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PBR Classic: Georgia Scout Blog

June 21, 2023
PBR Georgia
Staff

Emerson, GA: The PBR Classic at LakePoint Sports took place June 16-19. Father's Day weekend was action packed with athletes from all over the country. Our scouting staff was able to see 4 days of high level baseball, and below we will take a look at some of the players that had the biggest impact. 

Lucas Hail, RHP, 2025
Uncommitted. 5-foot-10, 162 pounds. This highly athletic strike thrower had one of the most impressive outings all summer at LakePoint. While it isn’t a prototype frame he has prototype stuff, command, and pitchability. It all begins with his extremely athletic delivery that is both compact and well sequenced. It’s one of the better deliveries in the entire class and has every trait you’d look for in a D1 starter. As you can see in the tweet below, he’s a precise mover with no wasted energy and the delivery stays very well balanced without sacrificing his optimal intent. His advanced hip hinge and ability to hold it throughout the stride creates one of the most connected arm actions you’ll see. He’s able to be consistent with a more dynamic, larger arm path due to the ability to repeat the bottom of the path at mid depth. The arm speed is whip like and the ball absolutely jumps out of his hand. Each pitch plays up due to angle but has zero effect on him having consistent pitch life. The FB velo may end up being just AVG MLB for a starter (92-93), but both of his offspeed pitches have true A/AVG potential. Just for comparison, there’s only one ‘25 arm in GA currently with 2 offspeed pitches of the same potential. His sweeping CB has shockingly consistent shape to both sides of the plate, creating an equal amount of whiffs and freezes with the pitch starting on top of RHH’s out of hand. He pronates just as well as he supinates, and this ability gives his CH wicked (almost screwball) type action. The HZB and late depth on the pitch allow him to backdoor it to RHH just as easily as he fades it across the zone vs LHH. Hail projects A/AVG command of 3 pitches which is an absolute rarity in todays age. What a dynamite arm!


Ethan Garrett, SS, 2024
Uncommitted. 6-foot-1, 165 pounds. Although he may not be the most toolsy SS in the class, his feel to hit and defend rivals any MIF in the state. The frame is very lean and the tools will continue to climb as he gets stronger. We can see the frame holding 185-190 lbs at the college level quite easily, and his tools are far from done polishing. It’s important to recognize he’s one of the youngest players in the class, and could easily be a 2025. While he doesn’t have standout raw power, his hitting intangibles allow him to produce consistent power production and high outputs of exit velocity. Garrett’s ability to time up pitcher’s release points with his hips is innate, and allows him to catch the ball consistently outside his front foot for optimal hard hit rates. His offensive numbers this HS season were the perfect storm (shown in tweet below), and prove how well rounded he is as a hitter. Who cares what the raw power is when he shows consistent game power in the form of 2B’s and HR’s? Garrett has special pitch recognition and it allows him to work into FB counts on a regular basis. It doesn’t matter where you pitch him in the zone, his dynamic swing path and ability to adjust allow him to cover even the toughest parts of the zone. This is a true foul line to foul line spray chart, and he won’t hesitate to barrel offspeed pitches if they’re hung in the zone due to his ability to decelerate. As a defender, Ethan has impressive anticipation and always seems to be in the right spot with the right reads. The footwork & hands are consistent, and his exchange and arm accuracy play up the arm strength. He plays with good body balance and can throw from all angles easily, it will be no problem for him to play any infield position well at the next level. This very well might be the most low risk uncommitted ‘24 prospect in the Peach State.
Roger Dreher, RHP, 2024 
Uncommitted. 6-foot-2, 185 pounds. This is one of the more interesting ‘24 arms on the market and he was nothing short of dominant at the PBR Classic. Dreher has a larger frame that can easily hold 15-20 more lbs and will only increase explosiveness in his already well sequenced delivery. He creates good rhythm throughout and has a very good understanding for how to stretch hip/shoulder separation for optimal torque. The advanced hip hinge allows him to stack the backside in stride and create ideal connection between his largest muscles and arm action. Speaking of the arm action, it checks every box and is repeated at a very high level for his age. The cleanliness of it should lead to consistent pitch life on all pitches and long term health on the mound. When his coil matches the pace of his stride, the FB creates some nice ride+run and very well arm side. Better extension (chest over front knee near release) will help him create a more true life to the glove side. Dreher has nice feel for his SLV that can vary in shape at times but he consistently lands it for strikes. He did flash a CH as well. There’s considerable funk and deception to Dreher’s operation, and this is an intriguing prospect who is unlikely to be on the market much longer.  
Micah RIENSTRA-KIRACOFE , 2024 OF
Uncommitted,This is a highly athletic,fast twitch RHH OF that continues to impress everytime I see him. He packs 2 tools that will play everyday, a future plus run and a plus arm from the OF(94 MPH). His ability to impact the game in many different ways brings immense value for college coaches as they continue to see him in game this summer. What has really impressed me is the ability to play the OF, Micah has obvious instincts to go along with his elite athleticism which ultimately allow him to track balls extremely well and cover so much ground in CF ultimately saving runs. Offensively,it is a simple RH swing that is built on bat speed + hand speed and a path that is from the inside and connected, he has shown the ability to impact the baseball as this past weekend I saw him lace a 2B and then decelerate just enough to catch a 3-2 CH out front for a HR to the PS. This is a future table setter in college that will only continue to get better as he matures, his best baseball is yet to come.

