Prep Baseball Report

Quick Hitters: Preseason All-State II Pitchers


Brandon Hall
Mid-Atlantic Executive Director

On Sunday March 21st  PBR NC hosted its second of two Preseason All State events at Fleming Stadium in Wilson, NC.  The Preseason All State Showcase is the top winter event in the state. With the public high school season being pushed back due to Covid the event was able to move outdoors with it being held later in the year than normal. 62 of the top players from across the state participated in the event. There were lots of good numbers posted on the windy day. 

Pitchers started the day throwing a controlled bullpen of 15-20 pitches with cameras rolling and Trackman gathering ball flight data. After bullpens position players ran a laser timed 60, followed by a defensive evaluation and offensive evaluation.  During live BP, TrackMan was able to gather ball flight information off the bat.  

Throughout the workout, PBR scouts were taking metrics on players while evaluating their complete skill set.  Today we take a look at each category as well as the leaders in those categories.  As we continue to dive into all of the information gathered, players will receive a full evaluation and the PBR staff will put together top prospect lists from the event.

CLICK HERE to see the full roster and stats from the workout

 

Quick Hitters - Pitchers

 

Sawyer Black (RHP, Caldwell Academy, 2024) – Simple delivery.  Strike thrower that flooded the zone.  Over-the-top slot with above average arm speed, working down zone.  Firm breaking ball with a slight hump out of the hand.  Good arm speed on an advanced change-up.

Sylas Boris (RHP, Northwest Guilford HS, 2023) – Athletic with a long, loose arm swing working to an over-the-top slot.  Strike thrower across the board with his stuff. 

Talor Grubbs (RHP, Southeast Guilford HS, 2022) – Athletic frame.   Quick arm.  Easy ride on the fastball, peaking at 88.  Short, late, downer slider should present issues for hitters.  Firm changeup has excellent arm speed with run.

Nick Ham (RHP, Apex Friendship HS, 2024) – Short arm swing to a high-3/4 slot, working out of his sleeve.  Average arm speed, producing run on the fastball ranging 79-82.  Breaking ball for a strike consistently.  Early but with sharp 10/4 tilt.  Changeup is still developing but will be a solid 3rd option.

Dominic Mickle (RHP, West Stokes HS, 2023) – Strike thrower with an athletic arm working to an over-the-top slot.  Good 3-pitch mix with a hard slider producing late, 10/4 tilt.  Can attack with the changeup with solid arm speed and run out of the hand.

Anderson Nance (RHP, Morehead HS, 2024) – Athletic frame with plenty of projection left.   Run heavy fastball with above average arm speed, peaking at 85.  Solid ride through the zone.  Solid feel for 3 pitches.  Hard, late downer breaking ball should present issues for hitters now.  Fade is present on the changeup with solid arm speed.

Aidan Rice (RHP, Riverside HS, 2022) – Athletic build.  Long, whippy arm through an over-the-top slot with excellent arm speed.  Fastball up to 85 with a peak spin rate of 2396 rpm.  Late run to the arm side at times.  Changeup is ahead of the breaking ball at this time.  Good arm speed and run present.  Raw curveball with 10/4 tilt.

Luke Cannon (RHP, North Lenoir HS, 2023) – Lanky, projectable frame.  Short arm action, working out of the glove to the high-3/4 release, coming out of the sleeve.  Consistently down zone with run and an average spin rate of 2204 rpm.  Solid secondary offerings.  Hard, downer breaking ball with 11/5 tilt and good arm speed paired with a changeup that has late fade.

Cooper Clark (RHP, Home School, 2023) – Methodical delivery with a tall, lanky frame, working to coil the lower half to load the hips.  Long arm swing working to an exaggerated over-the-top slot.  Peak fastball at 87, spinning up to 2386 rpm.  Excellent feel for an advanced changeup with good arm speed for deception.

Matthew Hall (RHP, West Johnston HS, 2022) -- Average frame at 6-foot-2 with a strong lower half.  Stable over the rubber.  Long arm swing.  Over-the-top, turning the ball slightly early as the arm works to cock.  Good run and solid arm speed on the changeup which should cause some issues.

Ryan Hench (RHP, Durham Orange HS, 2023) – Broad shoulders and muscular lower half.  Medium arm swing, while loading the back side, working to an over-the-top slot.  Peak fastball at 85, spinning up to 2138rpm.  Slider is hard, with solid arm speed, and late.  Short length.

Jacob Kirby (RHP, Ardrey Kell HS, 2023) – Big projection in a frame that has grown since we saw him last summer, now standing 6’4”, 175 pounds.  Long arm swing to an over-the-top slot.  Above average arm speed for the age.  Attacked the zone with all three pitches.  Fastball up to 86 with an average spin rate of 2396 rpm.  Secondary pitches are still maturing, showing intriguing signs of how they will be able to attack hitters soon.

Jimmy Lovelace (RHP, Wake Forest HS, 2023) – Physical 6-foot, 210 pound righty.  Loose arm action has athleticism through an over-the-top slot.  Up to 87, spinning on average at 2292 rpm.  Arm strength over arm speed at this time.  Solid pair of off-speed pitches with a slider that has sweeping action through the zone and a changeup with solid arm speed and run out of the hand.

Will Saxenmeyer (RHP, Holly Springs HS, 2022) – Lanky, athletic 6-foot-4 build.  Long arm swing fights to be on time to an exaggerated over-the-top slot.  Creates early run out of the hand.  When on time with good direction the ball has much better ride, peaking at 89.  Hard, downer breaking ball thrown with intent and solid direction.  Late tilt on the breaking ball. 

William Sword (RHP, Thales Academy, 2022) – Arm strength is present.  Long arm swing to an over-the-top slot.  Fastball up to 87 with 2163 rpm on average.  Hard, downer breaking ball.  Solid arm speed and run on the change.  Good feel for all three pitches, working to constantly attack the zone.

Nathan Teague (RHP, Southern Alamance, 2023) – Lanky 6-foot-7, 205 pounds.  Still maturing on the mound and finding his consistent rhythm.  Lots of projection still left ahead.  Long, loose arm swing to a high-3/4 slot.  Fastball peaked at 84 mph and 2185 rpm.  Good extension and average arm speed on a side to side slider that has length at times.