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High School  | General  | 4/18/2018

High School Notebook: April 18

Jheremy Brown      Britt Smith      Greg Gerard     
Photo: Mike Vasil (Perfect Game)

The high school notebook is designed to share notes and video on players that stand out during the high school season and new features will be released regularly. This will include in-game looks, reports, analysis and video from Perfect Game's scouting staff. If you have news on a player in your area that is performing at a high level that we should have eyes on please reach out to Vinnie Cervino at vincent@perfectgame.org. Also feel free to share your video highlights on Twitter @vcervinopg.

High School Notebook: April 12


Mike Vasil, RHP, Boston College HS (Mass.)



In a 2018 class which is rich with talented arms from the prep side, Massachusetts righthander Mike Vasil is one prospect to keep an eye on as the spring unfolds in the still wintery Northeast and if last Thursday’s turnout was any indication then he’s already highly thought of on team’s boards. Despite this being Vasil’s first start of the season in raw temperatures that hovered in the 40s and felt colder due to the wind, the stands were loaded with 40+ scouts and plenty of decision makers on hand. And it’s safe to say the Virginia Cavalier signee didn’t disappoint as he pumped the strike zone and carried a perfect game with him into the seventh where he secured the first two outs before allowing a double, his lone base hit of the day.

Strong and physical at 6-foot-4, 210-pounds but still projectable and plenty athletic, Vasil offers one of the simplest and cleanest delivery in the draft class, something evaluators are certain to take note of as it’s a leading factor in his ability to pound the zone. His delivery has few moving parts and plenty of balance through his leg lift and into his drive all the while staying online with a compact and fast arm action, regularly working on top of the ball with excellent timing. Vasil, who is currently No. 22 in the 2018 high school rankings, faced off against one of the better prep schools in the state and his stat line and overall performance speaks for itself: complete game, seven inning shutout with no walks, no three-ball counts and 13 strikeouts, all on 80 pitches.

The delivery and performance are noteworthy, but so is his overall arsenal and it’s one we got a glimpse of this past summer on the circuit both at the 17u WWBA Championships and at the Perfect Game All-American Classic last August in San Diego. With the weather appearing to be a non-factor for Vasil, the righthander opened the game sitting 92-94 mph with every fastball and ramped it up with two strikes to end the first, touching his lone 96 this outing. All the way through the seventh inning Vasil continued to pump fastballs in the 90-93 mph but it was the effort, or lack of, that makes it easy to see mid-90s being the norm for seven innings come the warmer weather.

Glove side or arm side, it didn’t matter as Vasil was able to hit his spot and more often than not he was ahead in the count with at least 15 first pitch strikes, a true testament to his ability in pounding the zone. Take the velocity and command then add in the life of his heater and it becomes easy to predict Vasil will continue to put up video game numbers the rest of this spring. When he was working to his glove side Vasil was able to generate some pretty big angle while maintaining some of the hard sinking life he showed when working to his arm side and it proved to be an overpowering pitch as evidenced by the double-digit swings and misses he accumulated on just his fastball.

Vasil’s aptitude for pitching and overall feel on the mound came through with his curveball as he opened the game by overthrowing and spiking the pitch in the upper-70s before throttling back on the velocity to land it for strikes. Though it wasn’t an overpowering pitch in the 71-73 mph range, Vasil’s feel for the pitch was evident as he landed the 12-6 shaped breaker for strikes and wasn’t afraid to double up on the offering. Taking back some of the velocity in the name of strikes speaks to Vasil’s overall feel as a pitch and as he begins to land the harder version with conviction, Northeast batters better watch out.

He seldom threw his changeup as it simply wasn’t needed, flashing it all of three times in the 80-82 mph range, but he did pick up one of his 11 strikes with the 82 mph pitch which he located down in the zone with a mimicked release. It's an offering that flashed plus last summer at the 17u WWBA and having a feel for it gives Vasil a well-rounded arsenal that pair nicely with his frame, making it easy to project him as a starter at the next level.

Vasil checks nearly every box scouts look for in a prep pitching prospect and though he didn’t show his best secondaries, it’s important to remember it was his first time stepping on the mound this spring in live action. The velocity will undoubtedly continue to show an uptick, his breaking ball will tighten with more reps, and overall there’s a very good chance a big red “up” arrow stays near Vasil’s name (who is already considered a first round talent) on draft boards all the way up until day one of the MLB Draft in June.


Jake Sanderson, RHP, St. John's Prep (Mass.)

