Norcal Underclass - Catchers

Body: 6-foot-0, 170-pounds. Lean, athletic, wiry strength presently w/frame to fill
Hit: LHH. Lively stroke, there is pull side power right now and the ball jumps off hit bat. Primarily a pull oriented approach, hammered a ball by the 2nd baseman in game action, quick trigger with a loose easy and yet also good violence in the stroke. Understands how to stay behind the barrel and let it live through contact. Developing the ability to use the whole field is an area to focus on for him, but the talent to hit and do with power is absolutely present.
Power: 93 mph EV off tee
Arm: Catcher velo - 75 mph - Flashed on the bag accuracy w/slight tailing action though also got a little quick/loose on the delivery and sailed a couple on the 2B side, quick easy arm though
Defense: 2.04-2.22 Pop-times - Primary OF but jumped behind plate for the workout & looked every bit the part of a primary catcher. Feet are quick and he's got agility, looked very comfortable popping out of the crouch, feet and release can sync up a little better for improved/more consistent accuracy. Did not catch in the live ABs portion. As an OF the release was good, solid carry that can improve, confident and athletic approach to the ball, projects as a left-fielder with enough arm and athleticism to limit extra bases.
Run: 7.69 60-yard

Body: 5-foot-9, 155-pounds. Compact build w/athletic proportions & some present muscularity
Hit: RHH. Balanced set-up, wide feet, has swagger in the box, quick knee lift before stride, hands work with life through the ball though pretty consistently early top hand leaving the swing plane. There is power now and more to come as he grows. Aggressive attack angle and and high swing finish shows his intent to do damage. Both competitive ABs resulted in extra base hits, double to LCF and 3B to CF. Can occasionally be a bit late to contact but retain the ability to drive the ball. Showed patience and readiness to jump pitches to his liking in positive counts.
Arm: Catcher velo 75 mph - Flashed carry on a couple of throws down to 2nd, short arm stroke bringing ball near ear after the exchange, slot should allow for consistent backspin and carry.
Defense: 2.00-2.12 Pop-times - Outstanding blocking effort and mechanically sound technique, quick feet out of crouch, good lower body strength provides strong lead leg for leverage on throws, communication skills with pitchers was on display, soft hands, clean receiver. All-around showed very well defensive tools for catching.
Run: 7.89 60-yard

Body: 5-foot-10, 185-pounds. Stout compact body w/some physicality though hips/upper legs
Hit: RHH. Tall set-up at plate, starts open, smooth leg glide stride similar to that of Trevor Story, physical at contact, stayed behind the ball well, rhythmic actions, displayed good barrel control and ability to access his power. Competitive AB swings showed solid mechanics translate well to competition. Hand-eye coordination is good, stays connected well, swing adjustabilty is good, able to cover multiple zones which favors him in two-strike counts. After painful HBP on left scapula he stayed at the plate, worked a very deep long AB and ultimately hit a hard fly ball to RF. Barrel contact happened to both pull side and oppo field.
Power: 85 mph EV off tee
Arm: Catcher mph - 66 mph - Raw arm will have to improve but there was carry to the bag on each throw, quick exchange allowed for pop times to be more competitive than the raw arm strength would otherwise indicate.
Defense: 2.19-2.26 Pop-times - Very consistent pop times indicates trust of his mechanics. Quality receiving skills showed up immediately in competitive AB portion of the day. Hands and feet work with coordination, quick exchange, can work to drive the ball using lower body better and stay on-line with front hip for better accuracy. Sits/squats w/narrow base which can cause some tipping and some glove movement at reception. Hands are strong, mechanics of receiving are quality, lower body being wider and adding more agility will be good areas to focus on.
Run: 8.04 60-yard

Body: 5-foot-10, 145-pounds. Well-proportioned athletic body, lean w/visible burgeoning strength
Hit: RHH. Tall set-up, open front foot w/narrow feet at set-up, glide and slide collapse/crash approach to contact, low hand slot to start, hip slide and length of barrel wrap around head were causing some timing issues with barrel at contact and resulting in a few flared balls slicing off barrel, there is plenty of hand speed and strength to utilize his approach and produce some power provided there is a focus to improve the barrel control. Competitive ABs resulted in pull side contact twice which showed his timing was better than in the BP round.
Power: 80 mph EV off tee
Arm: Catcher velo - 67 mph - Timing issues between feet and exchanged limited how the ball came out of his hand. Can sync up better and get more out his arm, along with improved carry and ball rotation.
Defense: 2.35-2.45 Pop-times - Best defensive attribute was receiving, good lower half flexibility, able to sit/squat/present in multiple body positions, understands how to work below the ball, strong soft hands, very presentable target for pitchers to throw to.
Run: 7.48 60-yard

