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PBR Scout Day: 5 Star Carolina Vipers - 2021 & 2022 Grads

January 22, 2018
Brandon Hall
North Carolina Director of Scouting


Prep Baseball Report of North Carolina kicked off its 2018 coverage at The Athletic Barn in Waxhaw, NC with the 5 Star Carolina Vipers on Sunday January 14th.  The Athletic Barn is a spacious indoor / outdoor facility that allowed PBR to run a modified pro-style workout with the players from the 5 Star Viper program. 

Each position player went through some speed and agility testing.  The areas covered included a 20 yard dash, a 5-10-5 agility test, and a standing broad jump.  Players then went through a defensive workout where PBR’s staff evaluated them and took radar readings on positional throws.  Offensively, players worked in several cage settings, being evaluated, and getting some analytical readings like exit velocity off the bat.

Pitchers were able to go through similar speed and agility testing prior to their bullpen sessions.  The bullpens were controlled with an understanding that most of the arms are still ramping up their aggression and pitch counts.  Radar readings were taken and pitchers had the option to unleash their full repertoire during the bullpen session.

The final look at the 5 Star Scout Day has the players in the 2021 and 2022 graduating classes.  While young, there are several players with advanced strength and feel for the game.  The future is bright for these players and this organization.

5 Star Carolina Viper Scout Day Evaluations: 2021 & 2022 Grads

 

Boone Cartee 3B / C / Kings Mountain High, NC / 2021

Thin, lanky, athletic build listed at 6-foot-2, 165 pounds.  Plenty of room to add strength and quickness as he matures.  Quick exchanges on the infield, from the point of the catch.  Worked aggressively through the ball, at times lacking rhythm in the feet and hands.  Showed accuracy and some arm strength with position throws peaking at 75 across the field.  Long arm action gets to a high-3/4 release.  Right handed hitter works from an open base with waggle in the hands and bat head.  Short stride, back to even and sweeps the bat through the zone, working to stay on plane, showing some quickness.  Pull tendency with an exit velocity of 82 mph.  Ran a 3.09 twenty and followed it with a 5-10-5 agility test time of 4.92.  Standing broad jump measured 8’2”.
Right handed arm has some athleticism in the delivery but lacked some rhythm in the mid-January bullpen.  Fastball peaked at 76, ranging 72-75.  Level and in-line, falls to the 1B side from a high-3/4 slot.  Arm works with some quickness and a long arm arc, providing some effort in the delivery.  Change-up ranged 66-67, slowing the arm some, but creating arm side run when down in the zone.  Misses were down and to the glove side.  The curveball sat 62-64 with early, gradual 10/4 shape.  Showed some feel for the strike zone with the spin pitch, maintaining his fastball hand speed.

 

 

Jeb Despard C / 3B / Marvin Ridge, NC / 2021

Physical presence and muscular build at 6-foot-1, 185 pounds. Produced an event leading exit velocity of 88 mph off the barrel.  Explosive lower half produced a standing broad jump of 9’7”.  Right handed hitter works from an athletic base, loading back, using a short stride.  Bat works from a vertical position creating some uphill leverage in the swing path.  Decent rhythm to the swing that has a pull tendency.  Occasionally around balls in the early round, but stayed through the ball more as he saw more pitches.  Behind the dish sets up well, presenting a low target and working through some slight stiffness in his hips.  Hands work, catching the ball with ease and a softness.  Showed a willingness to block.  Short arm action works to a high-3/4 slot, showing some accuracy on throws to 2B ranging 2.16-2.33.  Tendency to work to a vertical position after the catch and through the exchange.  Positional velocity of 70 mph out of the crouch.  On the infield, works with active feet, trying to field through each ball.  Ball tends to ride deep into the catch, causing a longer exchange as he works to a high-3/4 slot.  Arm measured 76 across the infield.  Ran a 3.11 twenty and a 4.70 in the 5-10-5 agility test.

 

 

Michael Gracer 3B / 1B / Northwest Cabarrus, NC / 2021

Average build at 5-foot-10, 175 pounds.  Right handed hitter impressed with an aggressive swing and barrel awareness, creating an exit velocity of 84 mph.  Some uphill leverage as the swing is geared to the pull side gap.  Works from a balanced stance, loading with rhythm and a short stride.  Quick bat through the zone, matching a good strength level in the swing.  Defensively the feet can get heavy at times, lacking some rhythm but the hands do work and catch the ball consistently.  Exchanges to a long arm action and high-3/4 slot.  Shows carry and a feel for accuracy at 77 mph across the diamond.  Speed and agility test should improve with age.  Ran a 3.16 in the twenty and a 5.44 in the 5-10-5 agility test.  Standing broad jump recorded at 7’8”. 
On the mound, there is arm strength and a feel for a 12/6 breaking ball.  Works to stay tall through balance, using a long arm swing to get to an over-the-top release point.  Front side works off the line early, landing open, as the shoulders create some uphill leverage.  Fastball peaked at 78, sitting 76-77.  Around the zone, the pitch tended to be elevated in one of his first bullpens of 2018.  Overhand curveball works with good hand speed, showing tight spin at times.  The 12/6 pitch missed down throughout the early bullpen at 66-68.  Change-up is a distant third pitch, ranging 70-72 with decent hand speed.

