Bradenton, FL— On Saturday, Jan. 27th, 100 of the top high school prospects ranging from the 2018-2021 classes participated in PBR Florida’s second annual Preseason All-State which is the premier kickoff event for the 2018 spring high school season. Last year’s inaugural event boasted some of the top talent from throughout the state of Florida and this year’s event was no different. From draft talent, numerous Division I recruits, and some of the top uncommitted underclassman in the state, the Preseason All-State is one of the most highly viewed events in the state of Florida.

Below are the players in attendance who have been nominated for the Preseason All-State Second Team. The team consists of two catchers, a first basemen, four middle infielders, a third baseman, three outfielders, three pitchers, and two two-way players. Congratulations to the following:

Julio Cortez Jr. C / American Heritage, FL / 2018 Rankings  StateRank: 109 / POS: 10 South Florida recruit. The strong, stocky 6-foot 210 pound catcher is built for the position. Defensively, he presents a good target and shows potential as an above average receiver and all around defender. The hands work and that is evident in the quick transfer to release, with pop times ranging from 2.08-2.17. Offensively, he really gets into the lower half early. Staying on the back side, when he works through the ball it jumps off of the bat from gap-to-gap. Could clear the back side a bit more,  but there is a lot of strength and quality utilization of the lower half. He has strong wrists and a simple, compact swing and approach that are going to play at the next level.

McGwire Holbrook C  / Bishop Moore, FL / 2020 Rankings  StateRank: 42 / POS: 7 OverallRank: 187 / POS: 24 West Virginia recruit. Currently stands 6-foot, 190 pounds. Defensively behind the plate he showed good mechanics and ability to defend ball in the dirt. He recorded a pop time of 2.08-2.17 seconds with his throws to the bag topping out at 75 mph. Offensively, he showed the ability to clear his hips quickly using a strong lower half with gap to gap power. Makes consistent, hard contact with a feel for the barrel. He registered an exit velocity of 95 mph in the cage. Clocked in at 7.91 seconds for his 60-yard dash time.

Ryan Fischer 1B / Lake Brantley, FL / 2019 Long arms, high waist, projectable frame with room to fill in at 6-foot-4, 186 pounds. Defensively, in the outfield he topped out at 80 mph with accurate throws. At first base,  moves well around the bag, hands work and is a solid defender. Offensively, the right handed hitter stands tall and slightly open. Uses a small leg kick trigger, tends to land a little short and could widen up to get more use of the lower half, but still clears the back side well and generates above average bat speed.  Trusts his hands, sinks into the back side and has natural leverage .Generated an exit velocity of 97 mph and has a chance to hit for above average power in the future.

Lucas Ismaili SS / 2B / East Lake, FL / 2020 Lean, athletic frame standing at 5-foot-11, 155 pounds with quick twitch. Offensively, he starts from a wide base with minimal movement before his load. Displayed a short swing through the zone with quick hands, good-hand eye coordination, and a feel for the barrel as he consistently drove the ball all over the field during batting practice. This translated during the game when he ripped a line drive single up the middle for an easy base hit. Registered a 90 mph exit velocity in the cage. As he continues to become more physical with his frame, look for Ismaili to see a jump in gap-to-gap power. In the field, he showed athletic actions, range, and sure hands with accurate throws across the diamond that topped out at 82 mph. Clocked in at 7.33 seconds for his 60 yard dash time. Athletic middle infielder who will be a good follow as he continues to mature.

Miguel Soto SS / 2B / TNXL Academy, FL / 2018 Rankings  StateRank: 99 / POS: 23 Arkansas Little Rock recruit. Standing at 6-foot-1, 190 pounds the body continues to fill out while staying lean and athletic. Ran a 6.76 60 yard dash. Defensively, while there is some stiffness, he uses his athleticism well to create range. The hands work out front and stays in sync. Shows a good arm, topping out at 86 mph. Offensively, he starts with a wide base and simple load. The swing stays simple and compact with present bat speed. Stays within himself with a gap-to-gap approach. Exit velocity was 91 mph.

August Haymaker SS / 3B / Dr. Phillips, FL / 2018 Rankings  StateRank: 164 / POS: 31 North Carolina State recruit, stands at 6-foot, 175 pounds and looks to have continued to have added strength in the shoulders and lower half. Defensively he is a very sound, solid defender. The range is a little limited at short, but should be an above average defender at second base at the next level. The hands work well and takes quality angles and has a strong arm, topping out at 88 mph. The best tools is his bat and will be an above average offensive infielder at the next level.  Starts with a wide base, but stays loose in the load with a small leg kick trigger. He clears his lower half well and creates above average bat speed. The barrel works out in front with loose wrists and bat to ball skills. Exit velocity was 93 mph and shows gap-to-gap power and power potential as he continues to get stronger.

Lucas Costello SS / 3B / Gulliver Prep, FL / 2020 Rankings  StateRank: 27 / POS: 5 OverallRank: 142 / POS: 34 Slender, athletic build on a 6-foot-1 frame. Should make a significant physical jump as he matures Above average strength for his age. Offensively, he displayed a line drive approach with gap-to-gap ability and a feel to hit. Has present pop in his bat which was seen in the cage when he registered a 90 mph exit velocity. Arm should play from left side of the field in the future. Flashed present actions and projects well with athletic twitchy movements. Interesting 2020 follow with a balanced toolset and IQ for the game.

