DFW Underclass Trials: Outfield Analysis

DALLAS, TX - Take a looks at the outfield analysis from the DFW Underclass Trials.

Top Performers

Elijah Nunez, OF, Arlington Martin HS, 2020
5-foot-8, 170-pound lean athletic frame with broad shoulders.  Ran an impressive 6.62 in the laser-timed 60 to start the day. Nunez continued to impress at the plate popping a 93 mph exit velo from the left side.  Nunez has a simple compact swing from the left side of the plate, has rhythm in his hands, and is strong at the point of contact. Drove balls through the middle of the field consistently off the barrel in batting practice.  In the outfield he aggressively closed ground to balls, then showed off fluid footwork and a quick and clean release to deliver low and accurate throws to the plate (84 mph). Nunez’s combo of speed, power, and arm strength are an exciting collection of tools that will continue to improve as he matures and gains more strength.

Tyler Collins, OF/SS, McKinney Boyd HS, 2021
Athletic 5-foot-10, 165-pound build with long levers. Collins started the day off by running a 6.78 laser-timed 60, and that athleticism translated to all parts of his game.  At the plate, he flashed loose barrel action with bat speed from the left side; 85 mph exit velo off a tee. Is closed off with his shoulders at the plate, but showed the ability drive pitches all over the zone with fluid rhythm and a good feel for his barrel.  Gets great extension through the hitting zone. In the outfield he closed ground aggressively, and worked through the ball with fluid actions and a clean transfer. His throws were low and accurate through the cutoff man, and he showed accuracy in each throw; 83 mph.

Henry Cooper Huspen, OF, Allen HS, 2020
6-foot-1, 154-pound frame with wiry strength.  Huspen ran a 6.95 laser-timed 60 to start the day, showing his athleticism.  This translated to the outfield where he efficiently closed ground, showed fluid footwork through the baseball with a clean exchange, and a quick release with accuracy and 86 mph arm strength.  At the plate, he starts in an open stance from the right side, takes a long stride to get back to parallel, and maintains tall posture with his upper body throughout the swing, He creates lift in his swing, and flashed power to the pullside; 84 mph exit velo.

Jaxon Osterberg, OF/2B, Southlake Carroll HS, 2020
Osterberg has a young, lean-strong, quick-twitch, athletic frame at 5-foot-10, 145-pounds. The long stride runner started the day with a 6.7 60-yard dash. A right-handed hitter, Osterberg starts from a neutral, balanced stance with loose rhythm in his hands as he wags the barrel above his head. Uses reverse leg lift as he loads back, then strides forward, landing balanced with good separation. Fast-twitch hands, good weight transfer to go with solid barrel awareness produced line drive power with an exit velocity of 80 mph. In the outfield, Osterberg shows high end athleticism as he plays through the ball with long strides, quick footwork and a clean exchange into a loose arm stroke that produces quality hand speed and a top velocity of 86 mph.  

Sam Hunt, OF/LHP, Marcus HS, 2020
5-foot-11, 165-pound frame, with broad shoulders and room to continue to add strength.  Hunt is a left-handed hitter with bat speed and quick twitch actions; posted an 85 mph exit velo off a tee.  He hits with a tall posture and has a low stride where he creates separation in his hands. Hunt stays behind the ball very well with his body and this helps him create more space for his barrel to work through the zone.  He drove balls to right field with backspin carry in batting practice. Hunt also posted a 6.90 laser-timed 60. From the outfield he aggressively closed ground, worked through the ball well with his body, and has a loose arm action with a clean release; 82 mph.

Jackson Tims, 1B/OF, Bridge City HS, 2020
Tims has a strong, athletic 6-foot, 185-pound build. From the left side, he flashed power to the gaps in batting practice with backspin and lift; recording an exit velocity of 85 mph. Starts from a neutral, stacked stance with his hands set in a high position. Simple load, making his initial move by gliding forward, walking away from his hands, landing balance with good separation. Transfers his weight with ease as his back leg fires efficiently to get off his backside as he delivers the barrel. Solid strength in his hands, hard contact, uses the barrel efficiently and effectively with gap power and more to come in the future. In the outfield, Tims made accurate throws to the dish with a top velocity of 82 mph from a short, high-¾ slot with a max effort arm stroke. At first base, Tims has quick footwork and moves well around the bag, and can throw from different slots with accuracy to start the double play at second base.

Jake VanTilburg, OF/2B, Arlington Heights HS, 2020
Five-foot-10, 160-pound athletic frame with strength.  VanTilburg recorded an 89 mph exit velo off the tee. He has a wide base from the right side of the plate, with a smooth and early load, and has an easy swing.  He hit consistent hard line drives off of the barrel in batting practice. In the outfield he works through the ball smoothly with fluid footwork and a clean exchange, and ball showed some carry through the cutoff man; 78 mph from the outfield. In the infield, he works around the ball well, fielding balls on the left side of his body and generating momentum and direction in his throws across the infield; 76 mph from the infield.  VanTilburg also ran a 6.93 laser-timed 60. VanTilburg has a well-rounded skill set with smooth and easy actions no matter where he is on the diamond.

