Prep Baseball Report

2020 Preseason All-State West: 2021 Outfielders


Brandon Hall & Matt Payne
NC Executive Director & Scouting Director

On Sunday January 26th, ninety-one of the top players in the state of North Carolina converged at the Ultimate Performance Sports Center in Matthews, NC.  The Preseason All-State showcase event is the top winter event in North Carolina year after year and with the increased demand, there are now two sessions, an east and a west.  Below we take our first look at some player notes from the Preseason All-State West.

The day consisted of a full pro-style workout with pitchers throwing controlled bullpens, followed by defensive workouts for the position players.  Hitters were able to go through multiple cages to get loose prior to moving through two exit velocity stations.  Live BP was taken in a large cage, allowing scouts and coaches to see the ball fly off the bat.

We continue our breakdown of the PAS West with the 2021 players. The Junior outfielders were very impressive throughout the day, with a strong presence offensively.  Full evals, with notes and stats, and a link to the video of each player is below.

CLICK HERE to see the full roster and stats from the Preseason All-State West

Preseason All-State West – By the Numbers:

  • 91 players went through the workout at Ultimate Performance
  • 36 pitchers threw controlled bullpens
  • 80 hitters went through offensive and defensive workouts
  • 24 players ran a sub-4.00 on the 30 yard laser timed sprint
  • 33 hitters posted an exit velocity of 90 mph or higher
  • 9 of 19 catchers posted a pop time of 2.10 or lower
  • 7 Outfielders posted a positional velocity of 90 mph or higher
  • 10 Pitchers worked at 86 or higher
  • 3 arms touched 90 or better
  • 2468rpm was the top fastball spin rate at the event.

 

2021 Outfielder Analysis

 

Luke Barbaryka OF / Myers Park, NC / 2021

Positional Profile: OF.
Body: 6’2”, 210 pounds. Physical presence.
Defense:  Plays through the ball with average hands, catching it off his left foot with a longer exchange.
Arm: R. OF - 81 mph. Accurate arm with a medium arm stroke to an over the top slot.
Hit: RHH. Balanced setup with the bat starting close to his head. Short stride with a quiet barrel. Short to the ball with some quickness to his hands. Barrel gets in and out of the zone to quickly at times.
Power: 87 mph exit velocity from the tee.  More strength than bat speed with some feel for his barrel.
Run: 4.04 runner in the 30. 

John Newton OF / 3B / Cuthbertson , NC / 2021

UNC Wilmington commit
Positional Profile: OF/3B.  One of the top pure hitters in the state.
Body: 6’1”, 183 pounds. Strong, athletic build.
Defense:  Plays athletic through the ball with average hands and smooth transfers.
Arm: R. OF - 94 mph. Quick, loose arm to an over the to slot. Accurate throws with carry.
Hit: RHH. Balanced, slightly open setup. Smooth load getting to a good launch position. Short barrel path to the ball. Barrel stays in the zone a long time. Barrel whips through zone, made hard contact on every swing.
Power: 100 mph exit velocity from the tee.  Lots of bat speed and crused balls gap to gap. Impressive, loud batting practice.
Run: 3.95 runner in the 30. 

Darrien Whitaker OF / LHP / Cox Mill, NC / 2021

Positional Profile: OF/LHP.  Young player that has made strides every time we see him.
Body: 6’1”, 160 pounds. Athletic, high waist, projectable frame.
Defense:  Athletic and fluid through the ball with confidence in his hands.
Arm: L. OF - 90 mph. Long, loose, quick arm to an over the top slot. Accurate throws with carry.
Hit: LHH. Tall, open setup. Long stride getting back to square with bat movement. Loose, flat swing with lift when he stays behind the ball. Middle of the field approach.
Power: 85 mph exit velocity from the tee.  Above average bat speed and barrel feel. Has strength off the barrel when he stays connected.
Run: 3.87 runner in the 30. 

Tyler Spruill OF / OF / Hillside High School, NC / 2021

Positional Profile: OF/OF.
Body: 5’10”, 175 pounds. Strong build.
Defense:  Aggressive through the ball with average hands. Long, clean exchanges, creating momentum.
Arm: R. OF - 82 mph. Medium arm stroke to a high 3/4 slot with some accuracy.
Hit: RHH. Balanced setup with vertical barrel. Load with a leg kick, minimal hand movement. Looks to get the ball in the air with quickness to his hands.
Power: 91 mph exit velocity from the tee.  Has strength with better than average bat speed. Pull pop with some barrel feel.
Run: 4.06 runner in the 30.

