The Alabama Scout Blog provides insider information and scouting notes from the PBR Scouting Staff during the season. This running blog will feature information on underclass prospects, unsigned seniors, draft prospects, and anything else that is notable. We will provide a wide range of information, including player evaluations, velocities, pop times, home to first times, and more. 

Continue to check back over the course of the week, as the Alabama Scouting Staff will add scouting reports daily.

 

Saturday, March 5th

+ OF Alex Wade (Madison Academy, 2022) showed he was well on his way to another standout season leading the Mustangs offensively out of the three-hole. Coming off a good showing at the PBR Super 60 in early February in Chicago, IL, the Auburn signee & No. 5 prospect in the senior class collected a pair of hits and drove in two runs in the process in the first of two games on Saturday. Wade is an athletic 6-foot-3, 190-pounder who possesses some of the best tools in the state of Alabama with a 6.64 60 yard-dash, 95 mph outfield velocity & triple digit exit velocities. Of the two hits he collected, one of those was a double in the video below, as he handled an elevated fastball with quick hands and made firm contact to the pull-side. He later scored on a deep sacrifice fly from second base, showing off that speed we've seen over the past few years. 

Alex Wade (3/5/22)

+ MIF William "Bump" Burgreen (Madison Academy, 2022) has provided a big boost to the lineup at the top for the Mustangs, as he reached base in all three plate appearances in their first-game win on Saturday. Burgreen, a Jacksonville State signee, is one of the best athletes in his class with an athletic, twitchy 5-foot-11, 175-pound frame that has added strength over the past year. A switch-hitter, Burgreen worked the counts in his at-bats using a selective approach that ended up going 1-for-1 with a RBI, a run, a walk and a hit-by-pitch, Defensively at shortstop, the senior dominated the routine play showing reliable hands and lateral range to go along with arm strength across the diamond. He's been a sub-6.7 runner at past events and certainly has the skill set to make an impact at the next level. 

William Burgreen (3/5/22)

+ 1B Carson Creehan (Madison Academy, 2023) is an uncommitted left-handed bat that took some quality swings throughout the day hitting the heart of the order for the Mustangs. Listed at 6-foot-4, 210-pounds, Creehan had the best day in terms of offensive statistics, going 1-for-2 with a home run, five RBI's and a walk in the cleanup spot. The uncommitted junior works with a bit of a crouched setup using rhythm and separation and swings an uphill path through the zone that produces plenty of pop to the pull-side gap. In the video below, Creehan gets a fastball elevated and drives it to the warning track in left field for a two-RBI sacrifice fly-out, and then stepped in his next at-bat and drove the same pitch to the same place over the wall for a three-run home run. 

Carson Creehan (3/5/22)

+ 3B Cole Edwards (Spain Park, 2023) certainly passes the eye test with the physical skills to go with it and that is translating well to games. The 6-foot-4, 205-pounder continues to produce for the Jag offense, hitting in the 3-hole and should have plenty of opportunities to drive in runs this year. On Saturday, the Auburn commit drove in nine runs during the doubleheader sweep with five hits in seven at-bats that included two home runs. There is no questioning the power off the bat and the tools (6.79 laser 60, 103.2 TM EV) are off the charts, but Edwards seems to have gotten better with his swing and misses. In at least one at-bat with two strikes, he shortened up the approach and sent a laser back up the middle. The junior has helped the Jags get off to a 9-2 start to begin the 2022 season. 

Cole Edwards (3/5/22)

+ OF Ryan Cole (Spain Park, 2023) is an uncommitted junior that has continued to show solid barrel control and the ability to hit at a high level over the long haul. In their first game on Saturday, Cole had multiple productive at-bats to help the Jags get the win. Showing a mostly pull-side approach, Cole had no trouble getting to pitches on the inner-half as he produced a deep sacrifice fly to left field to add to the Jag lead. In his next at-bat, it was more of the same as he got to a pitch on the inner-half and promptly served it down the left field line for a double. Cole shows the ability to keep the barrel through contact very well. 

Ryan Cole (3/5/22)

+ RHP Lucas Thornton (Spain Park, 2023) delivered a complete game win for the Jags in their first game on Saturday, as he mainly relied on the fastball at 80-82 mph with a ton of sink that consistently produced plenty of ground balls. Thornton commanded the pitch to the glove-side very well but also showed the ability to get in on right-handed hitters when he wanted to. From a high ¾ slot, Thornton occasionally mixed in a well-shaped breaking ball at 72-73 mph that he commanded very well down in the zone. To summarize, Thornton did a solid job of missing barrels/forcing soft contact and relied on his teammates to make routine plays. Thornton finished going 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB & 3 K's.  

