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Seismic Shift in the 2025 Draft Class
17 Plays21 days ago
Prep Baseball NC Podcast are back. Lots of draft talk in this episode with a look at one big move that could shake up the 2025 class.
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Transcript
Podcast Relaunch and Scheduling Challenges
00:00:31
Speaker
Hey there baseball fans and welcome to another prep baseball in North Carolina podcast. It's been a while since we've seen you. I'm Brandon Hall, the North Carolina director of scouting and the Midland director of scouting as well. With this we got our East Coast of West Coast scouting directors for North Carolina, Zach Barosky and Patrick Johnson. General, we talk all the time. We see each other all the time, but it's been a while since we've done this. It's going to be back going to be a great 2025. Yeah, completely agree. Gonna gonna be a good year. Gonna get some podcasts going.
00:00:59
Speaker
um this year and looking forward to it. Yeah, I think it's going to be something we're going to add a lot more trying to find a weekly or every two week podcast for everybody. Just kind of keep us all updated. I think it's going to be a lot of fun. We kind of look forward to being able to you guys see us and we see you guys a little bit more that we kind of recognize our faces when we get out and about. So you kind of know who we are.
00:01:22
Speaker
it's It's always exciting when we get a chance to do these and and and kind of expand in the different ways that we know what we're seeing, what we're talking about. Obviously, none of us are professional writers. We do a lot of blogging, a lot of things of that sort, but it's just another way for us to get information out. We're going to try to set a day and a time and this is when it's going to drop and it's going to be out each week. That may be a little tough with our schedules at times, but obviously trying to get out and see games, you know see players. We've got events going on. We all three of us have lives outside of this that we'd like to tend to here and there. So we're going to do our best, but we're back. We're excited and we're going to jump right into it because across North Carolina, we've already got some news with the 2025 class, the 2026 class.
2025 NC Baseball Class and Player Potential
00:02:03
Speaker
and it's our surrounding draft buzz. The 25 class got deeper. We're going to jump into that a little bit later. um But one of the things that we've got coming up, well, let's start with this. Is this the deepest class that we've seen in North Carolina in our 10 years? It's been roughly 10 years. We're closing in on it. It's 7-8 since we've been here in North Carolina running prep baseball report, now prep baseball.
00:02:24
Speaker
Is this the deepest class we've seen? you know I'll start with you, Zach, just in terms of how deep is this class, and then you know can you compare it to some other draft class you've kind of followed? I think it's got a chance. um Obviously some of the earlier draft classes had a different draft model. um So the draft model is kind of going to change a little bit of deepness to it. um I think this class has got a chance to have a bunch of guys go early. um What we've seen lately is there's a couple of helium guys starting to kind of blow up, starting to post some numbers that people are going to have to go in and see. um I'm going to stick to the 22 class as of right now um with Xavier Isaacs and Clifford.
00:03:04
Speaker
And those guys I think they've had nine total guys so far make it at least pro ball affiliated signed undrafted free agent So I'm gonna stick to the 22 class um just because they had some of the bangers up top um I do think this class might be a little bit deeper in terms of how how far like some of the elite arms and how far some of the hitters are so if you look at the whole class as a whole and You know, you got some guys ranked 75 to 100 that are going to a legitimate major college. And I think that's kind of part of the thing that's changing with it. When when you look at that 22 class and and trying to track kind of how those guys are doing, we we've seen a couple of guys already starting to kind of climb their way up. Let's fast forward that to the 25 class. Are there guys in this class where you you look at know Xavier Isaacs was a little bit of an unknown
00:03:54
Speaker
because of an injury issue. He missed a lot of his junior year and his junior, you know, that big summer that ramp up into the senior year. And, you know, some of the na level area guys doing, they did a great job on him. Some of the national guys, the cross checkers, the scouting director, some of the guys are pulling the trigger really early, really had to work to get to knowing. um This class has some of that, and we're going to get some of those guys. But there's also guys at the top of the list that guys really know. And and so do you see a chance for those guys to kind of make that quick ascension through the Miners Act?
00:04:25
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, you know, you got, you know, Hammond and James at the top and I mean, they've both been on the circuit forever. They are elite talents. So I do think they got a chance to kind of move fast. I mean, they are very polished for a high school kid, which is something you can't say very often. I do think the guy that's going to get that Xavier Isaac's helium is CJ Gray. um You know, another guy that not everybody has seen. We all know it. We all know he's talented.
00:04:51
Speaker
We just got to see it. So I think you got the two guys up top that are polished. And I think you got a guy right behind him in CJ Gray that could be 94 to 97 and the whole world's coming in to see him in a hurry.
00:05:03
Speaker
And Patrick, as we look ahead to these guys, you know one of the things they're going to have to navigate is that decision, you know high school versus college. And you were a high end prospect. I don't know that you had the helium in high school to say, OK, what kind of decision
College vs. Professional Baseball: Decision Making
00:05:16
Speaker
am I making? and Is that big a deal? But you you did see firsthand what happens to guys that choose college. um And then you've got a chance in pro ball to kind of see some guys go through that. What are some of the things these guys are going to be dealing with?