Logan Hall OF / OF / Myers Park, NC / 2021

Positional Profile: OF/OF.
Body: 6’1”, 160 pounds. Lanky frame.
Defense:  Plays through the ball with fluid feet and average hands with a longer exchange.
Arm: L. OF - 84 mph. Long arm action to a high 3/4 slot.
Hit: LHH. Relaxed, balanced setup. Simple load with a short stride and smal hand load. Loose, flat swing working mostly to his pull side.
Power: 91 mph exit velocity from the tee.  Average bat speed with some feel for his barrel.
Run: 3.80 runner in the 30.

Jaxon Rauber OF / RHP / Southwest Guilford, NC / 2021

Positional Profile: OF/RHP. Impressive workout and a player to follow into the spring.
Body: 5’10”, 165 pounds. Strength present in average frame
Defense:  Plays fluid through balls with above average hands.
Arm: R. OF - 91 mph. Quick, clean arm to a high 3/4 slot. Arm is strong with good carry and some accuracy.
Hit: RHH. Balanced setup. Smooth load with a small leg kick and hands working back. Drives his back knee through the swing with lift to his barrel path. Gets barrel extension outfront.
Power: 88 mph exit velocity from the tee.  Has strength with a gap to gap approach, average barrel feel and bat speed.
Run: 4.04 runner in the 30.

Devin Tonkins OF / SS / Greensboro Day, NC / 2021

Positional Profile: OF/SS.
Body: 5’9”, 150 pounds. Thin, athletic build with present quickness
Defense:  Athletic with fluidity. Above average hands with smooth transfers.
Arm: R. OF - 84 mph. Long arm action with quickness to a high 3/4 slot.
Hit: RHH. Slightly open, narrow base with bat waggle using a leg kick. Will go wide base at times with a shorter stride. Short simple stroke with quick hands hitting lots of line drives.
Power: 86 mph exit velocity from the tee.  Better than average barrel control with average bat speed. Uses the whole field.
Run: 3.79 runner in the 30.

Trenton Rhodes OF / SS / East Wilkes , NC / 2021

Positional Profile: OF/SS.
Body: 5’9”, 150 pounds. Athletic frame.
Defense:  Catches the ball of his left foot with average hands and clean transfers.
Arm: R. OF - 81 mph. Medium arm stroke to a high 3/4 release with some quickness.
Hit: RHH. Relaxed, slightly open base. Average stride, slight dive into the plate with hands getting to a good launch position. Loose, quick hands, short to the ball. Keeps his barrel in the zone hitting lots of line drives.
Power: 80 mph exit velocity from the tee.  Above average barrel awareness, average to above average bat speed using the whole field.
Run: 4.03 runner in the 30. 

Archie Dean Herring OF / SS / Greensboro Day , NC / 2021

Stanford commit
Positional Profile: OF/SS.
Body: 5’10”, 165 pounds. Quick twtich athlete.
Hit: RHH. Relaxed, balanced setup. Smooth load getting to a good launch position. Fluid swing, Keeps his barrel in the zone with loose quick hands.
Power: 91 mph exit velocity from the tee.  Showed lots of bat control, consistently lining balls through the middle. Above average bat speed.


Drew Gugino OF / SS / Lake Norman Charter, NC / 2021

Positional Profile: OF/SS.
Body: 5’11”, 170 pounds. Athletic build.
Defense:  Plays through the ball with fluid feet. Uses a two-hand catch at times. Average hands.
Arm: R. OF - 84 mph. Loose, clean arm action to a high 3/4 slot with some accuracy.
Hit: LHH. Athletic, slightly open setup with bat waggle. Smooth knee to knee load with some hand cock and bat angle. Fluid, flat swing staying through the zone with loose,quick hands.
Power: 89 mph exit velocity from the tee.  Makes hard contact middle to pull side with above average bat speed and barrel control.
Run: 3.82 runner in the 30. 

Jack Mullane OF / SS / Reagan, NC / 2021

Positional Profile: OF/SS.
Body: 6’1”, 170 pounds. Lanky, athletic, projectable frame.
Defense:  Fluid feet through the ball with average hands and clean exchanges.
Arm: . OF - 87 mph. Long arm action, high 3/4 slot. Throws have carry.
Hit: LHH. Athletic, balanced setup. Smooth load with a short stride and quiet barrel. Loose, flat swing with barrel snap through the zone. Gets extension, using the whole field.
Power: 93 mph exit velocity from the tee.  Above average bat speed and barrel control, making lots of hard contact.
Run: 3.96 runner in the 30.