Lucas Thornton (3/5/22)

+ INF Charlie Cassingham (Grissom, 2025) is a young prospect that continues to produce against quality arms at each look. Hitting out of the leadoff spot for the Tigers, the freshman had four hits in six at-bats over the two games on Saturday. Cassingham seems to slow everything down in the box and very rarely seems to get fooled. He has shown that he can handle velocity and quality arms on the mound and Saturday was no exception. Cassingham has an easy ability to hit balls to all fields and has no issues of shortening up the approach and serving balls to the backside. Cassingham should continue to develop and add strength to his frame which will only assist in his development. A 2025 to keep tabs on.

Charlie Cassingham (3/5/22)

 

Friday, March 4th

+ RHP Jono Stevens (Briarwood Christian, 2023) toed the rubber for his third start of his junior season and showed the same impressive arsenal of pitches that he put on display at the South Alabama Preseason All-State just a little over a month ago. Stevens, one of the top uncommitted pitchers in the junior class, touched 91 mph with his fastball while comfortably working at 87-89 mph and holding that velocity for the majority of his outing. The 6-foot-1, 190-pounder had more control over command with his heater as he seemed to lose the zone a bit at times, but showed the ability to lock back in and get swing-and-misses with the pitch in a few jams. He also featured two distinctly different breaking balls with one being a slider at 75-76 mph (2500 rpm's) with sharp, lateral action and the other at 72-73 mph (2400 rpm's) with more 11-5 depth. He shouldn't find himself uncommitted for much longer, and finished going 5 IP, H, 2 ER, 5 BB & 7 K's in the outing.

Jonathan Stevens (3/4/22)

+ INF Brady Waugh (Briarwood Christian, 2023) is another uncommitted junior, like Stevens, who has a chance to be a really solid future addition for college program. Listed at 6-foot, 190-pounds, Waugh is a versatile defender who can multiple spots on the infield and has really made strides with the bat over the past year. Hitting out of the three-hole, Waugh came into the game hitting well over the .600 mark and the junior did nothing to see that average drop, as he collected the only two hits for the Lions going 2-for-3 with a double. The bat-to-ball skills and his awareness of the zone jump out and he has shown a knack for finding the barrel with consistency in multiple looks. He still has a chance to grow even more into his frame and add more strength/power in the future, and will be one to follow for the rest of the spring and into the summer.

Brady Waugh (3/4/22)

+ LHP Ray Anderson (Lindsay Lane Christian Academy, 2023) stole the show Friday afternoon as the Class 1A No. 2 Lions earned a 3-0 victory. The junior southpaw was in total control from the onset, as he established the fastball at 80-81 mph and bumped 82 mph a few times. The first time through the order, Anderson mainly featured the fastball that consistently showed arm-side action and he showed pinpoint command to both halves of the plate. The second time through the order, the uncommitted junior mixed in a late, sharp breaking ball at 67-69 mph with 12/6 action. Hitters often gave up on the pitch due to the late movement. He continues to show a very clean arm stroke and attacks the zone with both offerings. He finished going 7 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 BB and 16 K's.  

Ray Anderson (3/4/22)

+ LHP Thomas Kerby (Priceville, 2023) was the tough-luck loser on Friday, but he gave the Bulldogs a quality outing. Kerby is a soft lefty, but his stuff works and he did a good job of consistently missing barrels. Kerby routinely pitched backwards and made it difficult for hitters to get comfortable against him. He worked both sides of the plate with both of his offerings and also showed some cut on the fastball at 75-76 mph, while bumping 77 mph a few times. Kerby showed a slower, 12/6 breaker that he continued to pound the lower half of the zone with. He established the breaking ball as a swing-and-miss pitch as hitters continued to swing over the top of the solid secondary offering. Kerby scattered five hits while allowing two earned runs and striking out seven hitters. 

Thomas Kerby (3/4/22)

 

Tuesday, March 1st

+ RHP Devin Brooks (Thompson, 2022) was masterful in his strong start for the Warriors, going six innings while only allowing three hits, one run (unearned), four walks and recorded 12 strikeouts in the process. A lean & athletic 6-foot-2, 165-pounder, the Alabama State signee has already seemed to make gains in terms of velocity after getting up to 82 mph at a scout day last summer. Fast forward to last night, Brooks worked 87-89 mph throughout the early parts of his outing with occasional arm-side run. He featured a tight, deceptive slider at 77-78 mph that he tunneled well and located in the bottom part of the zone, and also flashed a changeup at 80-82 mph with the same arm speed. With his long & athletic frame, there’s still the potential for much more velocity as his frame adds more strength in the future.