Joey Kinker 3B / Venice, FL / 2018 Florida Gulf Coast recruit. Big, strong 6-foot-2, 215 pounds. Moves well, especially for his size. Light on his feet, works with rhythm and the hands work. Quality funnel and trusts his hands. Topped out at 80 mph across the infield. Offensively, the big right hander uses a big leg kick trigger. While it can get him out of sync occasionally, when everything is on time, the swing is compact and generates above average bat speed with present pull power. As he continues to learn to get on time the power should become more and more consistent, especially with the present exit velocity of 98 mph.

Victor Castillo OF / Leon, FL / 2019 Rankings  StateRank: 125 / POS: 17 Florida Atlantic recruit. Lean, projectable frame standing at 6-foot, 170 pounds with plenty of athleticism. From the left side of the plate he has a slightly open stance with a wide base and shows a feel for the barrel with above average bat speed and quick hands. Shows rhythm and timing throughout his swing with a sound path through the zone and an uphill finish, consistently driving the ball into the gaps while flashing pull side pop. Registered an 85 mph exit velocity in the cage. From the outfield he fields the ball cleanly while taking efficient routes to the ball with a quick first step and accurate throws to the bag that topped out at 80 mph. Clocked in at 6.94 seconds for his 60 yard dash time. More to come as he continues to strengthen his frame.

Trey Bradley OF / Hagerty, FL / 2019 The uncommitted outfielder stands at 6-foot, 172 pounds. He has a lean frame and has some present athleticism. Ran a 7.05 60 yard dash. From the outfield, he is fundamentally sound and comes through the ball well. Throws were accurate, topping out at 81 mph. Offensively, he starts upright with a small leg kick trigger. There is some steepness in the path and can get rotational at times, but there is present bat speed and that shows in the 89 mph exit velocity. There are present tools and athleticism that will play at the next level.

Michael Sutherland OF / Bishop Moore, FL / 2019 A long, lean 6-foot-1, 170 pounds. In the outfield, he is fundamentally sound, coming through the ball well. Could benefit from a quicker release, but the throws were accurate topping out at 80 mph. Offensively, he works with a simple setup and load. Could benefit getting into and using the lower half more. He tends to cut himself off and extension would help keep him in the zone longer. There is athleticism and present bat speed with an exit velocity of 88 mph. There is a lot of upside in the athleticism and present tools to project on.

Paul Labriola LHP / Cardinal Mooney, FL / 2019 Rankings  StateRank: 86 / POS: 10 Clemson recruit. Currently stands 6-foot-5, 185 pounds with a lean, tall frame with lots of projection. On the mound he displayed a loose, easy working arm out of the ¾ slot from the left side. Showed a feel for all three pitches and the ability to work both sides of the plate. He featured a fastball that sat between 83-85 mph, touching 86 with run while also mixing in a changeup that sat at 76-77 mph and a back-door slider at 69-72 mph. Look for Labriola to see jumps in velocity as he continues to add to his frame.

Griffin Ryan RHP / Lakeland Christian, FL / 2018 Uncommitted. Currently stands 6-foot-4, 185 pounds with a lean, athletic build and room to fill out. Simple, repeatable windup with a big leg kick for his delivery. On the mound he showed the ability to control both sides of the plate, working downhill. During the game, he worked down in the zone consistently with his fastball that sat between 84-85 mph, touching 86 along with a back-foot slider at 74-75 mph, consistently getting hitters to roll over and keep it on the ground. Works out in front. Interesting uncommitted arm to watch this spring with room to still add to his projectable frame.

Parker Murphy LHP / East River, FL / 2019 Uncommitted, stands at 5-foot-11, 180 pounds. The left-hander pounded the zone for his two innings of work. Has a stocky frame, mostly strong in the lower half. Had a clean and repeatable delivery, using the lower half well, riding his hip down the mound. From a ¾ slot the fastball worked 84-86 mph and he commands the pitch down in the zone to both sides of the plate. He used a hard curveball, with depth, as an out pitch at 74-66 mph, striking out two in two innings. Also showed a feel for a changeup at 78-79 mph. A left hander with present stuff and a feel for three pitches, can't see him being uncommitted too long.

Dominic Scavone SS / RHP / TNXL Academy, FL / 2021 Rankings  StateRank: 15 / POS: 4 Currently stands 5-foot-11, 160 pounds with a lean, athletic frame and room to grow and fill out. Offensively, he showed a strong lower half that gives him the ability to clear his hips quickly and drive the ball with strength in his swing, showing gap-to-gap potential. Consistently sprayed the ball during batting practice. Registered an exit velocity of 87 mph which was one the top ones for his class. Defensively, he showed range to both sides with quick feet and athletic actions, fielding the ball with confidence and under control. Strong, accurate arm across the diamond which topped out at 81 mph. On the mound, he showed a quick arm with good mechanics and poise for his age. Works with a good pace and featured a fastball that sat between 82-84 mph while Clocked in at 7.83 seconds for his 60 yard dash time.

Eric Adler OF / RHP / Rockledge , FL / 2019 Rankings  StateRank: 120 / POS: 16 An extremely athletic, 6-foot-2, 170 pounds. Long, lean frame, he ran a 6.9 60 yard dash. From the outfield he showed accurate throws, topping out at 84 mph. Offensively, he has present bat speed. While there is some steepness in the path and could use the lower half more, his bat speed and strong wrists along with a feel for the barrel created consisted hard contact in batting practice and a 90 mph exit velocity. The bat speed, bat to ball skills and athleticism make for an offensive upside. On the mound he doe a quick arm. The fastball worked 86-88 touching 89 mph. He will see big jumps as he learns to use the lower half paired with the quick arm. Also showed a short, tight slider at 73-74 mph. Very high two-way upside.

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