D1 college baseball season has finally begun. It’s that time of the year where college squads flee from the hostile environment up north in to Florida in hopes for some warm weather and sunshine. They got just that as we have live looks from the UConn and Lousville series as well as a look at top draft prospect Kyle Brnovich at Elon.
Live Looks
Logan Wyatt, 1B - University of Louisville
Tall, strong first basemen’s build. Hitting approach is very reminiscent of Brendan McKay. Extremely disciplined hitter. Recognizes spin well and spits on pitches. Relaxed hands and set up. Easy plus raw power and good loft in swing. Looking for him to become more aggressive in order to tap into more game power. Look to go in top two rounds in June.
Tyler Fitzgerald, SS - University of Louisville
Tall, lean, athletic build. Room for more strength and future power. Wide base with high hands. Small stride and minimal hand load. Picks up spin well and jumps on breaking balls. Turns on inside pitches. Really like the simple swing, which is more line-drive oriented right now. Did show power, taking a ball to 400+ feet to right-center. Plus runner.
Reid Detmers, LHP - University of Louisville
Repeats delivery. Some present effort. Showed iffy command with heater that was 90-92 with good run and life. Likes to elevate the fastball on two strikes. Advanced secondaries. Commanded both curve and change better than the fastball. Curve is his go-to and a plus pitch with good depth, 12-6 shape, and tight spin at 75-77. Changeup regularly showed plus with good movement in the low 80’s. Repeated arm speed on all three pitches. Moderate head movement. Big arm for the 2020 draft.
Kyle Jacobsen, OF - Hillsborough Community College
Athletic frame with room for physical projection and strength. Easy plus runner. Sound swing mechanics with good rhythm. Possesses very loose, quick wrists. Plus bat speed. Ball jumps off the bat. Great athlete. Want to see more.
Kyle Brnovich, RHP - Elon
Slender frame, high waist with long legs. Should add some more weight but limited body projection left. Short stride with a short, fast arm action. Threw three pitches. His fastball sat 88-92 mph. Mostly straight but changes eye level and extends the plate inside to both RH/LH hitters. Flashed plus curveball with slurvy feel. Generates consistent weak contact. Throws it with confidence in hitter’s counts. Curve velocity at 74-80 mph. Mainly used fastball/curveball sequencing but also threw a few change-ups that flashed good depth, including a few inside to righties. - Tobias Woodell
Adam Elliott, LHP - University of Louisville
Short, medium build. Fastball sat 89-91 with run. Delivery is awkward and stiff. Slot is straight over the top. Possesses some deceptiveness with delivery, rocking back and hiding the ball . Showed slider that was inconsistent at 78-81.
Anthony Prato, SS - University of Connecticut
Short, stocky build. Patient hitter with good approach. Open base with hands that start by ear. Plus bat speed. Gets hands inside and turns on inside pitches well. Short swing that constantly barreled up balls for hard contact both days I saw him. Surprising pop. Battles and constantly fights on two strikes. Tough to strikeout.
Colton Gordon, LHP - Hillsborough Community College
Tall, strong frame. Arm swing and low 3/4 slot. Repeated delivery and arm slot well. Worked heavy fastball-slider mix. Fastball sat high 80’s with good run. Commanded fastball that he worked in and out on batters. Not afraid to work in. Had good command of a plus sweeping sliding that was high 70’s. Also threw a change at 77-78. Good present pitchability and movement. Interesting arm with an uptick in velocity.
Jakob Barker, RHP - Seminole State College
Intriguing JUCO arm. Low-effort delivery. Falls off to first base side. Gets to balance point well. Worked fastball at 89-93 with good life. Needs work on command. Fastball is deadly when running to outside corner on lefties. Curve in the low 70’s showed good depth at times. Threw sharp slider in low 80’s with hard bite two plane movement.
Justin Lavey, 3B - University of Louisville
Solid build. Medium base with little movement in hands prior to swing. Could use some more rhythm. Ends swings off balance. Steps in the bucket which results in approach being pull-heavy. Aggressive hitter that is susceptible to chasing pitches. Plus bat speed.
Jacob Wallace, RHP - University of Connecticut
Intense competitor with closer mentality. Plus arm speed. Fastball explodes out of hand at 94-96 with run. Showed sharp slider in mid-80’s. Long arm swing and 3/4 slot. Lands on front leg stiffly and doesn’t have much bend in back. Closer potential.
Nick Bennett, LHP - University of Louisville
Tall, 6’4” frame with projection. Delivery is a bit jerky. Rotates hips delivery early and steps slightly open. Good four pitch mix. Fastball sat 90-92, touching 93. Heater is deadly low in the zone with heavy sink and downward plane. Flashed above-average curve at 74-76 and an average slider. Change flashed 55 as well. All four pitches project to be at least average. Potential back end starter type.
Jack Perkins, RHP - University of Louisville
Freshman fireballer. Athletic build with strength in legs. Sat 94-96 in short look. Effortless cheddar. Premium arm speed. Also showed a hard curve at 83-85. Struggled with command in look. Keeps head straight on target. Simple, repeatable delivery. Could implement more of a back leg drive to use legs more effectively. Definitely an arm to keep an eye on as he develops.