Norcal Underclass - Middle Infielders
June 19, 2020
New Episode LIVE now! - At The Yard Podcast
LATHROP, CA. - Players were put through a pro-style workout that included the 60-yard sprint, a round of batting practice, defensive workouts at respective positions, and concluded with competitive at-bat sessions for pitchers/hitters.
Most of the players were attending their first ever PBR California event, giving us a first look at these players in a showcase setting. Some we had seen in previous events or travel ball games last fall.
(Note: Players are listed in alphabetical order. All showcase videos have been added to the player profiles)
MIDDLE INFIELDERS:
Scouting Report
Scouting Report
Body: 5-foot-7, 125-pounds. Lean/wiry, small body but athletically put together, well-proportioned
Hit: RHH. Tall set-up w/slight crouch at knees, medium width feet w/open front foot, big knee lift and load over back foot, hands start high and push back deep, there is some lead arm bar that leads to a somewhat sweep-type swing, it's an aggressive load/approach given the modest present strength and power, same aggressive swing/approach showed up in sim game ABs, definitely confident at the plate, body control is good and will serve him well w/strength gains
Power: 72 mph EV off tee
Arm: SS velo - 66 mph - Short and quick arm action, showed ability to change arm angle for various plays, easy flick when moving to his left, the raw arm strength will dictate SS or 2B in HS
Defense: Before he did defense portion his soft hands and gritty style of D showed up when receiving pop throws at 2nd base, stays low below the ball, plays through it well, feet are calm and efficient, within his range he will make the plays, showed good instincts and first step.
Run: 7.69 60-yard
Scouting Report
Body: 5-foot-8, 140-pounds. Trim & lean, athletic build, young body w/room to add strength
Hit: RHH. Tall set-up, fairly narrow feet w/slightly open front foot, medium knee lift, good rhythm and syncing of load of hands, some lead arm bar creates some length, hand/bat speed is good, balance is good, given his modest size/youth and his ability to generate good bat speed he looks to have a bright future with the bat through his HS years.
Power: 84 mph EV off tee
Arm: SS velo - 67 mph - Arm will play well at 2nd base and even given the present arm strength he showed the ability to make throws on the move
Defense: Bouncy and light feet, good angles, soft glove w/quick release going to both his right and left, looks like he enjoys the defensive side w/confident actions and field presence, development of raw arm strength will determine whether he's at 2B or SS through HS years.
Run: 7.69 60-yard
Scouting Report
Body: 5-foot-8, 165-pounds. Compact/athletic build w/strength in lower body, put together well
Hit: Switch-Hitter. LHH - Comfortable set-up, medium feet width and very slightly open, hands comfortably off his body, slight reverse stride to toe tap, stride closes off a bit, separates well through contact, plenty of bat speed and strong from the ground up at contact. RHH - Similar set-up though a bit more open and a bit more narrow feet, hitter-ish look to him, calm on-line stride after very subtle toe tap, powerful swing w/ability to routinely make hard barrel contact. Certainly looks capable of being productive on both sides of the plate w/more power on right side.
Power: 91 mph EV off tee (RHH)
Arm: SS velo - 82 mph - Velo obviously shows well, arm action fits for SS, able to make throws on the run and not lose power on throws
Defense: Athleticism plays well, starts below ball and stays below ball, soft hands, confidence shows, can change arm angles to make various throws, there were a couple plays with unnecessary pat of glove prior to getting rid of the ball though that tends to happen in showcase settings w/goals of a higher velo reading, strong chance he's at SS in his HS program sooner rather than later.
Run: 7.33 60-yard
Scouting Report
Body: 5-foot-10, 145-pounds. Lean lithe body type w/some room w/in upper frame for size gains
Hit: RHH. Tall relaxed set-up, slightly open front foot, comfortable hand position off right shoulder, good rhythm towards a longer stride, sim game ABs showed good approach to stay in middle of field (1B to RF & F8), timing was good vs low-80s velocity, has body control and head stays quiet, as he grows into his frame and the physical maturity takes place there are hit mechanics and tools to evolve into a quality HS hitter.
Power: 77 mph EV off tee
Arm: SS velo - 75 mph - Short clean arm action fits left side of infield, where his raw arm strength gets to will determine if he stays on left side in HS
Defense: Calm demeanor, good focus and adjustability to the ball, can work to be a little more efficient with feet and close on the ball a bit more, raw footspeed limits the present range so developing more foot quickness is something to work on, quality glove skills and works below the ball well.
Run: 7.96 60-yard
Scouting Report
Body: 5-foot-10, 140-pounds. Lanky body type, long proportions, still quite a ways from maturity
Hit: RHH. Very tall set-up, hands held high above shoulder, knees pinched slightly and very slightly open front foot w/weight distributed mostly on the back foot, smallish minimal stride, inconsistent weight transfer depending where the pitch was, hands work, primarily swings using upper body, can stay connected better to eliminate some swing length and more consistently find barrel, as physical maturity takes place the hand speed will improve.
