On Monday, Feb. 17, PBR Missouri held the St. Louis Gamers Scout Day at the All-Star Performance facility in St. Louis. Roughly 60 prospects were in attendance, representing every high school level and we also saw a handful of 2024 graduates showcase their skills in front of our staff. 

Soon after the event’s conclusion we released an instant analysis, highlighting some of the top statistical performances of the day. We kick off our position-by-position breakdown today by taking a look at the catchers from this event. 

Headlining this crop of backstops is Aaron Moss (2021; Lindbergh). Still uncommitted, Moss is one of the top catching prospects in his class and was easily one of the top overall performers at this event, showcasing his talents in a multitude of different ways. Another top uncommitted catching prospect, TJ Racherbaumer (2021; Hermann), also impressed our staff. His ability to consistently find the barrel from the left-side paired with advanced actions behind the plate make him an easy uncommitted follow in the 2021 class. 

Read on below for reports on all the catchers from this event. 

Listed Alphabetically 

Nate Creely, Kirkwood (MO), 2023
Positional Profile: C
Body: 5-foot-9, 135-pounds. Shorter build with the ability to develop strength and size.
Defense: 2.18-2.24 pop times. Natural actions, ability to read hops in the outfield. Sits in a slightly narrow and upright crouch behind the dish. Shows quickness in his feet clearing slightly to the glove side. Exchanges are clean and quick. Look for the pop times to drop quickly as he adds strength to his quickness.
Arm: Right-Handed C - 67 mph. OF - 75 mph. Short arm action in the back before coming through a high-3/4 slot from both behind the dish and the OF.
Hit: Right-Handed Wide and closed stance with rhythm. Uses a moderate smooth leg kick and hand load before taking a long stride. Gets to an advanced hitting position at foot strike. Level swing. High finish
Power: 81 mph exit velocity in BP. Developing consistent barrels at the plate.
Run: 4.67 runner home-to-first. 

Baden Hackworth, Sikeston (MO), 2023
Positional Profile: C
Body: 5-foot-10, 160-pounds. Stocky, catcher like build
Defense: 2.09-2.28 pop times. Feet work well behind the dish. Quick from catch to release
Arm: Right-Handed C - 73 mph. INF - 75 mph.  Developing arm strength
Hit: Right-Handed Open stance with bend in the knees. Toe tap load. Flicks the hands. Straight to it, long through it swing.
Power: 86 mph exit velocity in BP. Above average bat speed. Above average pop off the bat.
Run: 4.89 runner home-to-first. 

Sean Kang, Parkway Central (MO), 2023
Positional Profile: C
Body: 5-foot-10, 180-pounds.Druable frame with present strength.
Defense: 2.08-2.16 pop times. Clean footwork and quick exchanges. Shifts feet pre-receive to make throws. Soft hands behind the plate. Above average blocking.
Arm: Right-Handed C - 70 mph. Some arm strength with carry. Quick, over the top release
Hit: Right-Handed Slow, under control load. Sometimes uses a toe tap. Sometimes picks up the foot, hangs, then strides forward. Long stride. High effort and uphill swing with some length. Huge, back leg finish.
Power: 90 mph exit velocity in BP. Advanced pop. Ball jumps off the bat. Home run ability. Consistent lift.
Run: 4.79 runner home-to-first. 

Nate Kemp, St. Dominic (MO), 2022
Positional Profile: RHP
Body: 5-foot-11, 180-pounds. Athletic and proportional frame.
Defense: 2.02-2.14 pop times. Mechanical footwork with a very quick arm action.
Arm: Right-Handed C - 75 mph. Very quick arm action. Above average arm strength.
Hit: Right-Handed. Athletic stance with bend in the knees. Hands high, back elbow up. Toe tap load, gathers weight on the back side. Little hand movement. Efficient path. Full body swing. Uphill and pull side approach. High finish.
Power: 86 mph exit velocity in BP. Above average pop off the bat. Ability to back spin balls.
Run: 4.86 runner home-to-first. 

Delivery: Threw solely out of the stretch, athletic high leg kick starts drop/drive type delivery, loud lead leg landing, strong front side, front toe lands slightly open, leans towards first base side on finish.
Arm Action: Right-Handed Long arm action, high 3/4 slot.
FB: T80, 77-80 mph. Hard action, flashed arm-side run, pounds both sides of the plate for strikes.
CB: 61-64 mph. 12/6 shape, gradual action.
CH: 67-70 mph. Shows some fade, thrown with full arm speed. 

