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General  | General | 5/1/2020

Best of 7 Series: Northwest

Jheremy Brown
Jered Goodwin
Photo: Mick Abel (Perfect Game)

Each segment of the Best of 7, 10-part series has been assembled by one of PG’s scouts. The idea of this exercise is to put together a team with the best amateur players from 10 different regions from across the country in an attempt to win a seven-game series. The players are not necessarily the top prospects in each state/region, but those that have consistently proven they have what it takes to win consistently at a high level. Which region would win such a series? Stay tuned to Perfect Game and join us @PerfectGameUSA to chime in.

Best of 7 Series: Florida | Pacific | Southeast | Texahoma | Southwest | Midwest | Mid-Atlantic | Northeast | Great Plains

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

Logan Paustian
One of the top defensive catchers in the 2020 class, Paustian can help control the running game and handle a diverse staff. The switch-hitter brings upside from both sides with a loose swing and projectable power. In one of the most difficult tournaments on the summer tour, the 17U Perfect Game World Series, the young back stop hit a very solid .286 with a triple. The former 14U Select Festival participant and Arizona State signee is no stranger to facing top ranked competition and he’ll fit nicely on this roster.

Troy Claunch
Having a tough task of replacing the first overall draft selection from last year, Claunch found his power stroke early in the 2020 season. He belted three homeruns and already had 13 RBI during his eleven starts for Oregon State. He is powerfully built and as steady as you can get in the college class, providing experience that will be needed on a relatively young team. Claunch will be asked to lead a deep pitching class through this best of seven gauntlet and could be asked to play first base at times during this tournament style format.



Nate Clow
Clow’s profile slots nicely towards the top of the order, owning sweet left-handed swing that will help set the table for the big bats in the middle. He’s a versatile defender and can play any of the infield positions as his well-above average arm easily plays on the left side. His 6.58 speed in the 60-yard dash at the Perfect Game National Showcase will help create havoc on the bases and gives the team a threat to manufacture runs when needed.  The University of Southern California commit also sports a 91-mph fastball and a bulldog mentality if he is asked upon to work on the bump in relief.

Kyle Russell
A polished all-around player, Russell will provide professional at-bats that will be needed to push pitch counts to the limits and provide the tough two out RBI that help win games. He hit .308 with two homeruns and a sterling 1.029 OPS during his high school career at Perfect Game events. The Washington State signee is another player in this group that can man any infield position while possessing has experience on the mound if the situation presents itself, armed with an easy upper-80s velocity. Russell’s versatility is essential on a 20-man roster in an exercise such as this.   

Chad Stevens
The starting shortstop for this club will be Portland’s Chad Stevens who has loads of experience and is a big college producer for the Pilots. While he’s tall for the position he has a ton of seasoning and his body still projects plenty well physically moving forward. The righthanded hitter had ten extra base hits in his 16 games for the Pilots in 2020 and has shown the tools on both sides to be squarely on scout’s radar. He will have to stabilize the middle of the order for this group and provide the toughness on the field and in the clubhouse.   

Malakhi Knight
One of the biggest bags of tools in the entire 2021 class, Knight has exciting game changing ability on both sides of the ball. The Oregon State commit has a tremendous power/speed combination and if he gets going he can change a game, or a series, in a hurry!Along with his offensive profile, Knight has big range in the outfield and can take away hits quickly thanks to his range and closing speed. The 6-foot-3 prospect would be a must watch against the type of competition that this event would bring.



Braiden Ward
The dynamic Ward can take extra 90’s in hurry! His 55 stolen bases at Washington make pitchers and catchers have to change how they attack hitters when he is on base and his offensive approach yielded more walks then strikeouts during the shortened 2020 season with an accurate barrel from the left side. He’s a three-year starter at Washington and owns a .309 career average with more base hits than games played. Ward is a lock down defender in centerfield and would be just fine playing any of the three outfield spots while serving as one of the energizer bunnies for this squad.   

David Calabrese
The Arkansas signee had a huge 2019 at Perfect Game events posting a .394 average with a 1.076 OPS and will have to be a big run producer during this series. He has a powerful stroke and can get hot in a hurry, backs pinning the ball well to all fields which allows his advanced foot speed to impact the game in a hurry.  He has the type of offensive ability that can impact the lineup and you can put him in the five-hole in this line up, providing protection so the 3-4 hitters cannot be pitched around. That same foot speed from the base paths plays well in the outfielder and has enough arm strength to play right field.



Owen Caissie
A huge riser in this spring, Cassie is Michigan signee that is young for the class and has big upside. He’s a well-built 6-foot-3 lefthanded hitter with a very quick bat and possesses the ability to hit for both average and power. Cassie runs well and will solidify an outfield that can rival any other team in the best-of-seven series. The young Canadian has the potential to set the table or be the guy that is relied on to knock in runs and simply put is a “bad man” when he has a bat in his hands and standing in the lefthanded batters-box.   

Kenyon Yovan
Potentially the biggest game changer in this lineup is Oregon’s big power hitter Kenyon Yovan, a righthanded hitter who has some of best raw power in amateur baseball.  He was hitting .429 during the 2020 season with four homeruns already and though his power can be the calling card, his 15 walks in 15 games this season are a testament to his overall approach at the plate.  Yovan will take pressure off everyone in the lineup and his experience will bring a calmness to a rather young roster. He also put up huge numbers on the mound early in his career and could provide a spark in that capacity if necessary out of the bullpen.        



