Houston Top Prospect Showcase: Outfield Analysis
August 11, 2018
HUNTSVILLE, TX -
OUTFIELDERS
Top Performers
Austin Plante, OF/1B, Lake Travis HS, 2019
Texas Christian commit. Very physical and athletic 6-foot-4, 225-pound frame with tons of strength. Crushed 97 mph exit velocity off the tee, and had easy power in batting practice. The left-hander has an advanced approach with barrel awareness at the plate, as he showed his power to all parts of the field during BP. He works from an athletic stance, takes a simple fluid load back with his body, has loose relaxed hands, is in the zone a long time with his barrel, has excellent balance, and has fluid rhythm throughout his swing with a high finish. In the outfield he moved with fluidity, worked through the ball with his body, and delivered accurate throws to the dish with a live loose arm action and a quick release. Plante also showed his unique athleticism by running a sub-7.00 60-yard dash (6.98 laser-timed). Plante will be exciting to watch at the next level, as he projects to be a strong middle of the order presence for the Horned Frogs at some point.
J.T. Mounce, OF, Cypress Christian HS, 2019
Oklahoma State commit. Super athletic frame, 5-foot-11, 160-pounds filled with quick-twitch ability. Mounce ran a 6.47 laser-timed 60. Left-handed hitter with quick twitch actions and flashed pull side power in batting practice; also posted 87 mph exit velo off the tee. Works from a slightly-open athletic stance, has a smooth load with a low hanging leg kick, has smooth and controlled actions until front foot strike, and then an explosive lower half drive with very quick hands that deliver the head of the bat, and gets extension through the zone. Has the makeup to be a top of the order threat in the Big 12. Aggressively closes ground in the outfield, works through the ball with fluidity and a clean exchange, and has a quick loose arm action (89 mph) with accuracy and carry to the dish. Mounce had arguably the best collective tool set at the showcase, and it will be exciting to see what he does at the next level.
Benjamin Holbert, OF/RHP, College Station HS, 2019
Louisiana-Monroe Commit. Long-limbed, athletic, 6-foot-1, 180-pound frame with even more room to grow and add strength. Holbert showed a glimpse of his athleticism by running a 6.79 to start his day. He has an easy swing with tons of leverage from the right side, hammered balls to both gaps with backspin carry with an exit velocity of 93 mph, also launched a ball out of the yard to left. He has an athletic stance, with an easy weight shift and a long load back with his hands, takes a short stride with balance, has a dynamic lower half that generates power, he works behind the baseball with his body, has minimal head movement in the swing, has explosive bat speed through the hitting zone, and is in the zone a long time with his barrel. Has athleticism in the outfield as he moves through the baseball with fluidity, a clean exchange, and has a quick release with serious arm strength and carry (93 mph) to the dish. Holbert is an incredible add for the Warhawks, and has the potential to be a serious run producer and elite defender at the next level.
Ryan Bogusz, RHP/OF, Lonestar HS, 2019
Projectable frame, 6-foot-2, 170-pounds with wiry strength. Bogusz showed his athleticism by running a 6.89 60-yard dash, and by his fluid actions and arm strength from the outfield. Bogusz has fundamental footwork, moves with smoothness through the play with a clean exchange, and made low accurate throws with carry to the plate with a loose quick arm action. At the plate, he starts in an open stance, loads his weight back, takes an abbreviated leg kick into a short stride, pushes his hands back in his load, bars out his lead arm, has quick-twitch in his backside, has fluidity in the swing, looks to pull the baseball with some authority, and is loose through the swing with extension to the pull side. Bogusz has a high ceiling, especially on the mound, he has quick-twitch actions all over the field, has fluidity in his actions, and has a live right arm with a very projectable body.
