2008 Draft, Rd2, #75, Scott Bittle

Born: 27/08/1986
Height: 6′1″ Weight: 190 lbs
Position: RP
Throws: R
Transactions: Selected in 2nd round (75th overall) of 2008 draft out of University of Mississippi.

Video
MLB Scouting Video
http://mlb.mlb.com/media/player/mp_tpl_3_1.jsp?w_id=701864&w=/2008/open/draft/broll/br_bittle_joseph_400.wmv&mid=200805302799296&pid=gen_video&vid=11071&cid=mlb&v=2
ESPN
http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband/video/videopage?videoId=3412849

Photo
http://yankees.scout.com/PictureGallery.aspx?PlayerId=77133&Title=Scott%20Bittle

Pending Pinstripes
http://mvn.com/milb-yankees/2008/06/05/yankees-2nd-round-pick-scott-bittle/
Bittle is the closer for Mississippi, and put up nasty numbers this season, including a batting average against around .100, and 16.1 strikeouts per 9 innings. He was dominant primarily because of his nasty cutter, a pitch that he threw regularly in the high-80’s, but was unhittable. He also has a good change and a 4-seam fastball at 90-91, but he throws the cutter probably 80% of the time. I like this pick as a good bet to be a useful piece for the bullpen to be useful relatively soon. While Bittle doesn’t have the velocity to be a closer most likely, he could be a very good setup man, and improve his cutter even more by learning from Mariano Rivera. He is not a traditional bullpen prospect, but the fact that his cutter dominated metal bats in college is a good sign for future success against wood bats. Bittle was one of the guys I posted about in the days leading up to the draft. The Yanks have evidently been following him for a while, as they drafted him last year in the 48th round, and apparently, they liked what they saw from him this season.

River Ave. Blues
http://riveraveblues.com/2008/06/05/yanks-third-pick-75-overall-2984/
With their second round pick, the Yanks’ selected Scott Bittle, RHP, Mississippi
Scouting Report: Wrote him up here, so I’ll refer you to that (scroll all the way to the bottom). Here’s his scouting video.
My Take: I like the pick. Should move very fast as a power reliever. The cutter should eat wood bats alive.
Outlook: If the Yanks choose to be aggressive with him, they’ll send him to High-A Tampa for the rest of the year. Otherwise he’ll torment the NY-Penn League with Staten Island.

http://riveraveblues.com/2008/06/03/unsigned-gems-2732/
After a rather unspectacular career as a starter at Northeast Texas CC, Bittle transferred to Ole Miss his junior year and served a long reliever/swingman/part-time closer for the Rebels in 2007. The Yanks selected him late after posting a 2.79 ERA with a 59-17 K/BB ratio in 42 IP, but he chose not to sign and headed back to school for his senior year. Biddle has emerged as one of the most dominant relievers in the country this year, going 66.1 IP, 32 H, 13 R, 12 ER, 27 BB, 118 K, and leading the SEC (aka the toughest conference in the college baseball) in strikeouts as a reliever. He operates primarily off of a bane high-80s cutter that he throws 80-85% of the time, but he also mixes in a decent changeup. The cutter and his bulldog mentality have him close to ML ready, and a team not willing to drop its first rounder on one of the top college closers could snatch Biddle up in the 3rd or 4th round and have him in the bigs just as fast.

The Pinstripe Press
http://nyyankeesnews.blogspot.com/2008/06/rhp-scott-bittle-university-of.html
Statheads are quick to point out that Scott Bittle compares favorably with Joshua Fields (selected 20th overall by Seattle). The Yankees second round draft choice doesn’t light up the radar gun however, so he may be overlooked. Instead, Bittle relys on a mid-80s cut fastball – with late life. Bittle commands the pitch well, throwing the offering 80 percent of the time.

Bittle, an All-American taken by the Yankees in the 48th round last season, uses a 91 mph fastball to keep hitters honest and a split-finger changeup, often used with two strikes. All three of Bittle’s pitches are plus pitches when you consider his plus command and pitchability.

