High School Crosscheck: Week 3

As usual, weather has been a factor in the early goings of the spring season with rain flooding fields and wreaking havoc on schedules, especially in Georgia. The Rode Show trekked through The Peach State last week and saw a several top draft prospects—at least the ones that didn’t get washed out.

Last Wednesday, RHP Alex McFarlane (Habersham Central HS, GA) made his second start of the season and showed electric stuff. Athletic and projectable, he has quick arm that produces a fastball up to 95 mph. He sat 91-94 early on in his outing and was 88-92 by the end, tossing 78 pitches in five innings of work. He allowed three hits and two walks while striking out six. His 59 percent strike rate eludes to his current control, but his athleticism should allow him to easily repeat his delivery as he develops. The fastball has run to it and he pairs that with an above-average slider that has late bite at 77-80. He also tries to mix in a curveball, but his low-3/4 arm slot makes that a tough pitch to land. He also flashed a changeup, but wasn’t repeating his arm action on it.

After cancellations on Thursday, I headed down to the LaGrange Invitational to see a pair of prospects from Providence School, FL—3B Tyler Callihan and C Nathan Hickey—as well as RHP Ramsey David (Buford HS, GA).