By Brandon Hall
Director of Scouting, PBR NC

Follow us on Twitter: @PrepBaseballNC

 

On Saturday January 14^th Prep Baseball Report ran a scout day for the Carolina Viper organization, based out of Waxhaw, NC.  The event included players from the 2018, 2019, and 2020 graduating classes.  Each player participated in an extended pro-style workout.  Infielders and outfielders received extended defensive sessions.  All position players were able to take multiple rounds of batting practice.  The pitchers through extended bullpens.  As part of the scout day, PBR evaluated each player in attendance and posted the player’s verified statistics and video to his PBR Player Profile page. 

CLICK HERE to see the full roster from the Viper Scout Day.  Click on the player’s name to see his info and video.

CLICK HERE to see the statistical report from the Viper Scout Day.

In order to get an in-depth look into the Viper program, we will breakdown the roster by position to look at the results from their Scout Day.  First up are the Catchers and outfielders.

 

Catchers

Jesse Harkey, C/RHP, Parkwood HS, NC (2019)

A legitimate two-way prospect, Harkey shows advanced catch and throw skills behind the dish.  Receiving with an athletic base, slightly turned toward the glove side, his hand works with ease through the zone, really handling the low ball well.  Pop times ranged 2.00-2.03 with an exit velocity of 78 from the crouch.  Clean exchanges, work with a short, strong arm action to a high-3/4 slot, from a vertical stance.  Works through most throws but will cut off extension at times.  Offensively, the right-handed hitter works from a balanced, athletic stance.  Short stride with a smooth, ‘C’ load back leads to a quick bat through the zone.  Strength plays ahead of quickness at this time.  Level approach, works to get extension, showing aggression at the point of contact.  Repeats his swing and finds the barrel consistently.  Exit velocity measured at 91mph.  A good athlete, Harkey showed some leadership ability in handling bullpens and his workout with his teammates.  Ran a 30 yard dash in 4.09.

 

Tyler Nichols, C/RHP, Marvin Ridge HS, NC (2018)

A true utility player, Nichols worked as a catcher, infielder, and pitcher, flashing some feel for all three spots. From behind the dish, the 5-foot-7, 140 pounder flashed a pop times ranging 2.12 – 2.38.  Arm strength topped at 65 from the crouch.  Stance works with the left foot slightly exaggerated forward.  Exchanges were clean, working with a short arm swing to a high-3/4 slot.  Tended to recoil out of extension, affecting accuracy at times.  Right handed hitter works from a balanced stance.  The load is early and creates a little wrap behind the head.  From a short stride, the bat works through the zone with a little length, but created barrel contact, staying gap to gap.  Swing can shorten as strength is added to the frame.  Exit velocity topped at 75 off the bat.  Ran a 30 in 4.80.

 

Alex Scott, C/1B, Sun Valley HS, NC (2019)

Strong lower half in the 5-foot-11, 205 pound frame.  Right hander worked with a simple, direct path, showing strength through the baseball.  Slightly closed in an athletic stance, a short stride works back to even creating average batspeed with good balance.   Level batpath, tends to work toward the pull side.  Exit velocity topped at 83.  Ran a 30 in 4.30.  From behind the dish, arm strength topped at 64, while flashing a pop time of 2.38.  Works to a vertical stance with a high exchange.  Front side tends to work early, creating some fade on throws.  Body has some sway in it as pitches approach.  Handled balls in his frame well.  Looked to be an easy target to throw to. 

 

Outfielders

 

Gavin Birkhimer, OF, South Mecklenburg HS, NC (2018)

Athlete that flashed strength and quick twitch from his 5-foot-8, 165 pound frame.  Ran his 30 in 4.11 while producing an exit velocity of 89 from the right side.  In the box, uses an athletic setup with a slight crouch.  Uses a ‘C’ load and a vertical bat, with waggle, to create some bat speed.  Short stride, dives toward the plate.  Good approach with a lengthened swing has some stiffness, but stays gap to gap.  When on time with the load and waggle, found the barrel.  Good approach through the ball in the outfield.  Uses a long arm swing into a high-3/4 slot flashing accuracy.  Arm strength tested at 78mph.

 

Justin Luna, OF, Marvin Ridge HS, NC (2018)

Lanky, athletic build at 5-foot-10, 155 pounds that should continue to add strength as he matures.  Ran a 30 in 4.01.Right handed hitter has some swagger around the cage, flashing average batspeed to find the barrel consistently.  Tall, athletic base with a leg kick and minimal load leads to good balance, while working gap to gap with an occasional pull tendency.  Exit velocity topped at 83.  From the outfield, tends to work around balls to setup the arm action.  Long arm swing works to an over-the-top slot.  Arm strength topped at 78mph.