We are excited to kick off the 2020 summer season with the East Coast Sox Scout Day, one of the premier travel ball organizations in the country. This event was originally scheduled to take place at Shelton State CC in Tuscaloosa, AL, but was recently changed to Q.V. Sykes Park in Meridian, Mississippi. The event will be one of our biggest to date, as there will roughly be 50 players in each session. Be sure to follow along on our Twitter (@PBR_Alabama) for pre-event, during the event, and post-event coverage. Scroll down to the bottom of the page to check out the itinerary for June 4th.

Prep Baseball Report is committed to providing a safe environment for all players and PBR staff in attendance. Social distancing and other guidelines will be followed strictly and thoroughly. Each player will have their own “safe zone” that will be six feet apart from each other. Dugouts will not be used and there will be numerous hand sanitizing stations throughout the complex and on the field.

Today, we want to take a look at some of the top primary catchers that will be in attendance at the East Coast Sox Scout Day. This group is composed of players from Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Missouri. In addition to these, we are certain there will be other talented catchers on hand. 

 

PRIMARY Catchers:

 

‘22 C Eli Berch, Jackson Prep (MS)

6-foot 195 pound frame with some physicality in it. Solid approach at the plate with consistent line drives during his BP round. 91 mph exit velo at an event last May. Barrel stays on plane and looks to lift in his swing. Behind the plate, he shows good feet with a strong arm on throws to 2nd base. 1.95-2.10 pop times last May. Good receiver.

PBR MS Ranking: #27

’23 C/RHP Cameran Christ, Sam Houston (LA)

6 foot 185 pound frame, one of the top players in the ‘23 LA class. The bat is his best tool, as he shows consistent line drives to the gaps. Hits for extra bases. Slightly open stance with some lift in his swing path. Quick twitch actions. Advanced behind the plate with an impressive arm. Advanced for his age.

Commitment: Mississippi State

PBR LA Ranking: #16

’23 C/RHP Cole Lemons, Notre Dame Regional (MO)

Lemons is a long and lean 6-foot-1, 160-pound, right-handed hitting catcher and right-handed pitcher in Missouri’s 2023 class. He ran a 7.38 second 60 and posted an exit velocity of 87 mph. At the plate, Lemons starts slightly open, in line stride, some rhythm to hands, balanced throughout, showed middle to opposite field contact during round. Behind the plate, narrow stance, clean footwork, short quick arm action, high three-quarter release, 74 mph positional velocity, pop times between 2.12-2.14 seconds.

PBR MO Ranking: #17

‘21 C/1B Jackson Owen, Starkville (MS)

6-foot, 205-pound solid frame; C/1B. During batting practice, the right-handed hitter had an exit velocity of 88 mph. Starts in balanced stance with a quick load. Shows a flat swing plane. He made strong throws to second and produced an efficient position velocity of 75 mph; had a clean exchange and quick feet. While catching, his pop time was registered at 2.00-2.20; Used an-over-the-top slot with a compact arm action. He recorded a time of 7.95 in the 60-yard dash.

PBR MS Ranking: #38

‘22 C/RHP Chase Payne, Appalachian

6-foot-2 200 pound frame that uses his physicality to his advantage. Some serious juice at the plate. Some power to his pull side, an extra base hit machine. Solid behind the plate. Moves well with good feet.

PBR AL Ranking: #39

‘22 C/3B Matthew Roncalli, Saltillo (MS)

6-foot, 150-pound  projectable frame. In the box, the right-handed hitter clocked an exit velocity of 83 mph. Begins in a balanced stance with a wrapping load, then uses a small leg kick before his swing. Has a level swing plane, as well as quick bat speed and high finish. His throw downs to second were maxed at 71 mph; has a quick exchange, firm hands and athletic footwork. While catching, pop time was registered at 2.05-2.08. Had an-over-the-top slot and a compact arm action with consistent accuracy to the bag. He clocked a time of 7.2 in the 60-yard dash.

PBR MS Ranking: #30

 

JUNE 4 ITINERARY

Location: Q.V. Sykes Park (Meridian, MS)

Infielders, Outfielders, Catchers

• Stretching
• Running Times (60 Yard Dash- -laser timed)
• Offensive Evaluation
  
  • Mechanical evaluation
  • Exit velocity (from a tee)
  • Live batting practice

• Defensive Evaluations (OF's, Catchers, INF's)
  
  • Arm strength
  • Defensive mobility
  • Positional projectability

Pitchers & Catchers

• Catchers stay for both sessions
• Stretching
• Bullpen Sessions    
  • Mechanical evaluation
  • Charting velocity and pitch action
  • Catcher's Evaluations During Bullpens

 

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