Uncommitted Spotlight: 18' Ryan McDonald, C, Prior Lake
October 20, 2017
This week Prep Baseball Report highlights one of the top uncommitted catchers in the state, Ryan McDonald. McDonald sits as the #4 ranked catcher and #29 ranked player in the state overall. At 5'10 McDonald shows an advanced control of body movements behind the plate with top end, short range quickness to the point on blocks. A fearless mentality leads him to block everything with a true desire to do so. He gets a thumb under almost everything that isn't in the dirt and an excellent ability to receive + frame produces and increased percentage of strike calls. Is a true field general that is loud, instructive, and not afraid to throw the ball to any base to either throw out base runners or pick behind them. McDonald's short to contact swing that flashes pull-side power and consistent ability to square fastballs makes his current skill set a great base to build on for any hitting coach at the next level. Ryan is very smart both on and off the field and will be a positive addition to any college program.
PBR: What schools have expressed interest in you?
I have been lucky enough to receive interest from multiple schools at multiple levels. St. Thomas, St. Scholastica, Bethel, Gustavus, St. Cloud state, Minnesota-Duluth, and South Dakota State, are a few of the recent contacts that I have had.
PBR: Have you taken any visits, or have any visits scheduled in the near future?
I have visited St. Thomas, St. Cloud State, and Minnesota-Duluth. Soon I plan on visiting South Dakota State which will hopefully happen in the near future.
PBR: Are you looking for anything in particular in a school? (Example: high academics, certain academic program, local, etc.)
I am looking for a school with a really good engineering program, specifically Mechanical Engineering.
PBR: What were some of your highlights during your junior year, personally and as a team?
As a team we took 4th place in the South Suburban Conference. But, I think we proved that we could play with the big dogs by beating rival and state participant Burnsville 2 times during the season. I personally hit around .350 on the season while achieving All-Conference Honorable Mention merits.
PBR: What goals do you have this year for your team and yourself?
This year my goal for the team is to make it to the state tournament for the first time in school history.
PBR: Are you playing with anyone this fall/winter? If so, where?
I am playing fall/winter baseball with the Minnesota Millers out of Pitch2Pitch.
PBR: Do you play any other sports?
Besides our highly competitive intramural basketball league, I currently only play baseball. However, I played hockey for 10 years.
PBR: What is your ACT and GPA?
ACT =30 GPA=3.7
Scouting Report
6/20/17- 5-foot-10, 185-pound right-handed hitting catcher. Strong compact build. 7.46 runner. Balanced swing, easy short load, consistently barrels baseball, line drive swing, shows ability to use both sides of field, 85 mph exit velocity. Directs traffic and leads on field, shows ability to receive, lower center of gravity, works underneath baseball, has good sway side to side, controls game behind plate. Quick release with appropriate footwork, above avg. accuracy to bag, solid carry on throws, 74 mph arm strength with 1.89-2.07 pop times.
3/20/17- 5-foot-10, 185-pound right-handed hitting catcher. Currently un-ranked and not seen before. Strong performance at event and will move into solid position in rankings. 7.32 runner. One of better BP rounds during event, consistent hard contact, clean path to baseball, flashes pop in bat, has hand-eye coordination and consistently squares baseball, 92 mph exit velocity. Sticks pitches in zone, good body sway to both sides of plate, quiet actions. Avg. balance with head out and over feet, quick feet and exchange, shows accuracy to bag, 78 mph arm strength with 1.95-2.14 pop times.