12/27/2016 - Under Armour Baseball Factory Recruiting Classic
Justin is a strong-built catching prospect who continues to improve his game offensively and defensively. Behind the plate, Justin has an athletic setup and plays with effective footwork. He presents a low target and tracks the ball well. Justin has rhythm in his receiving and a quick exchange leading into a short arm action throwing from an over the top slot. His throws are strong and online. Offensively, Justin has an athletic, crouched stance with a centered balance. He takes a good load and a short stride. Justin has good rhythm with a long swing path. He is a line drive hitter who can spray the ball to all fields. Overall, Justin is a hardworking prospect who has the talent to continue to improve his game.
06/21/2016 - College PREP - Charleston, WV
Justin continues to show improvements in his baseball abilities with a promising future on the diamond. At the plate is where he has improved the most, now displaying solid hitting abilities with well above average power potential. Hands are quick and work through a direct / level swing path. He shows a feel for the barrel with the baseball jumping off the bat when centered, displaying gap to gap power. Behind the plate, hands / feet work well together through a quick / clean transfer exchange as he gets rid of the baseball quickly. Pop times showed in the 2. 30 range with accuracy, and carry on his throws. Receiving / blocking skills show as quality tools that will play well.
04/10/2016 - College PREP - Bel Air (Baltimore), MD
This catcher continues to work hard on his skills. Behind the plate, he sits in well with a solid base and simple/quiet actions. He tracks pitches into his mitt and sticks the ball, framing well. He moves well laterally, centering pitches off of his chest. Throws to 2B are accurate as he stays directional and has a clean exchange to throw. Offensively, Justin shows a square setup with rhythm to load. He barrels the ball up and drives the middle of the field. More power potential is there with more drive from his lower 1/2. Justin is a hard worker who has upside.
12/27/2015 - Baseball Factory Christmas Camp & Tournament at Pirate City - Session 2
Justin continues to show growth in his abilities from outing to outing with Baseball Factory. Offensively at the Baseball Factory Christmas Camp & Tournament at Pirate City, Justin showed strong hands and wrists through contact and was aggressive to attack pitches in hitter counts. He showed a strong base with his stance and was quiet to get his lower half engaged, landing softly on his front foot. He worked on utilizing contact points to hit to all fields, and should continue to work on his barrel path, staying direct to contact. Defensively behind the dish, he showed some feel to receive, working his hands into a good position, on-time. Justin also displayed some feel for blocking, anticipating ball in the dirt and dropping to deaden the ball in front. All in all - Justin asks questions and has strong aptitude, making adjustments quickly to improve his game.
06/16/2015 - National Tryout - Charleston, WV
This strong righty continues to make improvements. Offensively, this righty works back into a strong loaded position waiting for his pitch. He has pop to his pull-side and drives the ball. More power potential is there with more lower 1/2 drive. Behind the dish, Justin tracks pitches into his mitt and sticks them. He has a clean exchange with pop times now at 2.25. A 2017 grad - this hard worker continues to develop and make strides in his game.
07/31/2014 - Baseball Factory Pro Select Training & Tournament at Historic Dodgertown
Justin continues to show improvements in his baseball abilities behind the plate. Pop times have improved as he threw his lowest time to date at 2.49. Times will continue to drop as he build more arm strength. Receiving / blocking skills show as playable tools as he gets more reps. At the plate, he is an aggressive hitter with hands working through a level swing path. Mental makeup is a plus as he is very coachable and works hard to be the best player he can be.
06/17/2014 - National Tryout - Charleston, WV
This athletic backstop continues to work hard to develop his skills. Behind the plate, he shows quick footwork and moves well laterally deadening pitches in the dirt off of his chest. He receives with a soft mitt and clean actions. With the bat, he tracks the ball into the zone, waiting for his pitch. He swings on a level path and utilizes his lower 1/2 well. Creating more extension through contact will help to increase power. A 2017 grad - Fike has the work ethic to progress and get his game where he wants it to be.
11/07/2013 - Baseball Factory Select Training & Competition at Pirate City
Fike continues to show as a C/RHP at the event with steady play in his abilities. At the plate is where Justin shows best through a squared / balanced setup. Hands are loose and make consistent contact. For hitting grades to continue to improve, he needs to level out swing path and continue to improve bat speed. Power numbers will continue to improve as he learns to use his lower half more. Behind the plate, feet work in line to his target through a clean transfer / exchange. Pop times were in the 2.9 range with times continuing to drop as he builds more arm strength and works to get rid of the baseball quicker. Receiving / blocking skills show as playable tools as he continues to improve / develop. On the mound, fastball showed a range of 58-60 mph with cutting action. Breaking ball displays 12/6 shape with gradual break. He slows his arm speed on his changeup, tipping off pitch to hitters but has good sink. Mental makeup is a plus as he is very coachable and works hard.
09/15/2012 - Pitching/Catching Accelerated Training Weekend (Commuter) (Ages 12-14)
Justin is a very athletic right-handed pitcher with a lot of potential. Justin throws from an over-the-top arm slot. His arm action is a little short and stiff on the backside, but he creates good extension on the front side. Justin should work his arm separation drills to continue to loosen up his arm. He has great balance and uses his front side well in his delivery but needs to be more explosive with his lower half. If Justin continues working on his mechanics, and uses his lower half more, he will see significant velocity gains in the near future.
09/08/2012 - Infield Accelerated Training Weekend (Commuter) (Ages 12-14)
Justin showed a lot of improvement over the weekend. Overall he displays good athletic ability but needs to really focus on improving his approach in the infield being aggressive. Early on he would sit back on balls waiting for them to get to him, as the weekend went on he started to attack the ball gaining ground forward. He needs to continue to focus on working without the ball working from right to left on balls at him. On balls to his right his footwork was aggressive getting around the ball, which is the same approach he needs to take on routine plays. Justin can also focus on a better presentation of his glove, on his approach to the ball he needs to keep his glove at his hip rather than flipping his glove before he fields. Arm strength is solid when he works through and decides to let it fly, at times he looks hesitant to throw hard. Feeds and pivots on double plays are sure. Overall, Justin shows a lot of potential and with more confidence in his ability and better fundamentals he will shape out to be a special player.
09/01/2012 - Hitting Accelerated Training Weekend (Commuter) (Ages 12-14)
Justin is a strong athletic kid with a lot of potential. He shows fast bat speed and a strong lower half. He has all of the tools to excel at the next level. Justin has a tendency to load late, which causes him to rush his swing. He can improve on his timing and make sure he gets loaded before the ball enters the hitting zone. When Justin rushes he tends to get around the ball causing him to roll over and pull a lot of balls. Focus on keeping the barrel inside the ball and try to drive the ball up the middle and to the opposite field. If he can focus on staying inside, pulling the ball will come natural and will see more power to all fields. With another year to further develop before high school Justin should turn out to be a solid player at the next level
07/17/2012 - Interactive Video Program - Charleston, WV
Justin is an athletic, 2-way player who pitches and plays SS. On the mound, Justin has a long arm action, on-time separation, and eyes on his target. He has level shoulders and good direction toward home. In the INF, Justin has playable hands and feet, he uses 2 hands, and he throws with accuracy to his target. At the plate, Justin has a square set-up, a level swing, and average bat speed. He makes contact and gets his lower 1/2 through. Abilities can improve with work on the following.
Pitching
1. Extension
2. Finish pitch
Defense
1. Field out in front
2. Quicken exchange
3. Long toss
Offense
1. Rhythm / Timing
2. Balance