Florida Underclass Games: Catching Analysis

August 24, 2015

By Rob Sidwell
Florida Scouting Director

The Prep Baseball Report Florida Underclass Games took place on Wednesday, August 5 at McKethan Stadium on the campus of the University of Florida in Gainesville, Fl. This event featured uncommitted 2019 to 2017 underclassmen.

68 prospects came together to show off their skills in front of the PBR Scouting Staff in a pro-style workout setting along with games.

Today we’ll take a look at the catchers from the event. We had a very good group of catchers, led by 2017 Nico Samarkos from Gainesville HS, who showed the best pop time at 1.88 seconds and was fairly accurate. He also swings the bat very well and shows some present power. Followed by 2017 Frank Niemann from Lake Mary HS showed well with a pop time of 2.02 seconds and showed arm strength and accuracy. He is a solid receiver with a big strong athletic body and a big bat. 2019 Parker Aultman from Graceville HS also showed a quick release with a 2.02 pop time with arm strength and power in his bat. A young strong athletic kid with a lot of upside.

Let’s take a look at the top catchers from this year’s Florida Underclass Games:

Top Catchers

1) Nico Samarkos, C, Gainesville HS, 2017
5-foot-11, 186 pound catcher with a strong stocky body with a strong thick lower half. Fair hands behind the plate. Two hand receiver with a quick release. Had a 1.88 pop time with a 74 mph velocity. Arm had carry and was mostly on line and accurate. Has a short quick stroke with some present power and strength in bat. Good hitters hands. Stays in side ball and drives ball into both gaps. Had an exit bat speed velocity of 84 mph. Ran 4.8 to 1B. Will be a division one player.

2) Frank Niemann, C/1B, Lake Mary, 2017
6-foot, 190 pound catcher with a strong athletic young body. Solid receiver with mobility to block balls in dirt. Quick release with accurate throws. Quick hands with a short quick high ¾ slot. Stays in line to target. Loose quick bat with low hands and a leg kick. Aggressive approach at the plate. Good bat speed with a good bat path. Barrel stays in zone. Stays inside ball well. Uses the whole field. Good balanced finish. Makes a lot of hard contact. Shows power in both gaps. Ran a 7.82 60. 86 mph exit bat speed velocity. 2.02 pop time with a catchers velocity of 75 mph. Will be a good division one player.

3) Parker Aultman, C, Graceville HS, 2019
5-foot-11, 155 pound catcher with a young athletic projectable strong body. Very athletic physical body for his age. Loose quick bat with present bat speed and strength. Aggressive approach. Occasionally too aggressive. Can get out front but can drive ball for such a young guy. Will have future power in the bat. Exit bat speed velocity of 72 mph. Shows arm strength behind the plate with some accuracy. Continues to improve. Young athletic guy with a lot of upside. Had a pop time of 2.02 seconds and a velocity of 73 mph.

4) Matthew Boynton, C, Maclay HS, 2018
Lean athletic projectable frame with some strength in lower half. Had a short quick catchers arm with good arm strength and carry for his age. Throws were on line and around the bag. 2.06 pop time, 77 mph catchers velocity. Wide stance with good approach. Loose bat with some length and lift in bat path. Has some quickness in the hands. Power will come with physical maturity. Some pull power now. 79 mph exit bat speed velocity.

5) Joe Cosgrove, C, Lake Highland Prep, 2017
Stocky strong body on medium sized frame. Short arm with carry. Throws were mostly around the bag. Average type release with average hands. 2.06 pop time with a catchers velocity of 76 mph. Good approach with the bat with a short quick line drive stroke. Good load and separation. Has some pull power with more to come. Shows some aggressiveness and some present strength. Exit bat speed velocity of 76 mph.

6) Dalton Childs, C, Pace HS, 2018
6-foot, 190 pound catcher with a thick stocky strong lower half. Has a quick exchange with quick feet and hands. Light on his feet for big guy with good body control. Some carry in arm and mostly around the bag. 1.99 pop time with a catchers velocity of 75 mph. Good load, some separation with a slight toe tap and long stride at the plate. Aggressive approach. Good level line drive bat path. Some looseness in hands with some pull power. Good young catcher.

The Best of the Rest (Alphabetical order)

Jacob Balling, C, South Ft Myers HS, 2019
5-foot-7, 155 pound catcher with a compact strong athletic body on a smaller frame. Fair hands. Gains a lot of ground on release. Lands across the body. Some length in arm but has some arm strength. Pop time can increase with shorter quicker feet. Aggressive approach at the plate with strength and quickness in the bat for his age. Good load. Front arm bars. Swing has some length with lift. Good bat path. 4.88 to 1B. Hustles on the bases. Grinder type kid. 2.24 pop time with a catchers velocity of 72 mph. 76 mph exit bat speed velocity.

