Player Spotlight 

Cole Herman: LHP/OF, (2023) Gowanda, NY. 6-foot, 170-pound. Solid from the outfield, he made throws to the infield at velocities up to 74 mph; had soft hands, quick fluid footwork, and a fluid exchange. Movements laterally were athletic and he fields the ball out front. Projectable on the mound, showing above average arm speed he had a long arm action with an over-the-top arm angle. Tall-and-fall type pitcher and uses decent effort. In his delivery his balance point is tall with uphill shoulders. Lands soft with balanced finish. Sat with his fastball at 74-76 mph; has tilt running action and control some in the zone with straight movement. (Max spin 1881; Avg 1797). Has down in the zone control and tight action on his sharp 12/6 curveball (64-64). (Max spin 1786; Avg 1740). Threw a tight changeup (66-67) with fading gradual action and around the zone command. 

Scout Evaluation 

Cole Herman, Gowanda, 2023, NY

Position: LHP/OF

Body: 6-foot, 170-pound.

Defense:  (OF) Soft hands, quick fluid footwork, fluid exchange. Solid.  Movements laterally were athletic and he fields the ball out front. 

Arm: 74 mph outfield velocity. 

Pitching: Projectable. Tall-and-fall delivery, decent effort. Over-the-top arm angle, above average arm speed, long arm action. Tall balance point, uphill shoulders, lands soft, balanced finish.

FB: T76. 74-76 mph. (Max spin 1881;  Avg 1797). Some in the zone accuracy, tilt running action, straight movement. 

CB: 64-64 mph. Down in the zone command, tight action, sharp 12/6 movement. (Max spin 1786; Avg 1740). 

CH: 66-67 mph. Around the zone control, fading gradual action, tight movement. 

Pitching: Works primarily our of the stretch starting tall with narrow, staggered feet and the hands up and back; Leg lift to the belt with a slight turn before striding down and toward the lefty batters box while reaching up and across with the glove before pulling through agains a strong front side; Arm drops straight down out of the glove before getting up to a over the top release. FB: Tends to elevate a heavy ball with some arm side run. CB: Comes out of FB release point with 1-7 shape; up to -7" vertical drop and 9" horizontal movement. CH: Straight change with good hand speed. 

Physical: Projectable, athletic 6-foot, 170-pound frame with feel for his body; 7.63 runner in the 60-yard dash. 

Offensively: RHH - Started from a narrow, slightly-open stance while bent at the knees. The hands began high and flat around ear height. Utilized a toe tap stride in order to initiate the bat head towards a slightly uphill path through impact. Recorded a 36% line drive rate per Trackman Baseball with increased leverage on pitches out over the plate, liked to get extended. Hit into a stiff front side while notching a peak bat-exit velocity of 80 mph during his batting practice round. A 236 foot max batted ball distance points towards singles power at the moment, but a 93% on-plane efficiency points towards obvious bat to ball skills at the plate. Interesting bat to follow as he continues holding more strength. 

Defensively: The outfielder demonstrated quick footwork, getting around the baseball with consistency. Set up the glove hand for easy interactions working low and through with a funnel into the belt loop; accurate 78 mph arm strength from his position with room for more (high ¾ slot).

Physical: Lean and athletic 5-foot-11, 161-pound frame with feel for his body. 7.40 runner in the 60-yard dash.  

Offensively: RHH. Balanced, even stance with high hands at the head in the setup. Utilized a lift and replace stride to initiate a flat barrel path into the hitting zone with lift after contact. Was short to the baseball creating the ability to stay inside pitches until the last second. The barrel turned through impact with intent and worked nicely towards extension, was able to crush pitches belt high over the plate allowing the arms to play in space. Recorded a top bat-exit velocity of 83 mph per Trackman Baseball while showcasing a mostly pull-side approach during batting practice. 

Defensively: The primary outfielder featured smooth, rangy movements in either direction with ability to stick his foot in the ground and make a decision. Played through the baseball on the approach while fielding off of the right side of his body with a soft glove hand. The arm was short and accurate through a high ¾ slot showing adequate whip in the release. OF - 78 mph

Pitching: LHP - Works from the stretch only primarily with the front side slightly closed at the set position. Quick leg lift to a comfortable position slightly above chest height allowing for directional drive towards the plate, landed closed but the arm played effectively downhill through a high ¾ slot. The FB appeared to have natural arm-side run at 72-74 mph, mixed in a quality 65-68 mph BB with 1/7 shape. Countered with feel for a 65-66 mph CH displaying occasional arm-side fade.