=== Throwing ===
You can see the accuracy, and for sure you can see the instincts and excellent field vision, especially for his age.
The kid is the very definition of pop time on the front end -- clocked time to get rid of the ball -- but I didn't see this power arm they credit him with.
Against high schoolers, Baron was so incredibly fast into the throw that he essentially just flicked the ball around the bases. It's a little tougher to flick a throw (or a punch) and get anything behind it. Baron was exactly over-rotating his shoulders there.
I'll take the scouts' word for it, but I'd like to see vids in which Baron gets rid of the ball that fast while rotating his shoulders more. I suppose there's no reason he couldn't.
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Bottom line there, Dr. D old man .... Baron gunned down 14 of 26 runners in his first taste of pro ball.
Guess that one's a non-issue.
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=== Hands ===
Obviously Baron has soft hands -- that means a fielder's mitt "gives" along the arc of the ball, as opposed to stabbing at it. In spring training, Baron has already gotten this reaction, that he's fun to throw to, since he "welcomes" the ball instead of fighting it.
It was curious how Baron routinely caught one-hoppers on his chest protector, actually moving his hands out of the way several times. I wonder if that was his HS coach, or something.
It added to the Ryan Miller effect - whatever part of your equipment gets to the ball, I guess. Johnny Bench did the opposite with his own soft hands: he'd snag one-hoppers outside his knees, with his mitt, SS-style.
Not saying Baron is wrong. It just looks weird, seeing somebody with terrific hands, avoiding the use of them. :- /
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=== Dr's Diagnosis Dept. ===
From his scouting vid, Baron reminds me of a more extreme version of Danny Wilson -- he's Wilson, only more so.
If Baron turned out to be Dan Wilson, then obviously that is way above par for the course on a #33 pick.
The bat's a mystery, but even so, SSI ups its BUY recommendation based on the video. The 2009 hitting numbers were gruesome; the man in the box is not.
You can see why he goes supplemental first as a teenager. Not many catchers as physically gifted as Baron.
My $0.02,
Dr D
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