Flash Forward Draft 2011 Jack Armstrong JR Vanderbilt

A lot of times when you hear about the son of a successful major leaguer (from the money era) you can assume the kid is spoiled. But, by all accounts Armstrong has not taken advantage of his privileged upbringing (so a tip of the hat to his parents) He is described as a hard worker on and off the field and is a good student. He was a division one prospect in basketball, and at 6’6 he can do a back flip with ease.

His dad pitched for several teams and was a number one draft pick of the Reds in 1987 and started the All Star Game for the National League in 1990. However, he was out of the game before he reached 30.

Jack Jr. throws very hard and sits in the mid 90′s with a solid change up and curve. He throws a fastball with a nice sink. His father (I don’t know if this is because his career ended prematurely) has not let his son throw a slider for fear of an injury.

He was a prized prospect coming out of high school and the Rangers took him in the draft and offered him a million to sign but he chose to go to Nashville. His first year he was buried behind a veteran staff and only pitched in 6 games (all relief) going 0-0 with a 12.91 e.r.a But in the summer he shined for his dad’s old Cape Cod team Wareham as he was league all star going 4-1 with a 2.57 e.r.a and 31 k’s in 35 IP. His dad was a tall pitcher but Jack jr. reminds me of Chris Young of the Padres.

He is 5-0 with a 3.43 e.r.a as the Sunday starter for the 26-8 Commodores with 30 k’s and 16 walks in 44 IP. He will be a high draft pick in 2011 and the Vanderbilt squad will have 3 of the top players in the draft next year in fellow P Sonny Gray and 3B Jason Esposito.

I know you want to see scouting video…and you can find plenty of him but I chose this for a reason…I have seen several videos of the Vanderbilt squad and they seem very close…I love the college game and these kids seem to enjoy being teammates…Plus, you see his athleticism with this