00:05:28
Speaker
you know If they choose to go to college route, if they choose to go to professional route, and did you see things that kind of help these guys um with that decision making? Were there are other areas to kind of consider is are as they're looking forward and looking to what their future path may be? Yeah, I mean, I think like Zach said, I mean, there's there's guys on the list at the top that have a chance to go through quickly. They got that high end talent and then there's also guys on the list that you know, mind it up in college and then you know they they progress and they got the chance to to play pro ball and then move up as well. But you know like you said, for me, I wasn't really a huge draft prospect when I went went ah out of high school in 2007, which was a pretty tough class with Bumgarner and those guys. um But college for me was awesome, went to North Carolina. So everything was top end. And then you know I went to pro ball, had to make the adjustment. I mean, I think for some of these guys, it's going to be you know what what
00:06:26
Speaker
what's going to change our life more, especially with the way thing is with the way things are in college now. And it's completely different than when I went through it. But they're going to have some decisions to make. I mean, ah I think that it's going to be fun to watch and see what they end up doing. But you know it's going to be life changing for some of these guys either way.
00:06:46
Speaker
From a college perspective, you know looking at how those prospects affect the high school draft. Obviously, we've seen the draft really trend towards older players, more data. you know The more it bats, the more things that we have on track, man, the more information we have on these guys, there's more comfort in paying those guys money. There's risk with high school players. We've also seen teams that have excelled at high school evaluations take steps forward and get ahead of what their payrolls may have a chance to be because they have more talent a better talent pool to pull from and distribute as they're trying to make runs late in the year. So we'll start with Zach, and you're looking at some of the college prospects. I know we haven't dove into those completely yet, but you have a little bit of a feel. It seems to be down in this region, North Carolina, South Carolina, of Virginia, compared to years past. The high school talent seems to be up.
00:07:37
Speaker
as you're as you're talking to your scouting buddies and the scouting community, how are they going to attack this spring in trying to evaluate this vast region that we do cover? Yeah, I mean, the benefit is there's immense talent around. I mean, you got the whole ACC and the SEC and South Carolina down there. So you get to see everybody. um Last year was such a high level class that it's kind of hard because everything's going to take a step back from last year. um You know, and you got multiple, I think three or four first rounders out of the Carolinas. Like it's just hard. It's hard to be able to have that every year. So basically now is kind of,
00:08:12
Speaker
There's a lot more notes. There's a lot more going into double check and triple check before it was kind of like, Oh, we know this guy's good. Let's send in the next guy to make sure like we want to be here with him. And now is we're sending in a set of eyes. We might send in a second set of eyes just to make sure that we kind of see the same things that the dad is matching. You know, sometimes we might see a guy 92 96 and we're like, Oh, this guy's really good. And then so and one of our other guys goes in and sees them 90 92. So now it's going to be a little bit more of,
00:08:42
Speaker
you know, I won't say note taking, but just kind of fact checking yourselves, making sure you trust your, you you know, analysis on the guys. It's going to be a little bit more of checking behind to make sure that these guys are there and making sure we have a broader ah set of names just because somebody might pop up on the fly. So you're going to have to kind of go and see a couple of midweek games in case a bullpen arm jumps up or so something like that.
00:09:04
Speaker
Hey, do you think like with ah all the changes and stuff in college you think now i mean it makes it harder on these college coaches because you think it's more of like a play now attitude when these guys get there instead of like develop guys with all the changes?
Impact of College Baseball Changes on Player Development
00:09:19
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, I think with me and you went to school, um, you know, there was guys that just got taken to red shirt and develop. Like you had the six, six guy that was maybe 87 that was getting developed at a division one school with all their nutrition and stuff. And I think now it's a little bit different. And I mean, like, as you know, the older you are, the harder it is to get drafted. Like one of our things when we were working with angels and stuff is like.
00:09:39
Speaker
You know, guys are 24 and 25 or releasing guys at 24 and 25. So yeah, they're helping you win a whole lot of games in college. But going to pro ball aspect of it, them being older sometimes hurts. And so that's kind of where you got that double edged sword of winning. And you might be able, you know, you're not really as developing as much as you're getting a guy that's already proven and can do it right then on the spot.
00:10:00
Speaker
Man, I was 23 in short season. Come on, easy with that now. We're seeing infield average 23 now. Yeah, I was. I was 28 in AA and I was the oldest by a lot. Well, there's a lot of that talk you're seeing the the number of guys are just pure unbridled talent. The number of guys touching 96 number guys bumping 99. The ability kind of I don't know if you're never going to develop really true secondary stuff or a third pitch, but we can give you the big leagues in the year and a half you know He can be there for a year and a half and then we got the next guy coming. And so I think there's some of that being at play too. you know And the college coaches are having to deal with the NIL and transfer portal. So yes, they need to play early because it's having an effect on what those guys are making. And if they don't play, then they're gonna lose them. And so there is some development and it's a tricky it's a tricky situation. If you go into pro ball, you have a little bit more time to develop it.
Data's Role in Baseball Development
00:10:54
Speaker
in terms of, hey, we're going to stick you here. But it's not as much time as we had three years ago because we're we're lacking one to two levels. yeah you know And now they're talking about maybe maybe we just go to Hayek. One of the things that we're seeing with data and one of the things that teams are are experiencing is they don't feel like the lower levels are giving them accurate data reads. The dispersion of velocity of stuff, of exit velocity, of launching, it's too big. As players get older, that dispersion starts to kind of come. And this tells you who the player is.