Nickolaus Kane, RHP, 2023
Carson-Newman Commit. 5-foot-10, 150-pounds. Kane has a full circle arm action with minimal depth and a ¾ release. His advanced lower half mechanics helped him stay in and around the zone for the entirety of the game. Really good feel all his pitches. He went 4 innings, allowing zero hits, zero runs, while striking out 3. His fatball ranged from 84-86 and topping out at 88. He used his FB to set up his CB (69-70) and SL (76-77) with Sweeping Action. His CB and SL were used really well during the game and caused multiple freezes, pop-ups, and grounders. Kane also did a really good job of letting his defense work and not feeling like he needed to do too much. Kane also had really good command throughout the game and therefore wasted no time getting through the opposing teams order multiple times. Good player that still has room to increase his velocity. Will be a good follow throughout the summer. 

Connor Lehman , 2024 LHP
Uncommitted, This TN native has shown well thus far in the NPI/PBR Classic, a high spin operation that has only gotten better as we have continued to see him. High energy and competitive are two words that come to mind when you really dive into Connor aside from his rare carry FB and high spin CB/SL combo. His ability to compete and the confidence on the rubber are glaring. He got into trouble this past weekend but showed the ability to slow the game down and was not afraid to challenge hitters and ultimately worked out of tough situations. Sitting 87/90 with the FB and upwards of 2400 RPM(T2543), he has the ability to pitch up in the zone at a high level and has rendered plenty of in zone misses and weak contact as the FB practically spins off barrels. His ability to land his sharp downer BB routinely was intriguing , he showed the feel to land it for K’s and burry with 2K. The downer CB plays extremely well off his riding/carry FB that he can use up in the zone. The delivery is built on compactness throughout with rhythm and a high lead arm that adds deception. Very intriguing uncommitted arm in the TN 24’ class that will be a high follow as the summer progresses.

Garrett Keiter, RHP, 2027
Uncommitted. 5-foot-10, 140-pounds. Keiter has a big arm swing that builds momentum gradually with optimal scap load. His front arm extends toward the plate with his front hip while separating from his back leg, creating upper body separation from his lower half and therefore creating separation/torque between the arm action/path and stride leg. This allows Keiter to be in the optimal throwing position because his arm+hand are in stride when the front foot lands. Really good command of his two-pitch mix. His fastball was 82-84 and topped out at 85 which is really impressive for such a young arm. His Curveball was 68-71 and would either end up freezing the hitter or creating ugly swings. Keiter used his FB to set up his CB and pitched well throughout the game. Keiter is an intriguing prospect that will only continue to get better as he adds muscle to his frame which will hopefully increase his velo throughout the next couple of years.

