Prep Baseball Report

Senior State Games: South Region Analysis


Doug Freeman
Florida Executive Director

The first annual Senior State Games took place September 26-27 at Jackie Robinson Ballpark in Daytona Beach, FL. The event featured some of the top 2021's in the state representing their region. Day one featured two showcases and two live games. Day two featured four games.

If you missed our Stats Story, featuring stat leaders and complete statistics on every player in attendance, CLICK HERE.

We also took a look at some of the top uncommitted standouts from the event. To view that story, CLICK HERE.

This week we will continue breaking down each player from the Senior Games. We will break down each player, region by region. We started with the North Region, the East Region, and the West Region. Today we will continue our analysis with the South Region. Take a look at complete scouting reports on every member of the South Region.

South Region Analysis

Evan Ames 1B / OF / Canterbury, FL / 2021

Positional Profile: 1B/OF - Uncommitted, Very young for the class, he has a ton of upside. The bat is his carrying tool and as he matures will learn to become more aggressive. Some passiveness in the approach, but tended to be on time consistently against quality arms. Overall, has a chance to hit and hit for power at a high level at the next level.
Body: 6-foot-5, 215-pounds. Big, strong frame with rooms to continue to grow.
Defense: Works well around the bag. Quality footwork and above average hands. Above average defender at first.
Arm: LH. INF - 74 mph. Solid average arm for first.
Hit: LHH. Stands tall, slightly open with a small leg kick trigger. A bit rotational with the shoulders, but the hands work freely and gets into the lower half well. Some length, but gets on time and uses long levers well.
Power: 98 mph exit velocity. The strong frame and long levers create leverage and present power with more to come.
Run: 7.39 runner in the 60. 

Louis Castano RHP / OF / Westminster Christian, FL / 2021

Positional Profile: RHP - Miami Dade, Attacked hitters in his outing. Struck out three and allowed no runs or hits while only walking one in three innings. Simple and repeatable with a clean delivery. Really solid, steady arm to follow.
Body: 6-foot, 185-pounds. Stocky, strong frame

Delivery: Very simple delivery, in rhythm and in line down the mound.
Arm Action: RH. Compact, straight back at separation, repeats well.
FB: T85, 81-85 mph. Some late life, located well down in the zone.
SL: 73-76 mph. Got around at times, has shape to improve, threw for strikes.
CH: 79-80 mph. Above average with late fading action.

Gavin Conticello SS / 3B / Coral Springs Charter, FL / 2021

Positional Profile: SS/3B - USF, Overall athlete and made a big impact on the weekend with the bat. The bat plays now and will carry. He continues to make strides physically and the athleticism gives him plenty of versatility defensively while the bat will carry him both hit and future power. He would go 3-9 with a pair of runs, four RBIs, two walks and no strikeouts on the weekend.
Body: 6-foot-3, 195-pounds. Long, lean athletic and projectable frame.
Defense: Athletic defender. Moves well, bends at the waist at times and could be a bit more fluid at short. Overall, solid defensive actions and could easily shift to third and be average to above. Plenty of athleticism and versatility.
Arm: RH. INF - 89 mph. Slightly above average arm with some carry that can stick on the left side of the infield.
Hit: LHH. Stands tall, quiet, simple knee to knee load and simple short load with the hands. Really clears the hips well, generates a lot of torque while staying under control. Above average to plus bat speed, whippy bat through the zone that is in the zone a long time. Creates bat speed as well as leverage.
Power: 101 mph exit velocity. There is present power and feel to hit. Has adjustability in the swing, while being aggressive with above average to plus bat speed. Present power, especially to pull side in BP, more gap to gap power/approach in game with a simple swing that should play at a high level
Run: 6.84 runner in the 60. 