00:11:24
Speaker
yeah What some of the data people are seeing, though, is they're kind of saying, you know, that dispersion is because of the league and because of the people they're playing against. Guys aren't throwing the same number of strikes. I think it's age. But the data people are winning a lot of battles right now. And we're, you know, if they're not getting the information they need out of ABLE, they'll get rid of ABLE. They've already done it.
00:11:47
Speaker
And so I think it'll be interesting to see where that happens and and how that affects these guys. Because we're seeing it with with college football. Guys can shun the NFL for a year because they're going to make $4 million. dollars We're not there in baseball, but we are at the point where if a team comes in and says, hey, here's $500,000. There are teams ponying up. Hey, here's $450 plus school. And we're going to give it to you for three years. They're going to give it to you once.
00:12:14
Speaker
You know, so there's some ways now college coaches have a chance to to fight against that. It's just it's just a tricky battle continuing down that line too. So right yeah, like I think that's they're going to have to look at that when they go into draft day.
MLB vs. College Offers: A New Competition?
00:12:27
Speaker
I mean, what's going to be the better situation for him? There's the way it seems better for them.
00:12:32
Speaker
I don't think it's ever going to be the elite guy. Like I think the signing bonuses usually will win out on the elite guy, but I think it's that next tier, you know, where school will give you a hundred, 125,000 when, and then, you know, the major leagues teams are looking at you for 300, 350, you know, that over three years you kind of get it. You get to experience college, you know, like college is fun. Like like it's a different atmosphere than, you know, pro ball life. So like.
00:12:56
Speaker
I think that's the thing that's going to change the most is it's not going to really affect elite guys. I mean, there might be one here and there, but I think it's that next tier, the guys that are in that like three to 500,000 sign up bonus range, maybe six. You get a couple of them schools that, you know, want to pony up and make sure you get on campus like they can make that pretty close over a four year span for you.
00:13:17
Speaker
Let's dive into some of the guys that we're talking about here in North Carolina.
Super 60 Event and Notable Players
00:13:21
Speaker
And the biggest national and probably, yeah I would bet to say world now that we're into Taiwan and we're into Asia. But the biggest preseason draft event going is the Super 60. It's been held in Chicago since prep baseball started. It's a massive venue. It's a great venue. It draws scouts, it draws area guys, draws cross checkers. We've seen scouting directors, we've seen GMs in there.
00:13:43
Speaker
you know, and the roster that shooter and our national team have put together with the help of guys like us in the state, we've put together a great roster that roster is actually dropping tonight at seven p.m. and get a chance to see who are these guys and not just who are the top ranked guys because yeah, that's part of it. But also who are the guys that have healing? Who are the guys that pro scouts need to see?
00:14:02
Speaker
Um, North Carolina had a record breaking six guys invited, um, which is one of the, one of the kind of measurements I'm using to say, Hey, this is this class, the best class we've had in all classes. We've been here, but with six guys invited.
00:14:15
Speaker
At this point, we've got four that have decided to attend and we're going to start um with a two way player. Josh Hammond, number one player in our 2025 class. ah Team USA alum, great summer, two time prep baseball all American. um We profile a little bit more as a as a position player, but Patrick, let's start with you. I'm going to start with you on Josh and and kind of talking a little bit about his his pitching and I can jump in there too. As I've seen some of these at the all American game.
00:14:44
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, like you said, uh, profiling more is a, uh, as position player, but I mean, you just look at his talent from both sides and what he can do. And I mean, it's just, you know, it's tough to to say one way or the other at the moment, but I mean, I think he's going to excel, um, and whatever he chooses. Um, I know you've seen him more times than me. Um, yeah, I see you pulling the video up now.
00:15:11
Speaker
it's It's a powerful body. you know It's a quick alarm. and And he was with us as a as a rising eighth grader, a bump in 80-45. I mean, the velocity is kind of built over time. It didn't just show up. um it He throws enough strikes, but it's kind of a a control over command. It's fast ball slider. He does have a change of PS feel for. But you can see there's a little torque in the body. There's some unwinding there. But the ball is explosive out of hand. The fast ball has hop. The slider has depth. And then he's a really good athlete around the mound.
00:15:41
Speaker
And so he profiles, and he reminds me a little bit, and Zach, you're going to help me with the name, ah Oklahoma State Garner High School quarterback. Nolan McLean. Nolan McLean. Nolan had more pure raw power. I would put the athleticism up there with Nolan. Yeah, I got it. The ability to kind of do what he does, um I would kind of give the nod to Josh. If I can get off this video here, trying, we're efforting.
00:16:10
Speaker
oh male you can that was That's kind of what we're looking for. And and but we we do talk about it as a go ahead and talk. ah Zach, expand a little bit, you know, him versus Nolan's. I know you have a relationship with Nolan.
00:16:23
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, I got him closer to James Triano, the guy that the Cubs picked out of the second round of Virginia um infielder. You know, arm strength is always going to be there. You know, the benefit to Hammond, the spend race 3000, but I mean, I think he can hit and like, you're going to have to let this guy hit for as long as he can. um You know, roster crunches and stuff nowadays, like he's going to, he might actually two-way, like I'm not going to say he's not. um There's value in it because of, yeah, because of what they're doing. I'm talking about some on screen, but there's value because of what they're doing. with The major roster. Do you get a guy? He doesn't kind of get your pitching limitation in the postseason. So if you have a guy that's a dual, he's a long, long away from people making that decision on him, but you are seeing organizations kind of work through that and and figure out if that that makes sense.
