Louisiana Preseason I.D: Outfielder Analysis

Bryce Babin SS / 3B / Chalmette , LA / 2022

Crawford Courville OF / OF / Barbe, LA / 2022

Physical and athletic 6’2” 180 lbs. frame with room to add strength.  Really good athlete that posted a 6.72 in the 60 on a cold day.  Starts in a slightly open, balanced, and athletic stance with his hands held at shoulder height, using a modified leg kick to get back to center.  Showed improved lower half rotation throughout the swing during BP round with violent hacks, consistently squaring up balls from gap to gap.  Max exit velocity of 90 mph, which ties a personal best.  Advanced understanding of OF play, as evidenced by his reads and jumps off the bat, catching the ball out front with a long and loose arm action, releasing the ball from an over the top arm slot that produced a positional velocity of 87 mph, which was a personal best.  Has the tools to stick in CF and is one of the top uncommitted OF’s in the 2022 class.

Eddie Dema SS / 2B / Pope John Paul II, LA / 2021

Athletic 5’10” 175 lbs. frame with some room to add strength.  Starts in a slightly open, balanced, and athletic stance with his hands held above shoulder height, moving them back to shoulder height before launch.  Uses a modified leg kick to get back to center.  Bat path is direct, while his extension primarily worked to the 3B side.  Max exit velocity of 82 mph.  Athletic actions in the OF, presented the glove early, catching the ball out front.  Long arm action releasing the ball from a ¾ arm slot that produced a positional velocity of 74 mph.  Average footwork with soft hands during the INF portion.  Moved his feet through the baseball with a short arm action, releasing the ball from a ¾ arm slot that produced a positional velocity of 75 mph.  Ran a 7.40 in the 60.

Owen Forbes OF / RHP / Walker, LA / 2022

Physical 6’0” 195 lbs. frame with strength in the lower half.  Good athlete that recorded a 7.18 in the 60.  Wide stance with some weight pre-loaded into the back hip before using a simple load and stride to get into the hitting position.  Hands are held high and stay there before contact.  Bat pat works down to contact with slightly uphill extension.  Max exit velocity of 80 mph.  Athletic actions in the OF with a long and loose arm action, releasing the ball from a ¾ arm slot that produced a positional velocity of 85 mph.  Throws had backspin and carry and were accurate to home plate.

Konnor Graham RHP / 1B / Hammond, LA / 2023

Physical and durable 6’5” 195 lbs. frame. Graham is another exciting two-way prospect.  Imposing demeanor on the mound.  Imposing demeanor on the mound.  Threw out of the stretch.  Comes set slightly closed and strides slightly closed.  Front side tilts up and across to RHH which hides the ball well.  Short and quick arm action with some effort.  High ¾ release point.  Max FB velocity of 84 mph, sitting 82-83 mph.  Velo should tick up in warmer weather.  Above average spin rate of 2254 RPM created good life on the FB through the zone.  SL sat 70-73 mph and needs to be landed more consistently for strikes.  CH stayed true in shape sitting 72-74 mph.  Good athlete who recorded a 7.43 in the 60.  Athletic and upright stance in the box.  Came out of lower half at times during BP round.  Did not get cheated showing off some pull side power with a flat bat path and slightly uphill extension that produced a max exit velocity of 90 mph.  Participated in OF drills showing athletic actions and a positional velocity of 83 mph.  Moved well in the IF as well, especially laterally for his size, with a positional velocity of 76 mph.  High follow in the 2023 class.

Grayden Harris LHP / 1B / Central, LA / 2024

Projectable and lean 5’11” 165 lbs. frame that will continue to add strength as he matures.  Former Junior Future Games member showed why he’s one of the top pitching prospects in the 2024 class.  Starts on the right side of the rubber and stays there.  Athletic and deliberate wind-up finishing with his shoulders and hips square to home plate.  Loose and easy arm action that projects well releasing the ball from a ¾ arm slot.  FB sat 77-79 mph, topping out at 80 mph on a cold day.  CH sat 70-71 mph and was fun to watch as he was able to keep his same arm speed, making the FB play up.  CB was 61-65 mph, “1-7” in shape, and was landed repeatedly for strikes.  Liked the BP round from the RHH hitter as well.  Upright and athletic stance with a modified leg kick to get back to center.  Showed some aggression during BP round.  Stayed behind the ball well with good extension to the middle of the field that produced a max exit velocity of 80 mph.  Showed good reads and jumps in the OF playing through balls with athletic footwork.  Long and loose arm action releasing the ball from a ¾ arm slot produced a positional velocity of 83 mph.  Ran a 7.51 in the 60.  High follow in the 2024 class.

