Prep Baseball Report

Preseason All-State East: Catcher's Analysis



Shon Plack
Missouri Scouting Director

On Monday, February 15, Prep Baseball Report-Missouri held the Preseason All-State East Showcase at All-Star Performance in St. Louis, Mo. 

Nearly 60 players from 2017 class participated with another 10-plus from the 2018 and 2019 class.  Profiles have been updated with profile picture, stats and video.  In days to come, we will break down each position, starting with catchers today. Catchers are listed alphabetically.

CLICK HERE, for the Preseason All-State East Instant Analysis

Catchers

Cody Boatwright, C, Francis Howell Central, 2019
Boatwright is a 5-foot-6 130-pound right-handed hitting catcher in Missouri’s 2019 class.  He ran a 4.38 home to first and has a 72 mph exit velo. At the plate, starts slightly open on front foot, reverse toe tap, in-line stride, smooth hand load, line drives to middle of field, balanced finish.  Behind the plate, over the top release, clean exchange with fluid footwork, pop times between 2.20 and 2.43, positional velo at 70 mph, mostly accurate throws.

Louis Garavaglia, C, SLUH, 2017
Garavaglia is a 6-foot-3 180-pound right-handed hitting catcher in Missouri’s 2017 class.  He ran a 4.50 home to first and hans an exit velo of 85 mph. At the plate, open stance with leg kick, level bat path, swing produced middle to pull line drives, some pop. Behind the plate, pop times between 2.19 and 2.35, positional velo at 78 mph, over the top release, clean exchange with fluid feet, momentum through throw, mostly accurate throws.

Zach Gibbs, C, Holt, 2017
Gibbs is a 6-foot-1 185-pound right-handed hitting catcher in Missouri’s 2017 class.  He got down the line in 4.27-seconds and has an exit velo of 86 mph. At the plate, athletic set up, smooth load, short stride, no wasted movements, hands work inside of ball, hits to all fields, power to pull gap, loose hands with feel for the barrel.  Behind the plate, 1.94 to 2.07 pop times, top pop time of the event, 78 mph positional velo, quick catch and throw, aggressive, over the top release, accurate throws.

Nick Herrenbruck, C, CBC, 2017
Herrenbruck is a 5-foot-7 155-pound right-handed hitting catcher in Missouri’s 2017 class.  He ran a 4.21 home-to-first and has an exit velo of 77 mph.  At the plate, open stance, smooth load, controlled leg kick, level bat path produced mostly line drives to middle of field.  Behind the plate, over the top release, 2.21 to 2.40 pop times, 69 mph positional velo, fluid exchange, mostly accurate throws

 Desmond Ingram, C, Marquette, 2017
Ingram is a 5-foot-11 180-pound right-handed hitting cather in Missouri’s 2017 class. He ran a 3.96 home-to-first, best RHH time of the event, and has an exit velo of 85 mph. At the plate, open stance, short in-line stride, quick and aggressive hands, strong, middle to opposite field approach, body under control.  Behind the plate, pop times between 2.00 and 2.08, one of top pop times of the event, quick catch and throw, over the top release, athletic footwork, 76 mph positional velo, mostly accurate throws.

Coltyn Kessler, C, Rockwood Summit, 2017
Kessler is a 6-foot-3 195-pound left-handed hitting catcher in Missouri’s 2017 class.  He ran a 4.49 home-to-first and has an exit velo of 88 mph, one of top LHH exit velos of the event. At the plate, simple and repeatable swing, showed power gap-to-gap, short stride, level path with quick hands, solid consistent contact using the whole field.  Behind the plate, pop times between 1.95 and 2.03, one of the top pop times of the event, 76 mph positional velo, feet work with hands, momentum through throw, quick transfer and release, accurate throws.

Connor Martin, C, Rockwood Summit, 2018
Martin is a 5-foot-8 175-pound right-handed hitting catcher in Missouri’s 2018 class.  He ran a 4.28 home-to-first and 83 mph exit velo. At the plate, thin stance, balanced, controlled leg lift, hands separate from body to load, mostly pull side line drives, level bat path.  Behind the plate, pop times between 1.96 to 2.13, one of the top pop times of the event, 71 mph positional velo, over the top release, quick transfer and throw, fluid footwork, mostly accurate throws, increase in times and velos since last event.

Joe Martin, C, Silex, 2017
Martin is a 6-foot 185-pound right-handed hitting catcher in Missouri’s 2017 class.  He ran a 4.52 home-to-first and has an 84 mph exit velo. At the plate, balanced set up, smooth load with leg lift, level path to extension, consistent solid contact, gap-to-gap approach.  Behind the plate, 2.04 to 2.25 pop times, 75 mph positional velo, high three-quarters release, fluid exchange with fluid footwork, somewhat accurate throws.

Tyler Pauley, C, Marquette, 2017
Pauley is a 6-foot-1 185-pound right-handed hitting catcher in Missouri’s 2017 class.  He ran a 4.47 home to first and has an exit velo of 84 mph. At the plate, open stance, smooth rhythm and tempo, mostly pull line drives, stays under control with free hands.  Behind the plate, 2.19 to 2.25 pop times, 74 mph positional velo, short over the top release, momentum through the throw, somewhat accurate throw.

Drew Reed, C, Union, 2017
Reed is a 5-foot-10 190-pound right-handed hitting catcher in Missouri’s 2017 class.  He ran a 4.25 home-to-first and has an exit velo of 88 mph. At the plate, athletic stance, smooth load, hands walk away from stride, level path to extension, solid consistent contact, gap-to-gap, pull power.  Behind the plate, 2.02 to 2.25 pop times, one of the top pop times of the event, 79 mph positional velo, top catcher velo of the event, hands and feet are in sync, over the top release, fluid catch and throw, accurate throws.

Austin Schmitt, C, Valley Park, 2018
Schmitt is a 5-fot-10 160-pound right-handed hitting catcher in Missouri’s 2018 class. He ran a 4.07 home to first, one of the best RHH times of the event, and has an exit velo of 86 mph. At the plate, open stance, controlled short in-line stride, loose hands, consistent line drive gap-to-gap, repeats swing.  Behind the plate, 2.13 to 2.27 pop times, 76 mph positional velo, over the top release, quick feet with fluid transfer, mostly accurate throws. 

Forrest Wilson, C, Hickman, 2017
Wilson is a 5-foot-11 170-pound right-handed hitting catcher in Missouri’s 2017 class. He ran a 4.46 home to first and has an exit velo of 90 mph, one of top RHH exit velo of the event.  At the plate, athletic set up, smooth load in back leg, short stride, hands work inside of ball, gap-to-gap approach, quick bat speed.  Behind the plate, short over the top release, quick catch and throw, quick footwork, momentum towards target, pop times between 2.09 and 2.40, positional velo of 78 mph.

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