Body: 5-foot-10, 150-pounds. Wiry lithe body, moves athletically w/agility, good body control
Hit: RHH. Starts open w/tall set-up, high knee lift/tuck, considerable stride, works to stay behind the ball w/considerable tilt in effort to create significant attack angle degree. Good backside connection & hip rotation, displayed quiet hands w/bat control. A flatter swing plane/attack angle could be an approach that serves his present day strength/power a bit better. Hand speed is there, sees ball well, understands how to employ his approach, with strength gains there is a hitter to emerge
Power: 80 mph EV off tee
Arm: C velo - 70 mph - Quick arm, relies on quick feet & short arm stroke as well as a cock-eyed set-up in the pop time drill that won't play as a regular set-up in game competition. Ball comes out of hand nicely though slot and lack of extension created tailing action.
Defense: 2.11-2.22 Pop-times - Multiple notes regarding his athleticism behind the plate, has good range to cover BIDs both to left and right, agility is a trait that works for him. Good energy between he and the pitchers, communication skills/leadership traits showed up, sees ball well and will develop into an above average receiver w/ability to block/recover. 
Run: 7.20 60-yard

Body: 5-foot-8, 160-pounds. Stout compact build, has some developed strength in lower body
Hit: RHH. Balanced set-up, quiet load, simple efficient mechanics, strength comes out, about to utilize middle of field with the swing plane and hand discipline, gliding type stride occasionally a bit long causing some timing issues for barrel at contact, when top hand finished the swing worked well.
Power: 80 mph EV off tee
Arm: Catcher velo- 67 - Better use of lower body in throwing mechanics can bring out more arm, throws were generally accurate near bag though lacking carry.
Defense: 2.17-2.35 Pop-times - Like it is w/many/most young catchers, developing raw arm strength that matches the trained skills for pop times is needed, came out of crouch well and showed good timing/coordination of his hands and feet. Clean exchange w/good rhythm. Developing more agility and anticipatory skills for blocking BIDs is an area of potential improvement. Possesses soft strong glove hand, there are tools to work with but needs refining.
Run: 7.64 60-yard

Body: 6-foot-0, 195-pounds. Sturdy frame, presently physical body type, has physical presence
Hit: RHH. Hitter-ish presence in the box, erect set-up, handsy swing w/plenty of power potential, aggressive lower body movements to access power from feet up through hips, modified knee lift load with aggressive stride sometimes can make eyes bounce a bit and create contact just off the barrel, ample hand speed and w/more consistent barrel timing and top hand finish the power potential should emerge quite clearly. Hand strength is excellent. Both competitive ABs resulted in infield contact vs sliders, so a bit earlier pitch recognition can help him lay off those offerings.
Power: 85 mph EV off tee
Arm: Catcher velo - 73 - As feet calmed down & worked in better coordination w/his arm the throws had more carry and life to the bag. Good arm, consistent mechanics will allow even more power to come out of the arm as he develops. Trusting that his arm strength is enough will be a good step to calming down the feet and syncing up the whole delivery.
Defense: 2.08-2.17 Pop-times - See arm notes; worked extremely hard to block MANY BIDs, big strong body and some more agility will allow him to shore up the technique a bit, but the hands are strong/soft as a receiver, the work ethic is there, and his toughness was apparent. Can set a little lower to create ability to work below the ball better.  
Run: 8.13 60-yard

Body: 6-foot-2, 165-pounds. Long and lanky, pitcher type build, plenty of frame he will grow into
Hit: RHH. Wide base with balanced set-up, slight knee tuck to push back leg over back foot, hands work cleanly through contact, simple quiet swing with discipline and consistency, power will come with strength gains, long lever hitters have unique challenges but his approach and mechanics suggest that he's already training a swing to work with how his body is built. Competitive ABs both outstanding, 1st pitch FB smoked to LF and in 3-2 count drove a middle FB to RCF for a double. 
Power: 76 mph EV off tee
Arm: Catcher velo - 69 mph - Balls carried to bag more than not, stayed on-line w/good backspin, was conscious to receive well before throwing the pop time which left his times a little higher than others but as he gains leg strength to get out of crouch faster his times will start to tick down and he looks like will be an accurate thrower which is clearly a good thing.
Defense: 2.36-2.42 Pop-times - Hard worker behind plate, high quality receiving skills, good set-up, agility to sit low and shift to receive pitches not thrown exactly where he wanted them is a strong trait of his. Intangibles like communication skills and good body language/energy showed up. Take charge type of catcher who gave the impression that he can lead a staff and help elevate the performances of his pitchers.
Run: 8.59 60-yard

