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A number of big bats were on display this weekend across the country.
Written by: Nick Stevens
For this week’s draft notebook, I spent the weekend largely watching west coast action, about 45 players in total, plus the always entertaining Florida/Miami rivalry series. As a reminder, you can view my weekly document with notes and data on every single player in the #MLBDraft channel within the Patron-only section of Discord. Links to all previous draft notebook articles can be found at the very bottom of this piece.
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UC-Santa Barbara vs Fresno State
There’s no chance that UCSB RHP Tyler Bremner falls to the Orioles, but the Gauchos have a few bullpen arms of intrigue and a pair of Fresno State players made for a fun weekend series.
After leaving his first start of the year early due to some tightness caused by cold weather, Bremner cruised through 7 innings on Friday night, allowing 1 ER on 3 hits with 0 BB and 4 K. He needed just 74 pitches and recorded 7 outs via the ground ball. He was getting into the upper-90s with a lethal changeup, one of the best pitches in the entire country. If he’s still available at pick 19, something has gone terribly wrong, but enjoy the witchcraft that is his changeup below.
LHP Donovann Jackson went 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K in relief on Saturday. He’s a JUCO transfer who is now up to 13 IP/4 BB/16 K this season. The fastball sits in the upper-80s, but his changeup is a high quality offering. You can see a collection of his changeups in the video below. Jackson did struggle to find the strikezone with his fastball and breaking ball, but I think this is an arm who can get a bit stronger, add a bit more velo, clean up the delivery, and let the changeup eat out of a bullpen.
As for Fresno State, 3B Murf Gray is one of the better college bats in this year’s draft class, landing well within the top 100 of college prospects on multiple national rankings. He’s a 6-4/220 pound physical stud with plus bat speed and pull-side power. Last year he posted a 95% in-zone contact rate and an insane 97% in-zone contact rate against fastballs. He does chase at about a 30% rate, but a 17% whiff rate, so while the swing decisions can use some work, he’s still able to make contact with impressive bat-to-ball skills.
It was a tough weekend for Gray against Bremner, who should be the first or second arm off the board in 2025, and Jackson Flora, who is one of the top arms in the 2026 draft class. Gray had just one hit on the weekend, a single through the 5.5 hole, and struck out three times in three games after striking out just once in his first eight games.
Fresno State RHP Jack Anker wasn’t on my sheet going into the weekend, but he was impressive on Friday night. He was 91-92 mph with the fastball, with a 12-6 curveball, and tumbling changeup. The fastball had great life and dominated the top of the zone, when he was able to command it. The only real mistake was a 1-2 curveball he left hanging that resulted in a home run. His final line: 5.2 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 5 K. I’m excited to watch him again later in the season.
Louisiana-Lafayette vs UC-Irvine
The Orioles grabbed RHP Peter Van Loon out of UC-Irvine a few years ago, and there’s some intriguing pitching talent there now to possibly go back to the well.
LHP Danny Suarez, like Anker, wasn’t on my watch list going into the weekend, but Suarez ended up striking out a career-high 12 batters on Friday night. He was sitting in the upper-80s/low-90s, topping out at 92 mph with a slider that racked up the whiffs. He’s also able to flip in a big bender. The fastball gets around 20 inches of IVB and is a 55/60 grade offering. He’s a 6-3 lefty who has just 47 IP on his resume over the last three years, but if he’s healthy and can be built up a bit, he could be an intriguing relief option.
RHP Riley Kelly has also struggled with injuries throughout his career. The 6-5/240 pound arm looks like he could be a late-bloomer who breaks out at any time. His fastball is 90-94 and tops out at 96 mph with 20+ inches of IVB. He also has a 3,200 RPM curveball that was once described by some scouts as one of the best high school curveballs they’ve seen in recent memory. Kelly is just a redshirt sophomore so he likely spends 2025 working back to full strength and returning in 2026 to improve his draft stock, but I wouldn’t be shocked to see him breakout this season and a team look to be aggressive with him.
Two bats stood out for UC Irvine as well, 1B Anthony Martinez and OF Chase Call. Martinez is considered the top bat in the Big West, hitting 20 home runs in his career thus far with plus exit velos and a 96% in-zone contact rate. He’s also walked more than he’s struck out in his career. He hit 3 HR with 15 BB/9 K in the Cape Cod League last summer and had success with Team USA. He was slow going this weekend but it was his first action of the year after a hamstring injury caused him to miss the first two weeks of the season. Martinez is a massive human with big time power, and a great eye at the plate. He may be limited to 1B defensively, but the bat is worth buying.
I say “slow going” but he still picked up 4 hits and 4 RBI in his first 3 games of the year.
OF Chase Call is another bat to keep a close eye on. Call reportedly changed his hand placement and it’s resulted in a massive 2025 campaign. You can see his opposite-field home run in the video below, along with a great defensive grab. His walk rate has dropped to around 6% after it was 20% his freshman season, but his strikeout rate has dropped from 26% to 21% and he’s doing more damage at the plate with the ability to handle velo up in the zone. He’s had an incredibly productive career up to this point and appears to be an even better in 2025.
