Prep Baseball Report

Top 20 Stories of 2018: No. 7 Florida 1st Team All-State


Phil Kerber
PBR Florida/JUCO Wire

Over the next few weeks we we will be counting down the 2018 caldendar year with a look at the top 20 viewed stories of 2018. After combing through our google analytics, we have compiled a list of the twenty most visited stories, by you, the readers, in 2018.

We continue our countdown with the 7th most viewed story of 2018, PBR Florida 1st Team All-State

With the conclusion of the high school baseball season last week, the PBR Florida staff has put together the All-State HS 1st Team to highlight the list of players who helped lead their team throughout the season. Below is a list of the position players, pitchers, and two-ways who made the list along with their final stats for the season:

Adrian Del Castillo C / Gulliver Prep, FL / 2018

.527, 15 HRs, 35 RBIs

05/02/18- Miami recruit. The left handed hitting catcher was impressive all the way around. Defensively, he shows an average arm with pop times in the 2.0 range. He is an above average receiver with strong wrists and shoulders with flexibility and above average blocking skills. Offensively, while not getting much to hit, he made an impact when he did. Walked three times, he hit one of the three fastballs he saw in the zone deep over the right field fence. The barrel stays in the zone a long time and shows above average bat speed. Overall, a guy who is on the rise as an offensive catcher.


Angel Tiburcio 1B / Trinity Christian Academy , FL / 2018

.419, 8 HRs, 37 RBIs

03/26/18- Florida International recruit. Big, strong frame. Offensively, he shows present power with the ability to drive the ball with intent to the pull side. Above average bat speed and creates hard contact. Ball jumps off the bat. 

 


Lency Delgado MIF/ Doral Academy Charter, FL / 2018

.480, 33 RBIs, 13 HRs

03/21/18- Florida International recruit. The physical shortstop has present strength and some physical maturity. He looks to be leaner and more athletic. The actions are looser defensively and lateral agility as improved. Still projects as a corner infielder, but the actions are improved. The improved athleticism has translated offensively where he is looser, more upright and working with more rhythm in the swing. There is still some length and swing and miss, but it has been cut down. He has an aggressive, mostly center to left field approach. There is present bat speed and strength and may have more raw power than many of the other infielders in the class.

 


Henry Anthony Vilar MIF/ Westminster Christian, FL / 2018

.457, 12 HRs, 44 RBIs

04/18/18- Miami recruit. Athletic build standing at 6-foot, 170 pounds with liveness in his step. Shows smooth actions in the field with range, quick release. Fields the ball out in front. Quiet and balanced in the box with a slightly open stance from the left side. Above average bat speed with a feel for the barrel that generates present pull side power. The quick hands allow him to drive the ball with intent.

 


Kyle Mock MIF / Bishop Moore, FL / 2019

.430, 9 HRs, 35 RBIs, 11 SBs

1/27/18- Troy recruit. Physical frame standing at 5-foot-11, 180 pounds with room to add more. Offensively, from the left side of the plate he generates bat speed on a flyball swing path, looking to drive the ball deep to the pull side with authority. Present power. Registered a 91 mph exit velocity in the cage. Defensively, he shows solid actions up the middle of the infield with his throws topping out at 78 mph across the diamond. Clocked in at 7.25 seconds for his 60 yard dash time.

 


Josh Tease MIF/ North Florida Christian, FL / 2019

.495, 37 RBIs, 45 runs scored

04/26/18- Uncommitted. Currently stands at 5-foot-11, 175 pounds with a lean, athletic frame. Shows a quick bat from the right side where he makes consistent contact, driving the ball gap-to-gap. 

 


Rece Hinds 3B / Niceville, FL / 2019

.494, 13 HRs, 53 RBIs

04/12/18- LSU recruit. One of the top 2019s in the country looks to have grown and filled out. The frame is large and athletic with a strong lower half. Moves well at third and has a plus arm as throws have plenty of carry. Offensively, was 2-2 with a pair of walks, a single and home run. He looks comfortable in the box, works with rhythm and uses the lower half extremely well. Low effort, high impact swing with natural leverage. There is bat to ball skills with present power and plus power potential. Could have best power potential in the 2019 class.


Connor Scott OF / Plant , FL / 2018

.483, 5 HRs, 20 RBIs

03/28/18- One of the few high school players in the state with a true plus tool with multiple above avg. tools. With his run being plus and above average arm and present power, with future above average hit, there is an extremely high ceiling. It is a fairly easy comp to Kyle Tucker from the same school, with less power and a better runner. The swing has shown some swing and miss tendencies in the past, but has appeared to level the path and cut down on the swing an d miss. He works to all fields, but shows power to the middle of the field. The gait doesn't look like he will be a plus runner, but every home to first and turn shows that he is. He shows true 70 in game speed. The swing may have more swing and miss against the velocity, but the elite run with power potential and overall multiple above average tools has him a potential day one pick.   

 


Parker Pillsbury OF / Seven Rivers Christian, FL / 2018

.581, 29 RBIs, 9 HRs, 42 runs scored

03/15/18- Florida State recruit. Offensively, has an unorthodox setup with his hands set in front of his face and loads hem on the pitcher. When he is on time, the hands work well and shows a short, level path. 

 


Isaiah Thomas OF / The Benjamin School, FL / 2018

.490, 8 HRs, 34 RBIs, 16 SBs, 41 runs scored

03/08/18- Vanderbilt recruit. Is one of the most explosive athletes in the class.Offensively he is extremely interesting, he has present bat speed, but can cut himself off and not clear his backside at times. There is present power and big power potential and when the tools click  the ceiling is maybe the highest in the class. Defensively,showed a quick first step and good closing speed in the outfield. During the game he made a tough play on a hard hit line drive where he laid out and made a diving catch while playing centerfield. The high end tools and plus speed make him extremely intriguing.

