Prep Baseball Report

2019 Top Underclass Games - Quick Hitters


Brandon Hall & Matt Payne
North Carolina Director of Scouting & PBR Assoc Scout

On back-to-back days in August, PBR hosted the Top Prospect Games and the Top Underclass Games at Campbell’s Jim Perry Stadium.  The Top Underclass Games featured players from the 2021, 2022, and 2023 classes, working out for PBR scouts and close to 20 college programs in attendance.  Position players participated in a full pro-style workout followed by a live scrimmage with pitchers throwing in a controlled environment to the hitters.

The Top Underclass Games saw plenty of high end talent.  As PBR’s staff begins to sift through all of the information, there will be stories highlighting players and their performances.  The start of those stories is below with some quick hitters, or notes from the day.

CLICK HERE to see the full statistical results from the Top Underclass Games.

 

2019 NC Top Underclass Games – Quick Hitters

 

  • Anthony Mitta, SS/OF, 2021 (Leesville Rd HS) - Works gap to gap from the left side with some quickness to his hands.  Found his barrel against live arms driving balls to center and left field. 

  • Lefrederick Wooten, OF/3B, 2021 (East Bladen HS) - Quick hands with bat speed from the right side.  Strong, athletic and plays aggressive on the base paths.  Found his barrel against live pitching and drove a ball to center field.

  • Brooks Brannon, C, 2022 (Randleman HS) - Smooth and balanced from the right side of the plate.  Stays gap to gap with a line drive approach.  Carried his solid batting practice over to game action, making hard contact.  Receives well behind the plate, showing an ability to elevate his pitcher at times.

  • Jaxon Masterson, SS/2B, 2021 (Sanderson HS) - Uphill bat path from the right side with above average bat speed.  Barreled balls during game play.  Confident defender with soft hands on the dirt.

  • Hayden Brandon, SS/2B, 2021 (Charlotte Christian) - Balanced approach from the right side with rhythm to his swing.  Consistently finds his barrel with better than average bat speed. Carries his approach to live competition.

  • Bryan Arendt, C, 2021 (Holly Springs HS) - Drives the ball with strength from the right side.  Swing is loose with bat speed making a lot of loud contact.  Arm stands out defensively with carry and accuracy.

  • Billy Waldron, OF, 2022 (Holly Springs HS) - Athletic and his speed plays on the base paths.  Quick hands from the left side, lining balls gap to gap during batting practice. 

  • Colin Scoggins, 3B/1B, 2021 (Northern Durham HS) - Has strength in his swing from the right side.  Has feel for his barrel and drove balls to both sides of the field during game play.

  • Clay Minor, SS/OF, 2021 (Northern Guilford HS) - Gap to gap approach during batting practice with better than average bat speed.  Has feel for his barrel and projection left in his 6 foot 1, 160-pound frame.

  • Jackson Niedel, RHP, 2022 (Durham Academy) – Loose arm and loose hips suggest that the ceiling may be a ways off in the distance.  Old school delivery with a leg kick that loads the backside and creates some uphill leverage through the shoulders.  Over-the-top release, pounded the zone with a fastball/curveball combo.

  • Zackery Middleton, RHP, 2021 (Walkertown HS) – Closed at balance, works to get on-line, landing square with good rhythm through the delivery.  High-3/4 slot saw the fastball reach 85.  Two solid off-speed offerings compliment the fastball.

  • Jackson Roberts, RHP, 2022 (Northern Guilford HS) – Projection left in a thin, lanky frame.  Long, loose arm swing to high-3/4 slot with good rhythm.  Very stable over the rubber, repeating the delivery consistently.  Showed an ability to elevate the fastball late in counts.

  • Joe Valchar, INF/RHP, 2021 (Heritage HS) – Solid day that filled the stat sheet during the position player workout.  Good round of BP with plenty of barrels and some quickness through the zone.  In game action, threw well on the bump, touching 87 with some run to the arm side. 

  • Harrison Garner, RHP, 2021 (Garner HS) – Athletic with strength and quickness present.  Extremely quick arm peaked at 89.  Fastball may play up a bit, jumping on hitters throughout the 2 inning stint.  Above average slider and average change-up compliment the fastball. 

  • Sam Perez, RHP, 2021 (Middle Creek HS) – Tall and lanky, using his height to his advantage with a 7’3” extension on most fastballs, touching 86.  Over-the-top slot creates angle.  Hard, downer breaking ball with a spin rate above 2300 throughout the outing. 

  • H.L. Smith, LHP, 2023 (Fuquay-Varina HS) – Lanky and thin with some athleticism in the delivery.  Tough ¾ release and a fastball up to 83 created some issues for hitters.