November 10 North Alabama Open Scout Analysis: Infielders

Eli Bolden (2021, 3B/1B, James Clemens) Bolden showed a slightly open stance and a toe tap approach on the front side. The swing showed some violence and he did a nice job keeping the back elbow slotted, forcing the hands and barrel inside the ball. Nice extension through contact and there is some tilt in the bat path as he showed a pull side approach, driving balls to the LCF gap. Was 88 mph exit velo off a tee and an event best 87 mph velocity across the dirt. Showed solid glove actions at 3B and showed off nice feet approaching ground balls. Played low to the ground and showed nice flexibility in the hips.  

Camden Matthews (2021, 3B/1B, Scottsboro) Physical RHP that repeats his delivery very well and shows nice arm side action on the FB that was up to 82 mph. The pitch really came out of the hand well. The breaking ball looks very similar to the FB out of the hand and shows nice depth. It can be a swing and miss pitch at 67-68 mph. He showed feel for the changeup and seemed to have confidence in the pitch as it showed nice deception and late tumble at 72-74 mph. Can play either corner infield position with arm strength to play 3B (83 mph IF velo) and did a nice job showing the ability to throw from different arm angles. Did a nice job keeping his momentum moving through the throw. At the plate he started with an open stance and had a good bit of movement in approach to the launch position. Showed some nice strength in the hands with nice bat speed showing an opposite field approach. Was 93 mph exit velocity off the tee.  

Noah Toney (2022, 3B/RHP, Florence) Nice body for a young guy and he uses his core strength very well on the field. On the mound he showed a high ¾ slot and short arm action. The FB came out of the hand very easily and had some late life to it and was up to 83 mph with the pitch. The breaking ball is a power pitch that he was able to command very well to his glove side at 69-72 mph. He showed confidence in throwing the change up and stayed down in the zone and stayed down in the zone at 73-74 mph. This can be a pitch a lot of hitters swing over the top of. Does a nice job keeping the barrel through the zone at the plate showing some present strength in the hands and some nice juice off the barrel (87 mph exit velo off a tee). The swing shows some violence from a tilted bat path. Nice rhythm in the load and showed a strong pull side approach. At 3B he showcased very solid glove actions and the arm strength was nice (82 mph) and he showed the ability to throw from different arm slots. 

Fisher Moss (2022, SS/OF, Bob Jones) We saw Moss exactly a year ago to the day and he has shown significant improvement across the board as all of his measurables improved. The SS moves very well on the dirt and showed plenty of plus actions with the glove and looked natural on the slow roller in front of him. The added strength has drastically improved the arm strength across the diamond (82 mph). At the plate, the left hand hitter showed a very mature approach as he was mostly middle of the field with his approach and did a nice job of handling pitches on the outer half and driving those to the backside gap. Really liked his approach showing a leg kick start to the swing.  

Jordan Pearce (2022, 3B/RHP, Sparkman) The RHP showed a ¾ arm slot with short arm action. The FB showed big time glove side cut with spin rates in the low 1900’s up to 79 mph. The breaking ball showed nice depth and tight spin in the low 70’s and the change up had nice downward tilt at 72-73 mph. Solid 3 pitch mix for this ‘22 arm. Really liked his defensive actions at the hot corner and everything looked natural and easy. Did a nice job playing low to the ground and showed a quick transfer and was 82 mph across the dirt. Offensively he started with a slightly open stance and used a toe tap approach as his timing mechanism. Really worked to force the hands and barrel inside the ball and did a nice job keeping the barrel through the hitting zone. The simple setup showed the ability to use the whole field during BP. 

William Burgreen (2022, SS/2B, Decatur) The switch hitting SS/2B continues to impress each time we see him. Nice runner that turned in a 6.92 at the event and backed that up throwing 81 mph across the infield and the exit velocity from both sides of the plate was 88 mph. Shows big time range on the infield and the glove presentation is solid. The feet work well before and after the ball is in the glove. At the plate, he shows the same set up and approach from both sides of the plate. The feet are slightly open and he shows a toe tap approach to trigger the swing. Has some tilt in the swing path and consistently bangs balls to the middle of the field. Showed carry off the bat to both gaps. Athletic ‘22 that should continue to garner attention. 

