The following is a list of players who I have designated "players to watch". Those eligible to be on this list are not necessarily the best players, but rather those who have a combination of talent, web buzz, good stats, or interesting background. There are also a few "peripheral vision" picks afterward, these are just a few guys who also caught my eye but, for one reason or another, I didn't have as much to say about. So here goes nothing...
RHP Chris Garrison
Oregon
Sophomore - 6'4" 180lb
There's a lot of stuff that I like about Garrison. For one, he played in the Northwoods League last season and did pretty good -- 2.03 ERA, .193 BAA -- and I always love to see guys from other summer leagues come up and see how they stack up. Second, he apparently sat out all of 2010, which introduces some variables. Will he be too rusty to be effective? Or will he be well rehearsed and ready to get back on the hill? Third, he was a draft pick of the Baltimore Orioles in 2008, so someone has already felt that he's had pro potential. There are lots of questions and lots of upside with this kid, so it'll be fun to see how he handles the great white north.
IF Trevor Hairgrove
UC Riverside
Junior - 6'0" 175lb
OK, I hate to beat a dead horse here, but one of the main reasons I want to see Hairgrove back up in AK this summer is to see if he's managed to tame his glove a little bit after last year's unflattering defensive performance. He got off to a fast start in the errors department with Riverside this spring but it looks like he reigned it in a little bit coming down the stretch, and I want to see what he can do on the new Mulcahy turf. I know he's got a bit of a chip on his shoulder and he's eager to get up here and show us all that the Hairgrove we saw in 2009 is not what we should expect in 2010. The kid's got too much talent to be overshadowed by last year's E's, and I know he's hungry, so let's see what he's got.
RHP Tom Jameson
Nevada Reno
Freshman - 6'6" 210lb
Here's a guy who came on to a D1 program as a freshman, said "hey guys, I'm not going to redshirt, I'm not going to sit on the bench, I'm not going to throw out of the pen" and forced his way into the starting rotation. And did a pretty good job of it. His pretty decent stats only tell part of the tale; you won't read on there about how Jameson kept his team in the WAC tournament with 7.2 perfect innings, that he's a mean competitor and will probably only get better. I think he'll come up to AK ready to put on a stellar pitching performance this year.
RHP Joe Sawicki
Northern Colorado
Junior - 6'6" 215lb
Sawicki is the "crafty veteran" of the bunch this year; as an '87 he's the elder statesman of the clubhouse (I'm joking, but it still makes me feel old to say that). Not that the Pilots are bringing him on board merely for his leadership skills. Would you delegate a conference Pitcher of the Year who nailed down his team's front-line starter spot with a 9-2 record, 3.06 ERA, .244 BAA to the moral support role? No. Sawicki could be the ace of the staff.
Peripheral Vision:
IF Clay Cederquist
LHP Tom Harlan
IF Kevin Lusson -- Brother of former Buc Kyle Lusson
RHP Derek Speigner -- Went out with the Goldpanners' "Midnight Sun" barnstorming tour last year
With that out of the way, the Oilers have released their 2010 roster. Which means that their Players to Watch should be coming soon!
The Catcher Garrison has a Major League Arm , His throw downs are beating his infielders to the bag. Wow!
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