By Brandon Hall
North Carolina Director of Scouting

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On Sunday August 27th, the CBA Copperhead organization held their PBR Scout Day at Pfeiffer University in Misenheimer, NC.  A gorgeous day, the Copperhead players ran through a full workout in front of PBR's staff and college coaches. 

Each position player ran through a full style workout, running a sixty, taking a live BP on the field, and going through an individual defensive workout.  Statistics were taken on exit velocity off the bat, arm speed from the defensive position, and pop times for catchers.  Pitchers threw a controlled bullpen for PBR staff and coaches, allowing them to feature their repertoire, showing stuff and command. Each player attending the scout day will have their PBR profile updated with their updated statistics, an evaluation, and video from the workout.

The middle infielders had a good mix of players ranging in graduate years from 2018-2021.  Kannon Frady (Lake Norman HS, 2020) has some quickness and a solid swing that produced a lot of barrel contact in BP.  Jake Rowden (Central Cabarrus, 2018) ran a 7.14 sixty and has good rhythm on the infield, catching the ball consistently.  The complete breakdown of all the middle infielders is below.

CLICK HERE for the full roster from the CBA Copperheads Scout Day

CLICK HERE for the complete statistical report from the Scout Day

CBA Copperheads Scout Day Quick Hitters
+ 42 players participated in the Scout Day
+ 28 pitchers threw bullpens
+ 36 position players completed the workout
+ 2020 OF Christian Thomas ran a PBR NC Event record 6.59 sixty (laser timed / hand started)
+ 15 hitters posted an exit velocity of 80 mph or better
+ 7 players ran better than 7.30 in their sixty
+ 9 pitchers touched 78 or better off the mound
+ Players ranged in graduate years from 2018 - 2021

Middle Infield Analysis

Noah Barozzino 2B / RHP / Hough, NC / 2020 Average build in a 5-foot-11, 145 pound frame.  Good feet, with rhythm on the infield.  Active trough the ball.  Good bend in the hips.  Works to a vertical stance on the transition.  Quick exchange to a high-3/4 slot.  Good accuracy with some carry at 74 mph across the diamond.  Left handed hitter works from a slight crouch, while open in his stance.  Loads back, using a short stride.  Good barrel ability with looseness and above average bat speed.  Short to the ball, working level through the ball.  Wants extension.  Stays in the middle of the field.  Exit velocity peaked at 72 off the barrel.  Ran a 7.70 sixty. On the mound, fastball sat 74-76, touching 77.  Ball works down hill when on time with the arm.  Smooth delivery, working level and on-line.  Long arm action, reaching toward 2B, gets to a high-3/4 slot with some quickness in the hand.  Tall through balance with regular effort as the head tilt off the line through release.  Straight change ranged 68-70, working with fastball hand speed.  Breaking ball is inconsistent, lacking shape at 67-68.  Works to be a 12/6 tilt with gradual bend.

Jacob Bishop SS / RHP / Hickory Ridge, NC / 2019 Rankings  State Rank:161 POS:24 Average build with some length in a 6-foot, 150 pound frame.  Ran a 7.26 sixty.  Fluid on the infield with average hands.  Occasionally catches the ball deep in stance.  Cautious through the exchange, working to a long arm action and over-the-top slot showing some accuracy with multiple throws.  Arm measured 78 mph across the diamond.  Right handed hitter is balanced, using a weight shift to load back, with a leg kick.  Short stride as the bat head gets to a lagged position at launch.  Looseness exists.  Level through the zone, staying in the middle of the field.  Top hand dominate at times.  Exit velocity topped at 80 off the barrel.  Works easy with three in the zone on the mound.  Fastball is straight but has angle, downhill, at 73-77.  Breaking ball works with sharp 11/5 tilt topping at 64 with good shape.  Change-up has deception with the hand speed.  Straight at 64-68.  Loose arm has quickness getting to a high-3/4 slot.  Level and on-line in the delivery.

Levi Buck SS / 3B / Cox Mill, NC / 2020 5-foot-8, 172 pound frame.  Young with maturity coming to the body.  Showed an ability to throw on the move with some accuracy.  Average hands transition low to a release with some quickness.  Arm has some stiffness on routine plays from a high-3/4 slot.  Positional velocity topped at 72 across the diamond.  Ran a 7.53 sixty.  Right handed hitter works from a tall, athletic base.  Weight shift loads the swing back, with a leg kick.  Short stride dives back towards the plate.  Average bat speed, staying level through the zone.  Some looseness.  Hands can get tied up as the body lands closed.  Exit velocity peaked at 85 when off the barrel.

