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ESPN's Siskels talks about BMac


YASNY

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I don't know if this has been posted yet, but I haven't run across it. If so, please accept my apologies. Here's the Q&A about BMac:

 

Mike from Montpelier, Vt., writes:

What do you think of White Sox prospect Brandon McCarthy? I've heard he doesn't have ace stuff, but he's been dominant since being promoted to Winston-Salem, putting up a ridiculous K/BB ratio.

 

 

If you like control artists, you will like Brandon McCarthy.

 

 

He started this year pitching for the Kannapolis Intimidators in the Sally League. He went 8-5 with a 3.64 ERA in 15 starts, with a sharp 113/21 K/BB ratio in 94 innings. Lots of strikeouts, few walks, you have to like that. Promoted to Winson-Salem in the Carolina League, McCarthy went on a big hot streak, going 6-0, 2.08 in eight starts, with a 60/3 K/BB in 32 52 innings. Yes, 60 strikeouts, three walks. Since Mike submitted his question, McCarthy has moved up to Double-A, and he continues to throw strikes with regularity, 2-0 in two starts with a 15/2 K/BB in 12 innings.

 

 

Who is this guy?

 

 

McCarthy was a 17th round pick in 2002, out of Lamar Community College in Colorado. He posted a 125/15 K/BB in 101 innings last year in the Pioneer League, so gaudy K/BB numbers are not new to his profile. McCarthy is a skinny 6-7 right-hander, weighing just 185 pounds. His fastball is average at 89 mph, but his changeup and curveball are very good. His command and feel for pitching is outstanding, as shown by the K/BB.

 

 

Since he doesn't have a super fastball, McCarthy's margin for error is less than that for many premier pitching prospects. But his control is tremendous, and he understands the craft of pitching. He's probably a year away from being ready for major league action, but he looks like a solid pitching prospect to me. He could end up being the pitcher that the White Sox expected Jon Rauch to be.

 

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No I haven't seen that yet YASNY so nice find there. I'm actually suprised Sickels has decided to talk about a White Sox prospect for a change, it's always usually a Yankees, Red Sox or Cubs prospect that he usually talks about. If B-Mac can add some more juice to his fastball, then he'll become even better, but it's real good he's learnt how to control his stuff so good, when he has to.

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Brandon has added to his velocity (that or Sickels is just off)......

 

He is consistently 90-92 with the fastball now.

Haven't I also ready somewhere that BMac has added weight. Sickels says BMac is 185, but I thought I saw that he had beefed up to about 210. I can't recall where this comes from, so don'anyone ask me for a source. :D

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Sickels is always behind in his scouting reports....... He may look at current numbers or get general information about a player, but he is always referring to "last year's" scouting reports. It is nearly impossible to keep up with updated scouting reports on every player in the country. He does all of his research for his book in the offseason, so you get the most up-to-date info at the beginning of the year.

 

Next year he will talk about McCarthy's increased velocity and how he is a legit top flite pitching prospect. Basically, he tells you what you already know if you follow your team's prospects year round. His strength is that he rates all prospects from all teams.

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Sickels is always behind in his scouting reports.......  He may look at current numbers or get general information about a player, but he is always referring to "last year's" scouting reports. It is nearly impossible to keep up with updated scouting reports on every player in the country.  He does all of his research for his book in the offseason, so you get the most up-to-date info at the beginning of the year. 

 

Next year he will talk about McCarthy's increased velocity and how he is a legit top flite pitching prospect.  Basically, he tells you what you already know if you follow your team's prospects year round.  His strength is that he rates all prospects from all teams.

If you're going to write a national prospect beat, don't you think you should be able to cultivate enough contacts or talk to media relations guys and at least get the bare basics right?

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If you're going to write a national prospect beat, don't you think you should be able to cultivate enough contacts or talk to media relations guys and at least get the bare basics right?

