Prep Baseball Report

Uncommitted Underclassmen: Fall Standouts


By Georgia Staff

Throughout this late summer and now into the fall, we’ve been hosting tournaments at LakePoint that have helped us identify the top on-the-market prospects in the state. Below, we’ve compiled a set of underclass names to know who have stood out to us this fall.

2022 PROSPECTS

Grey Brannen, OF, Westfield, 2022
6-foot-4 185 lbs. Lanky, athletic frame that has a smooth, short swing. Has a great backside approach, and can drive the outside pitch the other way with power. Showed off the speed on a 2B to right center. Good runner on the bases and in the OF. Fields the ball well, and puts power behind his throws. Look for Brannen to keep developmenting, and add strength to make him even more of a threat at the plate. 

Dominic Elam, C, Union Grove, 2022
5-foot-10, 155-pound right-handed hitting catcher, proportional build, emerging strength in frame. Offensively, balanced setup, short stride, hands load deep into back-side with a slight drop and some barrel wrap, remains balanced. Athletic hands and good hand-eye coordination, whips barrel through the zone, able to find the sweet spot even on pitches outside the zone, gap-to-gap type hitter, drives the ball. Defensively, has some of the softer hands in the class, receives well with an above average catch and throw skill set.

Nicholas Miller, C/RHP, Etowah, 2022
5-foot-8, 170-pound right-handed hitting catcher, stocky frame, carries strength. Showed well at the plate this summer during the PBR National Championships and continues to hit well this fall. He has a strong lower half that produces power to the pull-side. Behind the plate he works hard and blocks well. He can play either corner spot and get the job down. On the mound he fills up the zone slinging it from a lower slot, not overpowering but he competes in the zone and challenges hitters.

Cole Munhall, C/RHP, North Forsyth, 2022
5-foot-11, 185-pound right-handed hitting two-way prospect, thick frame, strong lower half. Offensively, balanced setup, relaxed look, short toe lift stride, hands load back smoothly with a cocking of the barrel to vertical, good balance. Projects to hit for power to all fields, barrel path is short to the zone, quick hands speed and strong wrists as he flicks the barrel through the zone, mostly level path, gets good extension. More power to come as he continues to physically develop. On the mound, short arm action, hides the ball to an over-the-top slot. Drop and drive delivery. Fastball sat 83-86. Curveball had good shape and depth when in the zone at 73.

Devin Portee, SS, St. Pius X, 2022
5-foot-11, 150-pound right-handed hitting middle infielder, athletic build with strength throughout, will continue to fill out and add to frame as he physically matures. Was an offensive catalyst hitting out of the leadoff position all weekend long. Balanced setup, leg kick timing trigger, hands load, short hand load back, good balance throughout. Line drive type hitter, has the ability to use the whole field, generates hard contact, can really turn on inside pitches.

Nico Senese, INF, East Coweta, 2022
6-foot-2, 165-pounds, the uber projectable infielder is an athlete. He showed versatility as well playing multiple infield positions on the day and successfully defending each. His most impressive play came on a slow roller at shortstop which he barehanded and smoothly transitioned into an accurate throw. He runs well, the body projects definitely with more speed to come and for the frame to fill out. Offensively, a top of the order bat, open setup, high hands separate on load, remains balanced. Present bat speed, gap-to-gap hitter, routinely drove the ball to all fields.

Nolan Sliver, RHP, Ola, 2022
6-foot-2, 145-pound right-handed pitcher, long, projectable frame, athletically built. Pitches with a chip on his shoulder, highly competitive, even without his best stuff is still able to grind it out. Arm works short and clean out of a ¾ slot with a low effort delivery. Works at an ultra quick pace, continuously quick pitching, makes for an uncomfortable at-bat. Fastball sat 81-84 with armside run. Changeup at 76-77, fade action. Curveball, 11/5 shape, 69-72.

James Thorpe, OF, East Coweta, 2022
Physical outfielder at 6-foot-2, 205 pounds. Strong swing with short finish. Hits from a slightly open stance; gets hip load early. Gets extension with hands, allowing for plus-power. Had multiple LC and RC gap shots on a line. Physically-matured player. Currently ranked No. 29 in the state’s 2022 class.

2023 PROSPECTS

Francesco Capocci, 3B, Alliance Academy, 2023
6-foot-2, 172-pound right-handed hitting third baseman, ultra projectable frame, lean athletic build, will continue to fill out and add more power to frame as he matures. Stood out defensively, has some of the softest and quickest hands in the class, clean and fluid with his actions, arm has plenty of strength to stick on the left-side of the infield. Offensively, there is present bat speed and the power is there, hits will come with a more consistent approach.

