North Alabama Prospect Games Scout Blog: Infielders

North Alabama Prospect Games: Infielders

The guys in the dirt at the North Alabama Games did some impressive things. Some of the older guys really stood out and some of the younger players began to make a name for themselves. Below is a writeup on each infielder from the event:

Hall Billings (2019, SS/RHP, The Donoho School) Had a very impressive day and it’s obvious he knows how to play the game. Very athletic feet with a nice arm across the diamond as well. Can really defend and has nice actions in the dirt to go with nice speed (event best 7.02 60 yard dash). Very nice glove presentation.Offensively, his approach is advanced as he showed serious juice off of the bat with a middle of the field approach. Started with an even stance and used his lower half well with his connected swing. Absolutely smoked 2 balls in the game. Going to be a good sign for someone.

Carson Villalta (2020, SS/3B, Brooks) Impressive MIF that can also play 3B. Nice lateral movement and showed the ability to really cover some ground in the dirt. Has nice feel with the glove and feet- advanced defender with nice arm strength. Very instinctive player with good instincts as a baserunner. Offensively, he had a slightly open stance with a toe tap approach and kept the barrel through the zone. A very nice left handed swing, he showed pull side juice on pitches in but was middle of the field in his approach. Nice load of the hands. A complete player.

Andrew Burns (2022, 3B/SS, Boaz) A young player (2022) with plenty of juice off of the bat, showed big time pop (event best 91 mph exit velo off of a tee). Really showed a balanced approach at the plate and was well connected throughout the swing. Did a nice job of getting his hands to the launch position and showed pop to all fields. Really forced the barrel through contact, creating a trampoline effect off of the barrel. At 3B, he showed very nice actions and lateral movement and feel with the glove. The arm strength is there and his throws had carry across the diamond. A really nice player, Alabama commit.

Alex Newton (2019, 3B/1B, Lauderdale County) A big, strong kid that does a good job of getting his strength involved in all aspects of his game. Defensively, he showed well at 3B and moved very well with fluid actions.Nice feet before fielding and a real nice reset of the feet after to make the throw. Plenty of arm strength across the diamond as he can make all of the throws. Could also play 1B. Offensively, he created some juice (90 mph exit velo off of a tee) from his slightly open stance and showed some tilt in his swing. Did a nice job using his backside with nice pull side pop.

Luis Villalba (2020, 2B/SS, Vestavia Hills) Has a very fundamental approach to the game and did a lot of nice things. Can play either MIF position but may be suited better for 2B. Did a nice job working his feet to get big hops on the infield. Presented the glove well and showed the ability to throw from different arm slots with a quick transfer from the glove. Offensively, he had a slightly open set up and used a toe tap approach but the swing process was fairly simple. He showed a very slight uphill swing plane and stayed in the middle of the field in BP with some backspin off of the bat. During the game, he jumped on an elevated FB for a missile to LF.

Tyde Robinson (2019, SS/2B, Athens) Showed some nice rhythm with his feet and control with the body fielding ground balls. Showcased some soft hands and solid glove presentation during drills.Offensively, he had slightly open stance from the left side with a simple toe tap approach. Kept the barrel in the zone well and really showed a strong top hand. The swing was simple as he forced his hands and barrel inside the baseball resulting in a short, compact swing. Nice athlete.

Riley Harris (2020, RHP/1B, Marshall County KY) Defensively he really stood at 1B as he consistently picked balls in the dirt on throws to 1B. He made it look real easy. Showed nice footwork around the bag and a big time feel for the position. Moved well and and showed some athleticism around the bag. Offensively, he has some nice pop as he was 91 mph exit velo off of a tee (tied for event best) from an open stance with some tilt in his swing plane. Does a good job of hitting off of a firm front side and was able to impress with juice to the backside gap during BP.

Fisher Moss (2022, SS/OF, Bob Jones) Young player with solid action during IF drills. Showed nice athleticism with the feet and was able to let the glove work and showed a knack for being able to throw from different arm slots. Has some quick twitch actions that project well in the years to come.From the left side at the plate, he did a nice job of getting his weight back and showed some tilt in the swing path with avery rhythmic load of the hands. His approach was mainly oppo but he showed the ability to stay in the middle of the field as well. Will continue to get bigger and stronger.Nice fundamental approach to the game.

Cade Prestegard (2022, SS/RHP, Huntsville) Young player that has a very nice frame now and will continue to progress as he fills out physically. The tools are there. Was very savvy during IF drills showing good feel playing low to the ground and getting his feet involved very well, before and after the ball was in the glove. Was able to make throws from different arm slots. At the plate, he had an event set up with the feet with a leg kick approach generating some pop. The bat path was level with a nice finish through the zone and he did a nice job using his lower half. Showed juice off of the barrel to the middle of the field. A definite 2022 to follow.

Dalton Gilmore (2019, 1B/ RHP, A.P. Brewer) Showed nice feel and plus footwork at 1B. Very fluid actions around the bag with nice athleticism. Tall lanky body that can easily add more weight but the skills are very nice. At the plate, he had an event set up with the feet and used a leg kick approach to generate some juice off of the barrel. His slight tilt in the swing allowed for some tilted line drives during BP. Stayed in the middle of the field during BP and did a nice job of keeping the barrel through the zone. Was also 84 mph exit velo off of a tee.

Jonathan Whittington (2019, 3B/ RHP, New Hope MS) Showed very well at 3B during IF drills with very athletic feet and a very fundamental set up with the glove. Did a nice job gathering his feet after fielding it and showed nice arm strength across the diamond. Nice quick release on the 2B feed and looked real athletic on the slow roller in front of him. At the plate, he showed some “whip” with the barrel. Nice job of getting the hands loaded from an even stance set up. Did a nice job of staying firm on the front side and showed a short swing. Athletic actions.

Bryson Santiago (2021, SS/ RHP, Grissom) Smooth with the glove during IF drills and had an athletic, solid base. His feet showed athleticism and his glove work was slick. Showed some flash to his game and it seemed to be natural to him. Had a slightly open stance and used a toe tap approach to get his timing set. Had a connected swing and did a nice job of keeping the barrel in the zone. Slight tilt in the swing. Very nice skills that will continue to improve as he physically fills out.

Camden Shields (2022, RHP/3B, Lindsey Lane Christian Academy) Nice glove work at 3B and did a nice job with the feet getting ready to throw. A young player (2022) that has a nice frame that should continue to develop. The glove presentation is solid and he showed the ability to make throws from different arm slots when needed. At the plate, he showed a slightly closed stance with a middle of the field approach but had quick enough hands to get to balls on the inner half. He has a slight tilt in the swing and showed some pull side pop (had an 80 mph exit velo off of a tee).

Dylan Tiede (2022, SS/ RHP, Madison Academy) Young player (2022) that showed fundamentally sound approach to the game. Will continue to develop as he adds strength and matures physically. Fashed a nice glove and showed some nice footwork, especially on the ball to his glove side with a quick transfer. At the plate, he had a slightly open stance and a quiet, simple approach with not much wasted action. Did a nice job of staying inside the ball which resulted in a middle of the field approach. Every ball he hit was in the middle of the field during BP. Did a nice job of staying on the ball though contact.