Devin Brooks (3/1/22)

+ C/1B/RHP Ben Pearman (Thompson, 2023) always seems to take quality, powerful swings in each look with last night being no different. One of the top uncommitted juniors in the state, Pearman showed off some impressive power hitting from the right side yesterday with multiple deep drives to the pull-side in his first few at-bats that ended up just foul. He later found the gap on a missile to the back-side gap for an easy double in his third at-bat. A strong & physical 6-foot-2, 200-pounder, Pearman has a short, connected stroke with some twitch in the box that translates to immense power. He should be a hot commodity for a college program that is looking to add a power-hitting corner infielder to their junior class.

Ben Pearman (3/1/22)

+ OF Ryan Storey (Helena, 2022) has been a really consistent performer in each setting over the past couple of years, and he showed last night he’s continuing to make an impact to start his senior season for the Huskies. A South Alabama signee, Storey is a speedy outfielder at 5-foot-11, 175-pounds that changes the game in multiple ways using an athletic skill set. The senior finished going 1-for-3 last night with a triple and reached base three times on two additional walks in the two-hole. From the left side of the plate, Storey uses quick hands and a professional approach that consistently finds firm contact to all parts of the field. 

Ryan Storey (3/1/22)

+ OF Jarret Scott (Helena, 2025) has already shown the significant strides he’s made since attending the PBR Jr. Future Games back a few years ago, as he’s now hitting in the leadoff spot in a powerhouse 6A program as a freshman. Facing an upper-80’s arm on the mound, the left-handed hitting outfielder collected a single and a double in a tightly-contested game showing he doesn’t shy away from the big moments at a young age. Attacking with a flat path, Scott showed the ability to use the whole field with both hits going to the opposite field with firm contact. With a lean & projectable 5-foot-10, 160-pound frame that will certainly carry more strength in the future, he’s be a definite follow moving forward in the young freshman class.

Jarret Scott (3/1/22)

+ RHP/OF Zach Hill (Hueytown, 2022) is an uncommitted senior who impressed in multiple facets yesterday, but it was the right-handed arm that stood out and made him such an intriguing prospect. Although it was a short look in relief, Hill filled up the zone with 13/18 for strikes and worked up to 87 mph a handful of times while working in the mid-80’s for the majority of his inning. He seemed to cut his fastball when to the glove-side and induced weak contact in the process. The right-hander also showed a quality slider at 74-75 mph with late, downer break that he showed the ability to bury in the bottom fo the zone for swing-and-miss in late counts. He’s an athletic 5-foot-11, 155-pounder who works with a fairly low-effort intent to compliment his two-pitch repertoire. Hill also added a pair of hits at the top of the order, as well.

Zach Hill (3/1/22)

+ C Taylor Bush (Oak Mountain, 2022) is off to a great start to begin his senior season and took some quality swings from the right side yesterday. Hitting in the three-hole for a good offensive club, the uncommitted senior continued to trend up, finding the barrel in his second plate appearance that resulted in a hard-hit single into left field. Bush is a strong 6-foot-1, 190-pounder that has previously posted numerous mid-90’s exit velocities at prior events while showing gap-to-gap strength. Coming into yesterday, Bush was hitting .478 (11-23) with four doubles and five RBI’s on the young season. He could be a quality late addition for a college program looking to firm up their senior class.

Taylor Bush (3/1/22)

+ C Ty Sanderson (Grissom, 2023) continues to impress with the bat each time we see him. A versatile player that can play numerous positions, the uncommitted junior was behind the plate on Tuesday and was solid behind the dish showing improved arm strength on throws to the 2nd-base bag. Sanderson continues to hit at a high level as he showed it again on Tuesday with a pair hits and another that was ruled an error but was a ball driven deep to left field. He has shown the ability to hit to all fields with power and that was evidenced again on Tuesday as he hit to all fields. The two best balls off the bat were smoked to the back-side as he continues to show a simple, direct bat path. 

