Gabe
Briones

9/20/18 - Briones, the No. 18 player in 2019 class in the state, appears looser and more nimble both behind and at the plate. The USC commit has always had a huge arm - he showed it off again popping 1.91 - 2.06 - and is now showing a rejuvenated confidence at the plate heading into the fall/winter.

7/15/18 - Briones is arguably the top catchers in the state and he showed that again on Saturday. His BP rounds resulted in loud contact with line drives to all fields but he especially peppered the left center field gap. There's legitimate power in the bat that projects for over-the-fence pop. Behind the plate he basically puts a stop to the run game with pop times in the 1.93-2.07 range during the workout and an in-game caught stealing at 1.94. The USC commit is both physical and nimble moving easily behind the plate while in and getting out of his crouch.

3/6/18 - Briones had a magnificent catching performance today, along with a brilliant performance from his battery mate Brandon Ramey. Briones is a hit first catcher. He went 0-3 with a walk and 3 quality at-bats today. Briones displays a plus arm and a plus bat tool. Briones has excellent leverage in his swing with raw power. He just missed a couple today and popped them up. Briones exhibits excellent leadership qualities.

3/5/18 - Southern California commit. 6-foot, 190-pound frame with well proportioned strength throughout and a thick lower half. Briones made a commitment to the weight room and it shows in his physicality. One of the top catchers in the state in his class, Briones shows advanced catch and throw abilities. Flashed pop times of 1.84, 1.87, 1.86, 1.86, 1.89, and 1.93 after warm-up pitches. Did not have an attempted base stealer in the game. Blocks incredibly well and has the ability to pop-up from blocks in a ready-to-throw position. Offensively is where his physical maturation is beginning to show the most. Briones shows good feel for the barrel and a slight uppercut swing that flashes power. A selective hitter with strike zone awareness, Briones has a line drive swing path.