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LakePoint Preseason ID: Quick Hits

January 11, 2023
Phil Kerber
Georgia Scouting Director

PBR Georgia hosted the LakePoint Preseason ID on Saturday, January 7th at LakePoint Sports in Emerson, GA. This event featured approximately 40 prospects from the 2023-2027 classes. Prospects participated in a pro-style workout that included the 60 yard dash, batting practice, in and out, and pitcher bullpens.

We began the post event analysis last week with a look at the traditional stats collected in our “Stats Story.” Today, we are going to reveal our staff's initial thoughts and reactions from the event, in particular, prospects that caught their eye. Yet to come is deeper dive into the advanced analytics as well. But for the time being, check out standout prospects.

Big Arm

Big bodied RHP/CIF Judah Powell (Apalachee, 2024) had an impressive showing both on the mound and at plate. Standing all of 6-foot-3, 240-pounds, Powell pitches with real intent, coming from a 3/4 slot. The arm action works short and clean, allowing him to get out front on time consistently. His fastball played up to 89, sitting 86-89 with sink. He showed the ability to spin two distinct breaking balls. The slider, which has downer action, comes in at 72-75 with a 2600 rpm spin rate. The curveball takes an 11/5 shape, coming in at 71-73 with a 2550 rpm spin rate. Both pitches have swing and miss qualities and have the potential to be weapons at the next level. Powell also showed good feel for a changeup at 77-80. At the plate, there is advanced raw power in the swing, as evident by his 94.5 mph max exit velocity.

Outfielders

Athletic left-handed hitting OF Mason Gazaway (Marietta, 2025) showed a skill set that will play at the next level. At 5-foot-10, 150-pounds, he has lean strength throughout that produces sneaky pop at the plate. Gazaway had one of the most consistent rounds of batting practice. Balanced in his setup, there is smooth rhythm throughout. He drops his hands on load into a good hitting position. From there, the swing is short to, long through the zone, with an uphill finish. This led to hard, driven contact to the pull-side. A 7.08 runner in colder conditions, Gazaway has the makings of a future center fielder at the next level.

OF/RHP Charles Chappelle (Dalton, 2026) put together a strong day as a potential two-way prospect. He started his day by running the top 60 for a 2026 at the event, 7.15 seconds. At the plate, he looked nothing like a freshman. A right-handed hitter, he starts with his weight back, and smoothly loads the hands. On stride plant, there is aggressive intent behind his swing. It works smoothly short to, long through. Chappelle showed a multi-faceted approach during batting practice. He easily sent multiple line drives off the screen. Then, when he wanted to, he got the barrel extended and turned a few for driven contact pull-side. On the mound, we worked up to 79 with plenty more in the tank.

From a projection standpoint, OF/RHP KJ Hart (River Ridge, 2025) tops the list from the LakePoint Preseason ID. A long, lanky 6-foot-4, 190-pounds Hart has not even scratched the surface of the potential physicality. At the plate, he had one of the most impressive rounds on the day. With all his length, he does a great job of staying short with his load, allowing him to get out and create leverage. The result was some of the longest balls of the day as he elevated and drove middle/pull. As he continues to mature and add on to his frame watch out for the raw power to really show itself. Hart is also an intriguing prospect on the mound. He ran his fastball up to 82.

OF William Myhand (Mill Creek, 2026) stood out with his big left-handed swing. At 5-foot-11, 180-pounds, Myhand has advanced strength with broad shoulders, and is far from being a finished product. He takes a narrow, open setup at the plate and utilizes a low sweeping leg kick. Myhand does a great job of keeping his weight back as strides out, and stays behind the ball. The barrel path gets on plane early and works flat through the zone, allowing him to elevate with true back spin. He produced a number of long shots to right center, with a max exit velocity of 90 mph.

Catchers

C Hiram Zamora (Roswell, 2025) made a huge impression in his first PBR Georgia event. Athletically built with twitchy muscle at 5-foot-8, 152-pounds, Zamora ran the top 60 of the day at 6.89 seconds, and posted a 32.2 inch vertical. During batting practice, he produced consistently hard hit barrels gap-to-gap with a max exit velocity of 90 mph. Balanced to start, he shifts his weight smoothly onto his backside with a reverse toe tap stride. On stride plant, Zamora explodes through the ball with a quick, whippy swing. Behind the dish, the actions and strength are advanced. He is quick and clean throughout, and with a 77 arm strength, able to get the ball to second in a hurry, posting a 1.94-2.02 pop times.

C Nathan Rowland (North Paulding, 2025) will be one to keep an eye on moving forward. He has a strong, sturdy frame at 6-foot, 175-pounds with coat hanger shoulders. He creates a big target behind the dish, and is agile in his movements. The transfer is quick and clean, producing pop times in the 2.01-2.10 range. At the plate, he takes a gap-to-gap approach and can drive the ball with a max exit velocity of 90 mph. There is much more to come from Rowland as he continues to mature.

Infielders

SS Andrew Komar (Harrison, 2025) continues to trend in the right direction. He has added two inches and thirty pounds of mass to his now 6-foot, 180-pound frame. The results have been hugely beneficial. He has always had a smooth, fluid swing from the right-side, but now has an extra added intent and whip to it. He was able to produce easy, consistent gap-to-gap contact during batting practice. Defensively, there plenty of arm strength to stick on the left-side at the next level, clocking in 84 mph across the infield.

RHP/3B Mark Buelow Jr. (St. Francis, 2024) produced loud contact during bat practice. A right-handed hitter standing a strong and sturdy 5-foot-11, 190-pounds, he generated quick, easy bat speed. Buelow peppered the middle of the field with sharply hit line drives, posting a max exit velocity 89. Defensively, he can stick at the hot corner moving forward, throwing 83 across the infield.

A member of Team Georgia at the 2022 PBR Junior Future Games, SS Diego DeJesus (Parkview, 2026) continues to show some of the top feel for the barrel in the class. He is able to manipulate the barrel with ease, creating line drive contact to all fields. There is present whip to his smooth swing. Defensively, he moves well and gets rid of the ball quickly with body control. There is real feel for the glove, and savviness to his game.

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