Tommy Ivey, OF/3B, Kingwood Park HS, 2019
Projectable 6-foot-2, 171-pound athletic frame with strength. Ivey ran a 6.97 60-yard dash to start his day. The right-handed hitter punished balls in batting practice making consistent hard contact off the barrel, and posted 89 mph exit velo off the tee. Ivey has quick hands and wrists with strength that help him drive balls to the pull side, and he also flashed the ability to barrel the ball up the other way. He hits out of a crouched open stance with a lot of looseness and rhythm in his hands, he loads his hands down and back, takes a low leg kick where he generates some torque in his body, is on time with fluid rhythm, and is level through the zone with aggression in the swing. Ivey closes ground aggressively in the outfield, made low accurate throws with carry to the plate with a clean over-the-top release, topped out at 88 mph.
Dillon Pawlik, OF/RHP, Ridge Point HS, 2019
Athletic 6-foot-1, 190-pound frame with some strength. Pawlik ran a 6.85 laser-timed 60 to start his day. The right-hander pounded 88 mph exit velo off the tee, and barreled some balls to center field with plenty of carry in BP. Pawlik does not get cheated at the plate, he takes aggressive hacks with a low leg kick, has an open stance with his hands high above his shoulder, short simple load with compact actions in the swing, and is strong at the point of contact. In the outfield he has fluid footwork in his approach and throughout his throws, he made in-line accurate throws through the cutoff man with carry at 89 mph.
Jacob Wilson, OF, George Ranch HS, 2019
An athletic, well-built frame at 5-6, 135-pounds, Wilson’s size doesn’t play to his peripherals. He ran a 6.74 60-yard dash with quick arms and legs, and you can see his football background through the entirety of his sprint. The right-handed hitter has active hands pre-pitch with a little wiggle in his bat, but he understands his own rhythm. There is a slight leg load as he corks his lead leg into his stance before gliding towards the front of the batter’s box. He creates a lot of room for his bat within the strike zone, even showing consistent lift in his swing. His athleticism and quick-twitch nature create a swing with plenty of torque. In the outfield, Wilson isn’t rushed, as he gathers all of his frame before showing a strong, clean, over-the-top arm swing that touched 87 mph. Despite his size, everything he does on the ballfield is not without vigor.
Kyle Reece, OF/SS, Cy-Fair HS, 2019
Athletic 6-foot, 165-pound high-waisted frame. Ran a 7.02 laser-timed 60. Posted one of the top velocities from the outfield, 92 mph with carry and accuracy to the dish. Reece closes distance aggressively and works through the baseball with controlled aggression and fluidity. Hits from a tall posture in his stance, has a small load, takes a low leg kick into a long stride with balance, stays behind his front foot, and has quick hands with loose barrel whip and he showed barrel awareness in BP by finding consistent barrels to the gaps. Reee is a quick-twitch athlete with a high ceiling, as he continues to develop into his frame.
Tanner Davis, OF/3B, Angleton HS, 2019
Athletic 6-foot, 175-pound frame with upper body strength and quick-twitch athleticism. Davis started his day by running an impressive 6.75 laser-timed 60. The right-hander flashed bat speed at the plate, and pounded 89 mph exit velo off the tee. Davis starts in a crouched stance, has a low leg kick, stays down in his legs, enters zone with a level path and has a high finish to create uphill plane and lift, barrel works to left field, and he stays behind the ball with his body. He showed arm strength and carry from the outfield, topped out at 91 mph with a quick release, closes ground with aggression, and made accurate throws to the plate. Davis is very athletic, has a high ceiling, and plays the game with some energy.
Jake Miller, OF, Vandegrift HS, 2019
Strong 6-foot, 177-pound frame with athleticism. Ran a 6.81 to start his day. The right-hander has a mixture of strength and quick-twitch ability in his bat, he pounded 91 mph exit velo off the tee and drove balls to the left-center gap (a few off the top of the wall in that gap) in his BP round. He has an athletic stance with bend in his knees, tall upper body posture with his hands at shoulder height and the barrel laying flat in his stance, he keeps a flat barrel into the hitting slot with a smooth load back, a short toe tap stride, he stays strong in his lower half, has powerful hip drive in the swing, is connected with his lower half in his swing, he is strong at the point of contact with quick hands, and has natural lift in his swing as he works on plane really well with pitches down in the zone. In the outfield, he has a quick release, has fluid actions with a clean exchange, and made accurate throws (81 mph) through the cut-off man. Miller has a well rounded tool set that is bound to help him excel at the next level.
