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Catchers Shine At Central Florida Play Hard Open

December 19, 2015

By Justin Burgess
Florida Area Scout

Last week’s Central Florida Play Hard Open featured players from the 2016-2019 age group and the talent was, for the most part, evenly distributed throughout the classes. One player who attended, SS/OF Paul Benitez, is already committed to Arkansas-Little Rock and there will almost certainly be a number of other players from this showcase who play at the next level.

This open event boasted players who sat in the upper 80s off the mound, showed strong arms from the outfield, had smooth infield actions, and could really swing the bat, but the deepest position at this showcase was undoubtedly the catchers. The pitcher/catcher battery is truly the catalyst and heart of a sound defense. Obviously many factors go into being a great catcher but with what was being evaluated at this event (the ‘tangible measurables’ if you will), four of the catchers showed the footwork, arm strength, receiving skills, consistency, and hitting ability to play at the collegiate level. There were nine players who were listed as either a primary or secondary catcher and four of them threw sub-2.0 pop times with sound mechanics.

2017 C/2B Jacob Jacome of The First Academy had quite the day at this showcase. Right away he showed off a strong arm as he threw 86 mph from the outfield to home plate. He then took groundballs and made all the plays with athletic footwork, soft hands, and a strong, accurate arm across the diamond. Finally, Jacome was able to show off his hands and arm strength at his primary position and threw a 1.94-2.03 down to second and was up to 79 mph which was the highest out of all the catchers. Offensively he has a simple approach and hits consistent line drives to all fields with authority. Jacome possesses a lean, athletic, and wiry frame at 5-foot-8, 140 pounds and will only improve with added strength and weight.

2017 C/2B Luis Ortiz of Pine Ridge HS was another top performer at the Central Florida Play Hard Open. He showed off a quick transfer, short arm action, and accurate throws at 74 mph when he threw down to second. His pop time was consistently in the 1.96-2.06 range and he has a strong, compact, and durable frame—5-foot-7, 175 pounds—that suits him well for catching. At the plate he was lacing line drives consistently with an up-the-middle approach and short, quick swing. He also had one of the top exit bat velocities at 89 mph.

2017 C/1B Riley Wash of Lake Mary Prep continues to show consistent progression at the catching position. He threw a 1.97-2.05 with his usual accuracy and was up to 78 mph, both improvements from just three months back at our event at IMG Academy. On the offensive side, Wash possesses a nice swing plane with loose hands and drives the ball well to both gaps. He also had the second highest exit bat velocity at 91 mph. At 6-foot-1, 175 pounds, Wash has a long, lean, loose, and young frame that has room to develop and fill out, indicating that he will continue to improve over the next couple of years.

2019 C/OF Parker Aultman of Graceville HS was not only the top player for his class at this event but possibly the best player overall. He improved both his pop time and velocity tremendously from August as he threw a 1.94-2.04 down to second and was up to 77 mph. Not only did his velocity improve, but his throws were more accurate and his mechanics were more productive. His arm action was shorter, he had less wasted movement, and he gained more ground when he threw down to second. Combine his polished mechanics with his advanced approach at the plate and Aultman is looking more and more like one of the top 2019 catchers in the state. Keep an eye on the 5-foot-11, 165-pound freshman this spring and over the next couple of years.

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