I left the cold New England weather behind for some nice Texas heat, which ended up becoming even more cold weather until Saturday, to get my first taste of Big-12 action as TCU hosted #16 Oklahoma State. The powerhouse matchup lived up to the hype highlighted by the talent in both infields and an elite pitching matchup in the rubber match.
Pitchers
Juaron Watts-Brown RHP, Oklahoma St, #32 | 159 DIGS+
JWB has arguably been one of the highest-impact transfers not currently playing for LSU. After a strong showing with Falmouth this summer on Cape, he left Long Beach State to become the frontline starter for the Cowboys. He’s been great as is 5th in the nation in DIGS+. He has a long, lean frame with room to fill out and possibly increase his velocity. He got the start in the Saturday rubber match and used a four-pitch mix. His fastball started 92-94 but was 90-92 in the 4th and 5th innings. His slider was 83-87 and he buried it glove side. It wasn’t much of an out pitch but induced 7 whiffs to RHH and backfoot to LHHs, he got into trouble when he left it over the plate and got barreled up 3 times. He tried but couldn't spot it arm side and left it off the plate. The curveball was 79-83 and has a different shape, gets depth, and is more of a downer. This summer, his two breaking ball shapes blended, with his slider being the better pitch. Now the curveball is arguably his best pitch and showed better command of it, striking out two LHs and one RHH. He used it as a change of pace pitch but if he increases his confidence in the curveball, it could be more efficient than his slider. He threw a hard change-up at 84-87, strictly to LHHs, and has some arm side run but lacks tumble and stays level. Overall JWB had 4 BBs, a HBP, and 5 Ks. He was probably left in too long but he's a bulldog and the type of pitcher that has to get dragged off the mound.
Cam Brown RHP, TCU, #90 | 119 DIGS+
Brown faced off against Watts-Brown in a highly anticipated matchup with the scouting section packed to the brim. He has been up and down this season and his inconsistency was shown Saturday. After three decent innings, his command vanished, and he was chased before recording an out in the fourth inning. He has a medium, stockier frame and has a power pitch mix mainly just throwing his fastball and slider. His fastball was 93-96 though he touched 97 and dropped a tick of velocity from the stretch. He tried to lean on the fastball early, but he allowed three extra-base hits to only two whiffs off the fastball. The slider was 82-87 and worked well down in the zone glove side where he got chases from RHHs and spotted the pitch well backfoot to LHHs. His confidence in the slider increased as the game went on, but early in the game he floated it arm side and couldn’t find the zone, leaving him to overuse the heater. Brown only threw one 89 mph changeup to a lefty, which was a bit of a head-scratcher as Oklahoma State is compiled almost entirely of lefties. He likely wasn’t in the game long enough to break out the off-speed more but feel for at least three pitches will be vital for Brown’s draft stock come July.
Ryan Vanderhei RHP, TCU, #190 | 107 DIGS+
Vanderhei started the season off hot at the front of the Horned Frogs’ rotation but has since made the move to the bullpen. He came in Thursday night and was able to slow down the Cowboys’ offense with his two-pitch mix. He lands with a stiff front leg and slings the ball from a low ¾ release creating an east-west movement profile with a sinker and cutter mix. The sinker has plenty of arm-side run but tends to run out of the zone and he struggles to throw it for a strike. It started 92-94 but dropped to 89-91 in his second and third innings of work, which is unfortunate as reports said he touched 99 in the fall. If it starts over the zone it can run away from LH bats but it lives off the plate. The cutter, or to call it as everyone’s favorite pitch blend, the slutter, flashes plus and ranges from 83-89. He really leaned on the pitch with a lack of SNK command and it works well against the LH-heavy Cowboys lineup. He threw it in on the hands and even induced some backfoot whiffs, he can manipulate it for a strike. His profile screams reliever validating the move to the bullpen, he’s a two-pitch guy with control issues and got into trouble finding the zone but when he has feel for the slutter, it can dice up hitters of both-handedness.
