Prep Baseball Report

PBR Florida ProCase: Uncommitted Players Step Up In A Big Way



By Justin Burgess
Florida Scouting Director

As was alluded to in yesterday’s Top Statistical Performers story, there were several strong showings from many players at the inaugural PBR Florida ProCase. Prospects that are committed to the top schools, such as Florida, Vanderbilt, and North Carolina, showed off tools that will certainly cause them to become serious draft prospects come this time next year.

What was possibly the most intriguing aspect of this event was the fact that a few of the uncommitted players performed arguably better than many of the committed prospects. Both their “measurables” in the showcase portion of the event and their performance in the game led many to believe that the following individuals will not be uncommitted for long:

Willy Escala, SS/OF, South Dade HS (2017)
Escala stands at 5-foot-11, 165 pounds with a lean and athletic frame with visible strength and natural actions all over the field. Escala caught everyone’s attention right off the bat when he ran a 6.65 in the 60-yard dash, which was the second fastest overall time. His batting practice session was also impressive as the ball was jumping off his bat for his size and he was consistently hitting hard line drives to all fields. After batting practice, Escala showed one of the better outfield arms as he threw 88 mph with good carry, accuracy, an easy arm action, and no tail on his ball. At shortstop, he had quick, light feet, soft hands, and a strong arm as he threw 86 mph across the diamond. Finally, Escala had one of the best game performances as he turned on an 89 mph and lined a double down the left field line that drove in a run. He also showed off his range in center field as he tracked a couple of balls down with ease that were hit deep into the gaps. Escala appears to be one of the top, if not the top, uncommitted players in this class.

Dalton Wingo, OF, Plant City HS (2017)
Wingo stands at 6-foot-2, 190 pounds with a lean, athletic, long, and rangy body. He has the kind of frame that will put on weight and muscle and still remain athletic and explosive. He ran a 6.90 in the 60-yard dash but his jumps and long strides make him appear to be faster than that. He has a shorter, quick arm action from the outfield which stems from his recent transition from the infield. The arm speed and strength are there as he threw 86 mph from the outfield, he just needs to lengthen out his arm action and get more momentum into his throws. At the plate has great rhythm and quick, explosive hands that really make the ball jump off his bat. He drove a hard single up the middle off an 89 mph, displaying his advanced bat speed and ability to square up quality pitching. Wingo is also a definite division I prospect who probably has the highest upside in this group of uncommitted players.

Duncan Hunter, OF, Jesuit HS (2017)
Hunter is a strong, athletic, and physical player at 6-foot-2, 200 pounds. He had some of the easiest actions out of any of the prospects who attended this event. He also had one of the strongest arms from the outfield as he threw 89 mph with great carry, backspin, accuracy, and an easy arm action. In batting practice, Hunter showed off a smooth stroke with strong hands and a nice plane through the zone. The ball was really jumping off his bat as he was roping line drives to all fields. In the game he ripped a line drive through the 3-4 hole, solidifying the fact that he can drive the ball with authority to all fields. Hunter’s strong frame and 60-yard dash time (7.04) may end up pushing him into right field, which will utilize his strong arm, but if he can shave off a couple of milliseconds from his time, he will become a very interesting center field prospect whose bat will play up.

Joshua Crouch, OF/3B, Sebring HS (2017)
Crouch stands at 6-foot, 185 pounds with a strong, stalky, and physical frame with athleticism. Having been somewhat under the radar, Crouch appeared to be playing with a chip on his shoulder as he showed off multiple advanced tools and probably had the best day at the plate in the game. He had the best arm strength from the outfield as he threw 90 mph with good carry, accuracy, and backspin. His hands and footwork seem to indicate that he can play third base at the next level as well. He threw 86 mph from the infield, which tied Escala and few others as being the top infield velocity. At the plate he has very good bat speed with raw power, strong hands and wrists, and a good lower half. He has some effort in his swing but he squared the ball up and made loud contact in all three at-bats during the game. The only knock on Crouch was his 7.30 60-yard dash time, which will push him to a corner outfield spot or third base. Regardless, Crouch, like the other three uncommitted players, looks like he is a division I prospect who possesses a couple of pro-level tools.

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