Noah Collins, C/1B, North Florida Christian, 2018
5-foot-11, 145 pound catcher with a lean loose projectable very young body. Fair hands with a quick release. Gains ground. Attacks target with right instep. Arm strength will increase with overall added strength. Good load and separation with an aggressive approach. Sits on backside. Has quickness in the hands with some length and lift in swing. Good balanced finish. 2.24 pop time with a catchers velocity of 69 mph. 74 mph exit bat speed velocity.

Jacob Elder, C/3B, West Port HS, 2019
5-foot-7, 130 pound catcher with a very young lean physically immature body. Mechanically sound behind the plate. Attacks target with right in step. Hands and feet will quicken up with added strength. Throws have some fade to it. Arm strength will improve with maturity. Low hands with little load and small separation. Spread stance with little to no stride. Loose bat with a good bat path. Line drive type swing. Overall game will improve with physical maturity. 2.35 pop time with a catchers velocity of 65 mph. 68 mph exit bat speed velocity.

Austin Galda, C/OF, Hernando Christian Academy
5-foot-9, 135 pound catcher/outfielder with a lean loose immature body. Very young. Two hand catcher with solid mechanics. Occasionally steps behind front foot to throw, rotating off target. Good load and separation at the plate with a good bat path from both sides of the plate. Swing has some length. Gets extension through the ball. Finishes with good balance. Overall game will improve with physical maturity. Exit bat speed velocity of 69 mph right handed and 57 mph left handed. 64 mph infield velocity. 2.4 pop time with a catchers velocity of 61 mph.

Josh Jano, C/1B, McKeel Academy, 2017
6-foot, 185 pound catcher with a thick strong mature body. Long loose arm with a sling type action. 2.1 pop time with a 70 mph catchers velocity. Will quicken up release with a shorter arm arc. Level line drive swing with fair power. Has some looseness in his hands. Bat will improve with added strength. 71 mph exit bat speed velocity.

Carson Neal, C/3B, North Florida Christian, 2019
5-foot-11, 155 pound catcher with a lean athletic projectable body. Good hitting approach with strength in swing. Loose quick hands with a good level bat plane. Rotational swing. Good load with little separation. Sits and spins on back side. Short loose quick arm at a high ¾ slot. Short quick feet in line to 2B. 2.28 pop time with a 71 mph catchers velocity. Exit bat speed of 72 mph.

Jakob Runnels, C/OF, Santa Fe Catholic, 2019
5-foot-9, 145 pound catcher/outfielder with a lean loose projectable young body on a smaller frame. Two handed catcher with short ¾ arm. Good arm strength for his age. Steps behind front foot and shuffles feet heel to heel. Erect stance at the plate with loose hands and good rhythm. Good line drive approach with short compact quick stroke. Contact type hitter. Good hand eye. Gap power. Short ¾ arm behind the plate. 4.8 to 1B. 2.1 pop time with a catchers velocity of 68 mph. 75 mph exit bat speed velocity.

Brandon Rushton, C/OF, Choctawhatchee HS, 2018
6-foot, 167 pound outfielder/catcher with a stocky strong athletic body. 2.2 pop time with a catchers velocity of 64 mph. Fires out on release to 2B. Lands slightly across the body. Works under ball on throws. Loose bat with some length and lift in bat path. Gets good extension. Some present pull power. More power will develop with physical maturity. 65 mph exit bat speed velocity.

Patrick Sanders, C/1B, Largo HS, 2018
6-foot, 175 pound catcher with a thick strong stocky lower half. Fair body control behind the plate with enough arm. Attacks target with right instep. Needs to get ball out of glove quicker. Pop time was 2.23 with a catchers velocity of 70 mph. Has a loose bat with some length and a good bat path. Stays in the zone. Can drive ball when he gets extended. Has a good load with little separation. Bat will improve with added strength.

Dylan Simmons, C/RHP, Trinity Christian Academy, 2019
6-foot-2, 185 pound catcher/pitcher with a tall loose lean athletic projectable body. Hands are fair with a crude release. Shows good arm strength. Average ML arm. Also has been up to 86 mph on the mound. Short quick stroke with good bat speed and strength for such a young guy. Stays inside ball well. Aggressive approach with the bat. Can drive ball in both gaps. Gets good extension through the ball. Uses lower half well. Finishes with good balance. Will have big future power. 83 mph exit bat speed velocity. 1.97 pop time with a catchers velocity of 77 mph.

Cameron Turner, C/OF, Seminole HS, 2018
5-foot-10, 170 pound catcher with a lean athletic body on a smaller frame. Short quick release with short quick feet. Just lacks arm strength right now but will improve with physical maturity. Has good load with no separation in bat. Has quickness in his hands with an uphill bat path. Bat will continue to get better with added strength. 74 mph exit bat speed velocity. 73 mph outfield velocity. 2.08 pop time with a catchers velocity of 68 mph.

Florida Underclass Games: Catching Analysis

Top Catchers

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