Kannon Frady SS / RHP / Lake Norman, NC / 2020 Thin frame that will handle strength as he continues to mature.  5-foot-10, 155 pounds.  Right handed hitter works from an athletic stance with the bat on the shoulder.  Lifts to a flat barrel with the hands pressed back.  Timed stride, after the early separation works to a quick bat through the zone.  Good barrel ability.  Level through the zone, finishing with high hands.  Loose and direct with rhythm.  Exit velocity peaked at 82 off the barrel.  Ran a 7.38, with a good burst off the line.  On the infield, the arm works long and over-the-top.  Average hands.  Direct path to the ball.  Feet can get heavy.  Will sit through the catch.  Exchanges low as the body works to a vertical position to throw.  77 across the infield, lacking some accuracy and carry. On the mound, works from an over-the-top slot with a loose arm, gaining extension.  Long arm swing.  Slight coil at balance.  Choppy rhythm working quick to a tall balance point before a pause and building momentum again.  Fastball sat 75-77, falling to 71-73 out of the stretch.  Breaking ball lacks consistent action, wanting downer tilt at 54-61.  Arm slows through release.  Change worked 62-64.

Dominic Meli 2B / C / Lake Norman Charter, NC / 2021 Young frame with a lot of maturity ahead at 5-foot-9, 135 pounds.  Open stance, striding to even after loading back with a small weight shift and leg kick.  Front arm gets barred at the launch position as the hands work from a low position.  Level through the zone, working for extension.  Wants to stay in the middle of the field.  Exit velocity peaked at 74 mph, with average barrel awareness.  Defensively there is some effort through the catch and exchange, working to stay in an athletic position through the catch.  Long arm action with a high-3/4 release.  Can change the slot based on the play and his positioning.  Accuracy can improve.  Showed some carry with a positional velocity of 70 mph.  Ran an 8.13 sixty.

Garrett Page 2B / SS / South Iredell, NC / 2020 Young player with time to add strength and quickness to the frame.  Right handed hitter works from a wide, balanced stance, using a weight shift back to load the swing.  Average bat speed works level, producing line drives to the opposite field.  Launch position sets the swing to be inside the ball and work the opposite field.  Exit velocity peaked at 69 mph.  Some stiffness on the infield, with effort through the catch.  Long arm action works to a high-3/4 slot.  66 mph across the infield from SS.  Ran a 7.62 sixty. Right handed pitcher sat 67-69, erratic at times with his command.  Change up works with near fastball hand speed.  Ranged 59-60 with limited feel.  Breaking ball has gradual action, working down in the zone at 60-62.  Works on-line with some looseness in the arm swing, getting to a high-3/4 slot.

Jake Rowden SS / 2B / Central Cabarrus , NC / 2018 Quickness and athleticism exists in a 5-foot-11, 165 pound frame.  Ran a 7.14 sixty.  Exit velocity off the barrel of 86.  Soft hands on the infield paired with good rhythm in the feet.  Active to the baseball, selecting a good hop.  Loose and clean with the ball, stays athletic.  Short arm action working from multiple angles and showing accuracy on his throws.  76 mph with carry from shortstop.  Right handed hitter works from an open stance, loading down with the hands.  Utilizes a leg kick as the bat head loads to a vertical position.  Whippy bat shows some feel for the barrel.  Fluid and loose.  Lacks some timing and consistency with the swing.

Grant Sutton SS / OF / Hough, NC / 2021 Young 5-foot-7, 130 pound frame with a lot of maturity in front of him.  Ran a 7.38 sixty.  Balanced setup from the right side.  Short stride and simple swing with good head discipline.  Average bat speed working level and short to the ball.  Line drives peppering the pull side gap.  Rotational approach on the back side.  Some feel for the barrel.  Exit velocity peaked at 73 mph.  Cautious to the ball and through the exchange, loading the arm.  Short arm swing and over-the-top slot with some accuracy.  Positional velocity at short topped at 74 mph. Fastball ranged 72-73, touching 75.  Breaking ball worked 59-61 with slight action.  Change-up is straight working with good hand speed at 66-69.  Some rhythm in the delivery working level and on-line.  High-3/4 slot, from a strong arm swing, working to stay tall through balance.  Good head stability.  Shows an ability to repeat the delivery.