PLANO, TX - Players from the 2020 and 2021 classes met at Prestonwood Christian Academy on Saturday, October 21 in Prep Baseball Report Texas’ Fall Underclass Games. The event was loaded with talented sophomores and freshman from around the state. Here is the catching analysis from that event.

+ Bo Hogeboom, C, Argyle HS, 2020
Hogeboom has a high ceiling with arm strength behind the dish, power from both sides of plate, and a strong, projectable frame at 6-foot, 180-pounds. After playing football on Friday night, and an early Saturday morning film session, Hogeboom showed up at the Underclass Games in Plano. Behind the plate, Hogeboom has tons of arm strength (78 mph) with carry to second base and posted pop times of 1.87-2.01. Smooth footwork, clean exchange into a high-¾ arm stroke with a quick hand out front on release with accuracy. Soft hands receiving the baseball. Offensively, Hogeboom is a switch-hitter with a smooth stroke, leg kick and early rhythm as both his left - and - right-handed swings mirror each other. He triggers his hands back and down as he lifts his front leg, staying balanced while his front foot strides out. Athletic lower half transfer from both sides of the plate, uphill path with strong hands accelerate the barrel with a high-loose finish through contact. Showed outstanding power from both sides, banging multiple balls of the wall left-handed (86 mph) and leaving the yard right-handed (92 mph). Shows good feel for hitting off-speed pitches, keeps his hands back and still finishes his swing with a full hack.

+ J.D. Gregson, C, Wakeland HS, 2020
Gregson has a ton of upside with a projectable, long-limbed, lean-muscular frame at 6-foot-2, 170-pounds. The sophomore threw bullets to second base with true carry and pop times of 1.92-2.05 and an 82 mph velocity from the crouch. For good measure, he hammered a no-doubter homerun to left field during the game and roped a hard ground ball to second base. The right-handed hitter starts from a wide base with a crouched stance. Loads slow as he lowers himself into his legs and triggers his hands, landing with a short stride. Powerful rotation of his hips as he transfers his weight, barrel gets on plane early, strong-quick hands, hard contact, high-loose finish with whip in the barrel creates lift and pull side power.

+ Dylan Leach, C, Carthage HS, 2021
Leach has a lean-muscular frame with a well defined lower half and strong upper body at 5-foot-11, 175-pounds. The freshman has a high motor and is a “top-step” vocal leader on the field.  A switch-hitter, Leach shows good barrel awareness and a loose hack with rhythm and strength from both sides of the plate. From the right-side, he starts from a tall, slightly open, balanced stance with relaxed rhythm in his hands. Simple load back as he triggers his hands, then lands square with a short stride as he fires his lower half to initiate his hack with a powerful weight transfer. Short path to contact with good extension as he accelerates the barrel with strength in his hands and an exit velocity of 89 mph. From the left side, Leach starts from a wider base with his weight slightly shifted forward. Uses a smooth load as he triggers his hands back, powerful lower-half rotation as he fires his hips, slotting his hands down into the zone. Still has a short path with high end strength at contact, more lift with a higher finish and bottom-hand dominant path from the left side. Drove deep fly balls from center - to - left-centerfield during batting practice. Made hard contact during the game as he smoked two singles on the barrel. Projectable offensive tools. Behind the plate, leach has a quiet setup with good lower half mobility and strength with strong hands as he receives the baseball. Quick exchange and footwork on throws to second base, high end arm strength (77 mph) and consistent pop times of 2.04-2.09 with accuracy from a short, high-¾ slot. Throws behind runners during games, quick twitch actions behind the plate. Aggressive base runner.

+ Travis White, C, Kerville Tivy HS, 2021
White has an athletic, strong frame at 5-foot-10, 165-pounds. The sophomore has a confident demeanor on the field, and posted some of the best pop times of the event ranging from 1.97-2.11. He receives the ball with a quiet body and soft hands, and shows a good feel blocking. Quick-directional footwork on throws to second base, mid-line exchange, arm works quick out in front on release with carry and a 78 mph velocity from the crouch. A right-handed hitter, White has a simple swing, starting from a slightly open, balanced stance with good flex in his lower half. Smooth load back with relaxed, early rhythm, hands slide back as he lands balanced with a short stride. Quick hands through the zone with a flat path, good extension through contact with strength in the barrel and some pop to the pull side with an exit velocity of 86 mph. White showed good feel for the barrel during the game, where he squared up two balls with a single through the left side and a deep fly ball to centerfield.

+ Robert Antonetti, C/OF, Grapevine HS, 2020
Antonetti has a strong lower half with an athletic 5-foot-10, 175-pound frame. The left-handed hitter has ultra-quick hands at the plate with a loose hack and swung the bat extremely well at the Fall Underclass Games, going two-for-three with an RBI and two sharp singles to right field. He starts from an open stance with his bat sitting flat on his back shoulder. Simple rock back as he loads smooth, drops the knob of the bat down with barrel pointing upward to trigger his hands. Short stride to land square, easy weight transfer with balance as he rotates his hips. Hands slot down into the zone with a slight front arm bar. Quick hands generate effortless bat speed and hard contact with carry to the gaps. Head stays still as his hands work on a slightly uphill path with a loose finish and good extension through contact with an exit velocity of 88 mph. This is a bat that college coaches will want to follow closely this spring and summer. Behind the plate, Antonetti has good lower half mobility and quick footwork. Posted pop times of 2.15-2.34 with a max velocity from the crouch of 80 mph.

