Prep Baseball Report

North Florida Open Breakdown



By Doug Freeman
Florida Scouting Director

Gainesville, FL- The North Florida Open consisted of players taking part in a pro-style workout and bullpens to receive their evaluations. From this 10 players received an invitation to the Preseason All-State Games.

Below we look at the write-ups of all the players in attendance:

Michael Bacica, RHP/OF, Windermere Prep, FL. (2018)
Strong and lanky 6-foot-4, 185-pound pitcher's frame. Has broad shoulders with long arms and a high waist. Delivery has a little funkiness to it. Throws slightly across his body and fastball has some natural cut at 87-88mph. Stays balanced throughout delivery and repeats his pitching motion well. Arm is loose and shows some quickness. Looks to be a guy that adds a few mph on fastball when his body fills out and fully matures. Throws a spiked curve at 71-72 mph that was inconsistent but had the signs of becoming an average to above average pitch. Tendency to get under his offspeed pitches with both the curve and circle change. Change sat  71-72 mph, a good differential between fastball and change, but did not show much arm side fade. Guy to follow

Luke Baker, LHP, Buchholz, FL. (2020)
The 6-foot-3 174-pounder, he has the frame that scouts look for in a pitcher. Will continue to get stronger and may not be done growing yet. Has a very easy pitching motion, fastball ranges from 77-80 mph. A jump in velocity likely to happen soon. Showcased a feel for the zone with fastball, off speed was a little erratic. Curveball sat 65-66 with small 1-7 break, backed up at times. Changeup 68-69 mph has the makings of a good pitch when thrown with better arm speed. High ceiling left

Tony Becker, RHP, Creekside HS, FL. (2018)
6-foot-4, 195-pound RHP with a high waist and large feet that appear to take up the entire rubber. Looks like he could easily gain muscle and fill out his lanky frame. Long arm circle in the back, throws from a ¾ slot. A little rotational with the upper half, but in sync with the lower half. Delivery creates some deception with a high leg kick, moving body parts and a quick arm. Fastball sits in the 87-88 mph range while the changeup was clocked at 79-80 mph, both pitches coming out of the same window with good armspeed. Slider was 75-77 mph and had smaller, but late downward break.

Hunter Corbett, C/1B, DeLand HS, FL. (2018)
The 6-foot-3, 165 pound right handed hitter catcher is very athletic and projectable. He has a high waisted frame that will continue to fill out. The right handed hitter has a feel for the barrel with good hand-eye. The path can get a little steep and still does not utilize his lower half, but as he continues to learn how to use the lower half and the path levels out he should show average to above average power. Defensively, he is athletic and flexile for his size. He both moves well laterally as well as showing the ability to sink in his hips and show a quality low target. He also showed a very clean, quick, simple transfer with a strong arm resulting in a 2.0 pop time. He will be one to follow going forward.

Caden Cox, RHP/SS, Union County HS, FL. (2018)
The 6-foot-2, 165 pound RHP/SS has an athletic frame. The right handed hitter drops his hands in his load and makes for a steep, uphill path and length in the swing. The resulted in an exit velocity of 81 mph. There is potential, but will need to clean up the load and the path through the zone. Defensively at short, he has long strides with some choppy footwork with solid hands with a velocity across the diamond at 75 mph. On the mound the right handed pitcher shows a short arm action from a good frame. There is a short stride and produces a fastball that ranged from 73-75 mph and a curveball from 63-64 mph and a changeup from 69-70 mph.

Ethan Dage, OF/3B, Trinity Christian Academy, FL. (2019)
The 5-foot-11, 175 pound OF/3B is athletic and projectable.The right handed hitter has a medium leg kick trigger with good rhythm in his setup and timing pre-swing. He shows above average bat speed for his class and a feel for the barrel which resulted in an exit velocity of 86 mph. When he learns how to fully clear his hips in his swing he will have a chance to make a jump in power as he continues to fill out. Defensively, he showed an average arm from the outfield and an average first step with good hands and enough arm to project to stay at third base. Will be an interesting follow going forward.

Jared Dole, RHP/2B, Manatee HS, FL. (2018)don
5-foot-9, 150-pound RHP/2B with a quick arm and some run to the fastball. Fastball came out of the hand well at 84-85 mph. Mechanics were smooth and repeatable, allowing him to stay on line and keep his head quiet. Generated velocity by using all of his smaller frame effectively and getting down the mound creating good extension out front. The change up sat in the 76-77 mph range with good fade and arm speed. Smaller cutter like slider at 79-80 mph. Offensively, the right handed hitter showed a very aggressive approach while showing the ability to still stay under control. With a medium leg kick trigger, he has good rhythm with a level swing and above average bat speed. Defensively, his hands work well out in front of his body with a strong arm, but needs to improve the first step quickness. Will be an interesting two-way talent to follow.