00:17:06
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, it's it's extremely talented. Like, I mean, it's hard to find bats, like bats are, you know, the hardest thing to find. um You know, when you always had the fallback of, you know, 92-96 with a 3,000 spin, like, it's okay. Like, that's always the great fallback plan. um But I mean, it for him, I think he can two-way, or I think, you know, they're going to let him go as far as he can as a hitter, and then eventually, you know, we see where that gets to.
00:17:30
Speaker
He was our number two most viewed profile in 2024. Number one is gonna be released. I was released last night and one's gonna be released on Wednesday. So you can follow along with all our our social media channels and on the website to kind of figure out the top 25. We've done a countdown. We've gotten through number two. He was at number two and and well deserved. He's done enough. let's Let's talk a little bit about you know his prospect Zach as a hitter. yeah and Diving into that a little bit and I'll pull the video up so you can kind of watch that and walk us through a little bit of what you're seeing there.
00:18:03
Speaker
It'll take me a second because of my computer. There we go. We're still learning. Yeah, it's ah yeah it's new. It's new. There we go. So we'll skip through that. There's a swing right there. I mean, he's big and physical, which he always has. And it's plus, plus bat speed. And is you know it's simple. like the The benefit that he has is there's not a whole lot of moving parts. And if you're physical without a lot of moving parts, you got a chance to hit. And he's always hit. And he's always hit it hard. And the ball is leaving the yard. um you know i I mean, even right there, I mean, he's going to right center on balls. um you know He can close off a little bit. I think he'll kind of adjust that if he gets up at the pro ball.
00:18:41
Speaker
um You know, I mean, I think that's pretty much his only real negative is he can cut off a swing a little bit right there. But other than that, like, I mean, it's, you know, it's plus power is plus bad speed. He can hit. He's physical. He's going to stay in the middle of the diamond. And at worst comes the worst. You have a power hitting third baseman. There's a lot to like in a guy like that.
00:19:01
Speaker
yeah He'll be an interesting fall and we're excited to have him with the super 60. Another name that pops up for the super 60 is a little bit in that mold of of Xavier Isaacs. We talked about its ah a player that missed a lot of his junior season. A lot of his junior summer made it come back late in the summer of around the fall. But Everett Johnson goes by Rhett Johnson Eastern Carolina Academy was Wesleyan or wayne Wayne country day, big and now now Eastern Carolina Academy, um fast twitch, highly athletic, kind of a utility, shortt stop or not short stop, a second baseman, center fielder, probably profiles a little bit more in in the outfield. But the speed plays, the hand-eye coordination plays. Have you guys had a chance to see Rhett a whole lot? I know he was hurt as you guys kind of got more on board with us.
00:19:49
Speaker
I saw him at the the border battle when I was coaching the Mets, the scout team. you know It's an elite eye. Hand-eye coordination is off the charts. you know He's a table setter, top of the order guy. you know The benefit to him, if he can get the pro ball with the base stealing rules, he might steal 60, 70 bags pretty easily just to do a quickness in the amount of jumps he gets. um So I think you know he's got that. I mean, you can just watch him here. He's absolutely flying down the line.
00:20:18
Speaker
Not really sure where we got the home, the first all the time with him, but it's, it's elite, like he's an elite runner and he has enough power. You know, he's going to be a gap power guy. i might You know, I'm sure he'll be able to pull some balls, you know, Patrick, they all the minor league and major league balls go a little further than everything else. So, you know, he'll get a chance to pull some balls out to write, but I think, you know, he's a table setter, especially, you know, even a pro ball.
00:20:41
Speaker
And Patrick, we'll leave it on you for right now. Talk about those types of guys in pro level, maybe a little bit undersized. But there's their's strength levels not undersized. you know He's got a chance to drive baseball. He's not just peppering the ball over the shortstop's head and hoping to steal two bags. He's got a chance to drive baseballs. Does that profile play when you see all these guys around professional baseball that are 6-3, 215, were there guys that you played with that fit that profile?
00:21:06
Speaker
Yeah, absolutely. I mean, yeah, you you see it now. Typical, you know, 63 to 15. They run fast, all this stuff. But then I played with plenty of guys that they might not hit the ball out of the yard all the time. But you know, ah a blue single over short or second, you know, they're they're getting to second base, maybe a double. I mean, and I saw several of those guys that, like you said, maybe they didn't have the home run power. They were gap with the speed and athleticism and they made it to the big leagues. I mean, so it does profile. It's something that they they look for, you know,
00:21:35
Speaker
And I think that with his athleticism and how he is, I mean, he's got a chance to do that once he gets into Pro Bowl. Another name that made a, made a jump in the last year and it's kind of earned his way here. He's with us at future games. He's committed to chapel Hill. um Matt McKnight as an infielder who's really done a good job with his body. He's added quickness. He's added strength. It's long, arms long limbs. The swings pretty efficient, especially for a guy that's got longer limbs, you know, and and he's made, he's ah athletic enough now that you can kind of dream is he with all the shifts and understanding the rules of where the ball is going to go.
