Week 6 is in the books and our own Brian Recca has some THOUGHTS.
In a college draft class that is currently lacking in early round arms, Drew Thorpe is quietly moving up the ranks with seemingly no ceiling in sight. The Cal Poly ace threw seven innings (his fifth consecutive start of at least seven innings) of shutout baseball against UC San Diego. Thorpe needed just 108 pitches in his latest masterpiece and struck out 15 batters in the process. He now leads all of division 1 in total strikeouts. Thorpe limited traffic on the bases with only three hits allowed and a couple of walks. Thorpe continues to show well above average command of his full arsenal which includes a solid breaking ball, a plus changeup, and a fastball that is slowly but steadily adding velocity. He's currently #93 on our 2022 draft board and he has the performance and starter traits to rise up further before draft day.
Orion Kerkering, Disgusting Breaking Balls. 🤮
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) March 26, 2022
He's more than a Star...he's an entire freakin' constellation. ⭐️ pic.twitter.com/R1Kxf0iDh1
A lack of previous starting experience didn't stop Orion Kerkering from putting together a dazzling seven inning performance this past weekend. The 6'2-205 pound righty has been sensational since moving to USF's weekend rotation and his most recent start might have been the best yet. Facing Niagara, Kerkering was nearly flawless for seven innings (a career high) allowing only a couple of hits and a single run on a sac fly. Kerkering attacks hitters with a mid-to-high 90s fastball that garners empty swings and a power slider that can be a putaway pitch. Kerkering doesn't have a long track record of success as a starter but he's answering questions and checking scouting boxes with each dominant outing.
Tyler Cleveland may not have the same kind of stuff or pedigree as the two names mentioned previously, but his start on March 25th was no less spectacular. Cleveland, a converted reliever, recorded the highest game score of the weekend with a 91 game score. He needed just 111 pitches to record a complete game shutout against Lipscomb on Friday, the first of his Central Arkansas career. Cleveland surrendered a pair of hits, struck out eight, and didn't allow a walk though he did hit a batter.
Cleveland isn't your prototypical Friday night ace. The lanky righty is a sidearmer without premium velocity. He gets heavy two seam movement on the fastball which allows it to pair effectively with his plus slider. Cleveland's slider moves like a frisbee and is reminiscent of the kind of pitch that Sergio Romo has leaned on during his fourteen year career. Cleveland isn't a big name draft prospect but he could still draw some interest from pro teams if he continues to perform thanks to his outlier traits. He was deservedly named A-Sun pitcher of the week and is set to face North Alabama on Friday.
🚨COMPLETE GAME SHUTOUT🚨@t_cleveland13 SHOVED tonight for @UCABearBaseball allowing only 3 hitters to reach base and striking out 8️⃣! Great performance by the Future Hawk🔥🔥 @d1baseball @NCAABaseball @PitchingNinja pic.twitter.com/M9NhbF5MjQ
— Hyannis Harbor Hawks (@harborhawks) March 26, 2022
Andrew Jenkins is making a bid to return to Gassed Up.
— Tyler Jennings (@TylerJennings24) March 26, 2022
Jenkins clobbers this hanging slider from Sam Highfill for a three run shot that got out in a hurry. Solid pull-side pop, has been very hot at the plate past week or so. pic.twitter.com/PlQRq0n1iP
It's been a torrid couple of weeks for Jenkins who has stepped up his production since conference play started. Jenkins entered the week on a two game multi-hit game streak which he was able to extend four more games against Kennesaw State and NC State. Jenkins was able to find holes all week with eleven total hits which led to seven RBI. Jenkins hit just a single homer (which came off of NC State's Sam Highfill) but did rack up four extra base hits and seventeen total bases. Jenkins currently ranks #338 on our draft board. It's hard to build draft value as a college first baseman but hitting at this level in the ACC will certainly help.
Melendez is seemingly a weekly candidate for Gassed Up and he's clearly living up to the "Hispanic Titanic" moniker. Melendez swatted four homers with a 2.152 OPS in four games. He also successfully reached base in thirteen straight plate appearances which was enough for him to earn BIG 12 player of the week honors, his second time winning the award this season.
Melendez was drafted by the Marlins in the 16th round last year but decided not to sign. That bet on himself looks like a fantastic decision as Melendez has already matched his home run total from last year with thirteen long balls to date. There might not be a college bat with more power than Melendez who ranks #162 on the 2022 draft board.
13 ON THE SEASON FOR IVAN MELENDEZ
— Texas College Baseball (@TexasCollegeBSB) March 26, 2022
THIS BALL IS IN ORBIT
3 ON THE WEEKEND !!
pic.twitter.com/FvN3Geap3i
Don't look now but Ethan Long might finally be heating up. After missing most of the opening weekend of PAC-12 play against Oregon State with an injury, Long returned to the everyday lineup and hit a combined three homers against Grand Canyon in a midweek matchup and Washington over the weekend. Long raised his batting average nearly 50 points from .286 to .333, accumulating four multi-hit games in the process. Like Jenkins and Melendez, Long has prodigious power that he showed off as a true freshman (16 homers last year) and this past week with three big flies. Long was off to a surprisingly slow start prior to this weekend with just one homer and a significant uptick in whiffs. If he's able to right the ship, Long has the kind of offensive profile that can carry a college lineup to big wins against tough opponents. Long, a draft eligible sophomore, is currently #132 on our 2022 draft board.
#Pac12BSB Player of the Week: Ethan Long, @ASU_Baseball. 😈
— Pac-12 Conference (@pac12) March 28, 2022
Full release ➡️ https://t.co/DUHhDRJQLe#ForksUp | @RawlingsSports pic.twitter.com/J43mRHPOPp
