OK Winter Showcase Analysis: Catchers
January 10, 2020
PBR OK hosted the third annual OK Winter Open at the state of the art World Baseball Outreach indoor facility. There were invite-only players showcased their skill in front of the PBR OK staff, 4 colleges and a pro scout. The talented event saw six sub 7.00 60s, five 90+ exit velos, five infield velos of 80+, three outfield velos of 85+, two sub 2.00 second pop times, and nine max fastballs at 80+ mph. Today, we take an in-depth look at the six catcher from the event.
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Jake English C / 1B / Moore, OK / 2020Demonstrated a physical, athletic 6-foot-2, 195-pound frame with room to add more strength as he matures. The right-handed hitter starts with a wide, even stance using a knee-knock stride to initiate his swing. Displayed backwards lean with sink into the lower half while generating a slightly uphill barrel path through the zone. Hands pull the bat through the zone while hitting into a stiff front side, registering an 86 mph bat-exit velocity. Recorded a 7.25 60-yard dash. The primary backstop featured soft hands at the catch point while notching pop times ranging from 1.93-2.14. Showcased adequate straight line footwork with smooth transfers allowing for accurate 75 mph throws from the crouch out of a fluid, high ¾ arm-slot. The first baseman flashed a low center of gravity with adequate feel around the bag. Created easy hops while arriving to the ball on time yielding accurate throws of 74 mph across the diamond. |
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Hunter Jones C / RHP / Norman North, OK / 2021Demonstrated feel for a physical 6-foot, 195-pound frame with a strong lower half. The left-handed hitter begins with a wide, even stance utilizing a leg-lift to initiate his swing. Generated a slightly uphill barrel path into the hitting zone with some lower half glide. Registered an 85 mph bat-exit velocity and ran a 7.40 60-yard dash. The primary backstop displayed adequate receiving skills with a soft glove hand at the catch point. Pop times ranged from 1.98-2.12 on throws of 77 mph from the crouch out of a high ¾ arm-slot. Flashed solid blocking skills creating downhill angles and soft walls with adequate recovery ability. |
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Brett McComas RHP / C / Deer Creek , OK / 2022Showcased a long and lean 5-foot-9, 152-pound frame with present strength and athleticism with room to fill out as he matures. The right-handed hitter begins with a wide, even stance utilizing a lift-and-replace stride to initiate his swing. Generated a slightly uphill barrel path through the hitting zone with some lower half glide while hitting into a stiff front side. Demonstrated advanced feel for his hands while finding consistent barrels during batting practice with lift to the pull-side gap. Registered an 84 mph bat-exit velocity and recorded a 7.32 60-yard dash. The primary backstop showed adequate receiving skills with a moderately soft glove hand at catch point. Pop times ranged from 2.09-2.33 on accurate throws of 80 mph from the crouch. Utilized solid straight line footwork with a long transfer which, with improvement, will cut pop times drastically. Flashed adequate blocking skills creating soft walls to both sides. The outfielder displayed solid footwork while arriving to the ball on time with regularity. Momentum played through the target yielding accurate 90 mph arm-strength with carry out of a whippy, high ¾ arm-slot. |
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Cole Resetar C / 1B / Bishop McGuinness, OK / 2020Displayed feel for a large, physical 6-foot, 200-pound frame with a strong lower half. The left-handed hitter begins with a slightly open stance utilizing a quick lift-and-replace stride with hip glide to initiate his swing. Hips come forward and up slightly out of his base and the barrel enters the hitting zone through a flat path while hitting into a stiff front side. A strong top hand created some bat speed during batting practice registering an 86 mph bat-exit velocity. Recorded a 7.59 60-yard dash. The primary catcher showed adequate receiving skills with a soft glove hand at the catch point. Pop times ranged from 2.01-2.15 on accurate throws of 71 mph from the crouch, using straight line footwork and smooth transfers. A short and quick, high ¾ arm-stroke was used with repetitive actions. Featured soft walls while blocking to both sides and downward angles allowing for solid recovery skills. |
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Grayson Smith C / RHP / Fort Gibson, OK / 2023Displayed a large, advanced 6-foot-2, 185-pound frame with present strength. The right-handed hitter begins with a wide, even setup utilizing quiet hands and a lift-and-replace stride to initiate his swing. Entered the zone through a slightly uphill barrel path while sinking into a strong lower half. Generated some barrel whip during batting practice, registering an 82 mph bat-exit velocity. Recorded an 8.19 60-yard dash. The primary backstop featured adequate receiving skills with a soft glove hand at the catch point. Pop times ranged from 2.14-2.34 on accurate throws of 69 mph from the crouch out of a long, high ¾ arm-slot. Needs to stay lower through the zone on first movement with emphasis on quick transfers. Demonstrated soft walls while blocking on both sides with downward angles allowing for easy recovery skills. |
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Hal Smith C / 2B / Metro Christian Academy, OK / 2020Displayed a long 5-foot-10, 170-pound frame with some physicality and room to add more strength. The right-handed hitter begins with a wide, even stance utilizing a controlled knee-knock stride to initiate an athletic swing through a slightly uphill barrel path into the hitting zone. Demonstrated advanced sink into the lower half while hitting into a stiff front side creating solid extension through the ball registering an 83 mph bat-exit velocity. Showcased adequate receiving skills with a soft glove hand at the catch point. Pop times varied from 2.19-2.40 with average straight line footwork and adequate transfers on throws of 72 mph from the crouch out of a hitchy, high ¾ arm-slot. Featured adequate blocking skills creating moderately soft walls to both sides creating the ability to recover. |
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