Prep Baseball Report

Top Prospect ID Scouting Reports: Catchers


PBR CA Scouting Staff

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ORANGE, CALIF. - The annual Top Prospect ID showcase came through SoCal with a stop at spacious and scenic Hart Park in Orange, home of the 2019 DIII National Champion Chapman Panthers and Orange Lutheran baseball teams. For many players it was a return to update their profile metrics while vying for invitations to fall games events, while for others it was an introduction to what PBR California is all about, which of course is baseball. 

With so many talented players on hand it was a great day of showcase baseball. With TrackMan and Blast Motion data having been released, it's time to take a look at traditional scouting reports for Top Prospect Catchers.

CLICK HERE FOR SORTABLE PLAYER STATISTICS INCLUDING TRACKMAN AND BLAST MOTION DATA

Catchers

Aiden Avichouser, Servite (CA), 2022
Positional Profile: C
Body: 5-9, 175-pounds. Strong and compact frame. Utility position player type feel. Present strength with room for more.
Hit: RHH. Relaxed feel, comfortable in the box, loose hands. Quick inside-out swing path produced line drives pole-to-pole.  Blast Motion scores of 50/43/69 show a productive swing with high projection thanks to an above-average rotation score showing that he can utilize his bat speed and make later decisions on pitches, helping project his swing at the next level.
Power: 89.00 max exit velocity
Arm: RH. C - 73.00 mph. Classic catcher's arm swing and path; staying close to his ear and keeping the swing as short as possible. Velocity gains needed to make the next jump.
Defense: 2.08-2.21 pop times. Showed good feel and comfort behind the dish. Arm velocity needed to shorten pop time but popped average times behind the dish. Handled pitchers bullpens well, exuding confidence towards his pitchers.
Run: 7.45 runner in the 60.

 

 

Nicholas Lopez, Mater Dei  (CA), 2024
Positional Profile: C/OF
Body: 5-9, 140-pounds. Slight build with room for more. Positional versatility seen in build.
Hit: RHH. Proportioned setup, simple step and load into hitting position. Some inside-out to his swing. Light liners to both sides of the field.  Blast Motion scores of 56/58/43 show a developing swing headed in the right direction. No glaring holes and a good ability to get on plane and connect as his highlighting skills.
Power: 78.00 max exit velocity
Arm: RH. C - 67.00 mph. Arm strength lacking. Must develop to stay behind the dish.
Defense: 2.11-2.32 pop times. Showed some nimbleness behind the dish. Strength will help his catchability. Able to block and get in a good position to throw.
Run: 7.71 runner in the 60.

Marcus Rivera, Moreau Catholic  (CA), 2022
Positional Profile: C/1B
Body: 5-10, 225-pounds. Strong, imposing catchers build. Powerful lower half.
Hit: RHH. Tall setup, feet a bit more than shoulder-width apart, hands held high. Has a high leg kick, and gathers well onto his backside.  Has a whippy barrel, with a top hand release. Catches the ball out in front and generates a lot of backspin.
Power: 92.00 max exit velocity
Arm: RH. C - 71.00 mph. Short, compact arm action. Consistent accurate throws. Arm strength must continue to improve in order to throw out base stealers at the next level.
Defense: 2.21-2.32 pop times. Catches on one knee to help stay as low as he can. Sticks pitches well. Does a good job of presenting the low ball.
Run: 7.91 runner in the 60.

Tyler Brazil, Cathedral Catholic (CA), 2024
Positional Profile: C/3B
Body: 6-0, 187-pounds. Athletic sturdy frame with a strong base, shoulders have room for growth
Hit: SH. Setup is similar on both sides. Feet are square and slightly more than shoulder width apart. His leg kick is small and triggers the hands to push down into a loaded position, creating a bit of bat tilt.  Had quick twitchy hands with an average bat speed of 20 mph and a slightly above average on plane efficiency of 57%.
Power: 86.00 max exit velocity
Arm: RH. C - 75.00 mph. INF - 80.00 mph. Short quick arm action behind the plate and in the IF. Real consistent accuracy from both positions. Arm strength can stick at catcher.
Defense: 2.02-2.09 pop times. Relaxed receiver of the baseball. Starts target low and works its way up into the zone. Most consistent pop times of the day. Gained good ground towards 2B on throw downs.
Run: 7.75 runner in the 60.

Matthew Leyva, Walnut  (CA), 2022
Positional Profile: C/OF
Body: 6-0, 220-pounds. Sturdier catcher's build. Filled out throughout but can add some athleticism.
Hit: RHH. Is upright with his upper body with loose rhythmic hands in stance. Slow peel of the front leg for a small leg lift trigger that also gets him into a minimal negative move. Bat works up and more vertical when getting into footstrike. More direct to the ball as the bat enters the zone. Hands stayed tight to his body. Post impact results were more pullside oriented with top spin. 
Power: 94.00 max exit velocity Blast metric of Bat speed average of 70.28 and max at 72.8 show a decent power floor with room to grow with an increase in rotational acceleration. BP session showed some pullside double power.
Arm: RH. C - 77.00 mph. 2/5 accurate throwdowns. Decent arm strength but opened up the front side a bit early which had throws sail on him a bit.
Defense: 2.09-2.19 pop times. Good footwork on throwdowns. Showed decent receiving skills with his softer hands during bullpens. Got low to the ball and showed the ability to frame lower pitches.
Run: 7.99 runner in the 60.

UPCOMING EVENTS

SHOWCASE STATE DATE LOCATION
California State Games (INVITE ONLY) CA 07/16 Islanders Field
2021 PBR Future Games (California Invite) CA 07/28 LakePoint Sports
PBR Junior Future Games NATIONAL 07/28 LakePoint Sports
PBR West Coast Games (California Invite) CA 08/13 UNLV & College of Southern Nevada
Northern California Academic Games CA 10/16 Menlo College


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