Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Rays 5th Round Pick - 169th Overall: Jeff Malm

We are knocking this out of the park. If we sign these guys.

BaseballAmerica:
The first thing out of everyone's mouth when talking about Malm is some variation of: "That guy can hit." Few high school players in the draft have a better track record of performance than Malm, who does it from the left side. Everywhere he goes, he hits, whether it's as the youngest player on the USA Baseball junior national team—where he saw more time at first base than Eric Hosmer—or as the only underclassman at the 2007 Cape Cod High School Classic. Playing for one of the nation's top high school teams, Malm was leading the state of Nevada with 15 home runs heading into the playoffs. The question is whether he will be able to hit for the same power with a wood bat. At a soft-bodied 6-foot-3 and 225 pounds, he's limited to first base and will need to produce power. He has a good arm—sitting at 87-89 mph as a pitcher—but can't play the outfield. As a lifelong Southern California fan with a long personal relationship with head coach Chad Kreuter, Malm's commitment to the Trojans is strong.

8 comments:

  1. I have been told by some of the coaches/instructors in extended spring training that they are telling their scouts to be agressive in signing players, to fill the Princeton/GCL roster. So I would assume this guy would sign.

    Great draft so far!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Jeff Malm....a young Travis Haffner type hitter who is better defensively.

    ReplyDelete
  3. The first time I saw Jeff play was when he was 6 years old. Wrist bands on his forearms, batting gloves out of both pockets. He looked the part. I was fortunate to have coached him as a 8 through 11 year old. My nickname for him was ICE. Twice as a 10 year old he came into the game with bases loaded and no body out and got out of it. It has been a pleasure to watch him grow and to watch him all the way to Cooperstown.
    This is a very special ballplayer.

    ReplyDelete
  4. there is no doubt about it, this kid can flat out hit. You will all see

    ReplyDelete
  5. Question to Vic Poma, Do you know if his dad's name is Doug?

    We share the same last name, and while I haven't been in contact with my dad's side of the family in probably 16 years, I have an uncle who lives in Vegas, and it's possible this guy could be my cousin. Not sure if you'd know...

    ReplyDelete
  6. I had the pleasure of coaching Jeff at Lone Mountain Little League. Despite his talent that stood head and shoulders over his teammates, he most impressed me by his even-tempered demeanor and never displayed a cocky attitude. I wish him well on his MLB journey.

    ReplyDelete
  7. If I remember correctly, his Dad's name is Chris.

    ReplyDelete
  8. His dads name is Chris for sure.

    ReplyDelete