Norcal Upperclass ID: Catcher Analysis

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LATHROP, CALIF. - The Northern California Upperclass ID event took place at Islanders Field at River Islands on the morning of 10/10/20. There were 35 players in attendance, five of whom strapped on the gear and showed off their tools.

TrackMan and Blast Motion were utilized during their batting practice round to gather data on exit velocity, hand speed, bat speed, rotational acceleration, fly ball %, on plane efficiency, and many other data points.

We are continuing to roll out reports this week, starting with upperclass pitchers yesterday.

Here are the reports for the upperclass pitchers, catchers, outfielders, 3rd basemen, and shortstops, as well as underclass pitchers.

(Click to individual player profiles for full stats and video)

Listed in order of peak velocity on their pop throws:

Tyler Kersey, Oakmont (CA), 2022
Positional Profile: C
Body: 5-10, 180-pounds. Stout body type with strength through lower half, wide shoulders, frame to hold strength and size gains.
Hit: RHH. Wide feet, hands high in front of chest, slight pinch crouch of knees, leg swing lift and load over backside, Rotational acceleration avg of 11.29. Balanced w/middle of field approach and flat on plane swing (65% efficiency) capable of producing XBHs, 55.6% line drive in BP.
Power: 88 mph exit velocity in live BP via TrackMan. Max hand speed 21.3, max bat speed 64.3.
Arm: RH. C - 76 mph. Loose arm, catcher velo should continue to creep toward 80 mph, throws around bag and mostly tracked on line.
Defense: 1.93-2.13 pop times. Efficient out of crouch on pops though sat a bit high for the pop throws, squatted to receive comfortably in left knee down position, technically sound on bunt play to 1B and athletically blocked/recovered BID.
Run: 7.62 runner in the 60.

Ryan Lee, St. Francis (Mountain View, CA), 2022
Positional Profile: C/3B
Body: 5-11, 190-pounds. Broad upper body, has present strength, built well for the position he plays.
Hit: RHH. Tall set-up, narrow feet, relaxed hands off upper chest, early barrel tilt, quick hip high knee lift to stride, rhythmic load. Explosive hips, uphill plane, loud barrel contact, legitimate power potential, pretty even split between LD/FB/GB%, 63% on plane is a good number.
Power: 92 mph exit velocity in live BP via TrackMan. Max hand speed 20.9, avg bat speed 65.71 (max 67.2).
Arm: RH. C - 74 mph. INF - 84 mph. Quick snap throw from 3B w/carry across diamond, short transfer to set up his quick arm stroke on pops, slight tail to 2B though throws consistently to bag, 3B velo projects the catching velo well with mechanical developments.
Defense: 2.08-2.11 pop times. Pops with athleticism, strong lower body with agility, certainly adequate glove arm skills at 3B and C/T ability reflects well for lower times in the future, sits deep in receiving crouch, massages ball softly into glove, showed versatility in multiple crouch positions.
Run: 7.33 runner in the 60.

Frank Zapata, Archbishop Riordan (CA), 2022
Positional Profile: C
Body: 5-10, 160-pounds. Athletic build, compact frame, strength in lower half.
Hit: RHH. Tall set-up, feet are hip width, hands held high with relaxed barrel before dropping hands into trigger slot, some arm bar in the load, 14.23 avg rotational acceleration. Whippy barrel, slight closed stride, strong hip action, upward plane, showed barrel feel, Fly ball 66.7% with 76% on plane efficiency.
Power: 91 mph exit velocity in live BP via TrackMan. Max hand speed 20.4, max bat speed 73.7 with avg 70.19 bat speed.
Arm: RH. C - 73 mph. Short quick arm stroke, functional accuracy even with modest raw arm strength.
Defense: 2.12-2.22 pop times. Drops right knee to get throws off more quickly, explodes out of crouch though travels forward quite a bit, crisp block/recover ability, pounced on bunt play well.
Run: 7.11 runner in the 60.

Joey Rusca, Las Lomas (CA), 2022
Positional Profile: C/1B
Body: 6-0, 179-pounds. Broad frame, athletically put together, strong now with ample room to pack on strength.
Hit: RHH. Narrow feet, slightly open, relaxed bat over shoulder, small stride w/quiet hand load. Uphill path through finish of swing, 87.5% fly ball, hints of future power.
Power: 92 mph exit velocity in live BP via TrackMan. Max bat speed 71.2 with 52% on-plane, modest hand speed though generates good bat speed.
Arm: RH. C - 72 mph. Throws consistently carried to the bag, raw arm strength is going to have to tick upward for catcher position and major college interest.
Defense: 2.05-2.18 pop times. Quick feet, uses his athleticism well, agile, sat a bit high for the pops, soft strong hands, showed ability to receive in multiple (4) squat positions.
Run: 6.99 runner in the 60.

Dominic De Feo, Palo Alto (CA), 2022
Positional Profile: C/OF
Body: 5-10, 175-pounds. Stout body, thick frame, powerful body type.
Hit: RHH. Balanced feet, very slight pinch of knees, hands shoulder height, slight lift to small stride, very quiet, small hand movements before firing. Uphill swing plane through contact, easy hands, 77.8% fly balls, 52% on plane.
Power: 94 mph exit velocity in live BP via TrackMan. Max hand speed 20.1, max bat speed 70.5.
Arm: RH. C - 72 mph. Arm stroke is compact, traditional catcher arm action, raw arm strength as college catching prospect will have to tick upward.
Defense: 2.12-2.20 pop times. Travels quite far out of crouch to release on pops, smooth footwork, is athletic for the position, agile block/throw, keeps left knee well ahead of right knee in receiving position, hands work fine as receiver.
Run: 7.23 runner in the 60.