Under the radar '08's

Post them in this thread

 

I'll start with a few and add more as I think of them.

Grant Johnson- Rocky Mount, 1b, R/R, 6' 160- Grant led RM in batting avg. last year. He is a very late bloomer who is just getting comfortable with his body. Has added about 15 lbs. since last year, and is much, much stronger. Do-it-all type guy who will play anywhere he is asked. Brother, Will is 2b at Barton college.

Scott Tharrington- SW Edgecombe, LHP-OF, L/L, 5'11" 170- Scott has been a steady pitcher for SWE since his Fr. season. low 80s with that nasty lefty hook. When he's on, he is very hard to hit.

Jacob Davis- Wilson Fike, OF, R/R, 6'2" 190- Steady hitter who's production at the plate really jumped during Legion ball last summer. I expect his numbers to be outstanding at Fike this year.

Xavier Macklin- Nash Central, OF-RHP, R/R, 6' 185- Has as much potential as any kid I know. Speed, arm, power at the plate. Right there with Brian Goodwin. May be headed to JC to polish his skills.

Justin Shannonhouse- Northern Nash, MIF, R/R, 5'10" 165- Another one of those steady players who could play just about any position. Will play a big role for NN this year.

Jesse Mercer-Southern Nash, RHP-Ut, R/R, 5'11" 170- A surprise for SN last year. One of the best pitchers in ther NEW6 last year.

All of the above are good character kids as well as being good ball players. grades are not a problem with any of them.

 

Tyler Robinson - Northern Durham

Tyler Robinson - SR RHP Northern Durham High School
5' 11" 170 lbs.
All-PACVI 2007 (6-4)
ERA 1.83
79 K's/72 INN/19 BB's/8 complete games
POST 7 Legion (4-1)

Tyler will not impress you physically, but what he is is an absolute workhorse and an outstanding young man and student. His W/L record does not do him justice as he got all the tough starts and logged roughly 50% of the total innings for a 13-10 ball club that finished fifth in it's conference. Tyler is 82-84 with a good 12/6 duece and an outstanding change-up. Tyler definitely desires to play at the next level, and would be an excellent late pick-up for a smaller D1 program. He is an excellent student (3.4/1240 SAT), a great attitude and comes from an outstanding family. If you're looking for a kid to burn some middle innings, spot start, work his butt off and know he's in school for the right reasons, take a look at this kid.

 

Brett Underwood, SS at Southwest Guilford.

Played for Scott Bankhead at the Baseball Academy as well as Coach Holmes at SW. Good student and good person. Not familiar with what his options might be other than to say he'll play after HS.

 

KR @ WJ

what is the next level status for Kris Richards (West Johnston SS)? has he signed altready?

 

Don't know his Status but he is an outstanding ball player.

 

Under the radar 08's

Believe it or not at Swain we have a few that I feel can play at the next level!

Chris White: 5'9 170 LHP Was 82-83 at Impact p/c showcase. Has very good movement on fastball and when rounds into season form has a dirty slider. Challenges hitters and shows grit on the mound. Tremendous mound presence.

Brad Roland: 6'2 170 RHP Up to 85 with a good slurve. Learning to throw a splitter/fork pitch and has a pretty good feel for it. Has flawless mechanics, focuses on baserunners a little too much sometimes, but that is easily corrected.

Tyler Shuler: 6'3 215 Catcher Size alone should say that this kid has a chance. Pop times at impact p/c camp were 2.3, but hadn't thrown any leading up to, normally a 2.1 guy. Swings a good bat and has a tremendous eye at the plate, always high OBP. If this young man is paired with a good catcher coach, I feel that the sky is the limit for him. Good speed for a big catcher.

Zane Benett: 6'4 170 RHP Low 80's up to 84 with a nice clean delivery. This young man is still growing and already has arms the length of a telephone pole. Wears a size 16 shoe. Has 3 pitches, but can improve on their quality and has good armside run at times. Will probably need a good year developing in college, adding weight and arm strength, but I feel velocity will improve immensely with the addition of weight. Has the frame to hold 30 more lbs.

Bennett, White and Roland average about 40 innings per HS season, and about 20 during the fall. There is alot left in these tanks for gaining strength, velocity and experience. A trip to Swain might parlay into a gaining a quality young man and athlete for a college.

Other WNC area players that should get a look:

Franklin HS: Christian Vose: 3 really good pitches
Jason Erxleben: sort of 3/4 slot guy with good movement. Difficulty finding the zone sometimes, but when he is on, lights out.

Blue Ridge: Nick Miles: big strong young man that does it all! Catches, pitches and 3B. Has good bat speed, but could be more disciplined at the plate. Probably 6'3 and 190 or so. Good athlete with a strong arm. Probably projects as a catcher at the next level.

I am sure there are more and as I remember will add to list.

 

Richards is unsigned. I've seen him play quite a bit the past few summers. Great athlete. Smooth as they come with his infield actions. Strong arm. He could help some school as a utility guy, IF or OF. Been told he works as hard as anyone, lifting in the morning before school and taking ground balls until the fungos quit swinging. Maybe somebody is holding some money to use late on him. IF not, I would think he'd get an invite to walkon somewhere with the new baseball scholly rules.

 

Keith Goodwin

08 BR TR - Keith is a 6-1 175 very athletic player for South Granville HS. Keith has played multiple posistions for us over his career. This year he will play SS and probaly bat in the #1 or #2 spot in the order. He is a 7.2 runner who is very versatile with very soft hands and a good arm. Keith is a gap to gap hitter and shows some power as well. He has played 1B and outfield for us in the past and some SS last year. He is an outstanding student and a very hard worker. He will be a solid player at the next level.

08 BR TR - Jacob Davis - Wilson Fike - Jacob is a 6-2 185-190 Outfielder who could also play 1B. Jacob is an outstanding hitter. He lets the ball get deep and uses the whole field. He has power and drives the baseball to all fields. He has a very patient and high level approach at the plate. Jacob is an outstanding student and a great young man. He is a plus defender who runs well for his size. Jacob is one of the better hitters you will find in HS baseball in NC in the 08 class. He is a definite college level player.

08 BR TR - John Alphine - North Lenoir - John is a 6-1 175 RHP Outfielder who suffered through a back problem last year. I understand he is competely healthy now. John was up to 87 the summer before last and he is a very good defender in the outfield with good speed. He is an outstanding student and a tremendous young man. He also is a great competitor who works very hard at the game. I expect he will have a big year for the Hawks and keep them in the hunt for another run at a state title this year.

 

Contact info

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