Today’s Camp Activities :
Outdoor batting practice on Ashburn Field this morning coupled with fielding practice on Schmidt Field. A lot of solid contact in BP today - Avery Owusu-Asiedu consistently hits the ball hard, makes that baseball sound when it comes off his bat. Few also know about his speed, he is one of if not actually the fastest player in the organization and he plays a strong center field as well - good stuff. Tjayy Walton once again destroyed the baseball in BP, very impressive rounds. Luis Caicuto ended his session with an excellent round - drove the ball with high impact. Eduardo Tait and Starlyn Caba impressed, Caba drove a long fly over the left center field fence right handed and over the right field fence down the line left handed. Another young switch hitter Kehden Hettiger impressed from both sides of the plate - he hit in a group with major leaguer JT Realmuto which I think is really cool for the young players to experience. Carlos De La Cruz was also in the hitting group with Realmuto and launched a few of his own patented long drives. Jared Thomas and Lou Albrecht have short quick strokes, a lot of hard line drives off their bats today. Felix Reyes always crushes the baseball in BP, today was no exception. Raylin Heredia showed a power stroke, he launched the baseball with authority. Just BP but still indicative of talent.
Bullpen sessions on the seven mounds for Gunner Mayer, Brandon Beckel, Jean Cabrera, Cam Brown, Jake Eddington, Casey Steward, Wen Hui Pan, George Klassen, Ethan Chenault and Mitch Neunborn.
Scout’s Honor :
Today was the last day of the scouting group meetings, thanks to all of the scouts who took time to chat with me the past three days. Heard some really funny stories and also learned a bit more about the process of identifying talent and what the indicators are. Scouts are the truest source of information building in any organization and it’s always an honor to discuss baseball with those folks - I have sincere and great respect for what they do and know.
Player Spotlight :
INF - Nikau Pouaka-Grego - 19 years old - signed as an international free agent 1/17/22 - Christchurch, New Zealand
It’s great to see Nikau Pouaka-Grego participating in full baseball drills during this five week HP camp, he’s come a long way back from a significant knee issue. Nikau likely projects as a second baseman however it’s the hit tool that will propel him up the ladder. He is very personable and likable, we chat with him a bit just about every time we are at the complex, also have previously met his parents and granddad, really good folks. He had major knee surgery in 2022 and has worked diligently to rehab. Before breaking for the off-season this past summer he was taking ground balls during infield drills and batting practice in the cages. He was also a full participant in Fall High Performance Camp. When we previously saw him play he showed that he can flat out swing the bat - a left handed hitter who has the ability to drive the ball out of the yard, during the 2022 FCL season he hit three homers on the expansive backfields and posted a .301 batting average with an OBP of .424 in 125 plate appearances. The eye-hand coordination and bat to ball skills stood out, has quick hands and good baseball instincts. Power will seemingly further develop as he grows more into his body. Isn’t the quickest afoot but when ya square it up consistently that’s not an absolute need. Excited to see him return to game action. The young man is a pleasant a person as they come, one ya can’t help but cheer for. With continued good health he’s got the makeup and skill set to achieve the ultimate goal.
2023 Stats : did not play in any games - spent the year with injury rehab team at the complex in Clearwater.
Nikau’s 2023 reflections : “The 2023 season’s biggest personal takeaway for me would be … working as hard as I did with my rehab, getting back to being game ready. Learning a lot from the veteran and big league guys is something that I am very appreciative of. The family we made in rehab made getting through it a lot easier. My plans going into the 2024 season are to get as strong as possible and fine tune a few things to help set me up for a successful affiliate ball season.”
Back at ‘em tomorrow - as always - Happy Day, Happy Baseball ⚾️
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