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Tournaments  | Story | 9/26/2016

South Qualifier Day 3 Notes

Brandon Hohl


Daily Leaders | Day 1 Notes | Day 2 Notes

We will begin moving day at the South Qualifier with a first round playoff matchup between the Hunter Pence Baseball Academy-Crew and the Beaumont Gladiators.

Lefthanded pitcher and Lamar University commit, Joshua Hranicky (2018, Port Neches, Texas) took the mound for the Gladiators and had an impressive outing. Hranicky has a strong build and showcases a high leg lift with internal rotation that coils the front side of the body, a long arm swing to a three-quarters release point and a violent online delivery. He has a slight head whack with an extended follow through that creates a devastating descent angle on his fastball. He pitched dominantly with the four-seam fastball that touched 91 and sat 88-90 mph; the majority of his 83 pitches in the game were fastballs. Occasionally Hranicky threw a hard 2-to-7 curveball at 73 mph but still looked to be developing a consistent feel for it. I really liked the way that Hranicky attacked hitters and pitched to his strength, which was that hard fastball with downhill action. He finished the outing with five innings, three hits and seven strikeouts while only allowing one run.

For the HBPA-Crew, catcher Tyler Erickson (2017, Houston, Texas) stood out at the plate. Tyler has a medium build and athletic frame. He stands with a loose, open stance and looks comfortable in the box. His hands are held at shoulder height, starting the swing by gathering to the rear hip, with a leg lift with internal rotation which creates a coiled front side. He loads barrel with a steep tip over the helmet keeping his hands above the shoulder for a high launch position. Erickson generates good bat speed with quick lower half mechanics and works on plane with his bat path. He had an impressive first at-bat against Hranicky, battling with two strikes and singling with a hard line drive to right field. Erickson is a captain behind the plate as well at the catcher position, showing good blocking and framing skills with an accurate arm. He finished the game 1-for-3.

Hunter Taylor (2017, Hutto, Texas) has been the stopper for Austin Elite throughout the South Qualifier. Sunday was no different, as Taylor was thrust in to a bases loaded, no outs situation and left with no earned runs. Hunter has a tall frame and athletic build with room to fill out physically. The righthanded pitcher has a high leg lift and falls down the mound to a long open stride. The arm action is long and loose with whip to an over-the-top release point that creates a heavy descent angle on his fastball up to 86 mph. He throws a heavy dose of fastballs that are firm and have life and gets good extension at follow through making the 86 mph fastball appear faster to opposing hitters.

Joseph Munoz (2018, Spring, Texas) continued to impress at the plate in a Sunday consolation game for the Houston Heat. Munoz has a medium build and athletic frame and he stands with his feet narrow and open, with a slight bend in the knees and the bat held behind his ear. He stands with the rear hip already loaded so there is no negative move or trigger to load the swing. He starts his swing with a leg lift that coils the front side, and his stride separates and lands in a strong launch position. He has a good barrel path with speed and shows a good feel for contact when hitting with two strikes. In his first at-bat of the game he hit a two-strike single to the right side prioritizing contact over striking out. I’ve also seen power from him with a triple to the wall in center field earlier in the event.

Dallas Patriots shortstop Mason LaPlante (2018, McKinney, Texas) shows control of highly advanced movements at the plate and impresses with his results offensively. He stands slightly open with high hands and the bat held above his shoulder. There are lots of moving parts to his swing but he shows total control, starting with high leg lift that coils the front side, an impressive stride separation as his barrel tips to a strong launch position and lands torqued. His explosive lower half generates bat speed and plane that matches the pitch. He hit a hard line out to center field in his first at-bat, followed by a walk and a hard line drive double to the right-center field gap. LaPlante showcased some of the best actions at the plate that I observed all weekend at the South Qualifier and is currently hitting .444 with a double and an RBI for the event.

It’s not often that a player catches attention purely for defensive skills but when you see somebody with Keaton Bridwell’s (2017, Highlands, Texas) catching tools, you stop and enjoy the show. The first thing you’ll notice is the Texas Trapper catcher’s size; he stands at an athletic 6-foot-2 and 195-pounds and he provides a great target for the pitcher showing great strength and receiving skills. He has lateral agility and confident glove skills which allows him to block and stab balls in the dirt with ease. The icing on the cake is his arm strength and throws down to second. He was not challenged in the quarterfinal playoff game that I observed but he routinely threw sub 2.0-second pop times down to second, showing arm strength, carry and accuracy to the bag.

While observing Bridwell, I was also able to get another look at lefthanded hitter Kyle McShaffry (2017, Cypress, Texas). The three-hitter for Premier Baseball Futures-Nixon stands tall, open and narrow in the box. He holds the barrel high and away from the shoulder in a loaded slot with a lot of weight in the rear hip. He strides forward landing in a good launch position with torque. McShaffry has a quick lower half that generates good bat speed and a great bat path that works to drive the ball in the air. All McShaffry has done is hit this tournament, as he is currently hitting .417 with four doubles in the event.
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