Alexander
Alicea

Louisville commit. Alicea has been a big part of St. Thomas More’s success all year and has not slowed down this past week as the Cavaliers went 3-1. Alicea went 7-for-15 on the week with two doubles, seven runs, an RBI, two walks and was a big factor on the base paths, stealing seven bases.

Louisville commit. Alicea helped the Cavaliers go 3-0 on the week and improve to 14-1 overall and hold the top spot in conference. On the week Alicea went 6-for-10 with a .677 on-base percentage and 10 stolen bases on the week, increasing his total to 34 on the year. 

Positional Profile: SS
Body: 5-8, 150-pounds. Compact frame. Strong, athletic-bodied.
Hit: SH. Tall, slightly open stance. Small leg lift trigger. Hands above ears. Short quick stride. LHH- Wide, crouched slightly closed setup. Closed stride. High hands. More power from the left side. Stays inside the ball. Sprayed line drives from the left side.
Power: 86.4 max exit velocity, averaged 75.6 mph. 310’ max distance.
Arm: RH. INF - 83 mph. Short, quick, repeatable arm action. Accuracy to first. Quick field-to-throw transfer.
Defense: Defends well, plays low with athletic, polished actions on the dirt.
Run: 6.54 runner in the 60. Easy. Quick acceleration to top speed.

SS Louisville commit, Alex Alicea (St. Thomas More, WI, 2023) is a handsy and dynamic middle infielder who posted a 6.54 in the 60 yard dash and uses that as a highlight of his game. For what Alicea lacks in power out of his 5-foot-8, 150-pound frame,  he makes up for with bat control from both sides of the plate. One of the better bat to ball performances of the day in live at bats, Alicea profiles as a tough strikeout victim at the top of the order.

Alicea started his day by burning a 6.52 with great short range acceleration. In the box, he showed us his typical display of barrel accuracy. With minimal movement, and a knob-to-ball entry, he grooved backspin liners around the field. Also, notably adjusting to lower pitches from both sides with ease. In the field, his elite defense was on display, traveling low to the ball with a keen sense for setting up hops, and capturing right to left momentum with consistency. Alicea possesses the quickest transition speed from fielding to throwing by an impressive margin, and firing accurate bullets with carry across the diamond. Alicea has a professional skill set on defense and many in Wisconsin should make a point of studying him. 

Positional Profile: SS/2B
Body: 5-8, 150-pounds. Compact/athletic build, strong lower-half.
Hit: SH. Stock setup. High hands, crouched. Wiggle rhythm with well timed vertical barrel set.  Knob to ball. Very direct with plane adjustability. More vertical from the right hand box. High end feel for the barrel with accuracy.
Power: 89 max exit velocity, averaged 85.6 mph. 317’ max distance.
Arm: RH. INF - 89 mph. High and tight 3/4 action with arm strength, accuracy, and carry.
Defense: Great footwork and up tempo rhythm. Soft hands, quick to exchange and replace. Clean alignment. Pro defensive skill set.
Run: 6.52 runner in the 60. Quick acceleration to max speed, athletic gait and feet. 

Alicea is another one of the state’s Louisville recruits, and he left the South Milwaukee I.D. event as, still, one of Wisconsin’s best sophomores. He’s an elite defender who reached a 90 mph high across the infield from an athletic, live 5-foot-7, 140-pound stature. Alicea also takes short, compact swings from both batter’s boxes, demonstrating barrel feel.

Positional Profile: SS/2B The No. 1 overall 2023 prospect in Wisconsin; a high-level defender at shortstop.
Body: 5-7, 140-pounds. Compact build on an athletic frame.
Hit: SH. Balanced stance, slightly open when hitting from the left side of the box. Leg kick trigger with smooth loading actions, repeats from both sides of the plate.  Swing path is short and compact through contact, bat travels on a slight uphill plane through the zone, has barrel awareness from both sides of the dish.
Power: 90.87 max exit velocity, averaged 82.02 mph. 291’ max distance.
Arm: RH. C -  mph. INF - 90 mph. OF -  mph. Athletic arm action, short and loose that can work from different slots. Throws play with carry and accurate across the diamond.
Defense: Natural actions in the middle infield. Quick and fluid footwork, soft hands, plays through the ball well. Advanced defender for his class.
Run: 6.71 runner in the 60. 