Mitch Donofrio, SS/3B, Venice HS, FL. (2018)
FAU recruit. The 5-foot-11, 170-pound SS/3B has a strong and stocky frame. Offensively, the right handed hitter has a bit of a hitch in his load dropping his hands in his trigger. Even with this he is able to create a quality path through the zone generating above average bat speed and present pull power with more to come. There is a lot of movement in the swing, but there is present feel for the barrel and above average power especially for his size that makes him very interesting. Defensively, he showed somewhat stiff actions, but the hands worked well out in front of his body with a solid arm. He may need to slide to second or the outfield at the next level, but the bat should play.

Trey Fatzinger, 3B/RHP, Steinbrenner HS, FL. (2018)
The 6-foot-2, 225-pound 3B/RHP has a big frame and some present strength. Offensively, the right handed hitter while a bit long, the swing showed some strength. This generated an exit velocity of 91 mph. Defensively, he showed average actions and hand, but will need to improve the foot quickness. On the mound, he showed a good pace in his actions in the pen. With a long and somewhat stiff arm actions with a fastball that ranged from 77-78 mph and a 63-64 mph curveball. He also showed a feel for a knuckleball at 66-67 mph that showed very little, to no spin with some potential.

Zachary Hardee, OF/2B, Trenton HS, FL (2019)
The 5-foot-10, 135-pound OF/2B has a frame that has a lot of room to fill out. The right handed hitter has a small load and level path through the zone. This should generate some gap-to-gap, line drive power as he continues to fill out. From the outfield, he comes through the ball well and topped out at 59 mph.

McGwire Holbrook, C/RHP, Bishop Moore HS, FL. (2020)
5-foot-10, 180-pounder has a stocky frame with a thick lower half. The right handed hitter has good rhythm in his setup with a strong, balanced lower half in his swing. He is able to clear his lower half creating a good path through the zone. He has a feel for the barrel and some present power for his class with more to come. Defensively, he has good hands, but will need to continue to improve flexibility in his setup. He also has a somewhat long transfer, but has a strong arm resulting in his best pop time of 2.27. On the mound, the righty has a quick delivery with a long arm action and big circle in the back. Some effort in delivery. Fastball ranged from 74-77 mph while the change up was clocked at 63-64 mph. Slowed down arm speed on the change and tended to deliver the CB with a lower elbow not allowing him to get on top of the pitch. The curve ball was clocked at 60-61 mph. Very interesting young prospect, especially offensively.

Raymond LaFleur III, LHP/OF, J M Tate HS, FL. (2019)
Very high ceiling for the 6-foot-2, 175-pound LHP/OF. The left handed hitter has everything scouts and coaches look for in potential power left handed bat and corner outfielder. He has a calm and confident setup with good rhythm. He has a simple load and stays on time. He sometimes hits off of a weak front side, but the bat stays in the zone a long time and the ball jumps off of the bat. As he continues to fill out and learns how to really use his lower half, there should be some plus power potential. On the mound showcased a very easy and fluid motion. Has little to no effort in delivery. Arm works very well out front creating good extension and above average command for class. Upper and lower half worked in sync. Fastball sat 81-82 and projects to climb soon. Offspeed is behind the fastball, but projects to be above average given the athleticism and repeatability of delivery. Change up 74-77 mph, CB 67-70 mph. Very interesting two-way prospect, but may be one of the better left handed bats in the 2019 class.

Kyle McCole, RHP/OF, Interlachen HS, FL. (2017)
6-foot-1, 175-pound proportionate frame. Higher ¾ arm slot, stayed closed well with front shoulder. Fastball sat 77-80 mph, was able to move fastball around the plate well. Change up 70-71mph and breaking ball 64-65 mph. Lacked bite and command with offspeed Offensively, the right handed hitter shows some bat speed and pull power, but tends to come out of his legs during his swing. There is some length which may cause an issue with velocity in game action. He shows some athleticism in the outfield topping out at 74 mph.

Tyler McKay, C/1B, Nease HS, FL. (2018)
The 6-foot-1, 200-pound C/1B is physically mature with a strong and stocky frame. The right handed hitter showed a simple setup with no load in his trigger. He uses his strong lower half well generating some bat speed with an exit velocity of 84 mph. Defensively, he shows some stiffness behind the plate and will need to continue to improve on his flexibility. He has a very clean and simple transfer with an average arm and a best pop time at 2.19.

Tanner Mink, 3B/RHP, Palm Harbor University HS, FL. (2019)
The 5-foot-11,165-pound 3B/RHP has an athletic and high-waisted frame. Offensively, the right handed hitter has a slight arm-bar in his load which tends to create some length in his swing. Even though he has some length, he shows both the athleticism and quality hands to find the barrel and work line drives from gap to gap. In the infield, he showed solid actions with good hands and enough arm to stay at third. On the mound, the righty shows a short and quick arm action from a crossfire delivery. The fastball worked from 73-76 mph. He showed some feel for the offspeed with a 66-67 mph curveball and a 69-70 mph changeup.

