Florida Burn Tryouts PBR Upgrade

January 31, 2017

By Mike Maerz
Director of Florida Operations/Area Scout

Venice, FL- In the third portion of the Florida Burn tryouts for the 2017 summer season, players from the 2018-2020 classes were in attendance for a pro-style workout along with simulated games at Venice high school. Below are the reports on players who were in attendance on January 21^st and had the PBR Upgrade.

Players who are still interested in adding the PBR Upgrade from the January 21^st tryouts can still do so here: PBR Upgrade

Chris Ruckdeschel, OF/1B, St. Thomas Aquinas HS, FL (2018)
Uncommitted, currently ranked No. 86 in the Florida 2018 class. Stands at 6-foot, 190 pounds with a solid, physical build and strong forearms. At the plate he was balanced in the box with a low hand set and showed gap to gap power during batting practice. Displayed quick hands and made consistent, hard contact as he drove the ball with authority and used all of the plate. In gameplay he laced a ball into the left/center field gap for an easy standup double. During defensive drills he fielded the ball out in front and showed off a strong arm with carry and accuracy on his throws as he topped out at 88 mph from right field. Projected corner outfielder with power at the plate.

Rob Arakel, 3B/RHP, Bradenton Christian HS, FL (2018)
Stands at 6-foot-1, 187 pounds with a tall build with long legs. Slightly open stance at the plate with a big step for his load. Has a bit of a longer swing, but was able to make contact and drive it to the outfield when he stayed back on the ball during batting practice. Fielded the ball out in front, showed the ability to range backhand during defensive drills at third base. Throws were on line and were accurate to the bag. Ran a 7.75 second 60 yard dash time.

Connor Carter, OF/2B, Bartram Trail HS, FL (2018)
Stands at 5-foot-10, 162 pounds with a solid, athletic build. At the plate starts at a very open stance with his bat on his shoulder before he takes a quick step for his load. Quick hands through the zone. At times can be out in front of the pitch. As he learns to stay back more, he will generate more consistent contact. Aggressive runner out of the batter’s box. At second base he showed athletic actions and the ability to range his right and left. Throws to the bag were accurate. Showed athleticism and had carry on his throws from right field that were on line. Ran a 7.15 second 60 yard dash time.

Ryan Drumheller, 3B/OF, Alonso HS, FL (2018)
Uncommitted. Stands at 5-foot-10, 160 pounds with a lean, athletic build. At the plate starts with an open stance and a high hand set before his load. During batting practice he showed a calm approach with quick hands and the ability to use all of the plate with line drives into the gaps. At times can be out in front, but possess good hand eye coordination. Gets out of the box quickly. In the outfield he displays a quick first step going back and the ability to come in on the ball with momentum on his throws. Throws were accurate with carry as he topped out at 88 mph. Light on his feet with athleticism in the infield, throws topping out at 82 mph across the diamond. Ran a 7.0 second 60 yard dash time. Added strength along with his overall athleticism make him a good follow heading into the spring season.

Gray Ellis, OF, Lakewood Ranch HS, FL (2018)
Stands at 5-foot-10, 165 pounds with a strong, athletic build and a good lower half. At the plate has an aggressive approach with an open stance and a leg kick for his load. Uses all of the plate and looks to drive the ball into the gaps. When he was on time and in rhythm, the ball jumped off his bat and made hard contact. Registered an exit velocity of 87 mph in the cage. In the outfield he showed the ability to take good routes to the ball, get behind it on his throws into home. Throws from the outfield topped out at 76 mph. Also ran a 7.0 second 60 yard dash time.

Grant Grodi, SS/2B, Forest HS, FL (2018)
Stands at 5-foot-11, 190 pounds with an athletic, projectable build and a stronger lower half. From the left side of the plate has a slightly open stance and stays quiet in the box. Showed good hands, strength in his swing with an uphill path through the zone. Made consistent contact with the ability to use all of the plate as he had multiple line drives all over during batting practice. Fielded the ball under control and out in front during defensive drills from shortstop. Showed range moving to his right and left, throws to the bag were accurate.

Joseph Johnson, SS/2B, Merritt Island HS, FL (2018)
Stands at 5-foot-10, 175 pounds with a strong, solid build and a good lower half. Stood out at shortstop where he showed the ability to take good angles to the ball, range to his right and left, a quick release, and actions. Made a couple of diving stops to his left including one during gameplay where he was able to make an accurate throw to the bag off-balance. Showed good baseball IQ. At the plate was balanced and quiet in the box. Displayed quick hands and the ability to square it up. Registered an 83 mph exit velocity in the cage.

