Prep Baseball Report

Central Florida Play Hard Showcase: Infield Analysis



By Rob Sidwell
Florida Scouting Director

Orlando, FL—We continue our positional analysis of the Central Florida Play Hard Showcase with the breakdown of infielders. The infielders were led by 2016 Arkansas-Little Rock recruit Paul Benitez (Lake Nona HS, FL), who was probably the most athletic player at the showcase. He led the 60 times with a 6.76. 2016 3B Derek Garcia (Osceola HS, FL) showed decent infield actions and is more suited for a corner infield position, but he led the showcase with a 93 mph exit bat speed velocity.

Here is the rest of the infield crew, in alphabetical order.

Paul Benitez, OF/SS, Lake Nona HS, FL (2016)
Arkansas-Little Rock recruit. 6 feet, 180 pounds with a strong, athletic and live body. Good infield actions with quick, light feet and good body control. Has quick, soft hands with good carry on throws. Short, quick release. Plenty of arm to stay at shortstop. Athletic enough to play anywhere in the infield or outfield. Relaxed at the plate and gets a small separation for his load. Short, quick swing and he would have more power if he used more lower half. He possesses good bat speed and consistently drives the ball to both gaps. Ran a 6.76 60. 84 mph exit velocity. Threw 87 mph from the outfield and 85 mph from the infield.

Patrick Cheuvront, SS/2B, Freedom HS, FL (2018)
6-foot, 150-pound middle infielder with a loose, lean, athletic, projectable and young frame. Loose infield actions with soft hands. Light on his feet. Fields through the ball. More of a second baseman’s arm right now, but that will improve with physical maturity. At the plate he gets a separation for his load and a small leg kick for his stride. He has a nice swing plane, stays inside the ball well, and hits line drives to all fields. Ran an 8.19 60. 74 mph exit bat speed velocity. 69 mph infield velocity.

Daniel Coca, 3B/OF, Fort Meade HS, FL (2018)
6-foot-1, 151-pound 3B/OF with a tall, loose, lean and projectable body. Showed good infield actions with solid mechanics and good hands. Sits back on balls and fields a little too deep in stance. Throws have some carry, but winds up to throw. Ran a 7.44 60. Threw 76 mph from the outfield and 71 mph from the infield. 80 mph exit velocity.

William Coca, OF/1B, Fort Meade HS, FL (2017)
6-foot, 167-pound OF/1B with a loose body with wide hips and shoulders. Loose, easy infield actions with soft hands. Light on his feet. Shorter, quicker arm in the infield. Plenty of arm to turn the double play. Fluid infield mechanics. At the plate he has a good base and nice bat path. He has good hitters' hands and stays inside the ball well. Hits line drives to all fields and has an approach/swing similar to Melky Cabrera. Ran a 7.65 60. Threw 73 mph from the outfield. Threw 69 mph from the infield. 84 mph exit velocity.

Kyle Colborne, 2B/OF, Seminole HS, FL (2017)
5-foot-7, 115-pound 2B/OF with a lean, loose, athletic, young and projectable body. Loose, easy infield actions with fluid mechanics and soft hands. Arm is more of a second baseman’s arm right now, but will improve with physical maturity. Light on his feet with a quick first step. Has good infield instincts. Offensively he gets a nice separation for his load, has a good path through the zone, and has a short, quick swing. He possesses an easy swing and hits consistent line drives to all fields. Body lacks overall strength and overall game will improve with physical maturity. Ran a 7.8 60. 70 mph exit velocity. Threw 68 mph from the outfield and 67 mph from the infield.

Cameron Cooper, 3B/RHP, Bloomingdale HS, FL (2018)
6-foot, 180-pound 3B/RHP with a young, thick body. Good infield actions with soft hands and an easy working arm with carry. Plenty of arm for left side of infield. Feet are a bit heavy and lacks range. That will improve with physical conditioning. Limited to a corner infield position. Overall game will improve with physical conditioning. At the plate he has a flat swing and stays inside the ball well. Sometimes he can pull off the ball too early, but for the most part he stays on the ball and hits line drives to all fields. Threw 74 mph from the infield. 81 mph exit velocity.

Justin Diaz, RHP/3B, Stoneman Douglas HS, FL (2019)
5-foot-8, 155-pound RHP/3B with a blocky, young body and a wide back. Good infield mechanics. Decent hands and feet. Lacks range. Fields a little flat footed but fields ball out front. Limited to a corner infield position. Loose, easy arm with carry. Has enough to play on left side of infield. At the plate he is relaxed and has good rhythm. He possesses good, loose hitters' hands and a nice swing plane. He has a sound approach and hits hard line drives to all fields. Ran a 8.25 60. 74 mph exit velocity. Threw 70 mph from the infield.