Brady Patterson (2020, 2B/SS, Cullman) This guy can simple be termed a baseball player! High baseball IQ player with a solid understanding of the game. Love the throwback approach to the game. Shows a well synced swing swing at the plate as the bottom half and top half of the body work well together, Does a nice job of driving off the backside and shows some top hand dominance, forcing the barrel through the zone with an 87 mph exit velocity off the tee. Solid gap to gap juice as he handles the barrel to all fields as well. The defensive actions are big time. Nice preset with the feet and showed well working to field the ball slightly to the left side of his center. Quick transfer and easy arm strength. Can play either MIF position. 

JW Hopkins (2022, 1B/3B, Bob Jones) Continues to produce with the bat each time we see. Physical ‘22 grad that has big time juice at the plate, as evidenced by his 97 mph exit velocity off the tee. Shows an even stance with the feet with a wide base and has a slight crouch in the stance. The swing shows some violence in it and there is definite tilt in the swing path. Really keeps the barrel through the zone and shows a LCF to pull side approach with some backspin. At 1B, he showed well picking balls out of the dirt and he showed natural actions around the bag. Showed well coming off the bag and starting the 3-6-3 DP.

Colin Baeder (2020, 3B/2B, Hazel Green) Uncommitted ‘20 grad that was very impressive at the event. Natural 3B that moves well laterally and does a nice job gathering his feet and momentum before making the throw. Made all of the throws easily and looked natural throwing from different arm slots. Loved the approach at the plate as he created some torque in the swing which led to some juice off the barrel. Slightly open stance and the hands and barrel really stay inside the ball. There is some strength in the hands and he does a nice job of keeping through barrel through contact. Showed tilt in the swing path with a middle to pull side approach. A nice ‘20 grad that is still uncommitted. 

Ryan West (2021, 2B/SS, Bob Jones) Very simple approach at the plate with not a lot of wasted movement in the set up and swing. Started with the feet even in the stance and and had a very simple trigger with the front side, allowing the barrel to follow on time. Really stayed short with the hands and barrel and the back elbow stayed slotted which resulted in a quick, compact swing. Handles the bat well to all fields from a mostly middle of the field approach and was 86 mph exit velocity off the tee. Very athletic on the dirt and showed a “quick hop” preset to get the feet moving. Played very low to the ground with an extremely quick transfer to the throw. Very aggressive actions on the dirt that may be a natural 2B.  

Camden Smith (2022, 3B/RHP, Florence) The ‘22 grad showed a very deceptive delivery with short action and the FB seemed a bit “sneaky quick” that was up to 77 mph with ASR and sink that should be a ground ball producer for him. The low ¾ slot produced a breaking ball with slider type action that he located well to the glove side at 68-69 mph. Slightly open stance with the feet at the plate and a small leg kick approach. The hands are set fairly high in the stance and the bat path showed slight tilt as he showed a mostly pull side approach with some back spin off the bat. At 3B the glove presentation was solid and he did a nice job of gaining ground toward the 1B to make the throw. Fairly narrow setup with the feet when fielding ground balls. 

Levi Massey (2020, 2B/RHP, Sparkman) On the mound he showed a low ¾ slot and featured a FB that showed some sink up to 74 mph. The breaking ball took the shape of a slider at 62-63 mph with fairly tight spin. He was able to command this pitch well to the outer half of the plate. The change up (68-70 mph) plays well off the FB as the release window and arm speed are the same for both pitches. Slightly open wide stance at the plate with the hands set high at setup. Hits from a bit of a crouched stance and has a pull side approach. Stays through contact very well. In the dirt he the feet were fairly wide as he fielded the ground ball and he did a nice job of using his momentum to move through the through, creating some carry on the ball. 

