OK Preseason All-State Analysis: Catchers

Positional Profile: C/2B

Body: Athletic 6-foot-2, 180-pound build with present strength.

Hit: LHH. Balanced, quiet set up. Active hands, slow controlled body load. Slight uphill swing plane with extension through zone. Hard line-drives to mid/pull side. Front foot finish.

Power: 90 mph exit velocity from the tee and 94 in BP. 

Arm: RH. INF - 80 mph. C - 73 mph. Short arm action from a high-¾ arm slot.

Defense: 1.86-1.93 pop times. Behind the plate, solid receiver with quick footwork and exchanges. Throws on the bag. In the infield, average hands and footwork with developing release.

Positional Profile: C/SS

Body: Lean 6-foot-1, 155-pound frame with projectability, present athleticism and room to add strength.

Hit: RHH. Balanced, square stance. Smooth leg lift load into short stride. Slight uphill swing plane. Consistent hard line-drives to the middle of the field.

Power: 80 mph exit velocity from the tee and in BP. 

Arm: RH. INF - 84 mph. C - 74 mph. Long high-¾ arm action.

Defense: In the infield, athletic footwork and routes to field. Clean glove and exchanges, throwing from multiple arm angles. Behind the plate, pop times ranging between 1.92-2.09 sec. Receives well, quick footwork and transfers with throws on or near the bag. 

Run: 7.53 runner in the 60.

Positional Profile: RHP. Follow on mound in 2023 class.

Delivery: Up-tempo drop-and-drive delivery. Consistent, athletic balance point with square shoulders to home. Lands slightly closed, athletic finish.

Arm Action: Long arm action with high-¾ release.

FB: 82-84 T85 mph, solid arm-side run for strikes.

CB: 65-68 mph, sharp 11/5 break with flashes of depth.

Positional Profile: C/3B

Body: Athletic 5-foot-8, 150-pound build.

Hit: RHH. Balanced, quiet setup. Quick arm-bar load and short stride into level swing through zone. Loud contact during BP with hard line-drives to mid/pull side.

Power: 82 mph exit velocity from the tee and 84 in BP. 

Arm: RH. C - 76 mph. Short low-¾ arm action with accuracy.

Defense: Behind the plate, 1.94-1.97 pop times. Narrow setup, adequate receiver, quick exchanges and footwork.

Positional Profile: C

Body: Physical 6-foot-1, 225-pounds with strength in build.

Hit: RHH. Sets up in square stance with his weight shifted back. Weight shift back into a toe-tap stride. Quick through zone, compact line-drive swing. Contact out front with mid/pull approach, line-drives and fly-balls during BP.

Power: 92 mph exit velocity from the tee and 91 in BP. Shows bat speed.

Arm: RH. C - 75 mph. Short arm action with an over-the-top release slot.

Defense: 1.95-2.07 pop times. Quick transfers and footwork. Adequate receiver with some flexibility and throws around the bag.

Positional Profile: 3B/SS/C

Body: Athletic 6-foot, 185-pound build.

Hit: LHH. Shows an athletic swing with good bat speed.  Very short to the ball with the bat path and does a good job of matching plane with the pitch.  Hands are very active throughout the swing.  Very balanced approach and does a good job of using the whole field. 

Power: 84 mph exit velocity from the tee and 88 in BP. 

Arm:  RH. C-74 mph. INF-82 mph. OF-86 mph.  Good hand speed.

Defense: In the outfield charges the ball well and fields it off the left foot.  Works a good arm angle downhill with good extension on release.  In the infield shows soft hands and works around the ball well with rhythm.  Does tend to field the ball deep into the body at times.  Behind the plate shows a quick release with pop times ranging from 1.95-2.12.  Throws were accurate and had good trajectory.  

Run: 7.07 runner in the 60.

Positional Profile: C/RHP

Body: Lean, athletic 5-foot-11, 165-pounds.

Hit: RHH. Narrow, balanced set up with rhythm in his body and hands. Leg lift load and short stride. Quick, level bat path with some barrel whip through the zone. Feel for the barrel with hard line-drives to all fields. Solid extension.

Power: 88 mph exit velocity from the tee and 89 in BP. Good bat speed.

Arm: RH. C - 77 mph. Short high-¾ arm action. Accurate throws on the bag.

Defense: 1.96-2.09 pop times. Quick footwork and exchanges behind the plate. Demonstrates good receiving and blocking ability, flexibility and soft glove.

Run: Above average 6.85 runner in the 60.

Delivery: Feel tempo drop-and-drive delivery. Athletic actions on the mound, reaches consistent balance point, in-line shoulders. Lands open with clean finish out front.

Arm Action: RH. Long high-¾ arm action. Solid arm speed.

FB: 73-83 mph, slight arm-side run. Control around the zone.

CB: 66-68 mph, 11/5 break with good depth and control, landed for strikes.

Positional Profile: C/OF

Body: Athletic 5-foot-10, 175-pound build.

Hit: RHH. Sets up in narrow, open stance with rhythm in his hands. Small leg lick and stride to square, uphill swing path. Gap to gap approach with hard line-drives and fly-balls during BP.

Power: 84 mph exit velocity from the tee and 93 in BP. Shows good bat speed.

Arm: RH. C - 70 mph. Short arm action from an over-the-top release slot.

Defense: 1.97-2.27 pop times. Narrow stance with sure hands and quick feet. Clean exchanges on throw downs with adequate blocking and receiving ability. 

Positional Profile: C/RHP

Body: Projectable 6-foot-3, 170-pounds with room to add strength.

Hit: RHH. Narrow, open setup. Small leg kick and hand load creating some bat tilt. Slight uphill swing path with extension at finish. Mid/pull approach with some loud contact and line-drives during BP.