Garrett Wright RHP, TCU, #294
Wright was lights out in relief to close out the final game, striking out 4 in 2.1 innings. The junior reliever has an over-the-top release with a high-effort delivery that may be the reason he’s walked 8 in only 11.1 innings this season. The two-pitch mix missed plenty of bats as the fastball has 2 whiffs and the slider induced a whopping 7! Wright is another TCU pitcher whose hard slider/cutter blend can be called a slutter so since it’s the hot term I’m going to roll with it. The slutter was 86-89 and has sharp break out of the hand that he attacked LHHs with. The fastball was 92-94 and touched 95 once. Wright has opposing batters hitting just .154 with a .477 OPS this year and is a premier back-of-the-bullpen arm for the Horned Frogs.
Carson Benge RHP/OF, Oklahoma state, 144 BaGS+ | 113 DIGS+
Benge is playing his first collegiate season after missing all of last year recovering from TJ surgery. He got the start Thursday and has a smooth, athletic delivery with a high ¾ release. The release makes his fastball have a flat shape, but he could increase ride and miss more bats at the top of the zone as he develops more. He sat 91-93 and dipped more to 90 in his fourth inning. Threw two breaking balls mostly leaning on the low 80’s slider but also had a curveball with a different shape more in the high 70’s. The change-up was 83-84 and missed some bats and created weak contact. Overall, he lacked a true swing-and-miss pitch and ran into some trouble by leaving balls over the plate.
At the plate, Benge sets up with an open stance and has an aggressive uppercut swing. He really shows it off in batting practice but tones it down more for in-game swings. He generates plus bat speed and posted a lineout at 112 mph exit velocity. The lofted swing didn’t fully translate to the games where he pulled ground balls into the shift throughout the weekend. Carson Benge will be draft-eligible next summer, and it will be a name to watch as he develops on both sides of the ball.
Hunter Hodges RHP, TCU, #258
After an all-star summer in the Cape League, Hodges transferred from UNC Wilmington to TCU. He battled injuries to start the year but finally made his first appearance this weekend, unfortunately, he only needed two pitches to finish the inning and never made another appearance. Hodges is known for his high-spin curveball as evidenced by the 3,000 RPM snapdragon he threw in warmups. This is a great sign for the Horned Frogs and Hodges and was good to see him returning to form.
Hitters
Brayden Taylor 3B, TCU, #15 | 156 BaGS+
The highest-ranked player from our Top 400 that I was able to see this weekend, there were plenty of scouts in attendance to see Brayden Taylor. Some may see Taylor’s first half of the season as a regression, but optimists like me can point to other areas of improvement. The bat-to-ball skills and hit tool are Taylor’s key traits but the contact rate has been down this year as he has been attacked in on the hands at the plate. He still has premier barrel accuracy and hands but has started to impact the baseball and lift the ball a bit more. He is hitting for more power which has not gone unnoticed and likely should have had another home run on Saturday, but the 105 mph flyout was kept in the park. Taylor has a lean frame with room to fill out which could add even more power to his swing. Defensively, Taylor has improved this year showing more range, the arm scared some scouts, but he should be able to stick on the left side of the infield. His arm strength doesn’t stand out, but he makes up for it with accuracy and arm utility, being able to throw from different arm slots. Outside of performance, Brayden has a highly regarded baseball IQ, some evaluators have said he lacks passion and fire, but it’s hard to believe that after seeing him fire up the crowd after stealing two bases and scoring to take the lead. He may slide in some rankings, but he is still going to hear his name called on day one of this year’s draft.
Anthony Silva SS, TCU, 147 BaGS+
As I am writing this, the freshman shortstop has just been awarded conference player of the week in the Big-12. He’s a guy that wasn’t necessarily on my radar going into the weekend but he definitely caught my attention. He was an extremely hard out for Oklahoma State pitching this weekend with eight hits and a two home run game on Friday night. He uses a small leg kick and has an uppercut swing and scissor kicks his back leg when he swings, similar to what Bo Bichette does to utilize his lower half. The scissor kick has worked to help Silva lift the ball as all he had to do for his second home run on Friday was get the ball in the air and the wind did the rest. Silva’s defense was excellent this weekend, proving the left side of the Horned Frogs’ infield is in good hands after Brayden Taylor’s departure. His actions at shortstop are smooth and his composure stood out for a freshman. There were a couple of plays where he showed patience and quick decision-making to flip to get the out at second even after a bobble or a head start by the runner. Silva will be an interesting name to keep an eye on as a draft-eligible sophomore in 2024.
