Holden
Backus

Holden came out to the Los Angeles Preseason All State event and looked sound during the beginning of the workout, before the event was rained out. He returned for the Preseason ID, where he was battling an illness, which limited him from showcasing his best skill set. Mixed in between, I had the opportunity to see him during a MLK weekend tournament. From those early January looks to now, the latter portion of April, the entirety of the profile for Holden has continued to trend up. Most noticeable was the added strength to a highly projectable frame that you can dream on. Having packed on about 15 pounds and now checking in close to 210 pounds, he looks the part of a long-term back stop. But, even more impressive is how he moves behind the dish. The glove action is smooth and quiet with a natural feel for sticking pitches and presenting borderline pitches. He’s agile in the blocking action, moving laterally with quickness, and is mobile enough to get his 6’4 frame low into the set-up. The arm is a strong present weapon for him, and he can continue to get better. He lived at 1.95 on his throw downs to second base with accuracy, living at the belt or below on nearly every throw. At the plate, he has also taken a step forward. The swing has shortened down into a more compact barrel path with a cleaner and more controlled overall operation. The hands are set, just below shoulder height, and he takes a smooth, athletic load to arrive on time to launch consistently across his four bats. I previously had some concerns over the swing and miss potential with the length of his levers and a previously more uphill bat path. But, on this day, he only swung and missed at one pitch. He collected a pair of hits during the game, including a double to the LCF gap on a low offering, while also picking up a single into CF vs spin later in the game. He sent a deep drive to straightaway center for an F–8 and popped out in his other plate appearance. The swing has natural leverage, and with the length in his levers, will continue to add loft with approach/contact consistency in damage counts. It’s a strong overall present profile that is continuing to get better and still has plenty more to come with polish to his ability to get to all of his impressive tools. It’s going to be a must-see profile for college programs with the mixture of impact potential defense at a premium spot and what looks like a realistic middle of the order offensive profile in the future.

Holden Backus, Westlake High (CA), 2028
Positional Profile: C/1B Physical backstop with powerful gap-to-gap apporach and strong arm behind the dish.
Body: 6-4, 203-pounds. Tall, physical frame with clear athleticism.
Hit: RHH. Narrow, upright stance with slight knee bend. Creates rhythm and timing with a double toe tap. Stacks onto pack hip to generate forward force. Hands get barrel on plane early. Drives liners to both sides of the field. Looks to get the hands extended. 65.4 mph bat speed with 13 G's of rotational acceleration.
Power: 98 max exit velocity, averaged 88.5 mph. 334' max distance.
Arm: RH. C-80 mph. Short and quick arm motion from a high 3/4 slot. Arm fully extends through the throw.
Defense: 2.11-2.19 pop times. Utilizes a strong base to explode out of the squat. Maintains strong lower half through the throw and footwork.