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High School  | General | 3/30/2018

NHSI Day 2 Notes

David Rawnsley
Vincent Cervino
Photo: Perfect Game

Kunkel connects HS, travel ball | 2018 NHSI Day 1 Notes

Batting practice is a very important part of this event, as each team takes BP on another field before switching over to their game field. In fact, one often sees more scouts at a BP field than at the multiple game fields at this four-field complex at any one time. The large scout packs tend to move like human clouds from field to field during the day. 

Just why this is the case was illustrated by this scout's experience with top prospects Nolan Gorman (2018, Glendale, Ariz.) and Joe Gray Jr. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) on Thursday. In seven combined at-bats in two separate games, the two PG All-Americans walked five times, had one line drive single to left field (Gray) and one foul pop up (Gorman). If one hadn't watched their respective BP's, the day would have been far emptier in scouting terms.

Some feedback from the BP scouts that has been passed on include:

Gorman: "His Wednesday BP was outstanding, he really showed his wrist strength and barrel whip and it's obvious plus power. Thursday wasn't quite as good but Wednesday was the best I've seen this week."

Gray Jr.: "He's continued the adjustments he made in the fall and carried them over to this spring, which is a positive. I wish I'd see it more consistently in games, though."

Outfielder Alek Thomas (2018, Mt. Carmel, Ill.): "He obviously has good barrel skills and squares the ball up well all over the field. The hit tool is there and he's a nice live-bodied athlete. I'm hoping to see more juice at some point, though."

Shortstop Brice Turang (2018, Corona, Calif.): "Turang can be frustrating. He takes an outstanding BP, shows bat speed and gets the barrel turned and drives the ball. Then in the game his approach changes completely and it becomes a softer opposite field oriented swing."

Word has definitely spread quickly on outfielder Jordyn Adams (2018, Cary, N.C.). Although he was playing in the last game of the day, about 80 scouts watched his batting practice. Adams showed some of the rawness in his game as his front foot timing was inconsistent and his swing was often long and arm generated but the raw bat speed and ability to make the ball jump was there. The fleet-footed football star then went out in his first game at-bat and singled sharply to right field on a two-strike count, stole second and third and scored on a wild throw to third.

Cavalry Christian Academy is the top-ranked team in the PG National High School Rankings and won its second straight game here in Cary by a convincing 8-2 margin Thursday morning. Two-way standout Roberto Pena (2018, Pembroke Pines, Fla.), who hit two doubles in Cavalry's Wednesday win, started on the mound this game and worked six shutout innings, working mostly 86-89 mph with his fastball while topping at 91 and frequently getting weak swings with a mid to upper-70s sweeping breaking ball. Pena also helped his cause by picking off two runners. Pena is signed with Florida, which has a well established history of using players on both sides of the ball, and should fit in with the top-ranked Gators very well.

Cavalry's preferred hit this game seemed to be hard hit triples to right field, as they collected three such hits that all led to multiple runs. Righthanded hitting Mykanthony Valdez (2019, Davie, Fla.) just missed an opposite field bomb, going off the top of the right field fence after driving an up and away two-strike fastball. Valdez is one of the strongest players in high school baseball and has already shown he can leave the yard to any field. The strength of Cavalry's lineup is shown by the fact that Valdez has hit seventh and eighth in the team's lineup the first two games. 

Shortstop Raynel Delgado (2018, Miami Lakes, Fla.), who was a member of the 2017 USA National 18U Team and is accustomed to playing in Cary, hit a rocket to right-centerfield for a second triple and quick-twitch outfielder Ryan Keenan (2019, Lighthouse Point, Fla.), a Vanderbilt commit, added a third into the right field corner. Delgado is the team's top prospect and will be facing a decision this summer whether to play professionally or go to school at Florida International.

Defending NHSI champion Orange Lutheran High School is definitely the type of program that reloads instead of rebuilds. The team is ranked 13th in the latest PG National High School Top 50 despite the fact that they regularly start more sophomores (four) than seniors (three) and a fifth sophomore, 6-foot-7 lefthander Christian Rodriguez (2020, Corona, Calif.) is one of their top pitchers. The four precocious starters include righthanded pitcher/third baseman Max Rajcic (2020, Fullerton, Calif.), third baseman Elijah Buries (2020, Upland, Calif.), centerfielder Chad Born (2020, Placentia, Calif.) and catcher Brandon Heidal (2020, Anaheim, Calif.).




Rajcic was outstanding on the mound Thursday, throwing a complete game in a walk-off 2-1 win over George Jenkins (Fla.) High School . The 6-foot, 195-pound two-way athlete has a strong and pretty mature build and throws from a torque heavy delivery that is very consistent despite its energy and a mid three-quarters arm slot. Rajcic hit some 93's early in the game but was absolutely glued on 90-91 the entire outing, often with very good running life into righthanded hitter's hands, and his last pitch in the top of the seventh inning was 90.6 mph. He frequently throws a 77 mph curveball with big sweeping depth that consistently had the Jenkins hitters fooled and waving at pitches. Many will call Rajcic's breaking ball a slider but for this scout it's a curveball.

