FLDCS Observations: Railey, Greene, Hagenmiller, Hernandez

Last time I detailed the Arlington Country Day quartet of Brian Navaretto, Iramis Olivecia, Bernardo Bonifacio, and Blake Hennessey. Today I continue with some of my observations from the Florida Diamond Club Showcase.

2014 CF Matthew Railey, North Florida Christian HS, Tallahassee, FL: 6-0, 190, L/L, FSU commit.  Currently a junior, Railey more than held his own at the FLDCS with players one year his senior.  Although he came off the bench in both games and went 0-3, Railey worked two walks in game action, and showed out in batting practice.  Listed at 190 pounds, Railey is a fast-twitch, premium athlete.  While his frame may not ooze of projection as Josh Hart’s (previously covered) does, Railey has broad shoulders, a tapered waist and a well-proportioned, muscular physique.  Furthermore, the Tallahassee native has strong forearms and snappy wrists that allow the ball to jump off of his bat. Railey is able to generate plus bat speed with ease, but his swing has some serious length to it as he uses an extended load/trigger in which his hands drop significantly. While the (currently) lengthy swing will limit his ability to make consistent contact against top-notch pitching, Railey’s bat speed alone warrants potential plus-power. Turning in a 4.1 home-first split on a ground out to 2B, Railey is at least a plus-runner at present.  He flashed fringe-average arm strength in IF/OF, but the plus (to plus-plus) speed, range, and instincts should allow Railey to stick in CF.  At present, Railey is a bit raw and his lengthy swing can be exploited by quality pitching, but the tools (speed, power potential) and athleticism are evident. As a junior in high school, Railey still has nearly 18 months to grow as a ballplayer before the 2014 draft.  Although he is currently committed to play for the hometown Seminoles, I’d be surprised to see Railey wearing the Garnet and Gold at Mike Martin Field/Dick Howser Stadium, as a player with his defensive profile and tools/athleticism should be popped early in the draft.

2013 CF Josh Greene, Forest HS, Ocala, FL: 5-10, 165, L/L, High Point commit.

Despite being relatively unheralded before FLDCS, Greene dazzled on the final day of the showcase. Like Railey, Greene is at least a plus-runner at present, and he should be able to stick in CF.  Unlike Railey, however, Greene started in both of the North squad’s games.  In both contests he showed great instincts and reads off the bat.  His arm is nothing special—and though it was inconsistent at times he flashed average arm strength. At the plate, Greene has some length in swing but good bat speed and quick wrists.  He went 3-7 with a BB on the weekend, and was a nuisance on the basepaths.  While short and stout, with little room for further projection Greene provides some value defensively and showed that he could hit quality pitching.  While it is tough to gauge where he will end up in the draft, Greene certainly boosted his stock at the FLDCS.

2013 3B Ian Hagenmiller, Palm Beach Central, West Palm Beach, FL: 6-1, 210, R/R, uncommitted

Hagenmiller did not get much of a chance to shine in game action, as his team’s predominant 3B was Jan Hernandez (see below).  However, Hagenmiller showed extremely smooth actions in the field for a non-premium athlete. He has soft hands and flashed an extremely strong and consistent, accurate arm.  At the plate, Hagenmiller utilizes a toe-tap and a high hand set.  He showed the ability to backspin the ball and tap into some of his strength and raw power during batting practice, but he struggled to make contact in game action, striking out in 3 of his 4 at-bats. Probably destined for college ball or a late-round selection, Hagenmiller provides a solid blend of defensive chops at the hot corner and power potential (and a strong arm—90 mph off the mound).

2013 SS/3B Jan Hernandez, Carlos Beltran Baseball Academy, Caguas, PR: 6-2, 195, R/R, uncommitted

Here’s what fine folks over at Baseball Prospectus had to say while watching Hernandez play at the WWBA in Jupiter:

First Take: Long-limbed, athletic body reminds me of a young Alex Rodriguez frame in short look. Soft feet with plus arm, appears to have skills to remain at short. Highly touted infielder, looks the part, right handed bat.–Dan Evans

Second Take: Good frame; clean actions in the infield; footwork plays around the bag; left side arm; collegiate shortstop and has chance to stick at pro ranks if he doesn’t get too big; power potential; natural lift; delivers barrel well; average runner likely slows as body matures; game projects across the board.–Nick Faleris

And now for my humble take:

I didn’t get a chance to see Hernandez at WWBA, but he did stand out at the FLDCS.  He has a good, solid frame and natural athleticism.  Right now he is a solid-average runner, turning in a 6.8 60-yard dash time at the showcase. As such, in my opinion he probably profiles best as a 3B down the road, but his hands are great, actions extremely smooth, and arm strong and accurate, so an organization may allow Hernandez to play his way off SS.  At the plate, he has a good swing path, and he turned in two very solid BP rounds.  His swing is compact and he flashed gap power and an innate ability to square up balls—the power should play up and develop as the body matures. Obviously much of Hernandez’s value is dependent on his ability to stick at shortstop. If evaluators like Dan Evans think that he can stick there, he will most likely end up as a high draft pick come June, as his other tools are polished yet projectable.