Prep Baseball Report

Auto Plex/GMC Invitational


Walt Jones
Louisiana Assistant Scouting Director

The PBR Louisiana staff was on hand for the 2020 Sulphur High School Auto Plex/GMC Invitational at McMurry Park in Sulphur, LA. The tournament saw eight top end clubs from around the state come together for what has proven to be a premier showcase of talent. On hand were the host team Sulphur HS, Teurlings Catholic HS, Opelousas Catholic HS, Tioga HS, Barbe HS, West Monroe HS, St. Louis Catholic HS and Calvary Baptist HS. With such a loaded field, there was a surplus of talent. 

+ Mississippi recruit, 2020 RHP Blake McGehee (Tioga HS, LA) the No. 9 ranked player in Louisiana’s 2021 class and No. 344 overall had a quality outing this weekend showing high level pitchability with command of the zone. The 6-foot, 170 pounder uses a polished, clean delivery with smooth rhythm and a clean, compact arm action into a high-¾ release with a fast arm and an athletic finish. McGehee worked to both sides of the plate with his fastball as he sat 87-90 mph topping out a 91 with arm side run. The breaking ball flashed solid shape at 73-76 mph but still shows a tendency to back up at times at. Had a quick look at the changeup in warmups which showed average with quality arm-side fade.

+ Louisiana State recruit, 2020 OF Brody Drost (Barbe HS, LA) got off to a slow start to this spring but we were able to watch him work the kinks out as he got going this weekend. Currently ranked No. 2 in Louisiana’s 2020 class and #73 overall. The athletic 6-foot-2, 195-pound left-hander flashed polished defensive actions and above average arm with accuracy. The bat really started to come alive over the weekend as he started to put balls on the barrel. Leading up to a big showing in the night game on Friday where he hit a pull side laser over the right field fence then followed it up with a backside double in his next at bat. We were also able to get a quality 2+ inning look at Drost on the mound. The left-hander sat 87-89 mph into the 3rd inning with solid command. Flashed a 68-71 mph curveball early in counts and a harder 75-76 mph slurve to finish hitters. Also, showed solid feel for a 81-83 mph changeup with arm side fade. 

+ Hinds CC recruit, 2020 LHP Gage Bihm (Opelousas Catholic HS, LA) is currently ranked #14 in Louisiana’s 2020 class. The long, projectable left-hander showed why he’s shot up the rankings in the last 6 months. Bihm uses a simple, repeatable delivery with smooth rhythm , low effort and good direction. Has a clean, compact arm action landing on a softer from side but locking out at release. The left-hander worked comfortably at 84-87 mph with average fastball command while flashing a 71-74 mph slurve with solid depth for strikes and for chase. Also showed a 79-80 mph changeup with average feel. Overall, a solid outing from a projection left-hander that’s trending up. 

+ Mississippi State recruit, 2020 IF Davis Meche (Barbe HS, LA) is currently ranked No. 5 in Louisiana’s 2020 class, and No. 105 Overall. Athletic 5-foot-10, 155-pound frame with room to add strength. Meche was probably the most impressive player in week one. He showed you just about everything you would want to see defensively while never giving away an at bat and did it all while playing with his head on fire. He hits from a balanced setup with above average athleticism in a smooth left-handed stroke. Uses a flat path with a gap to gap approach and will show you flashes of pull side strength. The most impressive offensive attribute was how rarely he swings at pitches outside of the zone. Patiently aggressive approach-hunts his pitch early in the count with great strike zone awareness late with an accurate barrel. 

+ 2022 LHP Haydan Toal (Tioga HS, LA) Athletic 6-foot, 165-pound frame, strong build, room to add strength. Athletic, slightly rotational delivery, short arm action into high-¾ release, quick arm speed, minimal effort, hides release point well with strong front side, and creates deception. Pitched 5 shutout innings against a highly touted Barbe club with prospects throughout the lineup. Worked up to 84 mph with fastball, showed slight arm-side run, strike thrower, uses both sides of the plate. Showed solid feel for a breaking ball with tight rotation with solid 2/8 shape with the ability to command it for strikes while also showing true feel for the changeup with arm side fade allowing him to keep hitters off balanced and inducing soft contact with both.

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