Daulton Jefferies Shines In Duel With Bailey Clark

DURHAM, N.C.—California took a 5-2 win over Duke on Opening Day, but the real story was the pitching matchup—junior righthanders Bailey Clark (Duke) and Daulton Jefferies (Cal) went head to head in front of a crowded scout section that included scouting directors and national crosscheckers. While both could be selected in the first few rounds of this year’s draft, they’re very different pitchers.

Clark has been on scouts’ radars since high school. He has a menacing 6-foot-5 frame and a thick, reddish brown beard that evokes Brian Wilson comparisons. Since coming out of Asheville (N.C.) Christian Academy, Clark has steadily developed into a weekend horse for Duke, and he showed off an electric fastball and flashes of command on Friday night. He threw first-pitch strikes to 17 of the 22 batters he faced and worked the bottom of the strike zone with all three of his pitches.

Clark’s arm action, lack of pinpoint control and questions about his offspeed stuff have led to questions about his ultimate role. His arm action includes a deep plunge in the back, but he did a good job of finding his arm slot on Friday night, and he showed the ability to consistently locate his fastball down in the zone and work both sides of the plate. Clark’s fastball sat comfortably at 92-95 throughout the outing, scraping 98 in the second inning.

Clark’s delivery begins with a leg lift, and he bends his knee at a 90-degree angle before taking a moderate stride and landing online toward home plate, if not slightly closed. Clark starts at the edge of the first-base side of the rubber and strides toward the righthanded batter’s box. He lands with stability and has enough hip flexion to get his torso over his front side, diminishing the recoil of the cross-body finish to his arm action. Because of the length to his arm action, he’ll have to be careful not to forecast his pitches, particularly his slider, which he throws with a hooked wrist and sometimes-slower arm speed.

“We knew a lot of guys were going to bite on the slider, so I threw a lot of right-left sliders,” Clark said of his strategy going into the game. He also said that he wasn’t thrilled with his changeup early, so he worked primarily off his fastball and slider throughout the outing.

His slider showed 10-to-4 or 11-to-5 shape and flashed sharp spin and late dive. When he was behind it, Clark’s slider showed the ability to compete in the strike zone, one requirement of an average pitch for some scouts. Clark’s fastball flashes heavy sink when he throws it down and to his arm side. Even if hitters catch up to it, there isn’t much they can do. His changeup also flashed late dive, inducing a swinging third strike against a righthanded hitter in the second inning.

Clark threw 70 pitches over 5 1/3 innings. He got into trouble as he tired, surrendering a few sharp line drives before he exited the game. Clark struck out five, walked one, and allowed two runs on four hits.

Jefferies also threw three pitches. His fastball worked mostly at 89-91, though he touched 93 regularly. His best pitch was his changeup, which showed outstanding fade at times, disappearing as he buried it down and to both sides of the plate.

After the game, Jefferies said that he’s been throwing his changeup since he was 10 years old. While fastball command is his bread, Jefferies’ changeup is his butter, melting away from hitters as it enters the strike zone. The righthander is comfortable throwing it against righties as well as lefties, and can locate it to either side of the plate.

While the 6-foot-5 Clark worked from the first-base side of the rubber, the 6-foot Jefferies started from the third-base side and landed with his front side cut off. Jefferies has a short arm circle and found his arm slot consistently on Friday night.

Jefferies served up a healthy dose of sliders. The pitch showed well at times, but he was often around the pitch, and it broke with trackable length. His ability to command the pitch allowed it to be effective because he could locate it with solid depth and late 10-to-4 break when he ran it down and away from righthanded hitters.

Jefferies got the win, striking out nine over six innings and walking just two batters. He allowed two unearned runs on five hits.

Jefferies’ delivery looks conducive to a starting role because his arm action is short and very clean through release. His lack of height and thin shoulders will lead evaluators to question his ability to start long term, and he’ll likely have to continue to prove himself as a starter when he’s in the minor leagues.

Notable Draft Prospects

• Vanderbilt righthander Jordan Sheffield, a preseason third-team All-American, earned the Opening Day start for the Commodores and struck out seven and walked three over five innings against San Diego. Sheffield’s fastball reached 98 mph, and he showed promising top-to-bottom shape with his curveball as well as improved feel for his changeup. He struck out seven in five innings, walking three and giving up four hits and two runs (one earned).

• Mercer outfielder Kyle Lewis, a preseason first-team All-American, went 2-for-3 with a double, two walks and three runs scored in a 10-7 win against Radford. Lewis will be closely monitored all spring, thanks to his exceptional raw power.

• Six-foot-7 righthander J.D. Busfield has taken a step forward for Loyola Marymount. After pitching at 89-91 last summer in the Cape Cod League, Busfield’s fastball sat in the low 90s against Texas Christian and he was still hitting 94 in the sixth inning of a 5-3 Lions victory. Busfield allowed 10 hits and three runs but walked none and struck out seven in 5 2/3 innings.