Contributing: Jordan Stroschein
2015
PG/EvoShield Upperclass National Championship Notes: Day 1
| Day 2
This
scout was finally able to watch the BPA DeMarini team play on Sunday.
BPA, as this is written, has reached the quarterfinals with a
perfect 5-0 record and has outscored those five opponents by a total
margin of 55-0. All five games have resulted in run rule decisions.
Along with a team ERA of 0.00, BPA is hitting an even .500 as a team
(49-for-98).
It
is important to emphasize the word "team" in summarizing
BPA's run thus far. There isn't a top 100 prospect on this team or a
dominant single performer. One really gets the sense that this is a
Team over anything else group of players. Manager Jared Sandler was
heard to shout today at a player "Don't be the weak link!"
after a rare misplay. No weak links have been evident thus far,
especially with the hitters. This is a polished group of hitters who
all have a very similar approach at the plate. It is
patient/aggressive.They don't swing at balls (26 walks in the five
games) and they attack strikes (only six strikeouts as a team). They
hit to all fields with balance in their approaches and bat speed and
extension through contact. It really is fun to watch as a veteran
scout.
Two
players were especially impressive today. Third baseman Blake
Berry (2016, Petaluma, Calif.) has a sweet lefthanded swing that
has produced a .667 average here (8-for-12) and it's easy to see why.
He has outstanding barrel control and recognizes where pitches are
and where he should hit them hard. Berry got an inside fastball in
his first at bat and lined it to right centerfield. He saw an
outside change up with two strikes his next at bat and lined it down
the left field line. Both contacts were made with essentially the
same swing mechanics. This was a common theme with all the BPA
hitters. They had the same balance and the same bat speed and
approach regardless of where pitches were located. They took what
the pitcher threw, recognized it and squared it up to the proper part
of the field. It sounds easy, but it obviously isn't.
It
would be easy to cite lefthanded pitcher Jack Owen (2017, Coto
de Caza, Calif.) for his prowess with the bat, as he's 7-for-11
(.636) with six runs scored and eight RBI this far. But he threw
five shutout innings in Sunday's first playoff game and is an early
commit to Mississippi State due to his ability on the mound. The
6-foot-1, 165-pound Owen has, in this scout's opinion, as about as
easy and effortless a set of pitching mechanics as one is ever going
to see. They are as close to perfect as it gets. He throws in the
82-85 mph range now, with a 73 mph change up and a 68 mph curveball
and throws each pitch pretty much where he wants to virtually every
time. The velocity will come with additional strength and physical
maturity. No pitching coach should ever touch the mechanics.
Center
fielder Ryan Novis (2016, Tempe, Ariz.) of Canyon Thunder had
a good day today, with a single, double and triple over the course of
two playoff games, with the two extra base hits being pulled hard
into left field. Novis has a slender 6-foot-2, 175-pound build that
projects well and already has some whippy bat speed. He looked like
a very good runner as well.
Canyon
Thunder's 4-3 win over the CrabFest All-Americans in the first round
of the playoffs was one of the more enjoyable games of the week, with
the back and forth affair going down to the last pitch in the bottom
of the seventh inning. CrabFest loaded the bases with one out in the
final inning with hot hitting outfielder Tony Schultz (2016,
Sparks, Md.) coming to the plate. Schultz had hit a sharp single and
a no doubt home run earlier in the game and he absolutely crushed a
line drive in this at-bat. It was right at the third baseman for an
out and almost a game ending double play, however, instead of a game
winning double into the left field corner.
The
ball seemed to be traveling much better Sunday at the Indians complex
than it had the first two days of the championship and the outfield
walls got a workout even with the playoff caliber pitching. North
East Baseball's talented middle infield duo of shortstop Trent
Brown (2016, Victoria, Texas) and second baseman Scott Ogrin
(2016, Valencia, Calif.) did their share. Ogrin launched a home run
in top of the first inning of North East's 11-0 win in the first
round of the playoffs to get his team off on the right track and
Brown followed with a pair of doubles to left field, the second of
which hit half way up the left field fence. Both Ogrin, a Cal Poly
commit, and Brown, a Texas commit, were impressive all weekend on
both sides of the ball.
