Brad Huth #1

Brad Huth is the guy you might easily look over until he makes a big play.  He is the blue collar player – no flash, no big talk, just business.  Somehow whenever there is a big game, Brad seems to be the difference maker.  He is one of the most athletic players on the team and because of this, he is very versatile. He has the speed to play the outfield and the arm strength to keep runners honest on the tags.  He is an above average defensive catcher, plays a respectable third and second base.  He bats 8^th in the order but could easily be a leadoff or two hole batter as he does not strike out much and he frequently  hits the ball to the right side.

On occasion Brad will put a charge in the ball and drive it between 300 and 315 feet.  He starts with his hands above the strike zone and loads well keeping his shoulders on a level plane.  He does a good job keeping his hands close to his body as he rotates through and he levels the bat in the zone keeping it flat.  Like many flat bat batters, he keeps the bat in the zone for a long time and does well at hitting the inside of the ball causing him to get a large percentage of his hits to the opposite field.  He rotates well with his hips but due to his above average knee lift on his stride, he places his plant slightly to the third base side and leaves him open for the outside pitch.  Often, he takes this pitch as his plant moves him away causing him to assume that the outside corner is too far away.  As a high school player, Brad will need to get more outside plate coverage in order to protect when he has two strikes as many pitchers like to go outside and away with off speed pitches.   His shoulder follows his hip well but he loses posture at the point of contact as he tilts in the mid-section which may indicate a need for lower back strength or a need to adjust his stride away from third base. 

On the bases, Brad is a serious threat.  Sometimes he cheats himself on the leadoff by getting a late leadoff.  As he becomes more accepting and aware of his speed he will become more aggressive and less doubtful of his ability.  Brad’s major weaknesses are no different from any other 14 year old player.  He has to develop a stronger mental game and avoid the mental mistakes that can turn a game around.  All in all, Brad is a three tool player for speed, arm strength and power.