00:22:11
Speaker
Can they hit the ball at him because he's he's got a chance to make ball play balls cleanly but Matt's been invited to Super 60. Zach, let's start with you. Thoughts on Matt McKnight? Yeah, I actually watched this video the other day ah when when he got going. It's a loose hands, like it's handsy, like it's twitchy, it moves. you know He's got some long arms, so it's going to take a minute um for them to get going. But there's some feel for the barrel. like it's got twitch, you know, I mean, bat speeds above average, I think it's close to 80. You know, I think we'll have to, we as long as we get through the zone, you know, every once in a while we get a little steep, but like he's got a chance to hit, he's got fuel, he's got a plus plus arm. I mean, he profiles the left side of the diamond and he moves well, you know, you wouldn't like watching this video, like you don't think this kid's six, three, two, 10. Yeah. And so that's, you know, a big part to him. He's hiding his body. um You know, when you don't notice guys are big or those are the guys that shock you.
00:23:07
Speaker
And he's one of those guys too that you can see the difference in the year. You know, that was the first videos from future games. This video is from the pro case last year. You can see where he put on in in six months physical strength. He got stronger. He got lean or he there's more quickness in the bat right here. So you know, I think he's an interesting follow from that standpoint. Patrick, does he follow a little bit more that pro trend? Did you see some high school bodies like this when you were in Pro Bowl? Yeah, I mean, he's definitely got more of the pro style body. I mean, you know,
00:23:36
Speaker
Not just because he's a Tar Heel, you know, that he should be able to stop, but I remember watching him last year at the Pro Case, was impressed with him. I mean, like I said, he moves well for his, you know, his body type and everything. I mean, I think he's got a chance to get to Pro Ball, keep filling out, get stronger, and, you know, move his way up through. You saw a lot of guys like him when I was playing.
00:24:01
Speaker
The final guy that's made his decision to attend Chicago and be at the Super 60 was a guy that wasn't invited until really a week ago.
Reclassification Decisions in Baseball
00:24:09
Speaker
It's somebody that we had been talking to and and and heard some things about. We've been following since he was in eighth grade. But then questions were being asked, hey, if he does something, can we get him to the Super 60? And the Super 60 is reserved for draft eligible prospects. Meridian with you, our number one player in the 2025 class,
00:24:27
Speaker
reclassed this past week is, I'm sorry, is the number one player in the 2026 class. He has now reclassed the 2025 class. He'll be 18, a little under 18 and a half years old at the time of the draft, I think. um you know Physical player, middle of the field player, athletic, got a chance to stick it short for a little bit. The bat has good ball-to-barrel ability,
00:24:47
Speaker
and their strength and he's shown an ability to perform at higher levels. I had a chance to see him covering the East Coast Championships with Team USA as an advisor to some of the things that they do with their national team, and he he really did a good job there of separating himself from some of the best players in the country. um You know, let's let's start with this guy's first. What are our thoughts on the reclass? I mean, does it make sense for that player to go ahead and make this decision?
00:25:13
Speaker
I think it does. I mean, his age works, you know, he's like school wise, like he's fine. So I mean, I don't, I can't hurt him, especially like, you know, if you're trending to wanting to be a pro going at 18, three, I think is what he's going to be versus 19 three. I mean, it matters. I mean, it I know it sounds crazy, but it matters. Um, and then if he wants to go to school, you know, that gives him a chance to get drafted like 20, 21 is versus 22, 23 that matters too. So, I mean, like he's doing the right things to put himself to be the most successful.
00:25:42
Speaker
I mean, when you got when your talents hit enough, then it it's whatever plays better for you. It kind of reminds me of when I was at Chapel Hill. Levi Michael, he left. He skipped his senior year and came to Chapel Hill early, it worked out for him. He was a first round pick to the twins in 2011. I mean, and Levi was ah as soon as he got there. Impact player helped us get to Omaha that year.
00:26:06
Speaker
in 2009. And you know, I think we're ready to do the same thing, of whatever he decides to do with the draft coming up or college. So I think it plays well for him and he'll be fine. and what Whatever he does. Yeah, the the Levi Michael thing was controversial back in the day. Oh my gosh, a guy is going to skip his his spring because he didn't come in in the fall. I think he came in the spring, right?
00:26:26
Speaker
ah Ooh, I don't know. That was a long time ago. Long, long time ago. If I'm right, that's, but, and obviously it's not as big a faux pas now. You have more homeschool options. the Players have a chance to get ahead. You have a lot of high school players taking college courses before they even set foot on a college campus. So, you know, the education system is different. The preparedness is different.
00:26:47
Speaker
I like the move from the standpoint that if he if he does get to college, he's committee University of Central Florida, UCF, he's going to get the fall. I think the fall is huge for these guys and getting used to the speed of the game and the everyday grind of college baseball because it is different um than than high school baseball. um you know From a talent standpoint, I think he has it has a chance to stick and you know we're going through kind of looking at our um where he where where he landed in 2024. He's our number 11 most viewed profile. He was a guy that made some noise throughout the year. He plays in the conference where he's going to see good arms. He's going to see good pitching. He has a chance to um you know kind of set himself apart. But Zach, as we're watching the video here, talk a little bit about the the what scouts are going to have to go through, maybe, in trying to track him because he did miss that summer where all those guys, they're not really Baron Dannel juniors.
00:27:38
Speaker
You know, and now he's he's skipped ah a whole half semester to become a senior. They've missed that summer evaluation period. Yeah, it's different. um You know you kind of have your board early and you know you kind of try to fill it up with high school elite talent early. That way you can get in and make sure all the right names get in. Then you kind of go back through and.
