South Texas Underclass Games: Middle Infield Analysis
September 3, 2018
Drew Woodcox, SS/OF, Lamar HS, 2020
A lean-strong 6-foot, 180-pound frame, Woodcox is an impressive, quick-twitch athlete. The right-handed hitter sets up in a tall stance with his hands raised before a big leg kick and high-to-low load generate a swing with advanced bat speed (91 mph exit velocity). He keeps his bat tight to his midline, with plenty of lag through the zone, his head stays on the centerline while his hips fire open to produce good pop. Has some organic lift as he works his hands up through the baseball. On the infield, Woodcox showed soft hands and a quick trigger, relying on a low, loose ¾ arm stroke with good carry (83 mph). Keeps his hips low when working to the baseball and has good instincts, as evidenced by an agile first-step. Woodcox has seen his stock rise this summer and has the tools to maintain his upward trajectory.
Sergio Galvan, SS/3B, Alexander HS, 2020
A projectable 6-foot, 170-pound frame. The right-handed hitter sets up in an athletic stance with his hands high, tight, and calm. Working in rhythm, he loads his hands back in cadence while utilizing a slight leg lift to attack the baseball with a compact swing. Galvan has loose wrists, a bat that lags through the zone, and always seems to know where his barrel is. His head stays on the centerline through the entirety of his swing, and is strong at the point of contact. On the infield, Galvan moves laterally with ease, has soft hands, a fast transfer, and throws with velocity from all angles, topping out at 85 mph. He plays with with a bounce, showed a tremendous first-step to his left and right, and there aren’t a lot of middle infielders that pivot a double play ball much cleaner than Galvan. He is an exciting prospect that is fundamentally sound in all facets of the game.
Thomas Schreck, SS/2B, Needville HS, 2020
A lean 5-foot-9, 155-pound frame. The right-handed hitter sets up in an athletic stance with calms hands, as his bat remains in the load position. Schreck initiates his swing with a minimal stride, showing good lag through the zone with his hands working tight to his midline, as he fires open his front side with plenty of torque, displaying a swing built to hit line drives. On the infield, he plays with charisma, confidence and fluidity in much of what he does. With good lateral agility, soft hands, an athletic throwing arm capable of finishing plays from multiple angles, solid arm strength (81 mph), and a quick trigger, Schreck looks every bit the part in the middle of the infield.
Parker Guerin, SS/2B, Lake Travis HS, 2020
A still-growing 5-foot-11, 155-pound frame. The right-handed hitter starts in the box with a tall, but athletic stance, as his hands start high before working down-and-back within his load. A medium-sized leg kick initiates a swing that flashes solid bat speed, as Guerin fires open his hips and carries his hands through a tight window. He creates quite a bit of torque, as is evident in his follow-through. On the infield, he always seems to center the baseball to his midline, no matter the lateral direction. His feet are always moving, and does well to create a throwing lane prior to fielding the baseball. With a natural ¾ arm slot, Guerin has no issues throwing from a variety of angles, and was tremendously smooth playing on the run and pivoting for a double play.
Cameron Yadon, SS/2B, Bridge City HS, 2020
A wiry, projectable 5-foot-11, 140-pound frame, Yadon is an all-around ballplayer. The right-handed hitter starts in a bendy, athletic stance with his bat behind his head. A quick stride forward syncs with a bat wrap as he showed a swing with good lag and extension through the zone, with a sense for his barrel. He peppered hard contact throughout the outfield with a line-drive hack, showcasing strength at the point of attack and in his follow-through. On the infield, Yadon plays through the baseball with mature mannerisms, showcasing softs hands, a quick transfer to his midline, and a whippy arm (82 mph). Has the ability to change arm angles, and does well to create leverage towards his target with fluid footwork.
Garrett Thompson, SS/C, New Braunfels HS, 2020
A projectable 6-foot-1, 160-pound frame. The left-handed hitter starts in a narrow, athletic stance with some shake in his bat. As his hands cradle and his lead leg taps in and strides out, Thompson showcases a fiery front side with a swing angled for launch. His hands stay tight to his center, with his bat finding plenty of space to work within the zone, finishing with good extension and follow-through. He found the barrel a number of times during batting practice, with the bat head firmly creating contact out in front. On the infield, Thompson plays with confident swagger. Showcased mature actions, soft hands, good side-to-side ability, a quick release with a short, but strong arm stroke (82 mph). He still has more than enough room to grow, and tools to be coveted.