Viewed as a potential first-round selection, Baseball America viewed the right hander as a top 50 pick.

In his junior season at Ole Miss, Bittle posted Nintendo-like numbers. He dominated SEC hitters with a 7-1 record, 8 saves, a 1.78 ERA, while holding opponents to a .145 batting average. He struck out 130 and walked 30 in 70.2 innings.

The junior led the Southeastern Conference in strikeouts during the regular season, earning All-SEC Second Team honors as he also was named a semi-finalist for the Clemens Award and the Stopper of the Year.

Bittle profiles as a strong setup man. He should be a fast mover. Depending on when he decides to sign, he could be available for the majors as soon as late 2009.

NYYankeeFans.com
http://www.nyyankeefans.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=64983
Drafted by the Yankees in the 48th Round last year. Tall, strong-framed closer with plus command and a plus cutter that comes at hitters on a severe downhill plane. His FB velocity is merely average, but subtracts from it very well and has a late release which lets it play up. He was thrown into the closer's role for the Rebels and has dominated SEC hitters all season, putting up Nintendo type numbers. He has tallied an almost 5 to 1 K/BB ratio, striking out close to two batters per inning pitched. Uncharacteristic for a closer, Bittle's fastball is just an average pitch, with velocity between the 88-91 mph range. However, Bittle pitches mainly off his cut fastball—a devastating late breaking pitch in the mid-80s that has two-plane movement similar to a slider. Bittle is able to command this pitch down in the zone and creates a ton of swings and misses by starting it just above the knees and having it drop just below the strike-zone. He also effectively mixes in a changeup, freezing unsuspecting hitters. Talk that he's big league ready and should reach the majors by next year.

70 IP 1.78 ERA 30 walks 130 strikeouts 3 HR alowed .145 BAA

Baseball America
Taken by the Yankees in the 48th round of last year’s draft, Bittle elected not to sign and transferred to Ole Miss this season from Northwest Texas CC. He was thrown into the closer’s role for the Rebels and has dominated SEC hitters all season, putting up Nintendo type numbers. He has tallied an almost 5 to 1 K/BB ratio, striking out close to two batters per inning pitched. Uncharacteristic for a closer, Bittle’s fastball is just an average pitch, with velocity between the 88-91 mph range. However, Bittle pitches mainly off his cut fastball—a devastating late breaking pitch in the mid-80s that has two-plane movement similar to a slider. Bittle is able to command this pitch down in the zone and creates a ton of swings and misses by starting it just above the knees and having it drop just below the strike-zone. He also effectively mixes in a changeup, freezing unsuspecting hitters. At 6-foot-1, 212 pounds, and without an above-average fastball, Bittle does not fit the typical closer’s profile in the major leagues. He will most likely be a long relief or setup man in the pros. Once signed, he should move quickly as his command and stuff are close to major league ready.

Perfect Game (by Allan Simpson)
On performance alone, there wasn’t a pitcher in college baseball this season that dominated quite like Bittle. He went 5-1, 1.48 with seven saves for the Rebels, but his other numbers were off the charts. In 54 regular-season innings, he allowed just 21 hits—not only resulting in a meager .116 opponent batting average but a hits-to-nine innings ratio of 3.45, easily the best in Division I. His 99 strikeouts represented a nine-inning yield of 16.27, also the best in Division I by a considerable margin. His overall stuff has improved significantly from a year ago, when he was a late-round draft pick of the Yankees, but the pitch that area scouts referred to as “nasty” and “unhittable” was his cut fastball. The pitch was effective at 80-84 mph a year ago, when he went 2-5, 2.79 with seven saves and 59 strikeouts in 42 innings, but it became a significant weapon this season when it topped out at 87-88. Bittle’s other stuff also showed a marked improvement, with his four-seam fastball improving 3-4 mph to 90-91. The greatest improvement in his stuff might have come with his changeup, which he messed with in the bullpen a year ago but became an equalizer pitch this season, giving Bittle three legitimate pitches.