Mason Kolbe, 2B/SS, Out of Door Academy, FL (2019)
Stands at 5-foot-10, 145 pounds with a lean, lanky build. In the box from the right side he bends his knees slightly inward with some good hand eye coordination. During batting practice he displayed a short, compact swing with the able to make consistent contact. Had multiple line drives into the left/center field gap. In the field showed athleticism, ability to charge the bull during defensive drills. Throws to the bag topped out at 76 mph.

Carter McGonigal, OF/RHP, Sarasota HS, FL (2020)
Stands at 5-foot-8, 160 pounds with a solid build and good lower half. At the plate he has an open stance and and a quick step for his load. His swing can can get a little long, but showed more consistency making contact when he had a more direct path to the ball. As he logs more at-bats and becomes more fluid in his swing, his approach will continue to improve. During defensive drills he fielded the ball out in front and his throws into home topped out at 66 mph from right field.

Fernando Muniz III, 2B/SS, Leto HS, FL (2018)
Stands at 5-foot-10, 150 pounds on a lean, athletic build with room to fill out. Quiet in the box and looked to use all of the plate during batting practice. Level path through the zone. More use of his lower half will increase his ability to drive the ball into the gaps. Was light on his feet displaying range and good actions during defensive drills at shortstop. Fields the ball cleanly and has bounce in his step. Throws to the bag were accurate, topping out at 79 mph. Runs the bases well and clocked in at 6.88 seconds for his 60 yard dash time.

Thomas Nelson, 3B/SS, Sickles HS, FL (2020)
Stands at 5-foot-11, 160 pounds on a projectable, athletic frame with long limbs. At the plate starts with a wide base and a big kick for his load. Showed quick hands. At times can cut himself off, but when he extends his hands through the zone he was able to make more consistent contact. During gameplay he had a single on a ball hit down the left field line. Runs the bases aggressively. Stood out at third base during defensive drills where he fielded the ball cleanly and showed range. Made a tough play down the foul line on a hard hit grounder. Throws to the bag were accurate and had carry as he topped out at 75 mph across the diamond.

Justin Royak, OF/2B, Jesuit HS, FL (2020)
Stands at 5-foot-10, 135 pounds with a thin, wiry build. At the plate displayed some quick twitch along with good hand eye coordination. At times his swing can get a little long, but when he is more direct to the ball, he showed the ability to make more consistent contact. As he becomes stronger, he will be able to drive the ball with more authority. Gets out of the batter’s box quickly, and showed good speed on the base paths. Ran the fastest 60 yard dash time in his class with a time of 6.97 seconds. During defensive drills he showed athleticism, ability to range to his right and left. Throws topped out at 57 mph from second base.

Cade Shissler, SS/2B, Plant City HS, FL (2019)
Stands at 5-foot-11, 160 pounds with a lean, athletic build. At the plate he starts with an open stance and a high hand set as he displayed quick hands through the zone during batting practice. Made consistent contact and showed the ability to use all of the plate. During gameplay he had a strong line drive into the left/center field gap for a single. While at shortstop he showed athletic actions and the ability to charge the ball, move freely to his right and left. Throws to the bag were accurate topping out at 75 mph. Ran a 7.12 second 60 yard dash time.

Levi Shuck, SS, Canterbury HS, FL (2018)
Stands at 6-foot, 165 pounds with a long, lean, projectable build. At the plate has a wide base with quick hands through the zone. Showed good balance in the box with a small step for his load. Creates leverage and disaplyed the ability to use all of the field, drive the ball into the gaps. Made consistent contact with multiple line drives during batting practice. Fielded the ball out in front and under control during defensive drills. Also showed good range including a play up the middle to his left while at shortstop where he fielded the ball, spun, and made an accurate throw off balance to the bag. Throws topped out at 82 mph across the diamond.

Danny Terp, 1B/OF, Tampa HS, FL (2018)
Stands at 6-foot, 200 pounds with a solid, strong build and a good lower half. From the left side of the plate he has a slightly closed stance with an aggressive approach as he swung with intent. Uphill path through the zone. During batting practice he showed the ability to drive the ball, including some deep line drives to the pull side. When he is on time, the ball jumps off the bat. Ran a 7.24 second 60 yard dash time. While at first base he fielded the ball out in front and throws to home and second were accurate.