Prep Baseball Report

Top 2017 Catcher Pop-Times




 

By John Cackowski
State Director

PBR Colorado strives to be the most comprehensive source of player information across the state. The Prep Baseball Report is the No. 1 resource for high school baseball in each state we cover through our variety of events, boots-on-the-ground scouting staff, daily coverage, and multimedia platforms. Our multimedia platforms and events work in tandem, ultimately creating the most powerful source of high school baseball promotion in each state.  While other organizations take a national approach, our goal is to become the authoritative voice on the ground level of each state.

We recently did a series on the top uncommitted pop-times, 60-times, arm velos, and exit velocities. Now we are doing a series on our Top 5 overall numbers for each class.

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Top 2017 Catcher Pop-times:

Casey Opitz, Heritage (Arkansas)
Pop-Time: 1.81
5-foot-11, 170-pound switch hitting catcher.  Ran a 7.13 60 at Preseason All-State last March. From the left side he stands open with a short stride to come square.  Level swing path with good extension.  84 MPH exit velocity.  From the right side he is square with a good level path to the ball with same exit velocity.  Behind the plate he shows quick actions on balls in the dirt and soft hand while receiving.  He showcased a 79 mph accurate arm with pop-times of 1.81-190. Also plays shortstop.

Tyson Hays, Grandview (Illinois State) 
Pop-Time: 1.82
5-foot-11, 185-pound right hand hitting catcher.  Ran a 7.31 60 at Preseason All-State last March.  At the plate he hits from a tall simple approach.  Level bat path with good extension through the zone.  Explodes with his lower half at impact.  He had a 92 MPH exit velocity off a tee.  Behind the plate he is quiet and receives pitches well.  Good transfer actions produced a throw of 79 MPH and pop-times of 1.82-1.89. Hays was at his best throwing on this day. Off a coach it did not appear he was "cheating" on throw downs at all and looked effortless. Every time we see Hays he gets better and better. Was awarded most projectable catcher from event.

Mason Speirs, Broomfield (Uncommitted)
Pop-Time: 1.83
5-foot-11, 202 pounds. Bats and throws right.  Currently one of the top uncommitted catchers in the state. Hands are loose in load and swing path is short to the ball with good bat speed. Goes gap to gap. Generated a 90 mph exit velo off a tee, and there is more room to improve if lower half gets a little more involved. Was the best defensive catcher at event. Made framing and blocking look easy, and was 1.83 off pitcher in between innings down to 2nd. 82 mph down to 2nd. Back picked a runner off 1st from knees during games. Solid catching prospect.

Jake Kleszczynski, Mountain Range High School (Uncommitted)
Pop-time: 1.90

5-foot-10, 155-pound right hand hitting catcher.  Ran a 7.65 60.  At the plate, stance is balanced with a slight crouch.  Toe taps for timing and good extension through the ball.  Line drive swing produced an exit velocity of 81 MPH.  Behind the plate he moves well on pitches in the dirt and showed a quick release on throws.  He had pop-times of 1.90-1.98 with a 74 MPH arm.

Brock Downing, Ralston Valley High School (Uncommitted)
Pop-time: 1.94

6-foot-0, 175-pound right hand hitting catcher/OF. Very athletic, ran a 6.80 60 and showcased himself well behind the plate and in the outfield. Downing has quick feet and release, pop time was 2.02 off a coach and a 75 MPH arm velocity. In the outfield he is quick to the ball and shows smooth fielding actions. Arm was 83 MPH with accuracy to third base.  At the plate he hits from an open stance with a high leg kick for timing.  He is aggressive with his rotation and hands through the zone. His exit velocity was 87 MPH with good power to the opposite gap.