01/17/2025 - 2025 Baseball Factory Rookie Pre-Season All-America Tournament
Birch continues to impress with his developing baseball skills on the diamond. At third base, he moves with smooth, fluid actions, displaying active footwork that allows him to square up ground balls and play through them efficiently. His glove work is firm but would benefit from presenting more out front. Laterally, he moves well, with his range expected to improve as he increases foot quickness. At the plate, he utilizes a crouched setup, showing quick hands that work through an aggressive swing path. He consistently makes solid contact through a line drive approach, with power showing best to the pull side. His lower half engages effectively, transferring weight into a firm front side. On the mound, his arm strength has improved, reaching a top velocity of 74 mph, with his fastball sitting between 71-74 mph. His breaking ball features a 10/4 shape with gradual break. As he continues to build arm strength through a long toss program, his stock on the mound will continue to rise.
08/21/2024 - National Showcase - Trenton, NJ
Birch is a 2028 RHP/3B who exhibits a well-rounded skill set with strong potential for growth. Defensively, his efficient footwork and ability to work smoothly from right to left allow him to pick out hops effectively and make consistent throws across the diamond. His solid defensive fundamentals contribute to his reliability at third base.
At the plate, he maintains an athletic stance with an on-time load, allowing for a repeatable swing and consistent contact to the pull side. His bat exit velocity reaches up to 75 mph, reflecting his ability to generate solid power. On the mound, he features a deceptive delivery with a square landing to his target. His pitching arsenal includes a fastball, slider, changeup down in the zone, and a splitter, showcasing his versatility and command. As a rising freshman, this player shows promise in both his defensive and offensive skills, as well as his pitching abilities. With continued growth and development, he is well-positioned for a bright future in baseball.
01/19/2024 - 2024 Baseball Factory Rookie Pre-Season All-America Tournament
Birch showed well at the Preseason Rookie All American showcase. At 3B, he displays smooth / fluid actions. He starts in an athletic ready position and fields in a square position. Glove action is sure and present well out front. Range will increase as he improves foot quickness. Throws are accurate but will benefit by building more arm strength through a long toss program. At the plate, he shows a squared setup and works on time. Hands are quick and work through an aggressive swing path. He stays inside the ball, utilizing all fields through a line drive approach. Power will increase as he utilizes his lower half more efficiently. On the mound, he shows a 2-pitch mix, keeping hitters guessing. Fastball shows a range of 68-69 mph with tailing action. Breaking ball displays 11/5 shape with tight spin and gradual break. Control is solid as he attacks hitters and throws strikes with all his pitches. Stock on the mound will continue to rise as he builds more arm strength through a long toss program. He shows a good mound presence and is composed on the mound. Mental makeup is a plus as he is a team player and is very coachable. He showed the ability to play multiple positions.
11/05/2023 - National Showcase - Milton, NY
Birch is a 2028 RHP/3B prospect from Gansevoort, NY. At third, he gets a good first step and shows off active, efficient movements in the infield. He has lateral range to the glove side and does a good job of getting in an athletic, squared fielding position. He presents firm hands out in front when making plays on groundballs. He has a clean exchange and works hard to make accurate throws with a long, loose arm action to his targets. At the plate, he starts in a squared, athletic, tall stance and has a squared, on-time stride with a good load. He has smooth rhythm and timing in the box and does a great job of keeping his balance centered through contact. He lets his lower half work through the baseball and has a short, on-plane swing path to the baseball. He stays inside the baseball and uses all fields, making line drive, consistent contact to all fields. He has good actions in the box and barreled 12 of 15 swings. On the mound, he throws from a 3/4 slot and features a 4-pitch mix, including a knuckleball. He has a repeatable motion and is in control on the bump. He gathers his balance over the rubber and extends through his release point. He stays squared to the plate during his delivery and has a controlled landing. He ran his FB up to 68 MPH and does a nice job of throwing his CH with FB arm speed. Overall, Birch is an exciting prospect that we are excited to see continue to develop!
07/28/2023 - Baseball Factory National World Series at JRTC (MS)
Birch is a solid 3B/RHP in the 2028 class. In the field, he shows plus range and active feet. He has excellent pre-pitch movements and closes the distance to the baseball well. Gains an athletic fielding position and his pocket has feel. His exchanges are clean and arm plays at 70 velo with accuracy. He shows solid mound presence and projects as a power arm. His FB touched 68 with great command. His CB ranged 54-55 and working to maintain hand speed will create further tilt. At the plate, he swings with great intent. Hits off a firm front side and has extension through the zone. Battles well and has an advanced approach with 2-strikes. Overall, Birch plays with energy and coaches felt he was extremely coachable.
06/12/2023 - National Showcase - Troy (Albany), NY
Birch is a SS/RHP prospect who will graduate in 2028. A young/developing player with strength present and plenty of room to add throughout. At SS, he starts with a good prep step and works to center the baseball. Shows good lateral range as he works into an athletic/square fielding position with good glove actions and a clean transfer. Made consistent throws to first base from multiple arm slots with an arm velocity up to 70mph. On the mound he gathers over the rubber and has level eyes. He has a simple and repeatable delivery. He attacks hitters with a FB that sits 63-65mph, a breaking ball with 12/6 shape that he throws for strikes, and a developing changeup he throws with FB arm speed. At the plate he hits from an athletic and square stance. A simple setup to start and takes an aggressive swing. Keeps bat flat in the zone for a long time and made hard contact. During his round of BP, he hit line drives to all fields with a bat exit velocity up to 69mph. With 5 years of continued growth and development, we foresee Birch having a bright future at the high school level and beyond.