September 10, 2019
CJ Butts
North Florida Scouting Director
Next Level Baseball held their 2019 Fall Tryouts on Saturday, August 24 at Lincoln High School in Tallahassee, FL. PBR Florida was in attendance for coverage of this event. Many players stood out defensively and offensively, as well as on the mound. Today, we take a look at some of the standouts from Next Level Baseball’s Fall Tryouts.
Standouts
Griffin Usher C / OF / Paxton, FL / 2020Uncommitted, flashed some athleticism behind the plate. He has quiet feet and a quick arm that is accurate when he stays sure of himself and shows potential at the position with pop times between 2.0-2.2. During batting practice, Usher displays body control from the right side as he gets in his back side with a rhythmic weight transfer and lands soft on the front foot. This ensures he stays balanced and gets the hands out front in the hitting zone with consistency. |
Colton Ryals 2B / SS / Blountstown, FL / 2021Rankings StateRank: 174 / POS: 5 Uncommitted, he looks to be putting on muscle to a somewhat undersized frame. The rising junior displayed the strength and speed as he ran a sub-7 60 at 6.95 and showed off an above average arm across the infield. While fielding he keeps his feet moving and stays low to the ball with a smooth transition from fielding the ball to throwing it across. At the plate Ryals uses a simple stride and lets the ball get deep. He fires the hips well and gets extension that will create backspin and produce more line drives. |
Jayden Burns 3B / RHP / Lincoln, FL / 2021Rankings StateRank: 173 / POS: 19 Uncommitted, he might have had the best day of anyone. His filled out frame leads one to believe he plays football too as he looks like he lives in the weight room. Burns put on a display using the entire field. From the outfield he showed off the arm that will get more accurate if he decides to stay there. He showed off his range in the infield and was able to get to balls using his feet well, always staying calm. At the plate, Burns flashed a violent bat with fast-twitch hands that play anywhere in high school and barreled enough balls with consistency to project more contact as he gets older. On the mound Burns showed a 3-pitch arsenal, (FB, CB, CH). He had a command of each pitch in his bullpen session and has some late bite to a sharp breaking ball. The fastball and change-up play off each with similar arm speed making it difficult to pick up at times. |
Tyler Lee RHP / SS / Bozeman, FL / 2021Uncommitted, really impressed on the mound. Lee has clean actions in the field with body control and really looks the part on the mound. He has a simple, repeatable delivery with normal effort and it seems like he could pitch all day long. The fastball comes out quick with some sneaky zip to it. He also keeps it at the bottom of the zone with consistency as he does with a change-up and breaking ball that he throws for strikes. Lee filled up the zone and his accuracy really stood out as the pitchability has a chance to really take off for him. |
Cade Johnston 1B / 3B / Niceville, FL / 2020Uncommitted, really showed promise at the plate. Johnston has an overall solid day but he was oozing confidence during his BP session. Using his physical frame well, Johnston stays quiet in a short load and fires the hands with little resistance through the ball. He has shown a mature approach with the hands as he maximizes speed and strength by staying balanced and keeping them in the same slot each time he loads. |
Christian Lasecki C / SS / Mosley, FL / 2020Uncommitted, long wiry frame. Behind the plate, Lasecki displays some sneaky quick feet which will help him in the long term development of the position, and a fast arm. Whenever he stays within himself it is short and quick with a consistent throw to second and a pop time between 2-2.1. On the mound, Lasecki utilized that fast arm action well. Using his body for torque, Lasecki gets tilt on the weight transfer, helping his arm come through with less resistance and a quicker release. He gets extension, keeping him on line and more consistent. |
Chris Mobley LHP / OF / Camden, GA / 2020Uncommitted, lefty, uses his strong, stocky frame well on the mound and at the plate. On the mound he utilizes the lower half as he gives a drop and drive action with the back leg. He also keeps the shoulder closed and stays on line, preventing himself from flying open. He has natural arm side run that he seems to use as a sinker type pitch at times and also a sweeping breaking ball that runs across the plate to counter the fastball. At the plate, Mobley got in a wide stance and used a short trigger for a leg kick to keep his rhythm and timing with his hands. The strength was on display as he pulled more than a couple balls over the right field wall for an impressive showing. |
Upcoming Events
Showcase | State | Date | Location |
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