Summer Top Performers: Catchers

NY Games (June 25-27, 2017) 6-foot-1, 180-pound athletic catcher, ran a 6.96/60. Offensively - smooth and easy swing, short to the ball, makes consistent barrel contact, slight upper cup after contact with full extension and an exit velocity of 85 MPH - has personal best of 92 MPH; repeatable motion, comfortable driving ball to middle third, elite level competitor who connected on first home run of high school career during sectional final and sparked a two-run seventh in come-from-behind 3-2 win. Defensively - fundamentally sound, easy transition to blocking, stays low through the receiving process, quick and easy transfer with a catcher velocity of 82 MPH and POP time of 1.96-2.05; clean footwork in the outfield, confident and poised.  

NY Games (June 25-27, 2017) Dynamic 6-foot-4, 215-pound RHP. Pitching - uses height to get downward plane on 83-85 MPH fastball that touches 86 MPH, explodes at the plate with late arm-side run, keeps tight 12-to-6 curveball down in the zone at 65-67 MPH, maintains release point and motion on change-up at 74-76 MPH. Offensively - fluid swing, gets full extension after contact with an exit velocity at 87 MPH, repeatable motion, effortless, evident lower body engagement, power numbers should grow with maturity. Defensively - fundamentally sound, stays low throughout the receiving process, accurate arm with velocity at 79 MPH and POP time of 1.96-2.02.   

NY Games (June 25-27, 2017) Sturdy 6-foot, 216-pound catcher, ran a 7.4/60. Offensively - the LeMoyne College commit has a smooth, fluid swing, effortless, stays inside the ball, keeps bat on level path through the strike zone with full extension for an exit velocity of 86 MPH; repeatable motion, uses counter rotation between upper and lower torso to involve hips, further lower body engagement will add to power. Defensively - fundamentally sound, stays low through the receiving, quick, seamless transfer to throwing hand with a velocity of 78 MPH, accurate arm and a POP time of 1.97-2.07.

NY Games (June 25-27, 2017) Sturdy 6-foot, 200-pound catcher, ran a 7.8/60. Offensively - effective load and appropriate pre-pitch movement, keeps hands inside ball and bat on level path through the strike zone, full extension after contact with an exit velocity of 88 MPH; repeatable motion, evidence of lower body engagement, developing counter rotation between upper and lower torso will add to power. Defensively - stays low through the receiving process, smooth transfer to throwing hand, accurate arm with a velocity of 76 MPH and POP time of 1.95-2.07.

NY Games (June 25-27, 2017) Sturdily-built 6-foot-1, 195 pound backstop. Defensively - fundamentally sound, stays low with wide base during receiving process, prepare at all times to block, quick transfer to throwing hand, accurate arm with a velocity of 77 MPH and POP time ranging from 1.92-1.99.   Offensively  - active pre-pitch movement, inner-knee rotation engages hips, evident lower body engagement, consistent barrel contact, repeatable motion.

NY Games (June 25-27, 2017) Gifted 6-foot-1, 180-pounded catcher, ran a 7.48/60. Defensively - above average skills with pinpoint accuracy and with an above average POP time ranging from 1.94-1.99, stays low through the receiving process, deceptive arm velocity at 77 MPH.  Offensively  - scratching the surface with an exit velocity at 90 MPH, developing repeatable motion, strong hands get bat through the zone quickly, lower half engagement will produce added power, next-level backstop that keeps getting better. 

NY Games (June 25-27, 2017) Athletic 6-foot, 190-pound catcher, ran a 7.47/60. Offensively - smooth, fluid swing, strong hands guide bat on level plane through the strike zone with an exit velocity of 86 MPH - down slightly from 87 MPH at Academic Games, but still impressive, evidence of lower body engagement, next-level talent, more in the tank. Defensively - skilled backstop with clean, efficient footwork, stays down through receiving process, accurate arm delivers with a position velocity of 76 MPH and a POP time between 1.98-2.03.

Academic Games (June 3, 2017) 6-foot, 190-pound, athletic catcher with a strong lower half. He ran a 4.49 home to 1B.  Defensively - Smooth transfer and accurate to second base, sound mechanics, effective footwork with a position velocity of 74 MPH; needs to find middle ground when receiving - at times allows ball to travel too close to body. Above average pop range of 1.95-2.00.Front line backstop. Offensively - Uses appropriate pre-pitch movement, balanced with good extension after contact, effective bat-path plane, resulting in line drives with an exit velocity of 87 MPH; has potential to generate more power when increasing engagement of lower body.  Middle of the order run producer.   

 NY Games (June 25-27, 2017) Sturdy 6-foot-1, 170-pound catcher, ran a 7.31/60. Offensively - short to the ball with quick hands, compact with power projection, brings bat through zone on level path, evidence of counter rotation that engages hips, further use of lower body will create more power. Defensively - sound fundamentally, squares well to the pitcher, stays low through the receiving process, accurate arm at 71 MPH with a POP times of 2.02-2.09. Expect that number to go even lower as he continues to develop. 

