Prime Performance

Ethan Lapointe is headed to Omaha! Couldn’t be happier for Ethan and the opportunity he’s earned to continue his career at the next level. He’s been consistent in how he shows up, how he works, and how he competes, and this is a reflection of that. Congrats, Ethan. Omaha got a good one.

𝗙𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗚𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗜𝗻𝘃𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗱 ✅ '28 RHP @CalebRPaul (Chaminade Madonna) has accepted his invite to the top uncommitted event in the country, the 2026 Future Games. See you there, Caleb 👊 👤: prepbsbl.com/4f0gftF #PBFG26 | @CMLions_Sports

Congratulations to Ryan Bilka on getting drafted by the Cleveland Guardians. Ryan came in following his final season at Miami looking to clean up some movement inefficiencies early on in the delivery that were causing some fly out. Excited to see what we can do moving forward, go kick down some doors!

Inside pitch… you can’t miss. ⁠ Junior Caminero gets the barrel out front and turns on it with authority. Quick hands, a compact path, and when you’re on time like that… it’s leaving the yard.

Big-time opportunity earned by Ethan! Omaha is getting an arm that has continued to make real strides. Excited to see what is next for him.

Committed. @OmahaBSB

With the 303rd pick in the 2026 MLB Draft, we have selected RHP Ryan Bilka from the University of Miami. #GuardsBall

Garrett Harper (‘28, FL) FB 81-87/T89 | CB | CH | 5.1 IP w/ 5 K to 1 H 1 BB. Firm FB. CH w/ some tumble. SL w/ 1-7 shape and tight spin.attacked around zone well w/ feel to miss barrels. #WWBA @Florida_PG

2028 LHP Garrett Harper #1 ranked pitcher in Florida’s 2028 class

With the 2026 MLB Draft approaching, let’s talk a little about what orgs are looking for in players in today’s game. It is not always just about who the best player is right now. Scouts are trying to figure out who has the best chance to become a productive big leaguer. Tools, projection, performance, athleticism, and makeup all play a part in that evaluation.

𝗙𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗚𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗜𝗻𝘃𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗱 ✅ '28 RHP @CooperJanke (Cocoa Beach) has accepted his invite to the top uncommitted event in the country, the 2026 Future Games. See you there, Cooper 👊 👤: prepbsbl.com/4feEzHd #PBFG26 | @CBeach_Baseball

One of the most common things I see with younger pitchers, and even older guys at times, is the way they go about executing off-speed. A lot of guys stay in the mindset of the pitch breaking to the zone or into the zone, instead of throwing it through the zone with authority.⁠ ⁠ That usually changes the entire quality of the pitch. The pitcher starts guiding it, feeling for movement, or trying to make it land instead of actually throwing it with enough intent to hold a convincing window.⁠ ⁠ With off-speed, especially a changeup, the goal is not just to make the pitch slower or get it to move more. The pitch still has to be thrown with enough conviction to create a better movement profile, maintain velocity, and let the separation show up late.⁠ ⁠ A lot of times, this is why guys will have off-speed pitches that look good in a bullpen but do not actually get the swings they expect in games. The pitch has the desired movement and execution, but if it is not thrown with enough authority to convince the hitter out of the hand, hitters are going to take pitches that the pitcher feels like should be getting swings.⁠ ⁠ Throwing it through the zone is less about overthrowing the pitch and more about committing to the line. The grip, velocity separation, and movement profile should create the action late. The athlete still has to throw the pitch with enough intent for it to actually play off the fastball.

Here’s what makes Trey Yesavage’s splitter such a unique pitch.⁠ From a pure IVB standpoint, it is not an extreme outlier in isolation. The pitch sits around 6 inches of IVB, which is good, but not ridiculous by itself. The separator is how that number interacts with his release height, fastball profile, and VAA.⁠ Yesavage throws from one of the higher release points you will see, and still gets the splitter down into that lower-IVB range. From that window, the pitch creates a steeper VAA while still coming out of a release that allows his fastball to play above the barrel.⁠ His four-seam is around 20 inches of IVB, so the vertical contrast inside the arsenal is real. The fastball can hold plane at the top of the zone, while the splitter comes from a similar window with a major velocity gap, less vertical carry, and a much different entry angle.⁠ So the pitch is not just valuable because it has “good depth.” It is valuable because of the relationship between release height, IVB separation, VAA, and how it pairs off the fastball.⁠ When building an arsenal, the goal is usually to create something that moves farther away from average. Not just in raw movement, but in the angle, shape, and visual the hitter has to solve.⁠ A low-slot arm that can carry a fastball at the top of the zone creates a unique look. A low-slot arm with a big sweeper creates a unique look. Yesavage’s splitter is another version of that same idea, just from the other end of the slot spectrum.⁠ A high-slot arm with a carry fastball and a low-IVB splitter creates a vertical contrast that is difficult to match. The fastball stays above the barrel, the splitter works underneath it, and the VAA difference gives the arsenal a unique shape that is hard to replicate.

A lot of the time when hitters feel out and around the immediate adjustment is to get their hands way inside the baseball, which can work for some, but for most hitters it pins the arms, shrinks the swing, and takes away their ability to actually stay through contact with any intent. In this case, the better adjustment is thinking more direct to the baseball rather than overly “in” to the baseball. Feeling the barrel work more down to the ball gives a cleaner direction without forcing the swing to get small or disconnected. The goal is to give the barrel a better entry into the zone while still allowing yourself to rotate, extend, and hit the ball with authority.

𝗙𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗚𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗜𝗻𝘃𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗱 ✅ '28 LHP/OF @GarrettHarper34 (Cocoa Beach) has accepted his invite to the top uncommitted event in the country, the 2026 Future Games. See you there, Garrett 👊 👤: prepbsbl.com/4f5qAn5 #PBFG26 | @CBeach_Baseball

Garrett Harper (‘28 FL) dominant today on the bump for Canes National, tossed 3 perfect innings of 8 K baseball. FB lived 84-87, hammer CB w/ tons of late bite in ~2500 rpm range #WWBA @Florida_PG

Alex Bustamante went from 91-94 in 2025 to 94-97 in an offseason. Small changes can make a big difference when the engine is already elite. Credit to Alex for putting his head down and going to work over a grueling 4 months. Coming off a full season post TJ, we strictly focused on how we could put more energy into the ball going towards the plate. Focusing less on how the throw looked and more on just true outcome. If you need help in the upcoming offseason, link is in bio.