11/8/2011 7:54:31 AM
1B/OF Dominic Smith is one of the best known prospects in the 2013 class and has a nice, engaging personality. When I greeted him in batting cages Sunday morning, he said "You know, I brought my little brother to this event for you to see."
He didn't literally mean his little brother, he meant his sophomore teammate and friend from Serra High School, OF Denz'l Chapman. And we had already more than noticed the switch-hitting Chapman, as it's hard to miss a player who runs a 6.36 60 under less than ideal conditions. In fact, Chapman was the first runner to go on Saturday morning and after putting up his time we remeasured the course just to make sure we hadn't made a mistake and were running a 55 instead.
So I suggested to Smith that he should teach his little brother how to hit left handed if Denz'l would teach him how to run faster (Smith doesn't like running 60's and is probably a 7.2/7.4 runner).
Smith, who fills out a uniform at 6-1/200, replied without hesitation, "You know, my mom says the same thing. She says we should just attach a cheeseburger to the back of Denz'l's jersey and let me chase after him."
11/8/2011 6:51:49 AM
We were able to get about 20 innings of play in on the field on Saturday afternoon before it got dark, plus get some extra outdoor swings on Sunday while a couple of pitchers were throwing simulated games. Here are some of the highlights.
RHP Tim Willittes (2013/Desert Mountain, AZ) hit an absolute bomb over the scoreboard in left field and onto the freshman field. I'm guessing that's his best bolt; it was an impressive blast.
SS Jeffrey Oki (2014/Marantha HS, CA) put a couple of good swings on the ball, including a double over the centerfielder's head.
C Jose Jose Gudino (2013/Montgomery HS, CA) almost had the second home run of the game for Gold after Willittes, knocking a ball off the left centerfield fence that looked like a home run off the bat.
1B Austin O'Banion (2013/Yorba Linda HS, CA), OF Ethan Cohen (2013/Keystone Academy, CA) and IF Willie Barcena (2013/John Marshall HS) all had a string of quality at bats for the Teal team
SS Travis Blue (2013/Orange Lutheran HS, CA) played well in the middle infield, showing good ability and a quick release and got rid of the ball well on a double play feed. His Red teammate SS Michael Heenan (2013/JSerra Catholic HS, CA) also showed solid middle infield actions.
C Max Schuman (2013/Arcadia HS, AZ) is very, very strong at 6-0/195 and has a nice left handed swing with plus power potential. He hit a booming triple up the right centerfield gap that got to the fence in a hurry like it was bouncing on turf instead of wet grass.
C Justin Bardwell (2015/Chino Hills HS, CA) stood out defensively, throwing out a runner with a tag throw at 2.14 and doing a great job on a high wind blown pop up. He also swing the bat aggressively.
The other Orange catcher, Austin Henning (2013/Bonita Vista HS, CA) also looked solid on both sides of the ball, especially in his catching fundamentals and overall athleticism behind the plate.
OF Jacob Weston (2013/Corona Centennial HS, CA) made a nice running catch in right field that he made look far easier than it actually was and also hit a scorching line drive right at the second baseman that was one of the hardest hit balls of the day.
OF Aldo Koutsoyanopulos (2013/Capistrano Valley HS, CA) was a terror on the base paths, forcing an infield error with his 6.8 speed, then stealing both second and third base easily before being stranded. He looks like a very good all around talent.
SS Adam Groesbeck (2013/Turlock HS, CA) was another young middle infielder who showed range and next level actions at shortstop
11/7/2011 7:33:58 PM
Due most likely to the time of the year, the California Underclass Showcase had relatively few primary pitchers so the unseasonably lousy weather didn't impact their ability to show their stuff. Here are some of the highlights.
RHP Tim Willittes (2013/Desert Mountain HS, AZ): The 6-4/205 Willittes had the highest velocity of any pitcher at the event, topping out at 88 mph. But his fastball was arguably only his 3rd best pitch as it was pretty straight and lacked deception by itself. Willittes threw a 71-74 mph curveball that had very tight spin, sharp bite and big depth and his 79-80 mph change up had ideal arm speed and velocity and lots of late movement.
LHP Dylan Drachler (2013/Spring Valley HS, NV): Drachler has a very unusual delivery and arm action but it works well for him. He topped out at 86 mph from an extended mid 3/4's release point but, like Willittes, his fastball was probably his third best pitch. Drachler's change up was outstanding at times and when he kept his hand above his curveball it was very sharp.
RHP Alan Trejo (2014/Cathedral HS, CA): You won't often here the word "knuckleball" in a Perfect Game report but this is an exception. The 6-0/165 Trejo threw 80-82 on his fastball and will undoubtedly throw harder as he gets stronger, but he used a nasty hard knuckleball at 71 mph as his out pitch, much like an older pitcher would use a split finger pitch. Trejo doesn't tip the pitch, releasing it from the same release point and arm speed as his fastball but takes the spin off and gets lots of late unpredictable life.
RHP Tyler Huber (2013/Heritage Hall HS, OK): Huber has a short compact arm action in back and hides the ball very well behind his big 6-3/230 frame. His fastball topped out at 86 mph with heavy life and gets on hitters like a higher velocity pitch due to the deception in his delivery. Huber also has a mature pitchability and used a big breaking curveball effectively when ahead in the count.
