University of North Carolina Athletics
Baseball Hosts Major League Scouts
October 9, 2001 | Baseball
Oct. 9, 2001
By: Travis R. Everette, Carolina Baseball
**Please note that the term "draft eligible" is used several times throughout this article. Major League Baseball draft rules dictate that once a player attends a four-year institution such as UNC, they are not eligible to be drafted until the first draft after they turn 21 years of age. This usually equates to after their junior season of college baseball**
The fall practice season is winding down at Boshamer Stadium for Carolina Baseball, and that usually means two things are close at hand: the Fall World Series and Scout Day. With their traditional fall practice-closing scrimmages known as the Fall World Series beginning on Thursday, the Heels donned their uniforms and worked out for scouts from Major League Baseball on Monday afternoon.
With over 40 scouts from in attendance, every single Major League organization was represented on Monday. They were able to time all UNC position players in the 60-yard dash, watch a round of batting practice, and see a full team scrimmage in order to display the Tar Heel pitching corps in game situation.
The interest from professional baseball in Carolina's players is particularly high this season for a couple of different reasons. With nine draft eligible players on the squad (Mell Adams, Russ Adams, Scott Autrey, Ryan Blake, Sean Farrell, Adam Greenberg, Sammy Hewitt, Chris Maples, and Chad Prosser), the Tar Heels promise to be fertile draft ground when June comes around. The interest level is further spiked by some of the recognition that UNC players have received over the past few months. Several Tar Heels were among Baseball America's top 30 list of prospects in the Cape Cod Summer League, including the league's Most Outstanding Pro Prospect, Russ Adams, and sophomore LHP Daniel Moore. Carolina also boasts the 2000 ACC Rookie of the Year in centerfielder Adam Greenberg.
TarHeelBlue.com was able to catch up with Supervisor of Scouting for the Cincinnati Reds, Steve Kring. Kring was nice enough to stay around for a few minutes after the event to give us an inside glimpse into his thoughts on what he saw at Boshamer. His comments follow.
THB: Overall, what did you think of what you saw today?
SK"I was very impressed. I thought North Carolina did a fantastic job of running this and the kids were just outstanding. It was the most organized of any school I've seen. Everything flowed very quickly and naturally, and the coaches did a great job of making sure that we got to see not only the (draft) eligible kids, but the younger ones as well."
THB: What struck you most during the today's event?
SK: "The amount of hustle out there, no doubt. They ran every single ball out all day long, and everybody on that field knew exactly what their role was."
THB: Could you comment on some of the strengths of this UNC team?
SK: "Well, the first thing you have to say is that they've got great team speed and a very solid defensive infield corner to corner. On the mound, we saw just a ton of really good arms today. Coach Williams has done a really good job of meshing lefties and righties and I think they have a great mix of power and finesse. And don't forget the catchers. I haven't seen so many solid catchers on one college team in a long time. They don't lose a thing when they move the junior (Blake) to first and put the younger kid (Braun) in there."
THB: You mentioned the pitching staff. Compare this Carolina staff to others that you have seen this year?
SK: "I'd have to say that having seen every team in the ACC this fall as well as almost every other major Division I squad, that this was probably one of the two best (pitching) staffs I've seen this year."
THB: Do you have any other thoughts on what you've seen here today?
SK: "I was just very impressed. The coaches here have done a nice job with recruiting solid players, especially in their own state. This is a very good college baseball team."