Best of the Rest (Alphabetical)
Will Ballard, OF, Homeschooled, 2019
Very athletic build at 6-foot, 190-pounds. Ran a 7.05 laser-timed 60. Ballard showed raw strength in BP, as he took aggressive swings in his round, and posted 84 mph exit velo off the tee. The right-hander is strong in his legs in his stance, starts with his hands far behind his back foot with a long front arm, drops his hands in his load, has a high leg kick, and uses his shoulders and wrists to whip the barrel quickly through the zone. In the outfield he had 66 mph velocity with fluid footwork.
Dylan Blair, OF/C, Katy HS, 2019
Long levered, lean, athletic 6-foot-2, 155-pound frame with plenty of room to fill into his frame. Ran an impressive 6.76 laser-timed 60. Blair hit consistent line drives to the middle of the field off the barrel, and posted 87 mph exit velo off the tee. The tall right-hander has an athletic stance with a wide base, loose rhythm in the hands, a smooth load back into a small leg kick, a level path through the zone with extension through the middle of the field. Blair has fluidity in his footwork, a clean exchange and made throws in-line to the plate from right field; 84 mph velocity. Blair is athletic with plenty of quick-twitch capabilities, and his tools will only improve as he continues to add strength into his projectable frame.
Hayden Blair, OF/1B, Katy HS, 2019
Long levered, lean, athletic 6-foot-3, 168-pound frame with plenty of room to fill into his frame. Ran a 6.80 laser-timed 60 to start his day. Hit low line drives off of the barrel in his BP round, and posted 86 mph exit velocity off the tee. The left-hander has a wide athletic stance, looseness in his hands, has a smooth load back with his body over his backside, has a small hanging leg kick with balance, has a level planed swing, stays behind the ball with his body, and gets some strong leg drive from his back leg and hips. In the outfield he has a long loose arm action with some arm strength and carry; topped out at 85 mph.
Davis Blake, OF/C, Claudia T. Johnson HS, 2019
Strength in his frame at 5-foot-10, 185-pounds. Blake showed the ability to consistently make loud contact off the barrel in BP, as he hit consistent hard line drives, and takes an aggressive swing with the intent to do damage; posted 87 mph exit velocity off the tee. Blake has bat speed from the right side of the plate, has an athletic base, a smooth load back with a toe tap stride, loose barrel action, and a very level swing through the zone. Blake ran a 7.19 60-yard dash.
Ryan Davenport, RHP/SS/OF, Dripping Springs HS, 2019
5-foot-10, 160-pound athletic frame with wiry strength. Davenport ran a 6.81 laser-timed 60. The left handed-hitter flashed loose barrel whip with fluid actions in his swing; 88 mph exit velo off the tee. Athletic stance with rhythm and quickness in his hands, he loads back with his body and has a slight lean back during his leg kick, keeps his hands over his backside during his weight-shift with his body to create separation and takes an aggressive hack level through the hitting zone. In the outfield he worked through the ball with his footwork and clean transfer, had a long release, and made low accurate throws to the dish.
Colton Eilers, RHP/SS, Smithson Valley HS, 2019
5-foot-11, 180-pound athletic frame. Pounded 90 mph exit velo off the tee, and the ball jumped off his barrel at times in batting practice. Eilers takes an aggressive hack, has an athletic stance, has a low swinging leg kick where he brings his front foot almost all the way back over his back foot into a long stride, stays behind his long stride leg, has long levers at the plate, and has some extension through the zone with his barrel. He works through the ball with fluidity, a clean exchange, stays low through the play, and delivered on-line and accurate throws through the cut-off man to the dish; topped out at 84 mph.
