By Phil Wade & Blake Hibler
PBR Indiana

On Saturday, October 19th PBR Indiana hosted the 2015 Underclass Preview at Bishop Chatard High School in Indianapolis.  Sixty players in the class of 2015 from across the state participated in the event, including 13 catchers.   

Top 5

1.Sean Casey, Chatard HS, 2015: 6-foot-2, 180 pound catcher possesses a long frame.  Uses a simple setup with short stride.  Hands work and is a high contact hitter.  Displays good rhythm throughout the swing.  Defensively behind the plate uses a narrow base with some agility.  Receives the ball well, but needs to improve framing as he shows some unnecessary movements.  Arm strength is above average.  Pop times were 2.01-2.08.  Interesting follow. 

2.Andrew Atchison, Crown Point HS, 2015: 6-foot-2, 190 pound catcher possesses good agility behind the plate.  Arm is above average.  Quiet receiver with good hands.  Ability to keep pitches in the zone.  Pop times were 2.08-2.18.  At the plate starts with a wide base with a short stride.  His hands work and displays good bat speed (85 mph exit velo).  Good balance throughout his swing.  Swing can get a little long at times, but has some projectable power.  Interesting follow this spring. 

3.Casey Gibson, C, Jeffersonville HS, 2015: 5-foot-10, 170 pound catcher possesses a good frame with athleticism.  Moves and controls his body well behind the plate.  Setup is good with average arm speed.  Quiet receiver with above average receiving ability.  Projects well as a catcher for the next level. At the plate uses an athletic, quiet approach.  Swing plane is good and his hands work.  Shows some barrel whip with an exit velo of 81 mph.  Line drive type hitter with some gap to gap power.  

4.Wyatt Daly, C, Castle HS, 2015:  5-foot-10, 175 pound catcher threw an event best pop time of 1.97. Good frame and above avg. arm strength behind the plate.  Exchange is quick and clean with a short arm action.  Offensively uses a balanced, athletic set up with smooth load and short stride.  Needs to add some strength to improve power and bat speed.  Lower half lacks involvement.  Currently a high contact, line drive type hitter.  

5.Tim Lira, C, Penn HS, 2015: 5-foot-11, 200 pound catcher has a solid foundation with a plus arm behind the plate.  Lacks some flexibility and needs to improve his setup.  Currently an avg. high school receiver, but can improve immensely as he improves his mobility and flexibility.  We’ve seen his pop times range from 2.00-2.13.  Offensively, starts with an athletic stance and a slight crouch position.  Stride is short.  Swing plane is inconsistent.  Bat speed is above average at the high school level. 

Best of the Rest (Alphabetical Order)

Cole Borden, Brownstown Central HS, 2015: 6-foot-2, 180 pound catcher starts tall and sits on his back side at the plate.  Stride is short with a flat bat.  Posted an exit velo of 80 mph.  Defensively uses  a narrow setup and needs to improve positioning.  Currently raw with his footwork and overall actions.  Pop times were 2.36-2.40 and was 66 mph behind the plate. 

Logan Gillespie, Franklin Central HS, 2015: 5-foot-11, 260 pound catcher shows some pull side power from the plate.  Overall strong hitter.  Approach is good with some bat speed.  Good balance throughout his swing.  Defensively was 71 mph from behind the plate.  Needs to improve mobility behind the plate. Registered a 2.11 pop time at the event. 

Cale Hall, C, Orleans HS, 2015: 6-foot, 155 pound catcher possesses a slender frame.  Offensively, hits from a tall setup.  Bat path is short with average bat speed.  Defensively, needs to improve foot work.  Exchange is quick.  Overall is raw defensively as a catcher.  Pop times were 2.14-2.26.

Andrew Krull, C, Cathedral HS, 2015: 6-foot, 165 pound catcher hits from a closed setup, in a crouch position.  Shows a smooth load with a leg kick.  Possesses some bat speed with overall good balance throughout the swing.  Consistently makes hard contact.  Defensively shows some athleticism and average arm strength.  Overall catching ability is average at the high school level.  Needs to improve his flexibility and receiving. Projects to improve defensively with more experience.  

Jacob Lloyd, C, Southwood HS, 2015: 6-foot, 185 pound catcher uses a narrow setup with quick feet behind the plate.  Arm speed is good.  Needs to improve foot work.  Receiving skills are average, and shows good flexibility.  Pop times were 2.07-2.08.  Offensively, uses a balanced set up with a leg kick for timing.  Swing path is long with a flat bat.  Lower half is inconsistent.  

Cole McNeely, C, Bloomington South, 2015: 6-foot-2, 180 pound catcher starts open with a hip side causing him to get out front.  Shows some power with average balance and an inconsistent lower half. Defensively has a good frame with good agility.  Needs to widen his stance.  Overall average skills defensively.  Registered a top pop time of 2.14. 

Alec Parker, C, Noblesville HS, 2015:  5-foot-11, 185 pound catcher uses a short stride, with slightly closed setup.  Loads back with low hands.  Needs to improve swing plane. Posted and exit velo of 82 mph.  Possesses a smaller frame with average agility behind the plate.  Defensively receives and sticks it well.  Needs to improve receiving pitches down in the zone.  Pop times were 2.15-2.25. 

Michael Veatch, North Central HS (Indpls.), 2015: 6-foot-2, 190 pound catcher has added a lot strength since the last time we saw him.  Offensively starts slightly open with a small leg kick.  Swing plane is inconsistent but does show some projectable power.  Behind the plate shows a good setup, but can get a little high when receiving.  Athletic with average arm.  Needs to continue to improve receiving skills.  Pop times were 2.11-2.17 and 71 mph behind the plate.  

Related News

• IN Unsigned Senior Showcase Results10.22.13
• IN 2015 Underclass Preview Results10.21.13