Underclass Games: Quick Hits

Georgia’s class of 2019 will go down as a memorable one, with many of its top prospects set to hear their names in this week’s MLB Draft throughout this week. Well, there’s plenty of reinforcements on the way in its younger classes, too.

On May 28, the PBR Georgia team hosted its Underclass Games event at the LakePoint facilities, which hosted a nearly 40 of the area’s best prospects, predominantly representing the 2021 class, with a few members of the 2022 and 2023 classes joining in, too.

A handful of these names should be circled and underlined as potential invites to both our Future Games and Junior Future Games events coming in August. Check out a select number of names who stood out below.

DYNAMIC BACKSTOPS

Four underclass catchers starred at LakePoint last week. Strength, athleticism, explosiveness are all words you can comfortably throw around when evaluating this list of names.

+ Buford’s freshman C/RHP Jackon Gaspard posted a 2.02 pop time and demonstrated all of the traits that’s allowed his name to generate some excitement across the state. He also looked great on the mound, too. He was working 84-85 mph and flashed some good shape to his breaking ball.

+ North Cobb sophomore C Harry Ford is a tremendous athlete behind the dish and also posted a 91 mph exit velocity from the right-handed box. During live game action, Ford displayed his trademark catch-and-throw skills with a 1.97 pop time.

+ 2021 Hunner Lawrence (Strong Rock Christian) had himself a day, too. He posted the best exit velocity of the event (93 mph) and looks the part behind the plate. He recorded a low pop of 2.06, which was among the lowest.

+ One of the most versatile players in the state is Brett Blomquist (Allatoona, 2021), and he looked particularly interesting from behind the plate last week. He posted a premium 1.99 pop and plays with bounce all over the diamond. He also has an advanced switch-hit approach in the box with sneaky power.

UPSIDE ARMS

+ The long and lanky right-hander from Lakeview Academy, Skyler Thellman (2021), throws a heavy low-80s fastball already. Given his projectable size, look for him to get even more comfortable on the mound in the near future.

+ Coulson Buchanan (North Gwinnett, 2021) is an advanced two-way prospect who looked especially talented on the mound. The uber-athletic righty touched 86 mph with a fast, clean arm strike, and coupled it with quality secondary stuff, and he showed that he had the feel to fill up the zone.

+ Southpaw Cole McDaniel, a 2021 from East Paulding, is a classic pitchability lefty who shows the feel to land his arsenal for strikes. His length – given his 6-foot-3, 190-pound frame – allows him to get on hitters, especially when he’s on and able to locate his fastball.

+ RHP Wesley Moore (Allatoona, 2022) is another long and lanky type who has feel for the strike zone and knows how to sink a fastball. Moore’s projectable features make it easy to dream on Moore building off his present low-80s fastball. He’s a name you’ll be hearing a lot more from in the coming seasons.

NEXT-LEVEL INFIELDERS

+ Braden Simms (West Hall, 2021) showed well on defense at last Tuesday’s showcase. Simms was at shortstop during live gameplay and made a highlight reel backhanded play and also roped a double the opposite way from the plate. His middle-of-the-field approach works well in conjunction with his barrel feel.

+ Finally, Joe Cutia (Glynn Academy, 2021), a corner infielder, has the bat to profile at either spot on the infield. This strong-bodied 2021 was balanced in the box and never got cheated at the plate. He’s a strong kid with some power potential who’s already posting 90 mph exit velocity marks.

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