Caden
Thompson

Santa Clara commit presents the look of a hard-nosed ballplayer, compact yet athletic build. Seemed to take everything on the field seriously with a professional approach, from stretching to infield work too hard 90’s.

60 yd:  With one arm hanging down and the other on his thigh, exploded out and on a straight path. There was no hesitation as he ran a 7.3 with more in the tank to lower the time in the coming years.  His arms and legs in unison, there is some explosiveness.

MIF Def: With a good wide base and creeper steps to anticipate the hop, first step is quick and smooth. He is able to gather himself under his feet as he starts low to high with each ground ball. His lateral movement is quick and keeping his chest over his legs the balance is always present. Gathers the ball to his midsection and transfers from glove to hand his quick release makes his throws online. With all transitions, from backhand to double play turns, has a quick release that was on target every time. Following through each throw makes his arm strength even better.

Hitting: With a confident stride to the plate, has a straight up stance with great posture. Small bat waggle for timing, barrel gets into a position to drive the baseball. Easy and controlled load, foot stride is short, at contact, hands lead to ball. Maxes out what he has in the swing, possessing heavy hands. The swing gets on plane to elevate the baseball and he attacks the ball with an aggressive in control swing. Showed he can hit to all fields, as well as pull the ball for power.

Summary: With a lot of tools on display, he shined in this showcase/workout look, his swing, arm strength and overall field presence are all positive attributes.

vs Rocklin HS - Santa Clara commit; Strong offensive performance (1B, BB, 1B, L8), generally pull heavy approach, handsy swing and the hands are strong, able to drive the ball without always having his legs under him, aggressive first pitch approach, outstanding BID anticipation and advance, hard turns on balls through the left side, attacks the game and puts pressure on the pitcher/defense all game long, scrappy defender with playmaking ability.

Body: 5-9, 170-pounds. Highwaist, proportional build with strength showing and more on the way.
Hit: RHH. Compact set up, slightly open and even stance. Keeps hands on back shoulder timing up hand pump with front foot lift. Constantly ready to fire-starting swing with back hip and holding ground. Barrel works upwards getting on plane deep in zone and staying connected to the body with rotation. Peppered the pullside consistently with hard contact line drives and flyballs (90% via Trackman). 23.9 gs Max Rotational Acceleration, 75.5 Max Bat Speed, 59% On Plane Efficiency
Power: 95.30 mph exit velocity
Arm: RH. INF - 77.00 mph. Quick and easy release is smooth and fluid; kept balls firm across diamond understanding when he needed more on throws.
Defense: Feet and Hands stood out with easy actions; smooth on the field with rhythm and timing. Limited wasted movements and efficient through the baseball.
Run: 7.39 runner in the 60.      

Delivery: Simple sidestep and lift delivery with hands staying at chest; tucks average front knee before getting lean and momentum down the hill. Front side was strong and firm allowing for some positive recoil and energy out front.
Arm Action: RH. 3/4, quick, easy, and repeatable. Arm strength is present.
FB: T87, 84-87 mph. Stuck to the glove-side and ability to go up in the zone when needing punchouts. Firm actions in the zone.
SL: 68-69 mph. Slurvy break, consistent and firm in actions. Occasional depth with Trackman showing similar Horizontal and Vertical action on pitch.
CH: 75-76 mph. Armside action and feel when needing it. Showed good arm speed and difference off FB help it.

Summer Scouting - Has really impressed in two looks this summer with the way the bat works and his athletic ability that will help him stick in the middle of the field. Long frame, lean with projectable build and space to take on weight. Keeps hands at the back shoulder, loose and easy with some bounce pre-pitch while keeping a slightly opened stance; big knee lift allows him to coil around the back hip before showing a ready to fire trigger. Barrel gets on-plane early allowing loose, strong wrists to work level through the zone with the adjustability for different locations and types of pitch. Doubled into RCF showing the full two-handed finish in 1st AB before showing it again on a hard 5-3 (4.87 H-1st, 4.97T) in his 2nd AB and walking in his third AB. Defensively he’s got a compact arm from a lower slot flashing average for the position. Glove works from different angles fielding the ball with forward momentum moving through the ball. Looking forward to see how he progresses.

Summer Scout - Showed quick turns with good hand speed from a simple set up with low hands. Athletic out of the box with some bounce in his step. Pitched the final 3 innings in game 1 showing three pitches. Compact arm keeping hands tight to the body before 3/4 release. FB 81-84 T85 with arm-side run on both sides of the plate and some sink when going glove side. CHG 75 with flashes of feel and some bottom glove side. CB 66-69 short downer with small action. Control would come and go, but he was able to make enough pitches to roll through his innings with only one hard hit ball.