Ty Sanderson (3/1/22)

+ LHP Rynzo Crutcher (Grissom, 2022) is a Wallace-Hanceville CC signee that continues to be effective at each look as he shows a quick arm from a high ¾ slot. The fastball was 84-85 mph and topped at 86 mph, but seems to play up a bit because of his ability to spin a well-shaped breaking ball in any count. The fastball showed definite arm-side action which he commanded well to the arm side. The breaking ball showed very tight spin and is a late breaker with solid 1/7 action. Crutcher will give the Tigers a chance every time he toes the rubber. 

Rynzo Crutcher (3/1/22)

+ RHP Jackson Hunter (Hazel Green, 2024) impressed again in our second look at him this spring as he went five innings on the day while only allowing one earned run. The sophomore shows a high ¾ slot with a loose, quick arm and seemed to challenge hitters with his arsenal of pitches. The fastball was consistently 86-88 mph and he touched 91 mph early in his outing. The breaking ball was 72-74 mph and was commanded well down in the zone for swing-and-miss stuff. The changeup at 80-81 mph seemed to better this time as the pitch showed late tumble to the arm side and was a weapon against left-handed hitter. 

Jackson Hunter (3/1/22)

+ SS Blake Hall (Hazel Green, 2023) is a player, like his brother Parker, our staff has continued to rave about and Tuesday was much more of the same. The uncommitted junior had two hits on the day, with one coming in the fourth inning as the game was tied with bases loaded and two outs. Hall connected on a fastball on the inner-half and promptly hammered a line drive to the pull side, driving in two runs to give his team a 4-2 lead that they would not relinquish. Speaking of being big in the big moment, we saw something new from Hall on Tuesday as he was summoned to the mound in the bottom of the seventh with the Trojans leading 6-3, but Grissom had the bases loaded with now outs and easily escaped the threat. From a difficult side-arm slot for hitters, the junior relied heavily on a nasty slider to get back-to-back punch outs and a fly out to finish the game off. The bigger the moment, the better Hall is. 

Blake Hall (3/1/22)

+ OF Christian Sutphin (Grissom, 2022) is a Lawson State recruit that just continues to handle the bat in a big way for the Tigers. The senior entered the game hitting .500 on the young season as he was 2-for-2 with a walk and a hit-by-pitch. Early in the game he got to an upper 80’s fastball and promptly served it back up the middle to stake Grissom to an early 1-0 lead. Later in the game, Sutphin got an elevated fastball and was able to get the barrel to contact and stay through the zone, driving the ball down the right field line for a double. One thing of note, the senior busted it out of the box and had he not, he would probably have been regulated to a single. That was very refreshing to watch. 

Christian Sutphin (3/1/22)

+ INF Evan Smallwood (Spain Park, 2023) had another impressive showing in his first three plate appearances of the game on Tuesday night. Smallwood uses a disciplined approach at the plate, spoiling a few off-speed pitches in late counts. Smallwood took to the plate his first at-bat, working a deep count until he could jump on a fastball and send it back up the middle. Down to two strikes in his second at bat, Smallwood protected the plate well, fouling off pitches near the zone, and eventually took a pitch up and out of the zone into the outfield for his second base hit of the game. Stepping up to the plate down by two runs with two runners on base, Smallwood remained patient and lifted a pitch to the warning track, advancing both runners and scoring a run.

Evan Smallwood (3/1/22)

+ 1B Jacob Tobias (Spain Park, 2023) has acclimated well hitting in the middle of the order after transferring to Spain Park from Tennessee. The Lipscomb recruit looks the part at the plate with a strong frame, showing off his pop in the Jaguars 7A matchup with Tuscaloosa County. Tobias has a quality approach from the left side of the plate, barreling up a majority of pitches he sees in the zone. Tobias generated some loud contact, launching a line drive to the right field wall for a sac fly to open up the scoring in the first inning of the game. In his second plate appearance, Tobias did much of the same, sending another line drive back up the middle. 

Jacob Tobias (3/1/22)

+ INF Hayden Strickland (Tuscaloosa County, 2023) was the using hero for Tuscaloosa County in their toe-to-toe matchup with the 7A #5 Spain Park Jaguars. Strickland was hot from the start of the game, taking a fastball left over the heart of the plate down the left field line for a double. The uncommitted junior is a hard-nosed player with a quality approach hitting from the right side. At 5-foot-10, 185-pounds, Strickland also drove home the game-winning run on a well-struck fielder's choice to the pull-side in the 7th that proved to be the difference. 

