FL Preseason All-State: Second Team All-State

February 10, 2020
PBR Florida
PBR Florida Staff

The 2020 FL Preseason All-State Showcase was held Saturday. January 18th at IMG Academy. The event featured some of the top prospects in the state from the 2020-2024 classes. The event featured a pro-style workout followed by two games in front of the PBR Florida scouting staff. You can view the entire event’s roster HERE.

We began our event coverage with a Statistical Analysis, which highlighted the top statistical performers from the event. We also released our Quick Hits, which highlighted some of the standouts from the event. We then broke down every player from the event by their specific teams. You can view each team’s analysis here: Black, White, Grey, Red. We also revealed our Third Team Preseason All-State.

Today, we will reveal our 2020 Second Team Preseason All-State.

Second Team All-State

Pitcher

Ryan Fry RHP / 3B / Wharton , FL / 2022

Rankings StateRank: 9 / POS: 3 OverallRank: 99 / POS: 28

Big athletic frame at 6-foot-3, 180 pounds. Sat an easy 82-84, touching 86 with the fastball. Has good rhythm and timing in the delivery. Above average command of all pitches including a 68-70 mph curveball with some lateness and sharpness to it. Kept the ball down well, has a cool and calm demeanor that will help him in big games.

Ryan McCauley RHP / 1B / Tarpon Springs, FL / 2020

Rankings StateRank: 80 / POS: 25

Strong and athletic frame at 6-foot-4, 240 pounds. Throws from the ¾ arm slot while staying in line to home with the delivery. Regular effort on the mound with short arm action and average arm speed. Sitting with the fastball 84-87 mph, curveball with depth at 70-74, changeup 67-68. Commands all pitches for strikes.

Connor Leard OF / RHP / Glenelg, MD / 2020

Rankings StateRank: 146 / POS: 35

Leard is 6-foot-4, 190 pound frame but he has advanced body control as Leard should continue to fill out and get stronger. He utilizes those long limbs and, despite the lankiness, keeps his core activated throwing and swinging. In the outfield, he utilizes a ¾ slot and gets the extension on the throw to get it on a line to the infield. At the plate again, he activates the core to get the long limbs through the zone with quick bat speed. On the mound, was methodical and rhythmic in his windup. He was up to 83 mph with his fastball that got on hitters quick out of the hand. He countered the fastball with a 68-70 mph curveball that snaps when he can stay on top. He also flashed a 71-73 mph changeup and a 63-67 mph splitter.

Catcher

Gustavo Mendez C / 1B / Windermere, FL / 2022

Rankings StateRank: 20 / POS: 2 OverallRank: 170 / POS: 17

Mendez is a strong and powerful catcher at 6-foot-2, 220 pounds. He moves very well behind the plate for his size. He has a quick transfer from the glove with an above average arm. Mendez had pop times of 1.95-2.00. Offensively, Mendez starts in a slightly open stance. His swing is simple and easy and produces some raw pull-side power. He led the entire field with an exit velocity of 97 mph. Mendez has an extremely high offensive ceiling and should be a name to keep an eye on in the future.

Jackson Hugus C / OF / Wellington, FL / 2021

Hugus is a strong framed catcher at 5-foot-11, 195 pounds who has shown the athleticism to play multiple positions as well. He moves well laterally behind the plate and blocks and receives well. His transfers are quick and resulted in pop times of 1.95-2.00. In the field, he has an above average arm that was 86 mph from the outfield and 88 mph in the infield. He has average actions in the field defensively and is more suited to stay behind the plate. Offensively, he starts with his hands high and lets the ball get deep. He has a line drive swing with above average bat speed and has shown the ability to hit gap-to-gap.

First Base

Landon Moran LHP / 1B / Lake Brantley, FL / 2022

Rankings StateRank: 10 / POS: 2 OverallRank: 100 / POS: 14

Coming off an injury, we didn’t get to see Moran on the mound. However, the Florida commit did not disappoint with his bat. Moran is an athletic 6-foot-1, 185 pounds. Offensively, he starts tall with a short stride to the ball. He has a level swing with above average bat speed. Gap-to-gap hitter that was spraying line drives all over the field. Defensively, he moves athletically with feel for the bag at first. He has soft hands and quick glove transfers. Low effort arm across the infield.