Clayton Hebert RHP / OF / Episcopal School of Acadiana, LA / 2022

Athletic 5’9” 155 lbs. frame. Begins on the left side of the rubber and stays on that side through his windup.  Backside doesn’t get completely through as he drives down the hill.  Relies on locating his full arsenal of pitches and isn’t a max effort guy.  Short, quick arm action releasing the ball from a high ¾ arm slot produced a max FB velocity of 80 mph with an average spin rate of 1825 RPM.  CB was “11-5” in shape and sat 65-69 mph spinning at about 2000 RPM.  CH had some late fading action and sat 73-74 mph.

Quintin Jackson OF / RHP / New Iberia, LA / 2022

Lane Kratzer OF / 1B / Jennings , LA / 2022

Athletic 5’9” 150 lbs. frame with wide shoulders and narrow hips, plenty of room to add strength.  Twitchy athlete that produced a 7.36 in the 60.  LHH starts in a slightly open, balanced set-up with rhythm in his hands.  Stays on his backside a little long at times.  Flat bat path with slightly uphill extension.  Worked the majority of his balls during BP round to the opposite field gap.  Max exit velocity of 84 mph.  Active feet in the OF, played through balls.  Short, quick arm action, released the ball from a high ¾ arm slot that produced a positional velocity of 80 mph.

Braden McLin 3B / OF / Doyle, LA / 2022

Athletic and lean 5’11” 165 lbs. frame with a broad shoulder, narrow hip build that should continue to fill out.  Starts in a tall, slightly open set-up with rhythm in his hands.  Uses a modified leg kick to get into the hitting position.  Really good lower half rotation shown throughout the swing.  Level bat path with slightly uphill extension.  Flashed some gap to gap power that should continue to increase as he gets stronger.  Max exit velocity of 93 mph.  Good footwork in the OF, catching the ball clean and out front.  Deliberate crow hop before releasing the ball from a ¾ arm slot that produced a positional velocity of 83 mph.  Showed a good first step during the INF portion of the day.  Athletic actions, soft hands, using a short, quick arm action, releasing the ball from a ¾ arm slot that produced a positional velocity of 84 mph.  Also, ran a 7.15 in the 60.

Drake Pousson C / RHP / Barbe, LA / 2024

Lean and athletic 5’6” 144 lbs. frame with plenty of room to fill out.  Starts on the left side of the rubber and stays there throughout his windup.  Athletic and controlled delivery.  Loose and whippy arm action, releasing the ball from a high ¾ arm slot that produced a max FB velocity of 72 mph, sitting 70-71 mph with average spin and life through the zone.  CB was 60-62 mph and was shaped more like a “slurve”.  Developing 64-66 mph CH with same arm action as FB.  RHH showed well in his BP round.  Athletic and balanced stance with good rhythm in his hands, using a simple load and stride.  Fluid movements in the box with a level bat path and excellent extension resulted in a max exit velocity of 82 mph.  Aggressively attacked balls in the OF, catching everything out front, with a short arm action releasing the ball from a ¾ arm slot that produced a positional velocity of 73 mph.  Posted a 7.87 in the 60.

Kaden Styron OF / 1B / Grand Lake , LA / 2025

EPhysical 5/10” 155 lbs. frame with strength in the lower half.  2025 grad from Grand Lake HS.  Starts in a slightly tall and balanced set-up with hands held just below shoulder height.  Front foot slightly turned inward.  Uses a “toe-tap” load.  Hands got away from body at times which caused the bat head to drag through the zone.  Slightly uphill extension with natural lift.  Max exit velocity of 77 mph.  Attacked balls quickly in the OF.  Short arm action, releasing the ball from a ¾ arm slot produced a positional velocity of 64 mph.  Ran an 8.27 in the 60.

Christian Thomas OF / 1B / New Iberia, LA / 2022

Athletic and physical 5’9” 150 lbs. frame.  One of the better overall athletes of the day that posted a 6.74 in the 60.  RHH starts in an open, athletic set up with the bat head resting on his back shoulder before using a toe-tap load to launch.  Came out of lower half at times.  Flat bat path with quick hands to the point of contact produced a max exit velocity of 82 mph.  Attacked the ball well during the OF portion of the day.  Front side comes out at times on throws.  Long arm action, releasing the ball from a low ¾ arm slot produced a positional velocity of 72 mph.

Cooper Winchester C / OF / St. Pauls, LA / 2024

Athletic 5’11” 165 lbs. frame with present strength in the lower half.  Switch hitter.  Starts in a balanced, athletic stance from the left side with his hands held above shoulder height.  Delivers the bat head with a strong top hand and natural extension.  Present gap to gap power from the left side.  Similar set-up from the right side.  Balanced and athletic stance with a simple load and stride.  Bat head stands more upright from the right side.  Present pull side power with good extension.  Max exit velocity of 88 mph.  Behind the dish is where he really stood out, working meticulously to receive and block every pitch.  High baseball IQ.  Quality receiver with an advanced understanding of defense behind the plate.  Positional velocity of 72 mph with pop times that were on target to 2B at 2.04-2.22.  One of the top catchers in the 2024 class in the state.