Justin
Byler

7/18/17 6-foot-4, 195-pound primary first baseman also worked a solid inning on the mound sitting 82-84 from a high 3/4 arm slot while also displaying a curveball with 11/5 rotation at 70-73.  The left-handed hitter starts from a slightly open stance and initiates his swing from a bat-waggle load. Displayed the ability to drive both gaps during a solid round of batting practice with an event best 94 mph bat exit velocity.  Went 3-for-6 in game action over two days including a double and triple to the pull-side gap and a home run to the opposite field gap.  Appears to be growing into his frame as evidenced by his 60-yard dash time dropping by 6/10 of a second in the past 10 months.

6/14/17 6-foot-4, 195-pound left-handed hitter. Has added some physical strength, while bat speed has improved (94 mph exit velocity) and he looks more confident and aggressive in the batter's box. Starts from a slightly open stance and strides to square. Swing has some looseness and features a bat waggle with hand hitch prior to launch. Didn't elevate much during game action, but stayed through contact well, while also showing some pop in BP. Ran a 7.38 60-yard dash and exhibited solid defensive skills. On the mound, he pitched out of a high three-quarter slot with spotty command of a fastball at 82-84. Trusts his curveball and went to it often, even in down counts; the pitch has depth and 11/5 shape and sat 72-73. Showed a 74 mph change-up in between innings, but did not feature during game play.

2/12/17 6-foot-4, 185-pound primary position player continues to show progress on the mound. Right-hander sat 80-82 from a high 3/4 arm slot with a hip coil delivery. Curveball shows 11/5 rotation at 64-66 and will need to be thrown harder to be a functional pitch at the next level. Displayed solid feel for his changeup with armside run at 76-77. Gets over front leg well and should continue to see velocity gains as he learns to incorporate lower half more in his delivery.

2/12/17 6-foot-4, 185-pound two-way prospect. Left-handed hitter starts from a wide, slightly crouched stance and initiates his swing with a short, leg-lift stride from a high hands load. Slightly uphill path through the zone allows for some back spin with current gap-to-gap power and a bat exit velocity of 90 mph. Feet work well around the bag at first base and showed confidence in glove hand with accurate 80 mph arm strength across the diamond.

9/25/16 6-foot-4, 185-pound left-handed hitter starts from a slightly open stance and initiates his swing with a leg-lift stride. Sits on back side well and gets to extension routinely creating some backspin with a bat exit velocity of 86 mph. Displayed capable defensive actions around the bag at first base and ran a 7.75 60-yard dash.

7/20/16 6-foot-4, 185-pound left-handed hitter. Starts from an open stance and incorporates a knee-to-knee stride to square. Barrel wrap creates some length, but he creates good leverage and showed some feel for elevating the baseball during his BP round. Current gap power (87 mph exit velocity) should improve as he continues to add strength to his frame. Doesn't possess the quickest feet, but showed a solid glove and good footwork on double play feeds.

Brief one-inning appearance. Overhead rocker into three-quarter slot. Fastball at 77-80 exhibited occasional armside run, while an 11/5 curveball at 65-68 has potential.