Fall Upperclass Games: Quick Hits - Position Players

PBR Georgia hosted its second annual Fall Upperclass Games on Sunday, November 8th at LakePoint Sports in Emerson, GA. The event brought together over 100 uncommitted prospects from the 2021-2022 class for a pro-style workout and simulated game. Today, we will be spending some time highlighting the pitchers we saw from Sunday in the form of our Quick Hits post.

We already took a look at the top statistical performers with leaderboards and full stats on every prospect in attendance in our Statistical Analysis, TrackMan Hitting Analysis and TrackMan Pitching Analysis. Within the next few weeks, videos from this event will be posted into profiles and we will have scouting reports on each of the prospects in attendance. For now, here are the highlights from Sunday.

Power Bats

+ The loudest round of batting practice belonged to C Ryan Martin (Lassiter, 2022). Martin was letting the ball fly out of the park to the pull-side with a powerful swing. He consistently barreled pitches, as evidenced by his 76.9 % hard hit mark via Trackman, meaning he generated an exit velocity of 90 mph or greater in over 75% of his swings. Martin’s average exit velocity was an impressive 92.46 and his max exit speed came in at 97.56. A physical, 5-foot-9, 180-pounds, Martin looks to use his strength to elevate and do damage. He is also a solid defender, positing a pop time range of 2.01-2.07.

+ 1B Donson Morain (Young American Christian, 2021) generated some of the hardest contact at the event with a max exit velocity of 98.59. To go along with that, he hit the farthest ball in batting practice, banging one off the top of the scoreboard. The ball travelled at an estimated distance of 379 feet. Morain also showed the strength and power in his 6-foot-2, 235-pound frame translates in game, as he smoked a single back up the middle that came off the bat hot.

+ C/3B Jacob Cooper (South Paulding, 2022) had one of the better days during game play, going 2-for-3 with a double. Cooper works long to and through the zone. He showed strong, loose wrists, being able to flick the barrel through the zone and create hard contact (97 exit velocity off a tee). Defensively, he has a quick and accurate arm, posting a 2.02 best pop time.

+ It is a rarity to find switch-hitting power hitters, but that is exactly what 1B Cody McGill (Pope, 2022) showed he is capable of. Listed at 6-foot-2, 205-pounds he has a strong, powerful frame. McGill looks to elevate and drive the ball to the pull-side and does it in similar fashions from both sides of the plate. He has fast, athletic hands (26.10 max hand speed), and, with his natural strength, swings it with considerable force (78.10 max bat speed).

+ 1B/RHP Barrett Eldridge (Walton, 2022) came into the event with one of the most projectable frames, standing 6-foot-4, 200-pounds. Eldridge can really drive the ball with a powerful swing. The ball jumps off the bat as he uses a mostly level swing through the zone, creating hard line drive contact middle/pull. Eldridge posted the second highest exit velocity during batting practice at 99.33 mph.

+ 1B Ashton Long (North Gwinnett, 2021) continues to trend upwards in all facets of his game. A long, lanky 6-foot-4, 195-pounds, his frame has lots of room to still fill out with strength. At the plate, he showed quick, athletic hands (26.90 hand speed) as he drove balls middle/pull. The swing works uphill through the zone, gaining extension, as he looks to put the ball in the air. Long created some of the hardest contact during batting practice, posting a max exit velocity of 97.44.

Athletes

+ SS Eric Snow (Mary Persons, 2022) put together one of the top all around days at the event. Snow is an athletically built prospect with strength throughout, he ran one of the fastest 60 times at the event, posting a 6.86. At the plate, he really stood out. His swing works short to the plate with quick hands and a whippy barrel. He has a consistent approach and routinely finds the barrel, impacting the ball with force. Snow has the athleticism, actions and arm strength to stick on the left-side at the next level.

+ SS JB Bell (Flowery Branch, 2021) had a big day at the event, and subsequently committed to Georgia Southern in the week following. The 5-foot-10, 165-pound middle infielder is a legit switch-hitter and an overall good athlete, running a 6.97 laser-timed 60. He has a similar gap-to-gap approach from both sides of the plate. He can impact the ball in the air, driving pitches with force. Bell has strong hands and wrists, allowing for him to create whippy barrel speed, ranking near the top of bat speed at 78.90.

+ OF Harper McLendon (Brookwood School, 2021) was another big winner following the workout, as he posted some big stats. The 5-foot-10, 175-pound right-handed hitter ran a 6.85 60 yard dash, led the entire event in outfield velocity at 93 mph, and ranked at the top of batting practice exit velocity at 97.43. McLendon is a strong, twitchy athlete wirth feel for the barrel. He consistently barreled pitches up, averaging an exit velocity of 90.94 and 66.7 hard hit percentage (exit velocity over 90 mph).

+ OF/LHP Blake Wood (Glynn Academy, 2021) really came alive during game play, going 2-for-3 with a triple and an RBI. An overall good athlete, ran a 6.97 60 yard dash. His swing works with some length, but he has the quick hands and ability to recognize pitches to get the barrel through the zone square pitches up. Wood covers ground very well with a quick first step, both in the outfield and on the base paths.

