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High School  | General  | 3/1/2019

Regional HS Preview: Northwest

Photo: Corbin Carroll (Perfect Game)

For all of Perfect Game's regional previews as part of the 2019 high school baseball preview content, the Dream Team is available for free. The region top tools can be viewed with an Insider subscription. To learn more about Perfect Game's subscription packages and to sign up today please visit this link.


2018 Perfect Game High School Preview Index

Northwest Region: Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming

Top 10 Northwest Region High Schools
Rk. Nat'l School '18 Rec. '18 Finish
1 NR Puyallup (Wash.) 23-2 WIAA 4A State Champs
2 NR Jesuit (Ore.) 23-6 OSAA 6A State 2nd Round
3 NR Rocky Mountain (Idaho) 24-5 IHSAA 5A State Quarterfinals
4 NR Skyline (Wash.) 14-9 WIAA 4A District Playoffs
5 NR Bonneville (Idaho) 24-6 HSAA 1A StateFinals
6 NR Lakeside (Wash.) 18-5 WIAA 3A Round of 16
7 NR South Salem (Ore.) 27-6 OSAA 6A State Semifinals
8 NR Westview (Ore.) 28-3 OSAA 6A State Champs
9 NR Selah (Wash.) 20-3 WIAA 2A Round of 16
10 NR Juneau-Douglas (Alaska) 18-8 ASAA State Champs




Northwest Region High School Dream Team

C - Logan Paustian, Jr., La Grande HS (Ore.) 
The first of several juniors on this list, Paustian had a really good PG Underclass All-American Games last August and affixed himself firmly to the national radar as a result. A Nebraska commit, Paustian's athleticism behind the plate stands out first and foremost, as bouncy and agile through his actions and has the potential to be a truly dynamic defensive catcher. His catch-and-throw skills are likewise advanced, while offensively he shows good pull-side pop with quick hands, giving him pretty substantial upside. 

1B - Henry Gargus, Sr., Davis HS (Wash.)
Another Perfect Game All-American out of the Pacific Northwest Region, Gargus has some of the better raw power in the class of 2019, from the left side of the plate to boot. A Stanford signee, Gargus has plenty of athleticism and could see time at not only first base, where he's a very good defender, or in a corner outfield spot where he has the athleticism and arm strength to stand out. He runs well, especially for a power guy, and has one of the more intriguing power/athleticism combos in the country. 

2B - Mason Guerra, So., Westview HS (Ore.) 
One of the few sophomores on this list, Guerra committed to Oregon State early on in the process before really showing well at PG events over the course of last summer. Extremely physically projectable, Guerra looks to have the athleticism, hands, and range to be able to stay in the middle infield long term. The bat is what stood out to us immediately, with excellent bat speed and the beginnings of what might end up being big time raw power from the right side of the plate. 

SS - Carter Young, Sr., Selah HS (Wash.) 
On the radar for several years now, due in part to his back-to-back falls spent with the Team USA 18u club, Young is squarely on the draft radar for this spring. A Vanderbilt signee, Young's best attribute may be his versatility, as he's shown the ability to play pretty much anywhere on the diamond, catcher included. A talented athlete with good speed, Young is a very adept middle infielder with clean hands and overall actions, while his offensive approach is a mature one with good contact skills and developing power. 

3B - Logan Mercado, Jr., Tri-Cities Prep (Wash.) 
Another potential two-way player on this list, Mercado is primarily a third baseman but also a talented righthanded pitcher. Committed to Oregon, Mercado's defensive abilities work very well at the hot corner, where he has the hands and suddenness to be an asset, along with advanced arm strength. Offensively, Mercado's hit tool is well thought of, as he shows good feel for generating hard contact to all fields. On the mound, he's into the 90's with his fastball and shows very good feel for his slider. 

OF - Joshua Mears, Sr., Federal Way Senior (Wash.)
Mears really came onto the national scene last year at the Area Code Games, where he impressed with his tremendous raw power and very good arm strength, giving him a very quality corner outfield profile. He came to Jupiter last fall and in brief at-bats showed the ability to drive the ball, run pretty well, and play a quality defensive outfield as well. He's rising fast up draft boards as the season starts to get underway in northern states, and it'll be especially interesting to see how it shakes out for him in regards to the draft. He is signed with Purdue. 