 


Nolan Hudi LHP / Calvary Christian, FL / 2019

13-0, 119 Ks, .44 ERA

03/07/18- Texas Christian recruit. Currently stands at 6-foot, 185 pounds with an athletic frame and strong lower half. Hudi was dominant in his five innings on the mound where he allowed no hits, walked none, and struck out nine. He really mixed up his pitches well and threw his off-speed stuff at any time in the count. Featured a fastball that mostly sat 84-87 mph, touching 88 while flashing an above average changeup at 75-77 mph with fade along with a curveball that sat 73-74 mph that had depth. Works with a quick pace and pitches with fire. Once Hudi gets in a groove, he’s tough to slow down as he hits his spots and keeps the ball low and down in the zone.


Frank Gonzalez RHP / Charles W Flanagan, FL / 2018

12-1, 101 Ks, 1.01 ERA

02/20/18- Gonzalez has a proportionally athletic frame and threw from a high 3/4 slot. He has a loose arm and despite working mostly 83-85 mph with the fastball, it looks like much  more is to come as he learns to stay tall over the backside and he continues to add strength. The fastball played higher, getting quite a few swing and misses. He also showed a feel for a 73-75 mph slider and a 76 mph changeup. Gonzalez would go six innings, allowing one run on two hits while striking out eight batters.


Daniel Batcher LHP / George W Jenkins, FL / 2019

11-0, 95 Ks, .55 ERA

05/25/18- West Virginia recruit. Tall, lanky, projectable frame with plenty of room to fill out. Arm works clean and easy from the left side. Throws a high percentage of first pitch strikes and shows extension out in front. Fastball mostly sat in the 83-85 mph range, touching 86 and 87 occasionally while also mixing in a 66-69 mph curveball that showed depth and shape. Pitched with confidence and threw strikes. Expect to see Batcher make another jump over the summer months as he continues to add to his frame.

 


Franco Aleman RHP / Alonso, FL / 2018

9-1, 106 Ks, .58 ERA

03/11/18- Florida International recruit. Tall, strong, projectable frame standing at 6-foot-6, 215 pounds. Loose, quick arm with downhill action as he featured a fastball that was mostly 87-89 mph, touching 90 and 91 occasionally along with a 72-75 mph curveball that showed hard break and spin, inducing multiple swings and misses throughout the night. His velocity may have been a tad down that we’ve seen recently but it was a rainy night and he still managed to rack up 13 strikeouts. Was still 88-89 into the fifth and seemed to get stronger each inning. Struck out the side in the second and the sixth (his last inning) by throwing a high percentage of first pitch strikes. Showed command of the zone by walking none and allowing only a hit. The frame and the projection will continue to make him a high follow throughout the rest of the spring leading up to the draft.

 


Gunnar Hoglund RHP / 3B / Dayspring Christian Academy , FL / 2018

7-0, 105 Ks, .27 ERA / .385, 4 HRs, 20 RBIs, 19 SBs

04/12/18- Mississippi recruit. Tall, lean, athletic frame standing at 6-foot-4, 210 pounds. Quick arm throwing out of the high ¾ slot. Repeats well and creates some downward tilt. Featured a fastball that sat 90-93 mph early on, touching 94 before settling in at pitching at 90-91 for the rest of his time on the mound, reaching back for a 92 when he needed it. Also mixed in a 76-77 mph curveball with depth, an 81-82 mph changeup, and a 78-80 mph slider that showed sweeping action. Struck out nine in his 4.1 innings. Ball jumps on the batter. At times can fall off to the side, causing the ball to tail out of the zone. Held his velocity throughout and the arm works. Still room to add to the frame. Offensively, ee is balanced and uses that lower half well throughout the swing. Shows an advanced gap-to-gap approach and pull side power potential. He created consistent hard contact and shows a feel for the barrel from the left side.

 


Brandon Walker RHP / SS / North Florida Christian, FL / 2019

10-2, 104 Ks, 2.11 ERA / .333, 4 HRs, 40 RBIs

04/04/18- A Florida State recruit, the 6-foot, 180-pound Walker shows big time tools, especially on the mound. He is very physical with strong legs. His arm swing is medium to long, but super easy and effortless. He repeats his motion flawlessly and his fastball sits 90-92 mph with life, and has been up to 95-96 at times. The ball jumps on hitters and he mixes in a slider that sits 74-76 mph with the potential to be a plus pitch. There is so little effort that the ball explodes out of his hand with a flick of the wrist. Walker is young and extremely athletic with a quick arm and a durable frame that should hold up even with the explosiveness in the delivery. Shows pull side power with above average bat speed at the plate. Ball jumps of the bat.

 


Jonathan Gates LHP / 1B / Nature Coast Technical, FL / 2018

9-2 1.05 ERA 135 Ks/ .430 48 RBI 10 HR

04/12/18- Miami recruit. Currently stands at 6-foot-1, 190 pounds with a strong, athletic. Loose, easy working arm from the ¾ slot. Featured a fastball that was mostly 88-90 mph, working the corners of the plate and keeping the ball low and down in the zone. Also mixed in a 76-78 mph curveball with hard break and an 82-83 mph changeup. Mixes his up his pitches well and really knows how to pitch. Worked with confidence and hit his spots. Racked up 10 strikeouts in six innings. Gates will continue to be a high follow throughout the rest of the spring as we approach the draft. Also shows pull side power with the ability to go gap-to-gap, resulting in extra base hits. Drives the ball with authority. 

 


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