Prep Baseball Report

Top Prospect - Milwaukee: Catcher Analysis


By Wisconsin Staff

On July 16, the PBR Wisconsin team made its way back to The Rock Sports Complex in Franklin, Wis., to host the invite-only Top Prospect - Milwaukee showcase. This event is annually designed to provide the top uncommitted prospects in each year’s incoming senior class the platform to perform on a stage against their peers in front of a substantial group of college recruiting coordinators. It’s been a staple on our summer showcase circuit for the past five years.

Today, we begin our position-by-position analysis, starting with the day’s catchers. We previously published rapid analysis from this event in our Quick Hits post and a Statistical Story. Below are scouting reports on all eight catchers who participated in the event.

TOP PROSPECTS

1. Matthew DePrey, Sun Prairie, 2020 (Xavier commit)
Positional Profile: C/2B
Body: 6-foot-0, 180-pounds. Athletic build.
Hit: RHH. Balanced setup, short stride, simple swing.  Short, level path through the zone, line drive/gap-to-gap approach, fluid rhythm.
Power: 88 mph exit velocity from the tee.
Arm: RH. C - 74 mph. Short arm action, over-the-top slot, accurate throws with some carry, arm plays up.
Defense: 1.93-2.04 pop times. Quick feet, soft hands, clean exchange leading to quick release, adept blocker, athletic behind the plate, natural defensive instincts. Premium defender behind the plate.
Run: 7.32 runner in the 60. 

2. Thomas Otto, Appleton North, 2020
Positional Profile: C/1B
Body: 6-foot-2, 200-pounds. Strong build.
Hit: RHH. Open setup, smooth load, short stride with a leg kick, explosive lower half, good balance point through contact.  Quick hands, long, uphill path through the zone, clear juice in his swing, ball jumps off his bat.
Power: 96 mph exit velocity from the tee. Well above average power, mostly to pull side, easy power.
Arm: RH. C - 72 mph. Short arm action, over-the-top slot.
Defense: 2.00-2.07 pop times. Soft hands, clean exchange, feet play fluid and deliberate, square block.
Run: 7.46 runner in the 60. 

Best of the Rest (Listed Alphabetically) 

Jack Carlson, Neenah, 2020
Positional Profile: C/2B
Body: 5-foot-10, 180-pounds. Strong, compact build.
Hit: RHH. Balanced setup, short stride with a toe-tap, good balance through contact.  Fast hands, strong approach at the plate, short path through the baseball, sprayed line drives into the gaps, showed the ability to go the opposite way.
Power: 83 mph exit velocity from the tee.
Arm: RH. C - 71 mph. Short arm action, over-the-top slot.
Defense: 2.18-2.26 pop times. Soft block, clean exchange on throws, compact quick actions.
Run: 7.64 runner in the 60.

Caden Crawley, Wauwatosa East, 2020
Positional Profile: C
Body: 5-foot-10, 175-pounds.
Hit: RHH. Balanced setup, wide base, short stride.  Long, uphill path through the zone, favored his pull-side.
Power: 86 mph exit velocity from the tee.
Arm: RH. C - 63 mph. Long arm action, over-the-top slot.
Defense: 2.14-2.25 pop times. Quick feet, clean exchange, accurate on throws, showed a soft block.
Run: 7.62 runner in the 60.

Gunnar Hansen, Superior, 2020
Positional Profile: C/INF
Body: 6-foot-0, 175-pounds. Lean, athletic build.
Hit: RHH. Balanced setup, slight leg lift, short stride.  Short, level path through the zone, sprayed line drives.
Power: 92 mph exit velocity from the tee.
Arm: RH. C - 73 mph. INF - 82 mph. Short arm action, over-the-top slot, occasionally accurate on throws.
Defense: 2.05-2.12 pop times. Quick actions. Athletic behind the plate, quick feet, clean exchange. In the field, showed some range on a play up the middle.
Run: 7.51 runner in the 60. 

Tucker Kohl, New London, 2020
Positional Profile: C
Body: 6-foot-0, 195-pounds. Strong lower half.
Hit: RHH. Tall setup, loads hands back, short stride.  Long, uphill path through the zone.
Power: 85 mph exit velocity from the tee.
Arm: RH. C - 72 mph. Long arm action, over-the-top slot.
Defense: 2.15-2.29 pop times. Square block, clean exchange, athletic footwork behind the dish, showed uptempo bounce.
Run: 7.50 runner in the 60. 

Anthony Pogodzinski, Eau Claire North, 2020
Positional Profile: 1B/C
Body: 5-foot-11, 225-pounds. Large, physical build.
Hit: LHH. Tall, balance setup, short stride with a leg kick, quick trigger.  Long, uphill path through the zone, elevates the baseball.
Power: 91 mph exit velocity from the tee.
Arm: RH. C - 68 mph. INF - 77 mph. Long arm action, over-the-top slot.
Defense: 2.14-2.33 pop times. Clean exchange leading to a quick release.
Run: 7.74 runner in the 60. 

Jonah Wronski, Marquette University, 2020
Positional Profile: C
Body: 5-foot-10, 190-pounds. Strong build, defined lower half.
Hit: RHH. Balanced setup, smooth load, short stride, maintains strong balance.  Fast hands, short path through the zone, showed a line drive and gap-to-gap approach, fluid rhythm.
Power: 94 mph exit velocity from the tee. Made hard contact with bat strength.
Arm: RH. C - 76 mph. Short arm action, over-the-top slot.
Defense: 2.07-2.17 pop times. Soft block, clean exchange leading to quick release.
Run: 7.22 runner in the 60.

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