Marcus Brown SS, OKlahoma State, #94 | 122 BaGS+
Brown forms one half one the fire and ice duo that is Oklahoma State’s middle infield. Brown is the latter and we will save the former for the next section. Arguably the best defensive shortstop in the draft, Brown is as composed as they come, and watching him field ground balls is appointment viewing. His defensive prowess starts with the range as he is comfortable working his backhand as well as making plays on the other side of second base. Brown has quick, soft hands and even though his smooth operation gives him plenty of time to throw, he has a plus arm across the diamond to complete the toughest of plays. Offensively, Brown struggles to impact the baseball and rarely if ever posts exit velocities in the triple digits. He had a home run in the opener, but it was heavily wind-aided. He has an open wide stance but almost has a slap-hitter approach at the plate and hits mostly ground balls. The glove will get Brown drafted alone but I hope to see him start to drive the ball more.
Roc Riggio 2B, Oklahoma State, #218 | 166 BaGS+
The fire to Brown’s ice is long-time double-play partner, Roc Riggio. He is a fiery competitor that gets under the skin of opposing fans and was able to still produce despite being showered with boos in hostile territory. I heard a scout say they couldn’t tell between Riggio and Brown in batting practice due to the pullovers covering their numbers and the two have similar haircuts and batting stances. That’s where the similarities stop, Riggio excels at lofting the ball and has an aggressive swing which he does well to keep in the zone for a long time. This summer, Riggio’s prowess at the plate didn’t exactly transition with the wood bats, but plenty of good hitters struggle on the Cape after a long season. The real cause for concern would be his tendency to chase pitches off the plate and struggle with off-speed pitches. Riggio has only played second base thanks to Brown. I don't think he has shown signs that he could play the left side of the infield, but he turns 21 in June making him a draft-eligible sophomore. If he really wanted to build his draft stock he could wait for Brown to move on and slide to shortstop, but that is a two-way street and I’m purely speculating.
Nolan Schubart OF/1B, Oklahoma State, 164 BaGS+
I was excited to see Schubart as he had the second-highest BaGS+ in the Big-12 going into the weekend. He has since been passed by Riggio, but he started off the weekend well before fading in his last couple of at-bats. He is tall with long levers and a very projectable frame as he is only a freshman. He stands completely upright in his stance, which must be an imposing view for pitchers, he has a very simple load and is quick to the ball. He drives the ball and mashed fastballs before getting spun to death with breaking balls in his final few at-bats. Defensively, Schubart was in left field all series but got little to no action and is probably going to move to first base once David Mendham is gone. He isn’t eligible until 2025 but he has put the conference on notice at the plate.
Elijah Nunez OF, TCU, #242 | 121 BaGS+
Nunez has been a big part of the Horned Frogs in his first two college seasons. He’s had a down year offensively but someone had one bad game with two solid performances at the plate. He’s a plus base runner but it’s just a matter of having to get on base first. He was able to hit the ball to all fields and impressed when he stayed back on a changeup and sent it to the opposite field, as well as when he turned on a fastball for a double down the line. The small-framed, muscular Nunez is a solid athlete but lacks output in the power department. His speed translates to his ability to man center field but as with other guys on this list, his draft stock will likely be tied to his performance at the plate.
Tre Richardson 2B, TCU, 129 BaGS+
The pairing of Richardson and shortstop Anthony Silva arguably were the better middle infield of the weekend. He has a small, lean frame that naturally doesn’t create much power, but the hit tool looked solid, and he was constantly getting on base. He is a plus defender at second base and can truly pick it with his smooth hands. The LHH-heavy Cowboy lineup was hammering balls to the right side all weekend and Richardson stole plenty of hits, robbing a couple of triple-digit batted balls. He is just outside of the Top 400 and with a few more big weekends he will absolutely be among the rankings