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Underclass Games: Top Overall Prospects

July 13, 2015

Trey Sofio
Louisiana Scouting Director

Follow us on Twitter: @PBR_Louisiana

The Prep Baseball Report’s Underclass Games for 2016, 2017, and 2018 prospects took place on Monday June 29th at Tulane University in New Orleans, LA. Numerous underclass prospects completed a pro-style workout and a 7-inning game for the PBR Louisiana Scouting Staff, several of whom were new to the PBR.

Click Here to view complete statistics from the event in PDF format.

Click Here to view Top Performers from the event based on standard scouting terminology in our “Top Tools Breakdown”.­­­

Over the last week we’ve broken down the talent at each position in the field and today we’ll take a look at the Top Overall Prospects from the event. The showcase was loaded with talent as eight of the top twenty players from PBR’s 2017 rankings were in attendance. Several prospects from the event will make their debut when the 2018 rankings are released in the coming weeks.

Teurlings Catholic’s Hayden Cantrelle takes the top spot at the event, thanks to his smooth swing from both sides of the plate and advanced actions on the infield.

The No. 10 player in the PBR 2016 rankings is West Feliciana C/RHP Trey Morgan. Morgan impressed swinging the bat, with arm strength across the diamond at shortstop, solid velocity on the mound and ranks No. 4 on this list.

Louisiana State commit Miguel Reyes was another two-way standout at the event, touching 88 mph with his running fastball. Reyes’s breaking ball also showed flashes of its flush potential. Not only did Reyes impress on the mound, he was also one of the top right-handed bats at the event with his advanced bat speed.

The top left-handed hitter at the event was Nick Webre (Teurlings Catholic HS), as well as being the top power prospect at the event. The ball jumps off Webre’s bat with little effort thanks to his brute strength. He also showed a quick exchange and arm strength from behind the plate.

We also ranked two of the top 2018 prospects to keep an eye on this upcoming year. It’s not easy to play varsity baseball as a frosh, but these prospects could potentially make contributions thanks to their advanced abilities. West Monroe’s Slade Bolden and St. Amant’s Zane Zeppuhar both showed plus bat speed for their age and advanced arm strength.

Teurlings Catholic catcher Austin Kirkpatrick posted a 1.86 pop time to second, and profiles well down the road. Central(BR)’s Ma’Khail Hilliard showed an electric three pitch mix, highlighted by an 84-86 mph fastball that is easy to see increasing over the next few years thanks to his youthful, lanky frame.

Let’s take a look at the Top Overall Prospects at this year’s Underclass Invitational:

Top Prospects

1. Hayden Cantrelle, SS, Teurlings Catholic HS(2017)
A 5-foot-10, 165-pound short-stop and right-handed pitcher with an average, athletic frame. Switch hitter that hits from a balanced setup with a smooth load, short stride, explosive lower half, and excellent balance. Showed a compact, flat bat path with line-drive, gap to gap approach with fluid rhythm an bat speed that produced an exit velocity of 81 mph. Quality defender with soft hands, fluid footwork, quick, clean exchange and plays through balls well. Showed solid arm strength out of a high-3/4 arm slot that produced an 80 mph positional velocity with accuracy on throws. Right-handed pitcher that showed solid arm speed out of a high-3/4 slot with regular effort, smooth rhythm, in-line direction and landing square. Fastball sat 81-84 mph with slight run, and showed quality command. Breaking ball showed 10/4 shape with late, hard break at 74-76 mph. Showed pitchability by working fast and attacking the strike zone with two pitches.

2. Ma’Khail Hilliard, RHP, Central(BR) HS(2017)
A 6-foot, 145-pound right-handed pitcher and outfielder with a lean, athletic, and projectable frame. Long, loose clean arm action with quick arm speed out of a high-3/4 release with easy effort. Displays smooth rhythm with level shoulders with in-line direction finishing athletic. Fastball sat 84-86 mph with late life and command. Flashed a solid slider with sharp, late action with some depth at 76-77 mph. Also showed outstanding feel for changeup with fastball arm speed and slight fade action at 75-76 mph. As an outfielder showed solid arm strength with a positional velocity of 87 mph with carry and life on throws. Right-handed hitter that hits from a balanced setup, short stride, and solid balance. Displays quality bat speed with a short path and fluid rhythm that produced an exit velocity of 81 mph.

