Bryce
Clark

At Watsonville: Clark has been on my radar for a couple years, but it’s the transformation he made this off-season to his body and repertoire that saw his stuff make big jumps heading into his senior season. The wide shoulders have taken on strength and the overall frame has leaned out while firming up allowing him to be more consistent with the lower half and arm action. Keeping the hands at the waist through an average front knee, the compact arm works out by the elbow staying in the pocket before showing speed out front from it’s release; he’s much better with his hinge and transfer of energy through the hips allowing the front leg to absorb the body and get him more streamlined down the hill. In a game where the opposing team didn’t have a lot of talent, Clark attacked the zone with the FB challenging hitters and moving the pitch to different quadrants; struck out 13 in 5 IP with no hits and no walks. FB 85-88 T89 showed angle to both glove and arm side early in the counts before going up through the zone with life for the swing and miss. SLD 76-79 was short and tight flashing late dive and bite; this is a newer pitch and had times where it pushed to be an above-average pitch. The feel for the SLD wasn’t always evident, but I liked the actions of the pitch and it gives him a better match for his FB and running CHG which he never needed in this one. The ease of the arm suggests there’s more available and Clark could be a late bloomer.

Preseason Bullpen:
FB 83-86 T88, CHG 77-81, SLD 75-78
Has shaped body well over offseason with more strength in it. Working out of stretch; seemed to be rushing down hill early staying 83-84 with FB before making an adjustment to have the body be more gathered and going down the hill together. Small change saw velo jump into 86-88 range. Compact swing via the elbow to 3/4 release showing ability to get hips through and over closed front foot. FB mainly armside flashing life. CHG showed run; best ones have some depth in action to get under barrels. SLD sharp and late with tight diving bend; used to throw longer CB but seems to have scrapped it for new tight slider with better actions. Build to keep adding to velo and might be a year away from really blossoming. 

CCB World Series -  Wide, full large frame, Clark has started shaping the frame and it’s showing with more strength. He moves well at both corner spots and found a lot of barrels during the weekend. The open stance allows his hands to create loft with a longer barrel path and some late bat speed on his way to two hits and lots of hard outs. On the mound Clark worked 79-82 with armside run from a 3/4 release using his elbow to swing the arm. CB was 67-72 with late bite having 11/5 actions in the hard break. He made some nice plays at 3rd showing quick reactions and the ability to recover and make accurate throws. 

V Santa Cruz -  Uncommitted. 3.1IP, 4R (3ER), 2BB, 3H. Clark’s stuff was also a tick behind where I’ve seen it and got too much of the plate on an early FB that got put on the other side of the fence. Settled in after that and when working from the windup has better arm consistency in getting to the bottom half of the zone. FB 80-83 with usage to the arm-side flashing run that way; times where he could also sink the ball through the zone. Mixed in a hard CB (69-73 MPH) that showed short tumble in 11/6 shape. Mainly used the CB to the armside and break was inconsistent; at its best it was sharp and late. Wide large frame has a chance to tighten and keep improving.

10/7/18 - Central Coast Open - 6-foot-0, 220-pounds, large frame with some strength showing. On the mound the arm was better than as a position player as he keeps his hands at the waist as they stay behind his high front knee. The simple delivery allows his compact arm to get to high-3/4 slot before a strong drive down the hill. Arm action is shorter and he hides the ball well. Slight cross body stride. Moves down the slope with purpose. Good arm speed and there is some life/power in the body that he can work to shape. Fastball (79-82) with life that can run in on a right-handed hitter, that pitch plays well off his change-up (76-78 mph) that he threw with some occasional feel. Curveball (67-70 mph) was released a bit early with fair spin. There likely is a better breaking ball in there, perhaps a slider given his slot, hand at release and delivery tempo.

Position - Offensively keeps an open stance with a high back elbow while keeping the bat flat on his shoulder. Leg lift starts the swing with a very quick and late bat that drives through the zone showing flashes of raw pop with a pull side approach (81 MPH exit velo). At 1st base he played with a wide balanced glove that shows flashes around the bag and on balls in the dirt. Arm is loose and works with a quick release and ability to make every throw at 1st (74 INF).

3/30/18 - Uncommitted, 6-foot-1, 215-pound frame; large frame with wide shoulders and strength in lower half; can firm up body to help with overall athleticism and health. DH only viewing as had small non-threatening elbow issue preventing him from taking INF/OF or playing 3B. Coach said was giving him opportunity to rest for a couple weeks to help for final stretch of season. 1-2, 1 K. Slightly open, balanced stance with hands high around ear and bat bounce off back shoulder. High leg kick with hands lifting during load. Showed good tension in upper body while loading before getting back elbow into slot; times where elbows/hands get away from him and make swing longer than it needs to be. Pull approach currently with ability to drive ball into gaps. Showed willingness to chase off-speed on outer half of plate. High effort runner with choppy first couple steps; non-runner from look.