On February 6th, 65 of the best high school baseball players in the United States and Canada all came together in Chicago, Illinois at the Max McCook Athletic Centre for Prep Baseball Report’s annual Super 60 showcase. In front of more than 100 professional scouts, Canada’s very own Micah Bucknam, an LSU commit, and Nathaniel Ochoa, an Alabama commit, more than held their own against some of the top eligible draft talent. 

MICAH BUCKNAM

Over the last couple of seasons, Bucknam’s calling card has been his fastball. While his velocity was not where it had been at the Super 60, he sat a very respectable 90-91 and had the highest spin score of any arm at the event (28). While his VAA is not available, his extension (5.7) and release height (5.1) tell us that a fastball up in the zone will have a flat VAA. This is important as that type of pitch will set up his secondary offerings appropriately.

Bucknam’s curveball prioritizes velocity over movement, coming in at 81-83. Although prioritizing velocity, it still has substantial movement (-7.3 IVB/-5.1 HB). This plays well off his fastball, as a curveball down in the zone with that kind of IVB will change the eye level of a hitter. It is important to maintain unpredictability through this, as better hitters will have a good two strike approach and predict a pitchers move when at two strikes.

‘22 LSU commit Micah Bucknam (@BucknamMicah) more than held his own at the Super 60 this past Sunday in Chicago. While sitting 90-91, he had the highest spin score on a fastball (28) out of any arm at the event.@PBR_Ontario || @prepbaseball #BeSeen #Super60 pic.twitter.com/RmxGM03LE8

— Brady Turner (@BTurner97) February 10, 2022

Although his changeup velocity is similar to that of his fastball (86-87), it’s the movement on the pitch that makes it an effective offering. His fastball has a movement pattern of 12 IVB and 3.8 HB, while his changeup is 8.5 IVB and 11.8 HB. His changeup not only differs in IVB, but horizontally as well.

An option going forward for Bucknam is to decrease the velocity of his changeup. It moves differently than his fastball, so lowering its velocity will affect the hitter's timing if it is thrown with the same kind of authority as his fastball.

NATE OCHOA

While Ochoa’s strength in the past has been his defensive ability at SS, he put on a clinic at the plate, showing scouts what he can do on the offensive side of the ball. On the Trackman side of things, he had a max EV of 99.5 while also producing an average EV of 93 which ranked 15th of 42. His consistency also showed up in his hard-hit percentage which ranked 10th (81).

First round of BP from SS Nate Ochoa (@nate_fh13).

Loud swings to the pullside while flashing some opposite field power. #Super60 || #MLBDraft pic.twitter.com/N1qNMdvJU4

— PBR Ontario (@PBR_Ontario) February 6, 2022

What was more impressive were his numbers provided by Blast Motion. He ranked in the top 8 in several major categories:

Max Hand Speed (26.4)
Max Bat Speed (79.6)
Avg Bat Speed (75.4)
Max Rotational Acceleration (25.3)

These metrics are important because not only do they rank among the best in a pool of the top eligible draft prospects, but they are good indicators of what is to come. All 4 of those metrics directly correlate to power output as well as giving the hitter a little bit more time at the plate to make a decision.

As Ochoa fills out and adds strength, both his Trackman and Blast Motion metrics will improve, as he will add a substantial amount of power.

UPCOMING EVENTS

SHOWCASE	STATE	DATE	LOCATION
Junior Future Game Trials	ON	02/18	The Athlete Matrix
2022 New Brunswick New Year Open	ON	02/21	Irving Field House
2022 New Year Open	ON	02/21	Vaughan Sportsplex
2022 PEI New Year Open	ON	02/26	Capital Turf Centre
2022 Nova Scotia New Year Open	ON	03/05	West Hants Sports Complex
PBR Canada Spring Training Event	ON	03/12	Panama City Beach Sports Complex
Improve My Profile with Game Video (Ontario)	ON	08/29	Ontario

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