Harrison Hess, 1B/OF, Midlothian Heritage, 2020
Athletic, long-limbed 6-foot-3, 195-pound projectable frame with tons of strength.  At the plate, Hess showed offensive tools by first pounding a 91 mph exit velo off the tee, and then making loud contact throughout batting practice.  Hess hits from the right side and works from a tall stance, he has a short stride with a smooth controlled load back into a strong back leg. Hess drove balls to left field with a tight barrel turn and was able to get to inside pitches with ease.  Hess ran a 7.04 laser-timed 60. From the outfield he made low accurate throws through the cutoff man, and he topped out at 85 mph with carry. He showed athletic footwork around the bag at first base, and was smooth picking the ball from infielders.  From first base, Hess threw 82 mph across the infield.

Owen Archer, OF/RHP, Liberty HS, 2021
There is a lot to like about Archer with a strong, projectable frame for his class at 6-foot, 165-pounds. The right-handed hitter starts from an open stance with relaxed hands before he loads back then strides closed, landing balanced with his hands back. Flat path through the zone, made hard contact during batting practice and registered an exit velocity of 82 mph off the tee. In the outfield, Archer plays through the ball with rhythm, long strides, and quick footwork. Clean exchange into a high-¾ arm stroke with a quick arm from back to front. Accurate throws to the dish with a top velocity of 83 mph.

Best of the Rest (Alphabetical

Alex Adauto, C/OF, The Colony HS, 2020
5-foot-10, 160-pounds. The right-handed hitter starts from a wide base before using a toe-tap to load back early as he triggers his hands back into a front arm bar. Strong contact on an uphill plane, drove the ball well to the pull side with a top exit velocity of 91 mph. In the outfield, Adauto plays through the ball with quick footwork and a clean exchange before throwing from a low-¾ arm slot with a top velocity of 77 mph to the plate. Behind the plate, Adauto has soft hands, quick exchange with smooth footwork, landing slightly open. Top velocity from the crouch of 77 mph with pop times ranging from 2.04-2.19.

Konnor Baird, RHP/1B, Salado HS, 2020
Athletic 6-foot-3, 185-pound frame with broad shoulders and a strong lower half.  Baird started his day off by running a strong 6.80 laser-timed 60. The right-handed hitter starts from a tall, slightly open stance before he sits down into his lower half as he triggers his hands back, tipping the barrel toward the pitcher. Stride and glide lower half with a scoop path that created some carry to the pull side on balls down in the zone. Strong hands, quickish wrists and an aggressive backside to deliver the barrel with an exit velocity of 87 mph exit velo off the tee. In the outfield, Baird plays through the ball with long strides and good rhythm in his footwork, clean exchange into a quick, loose arm stroke with a top velocity of 87 mph.

Apollo Cassimatis, RHP/OF, McMillen HS, 2021
6-foot-1, 135-pound, high-waisted, wiry frame. The right-hander has a smooth over-the-top delivery, lands slightly closed with an athletic finish. Consistently in the zone with all three of his pitches, and had similar tempo and arm speed on each pitch. His fastball sat between 74-76 mph, and he moved it around the strike zone.  Curveball was 63-64 with an 11/5 shape, and he commanded this pitch at or below the bottom half of the strike zone. He also has good feel for a changeup at 65-66 mph and it looks like he can throw this pitch in any count. A two-way player and right-handed hitter, Cassimatis starts from a tall, narrow stance with his hands in the midline of his body. Triggers his hands down then back as he lifts into a leg kick, then strides forward, landing balanced. Rotation path on a level plane through the zone with some whip in the barrel and an exit velocity of 86 mph off the tee. In the outfield, Cassimatis threw to the dish with a top velocity of 75 mph. Ran a 7.56 60-yard dash.

Graham Danziger, OF/2B, Forney HS, 2021
5-foot-5, 125-pound frame. The right-handed hitter has an athletic hack with good rhythm and loose hands, using a fluid leg kick to generate separation and leverage. Quick hands, good feel for the barrel, loose finish, easy lower half transfer as he gets off his back side through contact. Current line drive power with an exit velocity of 78 mph. Ran a 7.29 laser-timed 60.  In the outfield, Danziger plays through the ball with fluid footwork and and clean exchange into a long arm stroke with a top velocity of 72 mph. On the infield, Danziger has quickish footwork and soft hands as he funnels the ball to the midline of his body. Long arm stroke from a high-¾ slot with a top velocity of 70 mph across the diamond.

Dylan Fiene, OF/C, Coppell HS, 2020.
5-foot-9, 170-pound, lean-muscular frame. The right-handed hitter starts from a neutral, stacked stance before he loads back early, slowly shifting his weight back before he takes a short stride forward and triggers his hands back. Slots his back elbow early, working on a slightly uphill path. Rotational swing, strong hands, exit velocity of 85 mph. In the outfield, Fiene plays through the ball with quick footwork and throws from a high-¾ slot with a top velocity of 79 mph.