Power: 83 mph exit velocity from the tee and 87 in BP. 

Arm: RH. INF - 81 mph. C - 75 mph. Short high-¾ arm action.

Defense: In the infield, soft hands and glove with consistent footwork around the ball. Developing exchanges and release. Behind the plate, pop times of 2.00-2.06 sec. Quick footwork, good receiving glove, developing exchanges. Mostly accurate throws.

Run: 7.41 runner in the 60.

Delivery: Works from the stretch. Average tempo through tall-and-fall delivery. Medium balance point, lands square to home with balanced finish.

Arm Action: RH. Long to short high-¾ arm action and release. 

FB: 79-81 mph, keeps its plane for strikes.

Positional Profile: C/RHP

Body: Lean, athletic 5-foot-11, 175-pound frame.

Hit: LHH. Crouched, open stance. Knee-to-knee load into long stride. Aggressive line-drive swing. Spray contact with consistent hard contact during BP.

Power: 83 mph exit velocity from the tee and 85 in BP. 

Arm: RH. INF - 78 mph. C - 71 mph. Quick high-¾ arm action. 

Defense: 2.03-2.22 pop times. Behind the plate, adequate receiver. Developing release and exchange with average footwork. In the infield, aggressive to field with quick footwork. Clean glove and exchange. Shows good lateral range.

Delivery: Repeatable rocker-step delivery with body coil and high balane point. Works slightly across body with good direction down the mound. 

Arm Action: Long low-¾ arm action.

FB: 73-78 T79 mph, solid arm-side run and sink.

CB: 69 mph, 11/5 break with some depth from high-¾ slot.

Positional Profile: C/INF

Body: Solid 5-foot-9, 195-pound frame.

Hit: RHH. Open, wide set up with active hands. Leg kick load and bat tilt into a long stride. Flat, quick bat path through the zone. Spray contact with line-drives during BP.

Power: 80 mph exit velocity from the tee and 83 in BP. 

Arm: RH. OF - 75 mph. INF - 73 mph. C - 68 mph. Long ¾ arm action.

Defense: Behind the plate, pop times ranging from 2.06-2.19 sec. Show goes blocking ability and average footwork/exchanges. Accurate throws on the bag. In the outfield, aggressive footwork and routes to field with average glove and developing release. In the infield, sits back to field with a stiff glove at times. Longer release. 

Run: 8.38 runner in the 60.

Positional Profile: RHP

Delivery: Drop-and-drive delivery with quick tempo. High leg kick and coil, landing open to home with a falling off finish.

Arm Action: RH. Long, whippy ¾ arm action.

FB: 74-76 T77 mph, arm-side run for strikes.

CB: 69 mph, rolling 11/5 shape with developing feel.

Positional Profile: C

Body: 5-foot-10, 210-pound stout and sturdy frame.

Hit: RHH.  At the plate shows a simple load and stride with the lower half.  Has a lower hand set and quietly gets good separation with the hand set.  Does a good job of matching planes with the pitch and hit a lot of hard line drives in the bp session.  Gets the lower half going linearly and rotates hard with the upper body.  Has good hand strength at contact and bat speed is above average. 

Power: 83 mph exit velocity from the tee and 88 in BP. 

Arm: RH. C-74 mph.  High ¾ arm slot with a longer arm action.

Defense: Behind the plate showed soft hands when receiving the ball.  Pop times ranged from 2.07-2.13 and throws were accurate on the bag.  The exchange speed is developing and will continue to improve with added flexibility. 

Positional Profile: C

Body: Solid 5-foot-8, 200-pound frame with present strength.

Hit: RHH. Balanced, wide stance. Easy leg lift load with rhythm into a short stride. Slight uphill bat path through the zone. Hard line-drive contact up the middle with good extension through his finish.

Power: 85 mph exit velocity from the tee and 89 in BP. Shows solid bat speed.

Arm: RH. C - 71 mph. Short high-¾ arm action with accuracy around the bag.

Defense: 2.08-2.28 pop times. Low setup with flexibility behind the plate. Shows adequate receiving and blocking ability with clean footwork and transfers.

Positional Profile: C/2B

Body: Solid 5-foot-8, 190-pound frame with strength in his lower half.

Hit: RHH. Wide, even set-up with quiet hands. Simple leg lift and hand load with short stride into a level swing plane. Gets up lift under the ball with hard line-drives and fly-balls during BP. Balanced at finish.

Power: 81 mph exit velocity from the tee and 87 in BP. 

Arm: RH. C - 72 mph. INF - 73 mph. Long high-¾ arm action. Accurate throws around the bag.

Defense: 2.12-2.22 pop times. Behind the plate, balanced set-up with natural receiving ability. Clean footwork with developing exchanges and release. Average block to recovery. In the infield, clean glove and transfers with adequate footwork. Stays low through the ball to field.

Positional Profile: 2B/C

Body: 5-foot-9, 145-pound lean frame with room for added strength.

Hit: RHH.  At the plate shows a wide set up with the legs and quiet hands.  Shows good rotational acceleration and has developing bat speed and hand strength.  Uses a line-drive/middle of the field approach.  Upper half can be a little stiff but does a good job of getting the barrel to the ball repeatedly.  

Power: 75 mph exit velocity from the tee and 80 in BP.

Arm: RH.  INF- 63 mph.  C-65 mph.  Low ¾ release with very short arm action.

Defense: In the infield shows developing rhythm and routes to the ball.  Has quick exchanges and shows a potential feel for glove action.  Behind the plate shows good blocking techniques and ability to keep the ball in front.  Had a pop time range of 2.2-2.51 and showed accurate throws on the bag.