http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/View.aspx?article=697

"So far this spring, Paxton is 3-0, 3.86 in four starts, with 37 strikeouts and only 3 walks in 23 innings pitched. Included in that was a March 14 start against Louisiana State where Paxton matched up against the Tigers 2010 ace RHPAnthony Ranaudo. Both pitchers left after six innings in a game that LSU would eventually win 5-3, but not before Paxton struck out 14 against perhaps the top offensive unit in college baseball.

Now THAT'S not talking about a kid who is just hucking the ball down the middle in a cream puff conference. 

That's done with command in the zone - even if it's just a groove he was temporarily in at the time, it's a real good sign of what the M's have to work with there.

According to a scout who was at the game, Paxton pitched at 92-97 mph on his fastball with serious sinking life (“like he was throwing bricks up there”) from a low ¾’s release point reminiscent of Randy Johnson’s. His breaking ball was a nasty plus/plus 80-83 mph slurve with a big, sweeping break.

The bricks comment is awesome.  Mark Mulder used to throw like this.  Maybe he becomes the ML prototype that Paxton is attempting to reproduce.

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Low 3/4 ... huh.  :- /

Granted, the pictures seem to make it look that way, since Paxton doesn't lean over like Kershaw and Lincecum to get his arm up in the air.

But the video I've seen, Paxton gets on top of the ball extremely well, and I'd have called him an overhand lefty...

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Plus-plus breaking ball ... scouts don't like to throw around those big grades.  Paxton was obviously throwing an untouchable hook that day.

From the vids, Paxton's hammer looks like it is going to have excellent deception on it.  There are a lot of these lefties -- the young Barry Zito, for instance, where it is clearly impossible for the batters to pick up the pitch until very late.

Paxton's release looks like that to me.  FWIW.

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“Paxton was just an animal,” the scout related. “He’s a big, big kid and very physical on the mound. He was throwing just power, power stuff up there for six innings. I saw Matthew Purke (the top ranked HS prospect, also a LHP) earlier in the year and Kyle Gibson (the Missouri RHP, a projected top 10 pick) at the top of his game earlier in the week and neither compared to Paxton as far as raw stuff is concerned.”

Is this fun stuff or what?

Which raises the question, how did Paxton "slip" to #37, and then all the way to the 4th round this time.

The moment the M's took him, people were yelling about a likely coup... so why so MANY pass-a-deena's on him 3rd round?

Hm :- )

You're favorite word for him Doc - physical. ;) Now, the HS guys obviously had a chance to grow into better stuff...but Paxton was 20 at the time, no old soul himself.  He's only 22 NOW.  He's a year and a half older than Purke, but with only a handful more innings.  Purke will have thrown more innings than Paxton did in college by next month, most likely - and he's a sophomore.

And Purke threw more in HS than Paxton.

Paxtons' arm is the Real Deal. I hope he can hold up (had a minor back issue in his sophomore year in college) but I don't doubt the arm at all.  I think he's back to his college totals with that nasty, heavy ball.

I look forward to seeing it.

~G

Think it was McNamara's word :- ) but the term seems to be in vogue.

The difficult thing is to get a "physical" pitcher ... a burly guy who exudes aggression and macho and latent power and durability ...

And yet get him with a starter's rhythm into the bargain.  I mean, Troy Percival was off-the-charts physical, but max effort doesn't cut it in the rotation.

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Couldn't be happier with Mulder II.  Paxton is myyyyy kinda pitcher.