Top 2018 Florida Catchers

September 18, 2015

By Justin Burgess
Florida Area Scout

In today’s dissection of the 2018 Florida rankings, we will feature the top catchers in the class. This is a very deep class for catching prospects, as there are four in the top twenty and they are all committed. All four of these players also had key roles on their varsity teams as freshman and can really swing the bat.

Charlie Welch C, Clearwater Central Catholic 2018
Ranked at number 11 in the state, Charlie stands at 5-foot-11, 170 pounds with an athletic, lean, and projectable body with some strength. At the plate he gets into a strong hitting position after his load and has good bat speed with a nice swing plane. Behind the plate he shows advanced actions with his blocking and receiving. The South Carolina commit also possesses a strong, accurate arm for his age that helps a produce a consistent 1.95 pop time. Welch was one of the leaders for a very young Northside Christian team that will be very interesting to watch over the next couple of years.

Mason Denaburg C/RHP, Merritt Island HS 2018
The Florida commit is ranked at number 14 in the state and stands at 6-foot-3, 170 pounds. Denaburg has a tall, loose, lean, projectable, and very young body. At the plate he shows a loose bat with some quickness and good leverage in his swing. There is a lot more power to come with maturity, strength, and weight. Mason can play all over the field but his best position is catcher, which makes his value even greater. He also sits 87-89 mph on the mound with a curve ball at 76-77 mph. Overall, Denaburg is a young man who already plays at a high level but will continue to improve with age.

Ryan Laheney C, Palm Harbor University HS 2018
Laheney is ranked at number 16 in Florida and is the third ranked catcher. The Vanderbilt commit stands at 6 foot, 178 pounds with a lean, athletic, and projectable frame with strength. Ryan helped lead Palm Harbor University to a strong 19-8 season both offensively and with his defense. He already shows advanced actions with a quick release and strong arm. At the plate he features good bat speed with the ability to drive the ball well to all fields.

Matheu Nelson C, Calvary Christian 2018
Nelson comes in ranked at number 19 and stands at 6 foot, 180 pounds with a strong, athletic, and projectable body. He possesses loose hips that allow him to be quick and block well behind the plate. Matheu is also a soft receiver, sticks pitches, and shows a strong, loose arm with a quick transfer. He has good rhythm at the plate with a quick, flat swing and the ball really jumps off his bat. Nelson is already one of the leaders for a young and talented Calvary Christian team that has a chance to make some noise in the playoffs next year.

Top 2018 Florida Catchers

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