Bryson Hoff , 2024 RHP
Uncommitted,6-2 160-pounds.This a extremely intriguing RHP from West Virginia who was dominant on Monday for the Midwest Canes. Bryson has immense projection remaining in his lanky 6’2 160 LB frame and I believe there is a huge velocity jump in the near future. What really impressed was his advanced feel to pitch and the innate ability to spin the BB,he was able to consistently land the sharp SL for K’s in any count to both LHH and RHH ,I believe that the already advanced ability to spin and feel to pitch backwards, move the FB around to all parts of the zone, double up on the SL are all separators for him and as soon as the velocity ticks up (like it should) he will have all of the ingredients of a starter at the college level. There is immense amount of velocity to be gained , Bryson already throws his SL at 78/80 MPH consistently while his FB will sit 82/85 and can touch 86/87 at times. This is a glaring sign that there is serious velocity in there because he already has enough arm speed and looseness in the elbow to throw his SL 78/80 MPH. With added strength there will be a massive velocity jump as he already does things properly throughout the delivery. His delivery is built on proper direction which stems from him being able to keep his hips and shoulders in line to the plate until it is time to rotate, a closed foot at landing which allows him to use the ground and rotate violently and in line to the plate. However the delivery is still raw there are plenty of markers that point to him  throwing hard in the near future as soon as the added strength hits and he continues to mature. His ability to spin is beyond intriguing as he was comfortability ranging from 2500/2700 on his SL, the SL has proper shape and sharp+sudden sweep with depth that missed barrels all day. It was best when it started middle and swept away from RHH. He was able to manipulate the shape when thrown down in the zone , as it had less depth but more sharp lateral wrinkle. Overall this is an intriguing arm that will be fun to watch as he continues to get stronger.

Clayton Anderson, OF, 2024
Uncommitted. 5-foot-10, 155-pounds. Ranked the 27th best OF in the ‘24 class. Anderson has a slim, athletic, frame. Anderson has a simple and fluid swing. He has good rhythm between his hips and hands as he starts his load. His knees stay inside feet at all times and he has minimal negative movement back before moving forward/in-stride to be on-time with the pitchers release point and therefore square the ball up really well. Anderson sets himself up well as he is in full-launch position as his lead foot lands. He does a good job of keeping hands in, elbow tucked, and a strong barrel coming thru the zone. Anderson has a line drive gap-to-gap approach as he looks to drive the ball into space. He is a very toolsy player that has above-average speed (6.82 60). Anderson has natural feel/reaction time as a CF and takes good routes to get to the ball. He has good range for a CF due to his + speed and strong arm (92 OF velo) and that makes him a force. Andersons feel for hitting and intangibles would make him a nice addition to any college team that wants a player that hits well, fields well, and is clutch is key situations. 

Matthew Franatovich, OF, 2026
Uncommitted. 6-foot-1, 185-pounds. Ranked 23rd best player in the ‘26 class and top 30 player nationally. Franatovich has an effortless swing with ideal rhythm, fluidity, and timing. His swing is simple yet has an optimal launch angle to send balls out in a hurry. At just 15 years old, Franatovich is already an advanced hitter that was raking at the PBR Classic. His head stays still throughout his swing, rhythm between his hips + hands as they both move back, negative movement is extremely minimal as his toe-tap load starts, his elbow stays tucked before he unloads as his front foot lands. Franatovich does really well at keeping his shoulders, hands, and bat on the same plane before launching his barrel through the zone for hard contact. The bat knob leads his bat path throughout his extension and hard contact is made in front of his front foot. Franatovichs power is easily noticeable due to his optimal launch angle that he puts on a ball. I also think that Franatovich possesses really good intangibles for a hitter such as patience/discipline to not swing at balls, fearlessness when he gets into the box (especially against top pitchers), and his relaxed approach for both FB’s and BB’s. Defensively, Franatovich needs to continue to develop his OF tools. He has good reaction time and average range due to his long strides. He needs to develop his arm and will as he adds more muscle throughout the years. His OF velo still needs refinement as runners don't fear him around the bases.  Overall, This kid is a ball-player!! He still needs to develop in some areas but has a lot of potential to be a top talent and will make a college very happy some day as he is a very consistent hitter. 