3. Nick Webre, C/OF, Teurlings Catholic HS(2017)
A 5-foot-10, 185-pound catcher and outfielder with a strong, athletic frame. Left-handed hitter that hits from an athletic setup with smooth load, short stride, explosive lower half, and excellent balance. Shows a solid bat path with outstanding extension, gap to gap approach with power to the pull side and fluid rhythm that produced an exit velocity of 89 mph. Quality defensive catcher with soft hands, quick hips, blocks balls well, quick transfer and solid arm strength with carry on throws that resulted in a pop time of 1.87 seconds. Quality defensive outfielder with soft hands, fluid footwork, quick and clean exchange, and arm strength with carry on throws that produced a positional velocity of 81 mph.

4. Trey Morgan, C/RHP, West Feliciana HS(2016)
A 6-foot, 180-pound catcher, infielder and right-handed pitcher with a strong, developed, athletic frame. Solid defender both as a catcher and infielder that shows soft hands, fluid footwork, clean exchanges with short, quick arm action out of a high-3/4 release with accuracy, a positional velocity of 83 mph and a pop time of 2.01 seconds. Right-handed hitter with an athletic setup, short stride with a tap, explosive lower half, solid balance, explosive bat speed, an uphill bat path with great extension, and a gap to gap approach with fluid rhythm that produced an exit velocity of 98 mph. Right-handed pitcher with a quick arm out of a high-3/4 release and regular effort. Fastball sat 86-88 mph with quality control within the strike zone. Breaking ball showed 11/5 shape with occasional depth at 64-66 mph. Also showed a changeup with near fastball arm speed and occasional deception at 69-70 mph.

5 Miguel Reyes, INF/RHP, Lafayette HS(2017)
A 6-foot-2, 215-pound infielder and right-handed pitcher with a large, physical, strong, and athletic frame. Right-handed hitter that hits out of an athletic, open setup with a slight wrap and bar in the load. Short stride with an explosive lower half and solid balance. Displays big raw power with explosive bat speed and present pull power. Bat path has a tendency to be in and out of zone and there is slight stiffness at times in the swing, but shows exceptional bat speed that recorded an exit velocity of 93 mph. Solid defense infielder with soft hands, a clean exchange, and carry on throws. Footwork is slow and he has a tendency to play on his heels which projects him to be a third baseman with solid arm strength that produced a positional velocity of 82 mph. Right-handed pitcher with a short, stiff arm action and a stab on the backend into a high-3/4 release. Showed quick arm speed and raw arm strength, but struggles to consistently find the proper release point consistently. Fastball sat 86-88 mph with slight sink, and was consistently throw within the strike zone. Displayed a solid feel for two different breaking balls, one with 10/4 shape, tight spin, and sharp action at 73-74 mph. And another with 11/5 shape, gradual break, and near fastball arm speed at 67-68 mph. Changeup is a developing pitch with near fastball arm speed and solid fade action at 76-77 mph.

6. Caleb Armstrong, INF/RHP, Ouachitia Parish HS(2016)
A 5-foot-11, 170-pound infielder and right-handed pitcher with a strong, athletic frame. Right-handed hitter that hits from an athletic setup with a smooth load, short stride, explosive lower half and solid balance. Showed fluid rhythm, quality extension, and a gap to gap approach with quality bat speed that recorded an 85 mph exit velocity. Solid defender that shows soft hands, a clean exchange and solid arm strength that recorded an 83 mph positional velocity. Right-handed pitcher with a long arm action with a slight stab, quick arm speed, some effort, smooth rhythm, in-line direction and lands square. Fastball sat 86-88 with solid control and command. Breaking ball has 10/4 shape with tight spin and depth at 72-74 mph.