00:27:57
Speaker
Check off some people and see if they're college or pro material for him. It's going to be a little different. I mean, he's going to walk in and be a top five round talent. um So you're going to have to send in a couple decision makers and more than one person is going to have to come in and see him. So now you're kind of changing some schedules, making sure you see him. You've got to find his schedule and hope that that he matches up with somebody good early.
00:28:18
Speaker
I mean, it it doesn't hurt him. You know, super 60, he's going to get his name out. You know, that's a big deal for him. I mean, it's already out. Like it's a well-known thing. We got a bunch of text messages on it the last week, just trying to figure out a feel. The benefit to him is he's an amazing human being and a great kid. So like the character stuff is good. He's going to pass without any questions.
00:28:38
Speaker
And his work ethic is unmatched to a lot of people, so like he's going to be fine in those things where like a lot of guys like that's where you're behind. He's already ahead in that game, so I think he'll be fine with all the other stuff. You know, when you're a great human and you're good at baseball, it makes life a lot easier. Yeah, think I think it's well said. I I'm interested to see.
00:28:58
Speaker
how guys react to having to go see him because obviously it's already a crowded deal and they're trying to they're trying to plan their schedules on who they're going to go see him win. But what I think the things that North Carolina provides the scouting community with is you don't have to go see him play against the guy throwing 74. You can kind of match him up. When is he going to face Kiker? You know, when is he going to face some of those? You know, a landing king has made a jump. When are some of these bigger names with with fastballs that we have a chance to at least We can evaluate that guy. um And I think the schedule they play typically at Grafton Christian is going to allow for that for him. So from that standpoint, they'll get they'll get those reps. From a defensive standpoint, you know there's there's probably, but there are not probably, there are better evaluators than they. But I think that just takes time. like you know Does he really catch the ball with ease every day?
00:29:48
Speaker
you know, how does he react to different surfaces? Does he have rhythm in his feet and his hands? You can see it in a pro style workout, but seeing those guys day after day after day when something goes bad, how do they react and how do they correct can make a big difference in terms of, um, you know, where that prospect really is and how do we project him? Because he's a different guy and he's not a shortstop. You know, if we're saying, okay, he's got to run better playing them in center field or he's got to, do we have to move to third? Now, what is the bat really going to do?
00:30:14
Speaker
you know, that that prospect of being in the middle of the field takes some a little pressure off the bat. We all know that drives a prospect. So final thoughts on on on Meridian and on seeing these guys, you know, shifted between classes. I think we're gonna see more of this in years to come, Patrick.
Trends in Baseball Recruitment
00:30:31
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, I think it's going to happen more often just for with everything that's changed and, you know, they're going to do whatever's best for them. And, you know, with the level of talent, I think you're going to see it more often. I mean, I think what you said about being able to see the guys more often, you know, the more they can to be able to see who the player is is going to going to help a lot because I mean,
00:30:53
Speaker
that was something for me in Pro Bowl that I saw a lot of guys, even college schedules, the Pro Bowl schedules, it's different. It's every day, 144 games in the minor leagues, getting ready for 162, you're on it every single day, you wear down. um So it's gonna be exciting this year and you know there's gonna be a lot to see with the guys that we have.
00:31:15
Speaker
za Yeah, I think that you're going to have a lot more of this than you are the opposite. The way that college baseball is trending, you know, you got to produce. And so, you know, a lot of guys aren't taking high school producers, like they're taking guys that have done it in college. So, you know, ah five, seven years ago, when we first started doing this, like a lot of guys were reclassing so that they could get off for a year later.
00:31:35
Speaker
Well, now when they get off for a year later is from a lot of the same places or a little bit less because the transfer portal is is winning the game. And I think like, you know, when you can go be a 26 to 25, it gets you in. If you go to college, you're going to have experience. You know, if you go to Pro Bowl, you got experience. And I think that's kind of.
00:31:52
Speaker
Where I think the game is trending. I don't think it's trending to older I think it's trending to experience and a lot of people aren't counting experience as your grad year or gap year and I think they're counting it more even if you go to division to JUCO in AI like a lot of schools are taking guys from there and I think that's kind of the big thing there's like there's a bunch of division three guys in division one now like when I played that was never heard of but now it's a normal and The only way you get there is by playing Well, and we've got a chance to see some players here coming up.
Importance of Early Evaluations
00:32:21
Speaker
Preseason IDs kick off this weekend. We're going to be in Charlotte at the on deck facility just outside of Pineville on Saturday. We're going to be UNC Wilmington on Sunday in their indoor facility. um Great time of year. It's early. It's January 14th. I don't think we're going to be putting
00:32:35
Speaker
final evaluations and final grades on guys now. But the IDs give us a chance to see some growth. These guys have been working hard since weve since we stopped seeing them. um You know, that ability to see where they're at, see how their bodies have changed, see how they're moving different. And then also making our list for the spring. That that stuff can be important. And Patrick, we'll start with you. what what's What's kind of got you excited here for the next two weeks where you're seeing these preseason IDs?
00:33:00
Speaker
Oh, like you said, I mean, those were two of my first events when it came came on for preb baseball. And I'm sure we'll have some repeat guys there and just to see the guys that have grown the growth, just to get back into the swing of things. you know it's It's early, getting back into baseball in the winter months, it's fun.
