Tucson ID: Catchers

The Tucson ID was an open event that featured 50+ prospects ranging from the 2021-2024 classes. The event consisted of a Pro-Style workout that used industry leading technology to analyze and assess each position player at the event. This event took place at Kino Sports Complex and was attended by prospects from all over Southern Arizona as well as players from the Phoenix area and a couple of players from California. 

In the past, we took a look at some of our first impressions of the event in our Quick Hits segment. We also took a deep dive into the stats from the even in our Statistical Analysis. Trackman & Blast metrics have also been a big addition to PBR events since the beginning of the summer. We broke down some of these data analytics in our Trackman & Blast Leaderboards. 

Today, we. take a look back at the backstops that attended this open event: 

Catchers

Marcus Downing, Pinnacle (AZ), 2024
Positional Profile: C/OF Has some upside and should improve greatly as he starts to mature physically.
Body: 5-11, 135-pounds. Thin, long legs with high waist, limited strength, still maturing.
Hit: RHH. Balanced base, slightly spread out open stance. Uses a small leg lift to transfer some weight to the back leg, landing softly. Loads hands slightly down & back.  Short downward swing plane with developing bat speed. GB/LD contact with opposite field approach. Should improve with added strength.
Power: 81 mph exit velocity via Trackman.
Arm: Right-handed. C - 64 mph. OF - 73 mph. Average arm strength at this time, showed some carry & accuracy.
Defense: 2.31-2.52 pop times. Clean athletic footwork in the OF with relaxed first step. Lengthy exchanges with slower feet behind the plate.
Run: 8.20 runner in the 60. Heavier feet, slowed down towards the end.

Zack Puglia, Empire (AZ), 2022
Positional Profile: C/OF
Body: 5-8, 175-pounds. Strong compact body, broad shoulders, strong limbs.
Hit: RHH. Squared neutral stance, crouching into back leg. Uses a small pick up with some forward movement. Minimal load of the hands. Early tight barrel turn, upward swing plane. Mostly LD, FB contact. Average bat & hand speed.  Barrel gets out of zone quickly. Some pop to LF.
Power: 93 mph exit velocity via Trackman. Has some natural strength through the swing.
Arm: Right-handed. C - 69 mph. OF - 75 mph. Arm gets up late, throwing from a lower slot. Average arm strength.
Defense: 2.26-2.37 pop times. Heavy flat footwork in the OF, fields the ball with two-hands deep with a firm glove. Staggered stance behind the plate, up on toes. Created some direction towards 2B with a small step.
Run: 7.38 runner in the 60.

Cesar Portillo, Vista Grande (AZ), 2021
Positional Profile: C
Body: 5-10, 185-pounds. Large frame with some strength & durability to build off, rounded shoulders, big lower half.
Hit: LHH. Squared upright stance, uses a toe tap trigger. Loads hand straight back. Slow quiet actions.  Flat/downward swing path. Mid/oppo approach with varying contact. More rotation available.
Power: 81 mph exit velocity via Trackman. Pop should increase with more bat speed.
Arm: Right-handed. C - 70 mph. Down & up transfer, throwing from a 3/3 arm slot. Average arm strength
Defense: 2.37-2.53 pop times. Staggered stance with backside up, takes some effort. Gains some ground towards the target. Narrow upright blocks, some length to exchanges. Firm glove.
Run: 8.44 runner in the 60.

Jose Simon Aguirre, Salpointe Catholic (AZ), 2024
Positional Profile: C/3B- Baseball player, shows good upside.
Body: 5-10, 145-pounds. Medium frame, lean projectable body with some quick twitch actions.
Hit: RHH. Narrow athletic stance, open base. Uses a gathered leg kick gliding into front footstrike. Some stretch in the load.  Creates a level swing plane with advanced bat speed & quick hands for his age. Consistent hard LD contact. 
Power: 95 mph exit velocity via Trackman. Consistent hard LD contact that should continue to improve with maturity.
Arm: Right-handed. C - 74 mph. INF - 79 mph. Strong arm with carry & accuracy, clean transfers.
Defense: 2.08-2.14 pop times. Low athletic secondary stance, quick exchanges. Strong arm with carry & accuracy. Soft usable hands, works from beneath the ball. Heavy direct footwork in the INF with confident first step. Stays low.
Run: 6.92 runner in the 60.