Cam Collier, INF/RHP, Mount Paran, 2023
The Louisville commit showed why he is one of the top 2023 two-way players in the country over the weekend. At 6-foot, 190 pounds, the thick, physical Collier displayed power and consistency everywhere on the field. Uses a waggle rhythm load with hands, has impressive hand speed and barrel whip. Easy power as Collier wore out the right-center gap all tournament. Showed a good approach and strike-zone awareness; rarely chased pitches and battled very well with two strikes. Situational hitter. On the mound, has advanced arm strength with easy effort. FB sat 82-84,T85. Did not show off-speed very much as he challenged predominantly with FB. #2 ranked player in Georgia 2023 Class.

Mason Compton, RHP, Flowery Branch, 2023
6-foot-1, 185-pound right-handed pitcher, strong, durable frame, proportional build. Arm works short and clean to a high ¾ slot, above-average arm speed, repeats, hides the ball well on the backside. Tall and fall delivery, works on-line, front side opens up, lands square, finishes upright with some recoil. Fastball played at 80-83, controlled around the zone, did a good job climbing the ladder with, getting batters to chase. Curveball, 11/5 shape, 67.

Andrew Dunford, SS, Houston County, 2023
6-foot-5, 185-pound right-handed hitting shortstop and third baseman, physically advanced for age, will continue to add mass to frame resulting in more power. Offensively, balanced setup, short quick stride, hands drop and load back, barrel flattens out. Uses his long levers well to be short to the ball, creating hard contact. Still coming into his own, with added loft has a chance to be a serious power threat.

Cooper Evans, RHP/CIF, Calhoun, 2023
6-foot-2, 150-pound right-handed hitting corner infielder, projectable build with length in his frame and plenty of room to fill out, moves with smooth actions, good gait while running. Open setup, leg kick timing trigger, hands cock on load with the barrel tilted towards the field of play, good balance. Nice, easy swing at the plate, good use of his lower half, can really turn on the ball for hard contact to the pull-side.

Reid Harvey, RHP, Thomas County Central, 2023
5-foot-10, 170 pounds; not close to peaking, physically. Very clean, fluid arm action. Fastball got up to 80 mph and had a 2100 rpm spin rate; a lot more in the tank. Best pitch is breaking ball at 64-65. Had 12/6 action with impressive depth.

James Hays, IF/RHP, Westfield Academy, 2023
6-foot-1 170lbs. A top 20 2023 prospect in the state of Georgia. He did nothing but impress this weekend. His swing is easy, but powerful. Can hit the ball to all parts of the field. Athletic kid, solid in all aspects of the game. If his bat was not enough he got on the mound and flashed 87 multiple times. He was 84-86 with good life, and an effortless delivery. Keep an eye out for this Georgia kid in future tournaments as well as the spring high school season.

Jansen Kenty, LHP, East Coweta, 2023
5-foot-11, 170-pound left-handed pitcher, thick frame with strength throughout. Arm works long with a continuous action, shows low on the backside, accelerates out front with above average arm speed to a ¾ slot. Tall and fall delivery, works on-line, lands square. Fastball st 81-83 with run, mixed in a 1/7 breaking ball at 68-71. Has yet to tap into the power of his lower half, using little of his legs in his delivery. With further firming up of the frame and use of legs, should see a significant jump in velocity down the road.

Jake Lankie, RHP, Blessed Trinity, 2023
6-foot, 145-pound right-handed pitcher, lanky athlete, strong lower half, projectable build. Arm works short and clean on the back-side with looseness, high ¾ slot, repeats well. Drop and drive delivery, rides down the mound landing square, finishes crossing over towards first base. Fastball sat 82-85 with armside run, controlled the zone with. Curveball, 12/6 shape, depth, when located low in the zone had late bite, dropping off the table, 71-73. Also offered up a changeup at 75, used sparingly.

Cooper Milord, OF/RHP, Blessed Trinity, 2023
6-foot, 150-pound right-handed two-way prospect, lean, athletic build, displays smooth actions. Offensively, continues to square the baseball up with regularity, advanced barrel control creates line drive contact, easy effort in swing, uses the entire field. On the mound, he showed feel for three pitches. Fastball topped out at 80 but has been up to 83 in the past. Changeup showed fade at 72, curveball at 66-67.

Jackson Westmoreland, MIF/RHP, St Francis, 2023
5-foot-9, 160 pounds. The stocky athletic infielder continues to impress on the weekend the more he is watched. He shows strong versatility on the infield handling 3B, SS, 2B duties and making plays at all 3. He showed off impressive range and arm strength while playing SS making a play deep in the hole and converting a strong accurate throw as well. Offensively he turned out imposing at bats via deep lineouts or liners into the gaps for base knocks. On the mound, he shows a loose, clean arm, hides the ball well out of a high ¾ slot. Fastball sat 81-83 with late life. Manipulated his breaking ball between 64-71, changing the shape between 11/5 and two plane break.

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