 

 

Brian Hearn OF / 2B / Lake Norman, NC / 2021

Young frame listed at 5-foot-10, 130 pounds.  Showed some quickness and strength in the speed and agility sessions.  Turned in a 2.83 in the laser timed 20 yard-dash and a 4.60 in the 5-10-5 agility shuttle.  Standing broad jump measured 9’1”.  Aggressive through the ball in the outfield with a transition from a deep catch.  Short arm action works to an over-the-top slot showing good accuracy on throws measuring 73 mph out of the hand.  Right handed hitter sits balanced in the box.  Loads with rhythm through the hands as the foot picks up slightly and lands in the same spot.  Short path stays direct producing a line drive approach working the middle of the field.  Exit velocity peaked at 73 off the barrel.

 

 

Isaiah Lowe C / 3B / Pinnacle Classical Academy, NC / 2021

Highly intriguing 2021 with a physical presence already present at 5-foot-11, 196 pounds.  Strength over quickness in most parts of his game.  Standing broad jump peaked at 8’11” while the 20 yard-dash timed at 3.07 and the 5-10-5 agility timed at 4.92.  Simple approach from the right side, using a balanced stance, short stride, and aggressive back side to attack the baseball.  Exit velocity peaked at 87 mph.  Fluid rhythm produced line drives working gap-to-gap.  Has a feel for the barrel as well.  Behind the dish, works through some stiffness to settle into his stance.  Hand speed will improve over time, allowing for more ease in the showcasing of pitches.  Arm as carry at 70 mph out of the crouch.  Pop times ranged 2.07-2.11 with erratic accuracy.  On the infield, the hips tend to stay high as the hands work to corral the baseball.  Exchanges at the right hip or higher as he transitions to an average arm swing and high-3/4 slot.  Some stiffness through the process but shows some carry at 73 mph across the diamond.
On the mound, the fastball peaked at 78, sitting 76-77.  Occasional run and occasional cut as the fastball flooded the strike zone.  Some effort as the big bodied worked down the hill in one of his first bullpens of the year.  Worked level, and controlled through the delivery, landing on-line.  A slight wrap in the long arm swing, getting to a high-3/4 release.  Some feel for a change-up at 67-69 with arm side movement.  Some deception on the pitch, out of the hand.  The breaking ball ranged 61-64 with 11/5 tilt.  Occasionally around the pitch, it does have decent tilt, and spin, when he stays through it.

 

 

Michael Posse SS / OF / Northwood, NC / 2021

Physical young player with quickness and strength.  Strong build with broad shoulders, standing 6-foot, 175 pounds.  Strength and quickness showed in the speed and agility testing, running a 2.89 twenty-yard dash and a 4.79 in the 5-10-5 agility shuttle.  Explosive in the standing broad jump at 9’4”.  Right handed hitter has an athletic setup and an aggressive demeanor as he attacks the baseball with an uphill leverage.  Easy load and aggressive stride.  Back side is quick and explosive through the ball producing an exit velocity of 87 mph.  At shortstop, works to play through the baseball with rhythm in his feet and above average hands.  Works to funnel to the mid-section, occasionally with the left foot well ahead of the right to setup his transition.  Long arm action and high-3/4 slot show easy carry and some accuracy at 79 mph from the position.

 

 

Andrew Schuldt C / 3B / Hough, NC / 2021

Young player with some polish already, showing an ability to be a true utility player down the line.  Stands 5-foot-8, 155 pounds.  Quickness exists, running a 2.89 twenty-yard dash and marking a 9’1” standing broad jump.  Behind the plate pop times ranged 2.09-2.15 with advanced accuracy.  Easy transition works to a repeatable release and a positional velocity of 68 mph out of the crouch.  On the infield, flashes some quickness and stays clean through the exchange with solid fundamentals on the catch.  Transitions from the mid-section to a long arm action and high-3/4 slot.  Shows an ability to adapt the arm swing and release to the position and the individual play.  74 mph across the infield on a routine play.  Right handed hitter sets up with a simple, athletic base.  Utilizes a leg kick and a vertical bat to set a slightly uphill leverage.  Loose through the swing with decent bat speed, there was some top spin created off the bat in the mid-January BP session.  Showed a feel for the barrel throughout the day.  Exit velocity peaked at 80 mph.  Ran a 4.83 in the 5-10-5 agility test.