Positional Profile: SS/2B; Premium shortstop defender in the 2023 class.
Body: 5-foot-5, 125-pounds. Small compact frame, athletic quick twitch actions.
Hit: SH. Slightly open stance, more open from the left side, short stride and repeatable pre-pitch actions from both sides. Short and level swing path, showed feel for the barrel from both sides of the plate. Spray line drive hitter with barrel control.
Power: 77 mph exit velocity from the tee.
Arm: RH. INF - 86 mph. Athletic arm showed high ability to release on the move from multiple slots, short arm action with quick release, carries.
Defense: Soft hands and plus actions for age, glove plays out front with confidence, cushions the baseball to release. Feet are active and ranges well, athletic ability allows to make all the plays with relative ease.
Run: 6.93 runner in the 60. Advanced runner, short quick gait, gets out of the box quickly.

Just 5-foot-7, 130-pounds, Alicea already commands attention on the diamond despite his smaller size, and looked the part at shortstop throughout the weekend. His polished footwork and soft, confident hands are (surprisingly?) becoming the “norm” for middle infielders coming out of Wisconsin. He also features a quick release with solid strength that is sure to increase over time as the frame matures. Alicea took at-bats from both sides of the plate over the weekend, but was noticeably more comfortable from the right side, though there is some potential from the left. Impressively balanced throughout the approach, he is never fooled, and showcased the most impressive tracking abilities of the entire tournament. There is little movement throughout the load with the hands before the barrel is worked directly to the ball with quickness. He demonstrated line drive strength to all fields, and will likely continue spraying the ball around at the top of the order. Overall, given the athleticism that he showcases in the field and high baseball IQ all around, expect Alicea to continue to steadily progress throughout his high school career.

Switch-hitting shortstop who filled the leadoff spot in the Hitter’s lineup on Sunday against Naperville Renegades American and went 2-for-3 with two singles. Alicea is a premium defender who exhibits all of the essential traits to stick to shortstop at the next level and beyond. He consistently fields the ball in rhythm, with smooth and soft hands, an ultra-quick exchange, and an arm that is accurate while throwing on the move. He’s a true switch-hit type but looks a little more natural in the right-handed batter’s box. He’s the ideal top-of-the-order type, with his patient approach and advanced knowledge of the strike zone, which complements his plus speed. He’s a spray-type at the plate with quality barrel control, capable of barreling baseballs into the gaps, too. Alicea is constantly looking to get on base by any means necessary in order to impact the game as quickly as possible.

Positional Profile: SS/2B
Body: 5-foot-4, 110-pounds; highly athletic, plays with twitch.
Defense: Reliable hands, fluid footwork, clean exchange, plays athletically in the field, natural defensive instincts.
Arm: RH. INF - 74 mph. Short arm action, high 3/4 slot, accurate on his throws, showed occasional carry.
Hit: SH. Balanced setup, smooth load, short stride, good balance, looks calm and confident at the plate. Above-average bat speed for his age, slight uphill path to the baseball, mostly produced line drives into the gaps, simple but productive swing. True switch hitter.
Power: 77 mph exit velocity from the tee. Works the gaps with barrel feel.
Run: 7.37 runner in the 60.
Delivery: Smooth rhythm throughout delivery, tall balanced setup, slight drop in back side, works in line, lands closed, works across his body, athletic on the mound, showcased a slide step.
Arm Action: RH. Long, loose, quick arm action, high 3/4 slot.
FB: T76, 72- 75 mph. Showed some run, above-average velocity for his age.
CB: 61-64 mph. 11/5 shape, early action, sharp bite.
CH: 68 mph. Arm speed near his fastball, has fade to it, best secondary offering, plays for his age.

8/5/18 (Junior Future Games) - 5-foot-4, 110-pound, switch-hitting middle infielder, small frame, athleticism translate highly to the field. Defensively can stick at shortstop, smooth actions all around, super soft hands, transfers are quick and clean, multi-angle arm slot, 70 mph across the diamond. Offensively, loose hands, compact path, flashed ability hit line drives and control the barrel in the zone on both sides of the plate, exit velocity topped 70 mph from the left and 74 mph from the right. Smart base runner, looks to advance to the next base, 7.11 runner in the 60. Laced a opposite field line drive that turned into an inside-the-park homerun, floated around the bases.

6/22/18 - Small frame, live body quick-twitch athlete, plus runner at his age, takes the speed of the game to another level amongst his competition, light footed runner scoots around the bases, premium baserunning threat. Switch-hitter, leadoff role, athletic setup, confident hands work well to stay inside the baseball, middle of the field approach. Shortstop defender, hands are soft with advanced actions. Started off the 13U Junior Future Series championship game in familiar fashion – picture-perfect bunt, stolen base, that quickly produced a run.