Houston Top Prospect Showcase: Catching Analysis

Bo Willis, C/OF, Magnolia HS, 2019
Texas Tech commit.  Very physical 6-foot-2, 200-pound frame with plenty of strength throughout.  Wilis only ran a 60-yard dash and hit BP at the event, but that was plenty for us to see how talented this Texas Tech recruit is.  Willis wasted no time, and hit the first ball he saw in batting practice over the left field wall, and did it once more later on in the round; pounded 90 mph exit velo off the tee.  The right-handed hitter has pure strength in the box, has a slightly open stance with some bend in his knees, has smooth load back with a low hanging stride with excellent balance, has his hands up high, and has plus intent with a high finish to create natural lift.  Willis has explosive bat speed, and should enjoy hitting with those famous Lubbock winds at his back. Willis ran a 7.36 laser-timed 60. Although he did not have the chance to finish the workout due to catching a flight, in previous events, Willis has posted pop times of 1.97-2.12 with a top velocity from the crouch of 80 mph. 

Cullen Ainsworth, C/3B, Seven Lakes HS, 2019
5-foot-11, 210-pound frame.  Posted 85 mph exit velo off the tee, and flashed pull side pop in BP.  Hits out of an athletic stance, has a low controlled leg kick, loads his weight into a strong back leg, works behind the ball with his body and barrel, has a high finish that creates lift to left field in his swing.  Ainsworth’s pop times ranged from 2.08-2.25 with 74 mph velocity. He made low throws around the bag with short footwork and a clean exchange. In the bullpen session he handled pitchers well with quiet body actions, and blocked some tough pitches.

Dylan Butcher, C/3B, C.E. King HS, 2019
Strong 6-foot-1, 200-pound frame.  The physical right-handed hitting catcher showed his pull side power in batting practice by leaving the yard to left field, and driving balls to left and left center field throughout the round; posted 89 mph exit velo off the tee.  He has a crouched stance with his barrel flat above his shoulder, has a small leg kick with balance, stays down in his legs, ends up in a wide base, has quick hands and wrists that provide barrel whip, and has a high finish with intent that creates lift in his swing.  Behind the plate he has a quick transfer and flashed some carry at 75 mph, and his pop times ranged from 1.89-2.25 seconds.

Spencer Douglas, C/1B, Frisco Lone Star HS, 2019
5-foot-11, 175-pound frame with strength in the upper body.  Douglas posted 82 mph exit velo off the tee. The right hander gets a ton of separation, as he has a long load back with his hands, starts in an open stance and controls his load and stride to get back to parallel with his feet, works slightly uphill through the zone to create lift, and he takes an aggressive hack.  Douglas received well with quiet body actions and he kept tough pitches in the strike zone during bullpen sessions, posted pop times ranging from 2.19 to 2.44, and had 68 mph arm strength. Douglas ran a 7.75 laser-timed 60.

 Rustin Hale, C/3B, Salado HS, 2019
6-foot-1, 190-pound frame with some strength.  Hale ran a 7.28 laser-timed 60. Pounded 90 mph exit velo off the tee, and flashed some power in BP to left center.  He has raw strength in his hands and wrists at the plate, has a flat barrel in his stance, and maintains flatness in the swing, keeps his hands back behind his back foot in his stride, he works from an open stance with a high leg kick, turns his left knee inward on leg kick to create torque in the load and stride, has minimal head movement in his swing, a long path through the zone with his barrel, and he looks to pull the baseball. From behind the plate, his pop times ranged from 2.18-2.33, he has low release point with 75 mph velocity, direction in his footwork, and gets his footwork done quickly while throwing.

Luke Johnson, C/1B, Prosper HS, 2019
Strength in his 6-foot-3, 205-pound frame.  The right-hander has raw power at the plate, he drove a ball off the top of the left-center field wall in BP, and pounded 93 mph exit velo off the tee.  Johnson has an open stance with an athletic base, has a smooth load back, has a short toe tap stride, his backside triggers the start of his swing, has plenty of separation by keeping his hands back, he works behind the ball with his barrel to create bat speed, has a quick bat through the zone, and has aggressiveness and intent in the swing.  Posted pop times ranging from 2.07-2.18 seconds, has short footwork, a clean transfer, a short arm action, and topped out at 76 mph. Johnson has raw tools, and has yet to hit his ceiling as a baseball player.

