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Burton's Scout Blog: 4/15/24

April 15, 2024
Jason Burton
Scouting Director PBR Virginia/DC

 

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To start off, outside of the Cox/First Colonial game, it was a tough week for a lot of bats, mainly because of the quality of arms that I had a chance to see. So not a ton to takeaway for some of those hitters on those other games, outside of a swing here or there. The Richmond area games and arms were very good and with only one of them being a senior, the next year or two in Richmond should be fun to watch some of these arms grow. 

Douglas Freeman

Vinnie Fischi OF / LHP / Douglas Freeman , VA / 2026

6-foot-5, long and thin frame. A ton of room to add strength and that should obviously translate well into the offense. More contact driven right now, but possesses some traits that will give him a chance to hit long term.

 

 

Cayman Goode RHP / Douglas Freeman, VA / 2024

While there is still a lot of polish and pitchability to add, Goode is light years better in those areas than what he was last spring. A touch ligher effort, slightly better pace, more efficient in the zone, and still has one of the best breaking balls in the state, if not the best. Fastball was up to 94 and held the 88-92 range pretty deep into the outing, with the higher end of that range holding through first four+ innings. The breaking ball was the early go to and the fastball usage was lower, but they kind of reversed rolls deeper into the outing. Struck out seven of the last nine batters he faced, primarily with the fastball. The curveball and slider tend to blend shapes at times, but both are elite high school pitches and fairly easy above average next level pitches. Control over command, but the strike percentage is much better and the fastball missed more bats in this one than we had seen earlier this spring. Overall, really strong start for the VCU commit and the draft stock took a significant step forward on Wednesday night. 

 

Jackson Rogish C / OF / Douglas Freeman, VA / 2025

Having seen Rogish twice this spring, he continues to impress in how he handles himself behind the plate. Contact bat, some doubles power, proportional strength, and biggest thing that stood out was how he handled Goode. Big time breaking balls and really good stuff with average control can be tough for high school catchers at times, but thought he did a really nice job, especially on breaking balls in the dirt. Smothers breaking balls, keeps them close, solid receiver, fairly clean exchange on pops, 2.18 in game pop on Wednesday night. 

 

 

Lee Sowers SS / RHP / Douglas Freeman, VA / 2024

Compact frame, average runner, capable defender in the middle, and more second base long term. Bat to ball seems to have improved, showed some solid feel for the zone and discipline, and had two singles on the night. Has some sneaky power in the bat that he will show on occasion, but the improved bat to ball and uptick in the hit tool is encouraging. Turned a 4.35 home to first on his leadoff single in the first inning. 

 

 

Ryder Warren OF / 2B / Douglas Freeman , VA / 2024

Warren has shown his offensive capabilities for quite some time, so his production on Wednesday night was not surprising. Double to left center in the first and then a single later on. Has solid bat to ball, some carry in the gaps, and is not afraid to go backside. Quality get for the defending National Champion Lynchburg Hornets. 

 

 

Mechanicsville

Diego Aguilera SS / 2B / Mechanicsville, VA / 2025

Athletic middle infielder. Average runner who plays a bit quicker in game. Slight crouch in stance, hit tool type of bat, has the ability and is willing to use the whole field.

 

 

Jackson Garland RHP / 3B / Mechanicsville, VA / 2025

Early on Garland struggled with command and finishing counts, but really tightened things up as he got into the outing. Was up to 91 early, held 87-90 through his first 2+ innings pitched. Thought he got out a little quick and that is why the breaking ball was up and was not landing it in the first. The breaking ball was 74-77 and was really solid in the third and fourth innings of work. Settled in on the mound, moved in sync, and arm was able to catch up. 

Kaleb Smith LHP / 1B / Mechanicsville, VA / 2025

First time seeing Smith since last spring and very intrigued by the gains he has made. Similar to Garland, thought he was a little amped up in his first inning on the mound and was unable to land the breaker. Multiple 90-91's and touched 92 once. Held 86-89 throughout and was able to compete in the zone with primarily fastballs. The slider was loose and tended to back up out of the hand. Gave up a pair of singles on it, but was able to work out of the inning by overpowering hitters with the fastball. Quick arm and moves well on the mound. A lot to be excited about as he continues to mature and grow on the mound. Liberty commit. 

Cox

Jake Colucci RHP / 1B / Frank W. Cox, VA / 2024

Have seen Colucci three times on the season and while the velo has been the same each time, the one thing that continues to get better is his competitiveness on the mound. He struggled a little in the first with some command issues and finishing counts, but kept his foot on the gas and continued to compete. Velo held much better than we have seen and was able to land secondary consistently. Very strong performance from the UNC-G commit.

 

 

Christian Dewey OF / 1B / Cox, VA / 2025

Long and lean 6-foot-2 left handed hitter. Average bat and hand speed, barrel has length in the zone, and the swing plays. Works gap to gap with doubles power to both and has more power potential that he has a chance to unlock as he continues to mature. Solid runner for frame and positional projection. Gets out the box well and has tight turns at the bag. Quality left handed hitting junior that you should get eyes on. 

 

 

Austin Irby 3B / OF / Cox , VA / 2024

Not much to add, as we were pretty in depth a few weeks back after seeing the ECU commit. Swing decisions, bat to ball, in game power, and just producing offense and quality impact in game are at the top of the VA/DC 2024 class. Has an understanding of his swing and approach at the plate. Homerun and single on the day to go along with two HBP's. 