Judson Hartwell, 3B/OF/RHP, 2025 
Uncommitted. 6-foot-4, 205 pounds. First, we would like to congratulate Hartwell on accepting his invitation to represent Georgia in the 2023 Future Games. Hartwell is the 3-hole hitter in one of Georgia’s best teams. One of the top bats in the class, future A/AVG hitter with equal power production. Tall, large frame with coat hanger shoulders, noticeably athletic.  Tracks pitches well, smart hitter. Smooth power swing with a lot of leverage. Dynamic swing mechanics with surprising strength, multiple 90+ EV hits this tournament. He has been crushing pitching the past three tournaments at LakePoint, and will be back again for another for the upcoming tournament. Hit over .500 with a home run in the PBR Classic. Hard to believe he is still uncommitted, because it doesn’t stop at hitting. An electric pitcher topping 88 on the fastball, he’s shown that he can be a lockdown closer. Smooth, well-connected delivery with a deceptive short circle arm action. We hope to see more of his pitching ability this weekend and watch him mash baseballs.

AJ Rice, SS/RHP, 2026
Uncommitted, 5-foot-11, 150 pounds. Medium frame with strong levers and proportional strength. Smooth, effortless swing. Continuous movement in the load with good timing to create momentum and more power. Noticeably athletic, energetic player. Level, contact oriented bat path through zone and makes consistent barrels. Makes good reads defensively, strong arm that’s already MLB average at short. He’s been dominant on the pitching side. Strike thrower who generates a lot of whiffs. Freezes hitters on a FB topping 86, more speed in the tank, with average spin and making hitters look silly whiffing on the high-spin slurve. Has also flashed a cutter keeping hitters off balance. Has a good feel for all pitches and uses them at his discretion, leaving hitters confused. Effortless delivery with a L3/4 arm slot, highly projectable arm. Just a solid player on both sides of the ball and is quickly bursting onto the scene.

Walker Roberts, RHP/SS, 2025
Uncommitted, 6-foot-2, 170 pounds. Roberts lit up LakePoint this weekend, as he has the past two tournaments, and has turned some heads. This must-watch arm has strong command of multiple pitches and uses each at his discretion. Fastball hit 88 several times with MLB-average spin and heavy sink, a curveball with a hard bite that has similar velocity to his change-up, which ran 1700 rpms in his outing in the semi-finals. He’s shown flashes of a slider with good tilt and depth. He has advanced feel of these pitches that fill up the zone. Big extension with a near-sidearm slot, makes quick work of hitters, always in control of the game. It doesn’t stop on the mound. Roberts has a powerful bat with proportional strength. High leg kick with minimal negative move, shifting body weight to create momentum. Very impressive bat speed and can make good distance, hitting over 350 feet in our Top Prospect Games on June 6th, where he also reached the leaderboard in average curveball spin. Does well defensively too, with smooth mobility and good fundamental movements. Keep a tab on this 2-way this summer, he’s got more to come

Kenneth Hart, OF/RHP, 2025
Uncommitted. 6-foot-5, 200 pounds. Immediate stand out with an XL frame. Noticeably powerful bat and the numbers prove it, hitting a BP ball at a jaw-dropping 106 EV at our Top Prospect Games on June 6th which was #1 on our leaderboard easily. Very impressive bat speed with noticeable athleticism and proportional strength. Future + raw power. Stays short and controls body well for size. Long levers and highly projectable. Wide stance, quiet hands and good linear connection. Effortless, short swing with present strength through zone. Adjusts to pitch location/speed well. Has topped leaderboards in average and max hand speeds. Has shown an intriguing pitch ability as well, with strong raw talent with good arm strength. Fastball has a good snap topping 90 that generates a lot of whiffs, displaying a good changeup and curveball and a slider with good depth. Endless projection, natural delivery with a well-timed coil and arm path. Creates good downhill leverage and has good extension with his height and a ¾ arm slot, all of this working in his favor to create a tough angle on the ball for hitters. Strong 2-way talent that you will want to keep an eye out for.