Jackson Lindsey (2021, 1B/OF, Russellville) This ‘21 had a stellar day at the event. The approach from the left side was very solid and the swing was well synced. Very basic setup with the feet even and the hands set fairly high in the stance. The front side is simple and he does a nice job of being on time so the barrel can follow. Was 88 mph exit velocity off the tee and was even more impressive during BP. There is definite strength in the hands and he showed a middle of the field approach as well as showing big time juice to the backside gap. Created backspin from a slightly tilted bat path. This guy can flat hit!!! No questions on the defensive actions at 1B as he moved very well around the bag and just looked “natural” fielding ground balls. Also did a nice job picking balls out of the dirt at the bag on throws from across the infield. This is a ‘21 to keep an eye on.  

Brodie Morrow (2022, 1B/3B, Hartselle) Corner infielder that has some physicality to his game. Slightly open stance at the plate and presents a strong presence in the box. Very simple approach showing big time bat speed and strength in the hands. There is definite tilt in the swing path and juice off the barrel as he showed power to all fields. There is some “whip” with the barrel through the hitting zone. Was 88 mph exit velocity off the tee and 77 mph across the diamond. Went through the workout at both 1B and 3B and showed well at both. Moved to his left well at 3B to start the DP and showed solid glove presentation with a very quick transfer to the throw. Very solid coming off the 1B bag to start the 3-6-3 DP and showed nice footwork around the bag. 

Jack Carson (2022, 2B/SS, Grissom) Even stance with a leg kick approach at the plate as he created some torque in the swing. The ball came off the bat well and he did a nice job keeping the barrel through the hitting zone. The approach was very short and compact as he kept the hands and barrel inside the ball through contact. Handled the bat well to all fields with slight tilt in the swing plane. Very solid defender at SS that showed advanced footwork before and after the ball was in the glove. Showed a quick transfer to throw and also was quick on the turn at 2B from SS and 3B. Looks to be able to play either MIF position. Very solid actions on this ‘22 to follow. 

Nicholas Douglas (2022, 2B/SS, Southaven MS) On the mound the arm works very well from a high ¾ slot and the FB was up to 74 mph with mid 2000- mid 2100 spin rates. The pitch showed some nice 2 seam action as well. He showed a nice clean delivery and the showed feel and confidence for both offspeed pitches as well. The breaking ball was well shaped at 68-69 mph and the change up showed late tumble at 69-70 mph. There will be more velocity to the FB as he develops physically over the next few years.  At the plate, he showed a mostly middle of the field approach with an even an even stance with the feet at the plate. The swing path was fairly level which resulted in numerous line drives to the middle of the field during his BP round. Handles the barrel very well and looks like a typical 2 hole type hitter. At SS, he showed nice lateral range and the glove worked very well out in front. Looked very natural on the backhand ball with a quick release on his throws. Could be a natural 2B. 

Jackson Thomas (2023, LHP/1B, Helena) Young player that showed a low ¾ arm slot from the left side and the delivery was very clean. The FB was up to 69 mph and showed typical LHP action to the arm side. The FB also showed some sink as well. The low arm slot also made for a breaking ball that showed slider type movement in the low 60’s. The change up showed nice vertical drop and played well off of the FB. Filled the zone up with all 3 pitches. Even stance at the plate and he does a nice job of getting the front foot down early to allow the swing to begin. Showed some top hand dominance in the swing as well as a mostly opposite field approach. The bat path had some tilt in it. At 1B, the glove worked well out in front of him and he showed some “feel” around the bag. Stayed low to the ground and worked through ground balls off the bat. 

Chase Cartron (2024, 1B/LHP, Huntsville) Youngest player at the event but has nice physical size for a ‘24 and solid actions. The arm action on the mound is solid and the FB was up to 70 mph with high 1600’s spin rate and typical LHP ASR. The breaking ball is a two plane pitch which he can throw for strikes and the change up really disappears late. Interesting follow on the mound as he ages. Moved well around the bag at 1B and there is some looseness in the glove actions with natural feel. The feet worked well preparing to field the ground ball. From the left side at the plate, he started slightly open with the feet in the stance and he did a very nice job of getting his transferred to the back side to launch the swing. Shows a small leg kick and the bat speed is nice for a young player that should continue to increase over the next few years. Liked the pull side power he showed at the plate. A definite ‘24 to keep an eye on.