Prep Baseball Report

Underclass Preview: Class of 2019 Analysis



By Greg Williams
PA Director of Scouting

The Underclass Preview took place on January 31 at Keystone State Baseball Academy in Manheim, PA. Today we continue our analysis of the prospects in attendance by reviewing the Class of 2019. CLICK HERE to view complete results for all prospects in attendance.

Top prospects

Austin Bradbury, OF, Cedar Cliff HS
Austin Bradbury6-foot-1, 185-pound prospect with advanced athletic ability. The right-handed hitter starts from a slightly open stance and utilizes a leg-lift stride to initiate his swing. Bradbury has some length to his swing but showed projectable power when on time to the baseball with a bat exit velocity of 90 mph. The freshman ran a 7.25 60-yard dash and flashed 82 mph arm strength from the outfield. Bradbury has the tools to be a highly recruited outfielder in this class. While his skills are still raw, his potential is evident in all of his actions.

Matt Headley, 3B/OF, Bonner-Prendergast HS
Matt Headley5-foot-11, 155-pound right-handed hitter. Starts from a square stance and initiates his swing with a heel-raise stride. Displayed a line drive approach at the plate and a solid feel for the barrel with a bat exit velocity of 82 mph. The freshman ran a 7.68 60-yard dash and flashed athletic actions defensively with developing arm strength (75 mph). Headley will benefit from strength gains and physical maturity. Both should improve his current arm strength along with a concentration on playing through the baseball and incorporating the backside on his throws.

Cameron Hubbard, OF/2B, Easton Area HS
Cameron Hubbard5-foot-11, 165-pound right-handed hitter. Starts from a slightly open stance and initiates his swing with a leg-lift stride. Displayed quick hands and above average barrel whip with a solid feel for the barrel. Hubbard has present power and his athletic frame should continue to mature. The freshman ran a 7.19 60-yard dash and flashed an 86 mph bat exit velocity. Hubbard showed the athleticism to play both outfield and infield. Hubbard will need to work to improve arm strength at both positions (76 mph outfield / 70 mph infield), but has a skill set that should allow him to have success at both.

Tyler Kehoe, OF, Red Land HS
Tyler Kehoe5-foot-10, 165-pounder showed why he is the first prospect in this class statewide to announce a college commitment (Louisville). The left-handed hitter has present power in a frame that has plenty of room to fill out. Kehoe is athletic in all his actions and repeatedly barreled baseballs with authority to the pull side during an impressive round of batting practice. The freshman starts from a slightly open stance and generates significant barrel whip with a fluid swing that allows the barrel to stay on plane for long periods of time. He gets to full extension regularly and creates backspin with a bat exit velocity of 84 mph.

Jared Payne, C, Red Land HS
Jared Payne5-foot-10, 170-pound right-handed hitter. Starts from a slightly open stance and initiates his swing with a leg-lift stride. Payne showed a feel for the barrel with some present power and a bat exit velocity of 84 mph. The freshman displayed above average arm strength (72 mph) behind the plate and solid catch and throw skills with pop times of 2.12-2.20. Payne showed solid blocking skills and a soft glove hand during the bullpen phase of the workout.

Remainder of the Class (In Alphabetical Order):

Bryce Dickey, LHP, Pennridge HS
5-foot-6, 130-pound primary pitcher. The lefty sat 73-74 from a high 3/4 arm slot while pounding the strike zone with a repeatable delivery. The freshman also showcased a 62 mph curveball with 1/7 rotation and a 64 mph changeup thrown at near fastball arm speed. Dickey flashed good feel for all three pitches and balance throughout his delivery. He will continue to develop through physical maturity and work to build arm strength.

Evan Johnson, OF, The Shipley School
5-foot-9, 145-pound right-handed hitter. Starts from a slightly open stance and initiates his swing with a short lift-and-replace stride. Early rotation of his hips leads to some barrel drag and a tendency to feel for the baseball, but the freshman displayed the ability to barrel the baseball with regularity. Johnson posted one of the top 60-yard dash times of the day at 6.96 and registered a 77 mph bat exit velocity. He showed athletic actions defensively with accurate throws of 72 mph from the outfield.

Aidan Knupsky, 3B/SS, North Hills HS
5-foot-9, 165-pound right-handed hitter. Starts from a square, crouched stance and initiates his swing from a high hands load with a toe-tap stride. A line drive approach led to a bat exit velocity of 74 mph. Knupsky ran a 7.69 60-yard dash and displayed 63 mph arm strength across the diamond. The freshman's all-around game will benefit from physical maturity and strength gains moving forward.

Justin Wetzel, OF/LHP, West York HS
5-foot-9, 160-pound two-way prospect. The primary pitcher sat 72-73 from a high 3/4 arm slot with more in the tank. The lefty also displayed solid feel for a 66 mph curveball with tight 1/7 rotation and a 67 mph changeup with some arm-side run. The right-handed hitter starts from an open stance and initiates his swing with a leg-lift stride. Wetzel registered an 81 mph bat exit velocity and ran a solid 7.15 60-yard dash. The freshman showed athletic actions in the outfield with straight line carry on throws of 78 mph.

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