LATEST PG SHOWCASE REPORT
2004 Underclass National Showcase
Nicolas Cucchiarella -- Cucchiarella is a strong bodied junior catcher from New York. He’s very well put together now. Cucchiarella showed us nice defensive skills behind the plate blocking and receiving and his in game arm strength and throws were far superior to his workout performance, where he might have been a bit nervous. We’re of two minds with Cucchiarella’s bat. He uses his strength well and generates good bat speed and shows some definite pop on pitches in his zone. Cucchiarella hits from an open stance and pulls off the ball. If he gets a pitch inside, he has the ability to crush it and did with a couple during games. If a pitch is anywhere middle away, he has trouble making solid contact. As we all know, in college baseball the pitchers live on the outer half, so Cucchiarella is going to have to make those adjustments. He has the physical ability to be a top level hitter with outstanding power. Nicolas is a good student.