+ OF Evan Matela (Milton, 2022) is a lean, twitchy athlete who possesses wiry strength, standing 6-foot, 165-pounds. Matela continues to trend upwards as a potential center fielder at the next level, with 7.0 speed and an upper 80s arm. At the plate, he has athletic hands, and a quick barrel, spraying line drives to all fields. Matela led the entire event in hands speed at 28.40 and was near the top in bat speed at 77.60.

+ OF Dallas Deas (North Cobb Chrisitan, 2021) can flat out fly around a baseball field. Deas posted the fastest 60 time with a 6.52. The 5-foot-7, 145-pound right-handed hitter plays into his speed, wreaking havoc on the base paths during game play and floating around the outfield to easily track down balls. At the plate, he keeps things simple with a level, line drive swing.

+ A member of Team Georgia at the 2020 PBR Future Games, OF John Long (Glynn Academy, 2022) is an elite athlete. Long posted personal bests in the 60 yard dash, 6.55, and outfield velocity, 91. He possesses quick hands and a whippy bat at the plate as he drives balls gap-to-gap. The athleticism alone makes Long a prospect to watch, but couple that with his advanced metrics in Blast and TrackMan, and there is a lot to like, especially as he continues to fill out his wiry 6-foot, 180-pound frame.

+ SS Luke Starling (Hebron Christian Academy, 2022) took some big hacks at the plate, as he elevated the ball to the pull-side. Starling has a long swing that he whips through the zone (76.00 max bat speed). A muscular 5-foot-11, 165-pounds, he continues to add strength which has benefitted his athleticism and ability to drive the ball.

+ RHP/MIF Agyei Quinichett (St. Pius X, 2022) showed a smooth, easy swing, working gap-to-gap. He carried over his consistent approach during batting practice into game play, where he smoked a triple. 

Left-Handed Hitters

+ A guy tabbed as a player to watch prior to the event, 3B Tyler Presnell (Cherokee, 2022) did not disappoint. Presnell has a strong, projectable 6-foot, 190-pound frame that will only continue to add strength to it. An impact bat, he has an easy effort swing that produces hard contact to all fields, especially to the pull-side. In game, nothing seemed to faze him. He stays within himself, allowing for his natural ability to work in his favor. Had a nice opposite field single on an outside pitch that he let travel, flicking it through the left-side. An advanced defender too, he made every play that came his way look easy.

+ MIF Joseph Glozier (McIntosh, 2022) put together one of the most complete rounds of batting practice at the entire event. The left-handed hitter consistently drove pitches to the pull-side with quick, athletic hands (28.80 max hand speed via Blast). During game play he showed good feel for the barrel and hand eye coordination as he routinely put the ball in play with little swing and miss.

Projectable Frames

+ 1B/OF Grey Brannen (Westfield, 2022) had arguably the most projectable frame at the event, standing 6-foot-6, 215-pounds. The right-handed hitter continues to fill out his frame with strength while also improving on his athleticism, running a 6.93 laser-timed 60. Brannen was one of a handful of prospects to use a wood bat the entire day, and if you look at the raw data, you would not even know it. Over half of his swings during batting practice generated exit velocities greater than 90 mph. The swing works mostly level, producing line drive contact to all fields. With some added loft to his swing, the ball will be flying out of the park in no time. Defensively, he is athletic enough and runs with long strides, making him an intriguing prospect who could potentially cover center field at the next level.

+ C Hutch Ezell (Mill Creek, 2022) has a long, lanky 6-foot-2, 190-pound frame that has loads of room to fill out. He uses his long levers well to elevate the ball force middle/pull. Ezell carried his swing over from batting practice into the game, where a laced a pitch into dead center. There is a lot to like in the length and power to come from Ezell.

Backstops

+ C J.R. Fordham (Bleckley County, 2022) walked away from the workout as one of the biggest winners from a pure numbers standpoint. Defensively, Fordham has a big arm behind the plate, 81 mph out of the crouch, and quick actions, posting an event best 1.96 pop time. At the plate, he ranked at or near the top in max hand speed, 27.10, max barrel speed, 80.00, max exit velocity, 95.18 and average exit velocity, 88.61.

+ C Dominic Elam (Union Grove, 2022) has a strong, sturdy 5-foot-10 that looks stronger and stronger every time we see him. Elam displayed a swing that works middle/pull. He attacks the ball with aggression each time, carrying his forward momentum through contact. Per Blast, Elam had some of the quickest hands and bat speed at the event with a 25.10 max hand speed and 76.70 max bat speed.

+ C Jacob Tolson (Calhoun, 2022) led the entire event in batting practice exit velocity with his 99.51. A strong, physical 6-foot, 180-pounds, he showed aggression in his swing, as it works uphill through the zone. Defensively, Tolson has a traditional catcher’s arm action, short and over-the-top, and kept all of his throws around the target, posting 2.03-2.11 pop times.

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