Andrew Loeffelman, SLUH (MO), 2021 Notre Dame
Positional Profile: C
Body: 6-foot-1, 185-pounds. Tall, slender build
Defense: 2.02-2.11 pop times. Quick feet behind the plate. Developing actions in the outfield. Most natural in the infield. Quick feet in fielding ground balls.
Arm: Right-Handed C - 75 mph. INF - 79 mph. OF - 79 mph. Average arm strength. Ball comes out of the hand quick. Natural, whippy arm action with 3/4 release.
Hit: Right-Handed Stands tall with a squared stance. Picks foot up and uses a small move forward. Arm bar load. Level swing. Showed the ability to find barrels in BP
Power: 85 mph exit velocity in BP. Above average pop off the bat. Chance to develop power with the big frame.
Run: 4.96 runner home-to-first. 

Patrick Mendiola, Belleville East (IL), 2023
Positional Profile: C
Body: 5-foot-8, 175-pounds. Stocky frame.
Defense: 2.06-2.12 pop times.  Receives from a narrow and deep crouch with quiet hands. Quick feet and exchanges. Does not leave crouch early. Showcase pop times should translate to games. Uses deliberate footwork on the infield. Gets around the ball. Quick shuffles before throws.
Arm: Right-Handed C - 73 mph. INF - 79 mph.  Quick arm actions in the infield and behind the plate. 3/4 to over the top releases. Above average arm strength behind the dish.
Hit: Right-Handed Very narrow, closed stance. Hands at the ear with a high back elbow. Toe tap load with a long stride. Balanced swing. Level swing. High two handed finish.
Power: 78 mph exit velocity in BP. Developing consistency.
Run: 4.71 runner home-to-first. 

Aaron Moss, Lindbergh (IL), 2021
Positional Profile: C. Top uncommitted catcher in the state.
Body: 5-foot-10, 150-pounds. Athletic build with a lot of room to fill out.
Defense: Advanced and aggressive actions and footwork behind the plate. Quick transfers with elite arm strength. Recorded pop times of 1.92-2.05.  Athletic actions in the infield, works well getting around the baseball.
Arm: Right-Handed. C - 83 mph. INF - 94 mph.  Elite arm strength topping out at 94mph across the diamond. 83 mph behind the plate.
Hit: Right-Handed Pronounced leg kick back, hangs foot, rhythm and control in the load, flicks the hands into the hitting position. Slightly elevated bat path, quick hands to and through the zone with bat speed, nearly all barrels in BP.
Power: 91 mph exit velocity in BP. Shows some current pop with more to come with addition of strength.
Run: 4.51 runner home-to-first.

Delivery: Feet start balanced towards middle of rubber, quick side step initiates drop/drive type delivery, athletic balance point, on line with target, falls towards first base side, throws with effort, showed premium athleticism on the mound.
Arm Action: Right-Handed Long, loose arm action, over-the-top slot.
FB: T87, 85-87 mph. Four-seam type, hard action, flashed arm-side run, plays up in the zone.
CB: 70-71 mph. 11/5 shape, late break, tunnels well with fastball. 

TJ Racherbaumer, Hermann (MO), 2021
Positional Profile: C
Body: 5-foot-9, 195-pounds. Stocky build with advanced strength. Big lower half.
Defense: 1.99-2.03 pop times. Receives from a low and balanced crouch providing a big and sturdy target. Consistently gets his thumb under the ball working up. Advanced quick feet and clean footwork. Throws consistently on the bag. Above average blocking.
Arm: Right-Handed C - 76 mph. Short, quick arm action. Over the top release.
Hit: Left-Handed. Open, back leg heavy and open stance. High hands with bat rested on the shoulder before pushing them straight back and launching them on an uphill swing with advanced bat speed. Mostly barrels in BP with consistent lift, flashing some big pop.
Power: 92 mph exit velocity in BP. Ball jumps off the bat. Big time pop with 92 exit velo.
Run: 4.66 runner home-to-first. 

Kaden Siebert, Campbell (MO), 2021
Positional Profile: C
Body: 6-foot-1, 185-pounds. Athletic, filled out frame. Muscular lower half.
Defense: 2.11-2.29 pop times. Natural receiver of the ball with quiet hands from a balanced crouch. Some quickness in his feet.
Arm: Right-Handed C - 70 mph. Short arm action. Straight to the ear. Over the top release
Hit: Right-Handed Wider, balanced stance. Toe tap load with a big arm bar. Hands straight back. Clean movement and some rhythm. Flat and efficient path to contact. Hits off the back leg. Moderate, one handed finish.
Power: 84 mph exit velocity in BP. Some pop. Showed the ability to hit consistent line drives and find some barrels in BP
Run: 4.98 runner home-to-first. 

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