North Alabama Prospect Games Scout Blog: Outfielders

North Alabama Prospect Games: Outfielders

There was some very solid outfielders at the North Alabama Prospect Games that put up some impressive numbers and stood out during the game. Below is a piece on each outfielder present at the event:

Noah Watkins (2020, OF/LHP, Lee) Very nice actions in the OF that does a good job of working his feet before and after the ball is in the glove. Really gets his weight moving with the throw and has a very strong arm (80 mph OF) that is extremely accurate. Is really athletic and has nice speed. Offensively, his approach is legit starting with a slightly closed stance and a definite middle of the field approach. Does a nice job of staying short and keeping the barrel through the hitting zone. Showed nice juice to all fields from an even swing plane. A very athletic player.

Lance Clardy (2019, OF/LHP, Buckhorn) Tracked balls very well in the OF and showed nice “feel” for the position. Nice looking athlete that runs well and can cover some ground. The arm works and the ball explodes out of the hand with nice arm strength (80 mph OF) and really did a good job of giving the catchers an easy throw to handle. At the plate, he started with an even stance with a nice load of the hands with rhythm and showed some pop to both gaps. Has a simple approach and does a good job of incorporating his lower half into his swing.

Dylan Paseur (2020, OF/1B, Buckhorn) Tall, lanky player with some physical skills that jump out. Did a nice job in the OF of working behind balls and keeping his weight moving through the throw. Showed nice accuracy with his throws and brought athleticism to the OF. Offensively from the left side, he started with an an even stance and showed a nice “trigger” with his hands getting them to the launch position. Also does a nice job of getting his backside through with slight tilt in the swing plans, showing juice to both gaps.

Ryan Crawford (2020, OF/RHP, Bob Jones) Good with his feet and a quick transfer from the OF with some nice arm strength and “carry” to this throws. Did nice job of attacking balls in front of him and getting rid of it quickly. Offensively, he starts from a big time open stance and a toe tap approach but does a nice job of being on time and getting the barrel to the zone when needed. Has some violence in the swing and uses his powerful lower half. A definite middle of the field approach during BP with big time tilt in the swing.   

Brandon Bentley (2021, RHP/OF, Westminster Christian Academy) Nice arm slot from the OF and showed plenty of arm strength (event best 85 mph from the OF) and feel for how to play the position.  Fairly quick transfer as well At the plate, he started with a slightly open stance and did a nice job of getting his hands back to launch. Stayed in the middle of the field with his BP and will definitely add more strength and pop as he matures physically. Very nice fundamentals all the way around.

Kellen Mashburn (2022, OF, Bob Jones) A young player (2022 grad) that showed nice feel to all areas of his game. An athletic kid with a tall, slender build (6’2 155 lbs.) that will definitely be able to add weight and strength as he matures. The arm slot is nice from the OF and he did a nice job of moving through every ball he fielded. Tracked balls well and showed a quick release. At the plate, he started with a slightly closed and did a real nice job forcing his hands back to the launch position. Showed nice gap to gap juice with a slight tilt in the swing and really kept the barrel in the hitting zone a long time. An interesting 2022 to follow.

Sam Smith (2021, OF/RHP, Decatur) Another young player that has a tall, lean build that will definitely add weight and strength to an already solid skill set. Tracked balls very well in OF drills and did a nice job of resetting his feet before the throw and used his weight through the throw very well. At the plate, he started with a slightly open stance and showed a very level swing plane. His hands and barrel stayed inside the ball which created a short, compact swing. His set up was solid and he did a nice job of hitting off of a firm front side.