCL - Ridgefield. Did very well for 1st three innings, facing just 11 batters...0 runs. 4th inning things came undone....5 hits, etc. Relieved with 2 outs, having given up 3 ER. He faced Beaver batters on 4 occasions. Brady Kasper: SO and Fly out; Micah McDowell: SO and Single. |
|
|
|
KMATZ
Jul 8, 2021 12:57:16 GMT -8
Post by ricke71 on Jul 8, 2021 12:57:16 GMT -8
Baseball America ranks Jacob Kmatz as #139 overall in the 2021 MLB Draft (for reference Kevin Abel is ranked #135): "Kmatz has a more polished repertoire than most high school hurlers, giving him a lower ceiling but a higher floor. He’s a feel over stuff type of pitcher with good makeup. An Oregon State commit, Kmatz is considered to be signable." Let's hope he's NOT "signable"
Guerra is #184: "Guerra could be a fit for teams as high as the third round, although some believe his price demand will lead him to campus at Oregon State."
Tyree Reed is #278 (Hopefully he's that 'low' because he's solid to OSU): "His pedigree and physique still hold some appeal, but most teams are willing to let him honor his commitment to Oregon State."
|
|
|
|
Post by ricke71 on Jul 27, 2021 21:59:43 GMT -8
Jacob Kmatz really hit his stride this evening (7/27) in WCL game v. Wenatchee.
7 IP, 3 H, 6 SO, 1 BB, 1 Run.
Wenatchee lineup had 6 D1 players, 3 incoming Freshmen D1 players and 1 CC player. Quite a step up from Hobbs, Rio Rancho or Carlsbad.
|
|
|
|
KMATZ
Aug 4, 2021 21:18:12 GMT -8
Post by ricke71 on Aug 4, 2021 21:18:12 GMT -8
8 days later, this time vs. Walla Walla (WCL), Kmatz again shows that he has promise as an OSU incoming Freshman:
6 ip / 99 pitches / 5 hits / 0 earned runs / 8 SO / 2 BB. Walla Walla had 5 D-1 batters (incl. 2 PAC-12), 3 NAIA, 1 Community College. Walla Walla is one of the poorer hitting teams in the WCL. Kmatz was up to 93-94 mph, with good off-speed stuff.
Last 2 outings: 13 ip, 8 hits, 14 SO, 3 BB.
I know this board is Bazzana crazy, but keep an eye open for Kmatz too. Pre draft rankings had Kmatz essentially tied with Kevin Abel at pick 130 - 140.
|
|
