By Jeff Markle
Assistant State Director

Over the next couple of weeks we are going to recap some of the best statistics we have on record since our launch in April of 2014. We have covered the top 60 times in the 2017 and 2018 classes, and the 2016 Class. We have covered top OF Velos for the 2017 and 2018 classes and the 2016 Class, top INF Velos for the 2017 and 2018 classes and top INF Velos for the 2016 class.  Here are the top catching pop-times for the 2016 class.

Maverick Handley, C/2B, Mullen
Pop-Time: 1.78 (Indoors)
Commitment: Stanford
Scouting Report: 5-foot-10, 190-pound right-handed hitting catcher and middle infielder. Handley was one of the most eye-catching prospects at the event. Hitting from the right side he showed easy explosive bat speed. Posted exit velocity of 90 MPH from the tee. Hit from a balanced stance, lower half worked well, good balance throughout. Advanced bat speed, impressive whip through the zone. Ran a 4.35 home to first.Defensively showed soft hands behind the plate, highly agile, high flexibility. Arm played at 77 MPH from the crouch, over the top slot, with accuracy and carry. Recorded event best 1.78 pop time. 

Riley Gregory, C/2B, Pine Creek
Pop-Time: 1.88
Commitment: University of Northern Colorado
Scouting Report: 5-foot-10, 175-pound right-handed hitting catcher. Showed good quick actions behind plate. Framed well with little movement. Soft-hands. Had fastest pop-time at event at 1.82 with a position velocity of 75 mph. Gregory had a balanced stance with minimal load. Very level, slight-uphill line-drive swing that produced 90 mph exit velocity which was the highest among catcher at the tryout. Ran a 7.58 60 time.

Brandon Hahn, C/2B, Fort Collins
Pop-Time: 1.95
Commitment: Uncommitted
Scouting Report: 5-foot-9, 145 pounds. Bats and throws right. Hahn has an open balanced, opened stance with slight load. Hands move down to the ball and swing is level through the zone. At times cuts off swing through extension. Line drive hitter, gap to gap. Produced a 79 exit velocity off a tee with potential to be faster. Showed versatility at the tryout. From SS showed smooth actions to the ball and threw from a high 3/4 arm slot at 80 mph. Quick actions. Also went behind the plate during pop times to catch and registered a 1.95 pop time with quick over the top exchange. Ran a 7.06 60 time. Like his versatility.

Kelton McCoy, C/3B, Bayfield
Pop-Time: 1.97
Commitment: Uncommitted
Scouting Report: 6-foot-3, 195-pound big right-handed hitting catcher that shows that he is continuing to progress. He showed a quick, clean exchange that produces pop-times between 1.97 and 2.02.His throws had carry and were consistently on the bag. He recorded a positional velocity of 77 MPH from the crouch and ran a 7.55 60-time. Offensively, he starts with a balanced, athletic stance and has a simple load with a level bat path. Hit two home runs out during batting practice. Shows power potential at the plate. He has a gap to gap approach that consistently resulted in line drives and produced an exit velocity of 89 MPH off the tee.

Tyson Zanski, C/3B, Grand Junction 
Pop-Time: 1.99
Commitment: St. Cloud State
Scouting Report: 6-foot-2, 200-pound, right-handed hitting C/3B. At the plate he hits from a tall balanced stance with a high leg kick for timing. A level swing path produced several line drives over the course of batting practice. Good lower leg drive produced an 86 MPH exit velocity off the pitch. He was best on balls middle in and to the left center gap, but did show good power to the opposite gap at times. Behind the plate he has quick feet and quick arm that produced throws of 78 MPH. He was consistently at 1.99 - 2.00 on pop times off the pitcher. Receiving pitches, he has soft hands and a quite body. Moves well on balls in the dirt away from him. He ran a 7.59 60.

Sam Oswald, C/1B, Mullen
Pop-Time: 2.03
Commitment: Uncommitted
Scouting Report: 6-foot-3, 205-pound, catcher/1B. Showed well at the USG. The two way player stood out both behind the plate and at first base. At the plate, he hits from a 50/50 balance stance. Slight leg kick and stride gets momentum going forward with strong leg drive and good lower pivot at contact. Oswald hit 4 balls in a row off the top of the wall in left center during batting practice. Exit velocity off the pitch was 84 but the ball jumps off his bat to left field. Earlier this year his exit velocity was 89 off the tee. Behind the plate he had a pop time of 2.03 with an arm velocity of 75 MPH. He moves well on pitches in the dirt and receives with a quiet body and hands. At first base he showed excellent footwork on throws and uses his quick catching release to deliver accurate throws to second while turning two. He ran a 7.89 60.

Chris Diehl, C/RHP, Rocky Mountain
Pop-Time: 2.04
Commitment: Uncommitted
Scouting Report: 5-foot-11, 180-pound right-handed hitting catcher, a member of the defending 5A state champion Lobos. At the plate, athletic-balanced set up, no wasted movement in load, smooth, fast bat speed with level path, strong lower half, works inside the ball with middle-opposite approach, pull power, and posted an exit velocity of 89 MPH off the tee, runs a 7.70 60-time. As a catcher, fluid footwork, quiet lower half, soft hands and a clean exchange, accurate throws at 78 MPH, pop times between 2.04 and 2.08. Vocal leader behind the plate.

RELATED MATERIAL

CO 10.26.15
Classes of 2017 and 2018 Top 60 Times
A look at the top 60 times in the 2017 & 2018 classes we have on record...>>