2022 Appy All-Star Game: Scouting Notes
August 10, 2022
The 2022 Appalachian League All-Star Game, played on July 26 at Burlington Athletic Stadium in Burlington, N.C., saw the East defeat the West, 6-5, on a two-out walk-off single in the ninth inning. There were many notable performances by rising prospects in the back-and-forth contest, as 10 different pitchers touched 91 mph or higher, and five different hitters generated exit velocities of at least 100 mph. Here are scouting notes on the All-Star Game’s pitchers and several standout hitters.
The East defeated the West 6-5 at the @VisitAlamanceNC #AppyLeague All-Star Game Tuesday night. RJ Johnson Jr. hit a walk-off RBI single and Woody Hadeen was named the MVP!
— Appalachian League (@AppyLeague) July 27, 2022
📊: https://t.co/gJVNONvxvz
🔗: https://t.co/4doVbqzxN3 pic.twitter.com/kJDm5gVurZ
East Pitching Reports
RHP Gavin Bates | Johnson City
Age: 22 | 6-2/250 | Iona
A strong-bodied righty, Bates had the highest average velocity of the night, sitting 93-94 mph and touching a game-best 96. Throwing from a straight over-the-top slot, his stuff plays up when in the zone. He complemented his fastball with a sharp 12-6 curveball, ranging from 80-82 mph.
RHP Jacob Bockenstedt | Johnson City
Age: 22 | 6-1/190 | SIU Edwardsville
Using a high three-quarters release point, Bockenstedt had good command of a 92-93 mph fastball, averaging over 18 inches of Induced Vertical Break with some late cutting action. A long, loose delivery allowed him to spin two different breaking pitches, an 84-86 mph cutter/slider (more of a strike pitch) and an 81-82 breaker that hitters chased out of the zone. The former featured the highest spin rate (3236 rpm) in the game, while the latter (2869) ranked third-highest.
LHP Matthew Cornelius | Kingsport
Age: 19 | 6-1/180 | Pima CC (AZ)
A three-quarters lefty with a short arm swing and closed delivery, Cornelius featured an 84-87 mph fastball and an average changeup at 78-80.
RHP Brandon Decker | Bristol
Age: 20 | 6-3/175 | Oakland
Throwing from a three-quarters slot, Decker generates arm side run on his 88-91 mph fastball, spinning it up to nearly 2500 rpm. He complemented his fastball with a 73-75 mph curveball with more than 18 inches of vertical break.
RHP Jackson Holmes | Elizabethton
Age: 19 | 6-4/195 | St. Louis
With a high-waisted frame and a whippy arm, Holmes has a chance to take another jump. His 90-93 mph fastball has cutting action and pairs nicely with his 74-80 slider. He can change the speed and shape of the latter, and he also has an average changeup at 84-86 mph.
LHP Jack Liberio Jr. | Greeneville
Age: 21 | 6-1/185 | RCSJ-Cumberland (NJ)
Liberio worked corner to corner from a high three-quarters slot with a 85-86 mph fastball that featured arm-side run. Landing slightly closed when releasing the ball helped him create a good angle on his 72-74 mph breaking ball.
It took @JACKLIBERIO22 just 7 pitches to give the @AppyLeague West a 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the sixth tonight #WeStayFly pic.twitter.com/EcZn175BaC
— Greeneville Flyboys (@GFlyBoys) July 27, 2022
RHP Ryan Murphy | Kingsport
Age: 20 | 6-3/187 | James Madison
Murphy’s fastball sat 88-90 mph and he spun some sharp 73-74 curveballs with 11-to-5 depth while mixing in several 75-77 mph sliders
RHP Collin Rothermel | Elizabethton
Age: 19 | 6-1/175 | Kansas St.
Rothermel showcased a live arm with an 89-92 mph fastball. He has two breaking balls in an 83-85, 2600-rpm slider with short biting action that he threw for strikes and a sharper breaking ball at 76-78 that he used for inducing swinging strikes.
RHP Riley Taylor | Greeneville
Age: 23 | 6-3/225 | Oklahoma St.
Taylor struck out the side in the game’s best pitching performance. He worked at 86-89 mph to the bottom of the zone, creating late riding action with his short arm swing and over-the-top release. He also showcased a deep arsenal, mixing his heater with a 77-78 mph breaking ball and an 84-85 mph changeup.
Riley Taylor of the @GFlyBoys and @OSUBaseball Cowboys fans the side in the @VisitAlamanceNC @AppyLeague All-Star Game.
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) July 27, 2022
Watch live: https://t.co/TKKGENGbGN @GFlyBoys pic.twitter.com/Je082hK5cY
West Pitching Reports
LHP Trey Cooper | Burlington
Age: 19 | 6-0/200 | Liberty
Working from a slightly closed delivery and three-quarters release, Cooper averaged more than 18 inches of Induced Vertical Break on his 89-91 riding fastball. The slider, at 78-80 mph, has a good shape, with swing-and-miss potential.
