Uncommitted Spotlight: 2021 MIF Danny Melendez (Victor)

Physical: 5-foot-9, 170 pounds; athletic, proportional build. 6.89 runner in the 60.
Offensively: RHH. Open stance with hands out front & upright bat angle; short take back of the hands with an exaggerated leg kick. Aggressive lower half with a lot of rotation with direct swing path with some lift. Sprayed the ball to all fields; peak Trackman exit velocity of 89 MPH.
Defensively: Athletic setup; active feet, covers ground laterally, smooth & athletic transitions. Soft hands with clean transfer; standard 3/4 arm slot. INF - 78 MPH.
Pitching: Compact delivery with a knee to belt leg lift, gets into backside to drive to the plate with a max effort higher arm angle release & downhill finish. Moderate length arm action, high 3/4 arm slot. FB: Peak velo of 76 MPH, while sitting 73-75 MPH. Has good, late life with high carry & good spin axis. CB: 63-65 MPH. 10-4 rotation, good combination of depth & horizontal movement.

Physical: 5-foot-9, 170-pounds. Strong, athletic frame.
Run: 7.35 runner in the 60.
Hit: RHH. Tall, upright stance, wide base, hands start high, hands work back along with a quick, medium leg kick Barrel is very quick through the zone, solid use of lower half, good extension through finish with a one-handed finish.
Power: 81 MPH raw exit velocity. Hard contact with an up the middle approach.
Defense: Clean, controlled footwork, fields the ball in the middle of his body working from the ground up, brings the ball into his glove and shuffles before release.
Arm: Medium arm swing with a high 3/4 slot. INF - 76 MPH.

Pitching Delivery: Controlled pace, slight hesitation after drop step, leg lift above the waist as he get into back leg while striding in line to the target into a strong, balanced follow through.
Arm Action: Loose, fluid arm action into a 3/4 release.
FB: T79, 76-79 MPH. Commands in the zone, downhill plane.
CB: 64-66 MPH. Sharp, 12-6 break.
KN: 67-69 MPH. Maintains arm speed, late drop.

At the plate, the right handed hitter displayed hard consistent contact during the hitting portion at the 2019 Top Prospect Games. Melendez stays balanced throughout the swing. Defensively, Melendez displayed smooth funnel actions when fielding the baseball. Stays under control with a quick exchange to a 3/4 arm slot on throws across the diamond. Melendez moves well laterally. On the mound, the right haded pitcher displayed a low effort repeatable delivery. Worked with a two pitch mix in live game action. FB peaked at 75 MPH and CB ranged from 58-60 MPH

Slim build with quick legs. Offensively hits for contact with a smooth compact swing. Roped a triple into the gap, showed some speed on the base paths all weekend. On the mound FB was 66-68 touching 69 MPH. CB sat 53-55 MPH.

Melendez is a 5-foot-6 150-pound right-handed shortstop and pitcher. Athletic frame; 4.25 home-to-1st. Offensively- Wide stance, bat straight up. Waives the bat until load. Front foot open. Simple two toe tap stride. Good rotation allows to get to the ball quickly, sweeps through the zone. 73 MPH exit velocity. Line drive results. Defensively- Quick feet for his age. Moves to the ball well and breaks down with ease. Mobile and athletic. Quick release. 73 MPH arm strength. Pitching- Starts from stretch in the middle of the rubber. Starts closed off. Hands at chest, knee comes just past belt. Falls off towards first base side. Arm action works with ease and will have room for growth. Fastball sits 68-70 MPH. Keeps changeup low, 62-64 MPH.