The
doubles crown of the day didn't belong to Brown, though, but rather
to outfielder Ben Lewis (2016, Scottsdale, Ariz.) of the MD AZ
Blue Jays. Lewis, a tightly wound 5-foot-10, 185-pound athlete,
showed a compact and very strong righthanded swing in drilling three
doubles in the Blue Jays 7-6 extra innings loss to Southern Nevada
Baseball. The first two were to right centerfield, where Lewis'
natural swing path leads, but he also turned on one and just missed a
home run to left field. This was Lewis' first Perfect Game event and
we would love to get the uncommitted senior to a showcase later in
the fall to see his tools in another setting.
Aside
from Jack Owens' gem, the best pitching performance at the Indians
complex on Sunday belonged to North East Baseball's Weston Bizzle
(2017, Memphis, Tenn.), who tossed five shutout innings in the
aforementioned North East victory. Bizzle worked in the 88-90 mph
range from his deceptive cross body delivery and worked in his
mid-70s breaking ball when needed, just as he always does. The
Vanderbilt commit is quickly working his way up the charts (if such
charts actually existed) of the busiest PG performers ever and still
has a year to go before graduation. This was Bizzle's 23rd PG
tournament of his career dating back to the 2012 13u BCS and his
seventh just in 2015, along with an outing at the 2015 Junior
National Showcase.
Lefthander
Holden Christian (2017, Ventura, Calif) pitched Trosky Mizuno
to a 4-1 win over Slammers Cornican with six innings of two-hit
baseball. Christian has a fast and loose arm that produced a
fastball up to 85 mph and hard spin on a breaking ball up to 73 mph
and will likely throw harder as he gets stronger. He tended to
elevate his fastball, often successfully, over hitter's barrels but
will have to learn to work the bottom of the zone more consistently
as the level of competition improves in the future.
– David
Rawnsley
Sunday
morning at PG/Evoshield Upperclass Naitonal Championship meant one
thing: Playoff day. In the first playoff game of the day at the
Cincinnati Reds Spring Training complex the T-Rex Baseball Club took
on Hoots Baseball Club for the right to advance. Hoots started 2016
lefthander Jacob Hord (Freemont, Calif.), and he was very
effective early. Working from a lower thee-quarters slot, nearing
sidearm, the lefty did an excellent job pounding his fastball down in
the zone with heavy sinking/running life. Fastball worked 80-85 for
the most part, and was incredibly tough for opposing hitters to
square up. He mixed in a very good slider in the 70-74 range, showing
varying looks depending on the situation. The slider would be sharper
with more traditional tilt in the 73-74 range, and he did a good job
throwing this variation for a strike and freezing hitters. He could
then manipulate the shape of the slider to turn it into more of a
downer pitcher in the 70-72 range, and this offering he would back
foot to righthanded hitters, getting several swings and misses over
the top of it.
On
the mound for T-Rex was 2016 righthander Matt Thomas (Scottsdale,
Ariz.). Thomas pitches with a long, extended arm action into a slight
stab in the back of his arm circle, comes out of it well and cleanly
into acceleration, and release is clean. His fastball worked 81-84
with good arm side run, and he did a great job throwing strikes. He
has very good feel for both curve and change, with his curve showing
11-to-5 shape and quality depth; and his changeup being a bit
straighter but very deceptive out of the hand.
2016
shortstop Cameron Cannon (Chandler, Ariz.) has been very
impressive at various Perfect Game events in the past (PG/MLK
Championship, National Showcase) and has continued that momentum in
recent weeks by committing to the University of Arizona and then
playing well in this event. He’s a quick-twitch athlete with the
range and athleticism to handle shortstop at the next level, and his
actions to and through fielding the baseball are excellent. He’s
shown the ability to hit for power with consistency in the past, and
as he continues to physically develop there’s no reason to believe
that his power will do anything but continue to grow.