Body: 5-foot-10, 165-pounds. Well-proportioned, compact/athletic build, visible muscularity
Hit: RHH. Tall set-up w/slightly open front foot, closes to even/balanced stride that lands on time and keep him behind the ball, calm w/good body control, stays connected well, hands work through contact with good separation through contact toward finish, explosive hip rotation provides extra juice. Pull side contact particular strong. Ready to hit pitches in his zone in positive counts, showing so by jumping 1st P FB for single through the INF. 2nd AB was particularly long showing no chasing tendencies and a very sound two-strike approach that still allowed for hard contact in the middle of the field (F8).
Power: 86 mph EV off tee
Arm: Catcher velo - 72 mph - Ball leaves hand well, quality footwork allows arm to work clean and efficiently, ball carried to bag with life making catch/tag easy for the infielders. In-between inning throws were considerably better than workout throws, a couple of which were slight short-hops.
Defense: 2.04-2.11 Pop-times - Calm footwork with ability to get out of crouch easily. Consistent throwing mechanics. Sits in various positions while receiving, trained sound technique, quiet sort and relaxed hands as pitch approaches, sticks it with confidence and strength. Leader-ish communicative skills showed as well which was impressive as one of the youngest players in attendance. Chance to be one of the top at his position in N CA in the 2024 class. Also took an excellent round of defense at SS, looking as polished there as he was behind plate.
Run: 8.14 60-yard

Body: 5-foot-6, 130-pounds. Smaller frame w/lean strength, put together well, wrestler type body
Hit: RHH. Balanced and athletic set-up out of slight pinch knee crouch. Quiet quick stroke with clean mechanics, simple stride, lands early allowing for pitch recognition and for hands to fire directly. Short to it and simple through it. One of the best technical strokes we saw all day. Works inside and can fight off quality pitchers' pitches which he did on a tough inside FB for a line drive to RF (in an AB when he got drilled and stayed at the plate to hit). 2nd AB was solid single to LF, sees ball real well, excellent take on quality FB away, again got hit in that AB but was undeterred.
Power: 77 mph EV off tee
Arm: Catcher velo - 67 mph - Throws were tailing and a bit short of bag, ball comes out fine but lacked carry, exchange and feet are good so he's got time to increase the arm strength and get better rotation on the ball.
Defense: 2.20-2.35 Pop-times - Outstanding receiving technique, agile behind plate, works below the ball very well, quiet soft hands, blocking technique is sound, tough gritty demeanor and field presence, plenty to suggest he's got the chops to be a quality defensive varsity catcher when that opportunity is presented.
Run: 7.89 60-yard

Body: 5-foot-9, 160-pounds. Lean, average athletic build, well-proportioned, has frame to fill out
Hit: RHH. Athletic and balanced set-up with slight knee crouch, big knee lift pushing his weight back over back foot, aggressive stride closed off slightly at foot strike which can create some inconsistencies in barrel control on pitches not exactly where he wants them, athletic throughout the swing and has confidence. There is some pronounced barrel wrap behind his head in the loading process which can create some length and timing challenges. Lively swing and plenty to like here as he develops.
Power: 78 mph EV off tee
Arm: Catcher velo - 68 mph - Inconsistent accuracy to the bag but flashed a throw or two where you can see the chance to develop into quality C/T player. Footwork can clean up where not moving as far toward RHH box as he replaces his feet, which affects length of the delivery as well as energy of the throw.
Defense: 2.19-2.29 Pop-times - See notes in the arm section for C/T mechanics. Common theme of his athleticism showed up as well in catching, agility is there, quick feet, block effort for BIDs was outstanding, can clean up some of the technique and mechanics such as his base in the crouch. Sits a bit high which can limit the ability to work below the ball. There is raw talent and tools that will be smoothed out as he develops.
Run: 7.68 60-yard