2015 PG/EvoShield Upperclass National Championship: Day 1 notes


The first time slot of the day featured a matchup between two pitchers with prominent college commitments in the Minnesota Blizzard Blue's righthander Samuel Carlson (2017, Savage, Minn.) and the GBG Renegades lefthander Hayden Petrovick (2016, Azuza, Calif.). Both pitcher's look the part. Carlson, a Florida commit, is a long and very projectable 6-foot-4, 190-pounds, while Petrovick, a San Diego State commit, checks in at 6-foot-3, 195-pounds.

Petrovick got off to a slow start, throwing 44 pitches in a three-run Blizzard first inning, of which about 20 were foul balls (more on that later). He settled down quickly after that and ended up working five plus innings and allowing four runs, all of them unearned. Petrovick worked in the 84-88 mph range with his fastball from a sound delivery with a quick arm from a mid three-quarters arm slot. His best pitch was a mid-70s changeup that he had lots of feel for and was the one pitch he could generate some swing and miss from.

Carlson ended up throwing a 110-pitch complete game in what ended up to be a hard fought 4-3 win for the Blizzard. He worked in the 84-86 mph range with his fastball while scattering 11 hits. Carlson's big pitch, one that he threw about 40 percent of the time, has a hard split-fingered changeup in the 73-77 mph area that had consistent diving and tumbling action at the plate.

The point about Petrovick and foul balls which also pertains to Carlson and his 11 hits allowed, is that neither pitcher threw more than a couple of breaking balls. So many swings and misses, or even called strikes, happen at every level of baseball on breaking balls and it is hard to pitch efficiently without viable breaking ball. Carlson and Petrovick could get away with it to a degree because of their outstanding changeups but will definitely need to develop a third pitch for the collegiate level.

The player of the game, however, was Blizzard shortstop Nicholas Novak (2016, Stillwater, Minn.). With Renegade hitters pounding Carlson's split change into the ground time after time, Novak made probably a half dozen high level plays, most of them charging the ball and most of them with runners in scoring position. One misplay and the final score would have been different.

Renegades center fielder Trevor Cadd (2018, Riverside, Calif.) didn't much in the line score with a 0-3 game but he's a very nice outfield prospect who will be followed closely. He's listed at 6-foot-2, 175-pounds but has the chance to end up around 6-foot-4, 190-pounds. The righthanded hitter had very good bat speed, although he had trouble staying back on Carlson's changeup. Cadd also showed a very strong and accurate outfield arm and, according to a SoCal college coach, is a 6.7 type runner in the sixty already. A quick check also shows that Cadd started for Riverside King High School as a freshman, a rare accomplishment in Southern California, and hit .349-2-20 with 10 stolen bases.

This scout got his first look at EJ Sports Warriors Black centerfielder/infielder Michael Dixon (2019, Oakland, Calif.) today, a look that sounds like it will be repeated many times over the next four years. Dixon, who is part of USA Baseball's 14u National Development Program, is 5-foot-11 and 170 already muscular pounds, with a Justin Upton body type. He showed a well coached short and quick righthanded swing in a pair of at-bats, keeping his hands back very well on one breaking ball that ended up in a hard line drive to shortstop, and ran 4.54 on a ground out.

The Southern California Bombers Black knocked out an 8-1 win over D-Backs Academy in a game that seemed closer than the final score. In the process, they might have found a high level future full-time pitcher.

Catcher Ryan Bunse (2016, San Bernardino, Calif.) is listed as a secondary pitcher on the Bombers roster but he certainly looks like a primary catcher with a thick 6-foot-1, 200-pound build. He relieved righthanded starter Andrew Miner (2016, Redlands, Calif.) in the fifth inning and threw two scoreless frames, striking out the side on ten pitches in the sixth. Bunse's arm action definitely didn't resemble the classic catcher's arm action, as it was long and loose both back and front. His fastball worked from 86 to 89 mph and he spotted it precisely to both sides of the plate. He snapped off a couple of 76 mph slurve-type breaking balls that had bite and even dropped in a changeup for a strikeout. It was an impressive performance and there were a couple of college coaches stopping by the PG tent to ask questions.