Will Lance, 1B/OF, Keller HS, 2019
Long levered, 6-foot-3, 190-pound frame.  Lance hit some balls hard to his pull-side in BP, and posted 82 mph exit velocity off the tee.  Lance has an athletic base in his stance, has looseness in his hands, takes a small simple load back with his body, pushes his hands past his back foot at shoulder height to create separation, has barrel lag to create some whip, has loose barrel action in his swing, minimal head movement, easy swing effort, and has a high finish with his hands.  Lance ran a 7.43 60-yard dash. He has athletic actions at first base with quick feet, agile movements, soft hands, clean exchange, and changed arm angles with accuracy at 81 mph.

Brendan O’Hara, C/2B, Winston Churchill HS, 2019
5-foot-10, 170-pound frame with wide shoulders and strength in the lower half.  O’Hara pounded an 87 mph exit velo off the tee, and the power translated onto the field in batting practice where balls jumped off his bat with backspin.  Works from an athletic base with a smooth load back with his body, a stride where he picks his front foot up and it comes down in the same place, gets separation in the hands, works behind the ball with his body, around a firm front leg, and uses his strength in his hands and wrists at contact to drive through the baseball.  O’Hara ran a 7.17 laser-timed 60. Has quick feet behind the dish with strong leg drive in direction to second base, stays low throughout the throw, made low throws around the bag (74 mph arm strength), and a quick release; pop times ranged from 2.03-2.27.

Nico Patrick, C/3B, Argyle HS, 2019
Strong 6-foot-2, 192-pound frame with wide shoulders.  Physical catcher, the left-hander starts in a tall open stance with rhythm and looseness in his hands, takes a diving leg kick back parallel towards the pitcher, stays behind the ball with his body, and controls the barrel well.  He pounded 88 mph exit velo off the tee, and hit line drives consistently off the barrel in BP. Patrick has more power potential in his body, and already has the ability to find the barrel consistently. Patrick has quick feet behind the plate with some arm strength (74 mph) and made accurate throws on the bag with pop times ranging from 1.96-2.26.  Patrick handled pitchers well in the bullpen session with quiet body actions while receiving. In the infield he showed some athleticism in his footwork, and made throws from various arm angles, topping out at 76 mph across the diamond. Ran a 7.61 60-yard dash. Patrick has the potential to be a left-handed power hitting catcher at the next level, is physical, and has yet to reach his ceiling.  

Dalton Stevenson, C/1B, Klein Oak HS, 2019
Athletic 6-foot-1, 210-pound frame with strength throughout.  Stevenson crushed 93 mph exit velos off the tee, and found the barrel to make some loud contact in the BP round.  The right-hander works from an athletic stance, takes a short stride, has looseness and rhythm in his hands in his load back, and works behind the baseball well with his body and his barrel in his swing to create power. Stevenson flashed quick-twitch ability in his hands, has minimal head movement in the swing, and kept his head down through contact to help him stay through the hitting zone on plane for a long time. His pop times ranged from 2.07-2.19 seconds, with 77 mph arm strength with some carry and accuracy.  Stevenson stays low through the throw with good direction in his footwork, and he blocked well with softness to keep balls close off his body.

Jaggar Vaughn, C/RHP, Iola HS, 2019
6-foot-1, 205-pound frame with loads of strength.  Vaughn pounded 87 mph exit velocity off the tee, and made some hard contact off the barrel in BP.  The physical right-hander hits from an athletic base, has a high leg kick, flashes some balance in the swing, with some rhythm and separation in his hands during the load, and has quick hands and wrists with plenty of strength in them.  Vaughn takes aggressive swings, and has natural lift in his swing. His pop times ranged from 2.00-2.26 seconds and he flashed carry on his throws at 74 mph. Vaughn has a quick right jab step while throwing, and has some arm strength after his clean exchange.  He ran a 7.87 60-yard dash.

Charles West, C/1B, Sunnyvale HS, 2019
5-foot-10, 185-pound frame.  Posted 84 mph exit velocity off the tee.  Balanced athletic stance, has a swinging leg kick to shift his weight back, he takes an aggressive swing flat through the hitting zone. West made low on-line throws to second base at 68 mph, and his pop times ranged from 2.28-2.65 seconds.  He has good direction in his footwork while throwing, and has soft body actions while blocking. Ran a 7.90 laser-timed 60.

Texas Class of 2019 Rankings