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Tournaments  | Story  | 9/15/2018

Fall Championship Notes: Day 1

David Rawnsley     
Photo: Mac Horvath (Perfect Game)

2018 PG Fall Championships Protected by G-Form Daily Leaders: Freshman | Upperclass

It was good to see Twins City Baseball Academy shortstop/righthanded pitcher Mac Horvath (2020, Rochester, Minn.) up to speed and looking 100 perfect on the field.  The talented two-way prospect, who is currently ranked 18th in the 2020 PG class rankings, broke his fibula in a May 2, 2018 baserunning mishap, and while we saw him on the field in late June, he clearly wasn't healthy yet.
 
Horvath started the game on the mound and ended up going three innings.  He topped out at 91 mph in the first inning before settling into the mid to upper-80s and flashed good spin on a mid-70s curveball when he kept his arm slot up through release on the pitch.  Even though his mechanics were sound except for his wandering arm slot, his command didn't match his raw stuff and he allowed five runs and threw 73 pitches.
 
However, Horvath's righthanded bat helped his Twin Cities teammates come back for an 8-6 victory.  In his second at-bat, Horvath lined the ball deep to left field but right at the left fielder for a loud out.  In his next at-bat, he placed his hard line drive better, doubling into the left field corner to drive in two runs to tie the game at 6-6.  He would later score the lead run later that inning.  The best aspect of Horvath's double, aside from the raw bat speed and the way the ball came off the barrel, is that Horvath went full effort running around first base with no hesitation and showed the speed that enabled him to run 6.6 60-yard dash times when coming out of his freshman year.
 
Horvath's Twin Cities teammate Thomas Bean (2019, Minneapolis, Minn.) showed his next level tools, especially with his speed on the bases and his overall athleticism.  The Iowa Western CC commit is a 6-foot, 175-pound lefthanded hitting centerfielder who looked to have easy  plus running speed on the bases during one sequence when he doubled along the right field line and went on to score on a subsequent single.  He also has the strength to create real bat speed and projects well to get stronger.
 
Lefthanded hitting corner outfielder Chase Rodriguez (2020, Las Vegas, Nev.) provided some of the fireworks for the opposition CBA Nevada 2019 team, hitting a monster two-run home run off an 85 mph Horvath fastball that got too much of both the plate and Rodriguez' barrel.  Rodriguez hit .354-2-28 with six triples as a sophomore at Spring Valley High School in Las Vegas and looks to be a potential next level hitter.  He has a very calm and relaxed approach at the plate and is a patient hitter who looked like he saw the ball very well.  Rodriguez looked almost as impressive during his first at-bat when he just got under a Horvath fastball and flew out to right field.
 
California Bulldogs left hander Kirk Vasquez (2020, Campbell, Calif.) was the most impressive primary pitcher this scout saw on Friday.  The slender southpaw, who is listed at a believable 6-foot-1, 141-pounds, threw five shutout innings in a 3-0 Bulldogs victory, using only 55 pitches while allowing three hits, walking none and striking out six.  Vazquez has a long, loose and very fast arm action coming through a high three-quarters arm slot that creates nice downhill angle. He worked consistently in the 84-87 mph range and one can imagine that velocity easily climbing if he's able to add some strength to his young frame. Vazquez' curveball was in the upper-60s with big 1-to-7 shape and he obviously filled up the zone with both pitches. He is a Pacific commit.
 
Local product righthanded pitcher Jackson Moltz (2019, Phoenix, Ariz.) had a big day on both sides of the ball for Players Choice Academy in their 5-3 opening game victory.  The 6-foot-4, 195-pound athlete threw three shutout innings on the mound, working up to 85 mph with a big breaking curveball and short slider.  He also went 3-for-4 at the plate, including a double, and drove in two runs.  Moltz has been up to 87 mph at PG events during the summer and looks ready for a big senior season after going 3-1, 2.13 in 26 innings as a junior.  He is uncommitted.
 
Two other uncommitted righthanders looked like they had solid next level potential during the same time slot as Moltz.  Dub Baseball Academy's Aidan Lee (2020, Gilroy, Calif.) is a big and strong 6-foot-4, 200-pound athlete who throws from a crossfire delivery with a mid three-quarters arm slot that gave righthanders trouble.  Lee topped out at 86 mph early with some ground ball inducing sinking life and mostly used his sweeping breaking ball to strike out six hitters in the first two innings.  Lee has lots of drift to the plate in his delivery which throws his arm timing off but if he can learn to stay back and spot his stuff he's going to take a big step forward.
 
TT Temecula righthander Cade Swenson (2019, Menifee, Calif.) is the physical opposite of Lee, standing in at a slender and very projectable 6-foot-4, 170-pounds.  He threw the first two shutout innings in what ended up being Temecula's 5-0 win, working in the 80-84 mph range with an easy arm action that promises more velocity when he gets stronger.  Swenson's curveball was a nice pitch at 70-71 mph, showing big depth at times.
 
Left hander Cole Colleran (2020, Solana Beach, Calif.) went 8-2, 1.45 in 62 innings as a sophomore at Canyon Crest Academy and has a commitment to San Diego.  He struck out four hitters in two innings for the Trosky Redbirds using a 80-84 mph fastball that he consistently located right at the bottom of the strike zone to go with a tight and sharp curveball that he felt very comfortable back dooring right handed hitters with at any point in the count.  Colleran has a deceptive delivery, with a big leg hesitation coming forward, that throws off hitter's timing but doesn't seem to impact his own command.
 
Colleran's  Trosky teammate third baseman Ethan Hagen (2019, Santa Clarita, Calif.) is a very interesting athlete who this scout saw at the PG West Coast Prospect Showcase three weeks ago as well.  He's a 6-foot-4, 185-pound right handed hitter who already has solid bat speed with plenty of barrel whip and power potential.  He projects to stay at third base even as he fills out due to his agility and athleticism and good arm strength as well.  Hagen doesn't not have a college commitment at this point.

CBA Marucci National kicked off their PG Fall National Championship run in a big way with an 8-0 win over MVP White, continuing their summer-long domination of PG events. Aren Alvarez (2019, Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.), a UC San Diego commit, was impressive in his one inning stint late in the game. He ran his fastball up to 89 mph and worked in the 85-88 mph range with a quick, deceptive arm stroke that hides the ball well through the back and allows it to jump at the hitter a bit. He’s got a very good combination of deception, control to both sides of the plate, and arm speed, giving him pretty solid upside at the collegiate level. 

The CBA offensive attack was paced for the most part by its 1-2 hitters in the lineup in Jasiah Dixon (2019, Riverside, Calif.) and Javi Espinoza (2019, Lynwood, Calif.). Dixon picked up a couple extra base hits atop the lineup and scored three runs, looking fully healthy and showing off that high end athleticism that he’s been known for. Espinoza struck the deciding blow in the fifth inning, driving a bases-clearing double to right field that put CBA ahead 8-0 in the bottom of the fifth, thus triggering the run rule and giving CBA the victory. They, as a team, certainly look to be one of the favorites in this event.
 
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