AIAA COLLEGE BASEBALL UPDATE
May 6, 1929
STOUT OR BARRELL?
There is little doubt that the top team this season in the AIAA is the Rainier College Majectics. The Majestics are 26-6 on the season and have opened up a 5 game lead on defending AIAA champion Lubbock State in the Western Collegiate Division. Those 26 wins are four better than the next highest squad in the entire college ranks.
The Majestics offense is barely average and lacks star power with only senior 1B Ed Jordan (.312,4,20) hitting above .300 and the majority of the everyday lineup hitting under .250. However, it is on the mound where they truly are majestical. Rainier College has allowed just 93 runs in 32 games. The next best team in college baseball has surrendered 139 runs.
A huge reason for that frugality has been the pitching of Chick Stout. The Southwick, Massachusetts native had a decent season a year ago, posting a 4-3 record with a 2.44 era and 1.00 WHIP in 11 starts but what he has done this season, in his draft year, has been nothing short of dominating. Stout is 8-0 with a 1.09 era and a league leading 0.70 WHIP, which if the season ended today would be the 4th lowest WHIP of all time. Interestingly enough, the record is a 0.64 WHIP set a year ago by Stout's teammate Stan Merendino.
The Majestics do play half their games in a fairly pitcher friendly park but the numbers being posted by Stout on the road are nearly as strong as what he has done at Majestics Field.
The question for big league scouts is has Stout shown enough that perhaps he, and not highly touted Georgia Baptist two-way star Tom Barrell, should be the first selection in next December's draft. I am sure the two will be compared plenty of times between now and draft day but let's break down the body of work for each of them.
Stout is a 5'11" righthander who has been pretty consistent in his 3 years at Rainier College. He went 8-1, 2.01 as an 18 year old rookie with a 1.05 WHIP and a 254 era+. His numbers were off slightly a year ago, going 4-3, 2.44 with 167 ERA+ but a little better WHIP at 1.00, primarily because he cut down on his walks but with that his strikeouts also dropped slightly. This year he has taken over as the Majestics ace and been dominant. Looking at the image below, one thing that jumps out at me is Stout has pitched 219 innings of college ball without allowing a single homerun.
Barrell is also a 5'11" righthander who has grown up in the spotlight as part of the famous Barrell clan. Born in Brooklyn but raised in Georgia he followed his older brother Fred's to Georgia Baptist. Both Fred and a younger brother, Bobby, were first round draft picks and Tom is sure to join them in that regard. Due to his February birthdate, Tom is one of the few players who had 4 years of college before he would become eligible for the FABL draft.
Looking below you can see his pitching numbers are quite comparable to Stout's career line. What does set Barrell apart is his talent at the plate and has caused some scouts to consider that he could become a dominant power hitting 1B-OF in addition to his prowess on the mound.
Either way, it is hard to imagine a team going wrong by choosing either of the two first overall. It is a credit to the effort this season of Stout, a performance which has made Barrell going first overall not the foregone conclusion it seemed to be prior to the season starting.
Here is a quick look at the 5 college divisions.
WESTERN COLLEGIATE: With a 5 game lead and an seemingly unbeatable pitching staff, Rainier College is running away with the division. Lubbock State is trying to keep pace, winning 7 straight including a shutout of Rainier College on Saturday before falling 6-3 to the Majestics yesterday. The two schools still have 3 games head-to-head remaining.
MIDWESTERN COLLEGIATE: Chicago Poly rebounded from a recent 4 game losing skid by taking 3 of 4 to end the week including a pair over Whitney College. Central Ohio is a game and a half back with the Aviators invading the Windy City for two with the Panthers this week. Freshman 2B Freddie Jones is leading the AIAA with a .508 batting average for Central Ohio but that may suffer a bit as he is currently battling a nagging shoulder injury.
SOUTHERN COLLEGIATE: A big showdown this week as first place Opelika State hosts second place Georgia Baptist in a 2 game series. Both schools have been hot of late with the Wildcats winning 9 of their last 11 and the Gators 8 of 10. Tom Barrell pitched a 4-hit shutout yesterday so likely won't get a start in the series.
ACADEMIA ALLIANCE: The most crowded race in the AIAA with four teams separated by just 2 games and two others within 4.5 of first place George Fox. Senior CF Amos Leblanc is quietly making scouts take notice. After two average seasons, the 20 year old from Clinton, Michigan is having a breakout 1929. He leads the NE Conference in batting with a .466 average and stolen bases with 15.
NORTHEAST COLLEGIATE: Vic Crawford (..366,21,56) had himself a week for Commonwealth Catholic. The senior outfielder hit 5 homers last week and now leads the AIAA in that category. His club could only win 3 of 5 games during the week and remains in third in the NE Collegiate Division, trailing co-leaders St Patrick's and Liberty College by 2.5 games.
Here are the updated top 10 rankings:
Code:
TOP TEN RANKINGS REC LW
1- Rainier College Majestics 26-6 1
2- Opelika State Wildcats 22-10 3
3- Liberty College Bells 21-11 2
4- Georgia Baptist Gators 20-12 7
5- Lubbock State Hawks 21-11 4
6- St Patrick's Shamrocks 21-11 10
7- George Fox Reds 20-12 NR
8- Chicago Poly Panthers 20-11 5
9- Central Ohio Aviators 19-13 NR
10-Henry Hudson Explorers 18-13 NR
DROPPING OUT OF TOP 10
Brunswick College Knights 18-14 6
Pierpont Purple 17-15 8
Ellery Bruins 18-14 9