re: 2016 & 2017 LSU Baseball Recruiting Class (Added Pearson)

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Read reports where he was hitting as high as 98 as a junior but topped out at 94 as a senior and has scouts worried.

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“It registered three digits up there,” Bushnell said of the 100 mph heat Pint posted three times. “I didn’t want to look up there; I was scared to look. But I looked up the first time and I saw the century (mark) up there.”

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Riley Pint is a special high school pitcher. The 6-4 195 lb Pint went 3-2 with a 3.19 ERA as a freshman in 2013. A year later he went 8-0 with a 2.58 ERA as a sophomore in 2014. In 2015, he went 5-2 with a 2.20 ERA before winning the Gatorade High School Player of the year in baseball. Pint was the first player to win Gatorade High School Player of the year before his senior season which speaks volumes about him. Pint pitched his season opener yesterday and pitched 7 innings in a 12-0 victory over Blue Valley North on the road by pitching a complete game only allowing 1 hit. St. Thomas Aquinas hosts Blue Valley North in their home opener in 6 days, and it would not surprise me if Pint started again with 6 days to rest before the teams second game of the season. St. Thomas Aquinas is 16-1 this season with Pint going 10-1 in those starts with some scouts saying that Pint could surpass Groome to be the top pick now with all the momentum he's maintained. St. Thomas Aquinas is now 18-4 after starting the year 16-1. Pint is now 10-4 rather than being 10-1. His 2.01 ERA which was a career best has now skyrocketed up to 3.40 after 3 consecutive losses. Pint has a 98 mile per hour 4-seam and 2-seam fast ball that is just as effective as Alec Hansen's fastballs. Pint also displays an 82 mile per hour knuckle curveball and an 85 mile per hour changeup that is 30 miles faster than the 55 mile per hour fastball by Alec Hansen. Unlike Hansen, Pint can get on base as a batter. Pint has a .325 batting average when stepping up to the plate which is phenomenal for a pitcher. Pint's knuckle curveball could develop into a slider. He lacks the upper body strength to be an effective starting pitcher at this point, but that will change as he develops over the next few years. His velocity and pitching accuracy needs to improve. He's inconsistent with his delivery and doesn't always throw the ball in the right locations. Still, despite this, Pint is the second best prospect in the 2016 MLB Draft. Pint improved his command and pitching accuracy this season. His velocity decreased in 2016 which is why his fastball has maxed out at 94 miles per hour in 2016 after posting a 98 mile per hour fastball in 2015. That's why Pint's draft stock is taking a slight hit. Pint should still be a top 10 or possibly a top 5 pick. He won't go in the top 2. Atlanta and Colorado are the earliest possible landing spots for Riley Pint.

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So do we not have a catcher in the 2016 class now? Or is Nick Coomes that guy?

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After a solid summer on the showcase circuit, Hess matched up against top Draft prospect Braxton Garrett at the National High School Invitational and held his own. While his stuff hasn't been as sharp all spring, he's impressed with arm strength. Whether he can be signed away from LSU remains to be seen. Hess was up to 97 mph in the early stages of the spring season in Virginia after his NHSI performance. His velocity backed up a little, but he should have at least an above-average fastball in the future. He combines it with a good hard slider. He hasn't shown much of a changeup, but he also hasn't needed it in high school. He has a bulldog mentality and goes right after hitters, getting plus marks for his makeup. The biggest concern with Hess is about his delivery, which features a serious head-whack. If you like him, you might compare him to Max Scherzer and think it will work. If not, you think he's a future reliever. More than likely, it's something teams will consider after three years in Baton Rouge.

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