Infield Dad
yes I remember Butch.
Gregg Jefferies was also on the San Mateo Legion team. John Noce the CSM Coach introduced me to International Baseball In 1983.
Bob
Originally Posted by coach3:
Originally Posted by SultanofSwat:
For fun, drafted in 1991. (I never saw him)
[Brien] Taylor attended East Carteret High School in Beaufort and played on the school baseball team. In high school, Taylor had a record of 29-6 and an earned run average of 1.25.[2] He also struck out 213 hitters in 88 innings pitched while walking 28. His fastball often hit 98 and 99 mph. In 2006, Scott Boras claimed that Taylor was the best high school pitcher he had seen in his life.
How in the world did he lose 6 games is what I'm wondering?
Aha! Good question that I used to wonder about these types of pitchers too!
Lotsa things enter in - defense goes to sleep after all the K's, weak HS team can't field or score runs…others…but also I've seen HS-level umpires overmatched by these types of pitchers resulting in more walks and a lucky swing…and a loss of 1-0, 2-1, etc...
No, I'm not criticizing HS umpires - just stating its tough to call balls/strikes from 82/84 to 98 in one day.
I've been blessed to see many great HS pitchers, including most that have been mentioned in this thread. It's really hard to pick just one. Scott Kazmir was one of the very best HS pitchers I ever saw. Maybe the best single game performance was by Jose Fernandez only a couple years ago in the Jupiter WWBA Championship. He was so good that night that scouts thought he could have pitched in the World Series, which was being played at the same time. Fast forward he was the National League Rookie of the Year last season.
Also seen amazing performances by Gerrit Cole, Jameson Taillon, Jeremy Hellickson, Matt Harvey, Chad Billingsley, and many others. Doesn't take a rocket scientist to know they were all very special. The best part is I get to keep seeing the best HS pitchers in the country every year.
Another of the very best HS pitchers I had the pleasure to watch will never be a household name. He was drafted in the first round but battled a serious drug addiction. But as a HS pitcher, Jeff Allison was one of the best ever.
Did anyone see David Clyde?
Austin Wood at Niceville HS, Florida. Started at FSU, but ended college career at USC. Unconfirmed reporting says he broke minor league pitching record with a velocity of 103 mph.
I can't remember any of the pitchers I faced in the late 70's.So long ago and none of them or my teammates were next level players.
My son on the other hand is a different story 
He has faced a number of really good pitchers in HS and in the summer leagues/tournaments.Here is a short list of the best ones he's faced :
Troy Conyers 2012 LHP El Capitan High School,University of San Diego
Jake Newberry 2012 RHP Mira Mesa High School,Kansas City Royals organization
Stephen Gonsalves 2013 LHP, Cathedral Catholic High School,4th round pick Minnesota Twins
Ian Clarkin 2013 LHP Madison High School, 1st round pick New York Yankees.
But the best of them all is :
Brady Aiken 2014 LHP Cathedral Catholic High School,UCLA commit,and probable top 5 pick in this June's draft. I'm not a pitching guy so I won't try to break down his mechanics etc. All I know is he's definitely the best 17-18 year old I've ever seen pitch.Lots of people around here say the same thing.
* Conyers change up is nasty.His best pitch
* Newberry classic big strong right handed power pitcher.92-93 and would pitch inside.Not afraid to hit you .Haha.
* Gonsalves big curve ball and can locate the fastball.Very athletic
*Clarkin hard throwing lefty 92-93 with the best curveball my son has ever seen
* Aiken locates the fastball just below the knees off the plate.Hard to pick up his off speed stuff.Very deceptive.Mechanics are the same on every pitch from the 1st inning to the 7th inning.Doesn't tip off pitches.Very athletic.We will face Aiken's team 3 times this season during league play.I'm sure he will pitch against us at least twice.Maybe all three games.It should be fun.
I have video of all of my son's at bats against these players.He had success against each one of these pitchers and he got schooled by each of these guys too.Lots of great memories 
Sidd Finch. He threw 168.
Forgot all about him.Had a 100 mph CB.I can still remember the april of 82? issue of S.I.It was really too bad how things turned out for him.
PG I concur on that.
Blake Beaven, currently with the MLB Seattle Mariners.
Played for Irving Tigers in Irving, TX, originally drafted by Rangers then traded to Seattle to get Cliff Lee. HS FB sitting around 95 mph. Probably 10 or more radar guns behind home plate each time he started. Committed to OU but instead went straight to minors. Kinda struggled last year. I hope he can turns things around this year.
Infield Dad and Old Man Moses;
Yesterday, a Newsday reporter called and asked me about the 2006 Goodwill Series in Cooperstown at the Hall Of Fame Field. This game - Japan National HS Team vs our American team in Goodwill Series XXII.
Matt Harvey now Mets pitched against Mashiro Tanake now Yankee in a Classic match up. Our American Coaches were Pro Scouts from the Red Sox and Reds.
A "once in a lifetime" event happened that only a Hollywood Movie could have described.
Our 2 catchers were injured during the game. I requested on the PA during the "time out" for a volunteer. A young Cooperstown HS junior walked down from the Hall of Fame stadium seats and "said I can catch".
He was outstanding [no fear] and two years later attended a Carolina college and signed professionally.
