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Alabama Rising Stars ID: Quick Hits

June 9, 2022
PBR Alabama Staff

BIRMINGHAM, AL - The Alabama Rising Stars ID was held on Wednesday, June 8th at Spain Park High School in Birmingham, AL. This event consisted of prospects from the 2026 and 2027 classes. These players went through a pro-style workout and took batting practice using Trackman to record hitting metrics. Pitchers were able to throw in simulated bullpens and were able to get numbers and metrics off of our Trackman unit, such as pitch velocity, spin rate, horizontal & vertical movement & much more. There were some players who showed up and continued to build off of prior performances, but there were also some new names who jumped onto our radar with a strong showing on Wednesday.

Kicking off our post-event coverage for this event, we take a look back at some of the top performers and standouts from the event. Continuing over the course of the next week or so, we will release Statistical Leaderboards for the event then transition into releasing individual scouting reports for each player in attendance.

 

+ RHP Andrew Bennett (Mobile Christian, 2027) was thoroughly impressive in his first PBR event showing some electric stuff stuff on the mound as a rising eighth-grader. Bennett stands a long and lanky 6-foot-1, 175-pounds with long limbs and will obviously carry much more strength as he grows and matures. In this look, the right-hander worked around the 85-86 mph range with his fastball and touched 87.4 mph on one of his first few pitches with spin near 2300 rpm. Bennett's ability to spin a sharp breaking ball at 74-75 mph with typical downward bite was equally as impressive, and posted spin up to 2600 rpm. Both spin metrics are both near the average for MLB pitchers. His long and slim frame paired with a fairly low-effort delivery definitely suggests for much more in the tank over the next five years.

+ SS Braydon Wright (Home School, 2026) was a big winner from the South Alabama Preseason All-State event in mid-January and has only seemed to continue to get better in the few months since. Adding some improved numbers to his profile at yesterday's event, Wright easily looks the part of a potential next level shortstop with an athletic and long 6-foot-0, 150-pound frame. From the right side of the plate, the rising freshman's barrel works clean and swiftly through the zone and found consistent firm contact to both gaps in his round of BP that saw a top exit velocity at 89.5 mph. Equally adept up the middle on the infield, Wright has excellent hands and works through the ball while fielding, couple with a whippy and accurate arm across the infield. Definitely one of the top prospects in the young 2026 class.

+ SS Jaxson Wood (Hoover, 2026) was another young prospect our staff was eager to see in his first PBR event and he made a lasting impact in a variety of ways. Standing 5-foot-9, 140-pounds, Wood is a high-level athlete with impressive skills across the board. After starting off his event running one of the top 60 YD's of the event at 6.89, the infielder carried a mature approach to the right side of the plate where he worked back up the middle. Using an athletic setup and a controlled leg kick, Wood stays on his back side well and fires some quick hands through the zone finding firm contact with nearly every swing. He also showcased as one of the top infielders in the defensive workout with stellar feet and lateral range. His hands work through the ball and stays under control while firing accurate throws near 80 mph across the infield. Another high quality infielder in the 2026 class.

+ OF Sawyer Pearsall (McAdory, 2026) was another top-shelf athlete who ran one of the better 60 YD's at the event and was near the top of almost every statistical category in his first PBR outing. Listed at 5-foot-10, 135-pounds, Pearsall shows some twitchy actions hitting from the right side of the plate. Starting with an upright stance, the right-handed hitter outfielder uses a quick load and generates some strength from the lower-half working with an uphill path through contact. With a bit of an unconventional finish, Pearsall still was consistently on the barrel showing impressive pop to the pull side throughout his round of BP. Also worked in the low-80's on the mound.

+ 3B/RHP Aaron Bailey (McAdory, 2026) enjoyed a solid outing as a two-way player and was thoroughly impressive in multiple facets in this look. Listed at a medium 6-foot-1, 165-pounds with proportional strength throughout, Bailey posted one of the more consistent rounds of BP making solid contact on nearly every pass he took from the right side. Standing slightly open in his stance, the infielder shifts weight to his back side in his load before shooting a quick barrel through the zone. He turns the barrel with some intent making loud contact that seemed to come off different than others, resulting in multiple 90 mph exit velocities in his round. He posted an 84 mph both from the infield and from the outfield, and also worked up to 82 mph on the mound paired with a sharp breaking ball with 2400 rpm.

+ INF Bryce Rivers (Mobile Christian, 2026) continues to elevate his status in each look as one of the top right-handed hitters in the young 2026 class. Rivers has been a part of Team Alabama at the PBR Jr. Future Games over the past few years, and he's always shown the ability hit in-game and post loud rounds of BP. Yesterday seemed to be no different for Rivers in terms of an offensive standpoint, as he kicked things off taking some quality swings from the right side. He continues to show some excellent bat-to-ball skills and has quality top-hand strength with hitter-ish traits. As his 5-foot-7, 170-pound frame has continued to mature, Rivers has also added some quality strength to his frame. He'll be another prospect in the young 2026 class to follow over the coming years.

+ INF Anthonio Brown (Mobile Christian, 2026), like Rivers, is another former member from last year's Team Alabama at the PBR Jr. Future Games that reached the championship game. Fast-forward to this event, Brown showed the major progress that he's made since last summer's event, including posting the top 60 YD of the event with a blazing time of 6.55 while reaching just over 21 mph. He translated that athleticism easily to his offensive profile where he lined firm contact back up the middle in his round of BP. Brown uses an athletic, relaxed stance from the right side of the plate with looseness to his hands and a posted a top exit velocity of 87.6 mph. While still being in the younger stages of his development, Brown is an athletic prospect who should continue to elevate his status as he adds strength and continues to fill out his frame.

 

 

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