Prep Baseball Report

PBR Scout Day: Akadema Knights - Catchers & Outfielders




By Brandon Hall
North Carolina Director of Scouting

On Saturday May 20th Prep Baseball Report traveled to Union Pines HS in Cameron, NC to evaluate the Akadema Knight's Scout Day.  The Knights feature a team made up of players from North Carolina with a high concentration from an hour of the Fayetteville area.  Akadema has teams competing this summer in an array of age groups, with 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021 grads on hand for the scout day.  Over the coming days, PBR will dive into the Scout Day with reports on each player in attendance.  Today we concentrate on the catchers and outfielders that worked out at the Scout Day.

PBR Scout Days allow players to update their PBR profile page with updated and verified statistics, a full evaluation, and video.  The evaluations are performed by PBR staff members with a history of college and professional scouting.  All of the information will be hosted on the PBR platform, connecting players to over 800 colleges and universities, and every MLB team.

Akadema Knights - Catchers & Outfielders

For a full roster of participants in the Akadema Knights Scout Day, CLICK HERE.

To view all of the statistics from the day, CLICK HERE

 


Jared Collier C / 2B / Pine forest, NC / 2020

Young frame with a lot of growth still ahead.  5-foot-11, 155 pound catcher with pop times ranging 2.28-2.38 and a positional velocity of 71mph from the crouch.  Long arm action works to a high-¾ slot.  Occasional accuracy that will improve with improved strength levels.  Hands worked with some freedom to receive.  Left foot and shoulder are exaggerated forward in his aggressive stance.  Right handed hitter ran a 7.47 sixty and produced an exit velocity of 75 mph.  Balanced setup, loads back with a short stride.  Level bat path is geared to pull.  Glides to his front side, feeling for the barrel at times.  As strength is added to the frame, the swing should produce more quickness.


 

 

 

 

Brian Graham C / OF / Scotland County, NC / 2019

Quick feet and a short arm swing led to pop times ranging 2.18-2.25.  Average carry on an arm that measured 73 mph out of the crouch.  Average exchange and some rhythm issues can be cleaned to improve accuracy.  Right handed hitter has athleticism, running a 7.01 sixty in the 5-foot-8, 170 pound frame.  Balanced and open to start, load back with a short stride.  Bat head works to a vertical position at load, creating some whip with average bat speed.  Exit velocity peaked at 87 mph.  Good lower half and a level swing, looking for extension.  Wanted to stay gap-to-gap, but barrel issues created some occasional hook in the swing.  


 

 

 

 

Derek Hughes C / OF / Ravenscroft, NC / 2019

Solid receiver and footwork behind the dish.  Pop times ranged 1.91-2.13 with carry and above average accuracy on the bag.  Arm measured 77mph from the crouch.  Athletic in a 6-foot-1, 170 pound frame, ran a 7.40 sixty.  Offensively, right handed hitter works from a balanced and athletic stance.  Loads back with an early, short stride to a tip-toe landing.  Barrel loads to vertical.  Loose with above average bat speed and a level path.  Worked gap-to-gap with good rhythm.  Exit velocity topped at 83 mph.


 

 

 

 

Mason Locklear C / SS / Fairmont, NC / 2019

Athletic and rangy build at 5-foot-11, 168 pounds.  Ran a 7.18 sixty and produced pop times of 2.06-2.20.  Easy receiver, sets up high at times.  Average exchanges, at times rushed, but when on time good fluid footwork and produced carry on throws topping at 73 mph from the crouch.  On the infield, has fluid actions, working to play through the ball, catching balls deep.  Short arm action works to a high-¾ slot.  Accuracy varied, but throws had carry better than the measured 73 mph across the diamond.  Right handed hitter is closed to setup.  Lacks a load and uses a short stride.  Vertical barrel with waggle.  Bat head is inconsistent in its launch position.  Has quick twitch.  Better than average bat speed in an uphill path.  Lacked some barrel awareness.  Exit velocity topped at 80.  Athleticism plays better than current setup.  


 

 

 

 

Ryan Taylor C / RHP / Hoke County, NC / 2018

Strong, mature build at 6-foot-1, 215 pounds.  Pop times ranged 2.07 - 2.08 with a positional velocity of 80 mph from the crouch.  Strong arm swing, short and to a high-¾ release.  Long feet.  Arm strength over quickness.  Tends to exchange low, allowing the ball to fade.  Some accuracy and carry on each throw.  Set up with the glove side set forward and the body slightly side saddled.  Hands work with some effort.  Showed a willingness and “want to” to block.  Right handed hitter is slightly closed in an athletic position to start.  Leg kick sets his shoulders slightly uphill.  Loose and carries length through the point of contact.  Very aggressive demeanor.  Quick bat through the zone.  Fluid rhythm worked to produce line drives, staying to the pull side.

 

 

 

 

Nicholas Tyler C / OF / Corinth Holders, NC / 2020

Young frame at 5-foot-10, 150 pounds.  Pop times ranged 2.35 - 2.41.  Uses a short arm action, with the ball turning early in the arm swing.  High-¾ release.  Some accuracy.  Arm speed topped at 68 mph out of the crouch.  High setup with some effort in the exchange.  Right handed hitter works from balanced stance, loading down with a short stride.  Rushed into launch at times with low hands.  Uphill swing path, working to produce line drives, and giving occasional top spin off the bat.  Pull tendency.  Exit velocity peaked at 74mph.


