A scouting report

John Sickels of MinorLeagueBall.com was at a few games of the series in Burlington and he put together a few thoughts on the Rattlers he saw.

Here are a few of those jottings.

First up, the pitching tandem going tonight for the Rattlers.

Evan Frederickson, LHP: Supplemental first round pick out of the University of San Francisco in 2008. Big huge guy, listed 6-6, 240. Pitched three innings of relief on the sixth. Fastball ranged between 88 and 93 MPH, with lots of movement. Also had a big breaking hard curveball. He had problems commanding both pitches, due to mechanical problems; his delivery wasn't the same from pitch to pitch, hampering his command. 4.55 ERA with 55/42 K/BB in 59 innings this year, with 61 hits. You have to like the arm strength and his size, but he needs a lot of refinement.

and

Wily Peralta, RHP: Signed out of the Dominican Republic in 2006. Peralta pitched four innings on the sixth, allowing four hits and two earned runs. He had the best stuff of anyone in the series, hitting a consistent 93-95 MPH. Scouts told me they'd seen him as high as 98 earlier in the year. He has a decent slider, but his changeup needs work, and his overall command is erratic. There's some effort in his delivery, and that (plus the changeup issue) may make him a reliever in the long run, though he definitely has enough stuff to close if the bullpen is his eventual destination. 3.48 ERA with an 86/22 K/BB in 67 innings this year, 59 hits. . .excellent K/IP mark reflects the plus stuff.

Plus:

Brett Lawrie, 2B: 2008 first round pick, hitting .264/.351/.459 with 14 steals this year. He had a frustrating series, going 1-for-9, hitting a couple of noisy fly ball outs, but also hitting a couple of foul balls that would have been in the stands in most parks, but were outs in Burlington. This left him visibly frustrated, loudly cursing his luck in the dugout to where everyone in the stadium can hear. Scouts weren't surprised, saying he has an "intense" personality. Lawrie hits from an open stance, makes a good effort to work the count, handled both fastballs and breaking stuff well, and had the best bat speed of anyone in the series. His play at second base was OK; he caught what he got to, and showed decent range to his left, but his range to the right was less impressive. He doesn't LOOK anything like a second baseman, due to his thick strong legs, and the scouting consensus among observers is that he'll end up in left field eventually. Despite his muscular build, his running speed is above average.

click the link up top for the rest.