1/6/2018
Kevin Melendez Calderon (2018 C, San Juan, PR) is a big and strong 6-2/200 right handed hitting catcher with a loose and smooth right handed swing and he has the strength to make the ball jump. A little more use of his strong lower half and he'll be really driving balls.
Gabriel A Ortiz Abreu (2018 C, Ponce, PR) has an extra big and strong 5-11/210 build and has definitely learned to use his big lower half to generate bat speed. He's a straight pull hitter with a very short swing for the power that he is generating from the left side.
Ezequiel Pagan (2018 OF, Guayanilla, PR) creates lots of barrel whip in his left handed swing and has very quick hands getting the bat going. He'll keep getting stronger and fill out his 6-1/165 frame as he matures.
Anthony Donofrio (2018 OF, Massapequa, NY) has a very projectable 6-2/175 build and very good hitting mechanics that enabled him to square up almost every swing. A left handed hitter, Donofrio has an ideal combination of shift through contact and quick, explosive hands that are very well timed.
Roberto Cruz (2018 OF, Santo Domingo Oeste, SD) is a 6-3/195 Dominican who we are told will be eligible to sign on the July 2, 2018 signing date. He's young and a bit coltish still in his coordination but has present skills and bat speed from the right side and the ball comes off his barrel very nicely.
Josean Rivera Sanchez (2017 C, Patillas, PR) is another big Puerto Rican catcher at 6-2, 215 with the present strength to go with it. He's a switch-hitter who has tools from both sides of the plate, with a shorter right handed swing that promises more hard contact and a longer left handed approach that projects more power.
Adrian Figueroa (2020 LHP, Miami, FL) looks like a young A.J. Puk clone, with similar two-way tools as the former PG All-American. His next step is when he learns how to start turning the barrel to use the huge leverage in his 6-6/205 frame.
Mykanthony Valdez (2019 3B, Davie, FL) is simply one of the strongest players in high school baseball right now and does an outstanding job of exploding his hands into the baseball. He crushed some balls that got held up in strong winds blowing in from centerfield.
Joseph Encarnacion (2017 SS, Queens, NY) has a very projectable 6-2/175 build and a loose right handed swing that has plenty of present bat speed. He has natural flow to his swing and hitter's hands that allow him to adjust to pitches in different zones while still maintaining bat speed.
Connor Pavolony (2018 C, Woodstock, GA) is a Tennessee commit who will get plenty of attention from pro scouts this spring in the talent rich state of Georgia. He has lots of right handed bat speed and the ability to drive the ball hard and a long way.
Jason Thomas (2018 OF, Miramar, FL) looks like a prototypical top of the order hitter with a short and crisp swing that is going to maximize hard line drive contact and the ability to get on base.
Kyle Iarrobino (2018 RHP, Key West, FL) is a primary pitcher but a great example of what good happens when a big and strong hitter gets his lower half flowing into his swing. Iarrobino drove the ball hard from the left side from a well designed and effective left handed swing.
Jonathan Alonso (2018 1B, Clearwater, FL) hit right after Iarrobino and demonstrated another skill that many good hitters share; he was very aggressive and attacked the ball with full bat speed. At 6-2/205 with plenty of twitch in his swing, that meant lots of very hard contact.
Tyler Acosta (2018 OF, Barrington, IL) has a very busy and inconsistent front foot load he'll have to simplify but the Illinois signee has very quick hands and the ability to square up the ball hard to the pull side consistently.
Dillon Lifrieri (2018 OF, Wilton, CT) is a very strong right handed hitter and the Arkansas signee drove the ball hard when he got his front foot down in time. He's another hitter who is looking to max out his bat speed every swing and attack the baseball.
Nasim Nunez (2019 SS, Lawrenceville, GA) is best known for his defensive wizardry but he's also a switch-hitter with a quick and short line drive swing that will produce a high average in the future.
Erik Rivera (2019 OF, Caguas, PR) had one of the best BP rounds of the day, crushing line drive after line drive up the right centerfield gap with a very smooth and easy left handed swing that was very repeatable and very well timed. There was lots of talk today about where his higher ceiling was between the mound and as a position player.
Trevor Candelaria (2018 OF, Durango, CO) is a very toolsy athlete from rural south Colorado and one of his best tools is his right handed bat speed. The Davidson signee explodes his hands at the ball and is going to hit with some serious power in college.
Gustavo Lino (2018 OF, Coral Springs, FL) is a front side hitter who gets out front with good balance and has a quick and short right handed swing. He looks like a future high average hitter with some potential gap power in his young build.
Paul Nixon (2018 1B, Baltimore, MD) is still raw at the plate but he is enormously strong at 6-3/230 and has a simple and usable approach from the right side that will enable him to keep improving as he gets more repetitions.
Kameron Wells (2018 OF, Hattiesburg, MS) is another very strong right handed hitter with a potentially bright future in front of him as he gets more repetitions and learns to use his strength. He is part of an outfield at Hattiesburg High School that includes PG All-American Joe Gray Jr and nationally ranked teammate Dexter Jordan, an impressive collection of athletic talent.