By Toby Bicknell
Texas Scouting Director

Twitter: @PBR_Texas

The state of Texas is known for producing some of the top talent in the country. Players mature and grow at their own rate, some bloom early in their high school career while others make jumps later. Even though the recruiting cycle has changed in recent history with players committing earlier and earlier, there are still uncommitted seniors that are coming into their own and putting together great seasons.

Our staff has been out all spring covering games throughout the state. This week we will highlight some of the top uncommitted seniors we have seen. Today we look at four catchers from around the state.

Jackson Molinaro, C, Cedar Park HS, 2017
5-foot-11, 165-pound, projectable, athletic frame. If any schools are still looking for a catcher in the 2017 class, Molinaro may be your guy. The uncommitted senior has a loose, quick arm stroke and throws the ball with plenty of carry to second base. His pop times on the stopwatch were a pedestrian 2.1-2.2-seconds between innings, but he shows off advanced arm strength and likes to throw behind runners. Molinaro, a left-handed hitter, didn’t do much offensively, but did run a 4.44-second home to first time on a ground ball to second base.

Layton Burge, C, Hutto HS, 2017
Approximate 6-foot, 175-pound frame. If any schools are looking for a catcher that can really throw, Clayton Burge might be the answer. Burge has a quick, easy, elbow-dominant arm stroke with clean exchange and release. He posted pop times of 2.02 1.96, and 2.15 between innings. He threw with accuracy and carry to second base and showed a good feel for his position with solid receiving skills.

Dylan Antonelli, C, Flower Mound HS, 2017
5-foot-10, 175-pound, strong frame. Antonelli, who is new to catching as he transitioned from the infield this fall, received and blocked with ease on Tuesday night. The uncommitted senior shows arm strength and carry to second base. The right-handed hitter went 1-for-3 and drove in the lone run for Flower Mound on an RBI base hit in the six hole.

Steven Monarres, C, Dickinson HS, 2017
Approximate 6-foot-1, 180-pound, long, athletic, quick-twitch frame. Defensively, Monarres is a solid receiver behind the plate with good mobility. Solid arm strength behind the plate with 2.0 pop times between innings. The right-handed hitter has a balanced setup, takes aggressive swings and showed real power with an opposite field home run.

>> To view all of our scouting notes from around the state you can click on any of our three area scout blogs.

+ DFW Scout Blog
+ Houston Scout Blog
+ Central Texas Scout Blog

 

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