TOP 2013 CATCHERS

1. Jacob Carpenter, C, Kenston, 2013
   Carpenter is one of the top catching prospects in Ohio for the Class of 2013. While he is a bit undersized, he has a solid, athletic frame. Behind the plate, he shows quick feet and little wasted movement. His pop time registered between 1.97-1.98. From the crouch, he reached a top velocity of 76 mph. At the plate, the left-handed displays a balanced set up with a quick, easy load. He is short to the ball with quick hands. Using a slight uphill bat path, he produces a consistent line drive swing. At times, he struggles with his balance as he can be hard on his front side. He registered a 7.4 60-yard dash.
2. Matt Poland, C, Pickerington North, 2013
   Poland is solid, athletic prospect. Behind the plate, he shows the makings of a future Division I catcher. He still needs to improve his footwork and exchange, but he registered a consistent 2.04-2.11 pop time. From the crouch, he reached a top velocity of 77 mph. At the plate, the right-handed hitter shows quick bat speed and hard contact.  He has a tendency to bar his arm during his load, which can slow down his bat speed and change his bat path. He registered a 7.38 60-yard dash.
3. Adam Vasil, C, North Royalton, 2013
   Vasil is a big, solid prospect and definite follow in the Class of 2013. Behind the plate, he shows soft hands and quiet feet. From the crouch, he registers a top velocity of 80 mph with carry. His pop time sits between 2.04-2.07. He needs to improve glove to hand exchange. At the plate, he shows an explosive lower half. The right-handed hitter shows a fluid rhythm and quick bat speed to generate line drives to all fields. He should only add power as he becomes stronger. He registered a 7.83 60-yard dash.
4. Jake Hyde, C/3B, Hamilton, 2013
   Hyde has a solid, athletic frame. He is a definite follow. In the field, he uses an over the top arm slot and short arm action to generate a velocity of 78 mph. Behind the plate, his pop time ranges from 2.12-2.19, and it has room to get better as his footwork improves. From the crouch, he reached a top velocity of 78 mph. At the plate, the left-handed hitter uses an explosive lower half and quick bat speed. He is an aggressive, power hitter and projects as a middle of the order bat at the next level. He registered a 8.06 60-yard dash on a slow track.
5. Jaycen Newsome, P/C, Fairborn, 2013
   Newsome is a talented two-way prospect. Behind the plate, he registered a consistent pop time between 2.01-2.10. From the crouch he reached a top velocity of 78 mph. At the plate, he appears stiff, but shows quick bat speed. He achieves good extension and is a consistent line drive hitter. He registered a 7.75 60-yard dash. On the mound, he uses a quick rhythm and arm action. His fastball sits at 80-81 mph. His curveball, which is more of a slurve, has tight 10/4 breaking action and sits between 64-66 mph. His 65-66 mph changeup is thrown near fastball arm speed and shows good fade. He also throws a 74-75 mph cutter with good, late breaking action.

TOP 2014 AND 2015 CATCHERS

1. Justin Mott, C/RHP, Amherst, 2014
   Mott is an athletic, undersized prospect that could become an interesting follow as he grows and matures. Behind the plate, he uses quick feet and a quick, compact exchange to register a consistent 1.98-2.14 pop time. From the crouch, he registered a velocity of 78 mph.  At the plate, the right-handed hitter uses good balance, a short stride, and an easy load. His bat speed and power should only increase as he becomes stronger. He registered a 7.18 60-yard dash on a slow track.
2. Darren Sackett, C/OF, Loveland, 2014
   Sackett is a definite prospect to follow in the Class of 2014. Behind the plate, he shows quick feet and stays low through his throws. His pop time sat around 2.15-2.19 while he reached a velocity of 71 mph from the crouch. At the plate, the left-handed hitting prospect uses a fluid rhythm, explosive lower half, and quick bat speed to generate consistent line drives with power potential. He registered a 7.5 60-yard dash on a slow track.
3. Clay Pittman, C/IF, Defiance Tinora, 2014
   Pittman displays quick feet and short, quick transfer to generate a pop time between 2.06-2.11. From the crouch, he reached a top velocity of 72 mph. At the plate, he uses a balanced setup and short stride. He displays average to quick bat speed, which should improve as he becomes stronger. He will continue to add power as he incorporates a strong lower half.  He registered a 7.16 in the 60-yard dash.
   

 

BEST OF THE REST

Alex Rafeld, 1B/C, Delaware Hayes, 2013
Rafeld is an athletic prospect with the ability to play multiple positions. At first base, he showed good footwork and lateral movement around the bag. At catcher, he registered a top velocity of 74 mph while displaying a pop time ranging from 2.24-2.29. At the plate, he uses a tall, upright stance. His bat path tends to be flat, and he needs to better incorporate his lower half.

