Fall Prospect Showcase: Catching Analysis
December 12, 2018
The Fall Prospect Showcase took place on Sunday, October 14th at Brazell Field, home of the Grand Canyon Antelopes. The event freshman through junior prospects an opportunity to be evaluated in a college stadium in front of a number of college coaches. The showcase marked the biggest event to date in Arizona, with nearly 140 players registered. This event will become a staple for PBR every October, due to the response and large number of college coaches that travel to the area this week every year. Today, we continue the event coverage with our Catching Analysis. Uncommitted 2020 Kenneth Jimenez was clearly the top catching prospect in attendance and has established himself as the top available defender in the 2020 class. Ben Click and Cole Sheehan grabbed spots two and three after both made significant improvements since our last look. The rest of the list is comprised of a number of young prospects who just edged out 2020's Kyele Roe and Nick Bommarito who both show college-level ability. Full reports on those prospects are in their individual profiles.We also posted tons of brief notes and videos throughout the day on Twitter.
Complete video, data, pictures and reports are posted to players' individual profiles. As always contact [email protected] or direct message @PBRArizona on Twitter with any questions and/or information.
TOP Catching PROSPECTS:
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KENNETH JIMENEZ C / 2B / NOGALES, AZ / 2020Rankings StateRank: 17 / POS: 2
5-foot-7, 110-pound frame. Strong compact body. Type of player you like more every time you see him and this was no different as he was clearly the top defensive catcher at the event and took one of the day's louder rounds of BP. Jimenez turned in pop times from 1.90-2.02 with 80 mph velo from the crouch and showed terrific footwork as he effectively gains ground towards 2B. Throws remain on-line with premium carry. It's a bigger swing for an undersized prospect and he could benefit from quieting the lower half in game action, but there's certainly some juice in the bat as he turned in an event best 94 mph exit velo.
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BEN CLICK C / 3B / CORONA DEL SOL, AZ / 2020Rankings StateRank: 72 / POS: 8
5-foot-11, 190-pound frame. Catcher has a strong, stocky build and seems to have really worked to improve physically since we last saw him 10 months ago. His 7.31 60-yard dash, 90 mph exit velo and 1.95 best pop time were all personal bests by a huge margin. Behind the plate, Click’s extremely quick transfer and solid footwork behind the plate make up for lack of elite arm strength. At the plate has a lot going on in load but creates strong base and finds a way to get on plane, showing gap-to-gap power. Hands leak forward early in swing which saps some power.
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COLE SHEEHAN C / 3B / MOUNTAIN POINTE, AZ / 2021Rankings StateRank: 47 / POS: 8
6-foot-0, 165-pound frame. Switch-hitting catcher. From the left side shows power to the pull side. Gets barrel out front with rhythym and loft. Slightly more stiff load/swing from the right side, with more linear, line drive type approach. Tends to push and not sync up as well, but still found barrel. Shows flashes of same bat speed, but more inconsistency. Threw better than on previous looks (2.06-2.21) with solid 75 mph velocity, but transfer is still inconsistent as times show. Continuing to gain more athleticism as shown by improved 60-yard dash (7.22).
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TOMMY TAKAYOSHI C / 3B / BELLARMINE PREP, WA / 20196-foot-1, 170-pound switch-hitting catcher from Washington state. Medium Build with room to add weight. From the left side shows loose hands with an arm bar. Elevates balls to the opposite field gap. From the right side, tends to drift at times, but leaves the barrel in the strike zone for a long time. Found barrel more consistently RH. Behind the plate, Takayoshi showcases a pop time of 2.0-2.17 from a high set-up. Showcases quick feet and gets hips on line no matter where the pitch, which helps him be an extremely accurate thrower. Ran a 7.52 60-yard dash
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Caleb Smith C / RHP / Millenium, AZ / 2021Rankings StateRank: 43 / POS: 7
6-foot-5, 205-pound tall, lean frame. Hits from a tall, open set up. An active load just before an aggressive transition on to the front side. At times creates hip/hands separation and doesn’t sync up as well at others. Posted 79 mph exit velocity, but we’ve seen him drive some balls in game action with significant authority. Behind the plate, the tall and lean catcher posted pop times ranging from 2.16-2.24, but showed solid 74 mph velocity for a rising sophomore. Key to better times will be improving footwork. Body may force a move from behind the plate. 1B could be a long term fit if the bat continues to develop. Ran 7.95 60-yard dash.
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RYAN SPIER C / ARCADIA, AZ / 20225-foot-11, 160-pound frame. As a hitter, shows an solid approach as hands works in a semi circle back to load. Hips leak on occasion, but does a nice job with barrel control. Physically advanced for 2020 prospect. Posted 80 mph exit velocity. Spier showed us pop times ranging from 2.18-2.26, and 73 mph velocity from the crouch. Feet and arm were somewhat out of sync on this look as we’ve seen him throw with considerably better accuracy before. Advanced reliever with loose hips and quiet hands.
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Garrett Olson C / RHP / Mountain Ridge, AZ / 2020Rankings StateRank: 63 / POS: 7
5-foot-10,155-pound frame. Continues to show well at multiple positions. Profiles best behind the plate, and that allows the bat to play as well. As a left-handed hitter, Olson uses a longer stride, getting in the slot early. Shows present power to the pull side gap. Behind the plate, developing footwork, and longer arm action show room to continue to lower 2.04-2.15 pop times. Ran 7.59 60-yard dash on this look, but has shown significantly better in the past. On the mound, a fastball that sits 76-79, T80. Showed tendency to leave fastball out to the arm side. A tight-spinning curveball (65-66 mph) was his best secondary ofering. Also flashes a straight changeup at 70-71 mph.
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THOMAS Napolitano C / 1B / DESERT MOUNTAIN , AZ / 2020Rankings StateRank: 78 / POS: 9
5-foot-10, 185-pound frame. Has made a significant jump in the year since we last saw him, both physically and mechanically; exit velocity now 85 mph. This is a direct product of the now calm, crouched, attack oriented swing. Uses early hand load and hits from a dead stop at times. Barreled balls up consistently and no longer cuts himself off. Much more efficient mechanics. Looking to hit balls in the air and shows the ability to do it routinely. Impressed behind the plate with 2.06-2.14 pop times and 74 mph velocity. Showed quick transfer and efficient footwork. Ran 7.40 60-yard dash.
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MICHAEL RILEY C / 3B / PINNACLE, AZ / 2021Rankings StateRank: 37 / POS: 6
6-foot-2, 195-pound frame. Body has improved significantly with physical upper body and broad shoulders. Shows strength through the hands and forearms. Pull side oriented at the plate. Made hard contact on the inner half, but barrel tracks out towards the 3rd base bag. Posted an impressive 88 mph exit velocity as a result of strength gains. As a C, threw 75 mph behind the plate. Posted pop times of 2.15-2.29 largely due to arm strength. Needs to quicken up feet to lower times and improve accuracy. Posted 7.99 60-yard dash. Still believe future is likely on the mound but shows significant improvement as a position prospect.
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Derek Smith C / 3B / Horizon, AZ / 20226-foot-2, 165-pound frame. Lean, developing body. Tons of room for projection/maturation in long limbs. The right-handed hitting catcher shows rhythm in set-up, and ability to create leverage; 83 mph exit velo. In BP Smith struggled with timing, leading to an up and down round, but the body and hands make for an intriguing offensive 2022 prospect. Behind the plate, posted pop times of 2.06-2.15 with 70 mph velocity. Continued physical development will improve arm strength and bring times down. Ran 7.58 60-yard dash.
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