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High School  | General  | 3/31/2018

NHSI Day 3 Notes

David Rawnsley      Vincent Cervino     
Photo: Perfect Game

2018 NHSI: Day 1 Notes | Day 2 Notes

The 2018 has become Green Hope High School outfielder Jordyn Adams’ (2018, Cary, N.C.) coming out party to a degree that this scout has rarely seen in three decades of scouting. The circumstances are pretty unique, with Adams’ football background and his lack of national baseball exposure added to his simultaneous "discovery" by the entire scouting community barely two months from the draft. It is not the same situation as fellow North Carolina high schooler Austin Beck last year, as Beck was a fairly known talent who just missed time with an injury before exploding early in the spring as area scouts went to see him for the first time. Some teams’ area scouts haven't even seen Adams this year, according to senior scouts in Cary.

Two of those senior scouts made, separately and about 10 minutes apart, strong comparisons between Adams and the Twins’ Byron Buxton, the second overall pick in the 2012 draft, with one noting that Adams was actually more advanced than Buxton with the bat at the same age and also noting that Buxton had an 80 arm while Adams' "only" grades out in the 55-60 range. Another senior scout, whose team selects later in the first round, lamented that Adams’ signability wasn't important to him because, "if he's signable, he'll be gone long before he gets to us."

Signability, which usually isn't even brought up this time of year by scouts, is the big elephant in the room with Adams simply because no one has any clue, likely not even Adams and his family. That will be played out gradually over the next two months. One thing is for sure, it will be a vastly different next two months for Adams and his family than they had previously planned on.

In the context of the NHSI, it’s certainly worth noting Adams' Green Hope team is playing on Saturday in the championship game against defending champion Orange Lutheran. It is the first time a "host" North Carolina team has ever reached the semifinals of the NHSI, let alone the finals.




Adams debut has overshadowed the performance of a not dissimilar athlete in Hattiesburg centerfielder Joe Gray Jr. (2018, Hattiesburg, Miss.). Gray made significant changes to his approach and swing at the plate between the summer and the fall, simplifying and shortening most aspects of his swing, and they've really taken hold based on his consistent at-bats and hard line drive contact. He's not shown the plus lifting power he flashed during the summer but it is there laying latent to be brought out gradually with more repetitions of his sounder present approach. Gray does not have Adams’ running speed, as few baseball players at any level do, but watching him throw the ball from the outfield generates the same excitement in this scout as watching Adams run.




Sandra Day O'Connor third baseman Nolan Gorman (2018, Glendale, Ariz.) had a strong game on Friday, going 2-for-3 with a double and a walk. Gorman, whose performance last summer has set almost unrealistic expectations for his every at-bat, looks different on the field than most of his peers due to his strong lower half and overall physical maturity. He has looked impressive to this scout during drills and games for his live lower half moving towards the ball and for how quickly he gets rid of the ball. It's also a benefit seeing him play third base on a regular basis instead of shortstop, as O'Connor has been playing Oregon State signee Jayce Easley, a quality prospect in his own right, with Gorman on the left side of the infield.

It dawned on this scout on Friday, even after seeing Gorman play at least 50 times over the last two years, about the similarities between he and the Royals Alex Gordon at the same age. Gordon, of course, was a third baseman when he was picked second overall out of Nebraska in the 2005 draft before becoming a Gold Glove left fielder. Gorman and Gordon's lefthanded swings are especially similar and their physical profiles match up well, too.

Orange Lutheran's outstanding sophomore class has been brought up previously in these NHSI notes but it bears noting that two of their top sophomores haven't even been mentioned yet. Shortstop Tank Espalin (2020, Glendora, Calif.) is not eligible to play yet after transferring prior to the season and is the 34th-ranked player in the PG Class of 2020 national rankings. And 6-foot-7, 200-pound righthander Christian Rodriguez (2020, Corona, Calif.) may be the best of the group, if not one of the best sophomore pitching prospects in the country.

Rodriguez has a pretty simple and fluid delivery for a young athlete his size and repeats it well. He throws from a high three-quarters angle and a tall release that gives him outstanding downhill angle to the plate, the kind of angle that is a weapon in and of itself. His fastball was in the 88-92 mph range on Friday and it was well commanded both vertically and horizontally. Rodriguez does have a bit more extra effort on his fastball release than on his secondary pitches but will have plenty of time to refine that tip off to hitters. He flashed quality on a mid-70s curveball, with sharp downer biting action adding to the already downward angle of the pitch when he stayed on top of the ball at release. And while Rodriguez' changeup still needs plenty of work, it was notable that he didn't show any hesitance in throwing it and even picked up an out or two on the pitch for positive reinforcement.

