By Jeff Markle
Assistant State Director

The Prep Baseball Report’s Preseason All-State Invitational took place on February 28th at Highlands Ranch High School. 93 prospects showed up and strutted their stuff in a pro-style workout. Over the next several days the PBR Scouting staff will roll out position-by-position rankings of the event. The event had a strong showing of catchers on display at the packed house event.

Click Here to view complete statistics from the event in PDF format. 

Best of the Best Catcher Analysis:

Maverick Handley, Mullen High School (2016)
5-foot-10, 210-pound right hand hitting catcher.  Ran a 7.25 60.  Balanced and level at the plate.  Strong lower half through the ball with short extension at contact.  Shows quick hands and turns well on the inside pitch but also has opposite field power.  He had a 92 MPH exit velocity off a tee.  Behind the plate he is as good as it gets in the state of Colorado. Handley is solid on balls in the dirt and showcases a quick transfer and 83 MPH very accurate arm. Also has very quick feet. Plays with a ton of confidence defensively.  Pop-times were 1.76-1.82 off a coach.  

Casey Opitz, Heritage High School (2017)
5-foot-11, 145-pound switch hitting catcher.  Ran a 7.13 60. From the left side he stands open with a short stride to come square.  Level swing path with good extension.  84 MPH exit velocity.  From the right side he is square with a good level path to the ball with same exit velocity.  Behind the plate he shows quick actions on balls in the dirt and soft hand while receiving.  He showcased a 79 mph accurate arm with pop-times of 1.81-190. Also plays shortstop. Will be interesting to see if he signs as a catcher or MIF. Could end up being an "elite" second basemen at the next level, but has D1 catching skills as well.

Tyson Hays, Grandview High School (2017)
5-foot-11, 185-pound right hand hitting catcher.  Ran a 7.31 60.  At the plate he hits from a tall simple approach.  Level bat path with good extension through the zone.  Explodes with his lower half at impact.  He had a 92 MPH exit velocity off a tee.  Behind the plate he is quiet and receives pitches well.  Good transfer actions produced a throw of 79 MPH and pop-times of 1.82-1.89. Hays was at his best throwing on this day. Off a coach it did not appear he was "cheating" on throw downs at all and looked effortless. Every time we see Hays he gets better and better. Was awarded most projectable catcher from event.

Brock Downing, Ralston Valley High School (2017)
6-foot-0, 175-pound right hand hitting catcher.  Ran a 6.97 60.  At the plate he sets up open with a leg kick to bring him square.  Good extension through the zone with an uphill swing path.  He shows good pull power.  He had an 88 MPH exit velocity off the tee.  Behind the plate he showed soft hands and a quick release.  Pop-times were 1.94-2.00 with an accurate 75 MPH arm. This was the first time we have seen Downing. Was the fastest catcher at the event which could translate into other position options later if needed. A player who has been flying under our radar until now.

Kelton McCoy, Bayfield High School (2016)
6-foot-3, 190-pound right hand hitting catcher.  At the plate he stand tall and balanced.  Uses a short stride for timing.  Lower half explodes through the zone and swing path is level with good extension.  Showed good gap to gap power.  He had a 91 MPH exit velocity. Behind the plate he is smooth with quite hands while receiving.  He showcased a 74 MPH arm with pop-times of 1.91-1.98.  On the mound he stands tall with good drive to the plate.  He maxed out at 86 MPH with a smooth arm.  He showcased  a 73 MPH curve with hard 11/5 break and a 76 MPH change that works away from right hand hitters. McCoy could project as a pitcher at the next level. Was awarded most versatile 2016 player from event.

Mason Speirs, Broomfield High School (2017)
5-foot-11, 195-pound right hand hitting catcher.  Ran a 7.84 60.  At the plate he is balanced and open.  High leg kick brings him square.  Good extension through the zone with a powerful lower half.  Showed good gap to gap power with a 90 MPH exit velocity.  Behind the plate he moves well with good actions on balls in the dirt.  He showcased an accurate 78 MPH arm with pop-times of 183-1.92.  On the mound he is brings a physicality to the plate to the plate and lands straight in line.  Fastball is heavy at 83 MPH and curveball was 67 with 11/5 break.  He finished his showcase with a 77 MPH change with good downward movement. Was awarded most versatile 2017 player from event.

