On Sunday, March 22 the Under Armour Baseball Factory National Tryout Tour rolled through the Piedmont Triad area of North Carolina, with a stop at Greensboro Day School. As proof that this is an accessible location for nearly all of North Carolina, we had players from each of the area codes shown on the map below — along with a few players from Virginia.

Map courtesy of Wikipedia

For the day, we had eleven velocities of at least 86 mph. Three were raw velocities, one was a fastball, and seven were bat exit velocities. The highest velocity of the day was 88 mph, reached once each in raw velocity and bat exit velocity.

2016 OF Michael Young (JM Robinson HS – Concord, NC) was the best runner, posting a 6.95 in the 60 yard dash. Close on his heels were 2016 3B/OF Nathanial Robinson (Apex HS – Apex, NC) and 2016 OF Davis Shoener (Greensboro Day School – Greensboro, NC) at 6.97.

Michael Young posted 86 mph bat exit velocity, just two ticks off the top mark of 88 mph turned in by 2016 left-handed hitting OF Christian Rodriguez (Southeast Guilford HS – Greensboro, NC). 2016 C/RHP Brandon Oakley (Union Pines HS – Cameron, NC) used his 6-foot-2 and 220 pound frame to generate 87 mph bat exit velocity, while smaller framed 2017 SS Ryan Rizk (Fuquay Varina HS – Fuquay Varina, NC) reached 87 mph bat exit velocity via bat speed. Rizk is a talented young player with a well-rounded set of tools.

Gage White

Providence Grove HS teammates 2015 2B Bryson Beck (Pleasant Garden, NC) and 2016 C Gage White (Randleman, NC) were among others to post 86 mph bat exit velocity. White was put together well at 6-foot-1 and 200 pounds, and posted the low pop time of the day at 2.10. A right-handed hitter, his raw power marks were also among the best of the day.

Also at 86 mph was 2016 3B/RHP Josh Hollifield (Weddington HS – Waxhaw, NC). He was among the more solidly built players, standing at at 6-foot-3 and 195 pounds.

2016 C Mark Perkins (JM Robinson HS – Concord, NC) was near the pop time lead at 2.15. Right on his heels at 2.16 was 2016 C Austin McDade (Southeast Guilford HS – Whitsett, NC).

The top fastball velocity was posted by 5-foot-10 2016 SS/RHP Hunter Lowery (Hoke County HS – Red Springs, NC) at 86 mph. His secondary offerings included a low-60s breaking ball with rolling downward action, and an upper 60s changeup that came out of a slightly lower slot than his other pitches.

2015 RHP Zach Taylor (Western Harnett HS – Broadway, NC) was listed at 6-foot and 185 pounds, and topped at 85 mph with his fastball. He spun a tight upper 60s breaking ball with 11-to-5 shape, and added a mid-to-upper 70s changeup as a work-in-progress third pitch.

Caleb Gwynn

At 6-foot-5 and 175 pounds, 2016 RHP Caleb Gwynn (Western Alamance HS – Burlington, NC) was the longest of the pitchers we saw today. He threw consistent fastball strikes in his bullpen session, and topped at 83 mph. His breaking ball was a low-to-mid 60s offering, though he appeared to have better feel for his low 70s change.

An inch shorter at 6-foot-4, but more physical at 190 pounds, was 2016 SS Kip Brandenburg (Ragsdale HS – Greensboro, NC). He posted 88 mph raw velocity to lead that category, and showed the makings of a solid right-handed stroke. He was a high energy defender at SS during the workout, and showed some feel for creating angles to generate momentum through his play the ball.

Left-handed hitting 2016 OF Camden Williamson (Dudley HS – Greensboro, NC) came up just one tick short of the raw velocity lead, at 87 mph. His tools were arguably as solid across the board as anyone, such that it would be nitpicking to try and extract a weakness. He ran better down the line than in the 60-yard dash, posting 4.3 from the left side of the plate against a respectable 7.16. In the workout, his routes and angles were very good while his throws were accurate with carry. He featured quick hands to hit, and was able to generate some power to the pull side through a coordinated and strong move.

Other top raw velocities included 2015 SS/OF Kristopher Royal (Clinton HS – Clinton, NC) at 86 mph, and 2016 left-handed hitting OF Gavin Herring (Wallace-Rose Hill HS – Rose Hill, NC) at 85 mph.

From time to time, we see players without any standout measurables but with tools that will be of interest down the road a couple of years. We had three such examples at this event, and all were 2017 or 2018 graduates.

William Stites

2018 OF/LHP William Stites (Shelby HS – Shelby, NC) didn’t run well, but he did everything else well. He has the core hitting and fielding abilities to build on as he matures physically, at which point the arm strength and raw power will likely begin to catch up.

A year older and much more physical at 6-foot-3 and 180 pounds, 2017 Zack Wilson is another young left-handed hitting outfielder to follow. Like Stites, his hitting and fielding abilities were ahead of his speed and arm strength. The difference was raw power, though not by too much. His stroke is built for line drive spray type contact, with the occasional drive through the gap or down the line to the pull side.

2018 SS/RHP Garrett Saylor (Calvary Baptist Day School – Lewisville, NC) stands at 6-foot-2 and 175 pounds, giving him an advantage over most players his age. His tools on the mound were more advanced that his position player tools, but not to the point where he’d lose value as a two-way guy. He topped at 80 mph with his fastball, and spun a 68-71 mph breaking ball with some depth that he was able to throw in the zone. He showed feel for an upper 60s change as well, giving him the makings of an effective three-pitch mix.

The Under Armour Baseball Factory National Tryout Tour is rolling through all 50 states. Tryouts are held for players ages 12-14 and 14-18. Don’t miss your opportunity to Be Discovered.

Find an Under Armour Baseball Factory National Tryout near you and register online or call (800) 641-4487.