Billy
Clifford

*Transferred to Onondaga CC from Cortland.
Upstate JUCO Sophomore Showcase.
60: 6.91
Exit Velocity: 92 MPH
OF Velo: 83 MPH
INF Velo: 81 MPH
Pitching: 80-82 FB; 68-70 CB

Clifford may be one of the best overall athletes in the 2016 class, statewide. Standing in at an explosive 6-foot-0, 190 pounds, he put up a personal best 6.87 60 and 90 MPH exit velocity. Offensively- He starts with his feet just outside his shoulders and even. Uses a short take back with his hands, keeping the barrel just north of 45 degrees. Gains some ground with stride before unleashing above average torque through his lower half. Stays level through the zone with acceleration into his finish. Power potential to his pull side, ball comes off the bat with a purpose. Defensively- He worked out both at 3B and the OF. Projects better at 3B presently but with his speed an OF spot is not out of the question. At 3B he stays under control with his approach footwork, fields everything out in front, uses and aggressive shuffle step and maintains clean transfer. Throws show good carry at 82 MPH. In the OF he maintains his infielder's arm action and shuffle step. Would like to see an adjustment here to lengthen arm action and implement a crow hop. Raw here but a good enough athlete that should make changes with ease. Pitching- On the mound he uses a tiny rocker step and pivot up to a compact balance point with a slight curl. Lands slightly on the outside of his plant foot, causing him to finish off to the 1B side. Long, quick arm action that works from a high 3/4 slot. FB sat 81-83 with some late life. CB was very impressive with tight action at 71-73. A legitimate out pitch. Change up a bit firm at 76 MPH. Velocity continues to climb every time we see him, gaining 6 MPH in the past 13 months.

Clifford, an athletically built RHP with a loose and long arm action comes at you with a high 3/4 slot. Fastball sat 79-81, touching 82 MPH with some late cut action. Curveball clocked in at 68-69 MPH with some 2-to-8 shape and tight rotation. Change up held a 8-10 MPH differential at 71 MPH and featured some late arm side fade. Defensively- Clifford has great physical size from the corner, thick shoulders, strong lower half. He shows an 82 mph arm with smooth clean actions, fields away from his body, throws from a mid-high-3/4 slot. Offensively- At the plate he shows a shorter stride, strong hands evidenced by his 89 mph exit velo, short path to the ball, slight inclined path, combination of bat-speed and strength, athletic finish. He also ran a 6.88 60-yard dash.

New York Games (July 7-9, 2015)

Solid, athletic body frame of 6-foot-0, 190-pounds. Defensively- Very aggressive infield approach, has great range and instincts in the field, hands are quick and smooth, does a good job of seeing ball into glove, arm slot is high-3/4 with accurate and strong arm carry to target. Offensively- At the plate he is relaxed and balanced at setup, uses a short and smooth back load, good hands to the ball and bat path stays long through the zone, has a bit of uphill tilt and finishes slightly above mid-section.

Clifford stands 6-foot-0 190-pounds with a stocky build. On the mound he uses a high knee lift and high hands, drives off his back leg, uses a long arm action to an over the top arm slot with a fastball that sits 76-77 mph with some downward action. His curveball stood out at our event with 11/7 shape with sharp action at 65 mph. He showed an average changeup at 71 mph. Defensively- He uses a good sized body to stay behind the ball, mid section transfer to a long arm action. He throws from a high 3/4 arm slot getting his entire body through the ball, arm strength was 79 mph with signs of more in the tank. Offensively-With the bat his setup is tall with some weight shifted back. On the pitch he loads back, uses a short leg lift into a stride, powers his hands inside the ball with a short path, and slightly inclined bat plane through the strike zone. He uses a one handed shoulder height finish, exit velocity off a tee was 85 mph showing above average power potential.