Ariston
Veasey

GA Preseason All State

Veasey spoke volumes with his arm and bat at PAS23. Now I haven’t seen all of the catchers (nationally) in his class throw, but I can promise you there are very few backstops in the country on his level arm strength wise. His 86 C velocity wasn’t even his best, and it was still incredible. To have plus MLB arm strength as a JR in HS is a very uncommon thing, and this is a lock to have top of the scale arm strength. He also showed patience and strong hands as a receiver, and stayed on his legs with nice footwork and direction on throws. There are many similarities between him and former Brookwood catcher Will Banfield, who is now in AA with the Miami Marlins. Both of them have serious defensive talent, nearly unmatched arm strength and raw power at the plate. Veasey shows better oppo feel as a hitter at the same stage, with a smooth & powerful inside out swing. Ariston is very aggressive with his lower half and this creates serious momentum and allows his backside to fire through his lead leg for knee to knee clearance. I really like the active rhythm in his hands and sweet, lofty swing. He also threw smoke on the mound, with the FB in the 88-90 range and a 70 mph CB up to 2500 RPM! This is going to be a certified name for the 2024 MLB Draft.

Veasey showed it off behind the plate, clocking in at 83 out of the crouch, good for a 1.90-1.97 pop time. Veasey is ultra quick in everything he does behind the plate, from the transfer, to his footwork, to release, and he does it all while completing an accurate throw. A right-handed hitter, he has come into his own at the plate with an aggressive swing. Veasey posted some of the highest bat and hand speed average velocities at the event, 24.1/74.2.

2024 Player Rankings

Veasey is an elite defender behind the plate. He has a quick, whippy arm that works short to an over-the-top slot, His throws are accurate, placing them low and around the bag consistently, clocked at 77 out of the crouch. He posted the top pop time range at the Underclass Games with a 1.94-1.97. Despite being a wiry 5-foot-11, 160-pounds, he can still produce advanced bat speed, registering 79.80 mph via Blast.

Georgia commit. 5-foot-11, 160-pound right-handed hitting catcher and right-handed pitcher, lean, projectable build with plenty of time and room to continue physically maturing, ran a 7.82 laser-timed 60. An elite defensive catcher, short, loose arm, quick speed, throws are true and accurate down to second, keeps them on a low trajectory, 77 out of the crouch. Flexibility throughout lower half, quick on transfers and with footwork, pop times ranged 1.94-1.97. Offensively, open setup, hands drop and comes to a near arm bar on load, comes to a balanced position on stride. Whippy barrel works in a slightly uphill path, gap-to-gap approach, showed the ability to use the whole field with line drive contact, 85 exit velocity, much more to come as he physically fills out. On the mound, arm works quick with a short stab on the back-side to a ¾ slot. Tall and fall delivery, short at balance point, works on-line, lands square, finishes square to home. Fastball sat 77-79, touched 80, running action. Curveball, 12/6 shape, depth, 60-62.