"That is a true story"
Bob
<www.goodwillseries.org>
Roy Halladay - saw him pitch in CO State semi-final. Gave up a couple of singles but Kd about 12 kids. Low 90s fastball at time and devestating knuckle curve.
My wife's cousin's kid was catcher for HS and grew up playing on same youth team as Halladay. By the time he was in HS - catching every other pitcher was pretty easy for him.
I have fortunate to see several over the years. I coached one that I saw strike out 15 in row and not one ball was even fouled off. Matt Harrison who is with Texas. Others that come to mind are Jason Neighborgall who sat in the upper 90s and routinely hit three digits in HS. I saw him hit 105 in HS. He had the most electric arm I have ever seen. He simply never could harness it at the college or pro level. I have seen several more over the years but the guy that was the most intimidating HS pitcher I was saw was Josh Hamilton. Athens Drive used him as a closer. Imagine a guy that big and yes he was a monster in HS from the left side that brought it mid 90s? He absolute struck fear in hitters eyes. Almost as much fear as he struck in pitchers.
Lynn Pinkston - in the 1970's - Ramapo High School - Ramapo, NY
Signed with the Cardinals - they tried to turn him into an outfielder - end of story.
David Price, Sonny Gray, both dominated hs ball
Zach Jackson- former MLB pitcher with the Cleveland Indians and Milwaukee Brewers...now in the Washington Nationals minor league system.
True 90+ heat as a HS pitcher......dominating size 6'5"...felt like he was releasing the ball from the LL mound distance....
http://www.newsday.com/sports/...connection-1.7541512
This article appeared Sunday in Newsday.
Goodwill Series XXII - Tanaka and Harvey 2006 in Cooperstown.
40 million Japanese watched the Goodwill Series games on TV in Japan.
Bob
<www.goodwillseries.org>
Originally Posted by Consultant:
http://www.newsday.com/sports/...connection-1.7541512
This article appeared Sunday in Newsday.
Goodwill Series XXII - Tanaka and Harvey 2006 in Cooperstown.
40 million Japanese watched the Goodwill Series games on TV in Japan.
Bob
<www.goodwillseries.org>
I'll go the opposite way. I've seen a number of eventual MLB'ers as high school pitchers and not a one did I think would accomplish what they have. The one I probably had the most contact wiht was Travis Wood. I never saw him as a great pitcher. However, I would not have been surprised to see him in the majors as a position player. That kid could hit the ball.
roothog66,
We liked Travis a lot as a pitcher. He was very athletic so I can see hy you might think he would be an outfielder. Scroll down and read the short report from the National Showcase he attended.
Originally Posted by PGStaff:
roothog66,
We liked Travis a lot as a pitcher. He was very athletic so I can see hy you might think he would be an outfielder. Scroll down and read the short report from the National Showcase he attended.
Don't get me wrong. From LL up, he was always an overpowering force on the mound. I just never looked at him and saw him as a pitcher at this level. What many don't get, though, is that he was probably a better hitter than pitcher. Good kid, too.
I've seen, coached and coached against some great HS pitchers. I hit off of Nick Baltz who would end up pitching for the Montreal Expos. Ok so I'm old. I have coached some that have made it to MLB. Jason Boyd (Several MLB teams), Justin Hampson (Padres and Mets), Tommy Price, Joe Blasingim were all tremendous. David Crouthers would only come in relief and do so sparingly and yet, he is the pitcher that the Cubs traded Sammy Sosa to the Orioles for. I coached against Jake Odorizzi. Max Scherzer was a major stud. I had to see him pitch because he had so many strikeouts in a short amount of innings that it was hard to believe. I coached against Jason Isringhausen as well but he was a catcher then. In short, it is a treat to get to see high quality arms at the HS level even if they aren't on your team and so, I would highly recommend that if you get the chance to see some of these guys pitch go do so.
Originally Posted by jhelbling:
Roy Halladay - saw him pitch in CO State semi-final. Gave up a couple of singles but Kd about 12 kids. Low 90s fastball at time and devestating knuckle curve.
My wife's cousin's kid was catcher for HS and grew up playing on same youth team as Halladay. By the time he was in HS - catching every other pitcher was pretty easy for him.
Up until a few months ago, I lived a couple of blocks from Arvada West and they still tell Roy Halladay stories around the campfire.
Anyone notice what Travis Wood did in his last start? Cubs win 5-1, Wood gets the win and also hits a homer, a double and drives in 4 of the 5 runs. When he was 15/16 I saw him as a 3B/outfielder prospect more than a pitcher (although he was definitely a shut-em-down F1).
Goose Gossage. My big brother got 2 abs off him, he enjoyed telling how he fouled off 2 pitches and nearly killed everyone in the 3 rd base dugout, batting lefty.
roothog,
I'm guessing the 3B was a typo?
Originally Posted by PGStaff:
roothog,
I'm guessing the 3B was a typo?
Yeah. Uggh. 1B (thinking F3 and 1B at the same time). He was one of those kids at 14/15/16 that was a good outfielder, but not necessarily fast enough. He didn't play first with the Blacksox in Legion ball, but I figured if he had gone to Arkansas, he would have been molded into a dh/1b kind of guy. He could absolutely rake as a kid.
Saw a lot of good ones around the State of Florida. I guess I'll go with Zach Greinke, Apopka HS 2002, I think.Very good command and cruised in the low 90's and could touch 94-95 when he felt like showing off for scouts.