As we continue the countdown of the Top 10 Stories in 2017, the "On the Hunt" FL Preseason All-State 2018 & 2019 Standouts article comes in at the ninth spot. 

In this article, standouts from the 2018 and 2019 classes from Florida's inaugural Preseason All-State are highlighted by National Crosschecker Shooter Hunt. Four PBR Future Games participants are mentioned in the article (2019 OF/LHP Derek Crum, 2019 MIF Robert Minotti, 2019 OF/LHP Raymond LaFleur III, and 2019 LHP Josh Kinker) along with several others who committed to play at the next level at schools like Central Florida, Florida, and more.

Here is a re-post of that story that ran on Thursday January 26th, 2017:

NO. 9 "on the hunt" FL Preseason all-state 2018 & 2019 Standouts

Thurs January 26, 2017 

By Shooter Hunt
National Crosschecker

After being present at PBR Florida’s Preseason All State event, it is clearly evident that there is no shortage of talent in the Sunshine State. This week, On the Hunt, takes a look at some of the standout sophomores and juniors from the event. Included in the group of nine players are some front end power arms, two-way prospects, and sweet swinging athletes. Three are making a return appearance to On the Hunt, and have some updated notes about them.

Major Posey, RHP/1B, North Florida Christian HS, FL, 2019
Posey first showed off his athleticism at the event with his powerful left-handed swing. With many moving parts, including a massive leg kick, Posey angled his shoulders to produce some lift. However, it was when he hopped on the mound, late into the evening, that my eyes were opened. The son of legendary North Florida Christian head baseball coach, Mike Posey, Posey stands a wiry 6-foot-3, 185-pounds with long limbs, and has a near electric right arm. Gaining momentum out of his wind-up, Posey gets down the mound with some aggression, and the ball comes out of his high ¾ slot hot. Also a very good basketball player, Posey’s fastball sat 83-87, and I expect much more to come this spring/summer as he gets his arm in shape. Posey uses his size well getting great extension. He also flashed a developing slider that shows solid shape at 76-77. However, his changeup really separates him from any of his peers, and almost all pitchers at any level. Throwing it as a power pitch with fastball arm speed, Posey’s changeup dropped off the table, down and in, to right-handed hitters. At 77 mph, the speed differential from his fastball was ideal, and his confidence when throwing it was visible. The pitch is already a plus offering, and the fact that he was able to throw it so well, so early in the preseason means it comes very natural to him. Also the brother of Elon pitching coach, Micah Posey, Posey has the bloodlines and talent to be a future ace at the next level.

 

Matthew Dickey, RHP/OF, North Florida Christian, FL, 2018
Dickey is an advanced athlete with raw strength and wide shoulders that still have room to fill out. Standing 6-foot-1, 175-pounds, the standout wide receiver has a cannon for an arm to go along with 95 mph exit velocity off the tee. In the outfield, Dickey is able to graze easily side to side, and produced strong throws with carry. At the plate, Dickey has an upright, balanced stance. He rocks his hands back in unison with a small stride that he gets down early. More muscle than fluent, Dickey’s hands are quick and show a short path to ball before finishing high. Dickey peppered the scoreboard a few times during batting practice to show off his power, which he has plenty of, and more is on the way. On the mound, Dickey utilizes an uptempo, compact delivery before driving out and delivering out of a higher ¾ slot. He works fast, and has a quick arm with a medium swing. During his inning of work, Dickey’s fastball sat 87-89, and looked to have high spin rate, and was audibly whizzing from the stands as it approached the plate. He also flashed feel for a power changeup at 77-78 as well as two different breaking pitches that he varied speeds on from 77-81. Overall, Dickey has an explosive arm, and is polished on the mound so it would be easy to just want him to pitch in college, but that would not get the most out of his ability because he can definitely contribute at the plate at the next level too.

Casey Daiss, RHP, East Ridge HS, FL, 2019
Daiss is a physically imposing figure on the mound standing a 6-foot-4, 220-pounds with broad shoulders and a developing frame. I was thoroughly impressed, seeing him in person for the first time, with his great fastball command. Repeating a simple delivery with a medium arm swing, Daiss peppered the outside corner to right-handed hitters, at the knees, with a fastball that sat 84-87 and touched 88 mph. Daiss was one of the last arms to throw, and with the breeze picking up, and the sun having gone down, it was (relatively) chilly, and he had already gone through a workout and nearly 12 innings of the game before he was called on to pitch, so even those good velocity numbers are probably a bit slower than he will be in a few weeks. With a hip turn, Daiss loads up at his balance point before striding out and delivering the ball, with some effort out front, down in the zone. He only flashed one slider on the day at 74 mph, and it is still a developing pitch that has a chance to be an average offering in the future. Overall, Daiss’ arm strength and command are advanced, and with the addition of a solid secondary offering, he has a chance to be a frontline starter at the next level.