00:33:21
Speaker
And just ready to get out there and and like I said, see the guys that have put in the work in the off season, see where they're at, see where they've grown to and ah looking forward to you know seeing where they get to this year.
00:33:33
Speaker
Zach, you see guys through the facility you're at on a daily basis, these early these early season reports. what What do they really tell us? That kind of gives you a chance to like, you know, see where you are and like see where you are is like, you know, a lot like we don't have all the technology in the world. So for us, like the ball is jumping. Is it 90? Is it 96? You know, there's a difference on what level you want to play. So for some of our older guys, they're starting to give you the data of like, you know, I know data doesn't drive everything, but it helps. And so for us, like it gives you a chance to be like, oh, OK, this is where we need to be.
00:34:03
Speaker
If you're 26, 27, all right, we got to improve this. It kind of gives you a chance to see your baseline and start working off of it. I mean, I remember last year we were in Burlington and,
00:34:14
Speaker
one dude just started bashing balls and then and it was just like oh my goodness and then all of a sudden like he ended up committing to Winthrop um and you were just like I think Bird I think his name yeah and I'm just sitting over here like oh my god who is this like how have I never seen this guy like you know so that's the benefit you get you also are going to get the surprise guy when you walk in like and all of a sudden this guy's like six two two hundred you're like Well, hello, Mr. Big body. And then all of a sudden it's like 88 and 97. You're like, Oh, all right. Let me pick up the phone real quick and tell some people that we have all never seen this guy. We need to. I think that's the thing for me is, is we get a ton of names. We see a ton of video on Twitter and and honestly, some of the things that we see on Twitter and these videos players are putting out and they're doing a great job of promoting themselves. Don't stop.
00:35:00
Speaker
But when we put them into into a workout or we put them into a game situation, it's not the same. It's close, but you know you're 90, 92 in this facility and they got all this metric stuff and all of a sudden we go and watch in the spring because we saw 92 and it's 86, 88. Still a good fastball, still an advanced fastball for high school.
00:35:19
Speaker
But you know sometimes those workouts, we're seeing that best snippet of everything that has happened over a three or four month period. There's enough stress in our events where players are a little bit more game-like and so we get a little bit better feel. The other thing I love is we're spending time right now looking at schedules, trying to figure out who we're gonna go see. And a lot of those answers get answered our questions get answered over the next three weeks because these players come to events, go ah see him.
Reflecting on Past Performances and Organizational Growth
00:35:44
Speaker
We got to see him. We saw over 400 high school games last year. And so the goal is, again, to do that this year. But it's not from a standpoint of um you know we're just so dialed in on prospect. we We like going and watching games. And part of what we have to do, yes, we have to run events. And we have to get these metrics because those things matter.
00:36:02
Speaker
But it can kind of start to shift us into areas where we get a chance to do those metrics apply to a game. Can he compete? Does he have toughness? And if those things are there, then then you can start seeing the skyrocketing of the prospect status and the ranking and things like that. So I'm excited. We're going to have a great one. The numbers are good so far. We just need the Raleigh one. is It's in a covered facility at USA Baseball. um We don't need it to be too cold.
00:36:29
Speaker
Fingers crossed. The other facilities are fantastic. And then our pre-seasonal states, we're close to selling those out already. um We just had been the the second round ah or yeah second round really of invites go out ah this week. And so you know if you're looking to to attend one of these events, they're online um and you can apply. you know or Request an invite to the preseason. All states guys ah kind of finish up what we're doing here. Let's let's talk a little bit about the best of 2024. We've had a bunch of series go out. We've had leaderboards.
00:37:00
Speaker
um you know We've had our countdown from the top 25 most viewed profiles. We had 13.4 million views on our player profiles last year, it's unbelievable. um And so seeing all that, is there anything that kind of sticks out? I'm gonna kind of run through some of these leaderboards as you're talking. and It kind of sticks out as your um things you remember, whether it was an event, a player, a workout, or a news item that happened from 2024. Patrick, let's start with you.
00:37:28
Speaker
Um, well, I mean, I remember the future games. Those were long days. Um, but no, yeah, just lots of talent, all the events, um, lots of talent. Uh, we got to see it throughout the whole year. Some of our bigger events. Uh, I mean, we got to see tons of talent pitchers. Um, you know, just, they were loaded, you know, um, from top to bottom, most, most events that we did, um,
00:37:57
Speaker
just looking forward to kind of seeing how how that plays this year compared to last year, see if we can replicate the same things. But I see you got the ah hard hit percentage here pulled up.
00:38:09
Speaker
Zach's boy, Cutty on there. ah Dude, Mash. You know, and and even these guys here, you know, we we saw a lot of them progress over the course of a season last year and you know, there's some guys still in committed and I'm looking forward to seeing where they end up. You know this this this year during the season. Zach.
00:38:34
Speaker
Yeah, you know, i'm I'm more of a hitter. I mean, I know I pitched and hit in college, but I'm more of a hitter. So like the exit Vilo average and the exit Vilo, like the top index would be like, when we first started, we were using a T and we were just hitting it at, at me. And now we, we gone to track, man. And it's, you know, I remember the first ball I ever gave up over 400 feet. You know, I used to claim that I could give up some homers.