Hunter Mink, RHP/OF, Palm Harbor University HS, FL. (2019)
The athletic and high-waisted 6-foot, 180-pound RHP/OF has a lot of potential. On the mound, he is athletic and throws from a ¾ slot with life on a fastball that ranges from 84-85 mph with much more to come. He also showed a feel for his secondary pitches with a tight slider from 69-70 and a changeup with quality fading action at 78-80 mph. Offensively, the right handed hitter drops his hands in his load and can get long at times. There is some bat speed and potential, but will have to become consistently shorter to the ball. Defensively, he shows average actions in the outfield. The big potential comes on the mound where there is a lot of upside with present feel for three pitches.

Austin Morton, SS/RHP, Fleming Island HS, FL. (2017)
5-foot-11, 160-pounder throws with a crossfire delivery. Rotational with the upper half, struggles to get to the outer half of the plate consistently. Compact mechanics, pretty easy delivery.  Fastball 77-78 mph, changeup 72-73 mph and the curveball was clocked at 71-72 mph with some good downward tilt. Offensively, the right handed hitter has an aggressive approach with some bat speed generating an exit velocity of 84 mph. Defensively, he he showed quality footwork while working under control to the ball with a short arm action and average hands.

Joshua Paige, 3B/1B, Sarasota HS, FL. (2017)
The 6-foot, 190-pound 3B/1B has a strong lower half. Offensively, the right handed hitter has good rhythm in the in his setup and trigger to stay on time. With a strong and balanced lower half, he clears his hips well allowing him to have a short and direct path to the ball creating consistent barrel contact with gap-to-gap power. This also generated an exit velocity of 91 mph. Defensively, he shows good footwork for third with soft hands while working under control. He also showed a strong enough arm to stay at third.

Parker Seay, LHP, Williston HS, FL. (2019)
6-foot, 150-pound pitcher threw from a low slot with a loose wrist and whippy arm. Repeated his delivery well, maintained balance throughout. Showed a good tempo and timing. Fastball 74-75 mph with occasional arm side run. Slider 64-65 mph with some good spin, could develop into a solid out pitch when he stays on top of it. Changeup was 70-71 mph, tended to get under the pitch and miss arm side. Pitchability lefty with solid command   

Joseph Strong, RHP/3B, Gainesville HS, FL. (2018)
The stocky 5-foot-10, 195 pound RHP/3B shows solid two-way potential. Offensively, with a minimal load and small leg kick trigger he generates above average bat speed with a strong lower half. This generated some gap-to-gap power with an exit velocity of 86 mph. Little stiff on the mound, did repeat his delivery well. Arm speed was good, fastball ranged from 77-80 mph. Ball seemed to have good carry out of the hand, possible that more velocity is coming. Changeup was 73-74 mph with good fade and delivered from the same fastball window. Curveball 70-71 mph is currently an average pitch.

Zachary Sutter, OF, TNXL Academy, FL. (2018)
The 6-foot-1, 160-pound OF/RHP has an athletic, projectable frame. The right handed hitter hits with no load and stays short and direct to the ball. There is some steepness at times and could benefit from more use of the lower half. From the outfield, he came through the ball well topping out at 82 mph from the outfield.

Alex Thomas, C, Charter School, FL. (2018)
The 6-foot-3, 170-pound C/RHP has a good frame. The right handed hitter did not get much use out of the lower half and a steep path through the zone generating an exit velocity of 76 mph. Defensively, he come out out the crouch very early, standing up and uses a long arm action which results in his best pop time being a 2.52. He will need to fill out and use his lower half while leveling the swing as well as improve footwork and arm strength defensively.

Brandon Cruz, 1B/RHP, Monsignor Pace HS, FL. (2017)
The 6-foot-5, 215-pound 1B/RHP is big and strong. Offensively, the right handed hitter shows a very early load that disrupts his timing at times. He hits off a weak front side, but his strength still generates bat speed with some pull pop even with some length in the swing. On the mound, the right hander shows a strong arm, but does not get down the mound and has a short stride. With a short arm action he generates a fastball from 81-83 mph that seems heavy at times. He also showed a 79-80 mph curveball and a 77-78 mph slider.

Jonathon Montes, RHP/OF, Windermere Prep, FL. (2017)
5-foot-11, 150-pound RHP/OF has a smaller, athletic frame. Has a sidearm delivery that creates a lot of run on his 75-77 mph fastball. Starts out of the stretch and seems to be an easy and repeatable pitching motion for him. Looks to be a very tough matchup vs right handed hitters as he steps almost at opposing batters. Did mix in an over the top delivery to go along with the sidearm delivery. Slider ranged from 72-73 mph which he had trouble throwing for a strike. Needs to be able to command the slider better away from RHH and get a bit more bite out of the pitch.