“I would say his season is going totally in the right direction,“ Lexington Legends pitching coach Travis Driskill said of Lyles on Monday. “He is head and shoulders above some kids.“…

He said Lyles first came into the league with a fastball and a change up. Now, however, Driskill said Lyles has added a curveball to his repertoire, and that pitch is working well for him. “Now he is displaying a curveball that has the makings of a good pitch for him.“…

“I expect big things out of him. In my mind, and in the mind of the organization, he is doing everything he is able to do to advance to the next level.“

Here is what they said about the young pitchers on Lexington’s roster:

Ross Seaton:

He’s done a nice job so far. I think he’s a little bit more mature at his age than some of the other kids,” Lexington manager Tom Lawless said. “He’s got major league pitches, there’s no doubt about that. It’s just a matter of getting experience pitching, getting his 30 starts. He’s going to get bigger and he’s going to get stronger. He understands what he wants to do. He’s pretty close to being a professional right now.

Jordan Lyles:

He’s pretty much just like Ross (Seaton),” Lawless said. “He might be a little bit behind Ross with the maturity level, but he’s got a major league arm. He’s got a tremendous fastball and a good breaking ball.

“This is all new to him, too, a full year getting 25-30 starts. It’s just a process. I think he’ll be fine as the year goes on.”

Bono & Greenwalt:

“Both those guys bring a lot of energy to the game,” Lawless said. “They work fast. They throw strikes. The defense is going to play good behind them wherever they pitch because they work fast, get the ball and throw strikes. They have movement on their fastballs. They’re not afraid to challenge hitters. I think that’s a big thing today.”

Brad Dydalewicz:

He generates tremendous movement on his pitches, a low-90s fastball, a curveball and a changeup. His delivery needs some refining, but Lawless was impressed by how few good swings hitters had against him.

Speaking of speedy outfielders, KRIS-TV caught up with Josh Flores in spring training.  They inteviewed him about his freak injury that caused him to miss all of last season.  Look for Flores to be in Corpus Christi this season.

Jordan Lyles is ready to be a Legend… in a Legends uniform anyway.  He talked with his home town paper about preparing for his first go at full season baseball.

“It’s been different. It’s the first time I’ve been able to concentrate on baseball,” Lyles said by phone Friday. “I haven’t experienced things like this. I’ve hit the weight room harder than I ever have and it’s been pretty good so far.”
Lyles says he’s added 15 pounds and reported at 215 when he arrived at the Astros spring training facility in Kissimmee, Fla….“(Spring training) has been everything that I imagined it would be, and I’m happy with the decision to turn pro and not go to South Carolina,”

Tip Fairchild’s hometown paper has been following his career closely and they were the first to let us know that he had been released from the Astros.

“He had a great spring, better than he’s ever had. That’s the hard part,” Bill Fairchild said. “Every time I’ve talked to him, he’s had unbelievable outings. I think he was surprised by (the release), as were many of his friends. The day before he got released, he had a short outing, one inning, and threw five pitches – two ground balls and a strikeout. And he’d done that many times this spring.”