+ David Jeon, RHP/C, Coppell HS, 2021
Jeon has a ton of upside with his strong, sturdy frame and broad shoulders at 5-foot-11, 200-pounds.  A two-way player and right-handed hitter, Jeon has a balanced setup with a simple, early rhythm as he loads back to trigger his hands, landing with a short stride. Fires his hips back through the middle with good lag of the barrel and a middle of the field approach with an exit velocity of 84 mph. Behind the plate, Jeon shows a good feel for receiving the ball with soft hands and throws with an easy, quick exchange, with consistent pop times of 2.32-2.4 and a velocity from the crouch of 73 mph.

+ Diego Martinez, C/3B, Midlothian Heritage HS, 2020
Martinez has a strong, sturdy frame at 5-foot-9, 160-pounds. The right-handed hitter has an aggressive approach, took good hacks the entire day, and shows an advanced feel for hitting. He starts from a slightly open, balanced setup, uses a reverse leg lift to load with relaxed rhythm, lands with a soft, short stride. Easy, repeatable rhythm in his hands, slots the barrel on plane early with an uphill path. Smooth hack through the zone with barrel control, lift, and a loose finish with extension through contact. Behind the plate, Martinez has soft hands and quick, in-line footwork with a 74 mph velocity from the crouch and 2.11-2.33 pop times.

+ Brett Harper, C/3B, Allen HS, 2020
Harper is a hard-nosed player with a lean-strong frame 5-foot-8, 150-pounds. During the game, he did an outstanding job of blocking balls in the dirt, and didn’t flinch when he took a ball of the throat and another off his right forearm. Behind the plate, he has soft hands, a quick, clean exchange, and made accurate throws on top of the bag at second base with pop times ranging from 2.03-2.18 with a velocity from the crouch of 74 mph. On the infield, Harper has quickish footwork and uses short, choppy steps to create rhythm through ball. Throws from a long-¾ slot with accuracy at 79 mph across the diamond. A right-handed hitter, Harper uses strong hands to create hard contact with carry. He starts from a tall, slightly open, stacked stance with his front foot turned in and a high hand position. Smooth load back, triggers his hands down and back, creates good separation as he lands with a short stride. Slight front arm bar, powerful swing, barrel stays in the zone a long time with good leverage, uphill path and good extension through contact with an exit velocity of 83. Drove the ball during batting practice creating lift and carry from the middle to pull side. During the game he just missed a fastball and hit sky high popup with a 6.29-second hang time.

+ Noah Boughton, C/3B, Covenant Christian HS, 2020
Boughton has a strong, sturdy frame at 6-feet, 185-pounds. Although he did not participate in the defensive portion of the workout, the left-handed hitter showed a plus hit tool during batting practice. He starts from an open, stacked stance, smooth load back as he triggers his hands back and points the knob down, engaging the barrel. Does a nice job of maintaining balance and keep his chest upright as he strides out, creating good separation and landing good energy in his lower half. Quick hands through the zone, short top-hand punch with solid bat speed and strength at contact on a slightly uphill path. Line drive approach during batting practice with an exit velocity of 86 mph. Drove the ball with back spin through the middle and carry to the pull side gap. Projectable left-handed hitter that we look forward to seeing again in the future.

+ Joey Baran, C/OF, Anderson HS, 2021
5-foot-6, 130-pounds. The left-handed hitter starts from a square, wide base with his hands set close to his ear and the barrel laid back. Early load back using a toe-tap, triggers his hands back as he strides out landing square. Rotates hips as he transfers his weight through contact against a firm front side. Good bat lag working through the zone on a slightly uphill path with a loose finish. Line drive approach, flashes some carry to the pull side with an exit velocity of 75 mph. Behind the plate, Baran has a clean, quick exchange and made consistent, accurate throws on top of the bag at second base with pop times ranging from 2.18-2.25 with a velocity from the crouch of 71 mph.

+ Jackson Hall, C/3B, Wakeland HS, 2021
Hall has a lean, wiry frame at 5-foot-11, 140-pounds with plenty of room to add strength as he continues to develop. The freshman blocked well, played with a bounce in his step and was a vocal presence behind plate during the game. The right-handed hitter starts from a wide base with rhythm in his hands with a high position. Uses a big leg lift as he loads back and triggers his hands down and back. Creates good separation as he strides out. Slight front arm bar, quickish hands through the zone with a mostly flat path with a higher finish. Line drive approach from the middle to back side gap with an exit velocity of 75 mph. Behind the plate, he has a clean exchange, in-line footwork and throws from a short, high-¾ slot at 67 mph from the crouch and pop times ranging from 2.25-2.37.

+ Ethan Frost, C, Reedy HS, 2020
Frost has plenty of room to add strength as he continues to fill out his 6-foot-1, 152-pound, projectable, long-limbed, wiry frame. The right-handed hitter starts from a stacked setup with a wide base. Smooth load with rhythm as he pushes back into a low-hanging, knee-to-knee leg kick. Triggers his hands back, replacing his front foot with a short stride and good energy and balance in his lower half. Fluid swing, compact, flat path to contact, line drive power with an exit velocity of 75 mph and more to come in the future. Behind the plate, Frost has good mobility in his lower half, throws from a high slot with a medium arm stroke at 68 mph and posted pop times of 2.39-2.47.

+ Matthew Alsina, C/OF, Prosper HS, 2020
Alsina has a strong, muscular frame at 5-foot-9, 175-pounds. The sophomore started the day by posting the second fastest 60-yard dash time of 6.78-seconds. The right-handed hitter starts from a slightly crouched stance with a deep flex in his knees and the bat cocked back toward the pitcher. During batting practice he showed a line drive, middle of the field approach with an exit velocity of 82 mph. Behind the plate, Alsina made accurate throws to second base from a high slot with a short arm stroke, 65 mph velocity from the crouch and pop times of 2.36-2.45.

 

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