Sunday's
playoff matchups bred opportunity to evaluate players in a big game
setting and see how they handled themselves in high pressure
situations.
One
player who thrived in that environment was 2015 infielder Ethan
Lopez (Whittier, Calif.), who only went 1-for-3 on the day but
his one hit was a big one as he backspun a triple to deep
left-center. The hit looked like a double off the bat but he was able
to stretch it for a triple that sparked a rally for the defending
champions GBG Marucci Navy. 2015 infielder Brandon Shearer
(Agoura Hills, Calif.) went 3-for-4 in the game, but aside from him
it was tough sledding for GBG, but they would eventually pull out a
nail biting 4-3 victory with a four run bottom of the seventh.
2016
infielder Spencer Steer (Long Beach, Calif.) capped off the
comeback by lining a first pitch breaking ball into left-center for a
walk-off single and advance GBG to the quarterfinals.
GBG
Director Mike Garciaparra related that about two months ago Steer
approached him and told him he had a teammate at Millikan High School
who was interested in playing for GBG. Garciaparra hadn't heard of
the player's name before but encouraged him to come out to practice.
That
player was lefthanded pitcher
Jacob Hughey (2015, Long Beach, Calif.), who threw three shutout
innings, striking out five and allowing only one hit in GBG Marucci
Navy's 11-3 quarterfinal win over the So Cal Halos Sunday evening.
The slender 6-foot-1 southpaw pitched in the 86-89 mph range with his
fastball, spotting it especially well on the inside corner to
righthanded hitters, and showed a 70-72 mph curveball that had nasty
spin on it at times, with a big 1-to-7 break. He also drove in three
runs on offense.
A
look at the PG database shows that Hughey topped out at 91 mph during
the 2014 17u WWBA National Championship while pitching for a
different organization. He may have been the top lefthanded pitching
prospect who pitched in Phoenix this week.
Garciaparra
said he also got a "Request for Tryout" form on his website
about a month ago from a righthanded pitcher and infielder from
Mayfair High School in Bellflower named Andrew Quezada.
Quezada made his first appearance for GBG in the same game, and also
his first appearance at a PG event, throwing the final two innings of
the run-rule victory. He has a very young looking 5-foot-11,
160-pound middle infielder's build and threw in the 87-90 mph range
with one of the easiest and effortless deliveries one will ever see.
Quezada also snapped off a couple of mid-70s curveballs that were big
and nasty. He's new to the mound and hasn't learned to spot the ball
yet but there is big upside potential in his arm with more innings
and some physical maturity.
It
should be noted that neither pitcher has a college commitment, to
which Garciaparra wryly noted "I don't think that is going to be
a problem."
BPA
DeMarini Elite handed the ball to a pair of elite 2017 pitching
prospects in their two playoff games, and both delivered. Righthander
Hans Crouse (2017, Dana Point, Calif.) took the ball in
the first of those games and threw the most impressive pitching
performance that scouts observed Sunday.
Crouse
looks the part of the sophomore, with a very slender and high-waisted
6-foot-3, 160-pound build that might be years away from adding adult
strength. He has a full dose adult arm, however. Crouse threw six
innings in BPA's 7-1 playoff win over the CBA Bulldogs, striking out
10 hitters while only walking one and allowing five hits. Crouse
pitched steadily in the 88-90 mph range, touching 91 the entire time,
with nice running life on his fastball down in the zone. His out
pitch was a sharp breaking 74-77 mph curveball that consistently
overmatched hitters with its power and depth. There is little doubt
moving forward that Crouse will be one of the top pitching prospects
nationally in the 2017 class.
The
only ball hit really hard off Crouse was by CBA catcher
Dalton Blumenfeld (2015, Los Angeles, Calif.), who blasted a
triple deep to center field. Blumenfeld showed his power
consistently all weekend along with catching and throwing with a high
degree on energy and skill.
2017
lefthanded pitcher and outfielder Nick Pratto (Huntington
Beach, Calif.) took his turn for BPA DeMarini in the quarterfinals.
Pratto is a two-way prospect for the college level, and if he gets to
campus at USC he will likely be a standout both ways as he has swung
the bat well throughout the PG/EvoShiel National Upperclass
Championship.
But
the main reason that Pratto is ranked in the top 10 players in the
nation of the 2017 class is his highly advanced ability on the mound.
In what was a relatively rusty outing for one of the most polished
players in the country, Pratto threw 46 of his 71 pitches for strikes
(64.8 percent) and punched out seven while yielding one walk and
three hits in a complete game effort. He has been as high as 87 mph
this summer but typically works comfortably in the mid-80s with a
heavy emphasis on commanding his fastball and mixing it with his
advanced mid-70s changeup. The changeup is a swing-and-miss pitch
coming out of the same plane as his fastball and is difficult to
identify before friction yanks the ball down and to the arm side on
the way to the plate.
His
curveball isn't yet consistent but has shown progress and he's become
increasingly more comfortable with the hand position getting over the
top of it, occasionally creating some downward bite in the low-70s.
The
web gem of the day, and possibly the weekend, belonged to 2015 middle
infielder Kevin Heiss (Silver Spring, Md.). Playing shortstop
for the CrabFest All-Americans in their playoff matchup against the
Marlins Scout Team, Heiss read a ground ball to his right that had
left field written all over it. He took a good first step and
attacked it, making a diving stop, and then quickly got to his knees
and made the long throw across the infield to nail the runner at
first. It looked like an impossible play off the bat, and while he
may have benefited from the batter thinking he had a clean single and
not hustling the full 90 feet to first, getting to the ball alone was
impressive. The switch hitter went 1-for-2 with a walk out of the
three spot in the order and did his part to give his team a chance to
win in a closely contested playoff battle against a nationally based
scout team.
