Kale Breaux Dazzles In 6-1 Victory Over Powerhouse Barbe HS

March 26, 2015

Trey Sofio
Louisiana Scouting Director

Follow us on Twitter: @PBR_Louisiana

In a day in age where young players and parents are consumed with velocity, what I witnessed Tuesday night was refreshing. Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing unattractive about high velocity. It obviously brings inherent value and there is a reason it is an important factor in the evaluation process. As well, Kale Breaux doesn’t necessarily have a lack of velocity, he sat 86-88 mph for 7 innings Tuesday night and touched 91 mph. But in the grand scheme of things he is by no means a “power” pitcher, at least as far as professional baseball is concerned.

On the long drive home Tuesday night I was pondering what I could say about the performance. So let me give you a little backstory, you see Breaux isn’t the biggest prospect (standing at 5-foot-11, 170-pounds) and he doesn’t throw the hardest. I know what you are thinking, so what does he do? Well, the best way I can say this is, he pitches. He just flat out pitches. My colleague and National Supervisor, Nathan Rode, saw him in the Tournament of Stars last summer and loved him. Which was a little surprising considering Breaux was pitching at 83-85 mph at the time, in a tournament stuffed with big arms that light up the radar gun. But even at that velocity Breaux was lights out against some of the best amateur players this country has to offer.

On Tuesday, No. 1 Sulphur HS came into the game against perennial powerhouse and currently No. 10 Barbe HS at an impressive 18-0 clip. The matchup was a must see event in the Lake Charles area, Barbe stadium was filled to capacity, virtually standing room only. Opposing Breaux on the mound was highly touted 2017 LHP Adam Goree, another pitchability left-hander that has made significant noise on the recruiting trail early in his career. Goree pitched well early, matching Breaux pitch for pitch, and Barbe even grabbed an early 1-0 lead on an error. But like all great competitors, Breaux settled in and started to assert his will. Commanding a fastball to both sides of the plate, out of several different arm slots with velocities ranging from 83-91 mph with life. To note, that is a rather large range of velocity, and usually signifies some inconsistency in the delivery or arm action. But with Breaux it seems to be intentional, he was doing something very rarely seen, at least at the high school level, he was adding and subtracting off the fastball. He never threw the same pitch, at the same velocity, back to back. Essentially he was torturing hitters by messing with their timing. In addition to the fastball he displayed a breaking ball with tight spin, depth and late, hard break, commanding it in the strike zone and burying it when necessary. As well, he repeatedly changed the release point, velocity, and even shape of the pitch. Sometimes being a true curveball with depth, and sometimes being closer to a slider with sweeping action. For good measure, he showed a changeup with fastball arm speed and late fade action, commanding it to both sides of the plate, and showed it in a variety of different counts and situations. Sulphur grabbed the lead in the 6^th with 4 runs and Breaux smelled blood in the water, virtually looking crisper in the 7^th than he did in the 1^st. Keeping in mind that Barbe is a very good club with numerous college level players on the field made the outing even that more impressive. Barbe consistently plays with great energy, battles as hard as any high school team in the country, and has outstanding talent. They are extremely well-coached, and to stifle them offensively is a tall task. Breaux was pitchability at its finest, throwing any pitch in any count for strikes, never allowing hitters to get comfortable. He worked with outstanding tempo, and just flat out attacked the opposition.

Needless to say Kale Breaux was impressive on Tuesday, doing things on the mound that have seemingly become a lost art in the Louisiana high school baseball scene. In today's baseball world, everyone is infatuated with velocity, and I am as guilty as anyone. It seems everyone is in a rush to reach high level of velocites at a young age, at least in Louisiana, going to great lengths, and taking risks to see improvement in that area. But if you are a parent of a young pitcher, a young pitcher, or just a high school baseball fan I would recommend you see Kale Breaux go to work, there is a lot to learn.

Ok, enough of my semi-rant, here are the scouting reports on Kale Breaux and a few others.

+Kale Breaux, LHP, Sulphur HS(2015)
A 5-foot-11, 170-pound left-hander and Mississippi State signee with a small, athletic frame and No. 3 in the ’15 class, No. 61 in the overall rankings. Clean, repeatable, athletic delivery with loose, fast arm out of high-3/4 release. Outstanding mound presence, works with great tempo, attacks the strike zone with three pitches from several different arm slots. Fastball was 83-91 mph and settled in at 87-88 for the duration of game. Was adding and subtracting off the fastball all night, sinking and cutting some. Showed outstanding feel for a breaking ball at 74-76 mph with tight spin, plus depth and command. Also was throwing this pitch out of different arm slots with different velocities. Also showcased an outstanding changeup with fastball arm speed, deception and late fade action. Will throw any pitch in any count to any location. Understands how to setup hitters, becomes calmer when the situation gets tight, and it is clear he loves to compete.

+Adam Goree, LHP, Barbe HS(2017)
A 5-foot-11, 175-pound uncommitted left-hander with an average, athletic frame. Clean, repeatable, and athletic delivery with strong frontside and clean, fast arm. Fastball sat 82-86 mph with occasional life and competed in the strike zone. Breaking ball was inconsistent overall on the day, but flashed a quality one with tight spin, depth, and late, hard break at 71-73 mph. Displayed outstanding feel for changeup with fastball arm speed, deception, and was commanded to both sides of the plate. Currently ranked No. 2 in Louisiana’s ‘17 class and No. 47 in the overall rankings.

+Braden Comeaux, SS, Barbe HS(2015)
A 6-foot, 165-pound middle infielder and TCU signee with a medium, athletic frame. Quality athlete that runs well and plays with instincts and great tempo defensively. Displays soft hands, actions, arm strength and an understanding of angles and hops in the infield. Right-handed hitter with short, compact stroke, adequate bat speed and found consistent hard contact on the night. Currently ranke No. 9 in Louisiana’s ’15 class and No. 149 in the overall rankings.

+Kirkland Banks, INF, Barbe HS(2017)
A 5-foot-10, 180-pound uncommitted sophomore with a small, athletic frame. Extremely fast twitch athlete that runs well and displays soft hands, actions, arm strength, and an advanced feel for infield play. Right-handed hitter with short, compact swing, bat speed and occasional strength at contact. Young player that is holding his own against some of the best HS competition Louisiana has to offer. Currently ranked No. 13 in Louisiana’s 2017 class.

Kale Breaux Dazzles In 6-1 Victory Over Powerhouse Barbe HS

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