Larry Hodges, OF/1B, Lakeview Centennial HS, 2021
5-foot-6, 110-pound, still developing frame. The left-handed hitter starts from a wide base with his weight shifted back before he picks up his front foot and triggers his hands down and back. Lands balanced into a crouched launch position, quick twitch hands get through the zone on an uphill plane with natural lift. Hit line drives to the pull-side during batting practice with an exit velocity of 73 mph. In the outfield, Hodges threw to the dish with a top velocity of 59 mph.

Tyler Jarrett, OF/3B, Denton Guyer HS, 2020
6-foot, 175-pound, strong frame.  Jarrett pounded an 87 mph exit velo off the tee, and this power translated onto the field where his smooth swing produced hard line drives off the barrel through the middle of the field. Quick hands with present strength at contact, simple load, quiet lower half, good extension through contact as he accelerates the barrel. Jarrett was accurate from the outfield making low throws through the cutoff man at 76 mph. Ran a 7.11 60-yard dash.

Luke Martinez, OF/LHP, Harper HS, 2021
5-foot-10, 140-pound, wiry frame. The left-handed hitter starts from a tall, open stance before he shifts his weight back, loading his hands back and down, lifting his leg to stride forward. Lands square with tilted shoulders. Barrel gets on plane early, creating an uphill path through contact with a short finish, and an exit velocity of 78 mph. In the outfield, Martinez plays through the ball with quick footwork and an athletic crow hop, throwing from a high slot with a short arm stroke and top velocity of 72 mph.

Cedric Mitchell Jr., OF/RHP, Homewood-Flossmoor HS (Ill.), 2021
At 5-foot-8, 150 pounds, Mitchell has an athletic, lean-muscular frame. The right-handed hitter has fluid rhythm with quick twitch hands. Uses a simple leg kick as he loads back, then triggers his hands, landing balanced with good separation. Athletic lower half with solid weight transfer as the barrel lags through the zone, creating leverage and whip on an uphill plane with a loose finish, and an exit velocity of 82 mph. Hard contact during batting practice, uses the whole field. In the outfield, Mitchell plays through the ball with fluid actions, soft hands, and an athletic crow hop that allows his arm to work clean from back to front with a top velocity of 82 mph.

Jacob Rodriguez, OF/RHP, Colleyville Heritage HS, 2020
5-foot-9, 150-pound frame with broad shoulders. The right-handed hitter starts from a tall, open stance with relaxed hands. Smooth load as he turns inward and triggers his hands, striding forward, hitting off his front foot. Quick bat through the zone, strong hands, loose finish on an uphill plane with an exit velocity of 83 mph. Good approach during batting practice with the intent to do damage in the middle of the field, line drive power, hard contact with carry into the gaps. In the outfield, Rodriguez plays through the ball with rhythm and quick footwork. Clean exchange into a short, over the top arm stroke with with good carry to the plate and a top velocity of 85 mph. On the infield, Rodriguez has a quick first step and shows good range with long strides when he moves laterally. Threw with a top velocity of 81 mph across the diamond with carry in the arm.

Canyon Rollins, 1B/OF, Grapevine HS, 2020
Athletic 6-foot-3, 180-pound frame.  Rollins hits from the right side and made some hard contact in batting practice.  He had an 86 mph exit velo off the tee. Rollins has a wide stance, with a smooth load into his back leg and a small stride and has a fluid weight-shift.  He ran a 7.19 laser-timed 60. From the outfield, Rollins made low accurate throws through the cut-off man to the dish at 76 mph. In the infield he showed a quick release with accuracy to first base, at 69 mph.

Easton Slovacek, OF, Robinson HS, 2020
Five-foot-11, 150-pound athletic frame with a high waist. Slovacek ran a 7.02 laser-timed 60 to start his day. In the outfield he flowed through the ball well, and made throws through the cut-off man at 82 mph. Offensively, he hits from the right side with an athletic setup, takes a short stride with a compact weight shift, and uses quick wrists and hands to get the barrel through the zone.  He is strong at the point of contact with a strong top hand, drove balls to left field in batting practice and posted an 83 mph exit velo off a tee.

Joshua Stapleton, OF, Marcus HS, 2020
6-foot, 170-pound athletic high-waisted frame. Stapleton started the day off by running an impressive 6.74 laser-timed 60.  At the plate, he showed more quick twitch abilities, starting from an open stance, has a long stride to get back to parallel, stays behind the ball with his body and lets his quick hands work on a level plane with a low finish. Stapleton got the barrel on the ball and made consistent hard contact, hitting low line drives towards the gaps.  He posted an 80 mph exit velo. From the outfield, he has an accurate arm making low throws on-line through the cutoff man at 80 mph.

Ashten Wong, OF/3B, Memorial HS, 2021
5-foot-10, 155-pound frame. A left-handed hitter, Wong starts from a tall, slightly open stance, simple load back as he triggers his hands down and back. Easy rhythm, short stride, lands balanced, quick-twitch strong hands, barrel gets on plane early, working on an uphill path through contact. Loose finish, good barrel awareness, shows the ability to throw the barrel with current line drive power and an exit velocity of 80 mph off the tee. In the outfield, Wong plays through the ball with quick footwork and athletic strides. Ran a 7.26 60-yard dash.