South Alabama Select Scout Blog: Catchers

Position by Position Analysis at the South Alabama Select: Catchers

There were 8 catchers on hand for the South Alabama Select at the University of South Alabama. The five catchers that are 2020 grads all showed very well and the three 2022 grads all showed solid skills that will only improve over the next few years. The ability among this group was outstanding and some really had outstanding days. Here is a scouting report on each catcher:

2020 Catchers:

Austin Embrey (2020, C/3B, Russell County) Continued his impressive showing at our events by showing an event best 1.78 pop time (1.78-1.88 range) and every throw was on the bag. Very quick feet and transfer with plenty of arm strength. Does a very good job of receiving pitches and extending the plate, while showing solid skills on balls in the dirt. An elite defensive catcher. Offensively, he has a slow load from an open stance with a leg kick approach and showed a gap to gap approach with slight tilt in the swing. Showed some juice off of the barrel with a 91 mph exit velo off of a tee.

Tyler Bell (2020, RHP/C, Baker) Solidly built player that did some very good things behind the plate. Has the arm strength and good feet to be a consistent shut down catcher- pop times were  1.91- 2.09 with a very quick release. Showed athleticism behind the plate and moved very well blocking balls in the dirt. Offensively, he had an even stance set up with a leg kick approach and showed an advanced setup in BP working the middle of the field with plus pop (90 mph exit velo off of a tee). Good looking athlete that also runs well. A definite 2020 to follow.

Jake Farrell (2020, C/3B, St.Paul’s Episcopal) Impressive work behind the plate and showed very advanced skills receiving pitches. Really handled pitchers very well and showed impressive catch and throw skills. His pop time was as low as the low  2.0’s as he showcased plenty of arm strength and a quick transfer. Solid on balls in the dirt. At the plate, he had a slightly open stance and showed good separation of the hands and foot front which really allowed him to get in the launch position to create bat speed. Showed the ability to pepper both gaps with a solid line drive approach and had a 91 mph exit velo off of a tee. Had good at bats during game play with a hard 1B to left included.

Peyton Cowart (2020, C/3B, Faith Academy) Powerfully built catcher that really defended well and “stole” several strikes for his pitcher by showing some advanced framing skills. Worked well on balls in the dirt with quick recovery ready to throw. Consistent pop times in the 2.0’s showing a very accurate arm with throws on the bag. Had a loud round of BP really showing an advanced approach of staying in the middle of the field from a leg kick approach and really does a good job incorporating his powerful lower half and keeping the barrel through the zone through contact. Had a loud 3B to RF in game play.

Hunter Wyse (2020, C, Faith Academy) Showed a solid defensive approach being the plate with a low, athletic set up. Did a good job receiving the pitch at the bottom half of the zone and showed athleticism blocking balls in the dirt. Solid skills throwing to 2B with a fairly quick transfer and good arm action. His arm will continue to stronger as he progresses.Offensively, he showed an even set up with the feet and a slightly tilted swing path. Mostly showed an oppo approach on the day, battling for somelong at bats during the game and had a 1B to LF as well.  

2022 Catchers:

Ricardo Rodriguez (2022, C/2B, Gulfport, MS) Young athletic catcher that showed some arm strength and a quick transfer. Pop times on the day were 2.08-2.16 with good actions and footwork behind the plate and advanced blocking skills.. Also a good runner. As a switch hitter, he starts from an open stance with a nice load of the hands which triggers a short, compact approach with the hands. Showed discipline at the plate and appeared to have more juice as a RH hitter with a level swing plane. Really attacked fastballs in the zone.

Thrasher Steed (2022, RHP/C, Gulf Shores) Very projectable young player that did a lot extremely well. Pop times on the day were 2.15-2.25 which will continue to drop as he gets stronger with the arm. Fundamentals are solid and his athleticism jumps out at you from behind the plate. Good footwork and solid blocking actions. Offensively, he has some pop in the bat from an event stance and a nice slow load of the hands. Did a very good job of staying inside the ball and showing a middle of the field approach in BP. Explosive lower half. A 2022 to watch.

Devin Polk (2022, RHP/C, Gulf Shores) Pop times were in the 2.2’s but those will only get better as he physically matures. Solid skill set behind the plate with a low set up and solid feet. Short arm action with a quick transfer that will develop with arm strength. Athletic catcher that can run. Showed a slight tilt in his swing path from a slightly open stance and good rhythm in his hands at time of load. Showed a pull approach in BP and had some productive at bats during the game. A hustle player that got after it!

In the next few days we will have additional scout blogs from the South Alabama Select. For more information visit www.prepbaseballreport.com and follow us on Twitter at @PBR_Alabama .