Call had 4 hits with 2 home runs on the weekend. You can see one of his home runs below plus a taste of defense in the second clip.
Cincinnati vs UC-San Diego
The west coast swing continued with a four-game set between Cincinnati and UC-San Diego. OF Alex Leopard is an aggressive 5’9” hitter with a big hack as he crouches over the plate and IF Noah Lazuka is settling in well with 16 hits and a.471 average after transferring in from the JUCO ranks, but RHP Matthew Dalquist stood out for the most for UCSD.
The redshirt sophomore stands at just 5’10”. He came back from TJ surgery last year and posted a 68/17 K/BB in 72 innings, that’s a 5% walk rate. He’s been even better this year, posting a 3% walk rate through his first three starts, with 15 strikeouts. Dalquist can run it into the mid-90s with two different breaking ball offerings, but I don’t have any deeper data on him.
His brother is Andrew Dalquist, a prospect in the White Sox farm system, and according to his player profile, Matthew wants to be a data analyst for an MLB team, if he doesn’t get a chance to pitch at the next level. I’d love to get some data on him later in the year because I imagine it’s quite intriguing.
For Cincinnati, 3B Kerrington Cross is a fascinating story. A chemical engineering major who spent his offseason working from 2 am to 11 am, then going to lift and practice before a 6 pm bedtime, Cross has a unique stance where he points the knob of his bat at the pitcher. On Saturday, while UC-Irvine starter Spencer Seid struck out 12 Bearcats, Cross picked up three solid hits and upped his batting average to .357 on the season. Kendall Rogers of D1Baseball.com called recently called Cross “the best hitter in the Big 12 no one is talking about.” He’s a solid defender at third, has 29 home runs in his career, a sub-20% career K rate with a career walk rate around 15%, and he’s also 49-59 in stolen base attempts, improving his stolen base effectiveness year over year.
Minnesota vs Arizona State
I went in mostly excited to watch these Arizona State bats and LHP Ben Jacobs, but Minnesota OF Drew Berkland stole the show.
Berkland spent the summer in the Northwoods League, hitting 5 home runs, walking more than he struck out, and OPS’ing .895 in the wooden bat league and has parlayed that into a massive start in 2025.
He has 5 home runs in 9 games, all are opposite-field or dead center shots, and he’s OPS’ing 1.144. Preseason reports were raving about his development and defense (OPS near 1.500 in fall ball) and his game action this weekend matched. The 6’0” outfielder hit two bombs this weekend, both of which you can see below (the first is off top pitching prospect Ben Jacobs). Berkland has skyrocketed up my personal board.
Arizona State’s lineup is full of left-handed thump, so Orioles fans should probably pay attention. OF Isaiah Jackson stood out above the rest. The 6’3”/205 pound center fielder has a stoic stance in the box and impressive raw power (110 mph max EV), but scouts reportedly want to see an improved hit tool this season so he overhauled his swing and it appears to be paying off already. Jackson was able to shoot the gaps and beat the extreme shifts put on him to get on base, and also flashed the high-end closing speed in the outfield. He struggled in the Cape Cod League last summer but he’s quickly rebuilding his stock.
His home run from this weekend is below.
OF Brandon Compton and 1B Jacob Tobias are left-handed mashers who had big weekends. Compton was a pitcher who transitioned to the hitting side after TJ surgery. It’s 70 grade raw power but reports are hesitant on his outfield arm and think he may be able to stick in left field…not in Baltimore. Tobias eclipsed 35 career home runs but first base prospects aren’t a thing. If the Orioles eventually add one of these bats, great. But they are 1B/DH types.
OF Kien Vu would be a fun pick. Vu didn’t play Sunday after getting truck-sticked on Saturday night at first base, but he’s an intriguing bat. A LHH who went from 1 home run in his freshman year to 14 last year, is a stolen base threat, and showcased good swing decisions this weekend. He was a patient hitter who didn’t expand the zone and was able to consistently send line drives into the outfield. He could be an option somewhere between round 5-10, likely a round or two earlier with a big season.
LHP Ben Jacobs didn’t have his best start on Friday night, but he’s a metrically sexy arm and one of the top left-handed options available in this year’s class. He stands 6’1” and can run his fastball up to 95 mph (max I saw this weekend) with 20+ inches of IVB. Last season, the fastball produced a 33% whiff rate and is now described as an “invisi-ball”. He tossed 5 shutout innings on the Cape last summer and then impressed with Team USA, where he started throwing a swing and miss cutter. There’s also a slider/curve in the arsenal.
With 97th percentile IVB, good velo from the left side, and a book of fun traits under the hood, Jacobs is a must follow as the season progresses.