Power: 75 mph EV off tee
Arm: SS velo - 62 mph - Goal post position on backside, calm clean arm action, could increase sense of urgency a bit to get rid of ball quicker but the positive was that he was accurate
Defense: Nothing flashy, calm feet, certainly focused on gloving the ball and then moving on to the throw which sounds elementary but its a positive trait, range limited by raw footspeed, showed ability to work below the ball and gets the ball underway quickly w/good efficient one step release.
Run: 8.49 60-yard
Scouting Report
Body: 5-foot-10, 155-pounds. Athletic build, long arms, wide shoulders, good frame for strength
Hit: RHH. Strong hitter-ish set-up, wide feet in balanced stance w/pronounced crouch at the knees, hands held high above shoulder and a bit off the body, hips work w/some explosion, hands work inside and get barrel on plane early and well, separates well through contact getting to a high finish, finishes top hand well, swing got a tad long during sim game ABs, looks to have very solid chance to develop into a quality hitter at HS level.
Power: 83 mph EV off tee
Arm: SS velo - 75 mph - Arm action fits well on left side, short and pretty quick, has present arm strength that for his age projects well to be above average at some point during his HS years.
Defense: Starts low and plays low through the ball, closes ground well while putting himself in position to throw which is a technique that plays well as the game gets faster, showed soft hands and an efficient transfer/release, present range is limited by present footspeed but possesses quality defensive skills.
Run: 7.73 60-yard
Scouting Report
Body: 6-foot-1, 155-pounds. Long lean body type, some hints of future muscularity are showing
Hit: RHH. Tall set-up, balanced feet just outside his hips, knees pinched between feet, hands held high with considerable elbow separation, stood toward front of box, lots of hard contact in BP round, knee lift to gathering over back foot then dive/crash to contact, hands pretty short to ball and got to extension through contact, stayed above the high FB well and drove one over CF head in one of the sim game ABs.
Power: 81 mph EV off tee
Arm: SS velo - 77 mph - Quick snap throw release, quick short efficient arm action, ball exits well and tracked nicely across diamond
Defense: Polished footwork to the ball and w/transfer and release, smooth actions w/closing ability and athleticism to make throws on the move, footwork and projectable arm strength both suggest that even if he's not an above average or plus runner he could play SS well at HS level.
Run: 7.44 60-yard
Scouting Report
Body: 6-foot-1, 160-pounds. Lanky & lean w/some athletic proportionality, still a young body
Hit: RHH. Simple set-up with feet just outside his hips, very slight crouch of knees, hands start by comfortably just off his chest/shoulder, knee lift trigger out to long stride, little back elbow trigger to create rhythm, some lead arm bar in the load leading to a wristy finish to the swing, displayed good timing of strike foot - hips - hands, both sim game ABs resulted in hard contact (F8, 6-3), with strength gains combining w/loose wrists he's got a shot to develop some pop though raw bat/hand speed will have to improve along with the strength gains.
Power: 73 mph EV off tee
Arm: SS velo - 77 mph - Loose lively arm, like that of a pitcher at SS (which he is), threw on run well, arm can play to the backhand as well
Defense: Gets in great early fielding position during pre-pitch, starts low and stays low, bouncy first step, closes on the ball well, soft glove skills w/adjustibility to non-routine hops, showed range up the middle and body control to quickly get feet under him to get off a nice throw.
Run: 7.31 60-yard
Scouting Report
Body: 5-foot-9, 140-pounds. Lean wiry body type w/some hints of muscularity starting to show
Hit: RHH. Wide balanced feet at set-up w/pronounced crouch at knees, hands held high off the body, smoothly transitions over back leg as he gathers, no stride toe touch prior to striding toward contact, aggressive hip rotation with outstanding path to and through the ball, flat swing plane w/mechanics to be a high average hitter, displayed excellent plate coverage in sim game ABs (1B, 3B), willing and able to use middle/oppo, swing has adjustability to pitches in multiple zones, 2024 hitter to keep close tabs on.
Power: 79 mph EV off tee
Arm: SS velo - 76 mph - Short arm action, calm and clean in taking ball out of glove with quick arm stroke working from the top of his arm stroke, can snap throws and keep carry on them
Defense: Athletic defender, starts low/stays low to and through the ball, does tip head over his chest just a bit which can cause an extra step to release the throw, feet are quick though can work a little more calmly and efficiently, read hops well and showed ability to make adjustments to bad hops.
Run: 7.19 60-yard
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Body: 6-foot-0, 167-pounds. Lean w/some strength and a streamlined well-proportioned body
Hit: RHH. Balanced set-up, even weight distribution to start, hands held high, simple small-ish stride, hands sync'd well w/foot strike, explosive hip rotation, quiet to start while loading and creating torque, violent and aggressive through contact while maintaining bat control, given the tools/twitch in the swing as a 2024 he's got a bright future with the bat.
Power: 85 mph EV off tee
Arm: SS velo - 69 mph - An area to continue to improve, the arm is quick though with nearly straight over the top slot he could be leaving mph in the tank.
Defense: Athletic feet, sees ball and reads it well, good angles, footwork is confident and the athleticism will play up the middle, the arm strength and ability to throw from different angles will have to be worked on to stay at SS as he moves through his HS years.
Run: 7.49 60-yard