With baseball now back, I’ve been able to venture around the state of North Carolina and some scouting opportunities this spring. With high school baseball not starting for another couple of weeks, each opportunity has been at the college level, and luckily, the ACC thrives around the Triangle area. Here’s some scouting notes on a few players that have impressed me so far this spring. Expect more of these as we get closer to the draft in July.
2021 Class
RHP Austin Love - UNC
A third-year sophomore out of Salisbury, NC, Love is built like a bodybuilder at 6’3”, 232 pounds. A bulldog on the mound, Love throws from a three-quarters arm slot with a short arm path. Delivery starts with a high leg kick and he pitches down the hill well, almost jumping down the hill with some effort to the operation.
In both starts I’ve seen, Love has featured a three-pitch mix that garners swings and misses. In his start against James Madison, Love’s fastball started off 92-95 MPH in the first inning and gradually sat 90-93 MPH as the start went on. Against Clemson, he turned it up another notch. While he started 92-95 MPH, he maintained that velocity deep into the start, pounding the strike zone and even touching 96 MPH in the 5th inning. The pitch gets solid run and when he’s on, he blows it past hitters and commands it well. At times, Love does have a tendency to miss armside with the heater.
To pair the heater, Love throws a mid-80’s change-up and a slider in the low-to-mid 80’s. The change-up is his more confident pitch, as he throws it in any count and against both lefties and righties. The pitch has good late fading action and sink, though he does struggle at times to locate armside. The slider has good shape and bite to it, though as starts progress, the pitch can get a tad bit inconsistent. I’d rank it as his third pitch at the moment, but like the change-up, he’s got confidence in the pitch and commands it well at times.
While the control and command look improved after an abysmal 2020 campaign, there’s still some refinement needed in the walks department. The only start that Love has not walked two or three batters was his stellar outing against Clemson, where he struck out 12 and walked none in 7.2 innings of work. Across both starts, Love has gotten 32 swings and misses, 15 against James Madison and 17 against Clemson. Love would be a good grab for a team on Day 2 of the draft if he keeps this up.
OF Justice Thompson - UNC
A JUCO transfer from Florida, Thompson has been far and away the Tar Heels’ best hitter. At 6’4”, 202 pounds, Thompson has a strong, yet projectable body and has been a key contributor to a lineup that had some question marks heading into the season.
It’s not often that you find players with the toolset that Thompson provides. At the plate, he’s got a simple operation, triggered by a subtle leg kick and quiet hands during his load. He generates great bat speed and utilizes the pull-side primarily, though he’s used center field a few times. Rarely has he used the opposite field, however, something that would be welcome to see as the season progresses. Same for his power, as three of his four home runs this year have gone to the pull-side. He utilizes his plus speed on the base paths as well, having stolen 11 bags this year.
Defensively, Thompson has proven that he can man center field at the next level. He covers quite a bit of ground thanks to his speed and has produced some spectacular plays thanks to great reads on the ball. He’s got a clean arm action and has flashed a strong arm in the field. He’s rapidly risen up draft boards and could find himself firmly in Day 1 conversation come July.
OF Caleb Roberts - UNC
Roberts is another guy that enjoyed a rock solid start at the plate in 2021, though he’s more rapidly come back down to earth. At 6’1”, 195 pounds, he’s got a smaller and more wiry frame than what Justice Thompson has. There’s plenty of strength to be added to his frame.
The operation is a little more busy, with his hands moving quite a bit during his load. But, the swing is triggered with a subtle leg kick and he utilizes more of an all fields approach at the plate. He’s used the opposite field gap on a few occasions, notably against James Madison where he laced a triple to the wall. He’s got some pop to his game, but it’s primarily to the pull-side at the present time. Four of his five home runs this year have been to right field, but he’ll likely begin to grow more into his power with added strength.
In the field, he’ll likely be limited to a corner outfield position. In each game I’ve seen Roberts, he’s been deployed in right field. He originally got to campus as a catcher and infielder, where he had a decent arm behind the plate and it’ll help him in the outfield. He’s an average runner and picks and chooses his times to be a basepath threat. He can be streaky at the plate, so that’ll be something to watch as the year progresses.
