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Session II of the Preseason All-State showcase was held on Saturday, February 16 at the Virginia Sports Complex. Over 70 players from around the Commonwealth were in attendance to perform in front of the PBR Scouting staff. Today we highlight some of the players who we have seen before who impressed us with the gains they made in the offseason. 

 

 

 

Jackson Baird SS / RHP / Battlefield, VA / 2021 A year ago, Baird's fastball was 73-75. This year, he has shown a velocity jump, sitting 80-81. He still has projection to his frame and should keep adding velocity as he continues to grow and strengthen, his arm action is clean and loose. His breaking ball is also greatly improved, showing swing and miss potential and good armspeed on the pitch.

 

 

Peter Benavides C / OF / Battlefield, VA / 2020 Benavides has added strength since we last saw him at the Mid-Atlantic Challenge in November. His position velocity behind the plate continues to trend upwards, getting up to 73 last week, pairing with his characteristic quick release. his exit velocity and batspeed also increased as his power is beginning to manifest as well. He still has plenty of projection and remains a prospect with a ton of upside.

 

 

Alex Brown LHP / OF / Osbourn, VA / 2021 Brown is an athletic lefty with a clean arm action who has added a tick to his fastball since we last saw him in August at Top Prospect Games II. His fastball was 80-82 and his curveball touched up to 70, he also threw his changeup with confidence. Brown's arm works and he should continue to add velocity as he continues to develop.

 

 

Addison Clark OF / 3B / Carlisle, VA / 2021 Clark has added a ton of strength to his frame since we saw him at the Underclass Games in June of 2018. His exit velocity jumped from 88 to 96, and the ball has begun to explode off of his bat. Clark has power that is hard to describe in words, the ball comes off of his bat differently. He has a chance to be an impact player for Carlisle and to continue to develop into big-time masher.

 

 

Tyler Cotten C / 3B / Grafton , VA / 2020 Cotten has added strength in the offseason and it shows at the plate. He has a lot more strength at contact and his bat looked much faster at the All-State. His exit velocity was up to 89. His catching numbers were up to his normal expectations as well, with a strong arm and quick release behind the plate.

 

 

Vincent DiMauro RHP / 3B / Brentsville, VA / 2020 DiMauro has gotten a lot stronger since we saw him in-game last spring. As a result, his fastball has ticked up a few notches. He was 78-80 last May, and sat 83-85 at the Preseason All-State. He creates an impossible angle for righthanded hitters with a crossfire delivery and a low slot. He has a swing and miss slider and showed feel for his changeup with good armspeed on both pitches. Still has plenty of upside as he continues to strengthen himself.

 

 

Aidan Foley OF / LHP / Western Branch, VA / 2020 Foley has gotten a lot stronger since we saw him last February. His added strength showed in the way the ball came off of his bat, his barreled contact was louder and much more consistent, and there was added violence to his swing. His arm strength is where his added strength really showed, with his outfield arm playing up to 85 and his velocity on the mound ticking up from 77-79 to 79-83. He still has projection left to his frame and remains an interesting prospect with a ton of upside.

 

 

Dylan Hatfield C / 3B / William Byrd, VA / 2021 Hatfield has also added strength since we last saw him in August. He has also added footspeed and athleticism in the process, with his home to first down to 4.15. The strength shows the most at the plate, where his exit velocity off of the tee was up to 90 and he showed more strength at contact in his swing.

 

 

Jaron McNeil OF / RHP / Dinwiddie , VA / 2021 McNeil is a Virginia Tech commit and remains a player with a lot of projection. He has gotten quicker in the offseason, shown with a sub-4 home to first. His good actions have also begun to manifest even more as he added strength in the offseason. He was up to 89 from the outfield and his exit velocity at the plate was up to 90, as he has begun to tap into the significant power potential that his fast bat has to offer. McNeil has made some large steps but he still has a massive amount of upside.

 

 

Jason Mendler OF / LHP / Flint Hill, VA / 2022 Mendler has added strength to his frame since we saw him last in June. This strength was evident in his increased strength at the plate and the corresponding jump in exit velocity. His arm strength also increased, going up to 77 from the outfield and adding a tick on the mound, from 70-72 last June up to 72-74. His frame still has plenty of projection and room to add strength to it.

 

 

Johnny Oates C / 3B / Thomas Dale, VA / 2021 Oates is another guy who has gotten stronger in the offseason, and he has also added some positional versatility as well. His arm played up to 79 across the infield and his footwork was decent at third base. His strength was also evident in his batspeed which has started to catch up. He has always had quick hands, now he has more strength to speed up the barrel through contact, and his exit velocity jumped to 90. Oates has a chance to generate a lot of power as he continues to get stronger.

 

 

Jackson Severt C / 3B / Dinwiddie, VA / 2021 Severt remains a lankier athletic frame with a lot of projection left to it. He had another good day behind the plate, showing arm strength at 78 and a quick release that generated pop times in the 1.97-2.05 range. He has added strength and explosiveness and that showed in an improved home to first time and in an exit velocity jump. Severt's swing creates a lot of natural loft, and the added strength should begin to manifest in more carry off of the bat. He still has plenty of room to add more strength and power and remains one of the top young catchers to follow in Virginia.

 

 

Drew Stieg 3B / SS / McLean, VA / 2020 Stieg is another example of a common theme among the players on this list, he got after it in the offseason and added strength and explosiveness. Significantly quicker with a sub-4 home to first, his hands looked good and he was very smooth on the infield, with the footwork and actions to stay at short in the future. His infield arm strength was a big jump, from 72 a year ago to 82, and his free arm action suggests he still can add more arm strength. At the plate his strength was also on display with a big exit velocity jump to 92. He is a lot quicker to contact point and stronger through it. Stieg is turning himself into a heck of a ballplayer and remains a prospect with upside.

 

 

 

 

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