Prep Baseball Report

Super 60: Draft Perspective


Nathan Rode
Director, Multimedia & Scouting

Every year at the Super 60, players make their mark and give reason to be followed closely throughout the spring. The 20th edition of the event took place Sunday with top 2022 prospects from across the U.S. and Canada. It was an electric day, with loud rounds of batting practice and some eye-opening bullpen sessions. As always, there were several top draft prospects who came into the event with high expectations--and met them--as well as others who raised their stock.

The initial PBR Draft Board for 2022 was released Monday before the event and already might be due for some adjustments. It’s a common occurrence, to release a ranking and see a prospect soon after, leaving you to wish you had waited just a few days. But if we did that, we’d probably never get a list out.

So let’s take a look at the Super 60 from a draft perspective. With about 100 scouts in attendance, bearing down from start to finish, everybody there was a draft prospect on some level--whether it’s in a few months or after a few years in college. There were seven participants on the PBR Draft Board, and we’ll take a look at five hitters and five pitchers who have squarely put themselves in the mix for the next update.

PBR DRAFT BOARD

RHP Austin Henry (No. 107; Dell Rapids HS, SD), a Wichita State recruit, was the top prospect at the event. He has really filled out his long, lanky frame from last summer, putting on 20-25 pounds since then. While his control wasn’t on point, his raw stuff was still very evident. The fastball sat 90-93 mph with an average spin rate of 2354 rpm. The curveball had our analytics team questioning the data at first, then buzzing when they determined the 3274 spin rate was indeed legit. It’s a hammer with sharp, late break and depth.

The remaining six were all position players. SS Luke Hanson (Lafayette HS, VA; 112) routinely found the barrel in BP with an easy stroke, averaging 94.9 with his exit velocity (sixth best at the event) and a hard hit percentage of 92 (second best). He was light on his feet and showed soft hands on defense, to go with a strong arm. He is committed to Virginia. OF Gage Harrelson (130; Houston County HS, GA) may not have ranked among the top with his metrics, but his potential with the bat didn’t go unnoticed. The Texas Tech recruit is a twitchy athlete and there is some serious whip to his barrel. SS Gavin Kilen (139; Milton HS, WI), a Louisville recruit, showed a quick bat from the left side, generating an average exit velocity of 93.2. Defensively, he was as smooth as it gets with above average hands and easy arm strength. SS Travis Sanders (147; Copperas Cove HS, TX), another Texas Tech recruit, was among the top 10 with his 94.2 average exit velocity and No. 3 in hard hit percentage at 90. SS Fisher Ingersoll (157; American Fork HS, UT) had a top 10 hard hit percentage and did so with extreme ease. He’s balanced and seemingly flicks the barrel through the zone with strength at impact. SS Chris Maldonado (165; Seton Hall Prep, NJ) packs a serious punch in his 6-foot, 190-pound frame and he put together one of the loudest and most consistent BPs, as the ball flew off his barrel at an average exit velocity of 95.2. His top mark of 104.5 was third best and he ranked No. 1 in average distance at 315 feet. He is committed to Clemson.

/var/www/html/login/modules/Playerss/shortcodes.json not found

STOCK UP

Every player in attendance warrants a follow this spring, but we’ll focus on five on each side of the ball.

On the mound, there were two clear standouts in LHP Jackson Humphries (Fuquay-Varina HS, NC) and RHP Aiden Moffett (Taylorsville HS, MS). Humphries, a Campbell recruit, has a strong frame and there were whispers of some big numbers in a preseason workout. Not only did he show it on the big stage, but he did so with relative ease while also being in the zone with a four-pitch mix. Per the Trackman data, he sat 92-94 on the fastball, spinning it at an average of 1938. He showed solid feel for a changeup at 85-86 with fading action. Then he ripped off a couple different breaking balls--a slider with late bite and a curveball with more 1/7 depth. It’s a February bullpen, so we’ll see how it translates to game action, but the raw stuff is among the best for left-handers in the country.