00:38:56
Speaker
And, ah you know, Josh Bussey, I remember you, Charlotte, 105.1, 405, I remember you. But, you know, like, that was so unheard of. And now, like, I mean, you're looking at numbers, I mean, 380s, like, it's normal. You know, you're getting the Exavials in the hundreds, it's normal. You know, the physicality of kids is different than when I was a kid. And it's different in a great way. And so I think that's kind of what I'm looking forward to, you know.
00:39:24
Speaker
I just I think that the game of baseball is trending in the right direction in terms of just crazy good athletes. um And, you know, like, I don't think we see quite the elite runners as much as we used to. I think we're more in the strength based world. You know, I haven't the six to six, three sixties or, you know, they they were always rare, but you haven't really seen one blow up recently. Like these 110 X of videos are blowing up a lot. And so I think the physical strength is kind of increasing a little bit um quicker than the, I would say the pure speed of the game um for the elite, eliteness. I mean, and it's not just hitters too. I mean, that's,
00:39:59
Speaker
you look at pitchers, everyone throws 90 plus now, but if you're not doing 90 plus, you're behind the game. Uh, 95 is not a as much of a rarity anymore from the, from the pitching side, which could also be why hitters have higher exabellas because they're down the middle and they're smacking it out. So, you know, either way.
00:40:17
Speaker
I think the average major league fastball from when I first started scouting for the major leagues in 2017 was like 92.1 92.4. I think it was 923 something like that. And now it's like 94.5 like I mean I think we round up 295 is a major league average fastball like it's I mean seven eight years seven eight years since I've been in pro scouting like it's two and a half three miles an hour which is I mean I feel like it's not that much but like in eight years that's kind of insane to me.
00:40:46
Speaker
So for me, the 2024 year was was an evolution. you know We continue to grow here in print baseball, especially in North Carolina. um you know Part of my detail, part of my jobs, I kind of oversee Maryland, Virginia, DC, North Carolina, South Carolina. I have a vested interest, obviously, in North Carolina, kind of run that. Sammy Esposito is doing a great job in South Carolina. I've been able to be more and more hands off of that state over the last couple of years. Jerry Shank and his guys in Virginia and Maryland,
00:41:12
Speaker
doing a great job and, you know, pretty much hands off just a sounding board and some things like that. And then, you know, we had this shift this year where, um, you know, Matt Payne and, you know, we took a job with the Tigers and it's been great for Matt. He's doing, it he's f freaking killing it. He's doing a great job and had a good draft and is is is out working his tail off.
00:41:31
Speaker
But it left a huge void in North Carolina. So you know got you two guys on board. We are doing so many things within the company and so many things, trying to get reports out on players, trying to get information to pro scouts and college coaches, trying just to know the game and be present and be present in our areas that it made me step back and kind of realize how much we're doing because I had i had to reteach. Matt had kind of been along for that ride long enough. He was picking things up as they were being laid out.
00:41:59
Speaker
Whereas you guys were coming in and I'm trying to show you the background of what's going on. And it was i it was a learning curve for me just from the standpoint of how much we're doing. That's one of the reasons we took the the step back from the podcast is just trying to make sure we had the time to do things right. And you guys have done a great job in terms of you know, continue to kind of bolster up what we're doing and grow the area, get to know players. And I think we're at a point now where, you know, we have a chance to kind of hit the ground really running in 2025. The numbers look good already so far in terms of the number of players we have a chance to see in the preseason and also again in the spring season.
00:42:32
Speaker
um And then building towards our national events, building towards the border battle, building towards future games, junior future games, senior future games. um the The super sophomore games, which is new last year, we're gonna announce that site. Again, it's gonna be in North Carolina again this year, which is home game for us. But all those things, you know it's it's there's an appreciation of where we've come from. Like was actually saying, we were using a T and a radar to get get that. My first event I ever showed up to,
00:43:00
Speaker
i had um a radar, couple of clipboards, baseballs. The notebook. That was it. Yeah, notebook. Yeah, they had a notebook where I'm circling evaluations on guys, you know, and now you know we're we're getting stuff out of the speed of life events are happening and I'm getting phone calls on players that hit the previous BP group because of what we're doing with our social media. And so That transition was good for me from a standpoint of being able to kind of recognize. Recognize how much growth we've had and you know proud of the work you guys did in in in your first year kind of on board full time. And ah both you guys had a little hand in what we were doing before. Zach had worked some events and and you know been in communication with us on some of the things that we're doing. But to be in kind of full every day,
00:43:43
Speaker
And then, you know, I think as much as as good as we did, we're scratching the surface. So I'm excited about 25 has has a chance become so appreciate
Future Podcast Plans and Audience Engagement
00:43:51
Speaker
you guys. Appreciate the baseball fans in North Carolina. And again, we're going to try and do this every week. You know, set a day, set a time or drop. It'll be on.
00:44:00
Speaker
x Facebook and YouTube. We'll have some clips thrown out on the on the Instagram. We'll clip this thing up throughout the week. But feel free hit us up. drop Drop comments. Let us know if there's things you want us to cover, things you want to know about. And as we really get good with all this technology, um we are going to go to systems where you can be live on different podcasts asking questions. We can answer right there on the spot. You can really put us to the test. So for Patrick, for Zach, I'm Braden Hall. We appreciate you being here and we'll see you at the field soon.