11/7/2011 6:41:33 PM
Highlights from the Teal BP Sunday morning:
OF Ethan Cohen (2013/Keystone Academy, CA): Cohen has very quick hands from the right side and impressive bat speed. He destroyed balls that he could pull but tended to reach on balls on the outside half. That's not uncommon for young hitters with that type of hand speed; it's hard for them to always wait for the ball to get deep.
IF Willie Barcena (2013/ John Marshall HS, CA): Barcena has a distinctive hitting style from the left side that less talented hitters couldn't get away with. He's very,, very short and quick to the ball with his hands with virtually no take away but gets away with it due to his hand speed. He projects very well.
OF Kevin Macedo (2013/Damien HS, CA): Macedo had a small advantage as he was hitting in his home batting cage but he didn't need it, as his smooth right handed swing and projectable 6-1/170 frame stood out. He can do a better job of keeping his hands above the ball instead of looping under.
11/7/2011 6:32:02 PM
Highlights from the Red BP Sunday morning:
OF/IF Scott Hurst (2014/Bishop Amat HS, CA): Hurst isn't very big or physical at 5-10/160 but he's young and will get stronger. He's a seriously quick twitch athlete, though, and generates extremely good raw bat speed from the left side of the plate. He'll be a fixture on PG top prospect lists for the next 3 years, especially if he's able to stay in the middle infield defensively.
OF Cody Bower (2013/St. Pius HS, NM): Brower has a simple approach at the plate with good balance and bat speed, which enables him to square the ball up consistently.
2B/OF Julian Harrison (2013/Redondo Union HS, CA): Harrison is one of the rare young switch-hitters who grades out virtually the same from both sides of the plate. He's a very mature hitter with a quick, confident swing and is undoubtedly a very high average hitter in high school/travel ball.
RHP/1B Tyler Huber (2013/Heritage Hall HS, OK): Huber came all the way from Oklahoma and it was well worth it. He was the second hardest thrower at the event off the mound and really put on a show from the right side (he's a switch-hitter) of the plate in BP, getting in a groove and launching 4-5 balls that probably would have been home runs if BP had been held on the Damien HS field.
11/7/2011 6:11:13 PM
Highlights from the Orange BP Sunday morning:
OF Jacob Weston (2013, Corona Centennial HS, CA): Weston has a big, strong build at 6-1/205 and his strength shows in his raw bat speed, which was only behind Dominic Smith and Scott Hurst among the showcase participants. The ball really jumps off his bat hard and he can continue to improve if he can develop a bit more flow and rhythm to his approach.
3B Anthony Mizrahi (2013, La Canada HS, CA): Mizrahi is 6-3/215 but hits out of a crouched stance that probably doesn't do him any favors. His strength does translate to bat speed, though, and he hit some balls very hard to the middle and right side of the field when he got his hands extended.
1B/3B Hayden Rappoport (2014, El Camino Real HS, CA): Rappoport is another young hitter who attacks the ball aggressively and has the bat speed to drive it hard with wood right now. He's a bit long to the ball now but definitely has the potential to keep improving.
C Justin Bardwell (2015, Chino Hills HS, CA): Bardwell is a freshman who looks even younger with his 5-6/135 frame, but he has a very sound fundamental swing and squared up the ball very well both against live pitching and in BP. He will keep improving has he gets stronger.
11/7/2011 6:00:16 PM
Highlights from Navy's BP Sunday morning:
1B Ivan Chavarria (2013, St. John Bosco HS, CA): Chavarria does a good job moving his lower half through contact and generating power from his lower half. His swing is smooth and confident and he looked even better against live pitching than he did in the cages.
OF Erik Gronhagen (2013, El Segundo HS, CA): Gronhagen is a bit stiff in his swing approach but that doesn't keep him from generating good bat speed from a spread, balanced stance. He really pulled the ball hard well.
OF Aldo Koutsoyanopulos (2013, Capistrano Valley HS, CA): Aside from having a great name, Koutsoyanopulos is a very good athlete who did everything well on the field. He has very quick hands at the plate and stays short and quick to the ball. He might benefit from using his hips and lower half better in his swing.
C Anthony Lepre (2015, Valencia HS, CA): Lepre has very good strength for his age, when gives him present bat speed with the promise of more in the future. He also has a very aggressive approach and swings hard and attacks the ball, always a good thing to see in a young hitter.
11/7/2011 5:52:56 PM
Highlights from the Gold BP on Sunday morning
1B/OF Dominic Smith (2013/Serra HS, CA): I've seen Smith play a ton this year and he's convincing me that he's one of the best hitters in the 2013 class. My only fault with his swing is his exaggerated open stance to start, something that has no positive benefit, but he has exceptional raw bat speed. Smith's best natural tool as a hitter, though, might be his eyes. He sees the ball exceptionally well and his hands and his eyes work well together.
LHP/OF Dylan Drachler (2013/Spring Valley, NV): Drachler is a very good all around athlete and despite an unconventional low hand hitting approach, showed nice bat speed and very quick hands while driving the ball hard to the middle of field.
C/1B Jose Gudino (2013, Montgomery HS, CA): Gudino narrowly missed a home run in game action and showed his strength in batting practice. The ball comes off his bat very hard and he can improve with a couple of basic mechanical adjustments.
1B Austin Garcia (2014, Green Valley HS, NV): Garcia is a large young athlete at 6-5/225 but he has nice looseness in his swing and in his hands and strength isn't going to be an issue as he gets older.
SS Jeffrey Oki (2014, Marantha HS, CA): Oki is another well build sophomore with a projectable 6-1/175 frame and very good strength for his age. He has nice extension in his swing.
