BaseballAmerica:(ranked #20 in Illinois)
Nothing on him.
Andy Seiler:
Jake DePew is an athletic prep catcher from Granite City, Illinois, a northeastern suburb of St. Louis. DePew’s calling card is a well-rounded game that relies a lot on physical tools. At the plate, he offers solid upside, though he has a long way to go to provide average offensive production with a wood bat at the pro level. His hit tool gets a fringe-average grade, mainly due to excessive length in his swing, which will cause an above-average number of strikeouts against pro velocity and breaking balls. He’ll need a bit of a re-work with his swing to become an average hitter, though he does have above-average bat speed, which bodes well. Part of the reason why his swing is so long is that he drops his hand in order to get power going, and he has average to slightly above-average raw power. Despite the offensive drawbacks, he offers solid defensive value, starting with average overall athleticism. He runs very well for a catcher, getting average grades, and he also has solid lateral quickness and quick feet. Combine that with an above-average arm, and you have above-average catch-and-throw skills. Add the fact that his high school coach, his father, was a minor league catcher for a season in the Northwest League and you have a good catching prospect on the defensive side. With these tools in mind, DePew’s expected to be a fifth to tenth round prospect, though his Louisville commitment might be enough to keep him from signing below the fifth round.
I guess we'll see.
ESPN seems to like him
ReplyDeletehttp://rise.espn.go.com/baseball/articles/2010/03/01-Jake-DePew-Feature.aspx
He will go to Louisville.
ESPN and Keith Law are both jokes when it comes to scouting baseball players.
ReplyDeletei have seen the kid play, he should of went top 6 rounds not 9
ReplyDeleteI have played with him, and he should of went top 5
ReplyDeleteYep, Jake is a great ball player and will be a top 100 pick after a few years of college. The talk about his below average bat is assinine. He is only 18 and he will get it straightened out.
ReplyDeleteI am his cousin and I love him! His ability to square up almost every ball he hits and his defensive capabilities behind the plate will be what sets him apart from say a Justin O' Connor.
ReplyDeleteJustin
O and Andy Seiler that is the most vague scouting report I have ever read.
ReplyDeleteJustin
Seiler isn't a part of any media organization, he did just about all of the legwork on his own. It may be vague, but considering BaseballAmerica, which charges a subscription fee, didn't have anything written on him, Seiler did very good work on his guide.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by to comment, by the way. Between DePew, Luke Bailey, and Justin O'Conner, the Rays have to figure out how to get them all ABs at the lower levels. And given how cautious they've been with prospects, what happens if they all crush it next season and are ready for Bowling Green all at once?
ReplyDeleteI met Him and his mom at Best Buy, rooting for him and am looking forward to seeing what he has to offer. He looked strong as hell, thick kid. I post again from the Port Charlotte, FL. spring training camp after I see him play.
ReplyDeleteBig Tom
The guy that wrote this is an idiot, that kid is a pure baseball player, who hits for average and power,not to mention his defense, id be willing to bet that Andy Seiler never played a day in his life and if he did he was terrible, he should save himself the embarrassment and shut up
ReplyDeleteI saw the Hudson Valley Renegades game today and Jake was the catcher. My 2 friends with me agree that Jake deserves the opportunity to move up - he was by far the best prospect on the field.
ReplyDelete