Keaton
Rice

7.20.16 - Verbally committed to Bradley.

6.21.16 - Bradley recruit. 6-foot-2, 180-pound left-handed hitting catcher, athletic build, wiry strength. Offensively, shows pull-side power potential. Hits from balanced setup, up-and-down leg lift, generates bat speed through shoulder rotation, uphill path, consistently lifts the baseball to the pull side. Registered 84 mph exit velocity with wood. Defensively, possesses strong arm, 80 mph from the crouch, excellent carry. Works uphill, slower transfer; top pop times ranged between 1.97-2.04. Ran a 7.34 laser-timed 60. 

6.16.16 - Longer lean frame, projectable body type, 6-foot-2 180-pound left-handed hitting catcher. Plus arm strength out of the crouch, arm carries well, 81 mph out of the crouch, 86 mph from the outfield. Showed ability to receive the baseball, pop times ranged 1.94-2.01. Offensively hits from a balanced stance, short stride, good balance, athletic hitter. Showed barrel control and pull side pop, well above average bat speed. 88 mph exit velocity from the tee. 7.37 runner in the 60.

2/14/16 - 6-foot-1, 175-pound left-handed hitting catcher, long lanky projectable frame. Profiles as a strong armed projectable prospect. Defensively his arm played at 82 mph out of the crouch, short over the top slot, carries well to target. 1.97-2.01 pop times. Athletic defender, flashes soft hands. Offensively hits from an open stance, short stride, average balance. BP round worked the middle of the field, slight uphill path, 83 mph exit velocity from the tee. 7.72 runner in the 60.

 Future Games 2015 - 6-foot-1, 175-pound projectable body, left-handed hitting catcher has catch and throw abilities well beyond his years. Rice flashed one of the easiest arms at the future games, clocked at 80 mph from the crouch. Throws were true with plus carry. Short arm action and quick transfer. Pop times ranged between 1.93-2.01. Offensively, the left-handed hitter starts from a balanced, open stance, slight leg lift trigger. Loose hands and some rhythm through contact. Recorded an 87 mph exit velocity.

6/11/15 - 6-foot-1, 175-pound, lanky, athletic build, projectable body, left-handed hitter. Hits from an open stance, smooth load, loose wrists, short stride. Above-average bat speed, short bat path with extension, fluid rhythm, 86 mph exit velocity, drove the baseball from gap-to-gap. Behind the plate showed soft hands, short arm action, high ¾ slot, with carry, 81 mph from the crouch, pop times ranged from 1.94-2.01. Ran a 7.45 60-time.

 12.14.14 - 6-foot-1, 165-pound left-handed hitting catcher/outfielder looked noticeably more physical adding height and weight since this past summer. Hits from an open setup, slight crouch, short stride, explosive bat speed for age, short path, slightly uphill, looks mostly to pull, line drives. Defensively, showed arm strength from the outfield at 83 mph from short, over-the-top arm slot with carry. Future most likely lies behind the plate where he reeled off pop times from 2.08-2.18. Pop times and accuracy were better when he came out of the chute at a lower angle, not standing up straight first. Threw 73 mph from the crouch, ran a 7.37 60. Rice already has a plus frame, and left-handed catchers are a rarity. He’s a high follow prospect in Illinois’ 2017 class.

7/14/14 - 6-foot, 155-pound left-handed hitting catcher, athletic frame with plenty of room for physical development. Offensively, shows barrel whip through the zone, bat speed present, rotational, pull-side approach. Toe-tap trigger, slightly uphill path, gets good extension after contact, makes hard contact with lift when keeps front side in; recorded 77 mph exit velocity. Defensively, shows quick, athletic feet, above-average arm strength, 74 mph from the crouch, with pop times ranging between 2.12-2.19. Also showed versatility during games, playing a solid outfield. In one inning, while playing right field, Rice gunned a runner at third base, and then threw out a runner trying to stretch a single into a double. Rice is a high-follow prospect in the 2017 class.

6/25/14 - 6-foot, 155-pound left handed hitting catcher, lanky athletic frame. Defensively showed sound mechanics receiving the baseball, blocks well, hands are soft. Arm played at 74 mph from the crouch, 2.05-2.11 pop times, smooth transfer, arm showed carry and accuracy. Offensively hits from a balanced stance, slightly closed, short stride, strong balance through contact. Pull side approach, loose hands, strong contact, line drive approach. 79 mph exit velocity from the tee.
 

9/23/19: The Braves top draft eligible junior prospect is athletic framed Catcher Keaton Rice. He showed better than plus arm strength with good carry, a quick release and direct footwork on his throws to second base. He is a run game stopper whose best POP time on the day was 1.84. He tended to pick the ball in the dirt with his mitt more than block, but when he did block, this ability also showed to be a strength; softly blocking balls in the dirt and redirecting in front of home plate. At times he lost focus receiving, muffing catchable pitches for a pair of passed balls during the scrimmage. After batting .316 as a freshman, he slumped to .215 last spring with 45 strikeouts in 135 at-bats and slashed .214/.340/.286 in the Cape this summer. He tends to hit off his backside with little weight transfer and lacks the natural bat speed to generate much power with this approach. Adjustments in the batter’s box and performance more along the lines of his freshman season will be the key as he builds towards a potential Day Two selection this June.

8/1/19: Showed a plus arm with quick feet for a quick release and sub 2.0 POP times. He’s a developing bat with gap power at the plate. (Seifert)