Burton's Scout Blog: 3/18/24
March 18, 2024
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Midlothian
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Cason Chambers 3B / SS / Midlothian, VA / 2027First real in-game look of the youngest Chambers. No hits on the day, but looked fairly mature in the box, especially being his first game on varsity for the freshman corner infielder. He was aggressive early in counts, comfortable takes, and battled some at bats. Again, not a ton to take away off the first look, outside of him showing some maturity at the plate and will be a name to follow in the future.
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Evan Miller SS / RHP / Midlothian, VA / 2025The junior right hander got the first start of the year and had a quality outing. Miller worked five shutout innings, allowing only two hits and striking out six along the way. Command was solid early, but faded a little the deeper he got into the outing. The fastball sat 82-84 mph through the first two innings and touched 86 one time. He did show the ability to move the fastball in and out, but it worked best to the glove side. Showed a slider and a curveball, both generally sitting in the 70-71 range with a few outliers along the way. The breaking balls both showed some depth and they tended to blend shapes, but had some feel for both. The changeups sat mid-upper 70's and had some lift and fade with the elbow tending to work a little lower on that pitch. Overall, solid first outing for Miller and the Trojans to start 2024.
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Brady Paul OF / LHP / Midlothian, VA / 2025Lean 6-foot, 185-pound frame. Average to slightly above average runner. Square setup, hands set back and makes a late load to separate. Swing can get a little longer on the back side and tends to unravel off of the shoulder. Stays behind the front side and has some strength at impact. His first two at bats, Paul saw two pitches and he was really aggressive early in counts, but showed a bit more patience later on. Had one single into left field and walked twice, scoring three runs.
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Braden Williamson OF / 2B / Midlothian, VA / 2025We have seen Williamson a number of times over the past eight months and he has continued to get better. Hitting in the two hole for the Trojans, the junior centerfielder was very aggressive early in counts. While he did not collect a hit, he put the ball in play every at bat, with a few of them being mishit and not great contact quality. Williamson is a very easy mover out of the box and a well above average runner. Will be one to see again at some point this spring as he settles into the lineup.
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Princess Anne
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Xavier Doon SS / 2B / Princess Anne, VA / 2025Doon is a thin, athletic middle infielder, with a contact driven swing and has shown some solid bat to ball in our last few looks of the Princess Anne junior. Solid defender at second base and is probably best suited for second for the long term. The offense continues to show well and he will be one to follow through the spring.
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Reid Vandergrift SS / RHP / Princess Anne , VA / 2025Athletic setup in the box, hands are loose and have some rhythm, and had quite possibly the best BP of any PA player on Thursday. Impacted the ball from gap to gap and showed the most consistent barrel rate of any Cavs hitter. Defensively, the feet are active on approach, hands are average, and arm showed some carry across the infield. Did not have a great day at the plate in game, but the left handed hitting shortstop showed some tools that have the ability to transfer over into game play and will be one to follow.
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Landstown
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Trey Campos OF / RHP / Landstown , VA / 2025The JMU commit and Future Games alum got the start for Landstown. He was solid in the first, tallying two strikeouts and getting up to 90 on the mound, but struggled in the second. Command became very scattered in the second inning on both the fastball and slider. The arm slot seemed a bit lower than we have normally seen it and the arm itself seemed disconnected causing issues with timing and release. The fastball generally sat 86-89 and touched 90 once in his two innings of work. The slider was firm and while the feel in the first was solid, it lacked true shape and leaned more cutter at 79-82 mph. Electric arm speed and solid all around athlete that we will be back to check in on again later in the spring.
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George Chevalier 2B / RHP / Landstown, VA / 2025This was my first time seeing the VMI commit in quite a while. Intent and pace to the delivery. Came on in relief working 86-88 after his first pitch of the day dialed in at 90 mph. The slider had a little more depth and shape than Campos', while maintaining similar velo at 80-82. The arm swing is longer and loose and is a quick arm from a three-quarter arm slot. There is some late violence in the delivery. Power arm feel with a reliever profile.
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Colin Kim OF / LHP / Landstown, VA / 2025Like a few others, first time seeing Kim in a while, definitely since his commitment to Longwood. Thin frame with lean strength. First thing that stood out was the arm strength in right field during pregame. Quick arm, carry on throws, and just came out a little different than everyone else. Left/left outfielder that is an easy mover and would categorize as an above average to higher end runner. While he showed some solid bat to ball, the bat and hand speed are lacking a bit. Average to slightly below average bat speed with probably above average hand eye coordination. The frame says that he will be able to add lean strength to the frame and maintain his athleticism and run tool. Out of the box it seem he is a slow accelerator, but has some top end speed once he gets it going.
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Cape Henry Collegiate
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Reid Downs OF / LHP / Cape Henry, VA / 2025Downs is the leadoff for Cape Henry. Historically, leadoff hitters are supposed to work counts, put the ball in play, and put pressure on the defense. Downs really checks all of those boxes. He sees pitches, takes what is given, and has an above average run tool to help enhance his style of offense. He is a contact driven hitter that uses the whole field in approach. It is a compact, smaller frame, and the offense is light, but he sort of owns what he does and uses it as a strength. He had two hits on Thursday, both backside groundballs and then had an infield single on Friday up the middle.
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Payton Friske LHP / 1B / Cape Henry, VA / 2024Last year when I saw Friske, the now VMI commit, he showed some flashes, but it was inconsistent and more projection based. While the velo has not taken a massive jump, it has ticked up, the control is better, the pitchability improved, and the breaking ball is a solid second pitch. He sat 85-86 early on in this outing and used a 75-77 mph breaking ball to get some whiffs and keep hitters off the fastball. Came in with the game tied at one a piece and never missed a beat. Struck out six over three innings and did not allow a hit. Overall a really strong performance from the senior left hander.
