Today we take a look at some action from Sunday, as we wrap up the weekend. You can find links to the last three draft articles here, which covers the first six days of the week. The draft begins on June 8th and the Pittsburgh Pirates have the 19th and 32nd overall picks. The Pirates will have the 11th highest draft bonus pool.
Florida State left fielder D.J. Stewart hit two homers on Sunday during a 13-1 win over Virginia. Stewart also walked twice, singled, drove in six runs and scored four times. He is hitting .304/.534/.684 in 25 games. Stewart has nine homers and 34 walks.
Cal Poly Pomona starter Cody Ponce returned to the mound on Sunday after missing three weeks with shoulder fatigue. He threw 43 pitches and went three innings, allowing a run on three hits and no walks. He struck out three batters. I’ve included a video below of his performance courtesy of Prospect Pipeline. In the video, you can see Ponce hitting mid-90’s numerous times.
On Saturday, Miami’s Andrew Suarez made his second start since returning from a strained oblique. He went five innings against Wake Forest, allowing four runs(three earned) on seven hits and one walk. He threw 82 pitches and struck out three batters. He was drafted 57th overall last year, but decided to return to school.
TCU’s Alex Young had his worst start of the year, failing to get out of the third inning. Part of his problem was the defense behind him, which led to all six runs he allowed to be unearned. Young retired the first two batters in third, then the next seven hitters reached base. Young threw 64 pitches in his abbreviated outing. The start actually began well, as he struck out three batters in the first inning. He has a 1.21 ERA in 29.2 innings, with 29 strikeouts and a .189 BAA.
TCU closer Riley Ferrell pitched once this weekend and took the loss on Friday when he allowed a solo homer in the 12th inning. He has given up just two runs on two hits in 11.2 innings this season. Ferrell struck out five in his two innings of work, giving him 20 strikeouts on the season.
Kentucky’s Kyle Cody had a rough outing, giving up nine runs(six earned) over four innings to Mississippi State. He allowed seven hits and three walks, while failing to pick up a single strikeout. The first six batters he faced in the fifth inning all reached base. He now has a 4.88 ERA, yet still has some strong numbers, including his 7:30 BB/SO ratio in 31.1 innings and a .237 BAA.
Arizona’s double play combo of shortstop Kevin Newman and second baseman Scott Kingery have both been added to our weekly watch after incredible starts to their season. On Sunday against Stanford, Kingery went 2-for-3 and drove in two runs in the 6-0 victory. He had two singles, a sacrifice fly and he was hit by a pitch. Newman was 1-for-4, with a walk and run scored.
Texas high school righty Beau Burrows has made two starts this season, giving up two runs over 11 innings. He has allowed eight hits, one walk and struck out 16 batters. Burrows was ranked numerous times in the Pirates range during pre-season rankings, so he is one to follow. You can read more about him in our high school pitcher draft preview.
Another high school right-hander to watch is California’s Kyle Molnar. He has made four starts this year, posting a 1.25 ERA over 22.1 innings, with one walk and 22 strikeouts. He has thrown two complete games, including one on Thursday night when he threw a shutout. You can see more for Molnar in the draft preview linked above.
