Prep Baseball Report

PBR Mid-Atlantic Border Battle Analysis - White Team



By Jacob Gill
Philadelphia Region Director of Scouting

The 2015 PBR Mid-Atlantic Border Battle took place on July 21-22, with 47 prospects from Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Maryland gathering at the Harford Sports Complex on the campus of Harford Community College. Our rundown of the participants concludes today with the White team.

Class of 2016


Nick Doolittle, 2016, 3B/RHP, McDowell
*6-foot, 170-pound right-handed hitter. Started from a slightly open stance and strode to square. Some hip float, while he hit through contact and consistently barreled the baseball in BP. Ran a 6.88 60-yard dash and 4.40 in-game home-to-1B time. Showcased 88-mph exit velocity and 80-mph arm strength during workout. Accurate throwing arm.
*Pitched from a sidearm slot, working down in the zone with a fastball that sat 76-77. Most lived armside early in his outing, but showed an ability to get the pitch gloveside later on. Also mixed in a slider at 65-66 that he started at the hip of right-handed hitters and broke back toward the plate.

Bayley Jamanis, 2016, 3B, Lancaster Catholic
6-foot, 180-pound right-handed hitter. Started from a slightly open stance and strode to square. Keeps body and head still in pull-oriented swing. Ran a 7.35 60-yard dash and in-game best 4.59 home-to-1B time. Showcased 89-mph exit velocity during workout. Arm is still recovering from injury, so did not air it out, but has shown 86-mph arm strength in the past. Otherwise, he exhibited his consistently solid feet, actions, and hands.

Lawrence Kirk, 2016, RHP, Archbishop John Carroll
6-foot-1, 180-pound frame. Pitched out of an over-the-top slot with a hip coil over the rubber. Kicks front leg out of balance point and throws high front side at hitter. Fastball sat 77-78, touching 80. Also incorporated a curveball with 11/5 action at 64-65 that he threw for strikes, as well as a change-up at 68-69.

Joe Kroeger, 2016, C, Central York
6-foot, 185-pound right-handed hitter. Started from slightly open stance and strode to square. Rocks weight to backside and creates armbar in load, while consistently barreling the baseball in a pull-oriented swing in BP. Ran a 7.27 60-yard dash and 4.60 in-game home-to-1B time. Showcased 83-mph exit velocity and 73-mph arm strength from the crouch during workout. Posted workout pop times of 2.14-2.22. Solid feel for blocking with accurate throwing arm.

Mason McKinley, 2016, C, Garden Spot
5-foot-9, 175-pound right-handed hitter. Started from an open stance and strode to square. Kept path fairly short in BP despite some backside spin that inhibits incorporation of lower half. Stayed gap-to-gap with his in-game approach. Showcased 83-mph exit velocity and 71-mph arm strength from the crouch during workout. Posted 2.07-2.20 workout pop times. Blocked well, quick transfer and release.

Alex Peterson, 2016, OF, North Penn
5-foot-9, 165-pound left-handed hitter. Started from an open stance and strode slightly closed. Picked up four barreled singles in the middle of the field, as well as a lineout to 1B, among six at-bats in game action. Ran a 6.97 60-yard dash. Showcased 80-mph exit velocity and 81-mph arm strength during workout. Accurate arm. Took very good routes to the ball, tracking a line drive hit to his right while playing center and running down a ball slicing away from him toward the right field corner.

Nico Popa, 2016, IF/OF, Seton-La Salle Catholic
5-foot-10, 175-pound live-bodied athlete. Continues to exhibit plus batspeed, his hands work, and he stayed inside the ball well in BP. Showed good balance and maintained posture when barreling up a curveball on a line-out to 3B. Ran a 6.50 60-yard dash, 4.10 in-game home-to-1B time, and 3.34 on a steal. Showcased 87-mph exit velocity, 90-mph arm strength from the outfield and 87-mph arm strength from the infield during workout. Moved well in outfield with long, loose arm action and accurate throws. While some coaches see his wheels and immediately think center-fielder, Popa’s infield abilities continue to progress and, given his athleticism and positive trajectory, he could still find a home around the keystone in the right program.

Austin Wacker, 2016, OF/RHP, Cumberland Valley
*5-foot-6, 160-pound right-handed hitter. Started slightly open and strode to a square, wide base. Short path with some bat speed, eyes stayed level and used the middle of the field in BP. Picked up three hits in six at-bats in game action. Ran a 6.82 60-yard dash and 4.53 in-game home-to-1B time on a turn. Showcased 81-mph exit velocity and 85-mph arm strength during workout.
*Pitched out of an over-the-top slot with a feel for sequencing his pitches. Fastball sat 80-82, while on this day (it has been the reverse in the past), he showed a better feel for his slider with short break at 70-72 than his bigger breaking 11/5 curveball (usually his money pitch) at 68-69.

