Bailey Holbrook Prospect Profile
Name: Bailey Holbrook
Position: Right-Handed Pitcher/Infielder
Birthdate: TBD
Ht/Wt: 6’4”, 200 lbs.
Bats/Throws: S/R
Hometown: Thousand Oaks, Calif.
School: Thousand Oaks HS
Profile Date(s) — June-July, 2018
Affiliate (League): Conejo Oaks (California Collegiate League)
Level (Org): College Summer Baseball
Formerly a two-year baseball player at Union University, an NCAA Division II institution in Tennessee, Bailey Holbrook is back home in Thousand Oaks this summer, playing for the Conejo Oaks of the California Collegiate League and looking for an opportunity to continue his college career with two remaining seasons of eligibility left. A Division I academic qualifier from what I’ve been told, Holbrook certainly has a D-I body; listed at 6’4″ and 190 lbs. back during his Union days, he may be slightly taller than that, and he’s certainly put on 10-15 pounds of good weight to aid with power and leverage. There’s not a ton of remaining physical projection left in his large frame, but that’s OK, for there’s ample power potential there right now and he’s only really starting to understand how to consistently leverage it for good. A switch hitter, Holbrook shows real over-the-fence pop from both sides of the plate in batting practice, and decent feel for barrel manipulation thanks to extremely strong hands and wrists. A natural first baseman/DH type, there may be enough athleticism in Holbrook’s game to work him out as a four-corners IF/OF prospect at ceiling, but I have a hunch first base and/or DH will continue to remain his best fit moving forward. He moves fine for a big guy, and shows decent body control/awareness in game action, but at that size and with the power profile he brings, he’s a natural bat-first first baseman in need of some at-bats.
On the mound, I’ve had Bailey Holbrook sitting 87-91 with his four-seam fastball. He pairs it with an 85-88 two-seamer that shows good, late (and on occasion sharp) run back to arm side, a solid 73-77 slider with tilt and two-strike feel as a wipeout look, and an infrequent 78-79 changeup. He’s got a natural high-leverage relief look with a loose arm coming out of a three-quarters release; great extension out front has the ball really exploding to the plate, too. He’ll get too horizontally rotational at times and lose his release point, sometimes dragging his arm behind and leaving fastballs high and arm side, and other times over-adjusting to pull his momentum through to the first base side and in turn pulling pitches with him far off the plate glove-side. He’s shown me the ability to adjust pretty quickly on those mechanical issues, though, and broadly, he really wants to fill up the zone with an attitude/desire to reach back and challenge hitters. When he really gets on top and tunnels that fastball in the bottom third of the zone, then, he can flash an overpowering sinker look, especially against right-handed hitters susceptible to getting blown up in on their hands.
Bailey Holbrook needs some innings and reps to iron out mechanical issues and get fully back into the rhythm of the game, and to that end, he may be too much a work in progress for certain schools to take a chance. If a four-year school needs to find a Saturday night starter who can give them 90 innings this spring, Holbrook is probably not that guy, considering his lack of track record/experience. But if there’s a fit out there with a school seeking a true diamond in the rough with serious physical tools and some of the attributes to over-achieve lower expectations, Holbrook may come as a nice surprise. The physicality and size are there, with pop at the plate and through his at-times overpowering repertoire on the mound. Should the right program get a handle on Bailey Holbrook and properly channel him across the next two years, then, a future MLB Draft look isn’t out of the question.
Bailey Holbrook Prospect Video
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