Matt
Olive

6-foot, 185-pound right-handed hitting 2-way player.  2018 Future Games Participant.  7.27 runner. Athletic body.  Upright stance.  Leg lift and hands load back.  Easy swing.  Flat swing plane through zone.  Uses the whole field with line drive contact.  Solid barrel contact.  90 mph exit velocity.  C- Angled balanced stance.  Holds pitches well.  Moves athletically to block.  Good feet and exchange on throws.  1.95-2.13 pop times.  75 mph arm strength with good carry and accuracy.  On mound- Balanced and smooth tempo delivery.  Lands slightly across body. Clean arm action from a high arm slot.  Fastball is straight at 81-83 mph.  Curveball has 11/5 break with good shape and spin thrown at 72-73 mph.  Slows arm speed down on change-up at 71-74 mph.  

2018 PBR Future Games- 2/5 with 2 doubles, 4 walks, 1 HBP, and 2 RBI’s.

7/8/18- 6-foot, 185-pound, right-handed pitcher with an athletic frame. On the mound, in line direction with a closed landing. Loose, quick arm action from an over the top angle. Fastball, sat 80-82 mph, touching 84 once. Changeup, flashed fading action, 74 mph. Curveball, 11/5 shape, 70-71 mph.

6/17/18- 6-foot, 185-pound right-handed hitting 2-way player. 7.19 runner. Tall open stance, leg kick trigger, level head through contact, line drive swing plane with lift through contact, shows above avg. pop in bat, mid/pull approach, 92 mph exit velocity. Works through plate 77 mph arm strength with 1.95-2.05 pop times. Controlled athletic delivery, compact arm action, drives baseball downhill, lands inline to plate. Fastball was heavy at 83-85 mph with straight action to plate. Flashes ability to spin breaking ball with occasional late sharp break. Slight sink on changeup thrown with fastball arm speed.

3/17/18- 5-foot-11, 185-pound right-handed hitting 2-way player. Olive, a 6-foot, 185-pound, durably-built catcher/pitcher showcased quick hands at the plate and a strong arm throughout the workout. Using a leg kick to work his hands down and back, Oliver works uphill through the zone on a direct path. He demonstrated gap to gap power along with a 91 mph exit velocity off the tee. Still developing some as a receiver behind the plate, Olive’s arm strength allowed him to produce pop times between 2.05-2.10. As he continues to improve his transfer and footwork, that number should go down even lower. On the mound, the strong right-hander ran his fastball up to 85 mph as he remained compact throughout the delivery before giving way to a loose arm swing and quick hand speed out front. Smooth and polished delivery. Consistent command of strike zone with three pitches. Changeup showed fade at 73-75, and breaking ball had shape at 69-72. Interesting follow. I really liked the way Olive swung the bat, and he should continue to progress throughout the spring which will make him a player to follow this summer.

10/22/17- 5-foot-10, 180-pound right-handed hitting 2-way player. 7.62 runner. Square stance, body load with leg kick trigger, quiet head, solid rhythm, slight lift through swing plane, mid/pull approach with solid bat speed, 89 mph exit velocity. Shows good hands receiving, solid mobility, clean footwork behind plate, short exchange with appropriate arm action, avg. accuracy short of bag, 76 mph arm strength with 2.13-2.21 pop times. On mound; controlled delivery into athletic balance point, long clean arm action, lands inline with catcher, balls comes out well in front with extension and finish to plate. Fastball was 81-83 mph with heavy action in bottom of zone on downhill plane. Solid curveball, should continue to improve, with 11/5 spin and avg. depth. Split action on changeup with solid feel for pitch and heavy action at bottom of zone.

3/4/17- 5-foot-10, 180-pound right-handed hitting catcher. 4.83 home-to-first time. Narrow open stance, strides to square, uphill path through contact, occasional hard top spin contact, 81 mph exit velocity. Shows flexibility and solid athleticism behind plate, receives well for grad class, long exchange on throws, tends to stride open to second base, avg. accuracy to bag, 2.13-2.15 pop times with 73 mph arm strength.