Derek Garcia, OF/3B, Osceola HS, FL (2016)
6-foot-1, 195-pound OF/3B with a thick, blocky and strong body. Also has limited range in the infield and is limited to a corner infield position. Plays infield a bit erect and flat-footed. Let’s ball get a bit too deep as well, but has plenty of arm to play third base. Good carry on throws. At the plate, he has good rhythm, gets a separation for his load and has a leg kick for his stride. The ball jumps off his bat and he would have even more power if he worked on his weight transfer by firing his backside forward. Has length in swing with a good bat path. He still shows good pop and possesses pull-side power. Ran a 7.32 60. Threw 81 mph from the infield and 84 mph from the outfield. 93 mph exit velocity.

Jacob Jacome, C/2B, The First Academy, FL (2017)
5-foot-8, 140-pound C/2B with a lean, loose, athletic and projectable body. Good infield actions with soft hands. Light on his feet with a good first step. Occasionally sits back on balls and gets a bit flat-footed. Loose, easy arm with good carry. Can play any infield position. Arm will continue to get better and is solid major league average now. At the plate he gets a good separation for his load and has a nice swing plane through the zone. He possesses a short, quick swing and hits line drives to all fields. He has wiry strength and the ball comes off his bat well for his size. Can play anywhere on the field. Overall game will continue to improve with physical maturity. Ran a 7.25 60. Threw 80 mph from the infield. 82 mph exit velocity.

Joshua Joseph, OF/SS, Lake Mary HS, FL (2017)
Uncommitted. 6-foot, 150-pound OF/SS with a lean, loose, athletic and projectable body. Loose easy infield actions with solid hands. Fields ball out front and comes through ball. Is light on his feet. Hands and feet work well together. Very athletic body with a high ceiling. At the plate he has an upright stance, gets a good separation for his load, and has a nice swing plane through the zone with some loft. Hits the ball to all fields, uses his lower half well, and has gets good leverage in his swing. Will have future power. Overall game will improve with physical maturity. Ran a 7.19 60. Threw 74 mph from the outfield and the infield. 82 mph exit velocity.

Isa Mamudoski, 3B/OF, Timber Creek HS, FL (2017)
5-foot-11, 160-pound 3B/OF with an athletic and projectable body. Fluid infield actions with good hands. Occasionally fields ball flat-footed. Short, quick arm. Enough for left side of infield. Lacks ideal range for middle infield. More of a corner infielder. Offensively he has an easy, short and quick swing with a nice path through the zone. He hits consistent line drives as well. Ran a 7.5 60. Threw 73 mph from the infield and 74 mph from the outfield. 81 mph exit velocity.

Allen Morales, OF/3B, Timber Creek HS, FL (2017)
5-foot-9, 160-pound OF/3B with a thick, stocky, strong and young body. Loose, fluid infield actions with good hands and light on his feet. Occasionally gets a bit flat-footed and fields ball deep in stance. Offensively, he has a good base in his stance, a short and quick swing, and a flat path through the zone. He needs to work on using more lower half, but he stays inside the ball well and hits consistent line drives. Ran a 7.52 60. Threw 74 mph from outfield and 71 mph from infield. 70 mph exit velocity.

Reynaldo Orellana, 3B/1B, Hagerty HS, FL (2016)
5-foot-11, 180-pound 3B/1B with a thick body with strength in lower half. Lacks ideal range for middle infield. Limited to a corner infield position. More suited for first base. Has decent hands with below-average reactions. Fields flat-footed and fields ball deep in stance. Has a loose arm with some carry and a short arm slot. Offensively he possesses a short, quick swing and a good path through the zone. He can sometimes cut his swing off too early, but for the most part he hits line drives with great backspin that allow his balls to carry. Threw 74 mph from the infield. 81 mph exit velocity.

Jose Rosario, SS/3B, Colonial HS, FL (2017)
5-foot-9, 170-pound infielder with a strong, athletic body. Athletic infield actions with quick soft hands. Occasionally fields ball deep in stance. Some carry on throws, but throws from a low- 3/4 arm slot and gets tailing action. Good body control. Light on his feet. At the plate he gets a small separation for his load, has a nice swing plane, and stays inside the ball well. He has some loft in his swing and drives the ball to all fields. Ran a 7.63 60. Threw 75 mph from the infield. 84 mph exit velocity.

Joey Stancombe, 3B/C/RHP, Lake Gibson HS, FL (2018)
5-foot-11, 180-pound 3B/C/RHP with a blocky, strong and young body. Infield actions are a bit flat-footed and legs are a bit heavy. Some softness in hands but fields ball a little deep in stance. Throws have some carry across the diamond. At the plate he gets a nice separation for his load and has a good bat path through the zone. He gets good leverage in his swing and hits consistent line drives that carry. Threw 71 mph from the infield and 73 mph from behind the plate. 83 mph exit velocity.

Jeremiah Wilkins, 1B, Timber Creek HS, FL (2016)
5-foot-11, 200-pound first baseman with a thick, strong body. Decent first baseman’s actions with good hands and heavy feet. Good body control for a big guy. Loose arm with some carry. At the plate he is quiet, relaxed, and gets a separation for his load. He has a nice swing plane through the zone, hits consistent line drives, and the ball jumps off his bat. Shows power to both gaps. Ran an 8.0 60. Threw 74 mph in the infield. 86 mph exit velocity.

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