The reason that Bunse isn't catching is that the Bombers starting catcher Andy Thomas (2016, Murrieta, Calif.) is very good. A 6-foot-3, 195-pound lefthanded hitter with a Baylor commit, Thomas has a big and strong body but is very young in the face and really projects well. He stood out on defense with a very quiet receiving style with strong hands that stuck strikes on the corners and he was consistently 2.0 to 2.05 with accuracy and plus carry down to second base in between innings. Thomas has a strong swing once he gets the barrel going but is going to have to quiet down what is one of the busiest loads one will see once he faces better pitching at the next level.

Third baseman Jacob Castillo (2016, Pasadena, Calif.) of the Bombers is a nice all-around player who has a verbal commit to San Diego State. He has lots of present strength in his swing and hits from what this scout calls a "SoCal Glide" approach, which involves a big lower half shift into contact to help generate bat speed. This approach works if you have a strong lower half, which Castillo definitely does, and if you are able to keep your hands back, which Castillo also does well. Castillo is also an agile and strong armed third baseman on defense, an aggressive and sometimes tricky baserunner and also throws in the upper 80s off the mound.

Middle infielder Daniel Cervantes (2017, LaMesa, Calif.) is a very interesting young hitter for the Bombers and proof that one just can't focus on the top and middle of a batting order to find prospects. Cervantes hit ninth and tenth in the Bombers two games but went 3-for-7 combined with two triples and five RBI while showing very good whippy bat speed and big gap power from the right side.

The BPA DeMarini Elite machine continued to roll, winning 9-0 in five innings to run their total margin of victory to 39-0 in three games. They are hitting .547 (29-for-53) as a team in the nine innings they've come to the plate and have a .667 on base percentage. Shortstop Demitri Colacchio (2017, Aliso Viejo, Calif.) is 5-for-5 with a walk for a perfect 1.000 on-base percentage and has scored five runs. Outfielder Dominick Buso (2016, San Marcos, Calif.) and second baseman Shawn Kany (2016, Laguna Niguel, Calif.) are hitting .571 and .500 respectively and lead the team in RBI with seven apiece.

One BPA DeMarini pitcher that definitely warrants mention thus far is 2019 lefthander Cooper Benson (2019, San Luis Obispo, Calif.). Benson struck out five of the six hitters he faced on Friday, working between 83 and 87 mph with his fastball from a fast and loose arm action, impressive velocity for a freshman.

As the number one seed entering the playoffs, BPA DeMarini will get a first round bye and doesn't play until 3:30 p.m. Sunday afternoon.

DBacks Elite Scout Team pitched two D-I caliber lefthanders in a 14-0 win Saturday evening. Alex Segal (2016, Scottsdale, Ariz.) is a Kansas State commit with a profile 6-foot-3, 185-pound pitcher's build and a very low effort delivery. He worked in the 82-85 mph range to spots and threw a 73 mph slider that had some late biting action.

The other lefthander has a more interesting immediate situation, as the DBacks Elite coaches say that Dellan Raish (2016, Cave Creek, Ariz.) has received scant college attention thus far. Raish worked only one inning but was very impressive in this scout's eye, working at 85-86 mph from a very deceptive and quick compact arm action. His 74 mph curveball had very tight spin and late biting action and will be a weapon against lefthanded hitters at the next level. The 6-foot-2, 180-pound Raish is also a very good student according to the numbers in the PG database. There aren't many colleges around the country who couldn't use the package of talents he showed today.

Another impressive young lefthander who made a short appearance late Saturday was Sandlot Baseball Arizona's Frank Dickson (2016, Scottsdale, Ariz.). Dickson is a 6-foot, 170-pounder with a very quick left arm that produced an 85-88 mph fastball and a hard curveball. He's a local Arizona State commit.

Center fielder Jarrett Finger (2016, Aurora, Colo.) of Team Colorado is an interesting centerfield prospect with a strong and mature 6-foot-2, 190-pound build and plenty of athletic tools. He's a righthanded hitter who was got down to first base in 4.2 to 4.3 seconds a couple of times and showed the same type of very good closing speed in the outfield in the gaps. His righthanded swing is aggressive and strong with plenty of bat speed; if anything he looked like he would hit high velocity pitching better than the pitching he saw on Saturday. He's an uncommitted senior with the tools to play at the college level.

