• The KillerFrogs

2018 TCU BASEBALL SEASON THREAD

Armadillo

Full Member
I agree with Kendall. I'm curious to see what this offense can be with some new faces.

I'll also say that every year that I think we should take a step back (because of youth), we seem to take a step forward. Will be some new leadership on this team. That's for sure. But excited to see what CJS has in store.
 
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TCUdirtbag

Active Member
Dalton Horton is no longer on the roster.
Might’ve missed that earlier in the fall. Joins Trent Franson, Austin Ingraham, and Bryan Sturges as non-senior/non-draft departures.

Note we won’t have a formal roster update with the new guys until next semester. We’re officially sitting on 17 returners as of now. We’ll see what that number looks like in January.
 
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FBallFan123

Active Member
MLB Pipeline released their early 2018 MLB draft top 50 list.

http://m.mlb.com/news/article/262831302/mlb-pipelines-2018-top-draft-prospects-list/

Luken Baker (28) and Sean Wymer (48) both made the list.

http://m.mlb.com/prospects/2018/?list=draft

Luken Baker | Rank: 28
School: Texas ChristianYear: JuniorPosition: 1BAge: 20 DOB: 03/10/1997Bats: R Throws: RHeight: 6'4" Weight: 265 lb.Previously drafted: 2015, 37th (1099) - HOU

Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 55 | Run: 20 | Arm: 60 | Field: 40 | Overall: 50

The most intriguing two-way player in the 2015 Draft, Baker could have gone in the second round as a pitcher had he not sent a letter to MLB teams asking them to bypass him because he planned on attending Texas Christian. He turned down the Astros as a 37th-rounder and starred both ways as freshman before straining a muscle in his arm and deciding to focus on hitting. He continued to produce at the plate last year until sustaining a hairline fracture and ligament and muscle damage in his left arm in a collision at first base.

Baker's massive 6-foot-4, 265-pound frame gives him tremendous strength and leverage, which along with his solid bat speed gives him power to all fields. Though his size naturally adds length to his right-handed swing, he does a good job of keeping it under control. He has walked more than he has struck out with the Horned Frogs, refusing to chase on the frequent occasions when he gets pitched around.

Though Baker does a good job of maintaining his body and has some athleticism, his size limits his effectiveness on the bases and in the field. He's a well below-average runner and just an adequate defender at first base. In the past, he has shown a low-90s fastball, solid slider and good feel for pitching, but there are no plans for him to return to the mound.

Sean Wymer | Rank: 48
School: Texas ChristianYear: JuniorPosition: RHPAge: 20 DOB: 3/19/1997Bats: R Throws: RHeight: 6'1" Weight: 190 lb.Previously drafted: Never

Scouting grades: Fastball: 55 | Curveball: 55 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 55 | Overall: 50

Wymer served as a troubleshooting reliever on Texas Christian's College World Series club in 2017, the fourth straight year the Horned Frogs reached Omaha. Though he was extremely valuable in that role, retiring 35 of the 39 batters he faced while recording two wins and a save during the NCAA postseason, TCU may shift him into its rotation this spring. He has the tools to succeed in that role, and if he does he could factor in the first two rounds of the Draft.

Wymer has four quality pitches and there's little consensus as to which is his best. He'll flash a well above-average curveball at times, though there are others when his hard slider is his superior breaking ball. He doesn't worry about radar guns, working at 89-92 mph with a quality sinker, though he can reach back for 95-96 mph heat when he needs to.

As if that's not enough, Wymer also can unveil a solid changeup and fully trusts the pitch. Though he's not big, he's athletic and repeats his delivery, allowing him to throw a ton of strikes and boding well for his durability. He has advanced feel for pitching and mixes his pitches masterfully.
 

FBallFan123

Active Member
I should add there is one TCU commit on the list, as well.....Alek Thomas:

http://m.mlb.com/prospects/2018/?list=draft

Alek Thomas | Rank: 49
School: Mount Carmel (Ill.) HSYear: SeniorPosition: OFAge: 17 DOB: 4/28/2000Bats: L Throws: LHeight: 5'11" Weight: 175 lb.Commitment: Texas Christian

Scouting grades: Hit: 55 | Power: 45 | Run: 60 | Arm: 40 | Field: 60 | Overall: 50

The son of White Sox director of strength and conditioning Allen Thomas, Alek is a three-sport star at Mount Carmel High (Chicago). If he follows through on his commitment to Texas Christian, he wants to try to double as an outfielder in baseball and a slot receiver in football. Gatorade's 2017 Illinois baseball player of the year as junior, he has the hitting ability and athleticism to get drafted high enough to forego college.

