I-10 Border Battle: Catching Analysis

CATCHERS

Yanluis Ortiz, C/RHP, Southlake Carroll HS, 2020
At 5-foot-10, 190 pounds, Ortiz has advanced strength for a sophomore, with broad shoulders and well defined lower half. Strong presence in the box, and he showed advanced power (94 exit velo) during batting practice and the ability to drive the ball with authority. Starts from a wide base, then lowers his front knee as he triggers his hands down and back. Simple strength, quick hands, uphill path with leverage. Hits the ball with authority and pull side power. During the game he singled sharply to the outfield on a two-strike curveball that he hit off his front foot. Behind the plate, he threw 83 mph from the crouch and posted pop times of 2.05-2.15. Strong arm with carry and accuracy, quick exchange and soft hands.

Max Soliz, C/OF, Homeschool, 2021
Soliz has a strong frame at 6-foot-3, 195-pounds. The right-handed hitter starts from a neutral stance with his hands set back into a front arm bar. Lowers himself into his legs as he triggers his hands down before striding forward. Simple, balanced weight transfer, uphill path with natural, raw strength in his hands. Hits the ball with leverage and makes strong contact to the pull side with an exit velocity of 85 mph. Behind the plate he uses directional footwork, soft hands, and a quick exchange to post pop times of 2.05-2.19 with a velocity from the crouch of 76 mph.

Brandon Nelson, C/3B, Ridge Point HS, 2021
Nelson has a strong frame for a freshman at 5-foot-10, 160-pounds. The left-handed hitter starts from an open, relaxed stance, then uses a knee-to-knee load with a slight leg kick as he triggers his hands back. Lands balanced, rotational weight transfer with natural lift, loose, quick, strong hands, projectable power to the pull side with an exit velocity of 83 mph. Behind the plate, Nelson posted pop times of 2.14-2.29 with a velocity of 73 mph from the crouch. Quick exchange, soft hands, directional footwork with average effort in a short, high-¾ arm stroke.

Jacob Odom, C/SS, Anna HS, 2020  
Odom has an athletic, lean-muscular frame at 5 foot 10, 162 pounds. The right-handed hitter starts from an open, crouched setup, then uses a quick leg kick while his hands stay relaxed. Simple weight shift to rotate to contact. Slight front arm bar, uphill path,  and quickish hands produced a mix of line drives and ground balls from the middle to pull side with an exit velocity of 76 mph. Behind the plate he posted pop times of 2.11-2.34 second. Good carry in a loose arm swing with a velocity from the crouch of 78 mph.

Drue Hirth, C/3B, Cypress Christian HS, 2020
6-foot-1, 180-pound, long limbed frame. The right-handed hitter starts from a tall stance with his hands set behind his back shoulder into a front arm bar. Smooth load back into a short leg kick, lands balanced, flat path, line drive power with an exit velocity of 80 mph. Behind the plate, Hirth threw 74 mph from the crouch with pop times of 2.1-2.26. Arm works well from a short ¾ arm stroke with good accuracy.

Collin Young, C/OF, Magnolia HS, 2020
5 foot 10, 165 pounds. The right-handed hitter starts from a slightly open stance with the barrel wrapped behind his head with relaxed hands. Smooth leg lift as he loads back, triggering his hands back. Lands balanced, simple weight transfer as the barrel gets on plane early. Slots the barrel low, working on an uphill path with a front arm bar. Good leverage and lift in the swing with an exit velocity of 90 mph. Strong contact with current gap power and more likely to come in the future. Behind the plate, he threw 73 mph from the crouch with pop times ranging from 2.07-2.32. Clean exchange, directional footwork and average accuracy.