– David Rawnsley





Early Saturday morning, the Arizona T-Rex Baseball Club took the field at Camelback Ranch with a roster as loaded as any in this entire event. Starting on the mound was senior Zane Strand (Chandler, Ariz.), a righthander committed to Arizona State. Strand is a physical, well-built, 6-foot-3 prospect who has the raw tools on the mound to be an impact talent for the Sun Devils. Touching 91 early, his fastball settled in around 86-89 and projects to continue gaining velocity in the future. The pitch features excellent arm-side life, and he shows the ability to get to both sides of the plate with the pitch as well as elevate it when the situation calls for it. Creating excellent angle from his extended three-quarters slot, Strand has a chance to be supremely successful once the overall command of his fastball matches up with the raw power of the pitch.

He complemented that fastball with a slurvy, sharp breaking ball in the 73-75 range. He shows the ability to manipulate the shape on the pitch, taking it more from a slurvy, tilting offering to more of a true curve but sacrificing some horizontal break for more vertical depth, giving hitters varying looks with excellent success.




While Strand had things locked down on the mound, the T-Rex hitters did an outstanding job giving him as much support as he could ever need. Uncommitted 2017 third baseman Scott Mehan (Scottsdale, Ariz.) had one of the quicker bats we’ve seen this weekend, employing a linear swing plane with a whole-field approach and the ability to go gap-to-gap with more power on the way.

2017 Oregon commit Boyd Vander Kooi (Mesa, Ariz.) is as legitimate a two-way talent as any in his class. He’s been up to 88-89 with heavy, bowling ball sink on the mound from a highly projectable 6-foot-5, 200-pound frame to go along with a smooth, powerful stroke when hitting. He lofted a long triple over the right fielder's head on Saturday morning, and his swing is built for power. He has plenty of it already, but the overall projection of his power potential is truly scary.




2017 third baseman Jacob Gonzalez (Scottsdale, AZ) has the type of frame and physicality that professional scouts dream about, to go along with solid athleticism and an advanced feel for hitting. He’s committed to TCU, has at least average raw power right now, and it’s not unrealistic to think he could develop plus-or-better power as he continues to physically develop and refine.

2017 outfielder Blake Paugh (Scottsdale, Ariz.) is going to be an Arizona Wildcat, and the junior outfielder showed a glimpse of his potential on Saturday by drilling a long line drive home run to the pull field, showing the kind of power and exit velocities he’s able to generate now with even more on the way in the future.

In the game following T-Rex’s victory, the well-known GBG Marucci Navy team took the field and put their own tremendous talent on display. 2016 third baseman and Oregon Ducks commitment Spencer Steer (Long Beach, Calif.) has never disappointed in the many viewings this scout has had of him, and he certainly didn't start to do so on Saturday. With impressive present hand/wrist strength, Steer is able to turn the barrel and get the bat out with authority and timing, also showing the ability to square up liners to all fields as well as backspin the ball into the gaps, with highly projectable offensive tools both in terms of hit and power.

Steer’s teammate, 2016 center fielder Dylan Hirsch (West Hills, Calif.) showed impressive speed both at bat and in the outfield. He was clocked at 4.02 seconds running home to first, and showed continued ability to take good routes in the outfield and put his speed on display to get into those routes. He’s an excellent athlete, as well.




2016 righthander Cooper Gallion (Redondo Beach, Calif.) started on the mound for GBG and was very successful over his four innings of work, allowing only a single hit and striking out six opposing hitters. Gallion worked 83-86 throughout his start, working downhill with good sinking/running action on the fastball. He has some deceptive funk in his delivery, raising his hands and front leg in sync to start his delivery, tilting his spine slightly towards second base before driving downhill, using his lower half well, and hiding the ball from the hitter until the last moment before release. He did a great job attacking hitters and keeping the ball down, eliciting even more weak contact than he did swings-and-misses. Showed very good feel for the curveball as well, as the pitch showed 12-to-6 shape with quality depth and spin and projects to be a potential bat-misser with more development.




Coming on in relief of Gallion and finishing the remaining three frames of the game was 2016 righthander Declan Kearney (Pacific Palisades, Calif.). Kearney came out and was immediately impressive, with his highly projectable present frame and quick arm, his fastball worked 86-88 with a ton of heavy sink, pounding the bottom of the zone with the pitch and attacking hitters to both sides of the plate with it. He has a deep arm stab into an arm hook, but the arm comes out of it clean and shows very good arm speed through acceleration into release from a three-quarters slot, getting downhill well and showing solid feel for command.