With his compact left-handed stroke, impressive bat speed and mature approach at the plate, Thomas smacks line drives to all field. He has no trouble barreling quality fastballs and led gold medal-winning Team USA in hitting with a .361 average at the 18-and-under World Cup in September. Though he's not very physical, his feel for the barrel and sneaky pop should produce at least 12-15 homers per year in pro ball.

Thomas enhances his plus speed with good instincts on the bases and in center field. While he has below-average arm strength, it's playable in center field. His game earns him comparisons to Jacoby Ellsbury and Thomas is more advanced at the same stage of their careers.
 

FBallFan123

Active Member
Podcast about the Big 12 recruiting classes...The TCU segment goes from 17:05 to 20:36...

Says Alek Thomas wil not make it to campus, says he considers him a top 10-15 overall pick.





 
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Moose Stuff

Active Member
Podcast about the Big 12 recruiting classes...The TCU segment goes from 17:05 to 20:36...

Says Alec Thomas wil not make it to campus, says he considers him a top 10-15 overall pick.







MLB draft can be very unpredictable so I won’t say the guy is flat out wrong, but......
Alek Thomas is a good player and I would tilt the odds in favor of him NOT making it to TCU. That being said, there may not be one other person on earth that currently considers him a top 10-15 pick.
 

Armadillo

Full Member
And still no roster update. About 5 weeks before the first pitch. Hopefully it will be up soon. Perhaps when the new semester starts and that will finalize everything?
 

FBallFan123

Active Member
MLB draft can be very unpredictable so I won’t say the guy is flat out wrong, but......
Alek Thomas is a good player and I would tilt the odds in favor of him NOT making it to TCU. That being said, there may not be one other person on earth that currently considers him a top 10-15 pick.

I get what you’re saying, but Rode is only talking about his personal opinion, which I’d say is fairly well informed...that link to prep baseball report has scouting reports on Alek Thomas going back 3 years.

Plus, it’s very common for HS seniors at premium position like CF to skyrocket up draft boards as the MLB draft scouts get more detailed looks at HS’ers their senior seasons.....the last two years saw HS CF’ers go #1 overall with Mickey Moniak and Royce Lewis (played SS in HS but projected pro at CF).

Last year’s draft saw 3 HS prospects with CF potential go in the top 10 (Lewis, Austin Beck, Jo Adell).

So it’s speculation, but it based on recent history and how MLB teams view prospects in the draft...and Rode described Thomas as a premium defender at CF with plus speed, which fits that top 10-15 draft profile.

Rode puts Thomas, who was 49 on MLB Pipeline’s list, up there with Mike Siani, who MLB Pipeline had 31st, and I think it’s safe to say Rode seen more of Thomas to this point than the MLB Pipeline guys have.
 
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Moose Stuff

Active Member
I get what you’re saying, but Rode is only talking about his personal opinion, which I’d say is fairly well informed...that link to prep baseball report has scouting reports on Alek Thomas going back 3 years.

Plus, it’s very common for HS seniors at premium position like CF to skyrocket up draft boards as the MLB draft scouts get more detailed looks at HS’ers their senior seasons.....the last two years saw HS CF’ers go #1 overall with Mickey Moniak and Royce Lewis (played SS in HS but projected pro at CF).

Last year’s draft saw 3 HS prospects with CF potential go in the top 10 (Lewis, Austin Beck, Jo Adell).

So it’s speculation, but it based on recent history and how MLB teams view prospects in the draft...and Rode described Thomas as a premium defender at CF with plus speed, which fits that top 10-15 draft profile.

Rode puts Thomas, who was 49 on MLB Pipeline’s list, up there with Mike Siani, who MLB Pipeline had 31st, and I think it’s safe to say Rode seen more of Thomas to this point than the MLB Pipeline guys have.

Like I said, the unpredictability of the MLB draft makes it very questionable to ever tell someone their opinion is wrong, especially 5 months before the draft. Could it happen? Sure. I’m EXTREMELY comfortable in saying that actual MLB scouts would overwhelmingly disagree with his present assessment though.

I do agree that TCU has a steep hill to climb to get him on campus next fall.
 
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