Best of the Rest: (Listed Alphabetically) 

TJ Barnes, Chatfield High School (2017)
6-foot-0, 170-pound right hand hitting catcher.  Ran a 7.08 60.  At the plate he starts open with a high leg kick to come square.  Level swing path with gap to gap power.  He had an 83 MPH exit velocity.  Behind the plate he had a 74 MPH arm with accuracy and pop-times of 2.07-2.10.  On the mound he is tall on his delivery and throws across his body.  Throws from a high ¾ arm slot and featured a 78 MPH fastball.  Curveball was 66 with 11/5 break.

Zach Bosler, Doherty High School (2017)
5-foot-8, 165-pound let hand hitting catcher.  Ran a 6.97 60. One of the fastest times of the day. At the plate he has a balanced, open stance with a slight leg kick.  Good balance and extension through the ball. He had an 81 MPH exit velocity.  Behind the plate he is quiet and blocks well.  Pop-times of 2.18-2.20 with a 64 MPH arm with some accuracy. 

Richard Edwards, Fort Collins High School (2016)
6-foot-1, 190-pound right hand hitting catcher.  Hits from an open stance with a high leg kick to become square.  Slight uphill swing path with good extension through the zone.  Showed good pull power.  He had an 84 MPH exit velocity.  Behind the plate he is quiet and receives well.  He showed an accurate 76 MPH arm with pop-times of 1.90-2.01. Ran well for a catcher with a 7.11 60 time. Edwards is a solid 2016 catcher with some tools to help someone at next level.

Cole Farmer, Brighton High School (2016)
5-foot-11, 190-pound right hand hitting catcher.  Ran a 7.78 60.  Hits from an open stance with a high leg kick to bring him square.  Has a smooth load  and good extension through the zone.  He had a 90 MPH exit velocity, one of the top exit velos for catchers at the event.  Behind the plate he showed quick actions on balls in the dirt.  He showcased a 74 MPH arm with pop-times of 1.99-2.06. 

Jake Kleszczynski, Mountain Range High School (2017)
5-foot-10, 155-pound right hand hitting catcher.  Ran a 7.65 60.  At the plate, stance is balanced with a slight crouch.  Toe taps for timing and good extension through the ball.  Line drive swing produced an exit velocity of 81 MPH.  Behind the plate he moves well on pitches in the dirt and showed a quick release on throws.  He had pop-times of 1.90-1.98 with a 74 MPH arm.

Casey O’Neil, Lakewood High School (2017)
5-foot-10, 170-pound right hand  hitting catcher.  Ran a 7.86 60.  At the plate he is tall with a smooth load and long stride.  Good balance with a level swing path that produced line drives in the gaps with solid contact.  Behind the plate he blocks well and depends on a quick release.  He showcased a 74 MPH arm with accuracy and pop-times of 2.04-2.10. 

Conner Smith, Strausburg High School (2017)
6-foot-2, 175-pound right hand hitting catcher.  Starts in a crouched stance with a smooth load on the pitch.  Showed good power on the inside pitch and long extension through the zone.  He had an 81 MPH exit velocity.  Behind the plate he blocks well and has soft hands for receiving.  He showcased a 73 MPH arm with some accuracy.  Pop-times were 2.17-2.26.

Kaven Sook, Discovery Canyon High School (2017)
6-foot-1, 175-pound right hand hitting catcher.  Ran a 7.39 60.  At the plate he starts open with a leg kick to load on the backside.  Good extension through the zone and showed good power to the left center gap.  He had an 88 MPH exit velocity.  Behind the plate he moves well on pitches in the dirt.  Show good hands on the transfer and showcased a 67 MPH arm.  Pop-times were 2.26-2.30. 

John Stang, Grandview High School (2017)
5-foot-11, 180-pound right hand hitting catcher.  Ran a 7.92 60.  At the plate he is balanced and loads back on the pitch.  Swing path is level with good extension through the zone.  Showed good gap to gap power with an 81 MPH exit velocity.  Behind the plate he showed good actions and soft hands for receiving.  Pop-times were 2.30-2.35 with a 61 MPH arm. 

Dylan Van Sky, Thomas Jefferson High School (2017)
5-foot-10, 150-pound right hand hitting catcher.  Ran a solid 7.02 60 which was the 2nd fastest catcher time at the event. At the plate, stance is slightly open and crouched.  He showed pull tendencies during the live round and had an exit velocity of 83 MPH.  Behind the plate he showcased a 70 MPH arm with accuracy to the bag.  Pop-times were 2.10-2.17.  He moves well on balls in the dirt and displayed soft hands when receiving.

 

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