Elijah Uribe, SS/RHP, Oak Ridge HS, 2020
An athletic 5-foot-10, 165-pound frame, Uribe is a player that displays advanced actions in all facets of his game. The right-handed hitter starts in a tall, hitterish stance with his hands behind his head. As he lifts his lead leg, he wraps his hands, creating a compact swing with lag through the zone. Natural lift, loose wrists, great feel for the barrel, and an athletic finish. On the infield, Uribe is always creating leverage towards his target, the effect of fluid footwork. Has softs hands, a quick transfer to his midline, and above-average arm strength (86 mph) from a variety of angles. Plays the middle of the infield with a controlled tempo. Uribe has exciting tools and should be monitored as he enters his junior season.
Jacob Anthony Garcia, SS/2B, Ridge Point HS, 2020
A strong 5-foot-7, 152-pound frame. The right-handed hitter sets up in a tall, yet slightly bent stance with some wiggle in his bat. Pre-pitch, his hands stay high, moving back with some coil, and as he steps forward, he carries all of his frame towards the baseball, but without consequence. Garcia does well to get on top of the baseball, with his barrel showing terrific extension through the zone, the result of a narrow bat path and an understanding of when to get his foot down. On the infield, Garcia plays through the baseball with fluidity and showed a quick transfer, throwing the baseball with vigor. He uses his low center of gravity to his advantage, keep his hips low and creating leverage back to first base. At this stage of his development, Garcia is a solid ballplayer with the tools to continue honing his craft.
A lean 5-foot-11, 160-pound frame. The right-handed hitter starts in a balanced, relaxed setup as he cradles his hands straight back in sync with a medium leg kick. Showed a handsy swing with his bat working down through the baseball, good weight shift and a level swing with a direct bat path through the zone, including an athletic finish. Parrott keeps his head on the centerline well, and during batting practice, he barrelled the baseball with lift. On the infield, he flashed fluid footwork, good actions, and a quick transfer. Still only a rising sophomore, Parrott has growing tools and solid fundamentals to develop further.
Caden Queck, SS/OF, The Woodlands Christian Academy, 2020
A projectable 6-foot-1, 180-pound frame. The right-handed hitter sets up in a balanced stance with his hands working down-and-back in rhythm with a big leg kick. Queck forcefully clears his hips, shifts his weight, maximizes space for his bat within the zone, producing a swing that encourages lift, a positive mix for a player that possesses great barrel awareness (90 mph exit velocity). In the outfield, he plays through the baseball with smooth actions, topping out at 87 mph with a short arm stroke from a high ¾ slot. On the infield, Queck actually showed an uptick in velocity (89 mph), with a clean transfer and the ability to throw the baseball from a variety of angles. Queck is a toolsy player whose stock is certainly on the rise.
Mitchell Reddy, SS/RHP, Memorial HS, 2020
A lean 5-foot-7, 130-pound frame. The right-handed hitter starts in a balanced stance with his bat resting on his shoulder. Reddy glides his weight back in rhythm with his hands, wraps his bat to go with a leg lift, and is tall pre-swing. He does well to transfer his weight through the zone with his loose, collapsing hands, as he showed off good barrel awareness and an athletic finish. On the infield, Reddy fielded ground balls at shortstop with natural actions, leveraging his body well towards first base with a ¾ arm stroke. Showed a quick transfer and release, with good footwork.
Stayton Ankrom, SS/OF, Reagan HS, 2021
A projectable 6-foot-2, 190-pound frame, Ankrom was one of only a handful of 2021 graduates to attend the event. The right-handed hitter starts from a tall, narrow stance as he coils his hands with a slight leg lift. He showcased a loose barrel that creates power with a swing manufacturing launch, as he transfers his weight back before a smooth glide towards the baseball. With a top exit velocity of 93 mph, Ankrom flashed barrel awareness to go with an easy swing. On the infield, he has smooth actions, a quick transfer, and the ability to square his shoulders from a variety of vantage points, while his arm works clean and athletic. He threw across the infield with tempo and fluidity, and looked very comfortable patrolling the middle of the infield. Having plenty of time to continue his development, his maturation will certainly be interesting.
