GA Scout Blog: 3/6

March 6, 2019
By Blake Davis
Georgia State Director

Last week, PBR Georgia Scouting Director Blake Davis posted up at our LakePoint facilities to take in the plethora of programs using the complex for their high school games, in an attempt to keep their season’s schedule intact despite the rain that’s plagued the start of the spring. Below are scouting reports from nine players Davis saw last week, from six different teams – Hillgrove, North Atlanta, Pope, Ringgold, Milton, and Etowah.

For more information on how some of these teams fared last week, visit our GA Power 25 post, published on Monday. But now, let’s get to those scouting reports.

SCOUT BLOG

Max DeJong RHP / Hillgrove, GA / 2020

This medium-framed righty committed to Georgia has been on fire out of the gate. He commands the ball to both side of the plate out of his high overhand slot. His fastball sits in the 86-90 range and gets good angle down in the zone. His curveball is a true 12-6 pitch because of his arm slot and DeJong shows the ability to land it for quality strikes, and finish off hitters by burying in front of the zone for swings and misses. This kid has competed well in both outings at LakePoint and is going to make Dawgs fans happy, as he has all the makings of a weekend starter early in his career.

Max DeJong (3/1/19)

Marc Church RHP / North Atlanta, GA / 2019

This uber athletic North Carolina A&T recruit is a converted shortstop who has popped on the scene this spring. Church has a Luis Tiant-like delivery, and a fastball that was 86-89 mph on a frigid night at LakePoint. He pitches from a high overhand slot and is another kid in this edition of the scout blog capable of getting good action from a true 12/6 breaking ball. Church is very green to the mound and is still developing his knowledge of how to pitch and utilize his arsenal, but he’s also one to keep a close eye on as the weather warms and he gets more accustomed to the mound.

Marc Church (3/4/19)

Max Pralgo INF / RHP / Pope, GA / 2019

Pralgo comes from a baseball family and has been on the Georgia high school baseball scene for quite some time. His resume speaks for itself, along with the rest of his senior teammates at Pope. Pralgo has always been a productive infielder with size, but in the last two years, he’s really established himself as a possible two-way prospect at the next level. The Miami (Ohio) commit wanders from a ¾ to low ¾ slot on the mound and has shown the ability to manipulate the shapes of all his pitches. He reminds me of a pitcher playing wiffle ball in the backyard, with his stuff changing inning to inning. Eventually, Pralgo finds a pitch and shape that he likes to work through a lineup. The plate is a 3D object for him and he pitches to all parts of it.

Caden Smith C / 1B / Pope, GA / 2019

Smith is a Mercer recruit who is back behind the plate for the Greyhounds after spending last season at first base and DH. He’s always been an imposing figure in the box and has recently shown enough power to open the eyes of scouts to profile at first base long-term, if he needs to move from behind the plate. Now that Smith is back to catching, his solid size, raw power, flexibility, and athleticism have helped create the recipe to become a backstop at the next level, he can make a scout’s mind turn. He’s one to stay locked in on as the temperature warms, especially once he’s down the road in Macon.

Brayden Broome SS / 3B / Ringgold, GA / 2020

The Ringgold Tigers have a bonafide prospect in Andre Tarver (last week’s PBR Georgia Player of the Week), but don’t sleep on the junior shortstop Broome. The unsigned infielder has a good body, at 6-foot-2, 175 pounds, with the actions to match. He can throw, and showed good hands and an accurate arm last week. Broome has feel at the plate in the right-handed batter’s box, and stands in like a next-level hitter. There’s no reason to think that Broome won’t continue to get stronger, and he already has the actions to really take a step forward once he does.

Cole Stupp RHP / Milton, GA / 2019

Stupp is a long, lean, athletic-looking righty who is committed to Kentucky. His arm and delivery work well together and he is the definition of projectable, at 6-foot-4, 195 pounds. His fastball flashes some sink and angle down in the zone. He can spin the ball with ease, though his breaking ball is not yet a true out-pitch, but, again, it has enough spin to continue developing into one. Stupp has solid feel for a changeup for his age and he looks like the kind of kid that you’d feel comfortable betting on – and he’s continuing to put it all together.

Cole Stupp (3/1/19)

Dylan Matela RHP / Milton, GA / 2019

This Furman recruit looks like a steal. He has good size and a repeatable delivery, and his actions remind me of where Corey Kluber was before he took off in college. His shorter arm stroke works out of a high ¾ slot. Matela is able to mix flashes of three quality pitches and is around the zone. He’ll need to continue to build his command, but the ingredients and upside on the mound are no-doubt present.

Dylan Matela (3/4/19)

Graham Pauley 3B / Milton, GA / 2019

This is as a good a looking of a pure 3B profile as there is in the state. The Duke recruit looks at home in the batter’s box, though I have not yet seen him get the in-game results he wants. Still, Pauley looks calm and in control at the plate. At times, he does not get great separation, but I have yet to see it cost him. Pauley’s athletic enough and has the hands to stay at third, and his actions both in the infield and at the plate are more than good enough to buy into.

Bryant Madden LHP / Etowah, GA / 2019

The athletic southpaw committed to Maine has good size and feel for what his strengths are. Madden has an abbreviated delivery and short arm action. He is efficient with his pitches and does not give hitters much time to process what’s coming at them once he starts his motion. Just in terms of the way he works and his size, Madden reminds me of Al Leiter. As Madden prepares to brave the Northeast following his senior season with the Eagles, we still might not have head the last of the Maine-bound lefty. It’s hard to bet against a left-handed arm with this kind of size and athleticism.