Below are some brief notes on a handful of prospects from South Texas and South Louisiana who are eligible for the 2024 Draft. All notes are based off publicly available video and tidbits of information from sources I have who have seen these players in-person. These aren’t necessarily the top prospects in the territory, but rather players I found intriguing for one reason or another and also had enough video available to take notes on.
Landon Victorian (RHP, Alfred M. Barbe HS)
Frame: | Lean build w/ plenty of room for added strength in future years. High waist, slender, sloped shoulders. |
Arm Action: | H ¾ slot- Quick arm, smooth, and fluid overall w/ no major hinderances or red flags. |
Delivery: | Rhythmic SWU, medium leg lift, ¼ turn, average online stride down slope. Slightly elevated front side, controls body well throughout, above-avg hip/shoulder separation. Inconsistent with timing at foot plant at present. |
FB: | (90-93)- Four-seamer shows plus carry through the zone. Flashes late running action, but most are straight. Control over command at present, tendency to overthrow hinders command at present. There’s obvious feel for the zone at present overall. |
CB: | (75-78) Most show slurvey shape. Best ones are short 12/6 that flash plus teeth to them. Shape varies often, but offering consistently maintains tightness/bite. |
SL: | (78-80) ¾ breaker with tilt to it. Has a tendency to back up on him and just spin. Will show average bite, but not the same degree that the CB shows. Inconsistent ability to land in the zone at present. |
CH: | (78-80) Fade and sinking action. Throw w/ proper arm speed- least used offering in the video I was able to find. |
Remarks: | Between his very projectable frame physically, electric pure stuff he flashes at present, and having a deep pitch-mix Victorian has an exceptionally high ceiling for future years as a SP. |
Nolan Traeger (C, Concordia Lutheran HS)
Frame: | Medium build with some strength already on bones. Not uber-projectable, but frame still has some room for added strength in future. |
Stance: | Square, balanced setup w/ slight knee bend. Simple leg lift trigger, still head, repeatable operation. |
Path/Hands: | Efficient path with slight loft, stays in zone for extended period and shows adjustability. Medium hand load, high back elbow, high slot-entry. Average bat speed. |
Remarks: | Offensive video based only. Traeger has a fluid, smooth swing that can handle multiple quadrants of the zone. His defense obviously will play a huge part in determining his future role, but I like Traeger’s stroke and offensive potential. In several game AB videos I found, he really handled a couple tough same-side arms well. |
Jake Neely (RHP, Clark HS)
Frame: | Lean, athletic build with significant room for projection in future. |
Arm Action: | OH Slot- Very compact arm circle, quick, loose. |
Delivery: | Rhythmic SWU, medium leg lift, ¼ turn, slight crossfire stride. Slightly elevated front side, controls body well throughout, fluid movements overall. |
FB | (90-93)- Four-seam, life over movement- FB shows plus carry through the zone. Shows strike throwing ability at present, but relies far more on power than precision currently. |
CB: | (73-76)- Sharp, deep 12/6 and 11/5 shape that flashes plus tightness/bite. Vertical downer offering that he looks to already have advanced feel for. |
SL: | (80-82)- His best ones have short downer shape, most just have some late tilt to them when he gets on the side. |
CH: | (80-81)- Slight late bottom action, thrown with proper arm speed. |
Remarks: | Neely already shows a four-pitch mix that he shows feel for. With his very projectable frame, Neely looks to have a very high ceiling for future years. |
Paxton Kling (OF, LSU)
Frame: | Slender, lean build. Plenty of room for added strength in future years without sacrificing any of his quick twitch ability. |
Stance: | Slightly open setup, balanced. Heel turn/no-stride trigger. Low-maintenance, repeatable operation in the box. |
Hands/Path: | Medium, rhythmic load with a high slot-entry. Natural loft in path, shows adjustability to cover zone. Some tightness present pre-pitch, but is quick, loose throughout stroke. |
Remarks: | Contact oriented profile with enough juice and path to do XB damage. |
Ryler Smart (LHP, Pearland HS)
Frame: | Medium build with some existing maturity already on his bones. |
Arm Action: | H ¾ slot- Very compact arm circle. Release point has a tendency to differ when throwing FB and secondary offerings. |
Delivery: | Rhythmic FWU, high leg lift, no turn, online stride down hill. Level shoulders, quiet head, falls off 3B side. Exhibits average body control throughout delivery. |
FB: | (89-92) Slight running action to four-seamer. Average life at best on the heater at present. Flashes feel for hitting corners on both sides of the dish. |
CB: | (77-80) Sharp 12/6 and 11/5 shape that flashes above-avg teeth. Shows feel for landing it in the zone and expanding with the offering. |
CH: | (81-83) Late depth and fading action, with more depth than fade. Throws with proper arm speed, will occasionally drop slot with offering. |
Remarks: | Smart has an advanced arsenal, especially the quality and feel he has over his secondary offerings. The FB doesn’t have plus movement or life to it at present, but there’s plenty of reason to believe his heater will tick up in coming years as his frame continues to mature and add strength. |
Kyle DeBarge (SS, Louisiana Lafayette)
Frame: | Short, slight build. Lacks significant projection in future years. |
Stance: | Upright, slightly open setup with high hands. Leg kick trigger, utilizes lower half well in swings. Still head, hacks are aggressive and under control. |
Hands/Path: | Short rhythmic load with a high slot-entry. Average bat speed that shows adjustability in the zone along with looseness. Path stays in zone for extended period and has natural loft to it. |
Remarks: | DeBarge has a stroke that is geared towards making contact while also having enough juice and a path to provide some XBH juice. I’ve not seen him defensively, but a scout I trust a lot told me he believes DeBarge has a good shot at staying at SS in the pro ranks. There’s enough to be intrigued by in his offensive profile and if he’s able to stay at SS long-term, that obviously greatly increases his value. |