RHP Mack Anglin - Clemson
Anglin has been a bright spot for Clemson in a year that has not gone to plan for the Tigers. He’s got a large, lanky frame at 6’4”, 220 pounds with projection left. He’s got long limbs and a high waist. Primarily a starter last year, Anglin has been used more out of the bullpen in 2021.
Anglin’s delivery brings about reliever risk. There’s some effort there and the arm action is rather lengthy and he tends to fly open early, which has led to some command issues. However, he’s got big stuff in his repertoire. His arsenal consists of high spin, with his breaking balls consistently breaking 3,000 RPM’s. The fastball sat 94-96 and topped out at 97 against UNC with good run and rise. His calling card has been a devastating curveball in the 81-84 MPH range and he went to it a lot, landing it for strikes and showcasing great feel for the pitch. To round out the arsenal, he went to a slider as his putaway pitch, with tight spin in the 86-88 MPH range. Four of his five strikeouts in this outing came on the slider and he garnered nine swings and misses across 3.2 perfect innings of relief. He commanded all three pitches well during the outing.
It’ll be interesting to see how teams handle Anglin as we get closer to the draft. He has been given a chance to start, which he did in his last outing, laboring through three innings against an aggressive Virginia Tech squad, allowing six hits, a HBP, and a run, though he struck out six and walked none. If a team feels that he can start at the next level, he’ll likely go pretty early, though the reliever risk he carries may hamper him in that regard.
C Luca Tresh - NC State
NC State seems to have created a good catching pipeline over the past few years. 2016 had Andrew Knizner, 2020 had Patrick Bailey, and now, in 2021, you’ve got Luca Tresh. While he’s no Patty Barrels, but he’s proven to be a worthwhile replacement for NC State as he has flown up draft boards with a torrid start to the spring.
At 6’0”, 193 pounds, Tresh certainly has the body of a catcher. He’s still got projection to his strong frame and he has shown the skills to stay behind the plate in the future. Speaking of his torrid start at the plate, Tresh began the year with a seven game stretch where he cranked seven home runs, and unfortunately, the one game in that stretch that I saw him, he did not go yard. Rough timing, I know.
Jokes aside, Tresh has plenty of raw pop in his bat, particularly to the pull-side. His operation features a wide stance and the load features a bat twirl that helps get the barrel into a loaded position. He generates plenty of bat speed, thanks in part to his exceptional separation of his hips and shoulders. He’ll try and hit to all fields, especially with two strikes, though he’s got some swing and miss to his game. He struggles with off-speed, particularly with trying to go to the opposite field. The approach is that of a hitter who feasts off fastballs. It’s something that’ll need to be worked on as the season goes on.
Behind the plate, there’s some ironing out to be done. His blocking, while it has gotten a bit better as the year has gone on, has been a bit rough and the receiving could use some work, too. However, he’s got good footwork back there and has consistently shown off pop times under 2.00. Not to mention, he’s got a cannon of an arm. Scouts are pretty confident that Tresh has what it takes to stay behind the plate.
LHP Brant Hurter - Georgia Tech
A southpaw with Georgia Tech, Hurter is making his return from Tommy John surgery in 2019 and has shown glimpses of brilliance as their Friday night guy. He’s got an extra large frame at 6’6”, just a tick over 250 pounds with long limbs and a high waist. It’s a funky delivery and a weird angle for hitters, with deception from a three-quarters arm slot, though there’s effort involved.
Against NC State, arguably one of the better lineups in college baseball, he stymied the Pack with a three pitch arsenal, only allowing two hits and striking out six across six brilliant innings. First comes the fastball, a low-90’s heater with a tough angle to the plate with sink to it. He pounded the strike zone with the pitch and used it to set up the slider throughout the outing. The aforementioned slider is a deadly pitch, with plenty of devastating sweep in the low-80’s that he used to get left-handers to chase out of the zone and located well. The change-up is in the same velocity band as the slider, with fade and sink, though it was inconsistent at times.
Hurter has the stuff to be selected in the top five rounds come July, though he brings quite a bit of reliever risk with him. He’s proven his worth as a starter this year, though the inconsistencies of his change-up and the aforementioned effort in his delivery raise some questions. If he becomes a reliever, he’s got the fastball/slider combination and funky angle to make it a tough at-bat.
