Metro Scout League: Uncommitted & Ranked Hitters

September 22, 2017

Toby Bicknell
Texas Scouting Director

Sunday, September 17, 2017

WEATHERFORD, TX - Throughout the fall, PBR's staff will be on the road covering baseball across Texas. Games, workouts, practices, camps and more. The "boots on the ground" philosophy of PBR is well represented with the coverage throughout the Fall of 2017. Here is more of our coverage from Week 2 of the Metro Scout League.

D-BAT

Usually in the early game, pitchers dominate. For some reason, most hitters are just better after 12:00 PM. However, the D-BAT 16U Elite brought their bats - along with their morning protein shakes. Several players collected multiple hits in game one on Sunday, including No. 5 Ranked player in the Texas 2020 Class, RHP/1B Cam Brown. The TCU recruit stands 6-foot-2, 200 pounds, and went 3-for-3 with a home run, four RBI and two walks. In his first at-bat, Brown hammered a towering fly ball to deep left field for a two-run shot. 2020 SS Mark Anzaldua also collected multiple hits, going 2-for-2 with a double and three RBI. Anzaldua roped a two-strike offering down the left field line for a base clearing double. Other players with multiple hits were 2020 3B Jordan Rogers (2-for-2, RBI, 2 K’s), and 2020 Luke Savage (two singles and an RBI). 2020 OF Nathan Fingar (Aledo HS) has a strong, athletic frame. Although he might have had anything to show for it, Fingar hammered two balls to center field, one was a deep fly ball, the other a scorched line drive.

+ 2020 C Slayton Day (Cleburne HS) continues to impress behind the plate, throwing strikes to second base in 6-of-7 innings with good carry. He also had a slick, delayed back-pick to second base on a routine pitch, and was 1-for-3 with single and two walks.

Frozen Ropes - Thornton

+ 2020 OF Henry Cooper Huspen (Allen HS) went 3-for-4 with an RBI, walk, and a strikeout. All three of his hits were singles to the left side. Huspen has a high-waisted, athletic-lean frame with plenty of room to add strength as he continues to develop. 2020 RHP/SS Tyler McShane (South Grand Prairie HS) made hard contact with four QAB’s, en route to going 2-for-4 with an RBI-double to right-centerfield. Two other hitters collected doubles, 2020 OF/RHP Dawson Goheen (McKinney Boyd HS) and 2020 3B/RHP Cameron Loy (Mansfield HS). Goheen has an athletic, lean-muscular frame, and is a long stride runner with a 4.68 on the turn after he crushed a double to right-centerfield. Loy not only pitched well, but the left-handed hitter demolished a ball to centerfield.

Academy Select

Joey Crisci, C, Allen HS, 2019
Uncommitted. Currently ranked No. 105 in Texas 2019 Ranking. Crisci stands 6-foot tall,185-pounds, with a sturdy frame and strong lower half. Crisci is a solid receiver behind the plate with a quiet body and soft hands. Just as important, he as outstanding arm action with a clean release. Pop time between innings was 2.04.

Calvin Strandt, 2B/SS, Wakeland HS, 2019
Uncommitted. 5-foot-9, 150-pounds. Really like the way Strandt plays the game, hard nosed, grinder type player. Worked at second base most of the game and shows good actions, bounced over to shortstop at the end of the game where he made two nice plays. A left-handed hitter, Strandt has a balanced, neutral setup, collected three hits, all singles, a walk, and stole third base with a vault steal jump. Only out he made was a hard ground ball to shortstop.

Anderson Acinger, 1B/3B, Plano Senior HS, 2019
Uncommitted. 5-foot-11, 195-pound, thick, strong frame with broad shoulders. Acinger is a strong right-handed hitter that starts from a crouched stance. We saw him barrel up balls during the high school season multiple times, and Acinger continued to do the same on Sunday, going 3-for-4 with double and an RBI. This was our first chance to see the corner infielder play third base, and Acinger made a couple of nice plays. He stepped over the bag at third to catch a chopper down the line and showed good arm strength across the diamond, suggesting that third base may be an option for him in high school this year. Later in the game he started a double play with another teammate getting some infield work in, C Joey Crisci (playing second base) finished the pivot to end the inning.

Frozen Ropes

+ Ethan Mann, SS, McKinney Boyd HS, 2018
Uncommitted. Mann has a high-waisted, athletic, quick-twitch frame. Plays aggressive, attacks ground balls, made multiple hard charging run through plays on routine ground balls. Good range, long strides, wants the baseball hit to him. Long arm stroke across the infield with effort and average arm strength. The right-handed hitter has a plus setup with rhythm and balance, hands work well through his swing with good strength at contact. he went 1-for-3 with a single to left field and a hard liner to shortstop. Ran 4.51 on a ground-out to shortstop, and reached on a walk in his fourth at-bat.

+ Nick Vernars, OF, Coppell HS, 2019
The left-handed hitter has an aggressive approach with strong hands at contact and natural lift in his swing. He put solid swings together on Sunday, going 1-for-4. In his first at bat, Vernars smoked a low line drive off the first baseman’s wrist and it escaped down the right field line. In his third at-bat, he flew out on the barrel to right field.

+ Kalen Clark, 1B, Coppell HS, 2019
Clark is a right-handed hitter that saw starting time last year on a strong Coppell HS team. The right-handed hitter takes good hacks when the ball is in the zone with an aggressive approach and fluid rhythm in his swing. He didn’t have a hit to show for it, but he laced a sharp line drive to right field and hammered a ground ball right at the second baseman.

+ 2019 Chase Peterson (McKinney Boyd HS) is a left-handed hitting catcher with a smooth swing and a wiry frame. He went 2-for-4 with two, well-struck singles, both to the right side, and one for an RBI.

+ Brooks Knightstep, OF, McKinney Boyd HS, 2018
Knightstep has good actions and quick feet at third base and plays with an aggressive attitude and swagger. The right-handed hitter flew out on the barrel to left field, then collided with a strong first baseman who was standing on the bag. In his next at-bat, he crushed a single to left field, then moved up to second base on a ground ball. Knightstep the vaulted to steal third base, and scored a couple of pitches later on a 1st & 3rd double steal.

+ Kyle York, C, Lake Dallas HS, 2019
The right-handed hitter might have only gone 1-for-3, but he roped two balls on Sunday. In his first at bat he launched what looked like a home run to left field, but deep fly ball was caught on the warning track. In his last at-bat, York got into another ball to the pull side with a base hit to left field.