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High School  | General  | 3/30/2019

Boras Classic Day 4 Scout Notes

Photo: Justin Campbell (Perfect Game)

Boras Classic Recaps: Day 1 Notes | Day 2 Notes | Day 3 Notes | National High School Top 50




Large righthander Justin Campbell (2019, Simi Valley, Calif.) was pretty impressive for Simi Valley to open up the final day of the Boras Classic South. The 6-foot-7,205-pound prospect is very moldable and projectable physically and the ease of operation of his delivery, along with the feel of his secondary pitches, both stand out for the Tulane signee.

For someone of such size Campbell has a very easy delivery with good balance and a clean, low effort release. The arm stroke is efficient through the back and he drives off his backside well, and while the fastball worked mostly 86-89 mph, he adjusted nicely following the first inning. He allowed a couple of hits and a run on the fastball and following the first he started working backwards with his curveball and changeup. The breaking ball he added and subtracted from well had consistent shape and late break in the mid-70s as he would manipulate the spin depending on whether he wanted to land a strike or generate a whiff. The changeup was also a solid pitch with good arm-side life in the upper-70s and got a couple swings over from lefthanded hitters. There’s good present stuff with a feel to pitch and both secondaries show potential. Given Campbell’s size, delivery and projection there’s a very good chance his ceiling hasn’t even begun to be reached yet.

– Vinnie Cervino





In Friday’s closely fought contest between Corona and Rancho Bernardo, freshman second baseman Andrew Walters (2022, Corona, Calif.) showed fantastic maturity at the plate. At 6-foot 150-pounds Walters has a medium-slender frame with plenty of athleticism for the middle infield. He possesses a simple load and stride along with a slight hunch over the plate. He keeps his back elbow high, which at times makes it difficult for him to get his elbow into the slot on time. Walter’s produced hard contact on both balls that he put in play and was hit by the pitch in his third at-bat. His second hard contact was a ball he drove with good backspin to the opposite field, which then allowed for the runner at second to tag to third.

For not even celebrating his 16th birthday yet, he has above average plate awareness and a beautiful swing plane, as his barrel extends through the zone. Walters has solid separation between his upper and lower half, creating a strong coil that allows him to drive balls even for his age. The foundation at the plate for this young ball player is clearly there and he is without a doubt a player to keep an eye on as he develops.




What a wild late inning slugfest the afternoon game between Yucaipa and Norte Dame turned out to be. 14 runs were scored between the two teams from the fifth inning on. From the start, Yucaipa senior Julian Alvarez (2019, San Bernardino, Calif.) had a stellar day at the plate. The California Baptist commit went 3-for-3 with a walk on the day, just a home run shy of the cycle.

Alvarez has a medium-slender build with a plus running tool that gives him great range in center field. At the plate, Alvarez uses every ounce of leverage possible in his swing as he uses a relatively high leg kick into launch. However, he’s still balanced and controlled enough to keep his hands back on off-speed pitches, as he did in his fourth at-bat, punching a base hit through the left side of the infield. Alvarez begins upright and finds rhythm through a small sway back and forth between his front foot and back foot, while wagging his barrel in a circular motion. His hands do travel a large distance into his launch, however, once there he works his barrel down through the zone and is a very handsy hitter. With an advanced hitting tool and impressive speed, Alvarez will have no problem getting hits and producing offense at the next level.

Late in the game both clubs received big at-bats in key situations. In the bottom of the fifth inning Diego Baqueiro (2020, Mission Hills, Calif.) blasted a three-run home run that put Norte Dame ahead. Then in the sixth, Yucaipa answered with a blast of their own by Daniel Garcia (2020, Yucaipa, Calif.).




Baqueiro, a long and lengthy corner infielder, has an upright stance with a neutral hand position near his ear. His load is simple and quiet and he uses a small leg kick. Occasionally, Baqueiro can find himself out over his front foot, as he did in his last at-bat, striking out on an off-speed pitch. However, when he’s able to stay centered in his stance and be in rhythm with the pitcher, his bat makes very loud noises. His home run came off a hanging breaking ball and sailed well over the left-center field fence. He uses his lower half very well and with his size projects to be a true power threat. His plate awareness and plate discipline are still developing.

Garcia’s home run came off a low and inside fastball that he dropped the head of the barrel on and sent the ball deep into the batting cages beyond the right field fence. He has a violent short bat wag leading into his load, which at times causes him to be late to launch. Moreover, because he holds his hands forward towards his ear his hands have a long distance to travel for launch. His swing is a little long, and he finishes high in his back swing as his barrel quickly passes in and out of the hitting zone. However, when he works his hands down through the zone, his barrel plane flattens out and he has the ability to put great backspin on the baseball. Garcia also has a slow hanging leg kick that causes his lower half to fire late at times. The thought that Garcia isn’t fully engaging his lower half in his swing is scary. If he continues to develop his approach and hands into his senior year then Grand Canyon University will be getting a scary good hitter.




The finale of the Boras classic featured a blowout for JSerra, a team that capitalized off of a handful of defensive mistakes by La Mirada. Without a doubt the standout of this game was sophomore lefthander and defensive player of the game Gage Jump (2021, Aliso Viejo, Calif.). After missing the start of the season, Jump looked phenomenal in his second appearance. His fastball sat in the upper-80s throughout his outing, and he even touched 90 mph. His curveball has a 12-to-6 feel with good bite, and complements his fastball very well. His fastball has a slight two-seam run which seemed to really be running away from righthanded hitters. Jump has an over-the-top window, mid-leg kick and slightly turns closed as his leg lifts. With his over-the-top release, he does tend to miss up in the zone, so he’s at his best when working tall down the mound.

Jump hides the ball well before reaching the window, and because he stands on the mid-right side of the rubber he’s going to be a headache for lefthanded hitters at the next level. It’s hard not to get excited after you see a young pitcher come out in front of a standing room only crowd and bust out some of his best stuff. In his three innings pitched he had three strikeouts, one walk and one hit allowed. JSerra won the 2019 Boras Classic South championship 8-1 over La Mirada.

– Connor Spencer
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