ATHX Scout Day: Quick Hits
March 1, 2024
On Sunday, February 25th the Prep Baseball Alberta staff hosted its first Scout Day of the year with the ATHX Scout Day at the ATHX Indoor Facility in Edmonton, Alberta. It gave players the opporunity to collect updated metrics via our tech partners TrackMan and Blast Motion.
We broke down the top measurable data performers from the event with our Statistical Analysis. Now, we move onto this Quick Hits article as we provide scouting notes and video on five standouts from the event.
For complete event results, click here.
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James Cote SS / 2B / Harry Ainlay, AB / 2024Cote is one of the more impressive two-way players in Alberta’s 2024 class, and had one of the better overall days at the Scout Day. At the dish there's present twitch and athleticism. He elevated back up the middle with authority, 7 of his 11 batted balls were above 88 mph and he reached a max exit velocity of 97.5 mph. It's still raw on the mound as he just started to learn how to pitch, but impressive nonetheless. With a short and quick arm, the fastballs sits 85-87 mph and pairs that with a sinker that's 86-88 mph. He has two unique breaking balls with distinct profiles. A slider with -13.2 inches of horizontal break/-7.0 inches of horizontal break, and a curveball with -6.3 inches of horizontal break/15.5 inches of induced vertical break. Cote will be looking to make a major impact on both sides of the ball with ATHX this summer.
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Gabe Fink RHP / 3B / Westmount Jr. High, AB / 2027Fink is one of the top 2027s on the West Coast. At the ATHX Scout Day he was a standout despite being one of the younger players. At 6-foot-1, it’s projectable, athletic, and twitchy on both sides of the ball. The arm is short and quick on the mound and he sits 80-82 mph with the fastball and possesses two high spin breaking balls. The slider is north of 2650 rpm at 73-75 mph while the curveball is 2550+ rpm at 72-74 mph. At the plate is balanced and under control, working both gaps with a line drive approach. He reached a max exit velocity of 91.2 mph. The former Junior Future Gamer continues to get better and impresses our staff everytime we see him.
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Thomas Hill LHP / 1B / N/A, AB / 2028Hill is one of the more projectable true 2027s in Alberta. At 6-foot-2, 175-pounds the LHP has a quick arm out of a ¾ slot. The fastball topped out at 80 mph, and sat in the 77-79 mph range. He does a good job killing spin and vertical movement on the changeup. The slider is tight with late bite and should become an effective swing & miss offering as he continues to refine it. During BP, the LHH worked in the air to the opposite field and stayed there throughout his round. The projectable features Hill possesses will be something to keep an eye on as he continues to add strength and mature physically.
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Keenan Parker 1B / 3B / Bellerose Composite, AB / 2025
Rankings StateRank: 33 / POS: 1
Parker, a true 2024/reclassed 2025, had one of the best rounds of BP on the day. At 5-foot-11, 200-pounds there is current strength in his frame to go along with bat speed. He reached 80 mph bat speed while averaging 75.5 mph. He worked in the air to his pull-side gap with authority, producing a top exit velocity of 94.9 mph and 8 of his 10 batted balls had an exit velocity of 90+ mph. The Canadian Futures Showcase and Canada Cup participant has made impressive strides over the offseason and will only continue to get better.
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Alex Kitzan 3B / 2B / Morinville, AB / 2024The uncommitted 2024 had one of the best rounds of batting practice at the ATHX Scout Day. There’s plenty of athleticism in his 6-foot-2, 180-pounds frame and he shows that at the plate with present bat-to-ball ability and consistency in his approach, elevating to his pull-side throughout the round. 7 of his 11 batted balls were 91+ mph and 10 of the 11 were 88+ mph, reaching a max exit velocity of 94.8 mph. If Kitzan’s bat-to-ball ability can translate to in-game success, he will be looking to have a major impact for ATHX when their season kicks off.
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