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Andrew Hart OF / LHP / Cape Henry Collegiate, VA / 2024Hart has long shown signs of offense, but it has usually been in spurts. While this was a back to back look, the offense seems more consistent. Better balance, simple level path, and can hit in a variety of counts. His advanced run tool allows him to be comfortable in two strike counts and he beat out at least one groundball each night I saw him. High end defender in center field and can cover a large area. If the offense continues to trend at this pace, he, Jensen, and Schaedel could make for a lethal combo in the top half of that order.
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Noah Hummel LHP / 1B / Cape Henry Collegiate, VA / 2026First time seeing the sophomore for Cape Henry. XL frame, large lower half, and showed a solid hit tool on Friday night at Hickory. Had three hits, showed an accurate barrel, and handled spin well. First baseman that will continue to grow into some power as he matures, but most importantly he showed a solid approach with some bat to ball ability.
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Ryan Hummel C / RHP / CAPE HENRY COLLEGIATE SCHOOL, VA / 2025Long and lanky 6-foot-3 frame with room to fill. Like the younger Hummel, this was my first time seeing Ryan in game. He showed really well at the PAS Norfolk, but sometimes showcase tools do not always transfer to game play. Hummel came on in relief on Friday night and was able to close the door on the Hawks.
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Colin Lebel RHP / SS / Cape Henry Collegiate, VA / 2025The GW commit struggled with command and finishing counts in the first, but settled in well in the second. The slider has some side to side action at 76-79 mph and he started to land it at will from the second inning on. He showed it early in counts and punched a few hitters with it to finish counts. The fastball maintained velo fairly well, working in the mid 80's throughout his outing. Overall, outside of a few miscues behind him, it was a strong first start of the year. Worked 4.1 IP, allowed three hits, three unearned runs, and struck out five.
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Tanner Schaedel 3B / RHP / Cape Henry Collegiate , VA / 2024Schaedel is my early season candidate for Virginia/DC Player of the Year. Between his impact on the mound and at the plate, there are few guys that have the impact on the game that he does. In the two nights of game play, the ODU commit registered four hits, scored three runs, had three RBI, and allowed one unearned run over four innings of work on the mound. It is an accurate barrel, he impacts the baseball to all fields, and can change the game in a variety of ways. Overall, just a really good early look of Schaedel.
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Hickory
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Tommy Blackburn RHP / Hickory, VA / 2025The junior right hander got off to a solid start in the first two innings and then Cape started to get to him a little in the third. Blackburn was up to 89 in the first and then settled more mid 80's in the second and third innings. He showed a mid 70's breaking ball that was tighter shape and more 12/6, but it was the upper 70's changeup that probably impressed the most. He works out of the same slot, has present arm speed, and dives out of the hand. His first strikeout of the night came on a right-right changeup.
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Jake Cozart LHP / 1B / Hickory, VA / 2026It was good to see the young left hander in his first varsity appearance. Short work, as he only faced three hitters. Cozart worked mostly in the 80-82 range from his three-quarter to slightly lower three-quarter arm slot. This is an arm that screams pitchability and projection, but it will take some time for him to get his legs under him and get settled in on the varsity level.
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Cox
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Austin Irby 3B / OF / Cox , VA / 2024Solid all around day at the plate for the Cox senior third baseman. Walked on four straight in his first at bat, homered on a 1-1 pitch in his second at bat, struck out looking in his third at bat, and then blistered a ball right at the first baseman in his final at bat. Best thing that I took away from this look was his patience. He was seeing the ball well for this early in the season and had a pretty solid feel for the zone. He was not expanding in any count and had an approach for what he was looking for. When he swung, he was on the ball. Continues to show why he is one of, if not the best, combination of hit tool and power in the state. East Carolina commit.
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St. John's College
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Nate Hawton-Henley OF / SS / St. John's, VA / 2025The Maryland commit doubled in the sixth to give the Cadets an insurance run and expand the lead to what would be the final score of 6-1. Overall, Hawton-Henley was very aggressive in his at bats. Early count swinging with two flyouts, a strikeout, and the double in the sixth. While he was aggressive and shows solid bat to ball, I thought he was out front and drifted into the swing causing some disconnection. All of his contact was to the middle and backside, which could be caused from him sliding into that swing. He is a toolsy, high end runner, with well above average bat to ball. One of the more talented 25's in the state.
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Hayden Kalisz RHP / RHP / St. John's College, VA / 2024Kalisz came on in relief of McCabe in the fourth inning. The Alabama commit works from a low three-quarter arm slot with above average arm speed. The fastball worked in the mid 80's and was up to 87 a handful of times in his 2.2 innings pitched. During the fifth inning Kalisz ended up walking the bases loaded, but got a big strikeout looking to end the inning and preserved the St. John's lead. Had four strikeouts and did not allow a hit in his two-plus innings of work.
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Sean McCabe RHP / 1B / St. John's, VA / 2025McCabe was dominant in this outing. Three pitches for strikes, worked backwards when he wanted, threw offspeed in any count, and commanded the zone. The College of Charleston commit struck out nine, faced three over the minimum, all while facing a pretty potent offense. The fastball stayed mostly 84-87 and ran it up a tick higher a few times. The breaking ball is soft, but he can land it whenever he wants and the changeup showed to be a well above average high school pitch. Very strong performance that allowed the Cadets to jump out to a sizable lead.
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