Ryan
O'Connell

8.8.18
6-foot-1, 170-pound right-handed hitting outfielder. Dealing with a bad foot prior to the workout. Ran a 4.31 on his dig to first base. Threw 82 mph from the outfield with carry and accuracy. The arm speed is very good. Has the ability to play all 3 spots in the outfield. The bat has a tee exit velocity of 82 mph. The setup is even in base, front foot open to start. The front foot is picked up and put down in line to start the swing. The hands work freely, as the path is long to the ball. The finish is low. The athleticsm is plus, strength and another year to develop, should be a polished player as he gets to college.

Tee Exit Velocity- 82 mph

OF Velocity- 82 mph

Preseason Downstate (February 21, 2018)

He ran a 7.27 60-yard dash on lasers from a 6-foot-1, 170-pound sleek build.  His exit velocity off a tee was up 1 mile an hour from July, registering 83 mph February 21st.  his arm straight from the outfield was 77 mph at the plate he uses a wide stance hands in front of his face, on the pitch uses a back load high leg lifts in stride for timing direct to the ball on a short compact Barrel path. defensively, shows confidence to the ball with proper footwork, gets his body through his throws releases the ball from a high 3/4 slot, have seen him up to 80 mph from the outfield today however 77 mph was his arm strength.

Campus Series-Marist (July 18, 2017) 

O’Connell stands in a 6-foot-1, 168-pounds with a lean athletic frame. Offensively- Righty sets up square to the pitcher with his feet wide outside his shoulders. Shows a slight knee bend with an upright torso holding the bat above in front of his neck using loud pre-pitch bat movement. On pitch, his trigger is a high knee raise into his body before striding forward while his hands move back behind the back shoulder into the hitting position. Shows quick hands to the hitting zone with level barrel action throughout into a high two-handed finish. Good lower body rotation getting whole frame involved in the swing. Demonstrated good plate coverage and the ability to hit line up the middle and to the pull side during batting practice rounds. With loud pre-pitch movement timing if off on some pitches. May need a quicker more relaxed trigger at the next level. Recorded an exit velocity of 82 MPH, a 3 MPH improvement from February 2017. Defensively- Good approach and footwork to get to the baseball. Shows a good crow hop and outfielder arm swing making aggressive strides towards the throwing target. Was accurate with the throws and moved well left/right. Recorded a positional outfielder arm velocity of 80 MPH. Overall a talented 2018 prospect that still is available.

Winter Open (February 12, 2017)

Long and lean at 6-foot-1 161 pounds. He ran a 7.33 60 (slightly down from his personal best of 7.25). Home-to-1B was 4.16, a personal best. Offensively- O'Connell sets up in a spread stance with hands in the center of his body, even with his chin. Pronounced load of his hands just off the back shoulder with a heel up-down stride. Balanced approach with a moderately short swing into the zone; alternates between a late one-handed finish and two hand approach. Stays through the middle well and on a line with his results. Up 2 MPH with his exit velocity to 79 MPH. Defensively- Controlled approach with some late acceleration as the ball gets closer. Fields ball outside lead leg before transitioning into more aof a shuffle step instead of a crowhop. Arm slot is low 3/4 close to his personal best of 77 with a 76 MPH peak. Continued progression with foot speed and arm strength will point him towards a corner OF spot down the road.

Downstate Fall Preview (October 2, 2016)

O’Connell, a 2018 graduate, stands at 6-foot-1 weighing 161 pounds with plenty room to add, ran a 7.25 60, which was .08 faster than last event. Offensively-  Starts from an upright square stance with the feet slightly more than shoulder width apart. Hands start in front of the back shoulder with the bat straight up and down. Initiates the swing with a slight shift of weight to the back side with a toe-to-heel front foot movement, hands are loaded straight back off the back shoulder. Showed ability to drive the ball with authority to the middle of the field using both the pull side as well as the opposite field gap. Is able to repeat the swing and stay short and compact through the ball. Recorded an exit velocity of 77 MPH showing a progressive increase of 5 MPH over the past year. Defensively-  Athletic outfielder that was able to get behind the baseball very well. Showed ability to take quality effective routes to balls hit on the throwing side. Throws should accuracy with carry at times. With an adjustment of creating a longer arm action and staying tighter with the glove side during the throw, will improve the recorded arm velocity of 77 MPH which was an increase of 4 MPH from the last event attended. 

NY State Open ID (January 31, 2016)

Ryan stands a slender 6-foot-0 153 pounds. He ran an improved 7.33 60 and a 4.30 home-to-1B. Offensively- Ryan sets up in a narrow stance with his hand position in the middle of his body, looping back into a load position. Uses an elevated up and down leg kick for his stride, staying back into contact. Aggressive with his lower half with some out, off the body action in his swing path. Extension keeps him in the zone, a mix of groundball, line drive and flyball contact. Exit velocity improved up to 76 MPH from 74 back in the fall. Defensively- In the outfield Ryan uses a controlled approach, receiving the groundballs outside his glove foot. Transitions into his throws using a shuffle step vs. a traditional crowhop. Throws were accurate with some carry out of the hand at 73 MPH. Continued growth on the field coupled with physical gains are areas to watch for Ryan.

Fall Prospect Games (October 11 & 12, 2015)

Stands at 5-foot-11, 140 pounds, with a lean frame. He ran a 60 yard dash time of 7.43. Defensively – In the outfield he takes a good, quick approach to groundballs/fly balls.  He works behind fly balls and though groundballs with a smooth, clean transfer before releasing to the target.  He throws with a high 3/4 arm slot from the outfield and has an arm strength of 74 mph. Offensively – At the plate he sets up slightly open, a leg kick stride, hands are in front of his face at start.  After a back load, compact swing, swings on a level plane, extending through the ball.  He’s makes good contact, finishes with a shoulder high finish, with a cutoff follow through.  His exit velocity was 74 mph.