Arizona Fall Review: Catcher Analysis

As we continue rolling out Arizona Fall Review content, here's a look at the backstops from the December event. One of the better positional groups of the event, there was talent across the board. Here are reports from the afternoon, listed in alphabetical order.

Fred Bohn C / 3B / Hamilton , AZ / 2022 Large muscular 6’ 196lbs build, physical body with strong legs & forearms, broad shoulders, starts from a squared balanced base with hands above shoulder, aggressive pull approach with strength & rhythm throughout swing, generates power with leg kick getting off back side, frontside collapses at times, hard contact at 83mph, low center of gravity behind the plate, above average flexibility & balance for strong kid, strength in hands sticking pitches, good overall arm strength at 74mph, pop times ranged from 2.01-2.15. Should be a solid catching prospect to follow going into spring.

Jacob Brown C / 3B / Seton Catholic, AZ / 2022 Large 6’1” 150lbs build, thin high waisted body, squared stance, balanced & relaxed base at plate, loads weight to the outside of back leg, gets stuck on backside at times, loads hands straight back, average contact at 78 mph, middle approach, good flexibility in legs behind the plate, blocks & moves well, stands when throwing to 2B losing some momentum & strength with pop times at 2.19-2.32 with 67mph positional velocity.

Henry Chabot C / 3B / Brophy, AZ / 2022 Large build at 5’11” 185lbs, physical body with strength in legs, displayed above average defensive skills behind the plate, good transfers with quick feet & good direction to the bag when staying in control, good mobility & flexibility in strong frame- getting underneath the baseball, He showed a consistent arm at 74 mph with pop times ranging from 1.89-2.07. Chabot seemed to make a jump on the offensive side of things, showing one of the top BP rounds of day, hits from medium athletic base with pull approach with small toe tap trigger, strength throughout swing with consistent loud contact at 93mph. Chabot also participated in INF workout, showing some good footwork with a good arm and carry across the diamond. Should be a high follow going into the spring & summer.

Wyatt Graham C / OF / Desert Vista, AZ / 2023 Large 5’10” 180lbs build with some strength & durability to frame, hits from square stance with some weight on back leg, loads back elbow, inconsistent feet- showed a toe tap along with leg lift at times, rotational approach with hard contact to left side with 83 mph exit velocity, throws from a side arm slot to 2B with 2.25-2.40 pop times, average overall feel for position that should improve with more time behind the plate.

Carsen Kane C / 2B / Casteel, AZ / 2023 Medium build at 5’11” 144lbs, immature frame with some present athleticism, hits from a medium very slight open stance, leg lift stride landing balanced at heel plant, loads to back part of shoulder, loses barrel as get goes to ball getting inverted at contact, 75 mph exit velocity, versatile athlete defensively as an INF & catcher, fields ball out in front in low athletic position bringing ball to the center of his body, behind the plate has quick transfers at times should improve with quicker feet and more explosiveness, overall accurate arm with 2.15-2.45 pop times, numbers should improve across the board as he physically matures.

Manuel Lopez C / 2B / Desert Ridge, AZ / 2022 Medium 5’8” 165lbs build, hits from medium upright position, loading his body with heel lift/ knee turn, stays connected to the ground while drifting into heel plant, 73 mph exit velocity, tall secondary stance behind plate, dominant use of upper body on throws, gains a lot of ground to 2B, pop times range of 2.58-2.78 with 55mph velocity.

Giovanni Melchione C / OF / Casteel, AZ / 2023 Large 5’11” 172lbs build, proportional strength throughout frame, athleticism improving, above average defensive skills for age, sticks pitches with strength in forearm, gets underneath ball more consistently with added flexibility, good arm strength & quick transfers, inconsistent balance & minimal follow through on throws affecting accuracy to the bag, pop times ranged from 2.00-2.15 with 73mph velocity, showed overall above average actions for age, hits from a square base getting off his backside early, barrel turns as he starts his swing, LF line approach with above average contact at 83 mph. Good follow catching prospect in the future.

Tanner Smith C / 3B / Basha, AZ / 2021 Rankings  StateRank: 5 / POS: 2 OverallRank: 355 / POS: 38 Oregon State commit, currently ranked No. 5 in Arizona’s 2021 class, large build at 6” 200lbs, strength & durability in frame, arguably had one of the top performances at the PBR Fall Review. Has always been a pure hitter looking to do damage. Gathers energy in back leg with minimal forward move & still head, showed some real body control at the plate in his round of BP, good power to LF with upward swing plane hitting some balls out of the ballpark, event high 96mph exit velocity. Defensively, he put in some of the best pop times we have seen from him. Getting rid of it quickly with relaxed movements, Smith threw 1.85-2.06 pop times with 76 mph arm strength. Continue to show why he is a highly regarded recruit in the state of Arizona

Max Spitza C / RHP / Brophy Prep, AZ / 2022 Large 5’10” 150lbs build, long limbed body with some projectability, hits from tall upright base crouching into load, reaches forward into front foot strike- landing balanced, solid consistent contact at 77mph with pop to LF, behind the plate shows above average flexibility getting underneath the baseball when receiving, starts from low relaxed position getting tall in his release on throws to 2B with minimal follow through, tons of momentum left in the tank with added direction and follow through, overall strong arm with 2.07-2.25 pop times with 68mph velocity that will show even better in the future with continued development.

Steven Stewart C / RHP / Ironwood, AZ / 2021 Rankings  StateRank: 39 / POS: 6 Large build at 6' 150lbs, long lean frame with room to get stronger, versatile athlete- showed that he could do it all with some success. Switch hitting catcher that showed ability to barrel up baseball from both sides with 84mph exit velocity, clean repeatable swing from left side with small knee turn leg lift, from right side uses a small toe tap trigger & transfers more body weight, can also get on the mound to pitch a bit. Worked his FB 80-82 consistently, topping out at 84mph with shorter arm action, showed two breaking balls with slider showing well, Solid overall arm strength with 1.96-2.14 pop times- standing up at times, projectable athlete that moves well behind plate.

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