Nick Lubanski, C/OF, Turpin, 2014
Lubanski is a young catcher with above average catch and receive skills. Behind the plate, his pop time sat between 2.15 and 2.22. From the crouch, he registered a velocity of 76 mph. At the plate, the right-handed hitter uses tall, upright setup. He lacks the complete use of his lower half, which hinders his bat path and overall power. He registered a 7.84 60-yard dash.

Jimmy Pelphrey, C/3B, Bethel, 2014
Pelphrey uses a low 3/4 arm action that lacks accuracy from behind the plate. Out of the crouch, he registered a top velocity of 71 mph while his pop times sat between 2.3-2.4. At the plate, he shows a small hitch in his swing. He uses a slight uphill bat path that shows occasional pop. He registered a 7.72 60-yard dash.

Keegan Lanter, C, Thomas Worthington, 2014
Lanter is an undersized catcher with a soft frame. His pop time ranged from 2.37 to 2.47. From the crouch, he reached a top velocity of 70 mph. At the plate, the right-handed hitter shows a short, compact swing with quick bat speed. He is a solid contact hitter that displays occasional power for his size. He registered a 7.45 60-yard dash.

Nolan Rodman, C, Findlay, 2014
Rodman shows quick feet behind the plate, but lacks a fluid exchange. From the crouch, he registers a velocity of 69 mph. His pop time ranged from 2.28 to 2.32. He registered a 7.27 60-yard dash time.

BJ Donathan, C, Tippecanoe, 2014
Donathan has a solid, thick build. Behind the plate, he registers a 2.18-2.2 that will improve as he cleans up his footwork and exchange. From the crouch, he reached a top velocity of 73 mph. At the plate, the right-handed hitter uses an aggressive approach. He is pull hitter with power potential. He registered a 7.82 60-yard dash.

Eric White, C, North Royalton, 2013
White registered a consistent 2.23-2.26 pop time from behind the plate. From the crouch, he reached a top velocity of 71 mph. Still, he has room to improve by cleaning up his footwork and transfer. At the plate, the left-handed hitter shows an easy, smooth swing with rotational mechanics. He is short to the ball and shows a slight uphill bath path. He registered a 7.84 60-yard dash.

Joe Walton, C/IF, Xenia, 2014
Walton displayed excellent catch and receive skills behind the plate. His pop time sat around 2.19. From the crouch, he stays lows and reaches a top velocity of 71 mph. At the plate, the left-handed hitting catcher displays pull tendencies. He needs to continue to simplify his swing and improve his balance as he looks to play at the next level. He registered a 7.7 60-yard dash time.

Joey Thomas, C/3B, Mason, 2014
Thomas will be an interesting follow. His pop times ranged between 2.1 to 2.25. From the crouch, he reached a top velocity of 75 mph. At the plate, the right-handed hitter shows good balance, quick bat speed. He is short to the ball and shows pull power. He registered a 7.65 60-yard dash time.

Tyler Stephenson, C, Midview, 2013
Behind the plate, Stephenson shows aggressive hips while lacking a clean transfer. From the crouch, he reached a top velocity of 73 mph while his pop times sat between 2.2-2.4. By cleaning up his mechanics behind the plate, he will likely improve the accuracy on his throws. At the plate, the right-handed hitter uses a wide, open stance. His hands are very active during his load. He shows pull tendencies at contact. He registered a 7.63 60-yard dash.

Austin Hutchins, C/P, Tri-County North, 2013
Hutchins is a tall, lanky prospect. From the crouch, he registered pop times ranging from 2.15-2.19 while reaching a top velocity of 72 mph. At the plate, the right-handed hitter uses an open stance and choppy rhythm that leads to inconsistencies in his swing. He registered a 7.4 60-yard dash. On the mound, the right-hander uses an over the top arm slot and average arm speed. His fastball sits between 75-77 mph and his curveball sits at 64-66 mph. His changeup, which shows some fade and is thrown near fastball arm speed, sits at 67-68 mph.

Bailey Montoya, C, Moeller, 2015
Montoya is a young prospect, but shows a strong skill set that will be interesting to following over the next few years. Behind the plate, he showed good footwork and a quick, clean exchange that generates a consistent 2.21-2.26 pop time. From the crouch, he registered a velocity of 73 mph. At the plate, he needs to simplify his swing to become a more consistent hitter. His rhythm is disrupted by extra movement, including a big stride that can be disruptive to his timing. He registered an 8.91 60-yard dash.