Sam
Behrens (Pleasant Hill, Calif.), a 2016 righthander, took the
mound for Lamorinda in their playoff game, and was impressive due to
both stuff and durability. Regardless of talent level, it’s common
to see a pitcher lose some velocity over the course of a 100 pitch
start. Behrens did not do that, holding his 83-86 mph fastball
velocity for well over 90 pitches in an impressive display of
durability and conditioning level. The fastball showed some quality
life to the arm side, keeping it off of opposing barrels, and he
mixed in a solid slider and change as well. The arm works and is easy
for the most part, leading this scout to believe that he has some
more velocity projection in there as well.
In
a highly-touted, highly-scouted playoff matchup, the T-Rex took on
CBA Marucci. Neither team disappointed as far as pitching matchups,
with T-Rex throwing Boyd Vander Kooi (Mesa, Ariz.) and CBA
sending out Christopher Lincoln (Moreno Valley, Calif.).
Vander
Kooi is a 2017 prospect committed to Oregon, a legitimate two-way
talent who has the talent both on the mound and with the bat to be
drafted highly as either position. At 6-foot-5, 200-pounds with broad
shoulders, he has the ideal pitcher’s frame, and physically
projects well moving forward. He worked 84-86 for the most part in
his outing, with very heavy, bowling ball sink that makes it very
tough to square up when located down in the zone. At his best, he
gets weak contact on the ground and then has the ability to blow
fastballs by hitters when he elevates. He gets on top of the ball
well from a high ¾ slot and generates plane, despite the spine tilt
in his delivery. His arm works very well and the velocity projection
in his arm is almost limitless. He’ll mix in a curveball and a
change as well, both with quality feel and effectiveness. He’s
amongst the top two-way talents in the entire country right now, and
keeping in mind that he’s only a junior, it’s a scary proposition
just how good he could be.
Lincoln is a lean and long 2016 righthander that showed a glimpse of
potentially super high upside. Standing 6-foot-4 and weighing
170-pounds, Lincoln isn’t quite as lean as 2015 draftee Triston
McKenzie at this point in their respective careers, but the physical
comparison isn’t far off. Generating excellent arm speed and
getting his fastball up to 88 presently, it won’t be long until
Lincoln is working comfortably in the 90s. He showed advanced ability
to work with both a four-seam fastball and a two-seamer, with his
four-seamer working 85-88 and showing some boring life in on the
hands of righthanded hitters; while the two-seamer worked 81-84 with
heavy sinking action. He mixed and matched both pitches at-bat to
at-bat with good effectiveness. He mixed in a breaking ball with
varying shape as well as a changeup, giving him a four-pitch arsenal
with feel for all four. He has significantly high upside, and is the
type that could absolutely blow up in the spring.
CBA’s
2016 shortstop and righthanded pitcher Ryan Garcia (Sierra
Madre, Calif.) came on in relief and worked 84-87, touching 90 twice
as well. He has a quick and easy arm that works well and allows the
ball to explode out of his hand. His delivery is controlled and
balanced, showing clean mechanics throughout and good rhythmic tempo.
2016
outfielder Josh Stephen (Newport Beach, Calif.) is a
quick-twitch, explosive athlete with easy center field projection and
top-of-the-lineup hitting tools, showing a line drive swing plane
with good gap-to-gap power highlighted by very quick hands. He
projects at the next level as what he is now, an excellent leadoff
hitter who plays an outstanding center field.
Andrew
Swift (2017, Chandler, Ariz.) plays shortstop for the T-Rex club,
and is someone we need to keep an eye on moving forward. With
excellent athleticism that shows up in the infield, he handles
shortstop with no problem and has quality hitting tools with
developing power.
North
East Baseball’s Dylan Carlson (Elk Grove, Calif.) is a 2016
prospect committed to Cal State Fullerton, and he showed excellent
hitting tools all weekend. He gets the bat to the zone quickly and it
stays in the zone for a long time, looks to hit the ball hard with
authority, overall a clean swing with easy power projection.
2017
middle infielder Michael Sandoval (Team California: Eastvale,
Calif.) showed a quick bat with consistent hard contact all over the
field, has natural lift in his swing and projects to have excellent
power as he continues to develop.
– Brian
Sakowski