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Tournaments  | Story | 5/27/2018

West Memorial Notes: Day 2

Jheremy Brown
Photo: Davis Heller (Perfect Game)

In our last look at 2019 righthander Davis Heller (Gilbert, Ariz.) back in July at the 17u World Series, the 6-foot-8 arm ran his fastball up to 85 mph, a mark he wouldn’t show on day two of the West Memorial Day Classic until late into his complete game effort. Instead, Heller proved to be in absolute control from pitch one as he punched out 12 of his 21 recorded outs and induced a plethora of weak ground ball outs for a majority of the other nine.



The height and size are two obvious factors for Heller and while there’s strength to his frame, it wouldn’t be farfetched to see him filling out at the next level. His long levers were key in this look as he creates solid extension and seemingly hands the ball to the catcher while generating extreme plane from his over-the-top release point, helping his heater play up even more. And it's not like the fastball needed much help as he worked in the 86-89 mph range, flashing some cut action when working to his arm side.

While there are some inconsistencies in his delivery, mostly with his release point, when you consider his size and the fact he still has another year left of high school, he handled himself well and competed on the mound as he never gave up when down in the count. In fact, he didn’t walk a single batter and managed to elicit some uncomfortable swings and picked up plenty of empty swings while working almost exclusively off of his fastball.

Heller mixed in a couple of curveballs throughout the contest in the low-70s, offering 12-to-6 shape with the pitch and landed them for strikes whenever he went to the pitch. It was an impressive outing for Heller and it appears our next look will come at Tropicana during the 2018 Perfect Game National Showcase.




Though he’s listed as a primary catcher according to his Perfect Game profile, Emilio Morales (2020, La Mirada, Calif.) took the hill for LVR and impressed both with his present arsenal and long-term projection on the bump. Already listed at a believable 6-foot-3, 180-pounds, Morales worked a complete game (six inning run rule) and maintained his velocity well while working down in the zone with his fastball throughout.

Morales offers a simple delivery with limited moving parts -something you may expect from a secondary arm who just completed his sophomore year- and does a nice job of staying on line with his lower half down the mound while driving to the plate. His arm action is short and direct through the backside, creating a fastball that topped out at 88 mph and maintained 84-87 deep into his outing with a relatively low-effort release. Over his six frame Morales struck out five and scattered three bats hits and did a nice job of generating plane while living at the knees.

His curveball is a pitch that will continue to improve as he continues to work on top of the upper-60s pitch, though given his athleticism and current two-way potential, it’s certainly something that should develop with additional innings on the mound. Morales has already committed to Southern California for good reason and is currently ranked No. 264 in the class of 2020 rankings.

Easton Rulli (Moorpark, Calif.) may not be one of the most physical players on the PBA roster in the 14u division on the West Memorial Day Classic at 5-foot-5, 120-pounds, but he was a key piece in both of his team’s win as he reached base safely in all seven plate appearances. Whether it was via a walk (once), hit by pitch (two times), or base knock (went 3-for-3 in game two), Rulli showed a knack for getting on and that’s exactly what a team is looking for in a leadoff hitter. He does a nice job of getting the barrel through the zone and creating contact out front and also dropped down a bunt single, showing his speed down the line. His actions up the middle played well too, showing soft hands out front with a quick transfer and sound footwork along with playable arm strength across the diamond.

Suiting up alongside his teammate Rulli, Jordan Kang (Porter Ranch, Calif.) already offers intriguing physicality in his 5-foot-10, 175-pound build and has the skill all over the diamond to match. Kang was handed the ball for game one on the mound and worked a quick 20 pitches, recording five outs in the process in order to keep him fresh for the rest of the tournament. In those 20 pitches Kang sat in the 79-82 mph range with his fastball and pumped the strike while creating extension out front.

Kang, a primary third baseman who impressed earlier this spring at the 14u West showcase, connected for one of the louder pieces of contact in game one, putting his righthanded stroke on display. He does a nice job of implementing his strength into his swing, showing strong hands with a compact swing, all elements he showed on his opposite field double. Getting extended with the barrel out front, Kang showed a linear stroke and present jump off the barrel on his shot to the right-center field gap.

Currently ranked No. 146 in the class of 2019 rankings, uncommitted outfielder Carson Wells (Las Vegas, Nev.) picked up his third hit of the tournament though it’s his overall swing and physical projection that stand out just as much. A lefthanded hitter like his older brother Austin who was a Perfect Game All-American this past August, Carson showed no problem turning on an 83 mph fastball up and in on his hands as he did just that to pick up a hard, barreled line drive single into right field. He shows a balanced set up at the plate and stays short to the ball with his hands, generating present quickness to his stroke.

Righthander Tyler Avery (Las Vegas, Nev.) recently completed his eighth-grade season, though you wouldn’t ever tell given the fact he’s already a broad shouldered 6-foot-2, 185-pounds who is only to continue growing moving forward. He worked an impressive five innings for LVR in the 14u portion of the West Memorial Day Classic and while they ultimately took the loss, Avery left a positive impression in his Perfect Game debut.

Working with a full arm action through the back, Avery did a nice job of using his long arms to his advantage as he creates big extension out front which in turn helped generate solid plane to his heater. He worked in the 80-83 mph range comfortably early on and was able create the velocity pretty easy at release. As he continues to clean up his lower half in his delivery and add strength to his frame there’s little reason to believe the velocity won’t continue to climb for Avery and it’s something that could very well happen sooner rather than later given the whip to his arm.

Over his five innings Avery punched out five and showed the ability to get to either side of the plate for strikes and pitched heavily off the heater with steady success. And while the fastball was his go-to pitch, Avery also showed the ability to land his 11-to-5 shaped curveball for strikes (especially when ahead in the count), spinning the pitch in the 66-69 mph range. Like other young and talented players out in Arizona this weekend, Avery offers intriguing upside and is definitely an arm to follow over the next four years.

 Justin Crawford, a young 2022 outfielder from Torrance, California, is certainly taller and longer than his listed 5-foot-9 on his Perfect Game profile and offers plenty of room for physical growth moving forward. He’s a lefthanded bat and put his barrel skills on display against Evoshield Sandlot, picking up two base knocks in his first two at-bats and nearly a third with a long shot that landed just foul down the right field line. Crawford shows a loose and easy swing, similar to his actions in center field as he moves well on his feet to cover ground.

An uncommitted, switch-hitter, 2019 outfielder Michael Zinter (Gilbert, Ariz.) impressed with the bat from the left side of the plate while providing some T-Rex and starting pitcher Davis Heller. After lining a pitch hard into right field in his opening at-bat that touched down and got by the right field -ultimately showing his speed and reaching third base- Zinter picked up another knock with a quick, linear stroke, creating loud contact off the barrel.

Similar to Zinter, uncommitted first baseman Sean Rimmer (Mesa, Ariz.) showed a short, linear stroke through the zone and plenty of strength to his hands. At 6-foot-4, 215-pounds, Rimmer certainly stands out in the box and put that strength to use as he shot an outer half pitch into right field for a line drive single and finished the game with two RBI.

A lefthanded hitting shortstop and a 2020 graduate, Dustin Crenshaw (Chandler, Ariz.) had himself a nice game for the Arizona Diamondbacks in the last time slot of day two, going 2-for-2 with a couple of well struck balls. His first knock of the day came as a double that cleared the center fielder’s head to score two runs early in the game. His second double of the day may have been even more impressive as he did a nice job of keeping his hands back on a curveball which he shot down the left field line, finding the barrel. On top of the hit tool Crenshaw also showed athletic actions up the middle with present footwork moving towards and through the ball.
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