NYS Games Player Preview: 2018 1B/RHP Tim Buchek (Windsor HS)

April 2017

Powerful athletic swing from the right side, both bat speed and strength are above average. Hit his 6th home run of the year driving a low fastball over the left-field fence for a walk-off at Cooperstown’s Doubleday Field.

NY All-Star Games (September 17, 2016)

Buchek offers great size at 6-foot-2 with an athletic strong frame at 195-pounds. Improved 60 time down to 7.14. Offensively- Uses a shoulder width stance with a loose bat waggle before the pitch. Shows above average pull-side power with a long path through the ball. Defensively- Low to the ground setup; moves well laterally. Smooth transition from glove to hand; pivots well to 2B for the lead out. Above average athlete around the bag. 82 MPH across the diamond. Frame, improved foot speed, arm and offensive potential could allow for a switch to the corner OF if need be to fit a next level, dual position role. Pitching - Shows, at times, above average arm-strength with the fastball. Clean delivery, drops hard on his backside, long straight back arm-action low-mid 80's at the event but have seen him up to 87 mph. Loose breaking ball that needs more hand-speed. Huge offseason for the Windsor HS junior.

PBR Futures Games (August 4-6, 2016)

 Buchek stands 6-foot-2 195-pounds with broad shoulders and a lean, athletic frame. Offensively- Buchek uses a wide stance with his hands above his back ear and the bat wrapped around his head slightly. Uses a toe tap and short stride for load, hands load down and back from where they originally start. Aggressive swing through the zone, indicated by 95 mph exit velo, which was one of the top exit velos of the event. Flat bat, slight upper cut finish. Back foot swing. Defensively- Shows some range at first base and carry on his throws across the infield at 85 mph. Somewhat choppy in approach, but soft hands make up for it. Showed well defensively in game play with several scoops. Has some feel for the 1B position, just needs to be smoother with feet. Pitching - The upstate New York athlete stands with great size on the mound at 6-foot-2, 195-pounds. His delivery was a bit chopping today, arm-action was back/high with quick arm-speed and good extension out in front. Fastball sat 83-85 mph staying mostly down in the zone over his two-inning outing. Curveball started loose with back-up type shape, deeper in his outing he showed some late-sweeping curveballs at 72-74.

New York Games (June 27-29, 2016)

Buchek stands 6-foot-2, 195-pounds with great size, broad thick shoulders, and a projectable build. Ran a 7.20 60, shaving .29 off from last July.  Offensively- Advanced with the bat with plus pull-power. Some hand movement to his approach but quiets them on the pitch, back load and a stride for timing. Compact and strong (96mph exit velo; +4 from Sept. 2016) with some incline to his barrel plane, full extension at contact, fluid finish. Defensively- Looks the part at the corner with a clean glove, proper footwork and strong throwing arm. 80 MPH across the INF from 1B. Pitching- The projection from the mound is outstanding for a northern arm. Big frame with wide shoulders, consistent tempo to his delivery, arm works clean, easy, with loose arm-action, quick hand-speed (high 3/4 slot), fastball sat 85-86, topping 87, at times was down in the zone with late action. Curveball needs more fastball hand-speed, some early loose spin at times, more aggressive with the curveball will help improve the speed and shape. Buchek is headed to the 2016 Future games where he will represent Team NY/NJ.

Eastern NY All-Star Game (September 13, 2015)

Stands an athletic 6-foot-2, 185-pounds with a strong, thick build. Defensively - from 1B he fields the ball out in front of his body, works through the ball, strong corner arm from a high 3/4-arm slot. Offensively- At the plate he uses a wide base, hands high with movement, simple toe-tap on the pitch. Strong, quick hands that generate a lot of bat-speed (92 MPH-exit velo), swing is a little long, barrel is slightly uphill through contact, long extension.  Pitching - On the mound, he uses a simple side step, quick and compact delivery, utilizes hip separation, arm works fairly clean and loose, throws from a power 3/4-arm slot. Fastball has some late jump, ranging 83-85 mph - with clear signs of more in the tank. Curveball at times broke with tight spin, 10/4 shape - several broke early with loose spin. Changeup stays on one plane at 71. Finish is long, over his front side.

Southern Tier Open (August 5, 2015)

Stands at 6-foot-2, 185 pounds, with an athletic body build.  He ran a 7.49 60 yard dash.  Defensively- At first base looked good receiving throws from the position players, nice footwork fielding through the ball, throws were on target, with a high 3/4 arm slot throwing motion.  His arm strength was at 78 MPH. Offensively- At the plate his setup is relaxed and balanced stance, short double tap stride, with a back load.  His hands are very compact and strong, swinging on a level plane with long/full extension through the ball.  He shows a lot of life in his bat.  His exit velocity was 90 MPH.  Big-time potential. Pitching- Timothy comes at you with a prototypical pitcher's build, rarely seen for an underclassmen (2018 Grad).  He has a power pitcher's make up and is well on his way sitting 83-84 MPH, touching 85 MPH with a short arm action on the back swing. Maintains a 3/4 arm slot and features above average action on fastball to his arm side. Tends to elevate as his arm runs away from his frame, falling off to the 1B side with finish. Stays compact and explosive into landing. More in the tank here and should be a mid to upper 80's arm by next summer, especially with a few adjustments. Breaking ball at times can be the old fashioned 12-6/1-7 curveball where hitters often give up early. Tight rotation pulled the ball back down in the zone late and he locked up a few hitters doing so. When on the side, it became more slurvy.  Change will need some more feel but shows at an acceptable differential (71-73 MPH). Frontline arm for the future.