Prep Baseball Report

GHSA Elite 8 Scout Blog: Part 1


Justin Goetz & Kyle Colletta
PBR Georgia Staff

The Georgia Scout Blog provides insider information and scouting notes from the PBR Georgia Scouting Staff during the season. This running blog will feature information on underclass prospects, unsigned seniors, draft prospects, and anything else that is notable. We go the extra mile to provide a wide range of information, including player evaluations, velocities, pop times, home to first times, and more. Simply put, the Georgia Scout Blog is loaded with everything you need to keep tabs on the entire baseball industry in the Peach State …

Carson Kerce SS, 2023, Pope
Georgia Tech Commit. 6-foot, 180 pounds. If you look up “baseball player” in the dictionary, you’ll see a picture of Kerce. Few others have compiled the numbers he has in his HS career. He’s proven himself with a wood bat vs quality arms summer after summer. Although his dead center bomb vs Tift was on a CH, there’s something special about what Carson does to quality FB’s. This statistic will absolutely shock you, as it’s truly one of the most insane things I’ve seen in a GA hitter. Against 88+ mph FB’s in 2022-2023, he is hitting for an AVG of .714!! No that's not a typo, and it proves without a doubt that he’ll be ready to produce as a FR for the Yellow Jackets. His ability to rake against big velocity doesn’t happen without a slew of advanced intangibles - Timing, reaction time, pitch recognition, decision making (quick & accurate processing), and ability to manipulate his swing path to any location. Combine those rare traits with elite swing mechanics and A/AVG bat speed and you’ve got one of the best FB hitters in the country. He’s also one of the most disciplined hitters in the class, only swinging at the 1st pitch when it’s perfect. Being extremely difficult to K, this is the ideal leadoff hitter at the college/pro level who has certified plus speed. As a defender it’s more of the same. Kerce will make every routine play, and make the difficult ones just as often. But even beyond the A/AVG arm and his other stand out tools+intangibles, there is one trait that stands above all others. The clutch gene. He makes the biggest plays on the biggest stages, like his unreal backhand Jeter throw in the State Championship last year. This is a rare breed of baseball player who I believe could truly play any position on the field, and that type of versatility is incredibly valuable at the college/pro level today.

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