 

Christian Pregent, C, Father Lopez HS, FL, 2019
Pregent is a 6-foot-1, 180-pound, solidly built right-handed hitting catcher. He took a very mature round of batting practice at PBR Florida’s Preseason All-State event, spraying the ball to all fields with line drives, and showing off some gap to gap power. Starting upright and slightly open with his front shoulder up, Pregent initiates his load with a leg kick that triggers his hands back fluently. At times, Pregent’s hands got away from his body, but they are strong and produced firm contact. Behind the plate, Pregent has advanced receiving skills, and his loose hips allow him to get low while remaining wide. He showed off a quick transfer with pop times between 2.05-2.1, and those stand to get better as he continues to build arm strength. Overall, I see Pregent being a valuable addition to a team at the next level because of receiving skills and solid bat.

 

Robert Minotti, OF, Orangewood Christian HS, FL, 2019
Minotti was excellent all around at PBR Florida’s Preseason All State event, and really opened my eyes. Listed at 5-foot-10, 150-pounds, Minotti looks thicker than that in a good way. Starting with his 60-yard dash, which he ran a 6.84 in, Minotti demonstrated what a combination of physical maturity and hard work during the off-season can mean to a young player. With his improved strength, Minotti showed off a strong arm from the outfield (87 mph), and moved around athletically, overall. Not quite the same athleticism was seen on the infield although appeared to have the grittiness to get the job done in a pinch at second or third base at the next level. At the plate, Minotti utilized a leg kick to generate power, and his quick hands allowed him to rip the barrel through the zone producing loud contact both during batting practice and in game. His hands are stagnant without a load, but it did not affect his power outputs, and they looked twitchy. Minotti’s bat speed stood out, and he rocketed a monster double in game to go along with a single. Overall, Minotti is a player to be closely followed going forward as he has made great strides over the winter months, and should continue to progress into a strong player at the next level.

 

Josh Kinker, LHP, Venice HS, FL, 2019
While he performed well at PBR’s Future Games in August, Kinker was even better at PBR Florida’s Preseason All State event. Stronger than in August, Kinker’s 6-foot-1, 175-pound frame is starting to fill out, and it showed with a velocity jump. Kinker’s fastball sat 82-85 and he touched 86 mph a couple of times in his outing. Delivering out of a higher ¾ slot, Kinker utilizes a medium arm swing that is free and easy. At times, Kinker became a bit of “thrower,” but that is to be expected for a young pitcher in his first live outing of the year. I was really impressed with the way that Kinker worked his slurvey breaking ball. The pitch sat 67-71, and he changed speeds on it depending on count and situation: taking some off early in the count while burying it to the back leg of righties when ahead. He showed control of the pitch, and it should continue to get better this spring/summer. Kinker worked entirely out of the stretch most likely because it was so early in the season. Overall, Kinker has a bright future, and the fact that he is still sporting a young, baby face means that he has more growing to do. I expect for Kinker to be a pitcher that is followed closely by recruiters this summer.

 

The following three players were featured in On the Hunt during the fall, and showcased their improvements from the off-season. Below are some new comments after seeing them in person:
 

Raymond LaFleur III, OF/LHP, JM Tate HS, FL, 2019
LaFleur looks like he has grown since October, and may be pushing 6-foot-4, especially in spikes. He still has a young face, but looks to have put on 15+ pounds of muscle since the fall. His long arms and legs aid in his deception on the mound. He strides out with a hard push from his backside with a long arm swing that delivers out of a high ¾ slot. The way he throws his glove toward the plate with almost choppy lower body drive is somewhat reminiscent of David Price. He was up to 83 mph on the day, and I expect more to come this spring/summer. His slider showed solid shape, but was not in midseason form, yet. At the plate, LaFleur utilized a simple approach, during batting practice, to spray line drives from gap to gap. LaFleur starts with his hands back, and does not take much of a stride, but it is easy to see the athleticism in his swing. His quick hands get to the ball with ease, but his barrel gets out of the zone just as quickly, right now. As he continues to grow into his long frame, expect LaFleur to find more fluidity in his path as well as discover the power that is waiting to come out.

Derek Crum, OF, Gaither HS, FL, 2019
Crum did not pitch at the event, but recruiters are going to want to make sure they see him on the mound in the future based off the 88 mph cannon that he unloaded from the outfield. With a 60-yard dash time of 6.96 to go along with his arm, Crum has a chance to be an excellent outfielder at the next level, especially with his athleticism. I was a big fan of Crum’s path this fall, and became an even bigger one when watching him take batting practice. He has raw strength, and rocks back with a leg kick before angling his shoulders through the zone. Crum has that look to him that immediately screams “ballplayer,” and he comes off as a hard-working kid who is always giving it his all.

 

Hunter Mink, RHP, Palm Harbor University HS, FL, 2019
The quick arm that I saw from Mink in the fall is still there, and may have gotten quicker. Mink works with a compact motion before striding out long towards the plate with quick hand speed. His fastball sat 86-87, and he held it throughout his entire outing. Mink seems like a competitive kid, and he attacked hitters with his fastball. He flashed a few sliders that he threw with fastball arm speed, and it looks to have a chance to be a swing and miss pitch in the future. Mink still looks young, and I expect him to continue to gain velocity as he matures.

More On The Hunt