Jenker Romero , 2026 RHP
Uncommitted, Getting the start against a talented Canes MIdwest lineup on Monday was certainly a tall order , Jenker came out and competed and it felt like I was watching someone 2 years older. His glaring confidence and fearlessness showed as he was able to consistently challenge hitters and hold a extremely offensive Canes lineup at bay for multiple innings in a row. What stood out immediately was his highly impressive ease of operation. His ability to gradually build up pace and momentum towards home with fluidity throughout all phases was extremely advanced. He consistently synced up his long levers and moved athletically down the mound with low effort which is intriguing. His FB sat 82/85 and was up to 87, he showed the ability to pitch up in the zone just as well as he did down, gradual tail on his FB and it was very effective to RHH as he could start it off the plate away and showed comeback life back over the edge of the plate. His ability to spin his 12/6 CB did not go unnoticed, he consistently showed feel to land and used to start and finish guys with. This was a very exciting arm to watch and will be interesting to follow his development. Chip Glogorski, 2026 C
Uncommitted. 5-foot 11, 180-pounds. Glogorski is ranked the number 49 player in the 2026 class in Georgia as well as the number 5 catcher in the class. Glogorski continues to impress this summer. He followed up a solid performance at the Top Prospect Underclass Games with a good performance at the National Program Invitational. Glogorski once again did not disappoint this weekend. He battles in the box and competes every at-bat. He has some power to the pull side that will continue to develop with age. He has all of the right actions behind the plate that you like to see from a catcher as well. As Glogorski continues to develop he will be an extremely fun player to watch for the years to come!
 Jack Brown, 2024 RHP
Jack is a Louisville Cardinal commit who is ranked 79th Nationally in the 2024 class. In his outing at the PBR Classic he attacked the strike zone with primarily his FB. He showed flashes of a future plus breaking ball. Jack also shows a change up that had good movement and speed differential to keep hitters off balance. The breaking ball had tight spin that had some side to side movement, but bit downward to freeze hitters. The fastball sat 90-93 with no velocity drop as the game went on even after a 45 minute delay due to weather. Fastball had arm side run that kept balls away from barrels. Arm angle is a high 3/4 slot with a shorter arm action.

Ollie Tingelhoff, 2026, RHP
Uncommitted. 6-foot 1, 175-pounds. Tingelhoff had a good outing this weekend pitching to soft contact and attacking the strike zone. TIngelhoff attacked the strike zone with the fastball and was able to get chases with the curveball down. He has a good frame that will allow for a velocity jump in the years to come. Fastball sat 82-84, curveball 75-77, and changeup was 78. Showed an over the top arm action and used his length to his advantage by getting down the mound allowing the ball to get on hitters quicker.  Good competitor on the mound.
Lee Holt, 2027, C
Uncommitted. 6-foot, 150-pounds. Holt, the 2022 Junior Future Gamer put together great at-bats all weekend at the PBR Classic. He has a simple approach, and gets his hands through the zone quickly. His swing is very short and straight to the ball, creating backspin on the baseball. He has plenty of room to fill out in his frame which will bring more power in his bat. Defensively, he is very quick behind the plate with a good arm. He has good lateral movements getting to balls in the dirt. It will be fun to see Holt’s progression in the coming years.
Adonis Smith, 2024, RHP
Kennesaw State Commit. 5-foot-10, 205-pounds. The right hander threw a gem on day three of the PBR Classic. Tossing six, two hit innings, with five strikeouts. His impressive outing was led by his plus fastball that was up 91 while settling in at 87-90. His secondary pitch was a nasty wipeout slider that produced many whiffs throughout the outing. With his physical build, Smith has good mechanics in his delivery. He has good leg drive down the mound with good extension on his pitches. Smith is very confident on the mound and is very competitive.

Hudson Phillips, 2026, 3B/RHP
Uncommitted. 5-foot-11 155-pounds. Phillips has been a player to watch this summer. He is a MIF player that is impressive on both sides of the game. Philips is tall, athletic, and quick. He is ranked 12th for his position in the state. When batting, he has fast hands and can make contact with the ball, coming on top in battles.  He is good at reading pitches and can lower or raise his body depending on the pitch to keep his swing plane aligned with the ball plane. This past weekend Phillips played 3B. While not his normal position he was impressive to watch. He was able to stay in front of the ball and get it to first before the runner. He is an agile player that can adjust to any part of the field. He is able to get any ball that is hit his way and has great accuracy. He has a quick reaction time and an impressive arm. Phillips is an uncommitted athlete to keep an eye on these next years.