Scouting Profile #1 Keith Fier

This is my first, and it could be my last scouting profile of collegiate and high school baseball players. A friend recommended I do this, so awwww here it goes...

Player Bio: Keith Fier #11, listed at 6-2 180, Shortstop for the Stony Brook University Sea Wolves. Born June 5th, 1986 in Armonk, New York. Son of Steve and Susan Fier. Steve was a die hard Mets fan and Keith shares the same first name as Mets legend Keith Hernandez on purpose. He has a younger sister Joanna Fier who goes by 'Jo' and plays volleyball at Hamilton. Went to Byram Hills High School in Armonk New York where he was a 4 year starter at shortstop for the Varsity. His freshman year in highschool he took over the heralded Bobcat shortstop position from future MLB draftee John Wolff. He was a two time member of the all-section team and was named to the all State team as a Senior being honored in as the Journal News Player of the Year in 2004, however with all that some felt he was snubbed as team captain. He also lettered all 4 years in Soccer. In the classroom Keith often found himself bored in and preferred to play games on his advanced graphing calculator. However, he showed off his intelligence with a variety of AP classes and accelerated Math and Science courses.

All of that led him to a scholarship at George Washington University in 2005. Things did not start nicely for Keith as the coach that had recruited him to be the star player he knew he could be left, and the remaining coach wasn't too fond with Keith. After redshirting his freshman year at GW he transferred to Stony Brook University where as a redshirt freshman in 2006 he hit .305 in 59 at bats in 22 games and 15 starts.

The promising 2006 campaign led to 2007 where Keith started in 54/55 games. He batted .253 in 170 at bats and showed off some speed stealing 13 bases in 17 attempts. a 15 game hit streak from April into May showcased some future talent. Now secure with a job with already 2 years of playing time under his belt, in 2008 Keith batted .282 in 131 at bats playing in 42 games 35 of them at short. Keith went a perfect 12-12 in steals, learning the little things of base stealing accompanying that with his lightening speed. There are no other hitting stats that would make your jaw drop, but Keith comes on where it matters most batting .400 in the NCAA Tempe Regional even going 2-3 with a RBI against 3rd ranked ASU.

Scouting: according to the baseball cube, they scout Keith by the following.

Scouting Report
Power:	1
Speed:	98
Contact:	86
Patience:	10

Keith has blistering speed, there is no denying this. Jose Reyes based on the same scouting scale also has a 98 speed to give you the kind of idea of the speed this kid has. With that speed, Keith has allowed himself to cut down on his strikeouts to put the ball in play and let his speed takeover. However, that hasn't allowed his patience at the plate to develop. He can foul off pitches and has a good nose of the zone, but too often Keith waits for the first good pitch to hit instead of waiting for the potential best pitch.

In high school Keith was a power hitter batting in the 3 or 4 slot in the lineup, where he actually showed good patience being one of 2 capable hitters on the team he often didn't get great pitches to hit. In College Keith hasn't been able to gain much power although he did hit his first home run in 2008. All is not lost in the power department however. Keith came in all sticks and bones, and now packing on some extreme muscle he should be able to find the gaps that with his speed will lead to extra base hits in bunches. If not, his speed will still make him more than a capable division one starter.

One minor concern for Keith comes in the injury department. Years of bad throwing motions in Armonk Little League led to a damaged shoulder that was repaired with some minor arthroscopic surgery this offseason. Keith says its fine and it shouldn't be an issue. However, with that Keith struggles with having some bad ankles. It isn't a glaring issue, and hasn't affected his speed yet obviously, but it's still important to note those issues.

Outlook:What's next for Keith? Well, as a 5th year senior the prospects of him getting drafted are not likely, but that doesn't mean he can't play professionally. One thing you can't teach is speed, and as I have told you Keith dominates that category. His athletic ability and speed allows him to be a good defender, and if the infield doesn't work out he could track fly balls all day if need be. A team would be stupid not to give this kid a shot to see how he could develop. He has the potential to be a plus defender at a variety of positions, and his speed and contact skills allow him to be good at the plate in those departments. This kid lives baseball and nothing would make him happier than to be able to make baseball a living. 2009 will be a crucial year for Keith as he plays his final year in college. All the tools are there and its now up to Keith to show 'em off. If he's not struggling his way along some minor league season next year or getting paid to play independent ball, I'll be shocked.