Middle-Infield

Stone Frishman 2B / OF / Lakewood Ranch, FL / 2021

Rankings StateRank: 65 / POS: 1

Strong and athletic frame at 5-foot-9, 160 pounds. Accuracy and carry on throws with short arm action across the infield. Soft hands with quick footwork and quality first step and clean transfer on ground balls. Balanced setup at the plate with a leg kick to create rhythm in the swing with a level bat path and hits gap to gap with some pull power.

Hayden Kimball SS / 2B / Trinity Catholic, FL / 2020

Strong and athletic frame at 6-foot-2, 175 pounds. Accuracy and carry on throws with short arm action across the infield. Soft hands with quick footwork, a quality first step and clean transfers on ground balls. Balanced setup at the plate with a toe tap to create rhythm in the swing with a level bat path. Hits gap to gap with some pull power.

Marek Houston SS / RHP / Venice, FL / 2022

Rankings StateRank: 87 / POS: 20 OverallRank: 345 / POS: 84

Houston has one of the more projectable frames in attendance. A sophomore that stands 6-foot-1, 170 pounds with long legs. He moves athletically in the infeld with a quick first step. He showed above average hands at short with throws of 83 mph to first. Offensively, he starts in a crouched stance with a quiet bat. The swing is easy with low effort and produces gap-to-gap, line drive contact. Really like the upside of Houston.

Third Base

Damian Goulart 3B / SS / Windermere, FL / 2021

Rankings StateRank: 113 / POS: 8

Goulart reads ground balls well and is aggressive in how he makes a play on the ball. The wrists and hands worked in sync with his feet as he showed the ability to field through the ball with momentum toward the throw. Goulart has an aggressive approach at the plate and at times can be a free swinger but engages the lower half well enough that the hands stay back and he can still barrel a pitch up. He is wide and balanced throughout and when he is on time has a smooth swing, with present bat speed evidenced by his 91 mph exit velocity.

Outfield

Ben Brown OF / 3B / North Port , FL / 2021

Rankings StateRank: 219 / POS: 45

At 5-foot-10, 150 pounds, Brown showcased athleticism and quick twitch ability in the outfield and at the plate. That long frame suits him well in the outfield as he runs well and cuts balls off in the gap. He short arms the ball a bit with a quick release but shows plenty of arm and carry on the ball. Brown turns on the ball at the plate, with fast hands that clear well with the hips. Furthermore, he extends through the ball well, especially to the pull side, coupling bat head speed with back spun line drives that had enough juice to split the gaps.

Omari Hinton OF / 2B / Northeast, FL / 2022

Rankings StateRank: 105 / POS: 21

Hinton was one of the most athletic prospects in attendance. Committed to USF, he is a 6-foot-1, 172 pound outfielder. In the outfield, Hinton moves well with a quick first step. He plays through the ball and has an above average arm. Offensively, he starts slightly bent with a small leg kick. He has an aggressive swing with above average bat speed that resulted in a lot of hard contact during BP. Very projectable athlete with a lot of upside.

Ian Anderson OF / 1B / Lakeland Christian, FL / 2021

Athletic and strong frame at 6-foot-1, 180 pounds. Quality first step in the outfield with accuracy and carry on throws. At 1st base, he has fluid footwork with average hands and clean exchange on ground balls. Balanced setup at the plate with a leg kick to create rhythm in the swing. Above average bat speed with an exit velocity of 91 mph. Has a level bat path with pull-side power.

Benjamin Murrell OF / 1B / Olympia, FL / 2021

Athletic and lean frame at 6-foot, 175 pounds. Quality first step in the outfield with accuracy and carry on throws. Balanced setup at the plate with leg kick to create rhythm in the swing. He has above average bat speed with a 91 mph exit velocity. Level bat path with pull side power.

Utility

Griffin Hugus SS / RHP / Wellington, FL / 2022

A standout the week before at the West Florida Trial, Hugus continued on that front with another strong weekend at Preseason All-State. Hugus is a super utility player that excels in the infield, outfield, and on the mound, as well as being a switch hitter at the plate. He has a lean and athletic 6-foot, 160 pound frame. Has a loose arm from the outfield with carry. In the infield, he has soft hands with quick transfers and an above average arm. As a switch hitter, he keeps his hands back and lets the ball get deep. The bat path is level from both sides and has a gap-to-gap approach. On the mound, he comes across his body from the high ¾ arm slot. He worked 80-82 mph and topped out at 83, a slight jump from the West Florida Trial. He mixed in an above average breaking ball at 67 mph as well.