Mick Abel
There isn’t a team in this exercise who wouldn’t love to have Abel in their starting rotation as the PG All-American features some of the best pure stuff in the country and an attack mode mentality. Long and projectable at 6-foot-5, 198-pounds, Abel oozes projection but can already run his fastball into the upper-90s with big extension and running life out of his hand. The pluses in his repertoire continues as his mid-80s slider can make the best hitters in the country look lost in the box with hard, late biting life while his changeup continues to evolve, giving him a legitimate three-pitch mix, all of which he can miss bats with. Having an arm like Abel take the ball in game one could easily result in a crucial win to open the series.



Stevie Emanuels
Emanuels had been a go-to relief option for the Washington coaching staff in each of his first two seasons before transitioning to the rotation in 2020 which had been going fantastic prior to the season ending abruptly. The 6-foot-5 righthander certainly has the size you look for in a pro pitching prospect and the results he gathered this spring were nothing short of fantastic as he carried a 0.79 ERA over four starts which spanned 22.2 inning, striking out 38 to just 9 walks. His presence in the rotation is key regardless of where his start comes as he give you the confidence of victory, living in the 89-93 mph range with his heater though he can ramp it higher when needed while mixing in a true swing-and-miss slider in the low-80s.

Christian Chamberlain
There’s something to be said for an arm who brings his best performances when the game matters and Chamberlain fits that mold as he’s shown during his time with the Beavers. The numbers Chamberlain posted over his first four starts of the season were something you’d find in a video game: four starts, 0.82 ERA over 22 innings pitched, 34 punch outs to just 11 walks and a .086 batting average against. Like Emanuels, the lefthander was off to a hot start after making the transition from the ‘pen to starting rotation, offering a heater that worked in the low-90s and complements the pitch with a hard, downward biting curveball and an average changeup.

Jack Enger
Keeping with the trend set forth by Emanuels and Chamberlain, the 6-foot-5 righthanded Enger jumped from the Huskies go-to bullpen option to their starting rotation in 2020 where he found instant success. Given his size and strength, Enger has the build to withstand the rigors of the starting role and the arsenal to make it through a lineup more than once. Armed with a fastball that lives comfortably in the low-90s and can bump higher from a higher release point, Enger collected 28 strikeouts in 24 innings and though he made the transition at Washington, he could be a valuable asset out of the bullpen once again as he fills up the strike zone, stays away from barrels, and mixes three pitches for strikes.



Logan Mercado
A primary third baseman early on in his prep career, Mercado has continued to transition into a primary arm and he has continued to take off since doing so bring both arm strength and athleticism to the bump. Not overly physical at 6-foot, 185-pounds, the Oregon signee was fantastic at Perfect Game events in 2019 and proved to be a strikeout machine with 23 punchouts to just four walks in 17 innings pitched while also hitting .364. On the mound he’ll run his fastball up to 92 mph and maintain it well throughout an outing while pounding the zone with a three-pith mix and the ability to log handfuls of innings at time. With a limited roster size, Mercado’s talents with the bat could also be utilized in this type of exercise.

Kevin Abel
Abel shined under the brightest of lights as a true freshman in 2018 during a complete game victory in the finale of the College World Series. He has made just three starts since that dazzling performance due to injury but his pedigree and experience are invaluable in this best-of-seven series. No relationship to Mick above, Kevin has a long track record of success thanks in part to his ability to pound the strike zone and generate solid plane to his heater which lives comfortably in the low-90s early on. Since his days as a prep arm Abel has been lauded for his changeup, a true plus pitch with late diving life that ranks as one of the best in the country with swing-and-miss action.

Max Debiec
There’s a lot to like when it comes to the junior prep righthander and while the physical projection is near endless on his long 6-foot-7 frame, Debiec brings plenty to the table already. Committed to the in-state Huskies of Washington, Debiec will continue to refine his overall operation on the mound though he uses his length to generate big extension on his fastball which currently works into the low-90s with more to come. There’s plenty of arm speed through the backside and he generates nice sinking life on his fastball while mixing an 11-5 shaped downer curveball in the mid-70s for strikes.

Duke Brotherton
Brotherton may not have the track record on the national scene like others on this list have accumulated over the years, but he’s squarely on the radar of scouts in the Northwest and he delivered some eye opening stuff this past October at the WWBA World Championships. Long and projectable at 6-foot-4, 190-pounds, the Washington State signee was plenty effective in his two outings, three innings out of the ‘pen and the other four coming as a start. Both appearances saw Brotherton living in the low-90s, bumping 93 mph, with a fast right arm which helped pick up ten strike outs over his seven innings while mixing both a curveball and changeup for strikes.



Jack Seward
There’s plenty to dream on with the 6-foot-3 British Columbia native, though as he has shown in Perfect Game events in the past, he’s already able to collect outs in the biggest of settings. Seward’s presence in the bullpen will be huge for this Northwest club as he proved in Jupiter he could bounce right back, making three difference appearances, amassing eight innings pitched while allowing just one run on four hits while punching out ten. His fastball works in the 88-92 mph from a short and compact arm stroke, though his slider is the difference maker for the Oregon signee as it’s an offering that possesses hard, late biting life in the low-80s with a tunneled release.

Mitchell Bratt
Bratt may just be concluding his junior year of high school but his presence is an important one as he and Chamberlain are the lone two southpaws on the roster. Success seemed to follow Bratt in all four of his Perfect Game outings last summer and fall thanks in part to his advanced pitchability and refined command. Bratt, a Florida State commit, shows the ability to command his fastball to either side of the plate with intent while topping out at 90 mph and mixes in a sharp, downer curveball expertly, striking out 25 batters in just 13 innings pitched. He’ll be a valuable asset as hitters just don’t seem to find their way on base whether it by walk (just two issued) or by base hit (seven allowed).
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