Any team with the number of young standouts as Orange Lutheran has needs a strong senior leader and Orange Lutheran definitely does in Cal State Fullerton signee shortstop Zach Lew (2018, La Mirada, Calif.). Lew is not a toolsy player from a scout's perspective but he is simply an outstanding baseball player with very advanced skills on both sides of the ball. It's obvious that his young teammates look up to him and he has delivered countless times in just three games, from sterling defensive plays in the hole to key base hits, including a walk-off single to win Friday's semifinal battle against No. 1-ranked Cavalry Christian.

– David Rawnsley




There might not be a player who has impressed in all facets of the game more than Sandra Day O’Connor’s (Ariz.) Jayce Easley (2018, Glendale, Ariz.), as it seemed like he was outshining teammate Nolan Gorman at times. Son of former big leaguer Damien Easley, Jayce has a very well-rounded skill set and profile that bodes well for his future at Oregon State, or in professional baseball.

The shortstop looks noticeably stronger and, despite that, has not seemed to lose any athleticism or twitch. He is a high-motor athlete, turn time of 4.37 seconds from the left side, and this plays extremely well at shortstop. Easley was making highlight reel plays all week as he ranged effortlessly to either side with extremely smooth hands and great instincts. The arm strength itself is fringy, but he more than makes up for that with the quickness of the release. During this scout’s viewing, Easley made a sliding stop in the hole to nearly nail a runner at first, made a very nice play behind third base on a pop up, and was sliding or diving all over the place to keep the ball in the infield.

The offensive approach is very simple with plenty of requisite bat speed and quickness to the path. He turns on the ball very well and turns the barrel over due to the quickness and strength of his wrists. Easley will slap the ball to the opposite field at times if the pitcher gives him an outer half pitch, however the swing projects well with lots of contact and barreled baseballs going forward. What was most impressive, perhaps, about Easley’s offensive game was how well he worked at-bats. He saw six or seven pitches, what seemed, almost every at-bat and spoiled good pitches while working walks or driving the ball when he could handle it. If Easley makes it to campus in Corvallis, he looks like an immediate impact type of player who should slot in almost immediately for the Beavers.

An intriguing uncommitted righthander took the mound for Mountain Ridge (Ariz.) as Mitchael Dyer (2018, Glendale, Ariz.) held a potent American Heritage (Fla.) offense to only one run in five innings. It is extremely interesting as the senior just began pitching this season, he is only listed as an OF/IF, and projects very well due to the frame, clean arm path, and continued development on the hill.

Dyer stands at a listed 6-foot-2, 160-pounds, however he looks taller, and leaner, than the listing as his arms look like they go down to his knees and there is a lot of room to project on the velocity there. Dyer ran his fastball up to 89 mph in the first inning, he dipped a bit out of the stretch, and lived in the upper-80s for most of the performance. The fastball showed lots of plane and arm side life to the pitch especially down in the zone. His curveball was a softer pitch in the 74-75 mph range but he could throw it for strikes and he even flashed a changeup in the mid-70s. There is a lot to like and build on here for Dyer and there’s no doubt that he has a future in collegiate baseball on the mound, especially when all the indicators look like he is going to throw really hard.

Cory Acton (2018, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) has been well-known in the scouting community for a long time, and the one constant is his ability to square up baseballs and hit. The Florida signee has scuffled a bit early in this event, however he has shown flashes of his outstanding bat-to-ball skills and raw bat speed. He registered one of the hardest hit balls of the event on Friday with a 106 mph exit velocity single through the right side. The approach is extremely polished as Acton is a very professional hitter, i.e. he has a plan at the plate and can turn on the pitches that he wants to swing at. Acton seems to fit the mold perfectly as a hitting prospect that Florida Head Coach Kevin O’Sullivan loves to recruit, and if he makes it to campus at Gainesville, it wouldn’t be shocking at all to hear him being talked about three years from now as a very high projected draft pick.

– Vinnie Cervino
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