A year ago, left-handed pitcher Stephen Tarpley was named a freshman All-American at the University of Southern California. Today, he’s an Oriole after being drafted in the third round earlier this month and signing for a cool $525,000.
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However, Tarpley took a detour in his path to the Orioles. Tarpley posted a 3.22 ERA in 78.1 innings with 67 strikeouts in his freshman year at USC, but spent his second year of college ball at Scottsdale Community College after leaving Los Angeles. So what was Tarpley doing looking for a new school? Wouldn’t USC be looking forward to having him as a weekend starter for two years before sending him off to a professional organization? Tarpley, though, was reportedly asked to leave USC after his freshman year due to off-field issues.
“He was 18 years old and he was on his own for the first time,” Scottsdale head coach Alex Cherney said of Tarpley’s time at USC.
Tarpley, now 20, found his way to Scottsdale for a multitude of reasons, according to Cherney. Colton Thomson, a fellow lefty and a friend of Tarpley’s, was a part of the Scottsdale program in 2012 and told Tarpley about the program. Tarpley, an Arizona native, also wanted to be near home in the short-term due to health problems that his father was experiencing. Tarpley also wanted to play pro ball; Scottsdale’s status as a junior college allowed him to enter the draft two years removed from high school rather than three.
At Scottsdale, Tarpley struck out 108 and walked 40 in 92 innings pitched while posting a 2.35 ERA and allowing just 62 hits. “He’s incredibly talented,” Cherney said. “He’s got some velocity.”
Tarpley’s repertoire includes a fastball that he sits at 91-92 mph with but can touch 94-95, along with a curveball, changeup and slider, according to Cherney. Cherney believes that the curveball will be Tarpley’s best pitch down the road, but Tarpley didn’t command the pitch the way he wanted to this spring.
Cherney said that Tarpley’s “mechanics improved a bit” with Scottsdale, but he still has a stiff landing leg that he believes the Orioles will be able to fix. Cherney also thinks that Tarpley, listed at 6-foot-2 and 190 pounds, still has some physical maturation left.
Interestingly, Cherney pointed out that Tarpley only began pitching late in high school, so he’s only been pitching for about three full years.
“Having not pitched a ton works for and against him at times,” said Cherney, who added that Tarpley will “learn more about his craft” in the future but that “there isn’t nearly as much mileage on his arm as most kids his age.”
As for the rumblings about Tarpley’s makeup, Cherney isn’t concerned.
“There is some incredible depth to his character,” said Cherney, who noted that Tarpley worked well with and was a “great friend” to his teammates at Scottsdale. “He really is a terrific human being.”
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Drew Dosch was drafted by the Orioles in the seventh round of the draft, but is sidelined due to recent knee surgery and has not yet signed with the club. When Dosch was healthy this year, he was one of the few bright spots on a Youngstown State squad that finished 14-43.
Dosch, 21, played third base every game for head coach Steve Gillispie and hit .338/.434/.488 in 201 at-bats and led the Horizon League in walks with 36. Dosch hit .326/.377/.537 with eight homers in 175 at-bats in the wood bat Cape Cod League last summer.
“The one [tool] that stand out the most is the bat,” Gillispie said. “He just has a fantastic eye at the plate.”
Gillispie said that Dosch’s power numbers were down from 2012 – a year in which he slugged .527 – because he was a targeted man in Youngstown State’s lineup due to a lack of protection around him. Nevertheless, Gillispie thinks the power is in there. Gillispie graded Dosch’s power as a 50 or 55 on the scouting scale and thought Dosch’s eight homers on the Cape showed off some of that power.
Dosch has good hands at third base with an average arm, but his arm action is a little long, according to Gillispie. Dosch is also “a little step short from what might be expected range-wise” at third.
Listed at 6-foot-2 and 190 pounds, Dosch “really improved his body” from the time he stepped on campus, resulting in more agility, speed and power, according to Gillispie.
“He lives it,” Gillispie said. “He was just a sponge.”
Dosch was Baseball America’s 131st-ranked player in the draft.
Luke Jackson was born and raised in the Baltimore area and currently lives in College Park, Md. Jackson is a May 2013 graduate from the University of Maryland with a B.S. in broadcast journalism. Luke was the programming director at WMUC Sports and broadcasted Maryland football, basketball and baseball, among other sports.