 

 

 

 

Matt Bailey OF / Union Pines, NC / 2018

Average build with athleticism in a 5-foot-11, 175 pound frame.  Left handed hitter ran a 6.87 sixty.  Works from a tall, athletic base, using a leg kick into a short stride.  Better than average bat speed with a direct path.  Has barrel awareness in the level, line-drive approach that works gap-to-gap.  Power still developing with an exit velocity topping at 83.  From the outfield, arm works long with a small stab and some stiffness.  Ball produced carry and flashed some accuracy in the over-the-top slot, touching 75 out of the hand.  Feet worked heavier through the ball than they do while running.  

 

 

 

 

Dean Carver OF / RHP / Southern Lee, NC / 2019

Left handed hitter ran a 7.01 sixty and recorded a positional velocity of 79 mph from the outfield.  Average build, with some length at 6-foot, 158 pounds.  Balanced and athletic in the box.  Tends to load down with a slight barring on the front arm.  Short stride, with good balance, created better than average bat speed as the bat sweeps through the zone.  Level bat path, working gap-to-gap.  Aggressive, produced an exit velocity of 81 mph.  Worked to play through balls in the outfield.  Uses a long arm action to an over-the-top slot with accuracy and some carry.

 

 

 

 

Harrison Garner OF / RHP / Garner, NC / 2021

Rising freshman is athletic with quick twitch in the body.  Ran a 6.87 sixty and produced an arm speed of 82mph from the outfield.  Still raw in some aspects, the lanky 6-foot, 153 pounder has plenty of room to add strength on his frame.  Worked with ease and fluid feet through the ball to a short arm action with a high-¾ release.  Quick arm.  Average accuracy as the ball sailed arm side at times.  Better than average carry.  Offensively, righty works from a balanced stance, loading back and down.  A short stride works to fair balance, even with the backside lacking separation.  Level bat path with a sweepy swing.  Exit velocity topped at 81 off the tee, but when on the barrel the ball did show an ability to jump to all fields.


 

 

 

 

Ian Gilreath OF / 1B / Cape Fear, NC / 2018

At 5-foot-10, 160 pounds, ran a 7.34 sixty.  From the outfield, worked with athleticism and fluid feet through the ball.  A long arm swing worked to an over-the-top slot, producing better carry than the measured arm speed of 76 mph.  Some accuracy on his throws.  In the box, athletic stance, loads back, with a short stride.  Good balance and better than average bat speed.  Short, level bat path.  Pull side tendency throughout each round.  Some rhythm issues led to barrel awareness issues at times.  Exit velocity topped at 78.  Good enough athlete that the swing may be cleaned quickly.


 

 

 

 

Jett Herndon OF / RHP / Marlboro county, NC / 2019

5-foot-10, 160 pound outfielder with some elbow lead in the arm swing.  Short arm path to a high-¾ slot.  Average carry, measured at 79 mph out of the hand, and some accuracy.   Left handed hitter works from a balanced, athletic position.  Loads back with a leg kick and short stride.  Some stiffness in the swing as the front side works early.  Pull tendency.  Bat sweeps through the zone.  Ran a 7.10 sixty.


 

 

 

 

Aidan Voorhees OF / OF / Jack Britt, NC / 2019

Fast twitch speedster, posted a 6.68 sixty.  Arm works with a short arm swing into a high-¾ slot showing some accuracy and average carry.  Positional velocity topped at 73mph.  Offensively, the 5-foot-7, 122 pounder works from the right side.  Slightly crouched and barring the front arm with a short stride and flat barrel position.  Average bat speed, working to be level, while sitting on the back side throughout the swing. Stays gap-to-gap.  Some stiffness.  Exit velocity topped at 67 mph.


 

 

 

 

James Wells OF / C / Southern Lee, NC / 2018

Athletic build in a 5-foot-11, 160 pound frame.  Tall setup from the right side, barring the front arm and using a leg kick to load his weight.  Uphill leverage and explosive backside action creates a quick bat through the zone.  Pull tendency with fluid rhythm.  Exit velocity topped at 89mph, showing slightly above average power throughout BP.  Flashed quickness with a 6.97 sixty.  From the outfield, arm strength measured at 74mph.  Long arm action, turned the ball over early to an over-the-top slot.  Some accuracy and average carry.  


 

 

 

 

Brandon White OF / RHP / Marlboro Academy, NC / 2018

Strength in the 6-foot-1, 175 pound frame.  Still room to add maturity as well.  Ran a 7.07 sixty.  Right handed hitter has a simple setup and some barrel awareness.  Athletic stance, loading back, using a short stride.  Better than average bat speed with a good, level approach, staying gap-to-gap.  Fluid rhythm produced an exity velocity of 72mph.  From the outfield, the arm speed measured at 76 mph.  Long arm action, with a loose wrist, as it worked to a high-¾ slot.  Some accuracy and average carry.  Footwork can be improved working through the throw.