Max Childress, 2B/SS, College Station HS, 2022
A still-developing 5-foot-9, 155-pound frame, he was the lone 2022 graduate at the event. The left-handed hitter starts with his hands high in a slightly-bent, athletic stance. As he loads, his hands move down-and-back in conjunction with a slight leg lift, showcasing an advanced comprehension for how to transfer his weight to the point of attack. As a rising freshman, Childress did well to create space for his barrel to work within the zone and opened his hips with authority. On the infield, he played with composure, securing the baseball at his midline and showed good footwork to create momentum towards his target. He flashed a whippy arm and an advanced ability to play on the run. Given where Childress already stands as a ballplayer, his high school growth should be watched with a keen eye.
Sergio Guerra, SS/2B, San Diego HS, 2021
An athletic 5-foot-10, 170-pound frame. Pre-pitch, the right-handed hitter’s bat show a little wiggle, though he has a feel for how his hands and a slight leg kick work in unison. He creates space for his barrel, showing off a simple, compact, line-drive swing. On the infield, Guerra showcased polished actions, soft hands and a quick transfer. He showed solid laterally agility and understood how to approach the varying types of plays in front of him. Still only a rising sophomore, Guerra has tools worth keeping tabs on.
Colton Harris, 2B/OF, Houston Christian HS, 2020
A lean 5-foot-10, 156-pound frame. The right-handed hitter sets up in the batter’s box in an athletic stance, where his hands start high, and stay high. After a minimal leg lift, he glides towards the baseball with his front side and utilizes a short, compact stroke with feel for his barrel. With solid bat speed, he doesn’t try to do more than he should at the plate, putting together a workable line drive approach. On the infield, he plays through the baseball with rhythm and poise. He flashed a quickish transfer and good footwork lining up his target. He has a loose arm that plays athletically from all angles, especially so when playing the baseball on the run. As a natural second baseman, he certainly looks the part.
Gray Harrison, SS/RHP, Westlake HS, 2020
A projectable 6-foot-1, 155-pound frame. The right-handed hitter starts in an athletic, slightly-closed stance with his hands traditionally placed behind his head. After his rocking bat and cocking his hands down and very far back, Harrison utilizes a modest leg lift before showcasing fiery hips and good lag through the zone. Still growing into his already-long arms, he showed flexible wrists and awareness for his barrel. On the infield, Harrison moves well side-to-side, while securing the baseball to his midline and firing with an athletic, explosive release from a low ¾ window, topping out at 88 mph. He also showed good feel for the double-play pivot and was smooth playing the slow-roller.
A wiry 6-foot, 170-pound frame. From a slightly-open stance, the right-handed hitter glides his hands down-and-straight-back with a subtle leg lift and smooth load. Good rhythm as he transfers his weight from back to front, landing with a balanced stride. Flat path with a front arm bar and an exit velocity of 89 mph. Solid barrel awareness with loose hands and a line drive approach to the middle of the field. At shortstop, Hauser plays through the ball with quickish footwork and throws from a low-3/4 slot with a top velocity of 79 mph.
Bryce Palumbo, SS/2B, Strake Jesuit HS, 2020
Lean 5-foot-9, 145-pound frame with wide shoulders and more room to grow into the frame. Palumbo has mature actions in the infield and plays the middle infield with confidence and energy. He has quick fluid footwork, plays through the ball with rhythm, has soft hands as he catches and funnels to his midline, a quick exchange into a short arm action (77 mph arm strength) and follows his throw. He showed accuracy from multiple arm angles with some carry across the diamond, has the actions to stick at shortstop. The right-handed hitter works from a wide athletic base in his stance, uses a short stride, works on a level inside-out type barrel path that is in the zone a long time, and has high finish. Showed a contact approach by consistently spraying balls up the middle and to the opposite field in batting practice. Ran a 7.25 laser-timed 60.
Julius Villarreal, SS/2B, Round Rock HS, 2020
A lean 5-foot-9, 150-pound frame. The right-handed hitter sets up in an athletic stance with his hands wrapped. He whips his bat low-to-high as a forcefully loads his hands straight back before he hitches his hands again towards his center. His ever-moving load creates a swing that directs the knob of the bat to the baseball with good lift, balance, bat speed and extension. He’s strong at the point of attack and showed a strong sense of barrel awareness. On the infield, Villarreal showed soft hands, a good first step, and the ability to throw from multiple arm angles. Turned the double-play pivot with natural actions, as well as the slow roller. Villarreal is a solid all-around player with room for refinement.