Scouts' views: observations and opinions from major league scouts

Sporting News, The, June 14, 2004

National League pitchers are making the same mistakes with Sean Casey that American League pitchers did with David Ortiz last year. They keep throwing the ball right to his power zone, down and in. And Casey is not missing.... Barry Larkin might be 40, but it looks like he has somehow taken five to seven years off his age.

He's making good plays in the field. He's swinging the bat pretty good. And he's a smart player. He has resurrected himself.... Shea Hillenbrand is kind of one-dimensional for the D-backs. He would be more attractive to an A.L. team than an N.L. team. He's not very good in the field wherever you put him.... Royals rookie Zack Greinke never overthrows a pitch. His stuff is just average. But his control is going to be above-average. He reminds me of Catfish Hunter.... The Pirates' Mike Gonzalez is a power lefthanded reliever. He throws as hard as Norm Charlton did, and he has a nasty slider that bores in on righthanders.... Billy Koch is 100 percent better than he was a year ago. He was lost last season, and now he's at least back to throwing 92 to 94 mph. But he's so long in his delivery, guys can pick him up easily.... Kevin Millwood is just not a good athlete. He teeters on the line between good and bad. He can go through a streak where he's really good. But it's difficult for him to sustain it. ... The Padres' Brian Lawrence is a Paul Byrd clone. He doesn't throw as hard as Byrd, but he knows how to pitch. As long he keeps the ball down, that ballpark in San Diego is the perfect ballpark for him to pitch in.