11/25/11

2012 Draft: - RHP Michael Wacha

      RHP       Michael Wacha

6-11-10: - http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20110608&content_id=20222396&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb&partnerId=rss_mlb Michael Wacha, RHP, Texas A&M: Wacha stepped up with John Stilson on the shelf to pitch A&M to a Super Regional. He'll be the staff ace in 2012.

7-8-10 from: - http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/college/awards/freshman-all-america-team/2010/2610312.html  - named to first team 2010 College Freshman team - (W L ERA G SV IP H BB SO BAA) - SP Michael Wacha, Texas A&M 9 2 2.90 25 1 106 86 22 97 .218


7-10-10 from: -
http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/baseball/news?slug=kr-freshmanaa070910  – Yahoo all freshman team - SP Michael Wacha - School: Texas A&M - Ht.: 6-6, Wt.: 195 - Hometown.: Texarkana, Texas. - High school: Pleasant Grove - The Aggies have a solid future on the mound with Wacha leading the way. He split time as a reliever and starter this season. He compiled an impressive 2.90 ERA in 105 2/3 innings. He also struck out 97 and walked 22 and limited teams to a .218 batting average.


Ranked #32 in the 2012 Prospects List compiled by the All-American Athletic Foundation http://allamericanfoundation.pointstreaksites.com/view/allamericanfoundation/news/mlb-2012-draft


                Tall with wide shoulders and some more room to add to frame

High 3/4 arm slot, high leg kick; whippy arm action

Fastball has big velocity on a downward plane with late arm side run

Fastball seemed to explode out of his hand early in the game but it wasn't quite as big of a pitch by the middle innings

Those that chased the fastball up out of the zone had little chance of catching up to it, but hitters put it in play when lower in the zone

Curve ball has a touch of two-plane break, 12-7 movement; good, consistent shape but lacked sharpness

Used his curve ball primarily as a surprise pitch to steal strikes early in the count; only threw about a handful in the outing

Change-up mirrors his fastball with late arm side fade and some drop

Change-up action was a bit inconsistent early but improved throughout the outing

Threw the change-up with authority, keeping his arm speed well; very good deception and proved to be his primary swing and miss pitch

Through the first 4 innings, Wacha's control was mediocre, rarely hitting his spots with the fastball and having it sail on him a number of times

Fastball induced a good bit of fly ball contact as a result of the poor command

In the 5th inning, he showed much better command of his fastball and change up, pounding the lower portion of the zone; ground balls and strikeouts started to prevail

Worked very quickly and attacked hitters even when he didn't have his good command

Pick off move is quick and compact despite his size



Comment: When his command is right, Wacha shows the ability to dominate with his fastball/change-up tandem with the curve ball strewn in irregularly. He moves both pitches around the zone well and looks completely in control. When the command isn't right, both pitches are still good enough offerings for him to get away with it. He does catch a bit too much of the plate at times, but I'd rather have that than a guy that nibbles. He's not quite on par with Gausman or Appel, but Wacha should be a highly drafted pitcher in the 2012 class.



6-21-11: - http://bullpenbanter.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=398:college-baseball-weekend-05-observations&catid=18:articles&Itemid=11 - Very tall, well built; still some projection  3/4 arm slot; easy, fluid arm action; turns shoulder to home plate a bit during delivery  Big fastball with arm side run and sink; overpowering in the early innings  Change up movement mirrors his fastball: arm side fade and drop  Slider had downward movement; threw one that had nice sharp break, others less so; had much less feel for pitch than FB/CH  Pounds the strike zone with fastball and change, challenging batters to put it in play; good command of both in the early innings  Change compliments fastball well, hides pitch  Command got a bit less crisp and fastball a bit less overpowering in the 4th (still got outs with pitch)  Still pounding the zone in the 7th inning, but FB & CH were getting squared up a bit more consistently  Slider movement degraded by the 8th

6-20-11: - http://bleacherreport.com/articles/740905-omaha-eye-openers-2012-mlb-draft-prospects-at-the-2011-college-world-series#/articles/740905-omaha-eye-openers-2012-mlb-draft-prospects-at-the-2011-college-world-series/page/7 - It might seem like A&M is the biggest surprise team, aside from maybe Cal, to make it into the final field of eight, but when you take into account the fact that they have arguably the top 2012 draft prospect in RHP Michael Wacha, it doesn’t seem that odd after all. What’s even harder to comprehend is how major league teams could have missed on Wacha when he was coming out of high school. He went undrafted, despite having an ideal frame (6'6", 180 lbs) and great athleticism (three-year letter-winner in basketball). It’s not likely that teams will miss on him in 2012, when he’s projected to be a first-round pick and potentially a top-10 selection.

7-21-11: - http://www.mockdraftmania.com - 14. Washington Nationals Michael Wacha P Texas A/M Wacha went 9-2 with a 2.90 ERA for Texas A/M as a freshman.  Wacha would be another prospect that the Nationals could add to their system.  Its scary to think what this Nationals rotation is capable of if Strasburg recovers while their 2011 draft picks like Alex Meyer and Matt Purke pan out.  I really don’t think Purke will sign because he wants a major payday.  Purke was a frontrunner to go #1 overall in 2011 before a major regression.

7-19-11: - http://www.mlbbonusbaby.com/2011/6/29/2250656/early-look-at-2012#comments – Michael Wacha, Texas A&M, 6’6 190, a bit funky with arm action in back swing but gets people out and will show low 90’s fb all the way into 9th inning, has upside to gain more strength and good pitchability, tough straight change that is plus and hard downer cb that will get better in time.

8-2-11: - http://bullpenbanter.com  -   I saw Texas A&M's Michael Wacha pitch in Newport against the NECBL's Gulls for the Team USA Collegiate National Team. Wacha is entering his Jr. season in the spring. Very impressive pitcher. Big kid (6'6", 195 lbs). Righthander. Works low 90's with a 2 seam FB that has a little arm side run... and his size gives reason to think he'll end up a few ticks higher. Best pitch is a diving CU. The grip looks like a circle change to me but action is down and tumbling with little/no screwball movement. He throws some filthy CUs in his pre game pen on this video. Wacha's breaking balls were sometimes loopy/slurvy, but he commanded the CB fairly well and can throw it for strikes. He keeps the ball in the strikezone and on the ground. Wacha is probably a 1st rounder in the 2012 MLB Draft and with a strong season I wouldn't be surprised to see him end up in the top 10.

11-4-11: - http://www.throughthefencebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-2012-free-agent-and-draft-pick-possibilities/13157/#  -  RHP Michael Wacha, 6’-6″, 210 lbs, Texas A&M — Wacha is another pitcher who could help the Cubs quickly. A power arm, he can dial it up to 96 mph with his 6’-6” frame. He has an outstanding change-up and a developing slider. Could be a future workhorse and top-of-the-rotation starter for the team.

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