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Quick Hits: Lake Charles Preseason ID

January 16, 2023
Alex Armand
Louisiana Scouting Director

Our 2023 slate of events began this past weekend with our Baton Rouge Preseason ID on Saturday and our Lake Charles Preseason ID on Sunday at Sam Houston High School.  From uncommitted seniors looking to find a home, to rising freshman trying to make a name for themselves; there was talent all over the field on Sunday.  Today, we begin our post-event edition coverage with another edition of of Quick Hits.  This piece focuses on some highlights from the event.  Be sure to follow us, on all of our social media platforms, for continued coverage of the Lake Charles Preseason ID!

 

2024 OF Dylan Bell (Sam Houston HS)

Physical 5'11" 185 lbs. frame; Bell has continued to trend up in our recent looks and could be a candidate to have a breakout season for the Broncos this spring.  A really good overall athlete, Bell posted a 6.80 (laser) in the 60.  In the OF, he caught everything clean and out front before showing an accurate arm from the OF, getting up to 88 mph.  At the plate, he maintains balance from start to finish and drops the bat head straight to the ball with a classic left-handed uphill finish and a max exit velocity of 89 mph.

  

2024 1B Kennedy Leggett (St. Louis Catholic HS)

XL physical 6'2" 230 lbs. frame.  There were a lot of good BP rounds on Sunday, but the best belonged to the big right-handed hitter from St. Louis Catholic.  Leggett operates from a taller, upright stance and keeps things simple.  His loose wrists allow the barrel to really whip through the zone with a flat and on-plane path to contact and extension to match.  He blistered balls from gap to gap, showing the most power to dead CF, as he cleared the CF wall, into a cross wind on one of his swings that resulted in a max exit velocity of 100 mph.  The St. Louis product is also a good athlete that posted a 7.26 in the 60 and moved well around the first base bag.  Look for Leggett to hit in the middle of the Saints order this spring and have a big junior campaign.

 

2024 INF Bryce Fontenot (Sulphur HS)

We were in attendance during last year's quarterfinal round of the playoffs where Fontenot belted 3 HR's against Zachary HS to help the Tors advance to the state tournament.  The uncommitted infielder had another good showing on Sunday as well.  At the plate, he creates a lot of torque and gets the most out of his frame with present pull-side power that resulted in a personal best 95 mph exit velocity.  On the infield, is where Fontenot showed a lot of improvement, as he fielded everything with soft hands and smooth actions.  Throws were accurate across the diamond with backspin and carry as well.

  

2025 OF Marcus Gradney Jr. (St. Edmund Catholic HS)

Physical 5'10" 175 lbs. frame.  We last saw Gradney over the summer smoke a ball at Rice University for a triple that measured a 103 mph exit velocity and it was more of the same on Sunday.  At the plate, the left-handed hitter, turns the barrel aggressively to contact with an uphill path and uphill extension.  He swung wood again on Sunday and posted a 99 mph exit velocity.  The St. Edmund Catholic product also showed a good arm from the OF at 87 mph.

 

2025 LHP/OF Cole Flanagan (Sam Houston HS)

There were plenty of Broncos to talk about after Sunday, and Flanagan was another guy that caught our eye.  Physical 6'0" 205 lbs. frame.  The Sam Houston product showed well during the defensive portion of the day in the OF, as he caught everything clean and out front and showed off an accurate and strong arm up to 89 mph.  At the plate, a left-handed hitter, Flanagan showed a repeatable and simple swing maintaining balance from start to finish.  The path is on-plane and flat to the ball with slightly uphill extension.  He worked mostly to the middle of the field and to the pull-side, showing some pop that way with a max exit velocity of 94 mph.  On the mound, the southpaw worked 80-83 mph with the FB with a short and quick arm stroke, while mixing in a quality 70-71 mph tight CB and a late-fading 74-76 mph CH.  Look for Flanagan to make an impact both on the mound and at the plate for the Broncos this spring.