The
standout of the weekend for the Marlins Scout Team was 2015 middle
infielder Nico Hoerner (Head-Royce, Calif.) who went 4-for-9
during their three game playoff run on Sunday while playing a quality
shortstop and even picked up a save by getting two outs on two
pitches (at 85 and 86 mph). Hoerner is a Stanford commit whose power
and defensive actions make him a potential impact player at the
Division I level who will also get some draft interest.
His
double play partner 2015 second baseman Duncan McKinnon
(Manhattan Beach, Calif.) has a very different type of game from
Hoerner, but his grinder approach served the Marlins well as the two
hole hitting second baseman put up a .550 on-base percentage and
played a high energy second base. He remains uncommitted, and while
none of his five tools stands out, he's a ballplayer who has willed
his way to contribution every time we've seen him play, both on the
national stage and in high school ball.
2015
outfielder Chad Smith (Snellville, Ga.) is the top ranked
prospect on the Marlins Scout Team and his 2-for-3 effort in their
opening round playoff victory helped spark a run to the third round
and his play in center field certainly stood out as well.
One
of the more intriuging prospects on display at the PG/EvoShield
National Upperclass Championship is 2015 third baseman Tyler Nevin
(Poway, Calif.). Nevin is the son of the No. 1 overall pick in the
1992 MLB Draft, Phil Nevin, who played in the major leagues for 12
seasons.
Tyler
is a player who made a strong impression as a lanky, young-bodied
third baseman during his underclass years before missing time with an
injury. During the time away Nevin has matured physically and is now
a well built 6-foot-3, 195-pound athlete with room for additional
muscle mass as he continues to add strength. He went 2-for-3 with a
hit by pitch in CBA Marucci's come-from-behind quarterfinal victory
over the CBA Wave and showed off both hand-eye coordination and easy
power.
After
homering on the first day of the tournament, Nevin has done a good
job of staying within his swing and letting his power come naturally,
roping hard line drives with his natural swing rather than
over-swinging. The results have spoken for themselves, as entering
Monday's final four Nevin his 5-for-10 with six walks and a hit by
pitch with two doubles and a home run.
The
other offensive standouts for CBA Marucci's final four bound squad
was 2015 outfielder Luke Williams (Laguna Niguel, Calif.) and
2015 C Tyrus Greene (San Diego, Calif.).
Williams,
a Cal Poly commit, plays the game in fast forward with fast gears
that he maintains good control and coordination of, he's a well above
average runner with quick hands and his recent strength gains have
turned him from a slash-and-run type of hitter into a line drive
gap-to-gap hitter who can drive the ball for extra bases. He also
showed off his throwing arm Sunday by hosing a runner at the plate
with an on-line, no bounce strike and is 7-for-13 at the plate thus
far with six runs scored. According to a Cal Poly coach, Williams is
just as talented defensively at shortstop and, surprisingly, at
catcher, and could play anywhere in the middle of the field when he
gets to the next level.
Greene
is a small, athletic catcher with deceptive power from the left side.
Opposing pitchers are more prone to making mistakes to Greene, whose
5-foot-10 frame fails to alert them to the power he possesses. He
maximizes his available leverage with an efficient swing and his
power plays to all fields, and he showed it with a well-timed
opposite field RBI double late in CBA Marucci's come-from-behind
quarterfinal playoff victory.
CBA
Marucci lefthander Kyle
Robeniol (2015, Alta Loma, Calif.) has been a regular on the
circuit for some time and did what he frequently does on Sunday by
throwing a complete game five-hit shutout in CBA's first playoff win,
a 5-0 victory over JG Baseball. The Oregon commit doesn't do
anything fancy except pound the strike zone with a 83-85 mph fastball
and drop in a very nice changeup at just the right times. Robeniol's
fastball is pretty straight and his curveball is his third best
pitch, and rarely used, but the combination of being lefthanded,
pitching to the low corners with his fastball and knowing exactly
when to throw his changeup has been a tremendous combination for him.
A
player to watch on the JG Baseball team going forward is junior
corner infielder Austin
Ruiz (2016, Chino Hills, Calif.). Ruiz has a big, strong build,
especially in the hips and thighs, and has a very smooth and loose
swing with very good use of those strong hips to generate very nice
bat speed.
If
there was a defensive player of the tournament trophy to be handed
out, a very strong candidate to take it home would be GBG Orange
County third baseman A.J.
Curtis (2015, Pleasanton, Calif.). Curtis has made what sounds
like from accounts from PG field scouts about a half dozen diving
plays in both directions to snag ground balls or line drives and turn
potential extra-base hits into outs.
Trosky
Baseball lost in the first round of the playoffs to the CBA Bulldogs
but they had a shortstop who stood out on both sides of the ball in
Taylor Bush (2015, Temecula, Calif.). Bush has very nice
actions on defense, where he works through the ball aggressively with
balance and plenty of arm strength. His righthanded swing was
similarly aggressive with good bat speed and some gap power
potential. He doesn't have a college commitment but easily looked
capable of playing middle infield at the college level.