Hopefully everyone got their taxes done early so they could sit down and watch some amateur baseball over the weekend, because there was an awful lot of interesting action.
This weekend we saw two stars from Southern California continue their sensational seasons, the battle to be the second collegiate starter off the board take an interesting turn, and up and down weekends for the best bats in the class.
San Diego preps continue to thrive
San Diego has been a hotbed of talent over the last few years, and in Alex Jackson and Brady Aiken, it may just have the best two prep players in the country this spring.
Coming into the year, Jackson (Rancho Bernardo HS) was considered by most to be one of -- if not the -- best prep hitters in the country, and while there are still some questions about his overall upside and where he'll end up defensively, he's done very little to diminish his stock.
Jackson was particularly impressive on Thursday, hitting two homers against Torrey Pines High School, giving the right-handed hitting catcher seven on the season and 43 over his three years at Rancho Bernardo. The Oregon commit has impressed scouts with his ability to hit the ball hard to all parts of the field, and he's one of the few hitters in this year's class to get plus grades with both the hit and power tool.
"I think Jackson is the best hitter in the class," an NL scout said. "He had some timing issues early in the year, but he's impressed me with the way he's made adjustments. I think you're looking at a guy who can hit .300 and give you 25-30 homers during his best seasons, and I don't see any other hitter with that kind of potential this season at either the college or high school level. I think he's going to end up in right field, and he should be an All-Star there."
Jackson is a lock for the top half of the first round, and could go in the top 10 to a team like the Toronto Blue Jays, Philadelphia Phillies or Minnesota Twins.
Meanwhile, it was another dominating effort from Cathedral Catholic High School's Aiken, who continues to establish himself as the consensus No. 1 player in this draft. Aiken struck out 8 over 5 1/3 innings against Patrick Henry High school on Wednesday, hitting 96 mph with his fastball and showing the same quality secondary stuff he has this spring.
"At some point you run out of superlatives [about Aiken]," an NL crosschecker said. "The kid just knows how to pitch, and I love the delivery. It's been a long time since we've seen a prep pitcher go first overall, but I really think this could be the year."
In fact, the last time a prep pitcher went No. 1 overall is when the Yankees took Brien Taylor with the first pick in 1991.
Battle for No. 2 hurler heats up
Even with his inconsistencies, Carlos Rodon is still considered the consensus top collegiate pitcher in the class, but who that second hurler will be is still very much up for debate.
• LSU's Aaron Nola has been among the most consistent quality arms in college baseball this year, and that run continued on Friday night against Arkansas. Nola set a career high with 13 strikeouts in his seven innings against the Razorbacks, giving up just four hits and two earned runs in the process. The Tiger ace has now just allowed five earned runs on the year, with a batting average against of just .143.
"The command [for Nola] today was exceptional," an NL East scout said. "He located his fastball and breaking ball pretty much wherever he wanted today outside of the two leadoff walks in the second and seventh. I'm still not sure how well he's going to do verse quality left handed hitters, but when you're placing the ball where you want it may not matter."
Nola still looks likely to go in the first 20 picks, with teams like the Milwaukee Brewers, Washington Nationals and Kansas City Royals making sense as possible suitors.
• Jeff Hoffman has shown nowhere near the consistency Nola has this spring, and the East Carolina right-hander continued his up-and-down ways against Old Dominion. Hoffman gave up eight hits and three runs in his 6 1/3 innings of work with no walks and four strikeouts. He did get eight ground ball outs, but the lack of missed bats has grown concerning for some.
"He looks like a solid back-end starter to me," an AL West scout said. There's nothing wrong with that, but if you saw him over the summer you'd be disappointed with that prognosis. The slider/curve just isn't an out pitch like it was in the Cape Cod League, and without that, I don't see a guy worth a top ten pick."
• Vanderbilt right-hander Tyler Beede was once again not at his best on Friday against Texas A&M, though like Rodon his defense didn't help him much.
Beede gave up nine hits and seven runs over his five innings of work, walking four and striking out four. The former Blue Jays first-rounder had shown vastly improved command over the first six weeks of the season, but he's struggled to locate his pitches and throw strikes over the last month, and the breaking ball has been closer to an average offering rather than plus like it was in February and most of March.
Most scouts I've talked to believe that Beede is still No. 2 on the collegiate pitching board, but Nola and Hoffman both have a chance to pass him with strong finishes to their respective seasons.
Up-and-down weekend for college bats
• Indiana's Kyle Schwarber is one of the more divisive prospects in the 2014 draft, with some believing he's a future middle-of-the-order hitting catcher, and others believing he's a second-tier first baseman at the next level.
This weekend didn't put an end to that debate, but it certainly helped solidify his promising offensive stock. Schwarber went 6-for-10 over Friday and Saturday with a triple and a double, giving him 15 extra-base hits for the season. He showed some versatility, playing both left field and catcher for the Hoosiers, and despite his stocky build, he might just have the athleticism to stick behind the plate as a pro.
"I would give Schwarber every chance to catch," an NL scout said. "The bat looks so much better there than it does at first base or even the outfield, and I don't think he's going to be able to handle the outfield on an everyday basis anyway.
"It's an uphill battle for him to stay behind the plate, but it'd be foolish to just completely write him off at the position as well. If he can stick, someone's going to get a future all-star."
Schwarber should go early on day one, with teams like the Los Angeles Angels and Arizona Diamondbacks making sense as landing spots for his services.
• San Francisco's Bradley Zimmer has quietly established himself as arguably the best outfield prospect in the entire draft, but was not at his best against Pacific. Zimmer went 1-for-10 on Friday and Saturday with two strikeouts, with the one hit being a single. The left-handed hitting center fielder has put up gaudy numbers this season (.406/.478/.667), but the swing has been described by many as awkward, and there are concerns about where he'll end up playing in the field.
"[Zimmer] wasn't at his best this weekend, but I'm not too concerned," an AL area scout said. "He's been so hot lately that he was bound to have a couple of games that didn't go his way, that's just how baseball works. I still think he's the best collegiate bat in this year's class, and if I were a director picking in the top 10 I'd give him strong consideration."