Rising Stars Showcase: Catchers Analysis

9/23/18 - Rising Stars Showcase - Five-foot-7, 160-pounds, athletic build with strength in the lower half, squared shoulders and some strength through the midsection. Umscheid shows an upright, open stance with a smooth load and a short stride. He has some present bat speed after getting his hands into launch position. Has a consistent barrel path that stays in the hitting zone for a long time. Shows good feel for the barrel with some present pull side pop that projects to future power. Defensively he shows a quiet setup with strong base. Shows good catch-and-throw skills with quiet hands; did rush a couple throw downs. Does a good job of blocking and getting to balls in front of the plate. Arm strength is present with accuracy to the bag. Arm will get better when he physically matures.

9/23/18 - Rising Stars Showcase - Six-foot-1, 165-pounds, large frame with defined strength in the lower half, squared shoulders. At the plate Hilton starts with a wide base and hands high at the ear before using a short stride to initiate his swing. Arms lead the swing. Shows the ability to shoot balls the other way consistently. Has some feel for the barrel and his power is projectable. Behind the plate Hilton does an excellent job of blocking pitches in the dirt with the athleticism to bounce and get to them. Feet get caught under him at times, but he shows good composure behind the plate. Frames with soft hands and a still body as to not give pitches away. At first base he shows consistent glovework to go with an average, accurate arm.

9/23/18 - Rising Stars Showcase - Five-foot-6, 155-pounds, medium frame with pronounced strength in the lower half, squared shoulders, and large feet. At the plate Mendoza shows very good feel for hitting and an understanding of what he wants to do. Engages the lower half in the swing very well. Shows feel for the barrel with control of it through the zone. He's short to the ball and gets extended through it. Shows line drive tendencies at the plate that should develop into consistent line drive power as he matures physically. Behind the plate Mendoza showed very well. Setup is quiet while he creates a large target with a straight back and pushed back shoulders. Sticks it well with soft hands. Blocks and recovers with urgency and gets out of crouch in a hurry before arriving at ball under control and ready to throw. At first base he shows good footwork with an understanding of angles.

9/23/18 - Rising Stars Showcase - Five-foot-6, 130-pounds, medium frame with wiry strength throughout with noticeable strength in the lower half. Libed shows high levels of athleticism in his actions both at and behind the plate. Starting from an upright, neutral stance, Libed uses a small leg lift trigger with a short stride to initiate his swing. Gets hands in launch position before striding into ball. Does an excellent job of engaging lower half into his swing and follow through. Shows feel for the barrel that he gets in-and-out of the hitting zone in a hurry with present bat speed. Behind the plate Libed shows a quiet setup with above average footwork and quiet hands. Very fundamentally sound behind the plate. Frames without giving too much away. Above average catch-and-throw skills. Shows quick, clean exchanges with a fast release resulting in throws on the bag.

9/23/18 - Rising Stars Showcase - Five-foot-6, 125-pounds, medium frame with wiry strength throughout the body. At the plate Rofe starts with a wide base with weight evenly distributed between both legs. Shifts weight to backside and uses a slight toe tap trigger to initiate swing. Shows feel for the barrel with a consistent path and excellent hand speed. He's short to the ball and extended through it. Behind the plate Rofe has a quiet setup with a firm base with a quiet body. Hands can be stiff at times when jumping from crouch through to release. Release is long but accurate with throws on the bag. Misses were to the first base side. Exchanges are clean and quick. Rofe's all around tools should play up with continued physical maturation.

9/23/18 - Rising Stars Showcase - Five-foot-7, 145-pounds, medium frame that is long in appearance with wiry strength. Long limbs and large feet. At the plate Wirthgen shows some present bat speed and feel for the barrel while consistently keeping his hands inside the ball. Flashes some pull side pop with a gap-to-gap approach. Drops his hands into launch position before exploding his lower half and fast hands through the zone. Behind the plate he shows clean, quick exchanges from a quiet, sturdy base. Present arm strength is average with some accuracy on throw downs. Has a tendency to stand straight up out of his crouch. On the mound, Wirthgen really projects. Shows a full circle in the back through to a ¾ slot. Gains ground down the mound with an explosive lower half. Fastball shows late sinking action to the arm side. Curveball shows early with 2/8 shape. Slowed arm on the pitch at times while keeping it down in the zone. Changeup really projects as a future plus pitch. Maintains fastball arm speed and pitch shows sinking action to the back foot of righties.