RHP Dylan Cumming | Burlington
Age: 23 | 6-4/175 | Liberty
Cumming showcased an 89-93 mph fastball with arm side run, commanding it to both sides of the plate. He threw his 75-78 mph breaking ball with nearly 19 inches of sweep and should get a ton of swinging strikes with the pitch moving forward. Cumming also showed the makings of a quality changeup that plays nicely off his fastball in the mid-80s.
RHP Andrew Dye | Bluefield
Age: 22 | 5-10/190 | Limestone University (SC)
Dye relied on advanced pitchability and deception and proved adept at changing the timing in his delivery. He paired his 86-88 mph, 2600-plus spin fastball with a promising low-80s changeup with bat-missing horizontal movement.
RHP Peter Gallo | Burlington
Age: 21 | 6-4/238 | St. Joseph’s
A strongly built righty, Gallo has a short arm swing and an over-the-top delivery. His fastball topped out at 95 mph and 2500-plus spin, with the combination giving the pitch tremendous life. Gallo also showed a sharp slider, ranging 79-81 mph, but overall was fastball-dominant in his outing.
RHP Colby Guy | Bluefield
Age: 19 | 5-10/175 | Jackson St.
Guy showcased his athleticism on the mound as he worked 88-90 mph and touched 91 with over 2600 spin from a high-three-quarters slot. He has an advanced changeup that he throws with fastball-like arm speed at 84-85 mph and creates good shape on his 79-81 mph breaking ball.
LHP Cole McDaniel | Princeton
Age: 19 | 6-4/195 | Shorter University (GA)
A lanky lefty with a clean, low-effort delivery, Cole worked his fastball into the mid-80s and could see his velocity jump in the future. His breaking ball at 72-74 mph also showed promise.
RHP Rece Parker | Princeton
Age: 21 | 6-1/175 | Rogers St. (OK)
Parker, a good athlete with a very effortless delivery, showcased plus arm speed while getting whiffs up in the zone with an 88-90 mph fastball. He paired his heater with a quality slider at 82-84.
RHP Tanner Smith | Danville
Age: 21 | 6-2/195 | Presbyterian (SC)
Smith showed one of the best breaking balls in the event, a true downer in the low 80s with tremendous shape and depth. He worked consistently in the low 90s, touching 92, averaged 20.5 inches of Induced Vertical Break and recorded a game-best spin rate of 2656 rpm.
.@tannersmlth in the 2022 @AppyLeague All Star Game:
— Danville Otterbots (@GoOtterbots) July 27, 2022
1-2-3 5th inning. 2 Ks. Absolute legend. pic.twitter.com/OhQh7bOOvb
West Hitters
C Henry Hunter | Kingsport
Age: 19 | 6-2/210 | L/R | Alabama-Birmingham
Hunter found barrels in both of his at-bats, hitting a 96.8-mph line-drive single to right field in his first at-bat and then lining out to first base (89 mph) his next time up. Behind the plate, he produced pop times in the 2.03-2.1 seconds range during warmups.
MIF Brock Daniels | Greeneville
Age: 19 | 6-1/185 | Missouri
Daniels had a game-high three hits (3-for-5), including a game-tying single in the ninth. He utilized a small leg lift and was direct to the ball with his path, spraying the ball all around the yard. He also showed average speed, running 4.35- and 4.38-second home-to-first times from the right side.
Embed: https://twitter.com/GFlyBoys/status/1552118598159704064
INF Roberto Peña | Johnson City
Age: 23 | R/R | 6-1/200 | Stetson
Peña had the loudest swing of the day, hitting a 107.1 mph solo home run in the third inning that traveled 395 feet to left-center field. Pena gets to his hitting position very quickly and tries to do damage every swing.
Big fly. Bat flip.
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) July 27, 2022
Roberto Peña (@robertopena99) gets the West on the board in the @VisitAlamanceNC @AppyLeague All-Star Game.
Watch live: https://t.co/TKKGENGbGN pic.twitter.com/yw6FKZf9Hi
Hitters East
MIF Woody Hadeen | Princeton
Age: 20 | 6-2/185 | S/R | UC Irvine
The All-Star Game MVP showcased multiple tools while going 2-for-3 with a walk. Using a small toe-tap load, Hadeen deposited a ball over the right-field fence in the fourth inning, hitting the two-run shot at 385 feet at 104 mph off the bat. He put his speed on full display as well, tallying four stolen bases including two in the ninth inning before scoring the game-winning run.
🚨 ð—›ð—¢ð— ð—˜ ð—¥ð—¨ð—¡ 🚨
— @appyleaguedata (@appyleaguedata) July 27, 2022
Woody Hadden@Go_WhistlePigs
🔥 97 MPH
🚀 29.8° LA
📠385 FT
@woodyhadeen @UCIbsb pic.twitter.com/mso4koWmI3
Check out 2022 #AppyLeague All-Star Game MVP @woodyhadeen on #MLBCentral talking about his experience playing in the #AppyLeague this summer!
— Appalachian League (@AppyLeague) July 30, 2022
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OF Kole Myers | Burlington
Age: 21 | 6-1/185 | L/R | Troy
Myers showcased a smooth left-handed swing, smashing a 94 mph opposite-field double in the fourth inning. That Myers’ swing is both loose and compact allows him to handle velocity. He ran a 4.25-second home-to-first time from the left side.