 

 

Alex John C / OF / Cox, VA / 2026

The Cox sophomore catcher continues to grow in multiple facets. Narrow stance at the plate, hands set high, quiet hands before a late separation, and barrel has some uphill path and gets out of the zone fairly quick. Has some pull side tendency to it and would like to see the swing stay on plane and finish through contact a bit longer, but he has shown solid bat to ball. Hit for average/contact type of bat right now. Solid receiver behind the plate and showcased his footwork and quick exchange to throw in game. Rolled a 2.08 in game pop during the middle innings. 

 

 

Parker Wight 1B / OF / Cox , VA / 2024

Multiple barrels on the day for Wight. Strength to middle and pull and has shown an improved bat to ball. Tough combo in the middle of this order with him and Irby from the left side. Was a big addition for this Falcons team. UNC-G commit.

 

 

First Colonial

Graydon Ambrose C / First Colonial, VA / 2027

We had a chance to see Ambrose this past summer in a tournament or two, but you never know how those tools are going to translate at the high school level, especially starting on varsity as a freshman. He probably had the best day of any FC hitter on Thursday. This summer, while he produced, I thought the hands were a little tighter and locked himself out at times, leaving some concern for getting to higher level velo. Hands seemed a little more free on the load and handled a quality senior arm well. Simple lift and replace to stride, above average bat speed through the zone, and did a very nice job working at bats. Used the backside of the field, but he was able to get to the barrel, stayed inside and never tried to force anything. 1-1 with 2 sac fly's and a backside line drive single. Very impressive day at the plate for the freshman catcher. 

 

 

Keegan Haesler 1B / First Colonial, VA / 2025

Long and thin 6-foot-3 left/left junior. Feet work really well around the bag and has feel for the position. At the plate, open and upright, loads into the backside, hands work in rhythm, and gets himself into a really solid hitting position. Balance, stays behind the barrel, and finishes with length through contact. Hit tool with a little more pop to pull. The swing plays and this is definitely a bat that has upside with the barrel feel and future strength that can be added to the frame. 

*Below is video from a March 21st game*

 

 

Cade Howlett RHP / RHP / First Colonial, VA / 2025

Short, one inning of relief. Closed off in the upper half, hides it well, and lands slightly closed down the mound. Three-quarter arm slot with above average arm speed on the fastball. Fastball was mostly 84-86 during this short appearance and touched 87. 

 

 

Nic Morlang RHP / OF / First Colonial, VA / 2025

Our staff has seen Morlang twice this spring. In his first outing, command was a bit of an issue early. Walked five in four innings, including two in his first inning. Settled in a little bit after that, punching the side in the second. 

During his start against Cox, it was a little bit of the same, but this time it was in the second. Morlang, like his outing against Ocean Lakes, was mid 80's and up to 87 during this outing. It was mostly fastball/changeup early in this one and would only show a few more breaking balls after his exit and reentry. Arm works, solid physical makeup at 6-foot-2, 185-pounds, and showed a solid feel for the zone with the changeup. 

 Maryland commit.

 

Atlee

Evan Salapka RHP / Atlee, VA / 2026

We have seen Salapka a few times recently and have talked quite a bit about him, but he was very good in relief. Plenty of arm speed and ceiling left for this sophomore. Fastball plays well generally sitting in the 84-88 range for his one-plus inning of work. Touched 89 twice and showed the breaking ball, but it was the fastball that carried the load during this outing. High ceiling 6-foot-5 right handed arm.

 

 

Noah Yoder RHP / 1B / Atlee, VA / 2025

We have seen Yoder so much and done some deep dives with his ability, but I cannot overstate how good he is when he is dialed in. Like Commonwealth Classic, very shaky first inning, could not find the fastball early in counts and the breaking ball is not generally the early count, get over offering that he would use in that spot. He was up to 95 and was still grabbing 92-95 into the third inning. By the fifth he was still holding 90-93 and showcasing the power curveball. After the first inning, the Duke commit was lights out. Yoder faced thirteen hitters in the second through the fifth innings, just one over the minimum. During that span he struck out seven of those thirteen batters faced. The breaking ball sat mostly 77-80 and would grade out as an average to slightly above average pitch on the big league level. The issue is how deep does he have to get into his outing to find that pitch, more so in terms of feel as opposed to shape. 

 

 

Hanover

Gabriel Corey OF / LHP / Hanover, VA / 2027

Not a ton to add here. Freshman outfielder that came up big on a big stage. Singled with two strikes to lead off the seventh inning. Athletic frame and slightly above average runner. Like Elrod, wider base and a no stride two-strike swing. Has a chance to be the next name to know for the Hanover program. 

 

 

Brady Elrod OF / RHP / Hanover, VA / 2026

Had two hits on the night, a bunt single and a single in the seventh to send the winning run to third base. Does not give in during at bats and battles with two strikes. Quick and strong hands with above average lean strength for the sophomore outfielder. Wide base from start to finish, some rhythm and flow pre-pitch, but it is more of a hand driven swing than lower half. 

 

 

Bryce Krines RHP / 2B / Hanover, VA / 2026

We have seen Krines up to 86 this spring so down just a touch from his usual 83-86, but still competed in the zone and was able to overpower hitters with his fastball. The slider is a bit slurvy, but he can throw it for strikes and the arm speed and pitch velo are fairly high for a low-mid 80's arm so one would have to think there is more there for the fastball. Threw 2.2 innings, striking out five, and only allowed one hit without walking a hitter. Faced just one over the minimum. 

 

 

Evan Nix LHP / 1B / Hanover, VA / 2025

Nix came out dialed in, getting up to 87 and getting whiffs with the fastball. Breaking ball was not there early, but as the outing went, it got better (shape and feel). He had some command issues in the first three innings, but really got dialed in for the fourth. He is a higher effort arm that exerts a fair amount of energy when on the mound. Worked 4.1 innings and struck out eigh while allowing only one hit.