Theoretically, yes....... but in a Q&A where you have to answer a question almost immediately, you are going to have to go by the scouting reports you have. There is no way to have updated information about every player in the minors.

 

You take the info for what it is.... Sickels provides good information, even if it isn't 100% up-to-date.

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Theoretically, yes.......  but in a Q&A where you have to answer a question almost immediately, you are going to have to go by the scouting reports you have.  There is no way to have updated information about every player in the minors. 

 

You take the info for what it is....    Sickels provides good information, even if it isn't 100% up-to-date.

Didn't he say the question was from a couple weeks ago, prior to his promotion? It was a prepared answer... lazy...

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I don't have a whole lot of use for early minor league prospect reports. When I first heard about Bmac when he started in Great Falls, I remember hearing that what he was was a flamethrower in the mid 90's or better. Now from what I can tell, his fastball is just average. It is almost deja vu. back in 2000 when the farm was supposedly loaded, I asked one of these boards if the Sox had any real fireballers among the prospects, and the immediate reply from someone was "Yes, Jon Rauch". Boy was that wrong. Not that I am saying that velocity is the end all, but I don't much appreciate the deception.

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Springfield, to be honest, I have no idea where you ever heard Bmac being talked about as a flamethrower. He's always had a tremendous strikeout to walk ratio, but the only time he was really talked about prior to this year was on these boards and FutureSox.com and I know that I never talked him up to having a blazing fastball. This year I started mentioning the fact that he's added velocity to his fastball (he's also added weight to his frame) and a year ago, I mentioned he was projectable, but I don't know where you got where he threw mid 90's.

 

I also should tell ya, if your reading BA's prospect books, sure they are good, but they got some flaws. For example Jesse Foppert hitting 100 MPH, well he ain't even close to that at the MLB level. Then their is the White Sox's Brian Miller throwing "easy heat" around 95 MPH and that ain't happening either. Sometimes guys get a velocity labeled on them from the very best they've ever hit or what not or they could be getting clocked on a loose gun at the time.

 

I think WS's stadium gun is a little too high. I saw Castro hitting 95 MPH and I don't quite think he hits that. The best thing is for people who have the ability to watch the guys a few times, to chart their gun readings and roughly take the average.

 

Still, if a pitcher has good movement and good command on a few pitches, he should have a sucessful career.

 

BMac has made some tremendous strides this season and some of the bigger prospect reports are starting to catch eye.

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Springfield, to be honest, I have no idea where you ever heard Bmac being talked about as a flamethrower.  He's always had a tremendous strikeout to walk ratio, but the only time he was really talked about prior to this year was on these boards and FutureSox.com and I know that I never talked him up to having a blazing fastball.  This year I started mentioning the fact that he's added velocity to his fastball (he's also added weight to his frame) and a year ago, I mentioned he was projectable, but I don't know where you got where he threw mid 90's.

 

I also should tell ya, if your reading BA's prospect books, sure they are good, but they got some flaws.  For example Jesse Foppert hitting 100 MPH, well he ain't even close to that at the MLB level.  Then their is the White Sox's Brian Miller throwing "easy heat" around 95 MPH and that ain't happening either.  Sometimes guys get a velocity labeled on them from the very best they've ever hit or what not or they could be getting clocked on a loose gun at the time.

 

I think WS's stadium gun is a little too high.  I saw Castro hitting 95 MPH and I don't quite think he hits that.  The best thing is for people who have the ability to watch the guys a few times, to chart their gun readings and roughly take the average.

 

Still, if a pitcher has good movement and good command on a few pitches, he should have a sucessful career. 

 

BMac has made some tremendous strides this season and some of the bigger prospect reports are starting to catch eye.

Yea, I don't believe the reference to his velocity came from one of these message board comments. Rather, I was a brief mention in a press story somewhere (perhaps linked to on one of the message boards). He is certainly is a strikeout type pitcher, so perhaps the source deduced that he relied on heat for his strikeouts. In any event, I had held some incorrect assumptions about him.

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