On Saturday October 27^th, Prep Baseball Report ran an open prospect ID at North Carolina A&T’s War Memorial Stadium in Greensboro, NC.  The field was in excellent shape considering the remnants of Hurricane Michael, that made landfall near Texas, from the Gulf, tracked through the Triad area on Friday, dumping over 12 hours of rain.  The Aggie staff and players had the field ready to go for the workout, allowing close to twenty players from across North Carolina workout, update their statistics and video, and receive an evaluation from PBR’s trusted scouting staff.

The day opened with a laser timed 60.  Most times were a little slower than what the PBR scouts have seen from several players in the past.  While the surface was dry, it was a little soft and all of the rain on Friday did have an affect on the 60 times. 

After the 60, position players went to work in the cages, getting loose, and recording their exit velocities off of tee stations.  Several hitters profiled with bat speed and barrel ability and this showed during the exit velocity tests.  From there, the offensive evaluation continued with multiple rounds of batting practice on the field.  Players were able to let the ball fly, while PBR scouts put evaluations and took video of each offensive player.

The defensive portion of the day saw the outfielders throw from right field, the catchers produce pop times and block and recover, and the infielders worked out from a pull side position at shortstop.  Arm velocities were taken on each player during their defensive workout and PBR’s scouts were able to evaluate athleticism, approach, hands, feet, and carry on each player. 

The pitchers were the last group to workout, throwing a controlled bullpen.  Stuff, delivery, command, and arm action was evaluated, with radar readings on each pitch.  During this time the catchers ability to receive was also studied. 

In the coming week, we will take a deep dive into the stats, and each player in attendance.  Each player will have their statistics loaded to their personal PBR Profile page, as well as video from their performance, allowing college coaches and scouts to evaluate and track these athletes.  As we start the deep dive, we take a quick glance from behind the Director’s desk, as PBR’s Director of Scouting for North Carolina, Brandon Hall shares some of his notes from the Saturday event.

Quick Hitters

+  Huge shoutout to Coach Ben Hall and the players at North Carolina A&T.  While they are in the middle of their Fall World Series, they did a great job getting the field ready for our day at War Memorial Stadium.  The tarp was on the surface all day Friday, and the team was out early to get the tarp off on Saturday morning.  With all of the rain that fell, there were some trouble spots on the infield surface, but they worked to have it ready to roll when the PBR ID began.

+ The 60 times were noticeably slow, and if I had to guess, I would say anywhere from .10 - .20 slow with the soft surface.  Still with that surface, a couple of guys put up a decent time.  Ethan Watson (OF/RHP, Hibriten HS, 2020) led all runners with a 7.07.

+ The first pitcher only to throw was uncommitted 2019 Brett Banks (RHP, Garner Magnet HS).  Banks has a physical 6-foot-3, 195 pound frame and announced his presence with authority bumping 90 right out of the shoot.  He sat 88-91 throughout the bullpen, flashing a slider with length and some feel for his change-up.  There is already substantial interest in the big righty, and he upped the ante with his performance on Saturday.

+ There were several hitters that made early, loud noise on Saturday.  What caught the eye immediately was the rhythm in the swings, allowing with the barrel ability.  Add that to the exit velocities that were posted and several hitters are in position to have good springs, and continue to make noise on the next stage.  Hank Dodson (C, Northern Guilford HS, 2020) was up to 90 on his exit velocity testing and has looseness in the swing from the right side.  Hogan Stallings (1B, Wake Forest HS, 2020) catches the eye with his physicality when he walks into the stadium, standing 6-foot-5, 250 pounds.  With his size, he remains athletic, working to create leverage in his swing.  Trevor Faulkner (INF, Reagan HS, 2020) has a simple, repeatable swing from the left side.  The exit velocity sat at 88, but the ball carried throughout his rounds of BP.

+ Brendan Bagwell (C/RHP/OF, South Mecklenburg HS, 2020) has grown since we last saw him.  Now standing an athletic 6-foot, 185 pounds, the tools and consistency in his performances in the past have taken a jump as he is much stronger and more physical.  Working out in the box, from the outfield, behind the dish, and on the mound, Bagwell had a complete day with solid numbers across the board.  The arm strength really played behind the plate where pop times ranged 1.93 – 2.03 in the workout with a positional velocity of 80 mph out of the crouch.

+ The 2021 class was well represented.  Luke Johnson (C/INF, Southwest Guilford HS) was short and flat through the zone with good barrel awareness.  Dylan Koontz (INF/RHP, Community School of Davidson) has a physical nature to his game touching 83 off the mound and producing some carry with his bat from the left side. 

By The Numbers:
+ 19 players took part in the Greensboro Prospect ID
+ 10 worked out on the mound with 4 of those as pitcher only’s
+ 91 mph was the top fastball on the day
+ 80 mph was the median fastball for the workout
+ 4 catchers recorded pop times with the top time at 1.93.  Every catcher was below 2.15 at some point
+ 90 mph was the top Exit Velocity with 82 mph as the median exit recorded.
+ 85 mph from the OF by Brendan Bagwell was the top positional velocity

 

CLICK HERE to view the complete roster and statistics from the Greensboro Prospect ID