Opposing the GBG Marucci team was the local Warriors Baseball Academy, a Phoenix-based organization. In relief of their starter, the Warriors brought out 2018 lefthander Calvin Schapira (Scottsdale, Ariz.), a long and lean, highly projectable sophomore arm who wasted no time in getting the collegiate coaches in attendance buzzing. Working mostly 80-81, Schapira’s fastball comes with outstanding downhill plane from a super extended, high three-quarters slot to go along with excellent arm-side run. His frame, the speed of his arm, and the looseness of his arm all lend credence to the projection that Schapira is going to be a monster at maturity, and this scout falls in line with those believe strongly in his ultimate upside. He showed advanced feel to spin as well, showing a curveball that worked between 12-to-6 and 1-to-7 shape, but power depth and spin that he’s able to command to both sides of the plate. With increased repetition and strength gains, the curveball has a chance to be a true hammer.




North East Baseball came off of a 2-0 start on Friday, and threw 2017 righthander Trey Dillard (Phoenix, Ariz.) in their third game on Saturday. Dillard is a physical, well-built 6-foot-2, 200-pound righty with legitimate arm speed and the projection for more. He worked 84-86 and touched 87 for the majority of his start, but he got himself into trouble during his start due to his command being just off for the day. When he flashed quality command, the raw stuff and profile are undoubtedly intriguing. Slight drop and drive into delivery, shorter arm circle with slight hook but comes out of it cleanly, and does a solid job generating downhill plane to the plate. The fastball features solid, heavy late life, and despite the effort in his delivery, as well as the overall inconsistencies, the pitch is impressive when commanded down in the strike zone to both sides of the plate.

He showed both a curve and a change to round out his arsenal: The curve had traditional 11-to-5 shape and quality spin, solid depth, and the ability to throw for strikes. He has advanced feel for the change, coming off his hand clean with deceptive arm speed and solid fading action.

He impressed in Friday’s games as well, mostly with the power in his bat, but 2017 third baseman Blake Diggle (Mountain View, Calif.) continues to impress this scout with his overall idea at the plate and underrated athleticism in the field. He works counts, fouls off tough pitches, and does what needs to be done to get a pitch he can drive or simply walk down to first base. In the modern day of baseball, a heavy emphasis is rightfully put on on-base skills, and Diggle has those skills.




2016 righthander Travis Marr (Castle Rock, Colo.) recently committed to Clemson after a spring/summer that took him through several PG events, including the National Showcase. Marr has never failed to impress on the mound, and his steady effectiveness is often lost in the world of sexy velocity readings and supreme athleticism. On Saturday afternoon, Marr worked 86-88 for the most part with good, heavy sink. He has slight crossfire in his delivery, which obviously adds deception but can cause him to struggle to get to the glove side, down in the zone.

Regardless, Marr is an accomplished strike-thrower, and keeps the ball off the barrel. He eats up innings (going 6 in this one), and while he doesn’t rack up a ton of strikeouts, it’s not often that he gets barreled up either. His curveball looked a little sharper since the last time we’ve seen him, showing 11-to-5 shape at it’s best with good snap and command. Marr also worked two walks at the plate, getting on base twice in a game where his teams’ offensive prowess was very quiet.

Marr’s teammate, 2016 catcher Maverick Handley (Lakewood, Colo.) is one of the best overall catchers in his class, and the Stanford commit consistently shows well. He’s a highly intelligent, highly cerebral player with game-calling and game-managing abilities that don’t show up in the box score but most certainly show up in scouting reports. He’s strong throughout with an idea at the plate, getting on base at a high clip and working with projectable gap-to-gap power. He moves well behind the plate, blocking side to side, and has advanced receiving skills. He’s going to be an outstanding get for the Stanford Cardinal…assuming Major League Baseball comes calling.

Trosky Mizuno won their game with the Slammers, and as a result, won their pool on Saturday afternoon and will continue play on Sunday. While Travis Marr was certainly good for the Slammers, 2017 righthander Brandon Nance (La Jolla, Calif.) opposed him for Trosky and come out ahead. Nance was very good, with a highly projectable frame/body that will continue to get stronger, as well as projectable fastball velocity. Nance worked 82-85, up to 86, for his four innings of work. His arm works well for the most part despite a bit of a rigid stab in the back of his arm circle, he hides the ball well and is very deceptive, making that 82-85 seem quite a bit firmer out of his hand. He continually pounded the opposing righthanded hitters inside with his fastball, and even when they made contact, it was often weak and on the ground, giving his defense a great chance to work and keep runners off the bases.

– Brian Sakowski