Area Code Underclass: Athletics
August 23, 2022
With many of the country’s top future draft prospects in the 2024 & 2025 classes present in San Diego for the Underclass Area Code Games, PBR Vice President of Scouting, Shooter Hunt, was glued to the action with a front row seat. In total, seven teams competed with players from all around the country representing their region. The action was fast and furious with a full round of batting practice kicking things off before each team played four games in three days. The intense look provided even greater clarity as to who the next big MLB Draft prospects will be in coming years.
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Charlie Bates SS / RHP / Palo Alto, CA / 2024Bates, a Stanford recruit, stole the show for a talented Athletics squad. From the first swing that he took in batting practice, the wiry-athletic, 6-foot-1, 175-pound shortstop looked like an elite prospect in the class. The left-handed hitter was balanced while showcasing a flat path through the zone with quickness to the hands, and an innate ability to cover the plate. Tracking spin with ease, he found barrel after barrel in-game including a resounding home run that opened eyes to his future potential at the plate. Nimble on the infield with crisp action, Bates was likely already a name that NorCal scouts were familiar with having scouted his teammate, Henry Bolte (A’s 2nd round, 56th overall), last spring, but his play at the event firmly planted him in the national limelight as a prospect to follow closely for ‘24.
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