By Brandon Hall
North Carolina Director of Scouting

On Sunday, May 14th Prep Baseball Report travelled to Matthews, NC to evaluate the Carolina Bulldog's Scout Day.  The Bulldogs feature a team made up of players from the greater Charlotte area, competing with a roster full of 2019 graduates, and a few 2018 and 2020 players.  Over the coming days, PBR will dive into the Scout Day with reports on each player in attendance.

PBR Scout Days allow players to update their PBR profile page with updated and verified statistics, a full evaluation, and video.  The evaluations are performed by PBR staff members with a history of college and professional scouting.  All of the information will be hosted on the PBR platform, connecting players to over 800 colleges and universities, and every MLB team.

Carolina Bulldogs Outfielders and catchers

For a full roster of participants in the Carolina Bulldog Scout Day, CLICK HERE.

To view all of the statistics from the day, CLICK HERE

 

Outfielders

 

Zach Bearden OF / RHP / Piedmont, NC / 2018 Lanky utility player with an ability to play a couple of spots on the field.  At 6-foot-1, 165 pounds, there is some quickness and strength.  Ran a 7.18 sixty while flashing a live arm that registered 79mph across the infield and 76mph from the outfield.  Long arm swing works to a high-3/4 slot with some elbow lead, showing some accuracy from both spots with carry on the baseball.  On the infield, the feet show fluid timing and work to clean exchanges.  On his heels and a little stiff at the point of the catch at times.  Long strider covered ground with some ease.  Offensively, the right handed hitter flashed an exit velocity of 92, but created a lot of top spin in his BP rounds.  Athletic and balanced in the box, hands drop through the load with some stiffness in the swing.  Lacks a defined stride but has a decent approach and good balance.  Wants extension with a slightly uphill path, working gap-to-gap.

 

 

Andy Heins OF / 3B / Piedmont, NC / 2019 An outfielder that can play on the infield.  Listed at 5-foot-9, 160 pounds.  Produced an exit velocity of 86mph from the right side.  Works from a tall stance, loading back with a vertical bat, with a short stride.  Bat position stays vertical as it is ready to launch.  Hands are stiff through the swing zone, controlling the bat head.   Better than average bat speed and very aggressive, there is a barrel awareness issue.  Wants to stay gap-to-gap and seems to have a feel for the strike zone.  From the outfield, a long, loose arm swing to an over-the-top slot produced some accuracy and average carry.  Arm speed was measured at 73mph.  On the infield, tends to catch balls deep and on his heels.  Clean exchanges lead to an accurate arm, 71mph across the diamond.  Ran a 7.69 sixty.

 

 

Cooper McKeehan LHP / OF / Weddington, NC / 2019 Lanky 6-foot-1, 175 pounder.   Showed a quick arm and carry while his arm speed measured at 77mph from the outfield.  Some accuracy from the long arm action and high-3/4 slot.  Fluid and aggressive through the ball.  Left handed hitter ran a 7.33 and flashed an exit velocity of 82 off the barrel.  Balanced setup, loads back without a stride.  Load is timed with the pitcher, at times late with the big movement back.  Pull conscious swing set slightly to uphill.

 

 

Kyle Ziefert OF / OF / Butler, NC / 2019 Small frame and still maturing at 5-foot-5, 125 pounds.  Has some strength and quickness in the body.  Ran a 7.15 sixty.  Right handed hitter is balanced and tall to start.  A smooth load back with a long aggressive stride.  Has confidence in the box using a short, level path to produce line drives working gap-to-gap.  Barrel has length through the contact point.  Fluid rhythm with advanced feel for the barrel.  Good hand-eye.  Exit velocity topped at 79 and strength should continue to improve.  From the outfield, played through balls with quick feet and clean exchanges.  Long arm action, turning the ball over early to an over-the-top slot.  Arm speed measured at 73mph.

 

Catchers

 

Brendan Bagwell C / RHP / Providence, NC / 2020 Thin build at 5-foot-10, 160 pounds.  Works to receive and block with a presence for his pitchers.  Loose hips and even stance.  Hand strength should improve as the body adds age and maturity.   Fluid footwork and long arm action work to a high-3/4 slot showing accuracy on pop times ranging 2.21 – 2.29.  73mph from the crouch.  Right handed hitter works from a tall, balanced, athletic stance.  Smooth load and short stride produce average bat speed in a level swing geared to the pull side.  Exit velocity topped at 82.  Needs to add strength to the frame but the frame is very young.  Rana 7.75 sixty

Max Kuhn C / 1B / Porter Ridge, NC / 2019 Average build at 5-foot-10, 165 pounds.  Ran a 7.55 sixty.  Right handed hitter works from a tall posture and open stance.  Hands are set high and loaded back.  Strides back to even, staying on the backside, creating some uphill leverage in the swing.  Top hand dominate at times, works to stay in the middle of the field but has a pull gap tendency.  Average bat speed and an exit velocity of 83 mph off the barrel.  Behind the plate, exchanges across his chest working with more quickness than arm strength getting to the over-the-top slot.  Tends to fall off the towards third as the feet are set open on throws.  Pop times ranged 2.11 - 2.26 with a feel for the bag.  Ball lacks some carry that can be improved with a stronger exchange.  Positional velocity topped at 73 from the crouch.

 

Nick Lagarde C / 3B / Hickory Ridge, NC / 2019 Strong, athletic build in the 5-foot-11, 183 pound frame.  Strength over quickness in the body right now.  Tall and balanced setup from the right side.  Loads down to up, using a leg kick to get to a short stride.  Average bat speed is set for uphill leverage and wants extension.  Pull conscious rounds in BP.  Some rhythm in the swing.  Strong with an aggressive back side through the ball.  Average barrel but did produce an exit velocity of 85mph.  From behind the dish, flashed arm strength and average carry from a short arm swing and high-3/4 slot, with the positional velocity topping at 74mph.  A little stiff in the setup and side-saddled.  Worked to vertical quickly, lacking some extension on the throws ranging 2.13-2.32 with some accuracy.  On the infield, tended to catch balls deep, creating some stiffness in a vertical exchange position.  Footwork was quicker behind the plate, suggesting improvement could come quickly.  Ran a 7.62 sixty.

 

 

William Werner C / 3B / Sun Valley, NC / 2019 5-foot-9, 155 pound frame.  Short arm action worked to a high-3/4 slot, showing some accuracy on throws to 2B from behind the dish.  Pop times ranged 2.31-2.47 with arm speed mearsuring 66mph from the crouch.  Arm ticked up across the diamond, touching 73.  Hands worked deep with some effort.  Low exchanges were clean.  Right handed hitter works from a balanced setup.  Hands load down.  Leg kick works to a short stride.  Short bat path works gap-to-gap.  Exit velocity topped at 78, flashing average barrel awareness.  Ran a 7.65 sixty.