Hayden Strickland (3/1/22)

 

Monday, February 28th

+ RHP Zach Stevens (Stanhope Elmore, 2023) was overpowering in our first look at the South Alabama recruit this spring. The junior right-hander and former Future Gamer was called upon in a tough situation as he inherited a bases loaded, no out jam and proceeded to strike out the next three hitters needing only 11 pitches, 10 of which were strikes. The ball seems to jump out of his hand at 87-90 mph (2300 rpm's) with riding life and carry through the zone. He didn't show it in his first inning, but Stevens featured that wipeout breaking ball at 78-80 mph (2700 rpm's) in the 7th that looked un-hittable when paired with his fastball. He finished going 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, HBP & 5 K's in seal the win for the Mustangs.

Zach Stevens (2/28/22)

+ LHP Colin Woodham (Stanhope Elmore, 2023) took the ball for the Mustangs and continued to deliver quality innings on the mound as he's done since his eighth-grade year. Now an uncommitted junior, Woodham consistently forced weak contact throughout his outing and commanded the zone with all three offerings. The southpaw worked in the low-80's mostly, and had a handful of 83 mph's in the first couple of innings. His slider in the low-70's showed late break and tunneled well off of his fastball, and also flashed a couple changeup's, as well. His pitch-ability continues to stand out and his ability to fill the zone up with strikes (54/72) should make him a solid addition to a college program. He earned the W going 4 1/3 IP, 4 H, R (0 ER), 0 BB & 5 K's.

Colin Woodham (2/28/22)

+ RHP Noah Berry (2022, James Clemens) was as advertised Monday as the 6-foot-5, 195-pound Samford commit went six innings and did not allow an earned run. There is a ton of projection in the frame as he shows the ability to repeat his delivery each pitch and he really creates some tilt on the fastball from his 6-foot-5 frame. Berry commanded the fastball at 85-87 mph to both sides of the plate and at times, the pitch showed some sink. The breaking ball is a definite swing-and-miss pitch as he throws the breaking ball at 72-74 mph with the same arm speed and from the same slot as the fastball, which creates issues for hitters. The breaking ball showed some depth with late, sharp action. Berry is a late bloomer and there is no doubt his best days on the mound are ahead of him. His finished going 6 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 1 BB & 7 Ks.

Noah Berry (2/28/22)

+ RHP/SS Dylan Campbell (2022, Buckhorn) was the other part of the expected pitcher’s duel as he got the starting nod for the Bucks. Campbell continues to show a very low-effort delivery but the ball seems to explode out of the hand. Much like Berry, Campbell will undoubtedly add size and strength to his lean frame which should only help him in the future. Campbell was forced to make some big pitches early to keep the Jets off of the scoreboard and he seemed to be at his best in the biggest spots. In the second inning, the Southern Union CC signee faced a 2nd and 3rd situation with no outs but he promptly got a weak fly ball, struck out the next batter and induced a ground ball to get out of the jam unscathed. The fastball was 85-87 mph with late arm-side action that he seemed to really locate to the arm side. Both secondary pitches (CB 77-78 mph, CH 79-80) are solid with the breaking ball showing late bite and the change up showed tumble into RH hitters. Campbell finished going 5 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB & 6 Ks. 

Dylan Campbell (2/28/22)

+ LHP/1B Brian Henson (2023, Buckhorn) played a significant role in multiple facets for the Bucks in their 4-2, ten inning win. Hitting out of the five-hole, the left handed hitter collected three hits in five at-bats and gave the Bucks a needed insurance run in the 10th inning as he drove in their fourth run of the night with a single to right field. In his second at-bat, Henson got a fastball over the middle of the plate and hammered the pitch back up the middle. In the eighth inning Henson showed his ability to hit to all fields as he drove a ball deep to the left field wall for a two-out double. While Henson was magnificent with the bat, he was even more impressive in relief on the mound as he tossed five scoreless innings to get the win. He only allowed one hit, walked two hitters and struck out five hitters. 

Brian Henson (2/28/22)

+ C Lance Lodge (2022, Buckhorn) really stood out in a number of ways in the Buckhorn win on Wednesday night. Lodge did a good job handling both of Buckhorn’s pitchers and consistently showed solid blocking skills as both arms continued to bury breaking balls for swing-and-misses that finished in the dirt. Lodge also threw out a baserunner attempting to steal 3rd base to end the 6th inning. The senior backstop shows a solid approach from the left side with the barrel and put together several quality at-bats on the day, finishing with two hits and a line out to shortstop. 

Lance Lodge (2/28/22)

 

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