Aidan Zimmerman, 2016, LHP, Manheim Township
5-foot-10, 175-pound frame. Pitched out of a three-quarter slot with chest-high leg kick. Fastball at 81-83 has consistent late run with occasional sink. Showed solid feel for his change-up at 71-72, while also incorporating a 1/7 curveball at 64-65 and a one-plane slider at 68-69. Struck out the side in his first inning of work, using three different offerings as the finisher.

Class of 2017


Kris Kremer, 2017, IF/RHP, Hershey
*5-foot-9, 140-pound right-handed hitter who will represent Team PA at this weekend’s PBR Future Games. Flashed good batspeed, while barreling the baseball both in BP and game action (including two doubles to left-center, a line drive single to center, and a scorched grounder that the third baseman wanted no part of). Ran a 7.00 60-yard dash and in-game best 4.66 home-to-1B time on a turn. Showcased 90-mph exit velocity and 86-mph arm strength during workout. Good feet defensively; sets up to field ball on glove side of body moving toward first base.
*Hasn’t pitched since little league, but jumped on the mound for an inning to show a fastball at 84-86 out of a three-quarter slot with good arm speed. Mixed in a change-up at 76-77, while his curveball at 70-71 tended to back up on him. However, given his utter lack of mound time, there could be something here as well if he chooses to work at it.

Andrew Mayhew, 2017, RHP, Pennridge
Don’t be deceived by his diminutive 5-foot-9, 130-pound frame. Pitched with quick arm out of a three-quarter slot with compact, drop-and-drive delivery and back shoulder dip. Fastball sat 83-84, touching 85, and had some life when up, although, at his size, he needs to work extremely hard to get down in the zone. Primary offspeed pitch was a tight slider at 73-75, while he also mixed in a slower 11/5 curveball at 66-67 and a firm change-up at 77-78.

Ryan McSorley, 2017, IF, Lansdale Catholic
5-foot-10, 165-pound right-handed hitter. Started from narrow, slightly open stance, incorporating a long stride to square. Body comes forward with stride and he contacted the baseball well out in front in BP. Eyes stay level and his hands work. Ran a 6.81 60-yard dash and in-game best 4.34 home-to-1B time. Showcased 89-mph exit velocity and 79-mph arm strength during workout. Exhibited quick release on DP feed from third base, where he profiles better than in the middle at the next level.

Mike Speck, 2017, OF, Central
5-foot-9, 160-pound right-handed hitter. Hit from slightly open stance, getting up on toe and rolling front knee in. Some hip float and top half dive. Attacks the baseball with good extension through contact. Ran a 7.13 60-yard dash. Showcased 80-mph exit velocity and 82-mph arm strength during workout. Throws on low trajectory would have more carry and travel straighter if he he got his front foot around toward his target instead of landing open.

Nick Stoner, 2017, IF/RHP, Elizabethtown Area
*6-foot, 160-pound right-handed hitter. Started from slightly open stance and strode to square. Inside-out stroke with hands in toward body; wore out right-center during BP. Ran a 7.00 60-yard dash and 4.44 in-game home-to-1B time. Showcased 82-mph exit velocity and 86-mph arm strength during workout. Solid defensive actions and fields the ball out front.
*Loose, athletic delivery with a bounce at the top of his balance point. Pitched out of a high three-quarter slot with long, clean arm action and good extension on release. In first outing in over three months, fastball sat 84-86. Curveball at 71-72 had nice 11/5 shape in warm-ups, although less depth in game. Also mixed in a change-up at 73-74. Athleticism, immature frame, and arm action portend plenty more to come here.

Jake Trautman, 2017, 1B, Pittsburgh Central Catholic
6-foot-4, 220-pound left-handed hitter. Hit from square stance with short stride. Creates lift in swing; launched multiple home runs in BP and went down and got a curveball in his first at-bat for a pullside bomb in game action. Gets into front side early with mostly a top-half swing, so there could be even more power in him when he more fully incorporates his backside. Ran a 7.53 60-yard dash. Showcased 97-mph exit velocity and 72-mph arm strength during workout. Acquitted himself well defensively, showing an ability to pick throws out of the dirt.

Previous PBR Mid-Atlantic Border Battle News

 2015 Eastern PA Fall ReviewCreate a Free Player ProfileWestern PA Fall Review 2015