The Ones to Watch in the CWS
- Updated: June 19, 2015
(Photo via Twitter User @NCAACWS)
Last week, a select few of the top athletes in the nation received a call from a little team called the Dodgers to have their childhood dreams of playing professional baseball come true. Out of the top five 2015 draft picks for the Dodgers, three of these outstanding players are seeing perhaps their final college baseball seasons out in the College World Series. (CWS) Here is the breakdown for the ones to watch in the CWS.
The number one draft pick for the Dodgers this year was right-handed pitcher Walker Buehler from Vanderbilt University. Walker (6’2”, 160) may be a bit smaller in stature, but he makes up for it with his arm. He keeps his fastball sitting between 91-94 mph – 96 with movement. His curve ball is arguably one of his best pitches, but he also has a mean slider to add into the mix. Walker’s change up is his most inconsistent, but at his level it is still well above average with solid deception and fade. The biggest concern for his transition into the major leagues is his body size. On average, he would have to handle 200+ innings a season. However, Billy Gasparino, the Dodgers scouting director, said in an interview with LA Times that he believed, “The timeline of [Buehler] is very quick, in our opinion…The amount of development is just a lot smaller.” With his three-pitch mix, arm velocity, and pure athleticism, he has strong potential to fast track his way onto the Dodger’s field.
As a fourth pick in the 2015 draft, Dodgers chose right-handed pitcher Joshua Sborz (6’2”, 209) from University of Virginia. Sborz, a closer, has a total of 15 saves this year. His head-turning pitch is his fastball, reaching the mid 90’s from the pen. Using deceptive delivery, Sborz’s change-up is solid and consistent. Sborz is still developing his put-away pitch, with tightening his breaking ball. Gasparino said about Sborz that, “…[he] will take more time to develop as he transitions from closing on the NCAA level to starting in the minor leagues.” If he is able to work on his sweep with the breaking ball and keeping the ball down in the zone, Sborz has the potential to move to a starting pitcher. However, it may be more beneficial for him to stay as relief, as there are already talks of him moving to the majors as early as 2016.
The fifth pick for the Dodgers in the 2015 draft went to left-handed pitcher Philip Pfeifer (6’0”, 190) who is also from Vanderbilt University. Pfeifer has a good command on his three pitches. His fastball sits at a nice 91 mph, with a solid curve ball and consistent change-up to rotate in. Pfeifer is a bit older than the other two – turning 23 years old July 15th – so he will have to work his way up the ladder of the minors. He had some personal issues that he has dealt with, and came back stronger and more determined. There is a big opportunity for Pfeifer to become a left-handed specialist with his curve ball if he gets moved to relief. So long as Pfeifer works on smoothing out his delivery and watches his tempo, he will continue to be a strong contender. His pitchability and command of the ball could help put him on the fast track for the majors, either as a reliever or fifth starter, possibly as early as 2017.
At the level that these pitchers are playing at, we could be seeing them dressed as boys in blue before long. Make sure to catch their upcoming games June 19th: Virginia vs. Florida at 3pm, Vanderbilt vs. TCU at 8pm. Wishing these guys the best of luck for this season, and the many seasons to come.
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