UCLA visited Long Beach State in what turned out to be a wild matchup between the two ball clubs. The most notable of UCLA’s 2023 draft prospects were out of this one, but Cody Schrier made up for that. Long Beach State has a couple of names for this upcoming draft to watch, and both of them showed out during this weekday matchup.
C Connor Burns, Long Beach State:
Burns was the star of the night for the Dirtbags on both sides of the ball. He is most known for his catching skills, but the bat impressed tonight too. The strides he’s made at the plate this year have been notable and he has been tapping into his raw power a bit more as a result. He ended the night with three hits, including two doubles.
The bat to ball skills have been a knock on him in the past, but Burns seems to have improved there. He was patient at the plate and looked comfortable. His body control at the plate is impressive (which is no surprise watching him behind the plate), and he uses that balance to get to the ball quickly. The leg kick he had was well timed all night and he let his smooth stroke do the rest.
Despite the impressive night at the plate, I was still most impressed with his work behind it. He threw out a plus runner in Schrier on the bases, got out of his stance to catch a fly ball despite some miscommunication that made it a tough one for him, and also bounced out of his stance to field a dribbler and fire it to first. You name it and he probably did it. Burns was not perfect at blocking balls in the dirt, but he moves well enough for me to not worry about that being an issue. The arm strength is plus and the receiving skills are right there too. One of the biggest standouts about his defense was his communication behind it. He was truly guiding his pitchers through every pitch and giving them feedback constantly. The leadership traits he showed were something you look for in a catcher.
A plus defender behind the plate will always be one of my favorites, and Burns is just that. If he improves with both the hit tool and continues to tap into his power a bit more, he will continue to rise up draft boards this season and be the kind of player every organization covets.
SS Cody Schrier, UCLA:
It was apparent to me why Schrier was thought so highly of coming out of high school and why he will be one of the top names in next year's draft cycle quickly. He didn’t get much action during the game on the dirt in this one, but he showed impressive skills at short during warmups. He does not have a ton of size to him, but Schrier is a bouncy athlete with plus lateral range and soft hands that were impressive. The arm strength was above average and the accuracy was there too. He has all he needs to stick at short going forward.
Schrier finished the night with two singles at the plate and had at least one hard out on top of that. He uses a short stride and his hands fly to the ball super quickly. Feels very hitter-ish at the plate and the hit tool may be a 60 based on what I saw last night. I didn’t get a chance to see any power production for him, but the resume of offensive production speaks for itself when it comes to Schrier. I have some questions about how much raw power he really has in that swing and within that body, but his game is well-rounded without it and he has plenty of time to flash some power. This is the type of all-around player that draws eyes and I’m looking forward to seeing a lot more of him over the next year or so.
2B Eddie Saldivar, Long Beach State:
Saldivar is as pure of a hitter as it gets and he showed it last night, ending up with a double and two singles. He has a short and compact swing that makes frequent contact. He is extremely comfortable at the plate and is able to go to both sides of the field with the ball.
His approach at the plate is a patient one with above average instincts. Saldivar may not have the size to give him some power projection going forward, but the hit tool is so impressive that he should be taken seriously as a hitter. With the glove, Saldivar flashed some really sound hands that can be relied on. He made one play during warmups where he ranged to his right and made an off-balance throw from behind the second base bag to first that showed a little more arm strength than you would think when you see a player with his size. The IQ helps him at the plate and it helps him at second base too, where he should be an above average defender. Saldivar is the kind of table setter on offense and an all around sound ballplayer that's hard not to believe in despite his small figure putting a ceiling on him at the plate.