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High School  | General  | 2/15/2024

Southwest Dream Team & Top Tools

David Rawnsley     
SOUTHWEST REGION (AZ, NM, NV, UT, CO)
The Southwest Region and specifically Arizona will be boosted by the transfer of two standouts to powerhouse Hamilton High School in Arizona this past summer, catcher and PG All-American Drew Rogers and junior third baseman Boston Kellner from Colorado.  It will be interesting to follow if this is a one off or it turns into a trend similar to the rise of the IMG Academy in Florida, with top players in more northern states seeking better competition and weather in the south.

The strength of the region is in its pitching staff, which has three Perfect Game All-Americans if you include Utility/Two-Way standout Cam Caminiti.  Arizona’s Smith Bailey and Colorado’s Trey Gregory-Alford are also All-American members of this hard throwing pitching staff.  A fifth All-American, shortstop Ty Southisene, would play shortstop and bat leadoff on this imaginary team.



Utah and New Mexico aren’t represented on the All-Southwest Region team, so it is worth mentioning the top player in each state.  RHP/IF Zach Edwards (Sr., Riverton HS, Utah) and RHP Zach Kmatz (Sr., Sandia HS, N.M.) are both signed with Oregon State.

It wouldn’t be shocking to hear that Hamilton HS is the top ranked team in the region after its huge talent influx but that isn’t the case.  While Hamilton’s 12th national rank in the PG Pre-Season High School Rankings is impressive, it falls one short of perennial Nevada champion Bishop Gorman’s 11th ranking.  Two other regional schools, Basic High School (Nev.) at 44th and Casteel High School (Ariz.) at 49th also break into the Top 50.

C – Drew Rogers (Sr., Hamilton HS, Ariz.)

Rogers was one of the fastest rising prospects in the 2024 class last summer and finished the year the third ranked catcher in the country.  The 6-foot, 215-pound Rogers has an outstanding combination of strength and flexibility, with the first enabling him to stand out as a power hitting right-handed hitter and the latter key to his elite level defense.  Rogers was the Minnesota state Player of the Year in 2023 but moved to Arizona for his senior season.  If Rogers hadn’t moved to the Southwest, Nevada senior Burke Mabeus (Sr., Bishop Gorman HS, Nev.) would have been an obvious choice for this position.

1B – Ryan Harwood (So., Casteel HS, Ariz.)

Harwood, a 2021 13U Perfect Game Select Festival participant, stands out from his age group peers at 6-foot-3, 225-pounds but is a very good all-around athlete, with 7.2 speed and a 90 mph arm off the mound.  His best tool, not surprisingly, is his left-handed bat.  Harwood hit .426-1-31 as a freshman at Casteel High School and has hit .361-1-55 with 38 walks in 67 games in PG tournament play over the past two years.  He’s ranked 19th nationally in the PG 2026 class rankings.

MIF – Chris Newstrom (Sr., Chaparral HS, Ariz.)

Newstrom announced himself early on the prospect scene and was a two-time Perfect Game Select Festival participant.  A versatile athlete who can play all over the field with plus arm strength, Newstrom probably profiles best at third base in the long term.  He’s a strong right-handed hitter who hit .379-2-20 with 20 walks for Chaparral High School last spring before hitting .338-2-15 with 22 walks in 33 games of PG tournament play.  Newstrom is signed with Tennessee, where he’ll be draft eligible as a sophomore.

MIF – Ty Southisene (Sr., Basic HS, Nev.)

In the proud tradition of players such as Dustin Pedroia and Nick Madrigal, Southisene is usually the smallest player on the field but also often the best player.  The ultra quick and high energy middle infielder was the Most Valuable Player at the 2023 Perfect Game All-American Classic and put on a similar show on both sides of the ball at the PG National Showcase.  Southisene hit .460 with 41 runs scored for Basic High School as a junior and is signed with Tennessee.

3B – Boston Kellner (Jr., Hamilton HS, Ariz.)

Kellner would be in this spot regardless but the two-time Perfect Game Select Festival participant has raised his baseball profile by transferring Pine Creek High School in Colorado to nationally ranked Hamilton HS in Arizona.  Kellner, whose tools and background are very similar to fellow All-Region standout Chris Newstrom, dominated Colorado high school baseball for two years, hitting a combined .524-12-61 over his first two years while also going 13-3 on the mound with a fastball that reaches 90 mph.

OF – Ky McGary (Sr., Sandra Day O’Connor HS, Ariz.)