Toeing the rubber opposite of Vasil was 2018 righthander Jake Sanderson of St. John’s Prep, a UConn signee, who proves once again the Huskies ability to identify highly intriguing talent within the confines of the Northeast. Listed at a lean and projectable 6-foot-1, 185-pound frame per his Perfect Game profile, Sanderson came out in attack mode and quickly caught the attention of the scouts in the stands.

Armed with an up-tempo delivery “come at you” approach Sanderson opened the game sitting in the 89-91 mph range and bumped a 92 in the opening frame, a number that should continue to climb at the next level with added strength and some refinement to his mechanics. Complete with a hip turn at top, Sanderson works to an uncomfortable lower three-quarters slot with plenty of arm quickness from which he was able to generate plane and short sinking life. Sanderson showed the ability to miss bats with his heater and filled the zone in the first couple innings before settling into the upper-80s and with some inconsistencies to his release point.

Sanderson maintained his arm speed and slot on both his changeup and slider and it was the changeup that he went to early, throwing the pitch in the 84-86 mph range in the first with the type of fading life you’d envision given his lower release. His breaking ball teetered between a slider and curveball, showing occasional tilt in the mid-70s while offering more depth depending his release and hand position. Overall the UConn signee showed three pitches and  struck out four over four innings of work and could see another tick or two on his fastball as the temperature continues warm up in the Northeast.

– Jheremy Brown

Grayson Rodriguez, RHP, Central Heights (Texas)

Grayson Rodriguez appears to be physically developed when standing on the mound at 6-foot-5 and 230-pounds. However, the closer you examine him, the more you realize that there is still room for some further physical development. His overall package of stuff still shows some further projectability as well. Even with present average to above-average command of three pitches, including a fast ball that sat 92-95 mph, with arm-side run and slight sinking action, Rodriguez is still somewhat developing.

Displaying a level composure far beyond his years, it appears that there isn’t anything that can shake, what seems to be an unyielding inner-control of himself. It certainly helps that he shows two above average breaking balls to compliment his power fastball. His slider, possessing 10-to-4 shape, drives deep to the plate before darting away from its apparent intended location, grades above-average and will sit between 81-83 mph. Rodriguez’s curveball, that has the downward action of a rollercoaster at an amusement park in 11-to-5 shape, shows tight spin and depth, while sitting 72-75 mph. His feel for landing both of these pitches in any count gives him the confidence to pitch without a predictable pattern. As he moves on to the next level, he will have more opportunity to throw, what flashes as an average changeup presently, and potentially develop a fourth above-average pitch.

Rodriguez uses his lower half well with a slight crossfire-step to the plate, which occurs because of a slight break in the momentum of his delivery at the top of his leg lift. With a full arm circle in the back and a high-3/4 arm slot, there is a minimum amount of effort in the overall delivery to the plate.

As a prospect with two potentially plus offerings and another two, that are above-average, Rodriguez is intriguing. He will be in the conversation for some organizations in the first round of this June’s MLB Draft and with more physical development potentially, it would be surprising to see him actually arrive on campus at Texas A&M next fall.

– Britt Smith

Connor Pavolony, C, River Ridge HS (Ga.)



Connor Pavolony has shown his outstanding defensive abilities at Perfect Game events for several years now and Thursday night was no different. Popping in the 1.91-2.00 second range repeatedly during warmups, Pavolony never had the opportunity to throw out a would-be base stealer although he showed the ability to do so. His arm strength is the most impressive tool in his skill-set. While adding that arm strength to the quickness of his movements it is easy to see why Pavolony is such an impressive catching prospect. On a few instances in this game, however, he did have trouble handling some tough pitches but also showed the blocking skills of a high-level catcher on other opportunities. At the plate, the Tennessee signee did not collect a hit but did put several good swings on balls while just missing. His swing is very powerful with plenty of bat speed and strength, but just missed the barrel during this viewing. His frame is filled with strength both in the upper and lower body. The state of Georgia is loaded with catching prospects for this year’s draft and Pavolony is included in that crop of talent.


Christopher Williams, OF, River Ridge HS (Ga.)


Christopher Williams had the opportunity to show off multiple tools in Thursday night’s contest. First of which was his arm strength from the outfield. On a groundball single to right field with runners on first and second, Williams gathered and wound up firing a strike to third base. He did not throw the runner out, but the carry and zip the ball had to the third base bag was impressive in itself. Starting off the game slowly at the plate, Williams came up when it mattered as he ripped a single to right field in his final at-bat of the day for an RBI. Williams is a very athletic player and that athleticism is present in his swing. He did show signs of unbalance at times, but the swing is very pure and fluid with raw bat speed making the FIU signee a power threat each time up to the plate.

– Greg Gerard
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