Tyler Folse, OF/LHP, Barbers Hill HS, 2019
5-foot-10, 175-pound frame with strength in his lower half. Ran a 7.14 laser-timed 60. Folse hits from the left side out of a crouched stance, smooth load back into a short stride with balance in his swing, quick-twitch barrel actions flat through the hitting zone, and extension through his pull-side. Folse posted an 83 mph exit velocity off the tee, but showed more power in BP where he hammered balls to the right-center gaps and balls with carry over the right fielder’s head. In the outfield he played through the ball with some fluidity, made accurate throws on-line through the cut-off, and had a clean arm action (81 mph).
Ricky Graham, OF/LHP, Hutto HS, 2019
5-foot-11, 200-pound frame. Graham flashed gap power to the left-center gap in BP, and posted 88 mph exit velo off the tee. At the plate, the right-handed hitter has an athletic stance, with a smooth loa, a small leg kick with balance, compact actions in his barrel and body, is strong at the point of contact with strong lower half drive, stays behind the ball with his body, and has a gap-to-gap approach with some raw power. He works fluidly through the ball in the outfield, with a clean transfer and a quick release, and made accurate throws through the cutoff man at 71 mph.
Jordan Grice, SS/OF, Tomball Memorial HS, 2019
Long and lean 6-1, 180-pound frame with wiry strength. Ran a 6.89 laser-timed 60. Grice has athletic actions in the field, showing well in both the infield and outfield portions of the workout. He has quick footwork with fluidity in the infield, soft hands that he funnels the ball to his midline with, a clean and quick exchange, and a short arm action with carry and accuracy (83 mph). He showed the ability to play smoothly on the run, and has enough arm strength to stick on the left side at the next level. In the outfield, he has a quick clean release as he works through the ball fluidly, made low throws with some carry in the workout. At the plate, the long-levered righty has an athletic stance, a smooth load with a short toe tap stride, linear lower body mechanics, takes the knob to the ball creating a short path to contact, and hit the ball consistently to the opposite field in batting practice; 80 mph exit velo off the tee.
Oscar Gutierrez, OF/SS, Langham Creek HS, 2019
5-foot-10, 160-pound frame with budding strength. At the plate he hits from a slightly crouched open stance with weight in his back leg, has a fluid load with his hands, balance in his low leg kick, smooth weightshift that minimizes his head movement, tight turns in his aggressive swing with quick hands, strength at the point of contact, and extension through the hitting zone. Gutierrez had an 84 mph exit velocity off the tee and made some hard contact in BP hitting balls to the left center gap with carry. 84 mph arm strength from the outfield, made accurate throws with some carry to the plate with a clean exchange. Ran a 7.26 laser-timed 60.
Riley Hicks, OF, Frisco Centennial HS, 2019
An athletically lean 6-foot, 165-pound frame. Hicks showed a lot of gusto after running an initial 6.59 60-yard dash, but he knew there was more gas in the tank. What followed was a 6.49 60, the effect of loose strides and a high motor. In the batter’s box, the right-handed hitter starts with his hands high and a somewhat crouched upper-half. He maintains much of his pre-pitch load into his swing, where he taps his lead leg back into his stance before striding forward. He does well to keep his head on plane, and at the showcase, he flashed versatile hands. In the outfield, Hicks threw the baseball low and with intent at 83 mph, showing off an athletic crow-hop.
Medrick Morgan, OF/RHP, Cedar Ridge HS, 2019
A sturdy 5-foot-11, 225-pound frame. At the plate, the right-handed hitter starts from a slightly-open stance, while featuring a moderate leg kick and calm hands. His head stays on plane through his swing, an attack that is designed to elevate the baseball, especially to his pull-side. He addresses the baseball with a quick bat that minimizes any need for extracurriculars and during batting practice, Morgan hit a home run off the Sam Houston State scoreboard. It was the kind of prodigious shot that forced all in attendance to look at the person next to them and ask “did you see that?”. In the outfield, he moves well for his size and showed the ability to play through the baseball. Even with an outfield velocity of 87 mph, a tweak in his arm slot could provide even more carry.
