Rule Change...What does it mean?

This was in the Everett Herald on Saturday and I wanted to get to it at some point. Mainly because it may affect the Rattlers in the players that may come to Appleton after the 2008 draft.

New NCAA rule puts scouts in a jam

With the holidays behind them, this is the month when baseball scouts usually hit the road to evaluate college players for the June draft.

Not this year.

Because of a rules change by the NCAA, the college season won't start until Feb. 22. That's about a month later than many schools -- especially those in the warm-weather states -- have opened their seasons in the past.

That means the scouts have less time in an already tight schedule to prepare their reports for the draft.

"The Arizona schools would start playing in January, but the NCAA thought it was a disadvantage to the Northern teams," said Jim Fitzgerald, who scouts the Northwest for the Mariners. "It doesn't give us a lot of time. Usually we could pick off a few schools in January and February."

Also in the article is this bit about ex-Rattler Caesar Jimenez ('03)

Jimenez unbeaten: The most impressive Mariners pitcher in winter ball has been left-hander Cesar Jimenez, who is 4-0 with a 0.77 ERA in 21 relief appearances for Lara.

Jimenez pitched in 16 games last year for Class AAA Tacoma after coming back from elbow surgery and could compete for a spot in the Mariners' bullpen at spring training.

"He's left-handed and he's been to the big leagues, so I don't see why not," said Greg Hunter, the Mariners' director of minor league operations.

While not considered a true left-handed specialist, Jimenez has held left-handed hitters to a .083 average in winter ball.

"He doesn't have the real true left-on-left breaking ball to be that kind of guy, but he's got a really good changeup," Hunter said. "A lot of it depends on what happens with our whole staff."