IE Future Games Trials: Catchers Analysis

June 19, 2019
Anthony Antolin
SoCal Area Scout

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NORCO, CA. - With the spring season finishing and players preparing for the Summer, we got a chance to get a good look at a group of impressive 2021-2022 players. We saw some of these players during our coverage during the high school season and previous events, but there was a group of players giving us very good first looks.

Earlier we released our Quick Hits providing some early impressions of the players at the event. Then we looked at the top statistical performers in our statistical analysis. Today we break down the catchers from Inland Empire Future Games Trials.

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Scouting Report

Five-foot-8, 160-pounds. Medium frame with a strong, athletic build with room to add strength to his solid base. Strength is noticeable in lower half. Uses his legs well within the swing to put him in a position to make hard contact. Shows feel for the barrel which he keeps on plane and manipulates through the hitting zone when necessary. Shows some present pullside pop with a middle-left approach. Hands are quick while barrel is short to the ball on a consistent path. Behind the dish Gereck is presently am average receiver with a compact set up and average footwork. Arm and exchanges are quick. Throws were on the bag in the 2.06-2.10 range. Arm shows some loose whippyness through release which may profile well on the mound in the future.

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Scouting Report

Six-foot-1, 215-pounds, Bigger body that has strength throughout. Uses that strength to produce average-to-above bat speed at the plate. Showcased solid power and the ability to make loud contact by driving balls to all fields often hitting the fence on the fly and going over it once. Can get pull happy but shows present power to all fields. Athletic actions behind the plate. Catch and throw was quick and efficient without a lot of wasted movements. Popped in the 2.05-2.21 range. Showed quality blocking skills in bullpens with good instincts and reactions to balls in dirt.

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Scouting Report

Six-foot-2, 175-pounds. Long, lean, athletic, twitchy strong frame. Great frame for age that has plenty of room left to grow overall, particularly with upper half strength. Very Good hips; is bouncy behind the plate with an offset set up and lots of energy. Quick catch-and-throw with clean exchanges; arm strength is fair-to-average which should improve with continued physical maturation. Arm was accurate to all bags during workout portion. At the plate he shows a gap-to-gap approach with foundational swing mechanics that will improve with time/increased bodily awareness/strength. Starts slightly open using a toe-tap trigger before driving back hip/hands into the ball. Made a fair amount of barrel contact but presently profiles a hitter for average.

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Scouting Report

Five-foot-10, 170-pounds. The rising sophomore showed good actions behind the plate where blocked well during bullpens and was an average to slightly above receiver. During the workout session he showed - with the exception of one throw that slipped - a strong, accurate arm that popped 1.98-2.13 on the bag. He’s an athletic catcher who also plays third base. Starts from a deep crouch before adjusting his stance according to the pitcher's delivery. He’s showed to be very in-sync with the pitchers he caught. With the bat he shows a slightly open stance and an active load that produces consistent bat speed. Gap-to-gap guy who looks to elevate the ball off the barrel.

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Scouting Report

Six-foot-2, 185-pounds, solid frame with room for upper half growth. Lower half has present strength. At the plate starts with a slightly open base before using a slight leg lift trigger. Right handed hitter that gets into his legs well, finds barrels frequently, and has a very efficient swing. There’s present power through extension. Drop hands into launch position and maintains barrel on-plane through the zone for the duration of his swing. He shows to be a quality receiver behind the plate with soft hands, a strong base with athletic movements. Drops and recovers quickly and is ready to throw when reaching his feet. Arm is a standout tool presently popping in the 1.90-2.12 range with accuracy to the bag.

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Scouting Report

6-foot-2, 185-pounds, large frame with strength in lower half while upper half has room for continued development. Strong, durable build with some flexibility in his actions. Shows a gap-to-gap approach from the left side with flashes of gap power. Hands are quick-to-fast with hints of present bat speed. When timing is on, contact is loud. Some moving parts in the lower half in the swing. The Low hands create lift which should turn into legit power when the 6’2 frame is finished developing. Quality receiver behind the dish with good hip mobility and awareness. Moves and reacts well to pitches outside of this receiving area while demonstrating soft hands with clean transfers. Arm was accurate with pop times in the 2.09-2.19 range.

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Scouting Report

Five-foot-10, 185-pounds. Durable, strong, medium build that is loose behind the plate showing efficient movements and receiving skills. Rocks his body into position before exploding out of crouch and into throws to second base. Showed athletic movements in reacting to balls in dirt and popping out of crouch for bunt play. Arm strength is fair, but accuracy was on point on all throws. At the plate he started with a neautral setup with an even base that allowed him to ride the back hip into the ball. Uses a leg kick as timing and drove the balls into gaps and on a line when the foot was able to get down. On the mound Tallakson flashed a quick-to-fast arm that produced a lot of movement on his pitches, particularly his curveball that he keeps below the hitters knees at 70-71 mph. His changeup is developing but the run on it impressed. It’s almost as though he doesn’t fully trust the pitch yet but there’s feel for it.

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Scouting Report

Fick showed an all-around game that will undoubtedly have coaches taking notice this summer. The 5-foot-11, 175-pound catcher has a strong, compact, durable build that is optimal for the position. Hit tool catches your attention immediately as he stays through the zone very well with consistent and plus barrel contact. Drove balls to the gaps with easy and natural pop. Could integrate his strong lower half a bit more for added power. Registered an 82 mph exit velo off a tee. Hands are quick and barrel is short to the ball while staying in the zone on plane. Defensively he shows a quite setup with soft hands. Catch-and-throw skills are presently average to a tick above. Arm can be a weapon when he uses it. It’s accurate and strong. Footwork was smooth while transitions were quick and clean. Fick has a lot of projection remaining both with the bat and behind the plate.

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Scouting Report

At 6-foot, 160-pounds, Pyle, a two-sport athlete (football), has the type of physical frame ideal for the catching position. Posted a 7.2 laser-timed 60 yard dash before heading into the hitting wheel where he registered a 74 mph exit velocity. His live BP round showed his compact, powerful approach to hitting. Shows present pull side power with the ability to use the middle of the field. Shows good feel for the barrel which he keeps on plane throughout the swing with fast, strong hands. Defensively he shows a quiet setup with the body. Hands are strong and soft. Sticks pitches, often beating them to the spot. Blocks well with inverted V legs and glove closing the gap. Moves well laterally while maintaining shoulders squared to pitcher.

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Scouting Report

Showed why he will be one of the most sought after prospects in his class in SoCal. Two-sport athlete who was a standout middle linebacker on the football team. After posting a 7.06 laser-timed 60, Badawi showed off his explosive bat that drove balls to the gaps consistently while showing off the present pull power. Starts with a quiet load before driving his hands into the ball with excellent use of the lower half and upper body working in unison. Swing is compact with excellent control of the barrel. Defensively he shows a quiet setup with quick feet that move well. Receives with soft hands while providing a large target. Arm is strong and accurate - misses were around the bag - while clocking 2.03-2.13 pop times. Also worked out in the outfield where his two-sport athleticism is really on display. Shows very good footwork and attacks the ball with strong fundamentals. Registered an 83 MPH OF velocity with accurate throws to both third and home.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

SHOWCASE	STATE	DATE	LOCATION
Bay Area Open Showcase	CA	06/26	Laney College
Inland Empire Top Prospect ID	CA	07/23	Santiago High School
Norcal Top Prospect ID	CA	07/24	St. Mary's College
Junior Future Games / Future Games	NATIONAL	07/30	LakePoint
Rising Stars Showcase	CA	09/21	Santiago High School

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