Born, a righthanded hitter who bats leadoff and has plus running speed, has been Orange Lutheran's top hitter, with three solid line drive hits in two games and consistent square middle of the field contact. He's also shown impressive patience at the plate, drawing a couple of walk in key situations and looks like a high level overall hitter with a very bright future. Heidal has stood out as one of the top defensive catchers at the event, especially considering the ease and comfort that he has handled two 90-plus mph arms with very good breaking balls in Rajcic and Cole Winn.

Shortstop Emilio Rosas (2018, Yorba Linda, Calif.) has been a bright spot for two-time NHSI champion Mater Dei (Calif.) High School, which has dropped its first two games. The righthanded hitting Southern California signee has always shown a very strong offensive profile, with very good bat speed for a middle infielder and the ability to drive the ball hard to all fields and has done just that so far. Mater Dei has been playing shorthanded, as PG All-American outfielder Vinny Tosti (2018, Santa Rosa, Calif.) has been sidelined with hamstring issues.

– David Rawnsley





Whether it be fair or not, big national-level events in the months leading up to the draft function as a sort of a “proving ground” for a lot of draft prospects, where ground can be made up depending on the success of said player. One such athlete who has been superb thus far is outfielder Alek Thomas (2018, Chicago, Ill.), who has shown some of the best bat-to-ball skills in the event.

Thomas had a reputation as a plus runner coming into the event, PG recorded 60-yard dash time of 6.63 seconds at past events, and he’s shown out well in that regard posting a best run time of 4.14 seconds from the left side. The Texas Christian signee’s quick-twitch athleticism, plus run times, and ability to perform defensively and stick in centerfield at the next level make him a must watch event for scouts.

The offensive skill-set is really where Thomas has shined thus far. After an okay game one, he turned it on in game two with three very well-struck balls and a walk. Thomas’ best hit was a 99 mph exit velocity single that saw him beat out a single with the aforementioned steal time, and it became common to see the outfielder standing on second after stealing the base. Thomas’ hands are incredibly loose and fast through the zone and the combination of the lower half torque he creates along with the athleticism leave a lot of raw power projection in the future. Thomas has had a very strong weekend thus far and is looking more and more like a first rounder with a well-rounded skill-set.

Mount Carmel (Ill.) had themselves a big win on Thursday with a 16-0 victory in the opening game of the day and Thomas was not the only contributor on the team. Anthony Herron (2018, Chicago, Ill.) and Ed Howard (2020, Lynwood, Ill.) both had big days and have shown out well in the tournament thus far.

Herron, a Missouri State signee, is an incredibly strong and physical righthanded hitter listed at 6-foot-2, 235-pounds. Football comps get thrown around a lot with players of his size, regardless Herron is a very physical prospect and that strength allows him to create enormous jump off the barrel and generate tons of raw bat speed. The swing features a very quick trigger as he explodes onto the baseball once he decides to swing at the said pitch. Herron walked once in addition to his 98 mph pull side double that knocked off the base of the wall in left centerfield while seeing a team high 18 pitches in his four plate appearances. Herron has the makings of yet another impact power bat for the Missouri State Tigers at the next level, and the power and pitch selection remain some of his biggest offensive assets.

Howard, a sophomore committed to Oklahoma, really impressed with his defensive actions and presence at shortstop. It is impressive for any sophomore to start on a high level high school team like Mount Carmel, but even more impressive to not only play shortstop, but show the defensive tools to excel at the position. He moves well with long, rangy steps and the fluidity and ease to his actions definitely stand out and he has the requisite arm strength to make a number of difficult plays. The offensive tools are loud too, and although the final product isn’t quite put together yet, it’s easy to project the offensive profile. Howard has very quick hands through the zone with natural bat speed and impact strength. He laced a 95 mph single during his final at-bat and there is a lot to like about the overall package as he continues to get stronger and develop.




One of the prospects who entered this event as a projected first-round pick and has received enormous attention is West Coast shortstop Brice Turang (2018, Corona, Calif.). It has become a spectacle for every one of the LSU signee’s at-bats, but Turang has showed out well in all aspects thus far.

As mentioned earlier in this feature, BP is a very important tool for scouts to evaluate prospects in terms of their approach, swing, and raw power. Turang took some of the best BP of the event to date with a really smooth lefthanded stroke and turned on the barrel with authority. He currently has probably average raw power and you can project a bit more than that at the next level. The difference in offensive approach has been notable in game, as he seems to allow his speed to do more of the work during the game.