 

 

Cooper Wilson 2B / SS / South Mecklenburg, NC / 2021

Young player with a thin 5-foot-10, 145-pound frame.  Plenty of room to add strength in the coming years.  Showed some quickness with a 2.98 twenty-yard dash.  Right handed hitter starts with high hands and an athletic base.  Short stride that loads the weight back.  Works to be direct but lacks some barrel awareness at this time.  Added strength will increase bat speed and the exit velocity of 76 mph.  Defensively, works to play through the ball creating a stiff setup at times.  Clean with the baseball on the catch and through the transition.  Transition can be cautious at times.  ¾ slot from a long arm stroke creates accuracy at 65 mph across the diamond.  5-10-5 agility test time of 4.92 and marked the standing broad jump at 8’3”.

 

 

Tanner Lyne RHP / C / CFA Academy, NC / 2022

Young player with some physical strength and development already present.  Stand 5-foot-9, 190 pounds.  Fastball ramped up to 77, sitting 74-76.  Threw strikes in the mid-January bullpen with all three pitches.  Quick arm works from a strong arm swing, loading the scapular with ease as it works to a high-3/4 slot.  Loose throughout the arm action, there is some effort in the body, creating leverage through the target.  Shoulders stay level and he lands with a slight cross-fire.  Breaking ball ranged 63-66 with late 11/5 action.  The arm speed is near that of his fastball.  The change-up is the third pitch at this time at 67-68, occasionally cutting as the arm speed is below that of the fastball.
Right handed hitter works from an athletic base with a smooth load back.  Occasionally rushes through the load but shows a good feel for the barrel.  Short path, works to create line drives, with an aggressive demeanor.  Exit velocity of 78 mph off the barrel.  Behind the plate, shows arm strength and flexibility through his hips.  Positional velocity of 70 mph from the crouch, with pop times ranging 2.14-2.28.  On the infield, shows surprising rhythm and lightness on his feet in his feet, taking good angles, with good bend in his hips.  Occasionally deep with his hands on the catch, becomes cautious with the exchange.  Clean transition to a long arm action and high-3/4 slot, showing accuracy at 74 mph across the infield.  Speed and agility testing will improve with age.  Ran a 3.27 twenty and a 5.15 in the 5-10-5 agility test.  Standing broad jump of 6’11”.

 

 

Harrison Wilson 2B / SS / Fort Mill, NC / 2022

Young frame with a lot of maturation coming.  Stands 5-foot-7, 130 pounds.  Length in the limbs and an athletic posture.  Right handed hitter sprays the baseball around the field.  Simple setup and early load with a short stride.  Works to be direct to the baseball with a surge in power and quickness coming with strength.  Some feel for the barrel and an exit velocity peaking at 70.  Defensively works through the ball to create clean exchanges.  Feet replace as he works to a tall base to complete the transfer.  Short arm action gets to a high-3/4 release showing some accuracy at 68 mph across the diamond.  Speed and agility numbers will improve with age.  Ran a 3.23 twenty-yard dash and a 5.08 5-10-5 agility shuttle.  Marked the standing broad jump at 8’3”.

 

 

 

 

Physical presence and muscular build at 6-foot-1, 185 pounds. Produced an event leading exit velocity of 88 mph off the barrel.  Explosive lower half produced a standing broad jump of 9’7”.  Right handed hitter works from an athletic base, loading back, using a short stride.  Bat works from a vertical position creating some uphill leverage in the swing path.  Decent rhythm to the swing that has a pull tendency.  Occasionally around balls in the early round, but stayed through the ball more as he saw more pitches.  Behind the dish sets up well, presenting a low target and working through some slight stiffness in his hips.  Hands work, catching the ball with ease and a softness.  Showed a willingness to block.  Short arm action works to a high-3/4 slot, showing some accuracy on throws to 2B ranging 2.16-2.33.  Tendency to work to a vertical position after the catch and through the exchange.  Positional velocity of 70 mph out of the crouch.  On the infield, works with active feet, trying to field through each ball.  Ball tends to ride deep into the catch, causing a longer exchange as he works to a high-3/4 slot.  Arm measured 76 across the infield.  Ran a 3.11 twenty and a 4.70 in the 5-10-5 agility test.