Jack Cue OF / OF / Archbishop McCarthy, FL / 2021

Positional Profile: OF - Louisiana Tech, Very twitchy athlete with a lot of tools. The tools continue to come together in game and make for a very high ceiling as he continues to gain experience, reps and maturity. Would go 3-10 with an RBI, three runs, two walks.
Body: 6-foot-2, 190-pounds. Athletic, lean with strength and twitchiness.
Defense: Athletic defender who gets quality reads in the outfield and could potentially stick in  center.
Arm: RH. OF - 86 mph. Average arm with carry.
Hit: RHH. Simple, quiet load with hands and simple leg kick trigger. Attacks the ball with above average bat speed. Some steepness at times, but when he is connected early there is some big power potential.
Power: 102 mph exit velocity. Early connection allows him to fully utilizes the strength and bat speed to generate fairly easy power that will continue to develop as he matures.
Run: 6.95 runner in the 60. 

Gio Cueto C / 3B / Belen Jesuit Prep, FL / 2021

Positional Profile: C/3B - Wake Forest, Overall, a big winner. He was aggressive offensively with a simple, compact swing that will play at a high level with more power to come. The receiving ability shows above average potential and overall the physicality and potential bode well for the future.
Body: 6-foot, 190-pounds. Strong frame with strength, especially in lower half.
Defense: 1.89-2.01 pop times. Very solid defender, athleticism plays in horizontal agility, when in good receiving positions, hands work well. Has a chance to be above average all around defender.
Arm: RH. C - 75 mph. Average to above average arm behind the plate
Hit: RHH. Slightly wider than shoulder width setup, very simple with quiet rhythm and short simple load. Compact and direct to the ball consistently, level attack despite pitch, adjustable path.
Power: 94 mph exit velocity. Really advanced hit tool and feel to hit. Very compact swing had him on the barrel all weekend with a short swing and uses strength well. Moves efficiently and creates bat speed. more power to come, but really advanced hit. 

Andrew Estrella SS / Miami Christian, FL / 2021

Positional Profile: SS - Stetson, Very athletic and toolsy player who has a lot of present ability and even more upside.
Body: 6-foot-1, 175-pounds. Long, lean athletic frame.
Defense: Works with rhythm through the ball and a lot of confidence in his hands which are above average. Moves athletically and especially well laterally. Should stick at short at the next level.
Arm: RH. INF - 90 mph. Above average arm and throws have natural carry.
Hit: RHH. Slightly wider than shoulder width with a heel lift to small leg kick trigger. He shifts weight to the back leg as a timing mechanism. Very handsy hitter, loose and quick, has some length at times and when he utilizes the strength in the lower half has present power. Wiry strength with bat and hand speed that give him a high ceiling.
Power: 99 mph exit velocity. Wiry strength and bat speed have for a lot of power potential, a bit inconsistent currently, but as he matures and logs reps and continues to get into the lower half, you can see the very high ceiling.
Run: 7.03 runner in the 60. 

Carsten Finnvold LHP / OF / American Heritage Delray, FL / 2021

Positional Profile: LHP - Florida, Projectable frame, but the overall feel to pitch coupled with a very clean arm action leads to a high ceiling as a projected starter. Fastball has a chance to make a big jump and feel for three offspeed pitches, all average or better. Very high ceiling and starter potential.
Body: 6-foot-1, 170-pounds. Slender, lean frame long arms and legs.

Delivery: Simple, repeatable, in line and gets to extension well.
Arm Action: LH. Clean takeaway, slightly offline, but works free and easy.
FB: T85, 80-85 mph. Life with much more to come with added strength. Has great feel to locate anywhere in or out of the zone.
CB: 68-72 mph. Average with some depth
SL: 68-73 mph. Late, sweeping action and feel to spin it.
CH: 73-75 mph. Late fade out of the same tunnel as FB. Chance to be plus pitch.

Marcus Franco 1B / 3B / Doral Academy, FL / 2021

Positional Profile: 1B/3B - Uncommitted, Physical frame with power potential and played with a lot of energy throughout the weekend.
Body: 6-foot-4, 230-pounds. Big,strong, stocky frame.
Defense: Worked well around the bag at first, showed some athleticism, played some outfield and while not his natural position, showed his ability to be athletic. Glove works at first as well.
Arm: RH. INF - 76 mph.
Hit: RHH. Wide base with leg kick load and simple hand load. Really uses the lower half to drive swing. Has some length at times, but creates power from the lower half strength.
Power: 100 mph exit velocity. The power is in the strength of the frame and the lower half. Shows above average strength and power plays especially to pull side. 

