Nico
Gomez

Uncommitted as of this viewing vs Jesuit HS; Have seen him catch on previous occasions and he is a primary catcher, a talented one at that. But in this one he gave way to a senior catcher and he served as a DH and pitcher. Having seen a good arm from him before, and a bulldog mentality, I expected to see a competitive pitching effort from him, with quality stuff, and that exactly what he gave. He's got a strong compact frame, with a quick aggressive arm stroke that works from a high 3/4 slot. The delivery is simple and direct. He was up to 86 mph and steady around 84 mph. The breaking ball is a slow curveball but he used it well to get some hitters on their front foot and get some soft outs. His 3-2 curveball with traffic on the bases vs Jesuit 4-hole Carter Benbook was the pitch of the game for St. Mary's, as Benbrook popped it up to end the inning and the last Jesuit treat. Offensively Gomez did have an RBI single as he punched a fastball through the right side on what looked to be a hit and run. In an previous at-bat he took some healthy hacks and came up empty on a breaking ball away. Gomez has plenty of bat speed but isn't on-time frequently enough with his lower body as he employs a leg lift and tends to land pretty hard on the front foot. His contact is often to the right side in the viewings I've had of him. He often seems in-between in his rhythm. While he can still work out his hitting mechanics and approach, his grinder and tough mentality will continue to serve him well. 

PBR N CA Preseason All-State - Medium frame showing barreled chest with proportions through lower half; legs get moving underway and shows some make up speed in straight line run (7.97 60-yd). Narrow, slightly turned stance behind plate showing quick transition from glove to hand; arm is average with ability to keep ball on the bag showing high elbow before release (74 MPH). Balanced stance with high hands/back elbow and high front shoulder; hands work deep into shoulder and start to slot early with slight foot lift/tuck. Bat works on upward path and swings with authority; pull side focus showing flashes of more pop and ability to get bat head quickly through the zone (88 exit velo).

Summer underclass tourney - 3/4 slot, short athletic body. Locates fastball well, two seam had late break that runs in to right-handed hitters and away from left-handed hitters. Likes to work inside with that pitch and it sits at 78-80 maxed out 82, change is at 72 and is a good set-up pitch to right-hand batters and out pitch vs left handed batters. Curveball is tight and hard to pick up. Used it well as an out pitch. Strikeout type pitcher who pounds the zone and attacks hitters. Good pick off move, shut down the run game as he worked the slide step out of and was quick to home plate. Good composure on the mound with a lot of confidence.