Prep Baseball Report

Top Uncommitted 2016 Players in Colorado



By John Cackowski
State Director

Today we look at the top 2016 players in Colorado who are still uncommitted.

Quin Cotton, OF, Regis Jesuit, 2016
Currently ranked No. 5 in the 2016 class. 5-foot-11, 175 pounds. Bats and throws right. Impressive looking athlete. At the plate has no wasted movement from a balanced athletic stance. Load is smooth and stride is short. Bat speed and lower half are explosive. Has line drive gap to gap power that produced the 2nd fastest exit velocity at the tryout at 91 mph. Shows power potential. In the outfield displays confidence with good actions. Throws from a high 3/4 arm slot at 84 mph with good carry. Ran a 6.80 60 time. Was the most athletic looking player at the tryout. High 2016 player to follow in our state. Cotton led the Jesuits with a .457 batting average while supplying 6 doubles, 4 triples, and 4 homeruns. Cotton was recently nominated to the Junior Sunbelt Classic All-Tournment Team

Matt Burkart, Eaton, 2016, RHP/SS
6-foot-1, 195-pounds. Bats and throws right. At the plate has open stance, leg kick approach. Comes off as smooth and has ability to drive the ball through the outfield. Like his rhythm, and bat speed is very fast through the zone, and ball jumps off the bat. Strong lower half, good extension through the zone with 2 hands.  Had a 88 mph exit velocity off the tee. At ss showed good actions and attacks the ball. Gains ground on his throws with good feet and hands. Threw 81 mph to first base. On the mound is very deceptive displayed a loose arm with a slight stab out of the glove.  Arm speed was quick and over the top. Hides ball extremely well, hard to pick up. Good balance point all owed shoulders to stay level and landing to be square to the plate.  Fastball was 84-85 with slight run and good command both in and out in the zone.  Knuckle Curve was on display and registered 75-77 with sharp 12/6 break. Was thrown for strikes low and out in the zone. Threw a slider at 76 mph. Burkart finished his day with a 77-78 MPH change with near FB arm action and slight cut. Player to follow in 2016
 

Wyatt Featherston, OF, Green Mountain, 2016
Currently ranked No. 8 2016 and No. 268 overall. Bats and throws right. Has slight open athletic stance. Has a ton's of leg drive. He did not have a good day at the plate but Brown shut down the entire team. Was PBR All-Colorado last year as a sophomore. Ran a 4.2 home to first on ground ball to 3rd. Shows confidence, swag, and advanced skill in the outfield. Cut off ball in left center that should have been a double and threw runner out at second. Very good athlete and high follow in our state. Was All PBR Colorado as a sophomore in 2014. Has started since freshman year.

Cuba Bess, 1B/C, Fruita, 2016
Currently Ranked 11 in the 2016 class. 6-2, 200 pounds. Bats L throws R. Bess was a one man wrecking crew for the upstart Fruita Wildcats in 2015. Bess helped lead the Wildcats to a 18-2 record. The 1B/C shows strong power to both gaps with explosive bat speed and strong lower half. Bess hit .562 (2nd in 5A) with 12 doubles, 6 triples, 4 homeruns, and lead 5A baseball with 40 RBI's. All of this created a staggering 1.712 OPS. Bess will be back in 2016 and is a high player to follow in our state.

Bailey Hansen, OF/RHP, Air Academy, 2016
6-foot-5, 215 pounds. Player who shows a lot of power potential. At the plate hits from a tall,  balanced stance and short stride. Simple swing lets his hands and bat speed do the work. Showed power at the plate hitting 2 homeruns at the tryout. Bat comes through the zone and generates good back-spin on the ball for drive and carry, and produced a 92 mph exit velo off the tee. Has good lower half. In the outfield gets behind ball well on fly balls. Projects as a corner OF. Threw 83 mph at the tryout. Ran a 7.31 60 time. Player to follow.