Texas Twin

One addition to what I wrote above about Ellwanger. This anecdote speaks to his character and makeup, which I believe are a not-so-unimportant element of a pitcher’s success. It so happens that I am also a high school baseball coach, and because of the connection with Ellwanger, I brought a bunch of my guys to one of his starts and we agreed to meet after the game so that he could address my team and they could ask him some questions. I would have to look it up, but his start—granted against a Western Kentucky team that was among the hottest in college baseball at the time—was probably his worst outing of the year. Something like 3.2 innings and 6 ER. One can imagine that the last thing he wanted to do after a disappointing outing was come out and talk to a bunch of 15- and 16-year-olds. And yet, he came out, and talked with my team. Not only that, he devoted at least 15-20 minutes to my players, answered some of their questions, and gave them some advice. Was extremely gracious and generous with his time and knowledge.

Pretty fair evaluation, though I have to disagree that he has a “lean frame.” I live in Dallas, go regularly to DBU games, and saw Ellwanger start two games this year. I have a personal connection (his brother just graduated from the university where I teach), and so I talked with James quite a bit in person. He is very well built, strong, and has a thick lower half. I’m not a small man and he made me look tiny. I would guess that he already weighs much more than the listed 205. He is also one of the nicest young men you will ever meet and comes from a great family. IIRC he was the no. 2 rated pitcher in Texas coming out of high school. Fastball is electric. His struggles were (1) locating it at times, and (2) finishing hitters with his curveball. The last time I saw him start the off-speed got hit hard at least three times. All in all I think it’s a solid 3rd round pick. Will have to develop his other pitches to start but maybe best profiles as a high-octane reliever.

Pretty fair evaluation, though I have to disagree that he has a “lean frame.” I live in Dallas, go regularly to DBU games, and saw Ellwanger start two games this year. I have a personal connection (his brother just graduated from the university where I teach), and so I talked with James quite a bit in person. He is very well built, strong, and has a thick lower half. I’m not a small man and he made me look tiny. I would guess that he already weighs much more than the listed 205. He is also one of the nicest young men you will ever meet and comes from a great family. IIRC he was the no. 2 rated pitcher in Texas coming out of high school. Fastball is electric. His struggles were (1) locating it at times, and (2) finishing hitters with his curveball. The last time I saw him start the off-speed got hit hard at least three times. All in all I think it’s a solid 3rd round pick. Will have to develop his other pitches to start but maybe best profiles as a high-octane reliever.