Campus Series-Canisius College (July 5, 2017) Sanchez stands in at 5-foot-11, 185-pounds with a strong athletic frame. Ran a 4.62 home to first. Offensively- Righty sets up square to the pitcher with his feet just outside shoulder width. Shows a slight knee bend with an upright torso holding the back above the back shoulder using little pre-pitch bat movement. On pitch, his trigger is a quiet stride forward while his hands move back slightly into the hitting position. Good lower body rotation getting lower half involved, but would be more aggressive with his rotation to get more torque in the swing. Shows quick hands to the zone with a level bat path throughout into a high two-handed finish. Demonstrated line drive ability up the middle and to the pull side during batting practice round. Recorded an exit velocity of 86 MPH, a 5 MPH improvement from September 2016. Defensively- Frames well keep the body and glove quiet. Good mechanics on throws to second. Stays low to the ground with a short and quick arm swing. Blocks well keeping the ball in front and is athletic to get back up quickly to make the play. Recorded a positional arm velocity of 76 MPH with a pop time range of 1.96-2.02. Overall a solid catching prospect in the 2019 grad class that coaches should keep an eye on.

Campus Series-Canisius (July 5, 2017) Battaglia stands in at 5-foot-11, 175-pounds with a lean athletic frame. Ran a 4.29 home to first, just shy of his previously best recorded time of 4.18 set in January 2017. Offensively- Righty sets up square to the pitcher with his feet just outside shoulder width. Shows a slight knee bend with an upright torso with his hands just above the back shoulder using little pre-pitch bat movement. On pitch, his trigger is a knee raise into the body to stride forward while his hands move back and down slightly to get into his hitting position. Shows quick hands into the hitting zone with a level bat path throughout into a high one-handed finish. Uses good lower body rotation getting whole body frame involved in the swing. Demonstrated line drive ability up the middle and to the pull side with batting practice round. Recorded an exit velocity of 92 MPH, a 6 MPH improvement from January 2017. Defensively- Frames well behind the plate keeping body still. Quick footwork and body mechanics on throws down to second with proper downhill mechanics. Recorded a pop time range of 2.01-2.08. Recorded a catcher positional arm velocity of 75 MPH. In the infield shows quick footwork getting towards the baseball. Could get glove out in front more and not let the ball get too deep when fielding. Quick hand mechanics getting ball into chest and into the throwing position. Could use more aggressive footwork towards intended throwing target. Recorded an infielder positional arm velocity of 81 MPH. Recently committed to Division I Niagara University.

 

Campus Series- St. Bonaventure (July 11, 2017)  Prizel stands in at 5-foot-9, 157-pounds with a lean athletic frame. Ran a 5.0 home to first. Offensively- Righty sets up square to the pitcher in a wide stance with his feet outside shoulder width. Shows a slight knee bend with an upright torso holding the bat in front of the back shoulder using little pre-pitch bat movement. On pitch, his trigger is a knee raise into the body to stride forward while his hands move back slightly into his hitting position. Utilizes good lower body rotation getting his hips cleared and using his whole-body frame throughout the process of the swing. Shows quick hands to the hitting zone with an upward lift barrel action throughout into a high two-handed finish. Demonstrated good plate coverage and line drive ability with potential power hitting to all fields. Clean, fluid swing with potential. Recorded an exit velocity of 78 MPH. Defensively- Frames pitches well keeping glove and body quiet. Good mechanics and footwork on throws down to second. Quick with his hands to get into the throwing motion with an appropriate catchers arm swing to throw downhill towards second. Athletic blocker with ability to get back up to his feet quickly to make the play. Solid defensive catcher. Recorded a positional arm velocity of 74 MPH and a pop time range of 2.00-2.03. Overall a talented 2019 grad with collegiate potential.

Campus Series - Albany - July 18, 2017 Camara stands in at 5-foot-11 with a thick athletic frame. Offensively- Righty sets up square to the pitcher with his feet just outside shoulder width. Shows a slight knee bend with an upright torso holding the bat in front of the back shoulder. On pitch, his trigger is a quick step forward while his hands move back slightly into a good hitting position. Has good lower body rotation getting whole body frame involved in swing. Shows quick hands into the hitting zone with an upward lift barrel path throughout into a high one-handed finish. Demonstrated good plate coverage with the ability to drive the ball into the gaps. Could use a bigger trigger with the hands to generate more power, but overall a fluid swing with potential. Recorded an exit velocity of 83 MPH. Defensively- Frames pitches well remaining quiet with the glove. Shows quick mechanics on throws to second but could stay shorter and more downhill to cut off time and get the ball out quicker. Blocks the ball well staying square and pops up onto his feet athletically. Recorded a positional arm velocity of 75 MPH with a pop time range of 2.00-2.16. Overall a strong 2019 prospect to keep an eye on.

Campus Series-Albany (July 18, 2017) Winslow stands in at 5-foot-11, 145-pounds with a lean athletic frame. Offensively- Righty sets up square to the pitcher with his feet just outside shoulder width. Shows a slight knee bend with an upright torso holding the bat in front of the back shoulder using little pre-pitch bat movement. On pitch, his trigger is a knee raise in to stride forward while his hands move back slightly to get into the hitting position. Good lower body rotation getting his hips cleared and utilizes his whole-body frame within the swing. Shows quick hands to the hitting zone with a level barrel path throughout into a high two-handed finish. Demonstrated good plate coverage and the ability to hit to all fields during batting practice round. Swing is fluid and only will get better with added strength. Recorded an exit velocity of 81 MPH. Defensively- Frames the baseball well with a quiet glove. Fluid throwing mechanics throwing to second with quick footwork and a good catchers arm swing. Throws downhill towards target and was accurate with throws. Blocks well keeping the ball in front and can get back up on the feet athletically. Recorded a positional arm velocity of 72 MPH and has a pop time range of 1.96-2.08. Overall a strong 2020 grad class prospect to keep an eye on for future development.