Ethan Pounders, OF, Logos Prep Academy, 2019
5-foot-9, 130-pound frame. Pounders ran a 6.90 laser-timed 60. In the outfield he has quick feet, a clean transfer, a very quick release, and made throws on line through the cut-off man (73 mph). At the plate, he has a wide base and uses a leg kick, he loads his weight back and stays down and back in his back leg through the swing, has a short path with a low finish. In BP he worked mainly to the opposite field, and he posted a 68 mph exit velo off the tee.
Andrew Sanders, OF/2B, Midway HS, 2019
5-foot-8, 160-pound frame. Ran a 6.93 laser-timed 60. The right-handed hitter flashed the ability to handle the bat in BP, hitting low line drives off the barrel to all parts of the field. Athletic stance with a low toe-tap, a smooth load back with his weight and his hands, he has a short level path through the hitting zone, compact swing actions, and controls the barrel; 84 mph exit velo off the tee. From the outfield he topped out at 82 mph, approached the ball with quick feet, has a long release, and made throws through the cut off man.
Mason Shockey, OF, Fulshear HS, 2019
5-foot-9, 149-pound frame with wiry strength. Ran a 7.17 laser-timed 60. The right-hander has a wide base in his stance with a low leg kick, loose rhythm in the hands, hands drop in his load slightly above his belt, finishes swing shoulder height allowing for a slight uphill path, has quick hands and wrists that whip the barrel through the zone towards left field line through contact, and has intent in the swing. Shockey showed the ability to pull the ball on the barrel in BP, and posted a 78 mph exit velo off the tee. In the outfield, he closes ground in his approach, has a short to long arm stroke and topped out at 79 mph.
Braden Shultz, OF/LHP, St. Michaels, 2019
Athletic 5-foot-11, 165-pound frame. Ran a 6.91 laser-timed 60. The left-hander flashed his ability to drive the baseball in BP and posted 89 mph exit velo off the tee. Has a wide stance, utilizes a toe tap, has early rhythm on the load with his body and hands coming back with his front foot on the toe tap and then takes a low small stride into an aggressive hack with bat speed through the zone. In the outfield, the lefty has a loose and live arm (87 mph) with a quick and accurate release to the plate. Showed athleticism and fluidity while attacking the ball and working through the play.
Jacob Strmiska, OF/RHP, Round Rock HS, 2019
A projectable 6-foot-3, 170-pound frame. The right-handed starts tall in his stance with his hands always in motion. What follows is a big leg kick as he wraps his hands, and a fundamental understanding of when to get his foot down. He showed a loose barrel and during batting practice, Strmiska peppered the opposite field gap with lift and regularity. In the outfield, he moved athletically and played through the baseball well. He fired to home plate with a consistently clean over-the-top arm swing and as he topped out at 81 mph, keeping his throws low and accurate. On the mound, he works from an easy, repeatable delivery with a short ¾ arm stroke. Strmiska has a quick arm and filled up the strike zone with his 81-83 mph fastball, as he clearly has a feel for his athletic delivery. His curveball, sitting at 73-74 mph, showed hard 11-5 break and his 78-79 mph changeup, like his curveball, was thrown from the same arm slot and effort. Strmiska still has plenty of room in his frame to add beneficial strength, to go with his athleticism.
Kyle Wommack, OF/RHP, Willis HS, 2019
A bulldozing frame at 5-foot-11, 205-pounds. The right-handed hitter is slightly bent in his stance, with his bat resting on his shoulders. Wommack shows a light bounce in his hands as a timing mechanism, and he has a short stride and a quick bat wrap before attacking the baseball. He flashed an understanding of where his barrel is, consistently making solid contact (91 mph exit velocity), the result of a springy bat path. In the outfield, he managed to play the baseball with tempo, but still under control, showing an athletic, loose arm that translated to the mound. With a long arm swing from a high ¾ window, Wommack harnesses his momentum well before exploding over his front side. His 77-80 mph fastball was thrown for strikes, and even showed a hint of arm-side run. He did well to get on top of his 61-63 mph curveball, that showed deep 11-6 shape.