This year we’ll be releasing our top 25 list in conjunction with the people over at Bernie’s Crew,
which means the list is going to posted somewhat out of order to match
up with what Jim has for his Top 25. An up-to-date list of the Between the Green Pillars Top 25 can be found at the bottom of the page.
Cody
Scarpetta / RHP / 6’3” 240 LBS / 8/25/88
Scarpetta was drafted by the Brewers in the 11th round
of the 2007 draft, but didn’t make his pro debut until 2008 because of a hand injury injury. He quickly established himself as a prospect to watch, splitting time between both rookie levels and eventually landing, with a thud, in the Hawaiian Winter League.
Scarpetta throws a low 90’s fastball that can touch 94 MPH at times, has a swing and miss curveball and, like most young pitchers, is working on developing a good changeup. He used that advanced stuff to strike out 58 batters in 36 1/3 innings between the two rookie levels, which is over a batter and a half per inning. That almost mind boggling performance was somewhat offset by his 16 walks, though that isn’t a terrible number for a young power pitcher who can create so many outs on his own. When hitters do put the ball in play off of him, they put it on the ground more often than not, and he held opposing hitters to a .203 batting average. As a result, he posted a 2.23 ERA between the two levels.
Whether it was a reward, a challenge or both, Scarpetta was sent to the Hawaiian Winter League. Facing more advanced competition, he still struck out well over a batter per inning, but both his walk and hit rate jumped through the roof. The result was a 8.03 ERA in a mere 12 1/3 innings. That isn’t a monumental setback by any means, but it does point the way towards where he needs to improve in 2009. He also needs to establish that he can shoulder the regular workload for a pitcher and simply stay healthy all year. If he does those things and maintains the wicked K rate, he could find himself towards the top of this list next season.
Between the Green Pillars Top 25 Prospects:
# 25: Evan Frederickson
# 24: Cody Adams
#23: Alex Periard
#22: Brent Brewer
#21: Brad Nelson
#20: RJ Seidel
#19: Tim Dillard
# 18: Seth Lintz
# 17: Efrain Nieves
#16: Erik Komatsu