Matthew Collins OF/1B

07/06/2015 - National Tryout Plus - Strongsville (Cleveland), OH Collins showed as an OF/1B at the event and has really improved his baseball abilities since the last time we saw him. He improved his foot, now a well above average runner at 7.22. At the plate, he improved his hitting / power potential through an athletic setup and aggressive approach. Hands are loose and work through a level / direct swing path. He works to stay inside the ball, utilizing all fields and shows a feel for the barrel with solid line drive pop. Power grades will continue to improve as he utilizes his lower half more efficiently and adds overall body strength. In the OF, he takes proper routes / angles in tracking down balls. Matthew reads balls well off the bat and covers a lot of ground with defensive grade continuing to improve as he works to get behind balls to play through with momentum to his target. At 1B, he shows a low approach and works to square balls up. Hands are clean and presented out front. Foot work around the bag is solid as he is a quality receiver. Arm strength has improved but will benefit by continuing to build more through a long toss program.

11/07/2013 - Baseball Factory Select Training & Competition at Pirate City Matthew showed only at 1B at the event. Feet are active as he works to square ground balls up, displaying clean hands. He shows off his athletic abilities on his slow roller plays. For defensive grade to continue to improve, he needs to develop better footwork around the bag and works to present hands more out front. Throws are accurate but needs to build more arm strength through a long toss program. At the plate, Collins shows an open / balanced setup. Hands are loose and work through a level swing path. He makes consistent contact, mainly to the pull side. For hitting grades to continue to improve, he needs to stride foot down sooner to work on time and keep hands inside the ball to utilize all fields. Power numbers will continue to increase as he learns to use his lower half more. At the event, he was 2 for 4 with a 2B. Mental makeup is a plus as he works hard and is very coachable.

08/03/2013 - Interactive Video Program - Strongsville (Cleveland), OH Matt is a thin, lefty 1st baseman / OF with a thin frame. At 1st base, Matt has an aggressive approach, active feet, and playable hands. He keeps the ball in front, his exchange is clean, and he throws with accuracy from a quick arm action to his target. In the OF, Matt has good pre-pitch actions, firm hands, and consistency to his target. Offensively, Matt has good balance, a square set-up, and he stays inside the ball. He throws the barrel well, and uses all fields. Overall abilities can improve with work on the following.

Infield
1. Field out front
2. Backhand
3. Widen base
Outfield
1. Soften glove
2. Long toss
3. Play lower
Offense
1. More lower
2. Stride
3. Rhythm / Timing