The aforementioned speed classifies Turang as a plus runner, posting times consistently in the 4.1 second range, including a best time of 4.12 seconds. Turang gets out of the box quickly and already has notched a couple of infield singles on the tournament, while the speed aids him defensively. He ranges effortlessly to both sides and has such a natural feel for the position that makes difficult plays look routine; one example that comes to mind is a pop up probably about 130 feet deep on the left field line that Turang had the whole way and made rather easily.

The overall skill-set and tools make him a strong first round candidate, and his at-bats will be heavily attended for the remainder of the event as Turang is still going ot be looked upon to turn the barrel over with authority going forward.

In what turned out to be a matchup for the ages, No. 22 John Curtis Christian (La.) upset No. 6 American Heritage (Fla.) 2-1 and there were a number of impact players on both sides. Brandon Davis (2018, Kenner, La.) has been the catalyst for the John Curtis lineup and the Tennessee signee showed a number of intriguing tools. Davis operates in one mode on a baseball field and that’s full-speed, from the get-go of the event he has been going all-out on both sides of the ball. Davis showed off the defensive chops during this game with a sliding, over-the-shoulder grab in shallow left field to rob a hit and maintain the slim lead. The offensive approach features a similar mantra as he doesn’t sit around and wait for pitches when he will jump on and hammer the first pitch he likes. Davis looks to drive the ball on a line but will also hit a fair share of ground balls and allow his speed to work; the best run time of the event thus far he has recorded is 4.42 seconds but his quick burst out of the box allow his speed to play up.



Righthander Will Ripoll (2018, New Orleans, La.) turned in a dominant performance for John Curtis as he tossed six innings of one-run baseball while striking out three batters. The Louisiana State signee had to work around some trouble throughout the game, but ended up earning the win in a highly-contested affair.

Ripoll isn’t an overpowering physical presence, he is listed at 6-foot and 185-pounds, but works from a deceptive delivery that features a hip turn at the top of the delivery so that his back is almost completely facing the batter. This can lead to some timing issues in terms of the release point, he walked four batters and hit a couple more during the start. Ripoll worked his fastball in the 88-91 mph range for most of the start and bumped 92 mph early. The fastball is pretty straight and true in terms of life but it was an effective offering as he mixed it with his curveball very well. The breaking ball flashed late tilt and break in the 78-81 mph range that would vary between 12-to-6 shape and a more sweeping 11-to-5 break. The pitch was effective as it garnered a number of swings and misses, but he can improve some by shoring up the consistency of the pitch.




Another highly-touted draft prospect entering this weekend was Heritage’s Triston Casas (2018, Pembroke Pines, Fla.) and the lefthander has been taking impressive and competitive at-bats all weekend long. Casas has improved his athleticism and range from a year ago as he is playing third base for the Patriots and has actually made a number of strong plays. At this point last year, most scouts considered the Miami signee a first baseman, but Casas has at least earned the right to start out his professional career over at the hot corner.

The swing and power, however, go a long way to determining Casas’ draft stock. The full path with lots of lift make the optimal position for contact when Casas is already fully extended and can allow the strength and bat speed to aid the impact velocity when he turns it over to pull. He like to go the opposite alley with fly balls and has enough power to do so as most scouts can agree upon his plus raw power. Casas had one of the hardest hit balls of the tournament as he worked a 2-0 count to turn hard on a fastball over the inner half for an 105.5 mph exit velocity single to the pull side.

What makes Casas so dangerous is that he has outstanding plate discipline and will work pitchers until they throw him a pitch that he wants to swing at. The batter’s eye allows him to lay off most bad pitches and he hasn’t yet chased a pitch out of the strike zone or a breaking ball in the dirt. There is an element of polish to his overall approach, and it wouldn’t be shocking at all to see Casas start putting balls in orbit over the next couple of days.

Also fun is that Casas jumped on the mound for the last two innings of Heritage’s loss just to show off the above average arm strength. He worked 90-93 mph and just ran fastballs by opposing hitters as he struck out four and allowed zero hits over his two innings.

Freshman lefthander Devin Futrell (2021, Pembroke Pines, Fla.) got the start for Heritage against John Curtis, and the young Vanderbilt commit showed off his impressive pitchability while also showing a slight velocity jump from the last time this scout has seen him. Futrell worked mostly in the 79-83 mph range for the duration of the start and bumped a couple of 84 mph bolts early on. Futrell is a long and lanky 6-foot-3, 160-pounds, but even that feels a little conservative in terms of height. The delivery is very clean and fluid and it’s incredibly easy to project more velocity on the frame as he develops. The primary secondary offerings were the changeup in the low-70s and the curveball in the upper-60s. No one of his pitches was incredibly overpowering but his ability to sequence and command his entire arsenal had him in control for the majority of the afternoon and he racked up five strikeouts. Futrell continues to establish himself as one of the top freshmen in the country, but unfortunately he was dealt a tough-luck loss on Thurday.

– Vinnie Cervino
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