Fisher Jameson RHP / 1B / Park Vista, FL / 2021

Positional Profile: RHP - Florida, Really trending in the right direction. Much more efficient, gets very good extension and fastball not only to the eye, but numbers show big life and upside.
Body: 6-foot-5, 210-pounds. Broad shoulders, long arms, lean and strong

Delivery: Simple, in line and has created more fluidity and rhythm. Clean foot strike and gets over the front side to extension fairly well and efficiently.
Arm Action: RH. The arm works long to short and stays in line with his body. It works very clean and easy and gets to extension easily.
FB: T92, 87-91 mph. Riding life as he averaged over seven feet of extension and 19.8 inches of induced vertical break.
CB: 75-78 mph. Some depth and threw for strikes.
SL: 77-79 mph. Tight and late action.
CH: 79-81 mph. Straight, true changeup.

Dylan King C / OF / American Heritage Delray, FL / 2021

Positional Profile: C/OF - North Carolina, Overall, the tools are loud while being very quiet in how he goes about things. In terms of setup and approach, it is all simple, but very efficient which leads to a potential ability to really translate at multiple levels with rooms still to grow.
Body: 6-foot-2, 193-pounds. Strength throughout, athletic, strong shoulders through the lower half.
Defense: 1.93-1.94 pop times. Strong frame, he looks comfortable behind the plate. He keeps pitches within his frame well, hands are in a good position and is an athletic blocker and receiver. Overall, a solid overall profile for an average to above average defender at the next several levels.
Arm: RH. C - 76 mph. Above average arm with carry.
Hit: LHH. Very quiet setup and load. Overall very simple. Simplicity doesn't take away from his hit ability. Clears hips well to get bat in the zone a long time. Swing has the ability to adjust to multiple pitches while staying aggressive through the zone. Feel for the barrel with a natural whippiness in the bat while being able to really stay in the lower half well throughout the swing.
Power: 97 mph exit velocity. There is present gap to gap power with more to come. Simple swing and approach and hasn't fully tapped in to all the power. Easy bat speed and the ball jumps off the bat.
Run: 6.96 runner in the 60. 

Chandler Marsh RHP / Wellington, FL / 2021

Positional Profile: RHP - Georgia, Worked with intent and a big strong frame. Fastball has late life and curveball works really well off of it. Starter potential, both in the frame and pitches and all are average to above.
Body: 6-foot-5, 220-pounds. Broad shoulder, long, lean frame.

Delivery: Good tempo, hips hinge well and ride down the mound, gets to extension and works with pace.
Arm Action: RH. Half circle arm action that is clean and in line. Works freely to extension.
FB: T91, 87-90 mph. Late arm side run with feel to front door as well.
CB: 70-71 mph. 2500 rpm and when he gets extension and fingers on top it has late depth and is a swing and miss pitch
SL: 79-82 mph. Tight and late, almost cutterish.
CH: 80-83 mph. True, slight change.

Kyle Marti SS / OF / Christopher Columbus, FL / 2021

Positional Profile: SS/OF - Uncommitted, While undersized, the tools play. He has a natural feel for the game all around. He has a feel to hit, with plenty of bat speed and tools to carry him to the next level. Led the team in hits and is a true top of the order guy at the next level.
Body: 5-foot-9, 165-pounds. Compact strength, twitchy athleticism.
Defense: Really bounced around well. quick first step with functional athleticism. Overall, he had a presence and energy and was in the right place consistently.
Arm: RH. INF - 89 mph. Average arm, quick release with carry.
Hit: RHH. Stands tall, elbows close together. medium leg kick trigger with good separation. Natural feel to hit with loose, quick hands. He is a handsy hitter, but was on time, balanced and off a strong front side all weekend. Under control, quality approach and patience to go with the feel to hit.
Power: 95 mph exit velocity. The bat speed and barrel accuracy led to gap to gap power. Wiry strength in the frame, gap to gap hitter with potentially more as he matures.
Run: 6.80 runner in the 60. Athletic with a quick first step.

