Prep Baseball Report

Player Evals: Diamon Deacons - Pitchers


Brandon Hall & Matt Payne
Executive Director & Director of Scouting, PBR NC

PBR was in Kernersville, NC on Saturday September 5th for the PBR Scout Day of the Diamond Deacons.  The Diamond Deacons program features players in the 2023 and 2024 classes, all living in the Triad Area of NC. 

The PBR Scout Day consisted of a full pro-style workout for the position players.  Position players ran a laser timed 60, followed by an offensive workout and a defensive workout.  Pitchers faced live hitters in a controlled setting, showcasing their complete arsenal in a 15-20 pitch outing.

Below we take a look at some of the offensive Trackman numbers. 

CLICK HERE to see the full roster and statistics from the PBR Scout Day

By The Numbers:

  • 30 players went through the workout
  • 29 players ran the laser timed 60 with a median run time of 7.55
  • 5 players registered exit velocities of 85 mph or higher off the tee
  • 22 pitchers threw
  • 3 arms worked at 84 mph or higher
  • 9 pitchers touched 80 mph or better
  • 9 position players carried 80 mph or better from their position
  • 1.93 was the top pop time in the defensive workouts

 

 

 DIAMOND DEACONS pitchers

 

 

Braxton Stewart LHP / East Forsyth, NC / 2023

 

Louisville commit
Positional Profile: LHP. Lean frame and quick arm. High ceiling as he continues to mature
Body: 6/3, 160 pounds. Lanky, athletic frame, has projection ahead.
Defense:  Athletic through the ball, relaxed hands, catches the ball in front of his right foot, clean transfers.
Arm: L.  OF - 84 mph. Accurate, some carry, long arm action, over the top slot.
Hit: R. Relaxed, balanced, even base, barrel flat over back shoulder. Small leg lift, short stride, quiet barrel. Loose swing, short to the ball, barrel is flat through the zone, quick hands, has barrel feel, uses the whole field.
Power: 85 mph exit velocity from the tee.  Above average bat speed.
Run:7.42 runner in the 60. 

Delivery: Small side step and slide to the 3B side. Simple lift to the mid-chest. Loose, athletic hips. Slightly closed at balance. Athletic separation, building tempo through his release. Lands on-line and square. Athletic finish. Works with intent
Arm Action: L. Slight plunge out of the glove, working back to an athletic high-3/4 slot. Good arm speed with arm strength present. Easy release with extension.
FB: T83, 80-83 mph. 1913 rpm. Hard, late arm side run of 10.7 inches. Good ride out of the hand, creating some swing and miss when elevated. 11:15 spin tilt out of the hand. Flashed feel for both sides
SL: 74-75 mph. 1846 rpm. Hard, thrown with intent, working to create depth.
CH: 73-75 mph. 1546 rpm. Solid arm speed with occasional fade and 10:45 spin tilt

Levi Strahm LHP / OF / Reagan, NC / 2023

 

Positional Profile: LHP/OF.
Body: 5/7, 145 pounds. Athletic build.
Defense:  Plays through the ball, soft hands, catches the ball in front of his right foot, clean transfers.
Arm: L.  OF - 74 mph. Accurate, medium arm stroke, high 3/4 slot.
Hit: L. Balanced, even base, sits in legs, hands above back shoulder. Short stride, hands get set to attack. Loose, fluid swing, stays balanced, short path to the ball, barrel stays through the zone, has barrel awareness, middle of the field approach.
Power: 79 mph exit velocity from the tee.  Above average bat speed.
Run:7.29 runner in the 60. 

Delivery: 3B side. Tall and narrow with a small side step and slow turn. Lifts to the belt in a controlled fashion. Level, closes his line slightly out of balance. Lands just across his line with a square foot-strike. Tends to finish rotationaly, occasionally falling to 3B
Arm Action: L. Repeated the stable arm swing to a high-3/4 slot. Strike thrower, pounded the down zone. Average arm speed
FB: T76, 74-76 mph. 1615 rpm. Down zone, strike thrower. Has run out of the hand, creating some length against right handed hitters
CB: 64-66 mph. 1669 rpm. 10/4 tilt. Still maturing. Has feel.
CH: 67-69 mph. 1701 rpm. Lacked some feel. Similar release. Occasional fade

Conner Frail RHP / 1B / R.J. Reynolds, NC / 2023

 

Positional Profile: RHP/1B.
Body: 6/3, 195 pounds. Strong build.
Defense:  Plays through the ball, relaxed hands, catch point off the left foot, clean transfers.
Arm: R.  OF - 80 mph. Accurate, long arm action, high 3/4 slot.
Hit: L. Balanced, even base, hands at back shoulder. Smooth load back, short stride, hands get set to attack. Balanced, loose hands, direct barrel path, barrel works uphill out front, uses the whole field.
Power: 84 mph exit velocity from the tee.  Above average bat speed, has strength off the barrel.
Run:8.2 runner in the 60. 

Delivery: Simple rocker and turn, lifting to the low-chest. Stable head. Controls the length in his body well. Works level and on-line, landing in-line and square. Strike thrower, repeating the delivery. Athletic finish
Arm Action: R. Medium arm swing gets to an over-the-top slot. Average arm speed
FB: T80, 76-80 mph. 2109 rpm. 1:00 spin tilt. Strike thrower. Attacked with intent.
CB: 63-68 mph. 2119 rpm. Sweeping action out of the hand. Early action. Over 17 inches of horizontal break. Around the zone.
CH: 67-68 mph. 1488 rpm. 2:30 spin tilt with fade. Heavy fade at times, showing deception

Steele Lee RHP / 3B / East Forsyth High, NC / 2023

 

Positional Profile: RHP/3B. Easy projection in the frame with the potential for a very high ceiling
Body: 6/4, 170 pounds. Long, lanky frame, projection ahead.
Defense:  Plays relaxed, hands have softness, funnels to the midsection after catch, clean transfers.
Arm: R.  INF - 80 mph.  Accurate, long arm action, high 3/4 slot.
Hit: R. Open base, more weight on the back leg, hands at back shoulder. Short stride back to even, hands load back. Loose, quick hands, balanced, lift to the barrel path, stays through the ball, has barrel feel working to his pull side.
Power: 90 mph exit velocity from the tee.  Made hard contact in BP, above average bat speed.
Run:7.7 runner in the 60. 

Delivery: Straight on with a small rhythmic step and turn. Lifts to the mid-chest, loading the front hip. Slightly closed, works level through balance. Lands on-line and square, finishing balanced with athleticism
Arm Action: R. Long arm swing, can work behind the body line at times. Builds tempo in the arm action through release. Over-the-top slot. Solid direction. Above average arm speed
FB: T85, 82-85 mph. 1995 rpm. Created ride and run with 1:15 spin tilt and 21.1 inches of induced vertical break. 15.5 inches of horizontal break. Around the zone. Elevated at times. Works with intent
CB: 70-72 mph. 1936 rpm. Consistent 10/4 tilt. Short, tight break. More freeze than chase action.
CH: 68 mph. 1347 rpm.