9/23/18 - Rising Stars Showcase - Five-foot-9, 155-pounds, medium frame with strength throughout, particularly in the lower half. Squared shoulders with strength down into the wrists. Behind the plate Lanier shows a quiet setup with a excellent footwork. Has a tendency to stab at the ball when receiving with soft hands. Exchanges are clean and quick. Arm strength is present while accuracy is developing. Very athletic movement out of crouch where he gains ground towards the target with excellent footwork. At the plate he shows present bat speed with feel and control of the barrel with a middle approach and some present pull side power. In the outfield Lanier shows an above average arm with accuracy with carry on the throws. Footwork is excellent and he shows an understanding of angles and more than enough speed/athleticism to get to the ball at the right spot. That footwork and understanding of angles carries over to his play in the infield where his arm plays way up. Shows very good range to both sides with soft hands and fast/clean exchanges.

9/23/18 - Rising Stars Showcase - Five-foot-9, 185-pounds, large, muscular, strong frame with squared shoulders and strength proportionally distributed throughout body. Behind the plate Lee shows a balanced setup with a wide base providing a large target. Hands are quiet and footwork is quick. Gains ground coming out of crouch. Shows present arm strength. Throws have carry are on online with target. Accuracy is inconsistent with misses going to first base side. Shows athleticism in getting to balls on the dirt in a hurry. At the plate Lee's power is evident and highly projectable. Shows power to all field. Slots elbow well before exploding his lower half and hands into the ball. Shows a consistent uphill barrel path through the zone. Controls the barrel well. Peppered the gaps with line drives during BP and sent three to the warning track in left-center field.

9/23/18 - Rising Stars Showcase - Five-foot-4, 113-pounds, medium frame that is long and wiry throughout. Large feet. Behind the plate Lerandeau shows a quiet setup with a wide base. Does an excellent job of presenting the pitcher with a large target. Tends to stab at the ball when receiving. Shows good footwork getting out of crouch and into throwing position. Exchanges are clean and throws are accurate. Arm strength is average presently but projects with continued physical maturation. At the plate he shows a consistent barrel path through the hitting zone. Hands are quick and lead the swing with the lower half following. With continued physical development Lerandeau projects as a high average hitter

9/23/18 - Rising Stars Showcase - Six-foot-1, 165-pounds, large frame that is long with wiry strength throughout body. Physical and athletic. Behind the plate Snakenborg shows an athletic setup with a wide base. Doesn't go beyond parallel in his crouch. Tends to stab at ball when receiving. Quick and clean exchanges. Arm has present average strength and throws have some carry. When hitting Snakenborg starts with a wide base that is slightly open and hands at his shoulders. A small leg lift triggers the swing in which he shows present bat speed while maintaining his barrel on a consistent plane through the hitting zone for a long time. Stays back through extension and shows a gap-to-gap approach and some present power that really projects. On the mound Snakenborg flashes a potential plus arm with present quick, compact arm action. Does a good job of hiding ball with a pronounced shoulder turn and a high leg kick. Has a true three-pitch mix. Fastball shows downer sinking action to the glove side. Curveball shows late and is tight with downer shape from fastball arm speed. Changeup has plus pitch potential when he's online with it. The pitch shows run to the arm side while he keeps it down in the zone. Snakenborg shows command for all three pitches while keeping them all at or below the knees of hitters.

9/23/18 - Rising Stars Showcase - Five-foot-8, 165-pounds, medium/large frame with strength throughout the body particularly in the lower half where his thighs are thick. Behind the plate Adams shows a quiet setup with soft hands and flexibility in the hips with excellent footwork. Got better the more bullpens he caught throughout the day. Works very well with the ball in the dirt - shows quickness getting from knees when blocking to the throwing position. Arm is strong with accuracy from a ¾ slot. Sticks the fastball well. Doesn't give away pitches. When hitting Adams has projectable power. Engages the lower half well and uses it well in the swing. Has fast hands and very good feel for the barrel. Barrel explodes through the zone on a consistent plane. Shows present gap-to-gap skills with some pull side power. At shortstop his athleticism helps him get to balls quickly showing range to both sides. Exchanges are clean and quick and arm is accurate.

9/23/18 - Rising Stars Showcase - Five-foot-11, 142-pounds, medium frame with long limbs and torso and large feet. Wiry strength throughout the frame with large hands. Perez shows very good understanding for hitting. Has feel for the barrel and goes with pitches and hits them where they're pitched with average present bat speed. Shift weight back and keeps it there through extension. Shows some pull side tendencies with a middle approach. Keeps hands close to chest before his hands whip the barrel through the zone. Behind the plate he shows a quiet, balanced setup with weight distributed down through the heels. Arm is whippy with late quickness. Feet are quick - gets from catch-to-throw quickly in good position. Really projects behind the plate with added strength. Also worked at MIF where he shows fair range with excellent instincts and an understanding of angles. Arm plays up on the infield given it's accuracy and ability to throw from multiple angles.