Joel Pineiro RHP / Westminster Christian, FL / 2021

Positional Profile: RHP - FIU, Competitive with bloodlines. Has continued to make big strides and the FB/SL combo play above average.
Body: 6-foot-1, 192-pounds. Athletic frame.

Delivery: Simple, in line and stays tall with the chest and really gets down the mound well to the tune of an average extension of 7.58 feet.
Arm Action: RH. Takeback is clean, does get to inverted "w" at times, but quick arm is able to get back out in front. When he gets the takeaway fully back it comes out very well with a lot of life.
FB: T88, 83-87 mph. The most right-handed horizontal movement. The pitch has late arm side life and was able to get swing and misses as well.
SL: 70-74 mph. Mix between a slider and curveball, it has tight spin and late depth with some horizontal movement as well. Works really well off of fastball and garnered a number of swing and misses.
CH: 75-79 mph. Fading action.

Emilio Portes OF / 3B / Monsignor Edward Pace , FL / 2021

Positional Profile: OF/3B - Bethune-Cookman. Nothing flashy, but very solid all the way around. Swing is simple, but really uses the lower half well and simplicity will lead to more strides as he matures.
Body: 6-foot-1, 195-pounds. Stocky, with strength and athleticism.
Defense: Athletic outfielder who gets quality reads. Likely an above average corner outfielder.
Arm: RH. OF - 91 mph. Above average arm with carry and accuracy in outfield.
Hit: RHH. Balanced, wide base with more weight on back leg than front. Simple into load  Direct to the ball and level through the zone. Uses the lower half well to clear and stay balanced and strong. Simple swing that is on time consistently. Produced four hits on the weekend.
Power: 98 mph exit velocity. Strong lower half generates bat speed and the present strength translates to gap power with more pull side. Really like how the lower half works and will continue to add power as he adds strength to the lower half that already works well.
Run: 6.69 runner in the 60. 

Darius Robinson RHP / OF / St. Thomas Aquinas, FL / 2021

Positional Profile: RHP - Uncommitted, Athletic arm who competed and has upside.
Body: 6-foot-2, 165-pounds. Lean, athletic frame.

Delivery: Gets into the back leg early and drives down the mound.
Arm Action: RH. Arm is quick and able to get to extension with length at takeaway. Quick arm and athleticism in the back gets him out in front.
FB: T86, 80-85 mph. Some life through the zone.
CB: 72-76 mph. His best pitch as it was tight with depth and got several swing and misses.

Ryan Scarry OF / Coral Reef Senior, FL / 2021

Positional Profile: OF - Marshall, The athleticism may have been the best in attendance. The raw tools are off the charts and can see he is quick to adjust. Overall there is a lot of bat speed that as he continues to gain consistency has a chance to be a very impactful bat in the future to go along with being a plus runner and overall plus athlete.
Body: 6-foot, 180-pounds. Compact strong, twitchy and athletic
Defense: Plus runner and plays with energy and covers a lot of ground.
Arm: RH. OF - 94 mph. Plus arm with carry
Hit: RHH. Slightly wide base with small leg kick load. Really aggressive clearing through and into the back side through finish. Generates above average bat speed. When he gets in the zone early, it creates very whippy bat speed. Can cut himself off at times, but the elite athleticism lends to quick adjustments. He has above average bat speed and on the barrel fairly often. There is a ton of present ability and tools and continues to progress with a very high offensive ceiling.
Power: 98 mph exit velocity. There is present power to the pull side as he is strong throughout the frame. As he learns how to use the elite twitchiness even more efficiently in the swing there can be more to come.
Run: 6.45 runner in the 60. Extremely quick twitch runner.



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