Houston Top Prospect Showcase: Corner Infield Analysis

Top Performers

Carlos Abello, C/3B, The Kinkaid School, 2019
6-foot, 190-pound frame with plenty of strength throughout. The left-handed hitting catcher pounded a 94 mph exit velo off the tee, and made loud contact in the BP round.  He starts in a slightly open stance, high hands, has a simple load back into his back side, has a short stride where he pulls his right knee back to generate a powerful weight shift, is in the zone a long time with his barrel, and is very strong at the point of contact. He ran a 7.25 laser-timed 60.  His pop times ranged from 2.07-2.19, he made low throws around the bag (75 mph arm strength), and has a clean exchange. In the infield he has quick and fluid footwork, especially for a primary catcher, with a quick and clean transfer and arm accuracy across the diamond (76 mph).

Cole Alexander, 1B/LHP, Liberty Hill HS, 2019
Projectable 6-foot-6, 225-pound frame with strength throughout. The left-handed hitter made loud contact during the BP round, driving baseballs with backspin carry to the gaps, and posted 93 mph exit velo off the tee. Alexander has an athletic stance with looseness in his hands and wrists, takes a compact simple load, has strong leg drive, quick tight turns in his body during the swing, aggression and loose barrel action, and a quick finish at shoulder height with his barrel.  Athletic 7.10 laser-timed 60. Moved well at first base, showed arm strength (87 mph), and made tough picks during the infield session.

Miguel Martinez, 3B/1B, Davis HS, 2019
At 6-foot, 192-pounds, Martinez is an offensive infielder with a strong, durable frame. The right-handed hitter uses a reverse leg lift as he loads his weight back, holding his leg in the air before striding forward, landing balanced. Tilted shoulders forward as he triggers his hands back, quick hands through the zone, natural lift as the barrel gets in the zone early, working on an uphill plane, with strength at contact. Explosive lower half, gap power with an exit velocity of 87 mph. On the infield, Salinas has quick footwork with a fast first step and good overall feel for tempo as he picks the right hop. Soft hands as he funnels the ball to the midline before a quick exchange to his throws. Accurate arm from different slots with the ability to play on the run.

Ryan Peters, RHP/1B, Cypress Ranch HS, 2019
There is still a lot of upside left in Peters’ wiry, long-limbed 6-foot-2, 170-pound frame. The right-handed hitter has an athletic stance, with his bat sitting flat over his back shoulder. Simple gather as he loads with a leg-kick before striding forward, walking away from his hands, landing in a strong launch position. Aggressive hack, flat path, loose hands with a long finish,posted 85 mph exit velo off the tee; flashed barrels to CF with backspin in BP. He has athletic actions at first base with good footwork around the bag, picked the ball extremely well during the infield session, can change arm angles, and has tremendous arm strength (90 mph). Ran a 7.21 60-yard dash.

Nico Patrick, C/3B, Argyle HS, 2019
Strong 6-foot-2, 192-pound frame with wide shoulders. The physical left-handed hitter starts from 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 and has good barrel awareness.  He pounded 88 mph exit velo off the tee, and hit line drives consistently on the barrel in BP with gap power. Patrick has more power potential in his body, and already has the ability to find the barrel consistently. On 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 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. Handled pitchers well in the bullpen session with quiet body actions while receiving.

Best of the Rest (Alphabetical)

Jake Byers, RHP/1B, Kingwood HS, 2019
6-foot-2, 205-pound frame with some raw strength. Byers hit some baseballs hard off the barrel to center field in batting practice, and pounded a 93 mph exit velo off the tee.  At the plate, he starts in a crouched stance, and he drops his center of gravity even more in his load, he stays low through the swing, works on a low level swing plane, and takes an aggressive swing.  He showed range coming off the bag at first base, and made accurate throws from a low arm slot in the infield; topped out at 85 mph. Ran a 7.17 laser-timed 60 to show some athleticism to go along with his strength.

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. In the infield he has soft hands, funnels the ball smoothly to his midline to make a clean exchange, has a ¾ arm angle with a quick release, and has 80 mph arm speed across the diamond.

Rudy Ibarra, 1B/3B, Baytown Sterling HS, 2019
A stout 6-foot, 225-pound frame. The right-handed hitter begins his work at the plate with a modestly open stance, and his hands high. Mid-pitch, Ibarra drops his hands into a ready position with a stride-and-glide charge towards the baseball. He showed a compact swing with a desire to lift, and the ball jumped off his bat, posting a 91 mph exit velocity. A natural corner infielder, he topped out at 81 mph across the infield with a clean arm swing. At first base, he showcased soft hands and feel for the position.

Zachary Moses, RHP/3B, Sinton HS, 2019
6-foot-2, 198-pound frame with strength in the upper body.  Moses pounded an impressive triple digit exit velocity off the tee, 100 mph and flashed power down the left field line in BP.  Starts in an open stance with looseness in his hands, loads back and lowers his hands slightly above his belt height, takes a short simple stride, has quick hands and wrists that whip the barrel through the zone towards the pull side.  In the infield he fields the ball deep in his stance, has a clean exchange, 78 mph velocity across the diamond, and he can play on the run. Moses made the play on the run with a clean transfer, changed arm slots, and had a quick release.  Ran an 8.23 60-yard dash. Off the mound, he was 76-80 mph with his fastball, 61-64 mph with a big 12/6 shaped curveball, his slider was down in the zone with some depth at 66-68 mph, and his changeup was 72 mph.

Bobby Serfass , 1B/2B, Westlake HS, 2019
Physical 6-foot-3, 215-pound frame. Serfass pounded 90 mph exit velocity off of the tee, and flashed power to his pull side in BP.  The right-handed hitter starts from a wide, slightly crouched stance, shifts his weight back to load as he triggers his hands down toward his back hip. Works on an uphill plane through the zone creating lift.  Serfass stays low in his legs throughout his swing, and ends down in his backside with a smooth follow through. At first base, he showed solid glove actions with some soft hands, and fielded from an athletic position.  He ran a 7.35 laser-timed 60 and topped out at 64 mph across the diamond.

Kyle Simpson, LHP/1B, Magnolia HS, 2019
6-foot-2, 215-pound frame with strength. At the plate, he has a tall setup in the box with a high leg kick that is straight up and then straight down with his front foot, he has a short load back with his hands, and a smooth swing where he handled the bat and hit the ball off the barrel to all fields.  Flashed good footwork around the bag, and made throws at 69 mph across the diamond. Ran an 8.59 60-yard dash.