Post by loucards on May 29, 2008 14:29:01 GMT -6
Doesn't look like he will make it to campus.
Telegram.com > Hometeam > Big Man on Campus
St. Peter-Marian 6-foot-7 senior left-handed pitcher Keith Landers, middle, is projected as a possible first-round pick in next month’s Major League Baseball Draft.
Big Man on Campus
MLB scouts hot on trail of SPM lefty Keith Landers
At a recent game at St. John’s Prep in Danvers, Guardians coach Peter Coyle estimated about 50 scouts were in attendance to watch Landers pitch, and for his start last week against Wachusett at St. Peter-Marian, space behind the backstop was hard to find. Landers, however, enjoys pitching under a microscope.
“It’s a little scary because (you’re facing) a good team and you have all those (scouts) watching you, so it’s like a double whammy,” Landers said. “It’s more pressure, but I like it. It gets me more fired up.”
So far, the only thing that seems certain is that Landers won’t have to wait long for his phone to ring. One area scout had him pegged as a possible late first-round pick, and others figure he won’t last much longer than that.
Each pitch Landers makes could be the difference between a team picking him early or letting him fall.
“I’d be lying to you if I said it didn’t bother me,” Landers said. “If I give up a run, I wonder what they’re writing down in their notebooks. But you can’t really let it affect you. You’re playing a baseball game and not specifically pitching for them.”
Landers is used to pitching on big stages, as the southpaw cut his teeth with the Jesse Burkett squad that made a run at the 2002 Little League World Series. He has also pitched in various summer showcases and even made a start at the Rogers Centre in Toronto last month. As his buzz grew, he knew many eyes would be on him for his senior season, but he had no idea it would be like this.
“You can’t really prepare yourself for it,” Landers said. “I think I’ve tried to be humble through all of it, I never wanted to be that kid who goes around saying, ‘I’m this and that’ because I don’t really like kids like that. I just want to go and play the game.”
Landers confessed to Googling himself on occasion to see what scouting reports and videos on him are out there, but he doesn’t make a habit of it. Landers added just because one report said his breaking pitches needed work doesn’t mean he’s going to be showcasing the pitch to disprove that notion.
“I look at that stuff, but I don’t look at it religiously every day,” Landers said. “Whatever happens kind of happens.”
What helps Landers deal with the pressure is the fact he has a baseball scholarship to the University of Louisville waiting for him if he chooses not to go pro.
“It’s a weight off my shoulders,” Landers said about his scholarship. “The worst thing that could happen is I go to a great college program.”
Last year, the New York Yankees selected pitcher Andrew Brackman with the last pick in the first round and signed him to a contract worth $4.5 million, including a $3.3 million signing bonus. Players selected in the first four rounds last year typically received signing bonuses in the six figures — which could make Landers balk at stepping foot on the Louisville campus in a few months.
On the other hand, Landers could feel that college could raise his draft stock. If he attends Louisville, Landers could be drafted again after his junior season. Former Auburn High standout Mike Paradis was picked in the seventh round by Oakland in the 1996 draft, but after four years at Clemson, he was selected 13th overall by Baltimore in 1999. That’s one of the many questions he and his parents, Bill and Terry, will go over in the near future.
“That’s the kind of thing you have to choose from, maybe I could up my stock in college, but maybe I could drop it,” Landers said. “It’s crazy. My dad and I have written all of this stuff down, it’s about 50-50 now.”
Landers will be joined by a few other Central Mass. players who could have their names called by major league teams, including Southern Connecticut State sophomore Jim Fuller of Marlboro, Assumption junior and former Holy Name second baseman Mike Baillargeon, former Holy Name and Worcester State slugger Nate Nelson and former Becker and Franklin Pierce center fielder Kevin Renaud of Southbridge.
Telegram.com > Hometeam > Big Man on Campus
St. Peter-Marian 6-foot-7 senior left-handed pitcher Keith Landers, middle, is projected as a possible first-round pick in next month’s Major League Baseball Draft.
Big Man on Campus
MLB scouts hot on trail of SPM lefty Keith Landers
At a recent game at St. John’s Prep in Danvers, Guardians coach Peter Coyle estimated about 50 scouts were in attendance to watch Landers pitch, and for his start last week against Wachusett at St. Peter-Marian, space behind the backstop was hard to find. Landers, however, enjoys pitching under a microscope.
“It’s a little scary because (you’re facing) a good team and you have all those (scouts) watching you, so it’s like a double whammy,” Landers said. “It’s more pressure, but I like it. It gets me more fired up.”
So far, the only thing that seems certain is that Landers won’t have to wait long for his phone to ring. One area scout had him pegged as a possible late first-round pick, and others figure he won’t last much longer than that.
Each pitch Landers makes could be the difference between a team picking him early or letting him fall.
“I’d be lying to you if I said it didn’t bother me,” Landers said. “If I give up a run, I wonder what they’re writing down in their notebooks. But you can’t really let it affect you. You’re playing a baseball game and not specifically pitching for them.”
Landers is used to pitching on big stages, as the southpaw cut his teeth with the Jesse Burkett squad that made a run at the 2002 Little League World Series. He has also pitched in various summer showcases and even made a start at the Rogers Centre in Toronto last month. As his buzz grew, he knew many eyes would be on him for his senior season, but he had no idea it would be like this.
“You can’t really prepare yourself for it,” Landers said. “I think I’ve tried to be humble through all of it, I never wanted to be that kid who goes around saying, ‘I’m this and that’ because I don’t really like kids like that. I just want to go and play the game.”
Landers confessed to Googling himself on occasion to see what scouting reports and videos on him are out there, but he doesn’t make a habit of it. Landers added just because one report said his breaking pitches needed work doesn’t mean he’s going to be showcasing the pitch to disprove that notion.
“I look at that stuff, but I don’t look at it religiously every day,” Landers said. “Whatever happens kind of happens.”
What helps Landers deal with the pressure is the fact he has a baseball scholarship to the University of Louisville waiting for him if he chooses not to go pro.
“It’s a weight off my shoulders,” Landers said about his scholarship. “The worst thing that could happen is I go to a great college program.”
Last year, the New York Yankees selected pitcher Andrew Brackman with the last pick in the first round and signed him to a contract worth $4.5 million, including a $3.3 million signing bonus. Players selected in the first four rounds last year typically received signing bonuses in the six figures — which could make Landers balk at stepping foot on the Louisville campus in a few months.
On the other hand, Landers could feel that college could raise his draft stock. If he attends Louisville, Landers could be drafted again after his junior season. Former Auburn High standout Mike Paradis was picked in the seventh round by Oakland in the 1996 draft, but after four years at Clemson, he was selected 13th overall by Baltimore in 1999. That’s one of the many questions he and his parents, Bill and Terry, will go over in the near future.
“That’s the kind of thing you have to choose from, maybe I could up my stock in college, but maybe I could drop it,” Landers said. “It’s crazy. My dad and I have written all of this stuff down, it’s about 50-50 now.”
Landers will be joined by a few other Central Mass. players who could have their names called by major league teams, including Southern Connecticut State sophomore Jim Fuller of Marlboro, Assumption junior and former Holy Name second baseman Mike Baillargeon, former Holy Name and Worcester State slugger Nate Nelson and former Becker and Franklin Pierce center fielder Kevin Renaud of Southbridge.