OF - Corbin Carroll, Sr., Lakeside HS (Wash.)
A Perfect Game All-American and a potential high first round draft choice this spring, Carroll enjoyed one of the louder summer circuits last year and is high on radars for everyone. A plus athlete with lots of twitch, Carroll is at least a plus runner down the line whose speed actually seems to play up in center field, where he also has a plus throwing arm. Offensively, Carroll is viewed as one of the best prep hitters in the country, and his power took a large step forward last fall, giving him the potential for five very impactful tools. Carroll is signed with UCLA. 

OF - Cole Hinkelman, Sr., Skyline HS (Wash.) 
Another Perfect Game All-American on this list, Hinkelman's profile is all about his sweet lefthanded swing and the power he creates with it. The raw power from the left side of the plate is pretty substantial, and the projection on just how much power he'll have long term is pretty enticing as well. He's a solid athlete who fits best in an outfield corner depending on his arm strength, and while not a great runner is still far from a base-clogger. He's signed with Stanford, where he has a chance to be a serious power threat right away next spring for the Cardinal. 

UT - Nate Clow, Jr., Todd Beamer HS (Wash.)
A very talented two-way player and Southern Cal commit, Clow's tools were put on display at the PG Underclass All-American Games last summer. An above-average runner and athlete, Clow looks comfortable in the middle infield and has the hands, footwork, and overall athleticism to stay there long term. He has some serious thunder in his lefthanded bat to go along with some of the best hitting tools in the class, while on the mound he has a very quick arm that runs his fastball around 90 mph. We're excited to see him play again this summer once we turn our collective attention towards the 2020 draft. 

P - Randon Hostert, Sr., Bonneville HS (Id.) 
One of the players who really made a name for himself at the Area Code Games last summer, Hostert has put himself on the national radar as it pertains to the draft as maybe the top prep arm in the area this year. He has a lot of things working in his favor, namely his projection and arm speed. He has plenty of room remaining on his frame to add strength and already reaches 93-94 mph with his fastball, and it wouldn't shock anyone if he ended up throwing extremely hard one day. He's signed with Utah. 

P - Mick Abel, Jr., Jesuit HS (Ore.) 
The No. 9-ranked player in the class of 2020 (and the No. 3 overall righthanded pitcher), Abel has been on the PG radar for years now, including when he played in the 14u Select Festival game. With tons of projection remaining on his frame, Abel has already reached into the mid-90s with his fastball with strong offspeed stuff and strikes, and he's going to be one of the most-followed players in the country this year as we work towards the eventual 2020 draft. Abel is committed to Oregon State. 

P - Brock Jones, Sr., W. F. West HS (Wash.) 
A projectable lefthanded pitcher, Jones is signed with Washington to continue his career, though he's impressed scouts in the area and may have a decision to make regarding professional baseball this spring. With a lean build and good athleticism, Jones has made his name in the Northwest region with a combination of positive traits. He can get into the 90s with his fastball, shows one of the better breaking balls in the area, and can really pound the strike zone, making him obviously intriguing to professional teams. 

P - Jaren Hunter, Jr., Sam Barlow HS (Ore.) 
Three 2020 Oregon State commits find themselves on this dream team in Hunter, Mick Abel, and Heith Rasica, speaking both to the quality of depth in the region in the class of 2020 as well as the obvious talent level that the defending National Champs are bringing in. Hunter is a well-built righthander who possesses a lot of positive traits, including physicality, ease of operation, and present stuff. He pounds the zone with his fastball, holds the velocity well, and shows the makings of a true swing-and-miss breaking ball. 

P - Heith Rasica, Jr., Henley HS (Ore.)
Rasica, like Abel and Hunter before him on this list, is a junior righthander committed to Oregon State, giving them three pretty legitimate pitchers in that class alone. Rasica is a projectable righthander with a long and lean build, and is unique in that he's a lower slot guy, throwing out of a low three quarters slot consistently. He worked consistently in the 86-89 mph range last summer with excellent life to finish the pitch, and got whiffs on both his frisbee slider and quality changeup, giving him an advanced three pitch mix. 


Northwest Region Top Tools


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