Game Notes: NIACC JuCo Classic, Day Three + Database Additions

Minneapolis, Minn. —— Below are a few quick hits on notable junior college baseball prospects that stood out on day three of the NIACC JuCo Classic in Mason City, Iowa, which — due to tough weather conditions blowing through early on Sunday afternoon — turned into just one single full game played between Ellsworth Community College (IA) and State Fair Community College (MO).

A full scouting report and high-definition video of each prospect will soon be made available exclusively to our subscribers behind the paywall; in fact, we’ve already posted exclusive videos and scouting reports on several of these guys (more on that below).

If you have yet to subscribe for our exclusive junior college baseball scouting work and want access, please click here.

Ellsworth Community College (IA)

Tyrese Mitchell, C

Ellsworth Community College catcher Tyrese Mitchell stood out both this week in Mason City and last week down at the Midwest JuCo Classic in Springfield as a particularly athletic, hard-working catcher with advanced ability to frame, receive, and block. He’s got some work to do to build high-level arm strength that’ll make him ready for the next level, but even now I’ve had him popping consistent 2.1’s to second base with very good accuracy to the bag, so if he’s working with a pitcher who is halfway decent at holding runners, Mitchell can hold his own throwing the ball behind the plate.

The question, as it is with most catchers, will be his bat, and whether the Ellsworth Community College sophomore can produce enough offensive firepower at the Division I level. He’s a great overall athlete and already shows off a punchy line drive swing with good feel for contact up the middle and to right-center (opposite) field, so while he may not be a breakout offensive star, I have a hunch he’ll be able hold his own at a four-year program as a backup/platoon catcher.

Luis Quinones, SS

A redshirt-sophomore native of Puerto Rico playing the six-hole for Ellsworth Community College, Quinones can really pick it at short. He’s a bit undersized and his arm strength is fine, though not spectacular, so he’ll likely wind up at second  or third base at the next level, but he’s got truly exceptional hands and a great feel for fielding the ball and throwing off balance and on the run. He takes charge on pop-ups and tough plays in the outfield, and he can range deep into the hole and far up the middle with good first-step quickness and strong reads on balls off the bat.

He’s fast, too, recording 4.21 and 4.24 times for me up the line on Sunday morning for Ellsworth Community College in their game against State Fair Community College. If there’s a knock on him, it’s that he’s a little too aggressive on the bases; twice on Sunday, Quinones was thrown out trying to steal bases in what should have been manageable situations if taken slightly more conservatively.

Scouting Reports Added

In addition to a few quick games notes here, we’ve added full scouting reports on a few Ellsworth Community College arms from Sunday’s action:

Antonio Valadez, RHP, ECC — Click Here

Austin Edwards, RHP, ECC — Click Here

Kobey Schlotman, LHP, ECC — Click Here

State Fair Community College (MO)

Ian Taylor, OF

Outfielder Ian Taylor stole the show for State Fair Community College on Sunday, ripping a long home run to left field off an 88 mph fastball one at-bat after he slugged a long, hard double (that Taylor thought was a home run) off an 87 mph fastball. The 6’0”, 210-lb. freshman takes loud swings and makes some really loud contact when he connects. There’ll surely be some swing-and-miss in his game come spring time, especially against front-line off-speed stuff, but Taylor has plus bat speed, plus raw power, some physical upside remaining in his frame, and the swing mechanics to do damage in the air — the sum total of which makes him a potential plus power hitter with a real future in the game. Swing and miss or not, I love guys who take hacks and don’t get cheated; Taylor is one of those guys.

James Barnes, 1B

Barnes is another hitter in Taylor’s mold — a power guy trying to hit the ball very hard and very far — and the big first baseman did it a few times this weekend for State Fair Community College at the NIACC JuCo Classic. He’s a big kid, listed at 5’11”, 240 lbs., and he needs to trim down and become a better athlete to alleviate some mobility issues on defense, but this kid can hit. In one of his more memorable at-bats in Mason City, he turned around a 94 fastball on Saturday night for a crushed double to straightaway center, and all weekend he was coming out of his shoes taking daddy hacks. As with Taylor, Barnes is really going to be exploited by top-level breaking balls until he makes a few wholesale pitch recognition and approach adjustments, especially when down in the count, but I love his approach at the plate and I’m diggin’ the fact that he knows exactly what his role is in the lineup. Can only imagine this kid playing out west in the thinner air and putting up monster numbers at the plate.

Scouting Reports Added

As with Ellsworth Community College, we’ve also added a couple State Fair Community College pitching prospects to our scouting report & video database behind the paywall for subscribers:

Jack Schmedding, RHP, SFCC — Click Here

Chris Koehler, RHP, SFCC — Click Here

For exclusive junior college baseball scouting reports…