VA/DC Scout Blog: Patriot

Nathan Bassett RHP / Patriot, VA / 2023

Bassett has not been a well known name in terms of recruiting and such in the past few years, but really took off late last summer/early fall. The 6-foot-2, 210-pound UVA recruit has had a bit of an unusual path on the way to preparing to go play in the ACC. We had heard multiple accounts of arm strength and serious upside with this arm, but it was just a matter of him putting together some outings. While he has had flashes of drastic improvements this spring, on Monday he struggled to find the zone consistently. Bassett walked the first three batters, gave up a single, and then struck out the next three. Towards the end of the first and into the second he seemed to be figuring out the control, but just could not maintain his stuff in the zone. This is a projection arm where truly, the sky is the limit. Large frame with proportional strength, easy delivery, quick arm, and the ball jumps. While he was trying to figure out command you could tell he was pulling back on the fastball just a bit, he was still 89-91 with mostly 90-91, and touched 92 twice. The slider is real. Hard sweeper at 79-81 mph with present swing and miss traits and actually showed a solid feel for that pitch. He had four strikeouts in his extended inning of work and the slider was the dominating force. Both pitches have well above average spin, with the fastball ranging 2500+ RPM and the slider got up as high as 2891 RPM. He did show what appeared to be a 84 mph changeup with gradual fade. The control will need to be figured out to contribute at the next level, but the UVA commit has every tool that could make him a successful pitcher at the next level, and potentially beyond college. 

Matthew Bishop 1B / LHP / Patriot, VA / 2024

Bishop came on in the second and minimized damage in a tough spot. He was just ok that inning, coming into a situation with less than two outs and multiple runners on, but dominated the rest of the way. The 6-foot-2 left hander had a fairly easy/normal effort delivery and really utilized the ability to locate the fastball. The fastball had sink at 79-81 mph and utilized both sides of the plate really well. Mostly arm side to right handers, but kept them honest every once in a while with an inside fastball where he created some angle and got under hands. Did not show many sliders, especially early, but threw some for strikes at 71-73 mph with short, soft shape. 

Remington Lee SS / 2B / Patriot, VA / 2024

The 5-foot-11, 165-pound junior started at third base and was red hot at the plate. Simple and square setup, hands load to separate, and level path swing through the zone. Displayed an accurate barrel on the night and swing did not have many moving parts which enabled him to execute when he got behind in the count. Three singles in his first three at bats, and drove in two during those at bats. 

Grady Lenahan OF / 2B / Patriot, VA / 2025

Lenahan has been on a tear in 2023. On Monday night, Lenahan would club his sixth homerun of the season. The homer came in his second at bat and would give Patriot a lead that they would not relinquish. Stance is square with a slight squat, hands preset back, and tends to walk away from those hands as opposed to them making any sort of load. Most everything that Lenahan got a barrel on was hooked hard to the pull side and seemed to have trouble staying inside, especially with the lower velo he was facing. The homerun was an outside fastball where he did a nice job staying inside and going with the pitch. Bat speed, hand speed, and some twitch in his actions. Athletic centerfielder with the ability to produce some loud barrels at the plate. 

‘25 Grady Lenahan gives @PatriotHitSquad the lead w/ this 3 run HR to RF. The #ECU commit stayed on this 2K pitch and went with it for the oppo ?. @PBRVirginiaDC #PBRIsThere pic.twitter.com/rkTkM5ElDS

— Jason Burton (@ksallday19) May 1, 2023

Luke Sullivan 1B / OF / Patriot, VA / 2025

Sullivan got the start in right field on Monday. Main focus was on the offense and he did not get many opportunities in right. In the four at bats I saw, Sullivan put the ball in play in all at bats, except for his last one where he was hit by a pitch. In his first two at bats he hit groundballs to the left side, the first a groundout to short, and the second an infield single. His third at bat he flew out to center field. Slightly open at the plate, works linear and gets out onto the front leg, and path is flatter with line drive/top half of the ball type of tendencies. They did not challenge on the inner half much and so I did not see the ability to turn the barrel. Had a few pitches he expanded on away, but showed solid bat to ball skills. Corner outfield/first base projection. 

Dominic Tilden SS / 3B / Patriot, VA / 2025

Tilden was a standout in pregame defense. Solid actions, fluid movements, and slightly above average arm strength. Good physical makeup and looks the part. Listed at 6-foot-2 and seems every bit of it. Had a pair of singles on the night and between he and Lee, they really jumpstarted the offense after they went down early. Got a little out front in a few at bats, but did a nice job of keeping his hands back and adjusting to spin when deeper in counts. In his third at bat he hung in his lift, showing some balance and feel for timing, got his foot down, and fired the barrel through the zone for a line drive single. Footspeed could potentially force him to the corners, but the actions are there at short. Had a handful of plays in game and showed ability to work through the catch and had some feel for that internal clock. Quicker release when needed and did not really have any plays where he was able to turn the arm loose and show what the true arm strength is.