Under The Radar Underclassmen: Catchers

April 17, 2016

By: Zac Bottoms
Arkansas Scouting Director

As we move through the season, I want to highlight the next group of names you need to know. Over the next few weeks, I will highlight uncommitted 2017 grads at every position. This week we look at some of the top uncommitted catchers from around the state.

Quinn Cherry, C, Harrison High School
Cherry is a 6-foot-2 185-pound catcher with a large frame and a physical build. Offensively he has an advanced game. He starts from a tall stance with a simple load and stride. He attacks the baseball with fast bat speed and with a slight uphill bat path He has shown the ability to hit the ball gap-to-gap. He produces exit velocities up to 93 mph. Defensively he uses a wide stance, and he shows good effort in blocking. He is a sound receiver. Throwing, he shows above average arm strength but needs to improve foot work. He throws pop times between 2.08 and 2.18. Overall Cherry is an advanced offensive player with high project-ablilty. He has potential to catch at the next level but is athletic enough to move to a corner outfield position if need be.

Denver Mullins, C, Cabot HS
Mullins is a 6-foot 185-pound catcher with an athletic frame and a strong build. He threw pop times ranging from 2.03-2.13 in between innings. He has a wide stance, he showed solid effort and technique in blocking. He received the baseball with soft hand, at times he worked down to the breaking ball. Offensively he started with an athletic stance with a minimum load, He uses a slight leg kick for timing. He attacks the baseball with a level swing and solid bat speed. He has average use of his lower half, and maintains balance throughout his swing. Overall Mullins is a solid

Mckinley Williams, C/OF, Sheridan HS
Williams has a large frame and physical build at 6-foot-3, 205 pounds. At the Elite Underclass Showcase, he led catchers with a pop time of 1.99 and had the top exit velocity at 92. Offensively, he attacks the baseball with a quick bat. It’s an uphill, rotational swing and he does a sound job maintaining balance through extension. He shows the ability to hit for power to his pull side. Overall he is a plus athlete that catches and has a solid offensive game.

Caleb Grace, C Har-Ber HS
Grace is a 5-foot-11 175-pound catcher with an athletic build and frame. The left-handed hitting catcher attacks the baseball with fast bat speed producing exit velocities up to 89 mph. He uses a slight leg kick as his timing mechanism. He attacks the baseball with a line drive swing. He maintains balance through extension. As a catcher he is a sound receiver and shows adequate technique receiving and blocking. He needs to gain ground while throwing but shows a strong accurate arm. Overall Grace is a sound defender with advanced offensive skills.