Prep Baseball Report

Panhandle Summer Kickoff Games: Corner Infielder Analysis


Doug Freeman
Florida Executive Director


The 2019 Panhandle Summer Kick-Off Games took place on Saturday May 18th at the 2019 State-Runner up, Northwest Florida State College. Players from the graduating classes of 2019-2023 took place in a pro-style workout followed by a game. Over the next week, we will take a look at a breakdown of every player in attendance broken down by Outfield, Corner Infield, Middle Infield, Catcher, Pitcher-Only and Multi-Position prospects. Today, we take a look at the corner infielders  in attendance.

 


To find the full list of stats, please CLICK HERE.

 

 

Griffin Wilbur SS / 3B / Fort Walton Beach, FL / 2020

A projectbable 6-foot-2, 175 pound frame. He showed an above average gait in the 60 yard dash, running a 7.03 and could see that improving. In the infield, the athleticism shows. He is twitchy with a good first step. Could work with some more rhythm and flexibility, but overall a solid defender. Showed an average arm, topping at 84 mph. Offensively, he stood out with the simplicity of his approach. Stands tall and slightly open. The setup is quite and lets his hands work. Could incorporate a bit more lower half, but shows loose wrists and a feel for the barrel. Exit velocity topped at 86 mph. Has upside as he continues to add strength and tap in that and his long levers.   

 

 

 

Preston Murphy C / 3B / Niceville , FL / 2022

A stocky 5-foot-9, 180 pounds. In the infield he works under control, to and through the ball and the hands work well. Topped at 78 mph across the infield. Behind the plate, he sits comfortably, will continue to improve setup and movements with strength and maturity. Able receiver, quick and clean transfer and strong throws with pop times in the 2.0-2.12 range. Offensively, balanced setup with fluid rhythm, uses reverse toe-tap stride for timing, uses legs throughout. Gap-to-gap type hitter, did a nice job keeping hands inside the ball, sprayed line drives to all fields, 80 mph exit velocity off a tee.  

 

 

 

Caleb Butts 2B / 3B / Port St. Joe, FL / 2019

Stands 5-foot-8, 160 pounds. Defensively, he shows a quality first step. Hands work well and has confidence in them, working ground up with rhythm. Works under control with some present athleticism. Offensively, he has a wide base and starts slightly open. Stays balanced and shows strength to the pull side. Exit velocity topped at 84 mph.  

 

 

 

Jay Marquardt 3B / OF / Niceville, FL / 2021

Stands at 6-foot, 165 pounds and ran a 7.39 60 yard dash. Defensively, he works under control. Can be a bit too methodical and stiff at times and would benefit with some added looseness to and through the ball. Hands work as he fields the ball out in front and consistently. Topped at 71 mph across the infield. Offensively, he starts slightly open and has a toe-tap load. The can get him off time at times and lead to some length, but the lower half stays balanced and does stay level through the zone at 79 mph exit velocity.  

 

 

 

Cade Johnston 1B / 3B / Crestview, FL / 2020

A stocky 6-foot-2, 200 pound. He projects more as a first basemen as the footwork was better around the bag at first. Bends at the waist at times and could benefit defensively with a mor athletic move to the ball. The hands work and is under control, fielding the ball consistently and an average feel for first base. Offensively, he put on one of the best rounds of BP. He stands tall and lets his hands work. Consistently creating backspin on the baseball and driving the ball out of the park to left field. There is some steepness in the swing which creates some swing and miss, but there is definite power potential, which also shows in the days best 94 mph exit velocity.  

 

 

 

UPCOMING EVENTS

SHOWCASE STATE DATE LOCATION
High-Speed Video Add-On FL 05/21  
PBR ProCase - Florida (Invite Only) FL 05/25 IMG Academy
PBR Summer Kickoff ID FL 05/26 IMG Academy
Underclass Games - UCF (Invite Only) FL 06/23 John Euliano Park - Central Florida
Prospect ID - FIU FL 06/29 Infinity Insurance Park - Florida International
Underclass Games - Miami (Invite Only) FL 06/30 Alex Rodriguez Park - University of Miami
Top Prospect Games - Jacksonville (Invite Only) FL 07/06 John Sessions Stadium - Jacksonville University
Prospect ID - UCF FL 07/13 John Euliano Park - Central Florida
Underclass Games - South Florida (Invite Only) FL 07/14 USF Baseball Stadium - South Florida
All-States Games (Invite Only) FL 07/27 Alex Rodriguez Park - University of Miami
Junior Future Games NATIONAL 07/30 LakePoint
2019 PBR Future Games (Florida Invite) FL 07/31 LakePoint - Cartersville, GA
Improve My Profile with Game Video (Florida) FL 02/26