2016 Recruiting Trail: A Few D1 Prospects still Uncommitted

June 5, 2015

By Justin Burgess
Florida Area Scout

In last week’s 2016 Recruiting Trail, I highlighted a few highly-ranked players who were uncommitted but likely to commit at some point this summer. Since that article was posted, the number one 2016 player in Florida, Austin Bergner, committed to North Carolina. That is a big pick up for the Tar Heels as Bergner would be able to step in right away and be a conference starter. For Bergner, his next big decision will likely be between signing a professional contract and actually attending UNC.

Even though this week’s group does not include any players as popular as Bergner, they are still impact guys that will likely commit at some point this summer, if not the fall.

Owen Von Esslinger, C, Martin County HS 2016

Owen is a fundamentally sound catcher with a solid, average arm from behind the plate and an advanced bat for his age and position. He keeps balls in front of him and is a soft receiver. He makes consistent, hard contact against quality pitching with a short, quick stroke that produces line drives to all fields. Owen is also an excellent student which has landed him some serious looks from Ivy League schools. He is being recruiting most heavily by Columbia, Dartmouth, and Winthrop.

Tyler Mattes, OF/RHP, Cardinal Mooney 2016

Mattes is a lean, strong, and athletic player at 6-foot-1 195 pounds and he will likely grow more. Off the mound, he is 85-88 mph with an above average changeup and decent curve. He throws all three pitches for strikes. Tyler is also a 6.8 runner with a short, quick stroke that produces hard line drives. He has big league blood lines as his uncle pitched for the Expos. He is currently being looked at by schools such as Furman, High Point, and Libscomb, but has a good chance to be on the radar of larger schools by the end of this summer.

Griffin Rivers, OF, Homewood HS 2016

Rivers is an athletic, lean, and projectable outfielder with strength. He shows an above average arm from the outfield and runs a 6.8. At the plate he is a switch hitter with very good bat speed from both sides. He gets a strong load, has some rhythm, and has a leg kick. Griffin will likely commit by the end of this summer as he has already received an offer from Samford and is being looked at by a few other division I schools.

2016 Recruiting Trail: A Few D1 Prospects still Uncommitted

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