Eastern Pennsylvania college baseball scouting schedule

It’s nearly that time of year: baseball time. Opening day is April 4, with minor-league games starting shortly thereafter. That means you’re still nearly two months away from meaningful ball. Luckily, you have me to clue you in on some watchable stuff in the meantime. What I have here is a schedule of all the notable college prospects within reasonable driving distance of Eastern Pennsylvania. It’s a small geographical area and this post isn’t likely to net me hundreds of page views, but I made this schedule for myself as I look to get better at evaluating amateur prospects (vastly different than looking at minor leaguers) and figured it was worth sharing for anyone looking to do something similar. Here’s stuff you should know about this schedule:

• Be sure to check out the college’s athletics webpage a few days prior to attending these games. Game times change all the time due to weather or any number of external factors. You don’t want to drive for two hours and learn the game you planned on seeing is already half over because they moved the start time up to avoid a potential rain shower.
• The “DH” after the time denotes a double header.
• The number preceding the player’s name indicates his ranking as a prospect in his conference, according to Baseball America. So, Kyle Hansen is the #3 prospect in the Big East.
• If you’re trying to look at a pitcher, make sure you’re checking box scores to see what day of the week he’s pitching. The team’s best pitcher is likely to throw on Friday nights, but team’s with weird schedules and multiple pitching prospects might have an anomalous rotation.
• Moravian pitcher Brendan Close belongs on this schedule, but I live so close to campus that I can scoot over there any time I want. I don’t have a set date to see him for that reason. I’ll get to him when I have time. The same can be said for Joe Wendle.
• If you really feel like driving, Stony Brook outfielder Travis Jankowski is worth a look. He might go in the top 10. I’m open to suggestions as to how to easily get to Manhattan from Allentown. I really don’t want to drive there.