/var/www/html/login/modules/Playerss/shortcodes.json not found

Moffett is a physically imposing Louisiana State recruit, standing at 6-foot-3, 245 pounds and lending evidence to the theory that mass equals gas. He topped out at 96.7 per Trackman. It’s a lively fastball, spinning up to 2587 and averaging 2382. He then mixed in a cutter that turned heads, sitting 88-90 with an average spin rate of 2502. His curveball has hammer potential, ranging from 76-80 with depth. 

/var/www/html/login/modules/Playerss/shortcodes.json not found

RHP Ben Brutti (South Kingstown HS, RI) had an eye-opening look, as nothing in his arsenal was straight and he pitched with an up-tempo delivery and low-3/4 slot. The fastball was heavy, sitting in the low 90s with sink. The slider was 80-82 and flashed flashed late, sharp break with wipeout potential. He killed the spin on his changeup, getting down to an average spin rate of 1426 and sat 82-84. A South Florida recruit, he stands at a thick, strong 6-foot-3, 200 pounds.

/var/www/html/login/modules/Playerss/shortcodes.json not found

LHP Zach Crotchfelt (Jackson Memorial HS, NJ) is a long, lean Auburn recruit, standing at 6-foot-3, 208 pounds. He sat in the 90-94 range with a loose, quick arm and showed feel for a changeup at 83-85. His control of the breaking ball was inconsistent, but it flashed sharp bite at 75-79. 

Hitters will have a tough time picking up stuff from RHP Gage Stanifer (Westfield HS, IN), as he has a short arm action that makes it look like the ball is coming out of his sleeve. On top of that, the fastball sat 92-95 with good arm-side run and sink. The fastball was firm, sitting 88-89 with similar action. The breaking ball was sharp with late 2/8 break at the bottom of the zone. He is committed to Cincinnati.

As impressive as the pitchers were, the hitters arguably stood out more as a group, especially the shortstops. Several are featured on the Draft Board, as noted above, but Maximus Martin (Moorestown HS, NJ) and Nathaniel Ochoa (Notre Dame Catholic HS, ON) threw their names into the mix at the Super 60. Martin, a Rutgers recruit, is lean and athletic at 6 feet, 180 pounds. After running a 6.63-second 60, he blistered baseballs from the right side in BP, exhibiting quick hands that were short to the ball and long through contact. His average exit velocity of 94.7 put him in the top 10 for the event and his hard hit percentage (85) tied for fourth. He also had the third-best bat speed according to Blast at 74.8 mph. He followed that with a strong defensive showing with light feet, lateral range and a strong arm. Ochoa, a 6-foot-4, 215-pound Alabama recruit and good athlete, turned in a 6.71 60 and moved well for his size on defense while also showing excellent hands and a strong arm. Hitting from the right side, there is power to come as he fills out his frame and he shows good bat speed.

/var/www/html/login/modules/Playerss/shortcodes.json not found

Maximus Martin

3B Cameron Decker (Evansville North HS, IN) showed one of prettier swings of the event, generating bat speed with strong hands and employing a smooth, direct path with strength through contact. OF Brendan Summerhill (Whitney Young HS, IL) has a pro ready frame with room for added strength at 6-foot-3, 200 pounds. He ran a 6.54 60 and showed power potential from the left side, working uphill through the ball with bat speed that ranked as second best according to Blast (78.2 average). C Easton Carmichael (Prosper HS, TX) ran a 6.62, second best among the catching group. He’s balanced from the right side with quick hands and a direct stroke, giving him an on-plane efficiency that ranked in the top 10.

Related Content

Premium Content Area

This article is only available to PBRPlus Subscribers. If you wish to continue reading this article:

Login to the Subscriptions Website.
To purchase a NEW SUBSCRIPTION, please click here to go to our subscription products page.