SS Danny Serretti - UNC
If there was anyone who wanted a mulligan to his start of the season, Serretti would be atop that list. By March 6th, Serretti had been hitting a paltry .061 and had ten strikeouts to his name. Since then, he’s gotten back on track, displaying a more efficient game at the plate.
At 6’1”, 195 pounds, Serretti has added some strength to a wiry frame. He’s a switch-hitting shortstop who does not necessarily have a standout tool, but he’s certainly displayed more pop at the plate this year. He’s got a narrow stance from both sides of the plate, a simple leg kick triggers the operation and the hands are not noisy during the load. He uses all fields from both sides of the plate, though his power is mainly pull-side. He has shown off some opposite field pop, but it has mainly been of the warning track variety.
He’s a solid defender at shortstop too, with a good arm and decent range, but his speed will more than likely push him elsewhere. He’s never a big threat to steal bases due to below-to-fringe average speed. Where he goes will be based on his performance, as no one tool stands out.
C Henry Davis - Louisville
In a draft year where college bats have stumbled out of the gate, Davis has pounced on that opportunity and made a big leap up our board and looks the part of a top ten pick in July. He’s got a strong, bulky frame at 6’2”, 210 pounds and there’s little question that he’s staying behind the plate at the next level.
He employs a wide base at the plate, with the operation triggered by a moderate leg kick and he generates a ton of power with tons of bat speed and a great lead leg block at foot plant. The swing is short and compact, getting to the ball quick. Much like Tresh, the bat gets into a loaded position thanks to a subtle bat twirl. It’s an all-fields approach for Davis and he’s displayed plenty of power this year, with exit velocities consistently exceeding triple digits on line drives. He’ll likely need some work on handling breaking pitches, but other than that, it’s a well-balanced bat at the plate.
Defensively, it’ll be tough to find as much of a lock to stay behind the plate as Davis. He’s a very athletic backstop with good mobility and a very strong arm. Just how strong? To quote Brian Sakowski from Perfect Game, “that’s a (expletive) howitzer.” In the game I saw of him behind the plate, he recorded a 1.86 pop time and threw out the runner with ease. Catchers like that don’t grow on trees. Just for reference, the best average pop time in the majors from 2019 was a 1.89 from J.T. Realmuto. He’s a good blocker and receiver, as well. The speed is there presently, though with how demanding of a position he plays, that’ll diminish as he gets older. All signs point to him going in the top half of the first round come July.
SS Jose Torres - NC State
Much like Serretti, Torres found himself in a season-opening slump. He got off to a later start, mainly because of an oblique injury that kept him out through the opening weekend of ACC play. At 6’0”, 171 pounds, Torres is a small, wiry specimen with plenty of projection remaining and he happens to be one of the best defensive prospects in this class.
Thanks to a COVID-shortened 2020, Torres’ track record of hitting is not lengthy, though he hit well during his freshman year. It’s a moderately wide stance from the right side of the plate, triggered by a slight leg kick. He’s used all fields at the plate, hitting well off lefties for power too. The pop is primarily to the pull-side, but he’ll use the opposite field when necessary. However, the approach will need some refinement. He does not work many counts and rarely walks, though he has cut down on strikeouts a bit. It’s aggressive and will be something that will hamper Torres in the future.
The aforementioned defense is what truly stands out for Torres. He’s a smooth defender at shortstop, with great hands and good footwork and range in the field. He’s got a strong, accurate arm and most scouts believe he will stick at the position long term. He’s made the routine grounders look easy and he did show off a quick pick and throw to gun Henry Davis. If he can get back on track and hit, he could vault himself into a potential Day 1 pick.
3B Alex Binelas - Louisville
Binelas has been on the struggle bus this year, to say the least. For much of the year, he’s been either under or hovering around the Mendoza Line and has struggled to tap into much of his power. But, when Louisville traveled to Raleigh, something started to click with Binelas and I’m hoping this is the start of a turnaround for him.
Binelas has a strong, mature frame at 6’3”, 225 pounds and has projection to his body. The Wisconsin native had an outright dominant year at the plate in 2019, but missed a majority of a shortened 2020 due to a hamate injury. He’s got a square stance at the box from the left side, with a relatively easy operation with a moderate leg kick and quiet load in his swing. It’s a very powerful swing, with exit velocities getting up to 110 MPH at times. His home run against NC State came off the bat at 109 MPH and was an absolute no-doubter. However, he’s still got plenty of swing and miss to his game, which has been noteworthy this year in his struggles. He’ll have to limit the strikeouts and draw more walks as the season goes on.
