LEXINGTON, S.C. -- The collegiate 'boys of summer" meet the scouts seeking tomorrow's professional baseball players. The scene was Lexington County Baseball Stadium in the town of Lexington, South Carolina, where this unique partnership took place on Monday night.
In between taking boat trips on Lake Murray and participating in the 20th annual Coastal Plain League All-Star Game, 56 players from 16 summer league teams in four states (Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia) were tested by Prospect Development Pipeline and evaluated by 14 Major League Baseball scouts.
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Players like the All-Star Game's Batter of the Game, Connor Tate (University of Georgia) from the host team Lexington County Blowfish, and Pitcher of the Game, Zack Brockman (Liberty) of the Savannah Bananas, spent three hours before the game getting tested in various infield, outfield, batting and pitching drills.
In addition, their reflexes, instincts and senses were put to the test in a battery of exercises. This was part of the Prospect Development Pipeline program conducted in partnership by USA Baseball and Major League Baseball.
The collaborative effort between MLB and USA Baseball helps establish an official identification and player development pathway for amateur baseball players in the United States. Such an effort fits the philiosphy of CPL Commissioner Justin Sellers.
"We're a developmental league for players, umpires and front office members," Sellers said. "We want to develop the future of the game. Whether it's playing in top-notch facilities with wooden bats or assistant coaches getting the opportunity to be head coaches."
On this day, the scouts in attendance were focused on finding which All-Stars stood out. Here were some of the standouts:
Myles Christian, OF, High Point-Thomasville
A freshman at Middle Tennessee State, the 6-2, 180-pounder entered the All-Star Show with the highest home run total among the All-Stars with 11. It only took three pitches to put that power on display when he sailed a solo shot over the right-field wall in the second inning of the 9-4 win by the National team.
Brenton Doyle, OF, Wilson
The 6'4, 200-pound sophomore out of Shepherd University (West Virginia) had one of the fastest sprint times of the PDP in Lexington. Despite a high strikeout total, Doyle impressed the scouts with his hitting during batting practice. One scout compared him favorably to former North Greenville College outfielder Connor Grant, who was drafted this past June in the 21st round by the Miami Marlins.
Zane Harris, 1B, Edenton
The 6-5, 200-pound redshirt freshman out of Wright State was one of the tallest players at PDP. Harris' power bat stood out, as he was one of the few players to clear the fence.
Joe Mason, OF, Morehead City
Not only had one of the fastest sprint times, but the 6'0, 185-pound redshirt sophomore out of Pitt Community College (N.C.) was outstanding during cognitive sense processing.
Connor Durden, C, Gastonia
The 6-0, 220-pound junior at USC-Aiken performed well in the broad jump. He's fourth in the league in RBIs with 25 in 28 games for the Grizzlies this season.