Battle For Bartow Scout Blog: Underclass

Emerson, Georgia: The Battle For Bartow at LakePoint Sports took place April 4th and 5th. The field was put together by many of the top teams around the state to play non-region games during the middle of spring break. Today we take a look at some of the top underclass players seen by the Prep Baseball Georgia staff from last week. 

Caden Borcherding, C, 2027, Etowah
Uncommitted. Borcherding continues to develop as the lone freshman in the talented Etowah line up. The skills behind the dish keeps him in the line up with great presence and maturity. He manages the run game well, and steals pitches on the edge of the zone regularly. He has simplified some things at the plate with an even stance and quiet hands with a smooth load. He continues to see quality arms that will get him valuable experience headed into a national schedule this summer.

Gunner Fokken, C/RHP, 2027, Carrollton
We saw Fokken get some of his first varsity at bats at the Georgia Dugout Club at the beginning of the year. He splits time with Lane Bell behind the dish, and was able to get his first varsity innings on the mound in a tight game against Jefferson. The frame is long, lanky and he does a good job getting down the mound. Once he found the zone he settled in and managed to hold the tie for the Trojans. The fastball sat in the low 80;s with a good feel for spin early in the count. He will continue to progress as he sees more varsity time on the mound.

Isaiah Galason, 2B, 2027, Houston County
Galason is really starting to come into his own during his freshman campaign at the powerhouse of Houston County. Galason had a really consistent week at the Battle For Bartow spraying balls all over the field and driving balls to the wall. Galason keeps simple mechanics at the plate, creating good separation in his load. He stays short to the ball and matches plane well. Galason is the #14 player in our class of 2027 rankings and he will continue to grow throughout his high school career.

Matthew Westbrook, RHP, 2027, Alexander
Uncommitted. Westbrook is one of the top arms in the state in the 2027 class. Westbrook has had a strong Freshman season leading the Alexander pitching staff all year. Matthew shows a consistent upper 80’s FB that was up to 88 at the Battle For Bartow last week. Westbrook displays a good arsenal of offspeed pitches with the CB and CH. The physical right hander creates good momentum down the mound and extends well on his pitches. Westbrook will continue to grow as he looks to finish his 2024 season strong and have a good summer on the mound.

Matthew Sharman, RHP/1B, 2026, Etowah
The top two-way player in the 2026 class continues to look polished beyond his years with a sky-high ceiling to match. It starts with the operation on the mound where Sharman shows advanced body control while getting downhill with plus extension. Fastball up to 92 in this outing, living 88-91 over a strong 6.0 IP. Shows command to land to both sides of the plate paired with sharp arm-side run for in-zone misses. Mixed in a pair of breaking balls in this outing with a curveball at 75-77 with depth that worked well on the inner half to right-handed hitters and high-70s sweeper that created swing and miss to both sides. Changeup is a budding above-average pitch out of the same fastball tunnel at 79-81 with arm-side fade and depth. The sophomore picked up more barrels at the plate as well coming through with multiple big hits for the Eagles over the week. Present bat speed and feel for the barrel in an advanced approach allows the Georgia commit to find loud contact in the zone regularly. Sharman will be a nation-wide name as he develops into one of the most well-rounded players in the class.

Kaleb Binion, 1B, 2026, Carrollton
Binion has become a big standout seemingly every time that we've seen Carrollton this spring. Utilizing a quiet approach from the left-side, the uncommitted corner infielder creates good leverage from a compact swing that gets a ton of drive out of his lower half. The accuracy in the barrel stands out from Binion, with the ability to get his best swings off. The power projection will continue to grow and already flashing above-average raw power with easy pull-side power. Good flexibility with soft hands at first, with the athleticism to profile at third-base as well. Binion has become a high follow quickly for us and will be one to watch this summer.

Trevor Condon, OF, 2026, Etowah
There's not too much more I can say about how good Condon has been this spring. The highly-twitchy and athletic outfielder has done nothing but hit in every situation and that didn't change at Battle for Bartow. The Miami commit does an excellent job of staying balanced at the plate from an approach that incorporates many moving parts. There's an innate feel for the barrel with ability to match plane seemingly anywhere in the zone. You pair that with above-average bat speed and it allows the lean 6-foot-1, 170-pound frame to create hard-hit contact without selling out. Present high-level run tool with an exceptional first step and ability to reach top speed quickly, put down a pair of sub-4.2 home-to-first times over the week as well. Very strong glove in the outfield with tools to play at all three positions, and holds a significant ceiling in centerfield once handed the reins next spring. High floor, high ceiling for Condon and the profile just keeps getting better.