Just some random notes from practice and scrimmage today. During batting practice was really impressed with Luke Heyman. He was hitting mostly high line drives in the gaps that were just crushed. The ball just sounded different coming off the bat of Heyman, Shelnut, Shelton and Cags. All four were crushing the ball. Was also very impressed with Shelnut as he was hitting the ball on the sweetspot nearly every swing, hitting vicious shots to the outfield. It carried over to the scrimmage where he was two for three with two hard hit singles. Yesterday I read that several posters were surprised that Coby Shelton was not bigger. Probably due to the fact that we have several players on the squad who are 6’4” to 6’6”! But at 6’0” and 200, Shelton is muscle on top of muscle, with a thick neck. He scorched a line drive off of Frank Menendez, the pitchers foot that drew groans from the fans watching. Menendez shook it off and kept pitching but it was a brutal line drive. Cags dug in during batting practice and looked like he was swinging for the fences on every pitch. Not sure he hit any out but most were at the warning track or to the fence. He smoked a couple line drives past first base in the scrimmage, with the second one just completely eating up first baseman Caden McDonald. It took a nasty hop as it screamed by first base and through McDonald. Speaking of height, Brody Donay is all of 6’6” and 215. He looks even taller! He’s listed as a catcher but I watched him shagging flies in the outfield and he looked very comfortable as an outfielder and moved very well on the run. He didn’t play in the scrimmage. Looks like we are going to have two very good defensive center fielders. You know about Mikey Robertson but the transfer, Jaylen Guy can flat out fly and can cover center and both gaps! Too early to determine what kind of hitter he might be but he hit a nice opposite field single his first at bat in scrimmage. One surprise from the scrimmage came from Tanner Garrison who is considered to be our best defensive catcher, a transfer from Coastal Carolina. Tanner crushed back to back doubles and knocked in 4 of the winning blue squads 7 runs. Also of note, Landon Russell, a 6’1” 190 outfielder hit the days only homerun for the Orange squad. An infielder that caught my eye today was Armando Albert, a little fellow at 5’11” 150. He is a very smooth fielding infielder who looks like a prime candidate as a defensive replacement late in games. He struck out in both at bats in the scrimmage. Looks like first base is set with Cags and second set as well with Cade Kurland. Shortstop looks like a battle between Shelton and Dale Thomas, with the loser possibly playing third. Shelnut played third in today’s scrimmage but not sure he’s a strong enough fielder to win the spot. In today’s scrimmage he charged a swinging bunt, fielded it cleanly but then struggled getting it out of his glove and missed beating the base runner by a stride with his throw to first. I like him as a corner outfielder because he is killing the ball and looks primed to hit 15 plus homeruns. For the second day in a row the pitchers were roughed up. Liam Peterson threw heat and looked pretty good but was touched up with a run in the first and then gave up Landon Russell’s two run bomb in the second. Cade Fisher struggled in the first giving up a single To Guy, then a single to Shelnut followed by another single by Cags, then a walk to Thomas, then struck out Yost, followed by a bases clearing double to Garrison. When the dust settled he had given up 4 runs. Clemente gave up 2 runs In an inning of work for the Orange while tossing two or three wild pitches. Jameson threw a scoreless inning for the Orange as did Menendez and Purnell for the Blue. Purnell looked particularly sharp striking out two of the four batters he faced.