7. Brock Batty, LHP/OF, Denham Springs HS(2017)
A 6-foot-1, 175-pound rising junior with a medium, athletic frame. Left-handed pitcher with a clean, repeatable delivery landing square, in-line with an athletic finish. Displays smooth rhythm throughout with long, loose arm action with quick arm speed into a ¾ release and easy effort. Fastball sat 81-83 mph with slight sink and arm side run. Showed a feel for a curveball with 1/7 shape, tight spin and sharp, late break at 62-64 mph. As well, he displayed a quality change up with fastball arm speed, deception and late, hard fade action at 71-73 mph. Also showed a slider that has sharp, late break with deception but lacks in depth at times making it closer to a cutter at 68-70 mph. Right-handed hitter with athletic, balanced setup, smooth load, short stride and quick hands. Line-drive type swing with a short, flat path through the zone and fluid rhythm throughout the swing that produced an exit velocity of 84 mph. Solid defensive outfielder with soft hands, fluid footwork, quick and clean exchange, athletic fielding position and quality arm strength with carry on throws that produced a positional velocity of 86 mph.

8. Will Ryan, INF/RHP, Neville HS(2017)
A 6-foot-2, 179-pound shortstop and right-handed pitcher with an athletic, strong frame. Quality defender with soft hands, quick footwork, quick and clean exchange with a short arm action into a high-3/4 arm slot that showed accuracy and produced an 81 mph positional velocity. Right-handed hitter with an athletic setup, smooth load, slight leg kick, explosive lower half, excellent balance that showed a level bat path, line-drive, gap to gap approach and fluid rhythm that produced an exit velocity of 84 mph. Right-handed pitcher with a long, loose, and quick arm out of a ¾ release with some effort. Rhythm was rushed at times, but showed level shoulders, in-line direction and landed square. Fastball sat 82-85 mph with hard, late cutting action. Breaking ball showed 11/5 shape with late, sharp break and tight spin at 71-73 mph.

9. Zane Zeppuhar, LHP/OF, St. Amant HS(2018)
A 5-foot-10, 170-pound outfielder and left-handed pitcher with an athletic, strong frame. Solid defender with soft hands, fluid footwork, clean exchange, solid athleticism with a loose arm out of a high-3/4 slot that produced an 85 mph positional velocity with carry on throws. Left-handed hitter with a tall setup, slight wrap in the load, short stride, explosive lower half, and excellent balance. Shows an in and out type path with a line-drive, opposite field approach, fluid rhythm and solid bat speed that produced an 87 mph exit velocity. Left-handed pitcher with a long arm action, slight wrap, quick arm speed with regular effort, in-line direction, lands square and throws out of high-3/4 slot. Fastball sat 80-82 mph with quality command to both sides of the plate. Breaking ball showed 1/7 shape with near fastball arm speed, gradual break, and solid depth at 69-70 mph. Also displayed a change up with near fastball arm speed at 72-73 mph.

10. Slade Bolden, OF/C, West Monroe HS(2018)
A 5-foot-11, 183-pound outfielder, third baseman and catcher with an athletic, strong frame.  Defensively he showed soft hands, fluid footwork, and a clean exchange in the outfield with a positional velocity of 83 mph with a long arm action, over the top release and accuracy on throws. On the infield he showed third base type feet, with solid hands and arm strength across the diamond with carry on throws. As a catcher he shows a nice presence behind the plate with some stiffness in the hips and hands, but displays quality arm strength that resulted in a pop time of 2.12 seconds.  Right-handed hitter with a balanced, athletic setup with little to no load, short stride and explosive lower half. Shows a short path with quality extension, gap to gap approach with juice to the pull side and quality bat speed that produced an 87 mph exit velocity.

10. Austin Kirkpatrik, C, Teurlings Catholic HS(2016)
A 6-foot-1, 155-pound catcher and outfielder with a lean, athletic frame. Outstanding defensive catcher that showed the ability to receive, block and throw at a high level with a pop time of 1.86 seconds and a positional velocity of 75 mph. Showed outstanding athleticism behind the dish with loose hips and a high energy level. Right-handed hitter with a balanced setup, smooth load, short stride, efficient lower half and solid balance. Displays quality bat speed with a level path, line-drive approach and fluid rhythm that produced an 81 mph exit velocity.

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