In the field, he was playing at first base only in my live looks. He’s primarily been a third baseman in his tenure at Louisville, but first base has been his secondary position. For his size, he does move well over there and has good footwork, as well as a good arm, despite an awkward throwing motion. He’ll likely hop back and forth between third and first defensively this year, as scouts have questioned whether Binelas can stay at the hot corner.
2022 Class
C Kevin Parada - Georgia Tech
Thanks to a shortened draft last summer, plenty of highly touted prep prospects walked onto campus in the fall and have made instant impacts. Parada is one of them. He’s been one of the more successful freshmen in all of college baseball and he could find himself getting a nice payday atop a loaded 2022 draft class.
Parada is a 6’1”, 197 pound athletic specimen with a strong frame and plenty of projection to come. For a 19 year old, he’s got a mature approach at the plate and sprays the ball to all fields. He’s got a wide stance at the plate and he has a fluid load and generates a lot of bat speed. There’s some decent separation in his operation and it’s all triggered by a moderate leg kick. Pre-swing is unique, as his lead elbow waggles in front of his face, which sets his hands high prior to loading up. He’s got some decent pop in his bat as well, which he utilizes to all fields.
Defensively, he can be a little stiff behind home plate, but moves adequately and shows good blocking and receiving skills. He’s got a strong, accurate arm and has produced above-average pop times, as well. It’s likely he will stay behind home plate at the next level. He’s not the fastest runner you will come across, and it won’t get any better for him. But, he’s an exciting 2022 prospect with aspirations of being a first rounder.
OF Dylan Brewer - Clemson
Clemson has plenty of studs in their lineup and Dylan Brewer is one of the better underclassmen in the country. It’s a slender build at 6’2”, 180 pounds with plenty of projection to his frame, with long limbs and a high waist. He was a bright spot for the Tigers in the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign, hitting .245/.413/.408 with more walks than strikeouts.
In 2021, he’s had his struggles, though he’s got plenty of potential in his bat. He employs a moderately wide stance from the left side with his hands set high by his ears. Everything is triggered by a subtle leg kick and the load and swing are fluid. He generates great separation between his hips and shoulders and generates good bat speed. He’ll use all fields and had showcased good power to his pull-side against Max Alba, reaching the field hockey stadium beyond right field at Boshamer Stadium with ease. However, he has some swing and miss concerns, though he walks at a great clip. It’ll be interesting to see how he’ll hit against college pitching, especially in the ACC.
He could use some work defensively, though. He manned right field against UNC and that’s likely where he will end up at the next level. He will need to work on his reads and his throws, though time is on his side with that regard. He does have some speed to him, though not enough that he will be a dangerous threat on the basepaths. He will be older for the 2022 draft class (he misses the cut for the 2021 draft by a couple of weeks,) but he could find himself going relatively high in 2022.
2023 Class
1B Caden Grice - Clemson
It’s hard to believe that an 18-year-old has hit exit velocities exceeding 110 MPH, but alas, here we are. Like Parada, he’s one of many talented prep players from the 2020 class that reached campus, but none have the kind of power that Grice has. At 6’6”, 240 pounds, he’s a mammoth of a human with plenty of projection remaining to his freakishly strong frame.
It’s a wide stance at the plate for Grice from the left side, with his hands set high. Everything is triggered by a very subtle up and out leg kick and he squats down into his back leg exceptionally well. When he makes contact, everything is loud. He’s got serious power to all fields and the ball rockets off his bat. Against Austin Love, he torched a 93 MPH fastball off the batter's eye in center field at 113.5 MPH. That is 70 grade power, my friends. Of course, with that kind of power comes the strikeouts. He struggles against breaking balls, especially low and away. He will need to limit the strikeouts if he wants to get more into that exceptional power.
He is limited to first base defensively. For his size, he’s athletic and moves well, though his footwork can get a bit sketchy. He’s got a strong arm, as well. He won’t be a threat on the basepaths, which is to be expected for a kid of his stature. This kid has a bright future ahead and it’ll be interesting to watch how he evolves as a hitter at the plate.