01/18/2019 - 2019 Under Armour All-America Pre-Season Tournament
Manuel is an athletic RHH 1B who put his tools on display at the Under Armour All-America Pre-Season Tournament. As a hitter, this righty stands in with an open setup and loose hands. He has controlled rhythm and gets loaded, waiting for a pitch he can handle. He likes the pitch on the inner 1/2 and will pull with some pop. At 1B, he hustles to his right and left and into a square fielding position behind the groundball. He tracks the ball into his mitt and gathers well. A projectable 1B, Salaiz has the skills that should provide some success on the diamond.
06/23/2018 - Omaha National World Series - Session 2 (Ages 14-18)
Manuel is a tall and lanky 2019 2-way prospect. At 1B, Manuel has efficient pre-pitch movement and works well off the bag. He presents a low/early glove, funnels the ball into his body, and throws from multiple arm angles. Continuing to work on first step quickness and staying down while picking balls will allow him to elevate his game to the next level. At the plate, Manuel starts in an open stance, loads his hands back into the launch position, and keeps a quiet head. He keeps the barrel on plane and stays balanced through contact. Continuing to work on attacking the inside part of the ball and working the back hip through the ball will create extension through contact. On the bump, Manuel gathers over the rubber, separates on time, and extends thru his release. He's directional toward the plate and works north to south. Continuing to develop a change up and keeping good tempo in the delivery will allow him to be more consistent. Manuel works hard and was a great teammate. He will continue to improve with experience and we hope to see his progress in the future.
03/11/2018 - National Tryout Plus - Albuquerque, NM
Manuel is a big, strong 1B/RHP graduating 2019. In the field, Manuel continues to show his athleticism and improvement. He shows a good pre-pitch routine, moving well laterally and moving through the baseball on both forehands and backhands. Manuel shows good instincts at 1B, knowing where the bag is and knowing when to feed the pitcher. Manuel can improve his throwing accuracy and velocity by setting his feet. Manuel can also improve range with a quicker first step. At the plate, Manuel shows a tall set up, maintaining his firm front side and quiet head, along with his smooth rhythm, good load and short, square stride. By starting his hands earlier and implementing more of his lower half, he can use more of the field and make even harder contact. On the mound, Manuel repeats well and shows good balance over the rubber, landing square to his target. Manuel shows a FB, CB and CH in his arsenal, showing late life on his pitches. He shows downhill movement on his pitches, keeping the ball low in the zone. Manuel could improve velocity by implementing a long toss program. Manuel could also improve accuracy by controlling his landing and rotating to his target. With another year of development, Manuel could play at the next level.
07/14/2017 - California Select Training & Competition - Session 2 (Ages 14-18)
Manuel is a well-built, projectable 1B/RHP prospect who has a talented skill set and graduates in 2019. Offensively, Manuel has a square, athletic stance with a firm front side and maintains a quiet head. He has smooth rhythm with a good load and short, square stride. Manuel has an on-plane swing path and gets good extension at contact. He is a contact type hitter who has the ability to use all fields. Manuel also shows power to the opposite field. In the field, Manuel plays with effective footwork and an aggressive approach. He presents his glove and fields the ball in an athletic position. He has a clean exchange leading into a short arm action throwing from a high 3/4 arm slot. His throws are accurate with good strength across the diamond. On the mound, Manuel has a balanced, on-time delivery throwing from a 3/4 arm slot. He pitches downhill and extends through his release. Manuel stays square to home plate with a controlled landing. He effectively rotates with his core towards his target. Manuel throws a heavy fastball and his slider is developing. Overall, Manuel is a well-rounded prospect who has a versatile skill set and solid approach to the game giving him a bright future on the diamond.
03/12/2017 - National Tryout Plus - Albuquerque, NM
Manuel continues to show improvements in his baseball abilities on the mound. Delivery is sound / repeatable allowing his arm action to work free to the plate. He shows good tempo through a strong balance point. Arm strength has improved as he threw his top velocity to date at 70 mph. Fastball showed a range of 71-73 mph with sinking action. Breaking ball displays 10/4 shape with gradual break. He maintains arm speed on his changeup with tailing action but throws too hard with speed variation too close to fastball. Stock on the mound will continue to rise as he builds more arm strength through a long toss program. At 1B, defensive abilities have really improved as he displays clean / athletic actions. He displays proper footwork around the bag and is a quality receiver. Backhand is solid and shows a soft / sure glove action that he presents well out front. Range will increase as he improves foot quickness. At the plate he improved his hitting / power potential. Hands are quick (85 mph exit velocity) and work through a level swing path. He makes consistent hard contact with power improving as he works to utilize his lower half more efficiently.
11/05/2015 - Baseball Factory Select Training & Competition in Arizona
Manuel is a 2-way player that projects at 1B and on the mound. At 1B, he works around the bag with decent rhythm and a sure glove. He moves laterally to field the ball in the center of his body. On the mound, this southpaw continues to work with good tempo on the mound with a strong lower 1/2. He fills up the zone with a 2-pitch mix consisting of a low 60s FB and a high 50s 11-5 CB. Long toss and developing a CH will improve his pitching abilities. Offensively, Manuel is a RHH with a good presence at the plate. He creates some leverage on balls, driving them into the gaps. In all, Manuel has shown the ability to make adjustments and has time on his side as he continues to mature physically.
07/10/2015 - California Select Training & Competition - Session 1
Manuel is tall, solid 1B/RHP that will graduate in 2019. At the plate is where he shows best through a squared / athletic setup. Hands are loose and work through a level swing path, display a solid line drive approach. He makes consistent contact as he works to stay inside the ball to utilize all fields and shows a feel for the barrel. Power grade will continue to improve as he learns to use his lower half more efficiently. At 1B, he is a quality receiver, displaying proper footwork around the bag, and displays clean hands. Feet are active / aggressive as he attacks balls and plays through well. Defensive grade will continue to improve as he presents hands more out front and increases foot quickness. On the mound, fastball showed a range of 57-61 mph. Breaking ball shows potential as being a quality pitch, displaying 10/4 shape with late action. Stock to the mound will continue to rise as he builds more arm strength and works to throw more strikes. Mental makeup is a plus as he has a positive attitude, works hard, and is very coachable. With 4 years to further develop, Manuel has abilities with time and room to improve.