Vinnie
LaGatta

5’9 155-pound athletic frame. Left-handed hitter starts open with hands working at shoulder height. Hovering leg kick to stay on time and stay loaded in back side. Showed pull side pop during his impressive round of BP. His bat also plays in games, seeing him hit many balls hard in the air to his pull side, while also hitting line drives the other way. In the field he uses his arm strength well at 87 MPH across the diamond with accuracy. He has the ability to stay at SS, moving well laterally. Good timing with his feet, using momentum to his advantage adding arm strength and getting better hops.

1/27/19 – 5’9 150-pound frame. LaGatta is more of a gamer than his numbers suggest. Stood out as a solid player all the way around. LHH showed good rhythm throughout load. Starts open to get square with a leg kick and small turn to load into hip. Lower half gets swing going with good extension. Line drive hitter. Steady hands at SS and arm strength at 83 MPH. Great timing with footwork as ball goes into glove, minimizes release time without taking away arm strength. 

10/14/18 - 5-foot-9, 150-pound frame. LaGatta is right in the middle of football season, but dusted off his spikes to remind us that he's a D1 caliber defender on the middle infield. Lean, athletic, fast twitch athlete. Open set-up, starts tall, leads to a dive type approach to the baseball. Swing creates some lift and has shown ability to be on time. Lack of physical projection may force some adjustments to a slightly more contact-oriented line drive approach/swing plane. Gets the most out of his frame with his 83 mph exit velocity. Also ran the best 60-yard dash we’ve seen from him with a 6.94. LaGatta continues to improve as a defender with twitchy actions and a quick transfer; arm strength displayed (85 mph) suggests he’ll be able to stick at shortstop long term.

6/5/18 - 5-foot-9 150-pound frame. Upright and slightly open stance. Takes a long stride with big forward momentum shift into the swing. Swings with intent. Swing path generates some loft; 79 mph exit velocity. LaGatta impressed on the infield where he showed confident, steady hands and a fast arm. Has a quick transfer and the ability to throw on the run; 83 mph infield velocity. Has the ingredients and athleticism to project as a middle infielder defender. Also ran 7.15 60 yard dash.

5/20/18 - 5-foot-9, 150-pound frame with surprising strength for size. One of the top overall performers at the event. Solid athlete turned in 7.08 60-yarddash. LaGatta squared up the baseball to all fields with some authority during round of BP. He uses a very narrow setup and big stride to create good separation, landing in a good position to drive the ball; 78 mph exit velocity. Where he really stood out was on the infield where he possesses solid actions, soft hands and a quick transfer with enough arm strength to stick at SS (83 mph infield velo). Also worked out in the outfield where he posted an 85 mph velo, but clearly projects best in the middle infield. The twitchy defender appears to be a DI infield prospect and will certainly factor in to the updated 2020 rankings at the end of the summer.