Florida vs Miami
As the broadcast said on Friday night, the college baseball season doesn’t really start until Miami and Florida play. I have zero connection to either program and you couldn’t pay me to live in Florida, but I do agree with the sentiment.
Miami has had a very easy schedule up to this point and it showed as they dropped two of three and really struggled against one of the top 2026 arms in Liam Peterson, but RHP Griffin Hugus showed out on Saturday.
The 6’1” junior was a two-way player at Cincinnati and is now a force in the ACC. He gave up 2 ER across 5 IP on Saturday, while striking out 10. Striking out 20 in two starts against Niagara and Princeton was good, but to see him pile up double-digit strikeouts against one of the top lineups in the entire country was very promising.
Hugus has a 93-94 mph fastball with a slider and 12-6 curveball. He dominated in the Cape Cod League last summer (24 K/4 BB in 23 IP)
Unfortunately, RHP Brian Walters struggled on Sunday, striking out just 4 in 4.2 IP, allowing 4 ER on 6 hits. Walters is the brother of former Baltimore Orioles draft pick Andrew Walters (now with the Guardians), and was drafted by the Seattle Mariners last year. He missed a year due to TJ surgery and was electric out of the bullpen, but he’s now transitioning to the rotation where he’s hoping his 96-98 mph fastball, sweeper, and changeup will play. Against Niagara and Princeton, Walters had 19 K/3 BB/1 ER in 11 IP.
If Walters can shine during ACC play, his stock will rise. Well worth paying attention to on Sunday afternoons this season.
Also keep an eye on Miami OF Max Galvin. Galvin was at Oklahoma State last year but took a redshirt. The 6’2” LHH went to the Northwoods League and hit 13 home runs with a 1.002 OPS, just stupid wooden bat numbers. The power hasn’t shined yet, but he’s hitting .333 with just 2 K in 45 at-bats.
Florida’s roster is loaded with talent, but it took a hit this weekend. 2B Cade Kurland injured his shoulder making a highlight reel defensive play and was in a sling the rest of the weekend. Kurland flirts with 110 mph exit velos from a 5’11” frame and has showcased his oppo-juice this year. Hopefully, he can return soon.
LHP Pierce Coppola left in the third inning of his start on Saturday. The 6’8” lefty has been plagued by major injuries in his career, but was cruising with 20 K through his first two starts this year. With a 93-94 mph fastball, sweeper, and plus changeup, Coppola’s ceiling and potential is noteworthy, but he’s never been able to start tapping into that. As of Monday morning, there were no updates on Kurland or Coppola.
For those that stayed healthy, Florida 3B Bobby Boser put up a number of hard hits this weekend, including a 111 mph home run off a cookie, seen below. Boser left UCF as one of the school’s more prolific home run hitters and he’s off to a great start with the Gators. He had 2 home runs on the weekend and is now hitting .370 with 5 home runs, a .483 OBP and also has 4 stolen bases.
IF Colby Shelton was a Nationals draft pick last year and has good power with his jacked frame, but the swing and miss is pretty big and he posted a 38% chase rate last season. IF/OF Blake Cyr was the story of the weekend as he started his career at Miami and then transferred to his arch-rival. He had just two hits on the weekend and has a good amount of swing and miss in his game. He’s also likely destined for second base. Both would be interesting follows if they were to be selected by a team like the Orioles who has a knack for developing hitters, but I’d prefer if the Orioles wait here and only grab either Shelton or Cyr if they fall. Reports on Cyr also highlight 80-grade makeup.
RHP Jack Clemente gave up 4 ER and walked 4 while striking out 6 on Sunday, but he could be intriguing. Clemente went to the same high school as Coby Mayo and has had a history of shoulder injuries but he changed his delivery in hopes of addressing the injury issues and he’s now up to 21 K in 14 IP. He’s 6’3” and can run it up to 98 mph with a slider and developing changeup. Last year, he was 70% fastball. If he stays healthy and he can limit the walks throughout the year, I like Clemente as a possible relief project.
Last but not least, there’s Florida catcher Brody Donay. Donay started at Virginia Tech but then moved to a respectable program in Florida (come at me, Hokies). He hit just .234 last year and had a 42% whiff rate. Why am I highlighting a catcher with a whiff rate that extreme? Through his first 22 swings of 2025, he had just one whiff. According to @JacobE_STL on X, Donay’s contact rate on pitches over the plate is up from 69% to 91%. His contact rate on pitches outside the zone is up from 39% to 52%. His contact rate against breaking balls is up from 48% to 78%, and he entered the weekend with 9 batted balls at 95+ mph. If those improvements are for real and stick throughout the year, Donay’s double-plus raw power will be very attractive. He’s also a 96th percentile pitch framer behind the plate.
Previous draft notebook pieces:
Did you see that the Miami/Florida series is tied like at 136/136 or something like that? As a Canes fan, I’m grateful for the coverage. Less so for the result!