On the surface, McGary is a speedy center fielder with high-level contact skills.  He runs a 6.49 sixty and coincidently hit .397 last summer in 22 PG tournament games and is also a .397 career hitter in two seasons at the high school level.  But McGary has the swing, exit velocities and projectable 6-foot-1, 175-pound build to project lots of power in the future as well.  He is signed with Arizona State

OF – Bryden Bull (Jr., Las Vegas HS, Nev.)

Bull is an impressive looking athlete at 6-foot-5, 190-pounds and has tools as well, with a 90 mph arm off the mound and 6.90 speed in the sixty.  His best tool, though is his left-handed bat.  Bull has hit .383-10-68/1.101 OPS over 101 games the past two years in PG tournament play and hit .429 as a sophomore at Las Vegas High School.  He’s currently ranked 37th overall in the 2025 PG class rankings and is committed to Mississippi.

OF – Caleb Danzeisen (Jr., Valley Christian HS, Ariz.)

Danzeisen plays both outfield and catches and it’s still a toss up where the athletic left-handed hitter ends up at in the future.  His best present position is in the batter’s box, where he’s hit .438-9-75 with 40 walks in his first two high school seasons while also hitting near .400 with more walks than strikeouts in 60 games of PG tournament play.  Danzeisen is committed to Arizona and ranked 103rd overall in the PG 2025 class rankings.

LHP Mason Russell (Sr., Casteel HS, Ariz.)

Russell is one of the more projectable southpaws in the country and ranks 81st overall in the 2024 PG class rankings nationally.  His easy and fluid delivery produced a fastball up to 93 mph at the PG National Showcase but his best pitch was a low to mid-80’s slider that produced 2900 rpm spin rates and sharp two-plane action.  He is signed with Arizona but it’s easy to imagine him becoming a high draft with a good spring.

RHP Smith Bailey (Sr., Mountain Ridge, Ariz.)

A Perfect Game All-American, Bailey is a very projectable 6-foot-6, 200-pound right-hander with outstanding command of increasingly impressive stuff.  Bailey threw in the mid-80s as a sophomore and only pitched once during the spring in high school, but blossomed to a 91-94 mph thrower as a junior and went 10-1, 1.41 for Mountain Ridge High School.  Bailey also throws a mid-70’s curveball and an outstanding change up.

RHP Brett Crossland (Jr., Mountain Pointe HS, Ariz.)

Crossland is a physical presence on the mound at 6-foot-6, 245-pounds and that coupled with the fact that he works 92-94 mph on his fastball and has been up to 96 at PG events and you have one intimidating 17-year old on the mound.  The Texas commit will have to improve his command and secondary pitches to take the next step but he’s a high ceiling prospect and currently ranked 23rd in the 2025 PG class rankings nationally.

RHP Trey Gregory-Alford (Sr., Coronado HS, Colo.)

Gregory-Alford came out of nowhere at the PG National Showcase, entering the event not ranked nationally and exiting with an All-American Classic invitation after throwing 95-97 mph with a nasty mid to upper 80’s slider.  He’s no secret to high school baseball fans in Colorado, where he struck out 91 hitters in 43 innings last spring.

RHP James Whitaker (Jr., Bishop Gorman HS, Nev.)

Whitaker is the brother of Tyler Whitaker, the Astros third round pick in 2021, and a very similar athlete.  He posted a 1.14 ERA in 43 innings for powerhouse Bishop Gorman and had the honor of starting the state championship game as a sophomore.  Whitaker has worked in the 90-93 mph range with a mid-70’s breaking ball at PG events and seems ready for a big jump as a junior.

UT – Cam Caminiti (Sr. Saguaro HS, Ariz.)

Caminiti is very determined to remain a two-way player for as long as possible, so the Utility role is very fitting for the fifth ranked player in the 2024 class.  Originally a Class of 2025 athlete before re-classifying last summer, Caminiti hit .446-4-25 as a sophomore last spring but rarely pitched.  He then went out and threw 25 innings on the PG circuit, striking out 41 hitters in 25 innings while only allowing 11 hits.
 
Southwest Region Top Tools

Best Hitter for Average: Boston Kellner (Jr., Hamilton HS, Ariz.)

Kellner is unlikely to duplicate his previous high school numbers in the more competitive Arizona baseball world, especially with teams likely throwing their best pitchers at 12th ranked Hamilton, but Kellner has always raked during the summer and fall circuit and is a consummate “ball player” type on the field.

Best Hitter for Power: Drew Rogers (Sr., Hamilton HS, Ariz.)

Unlike Kellner, Rogers has a chance to match or surpass the nine home runs he hit as a junior in Minnesota in Arizona, at least based on the tools and performance he showed last summer.  The right-handed hitter had no problem reaching the seats at Chase Field at the PG National and All-American Classic.  Bryden Bull could easily challenge for this as he learns how to lift the ball.

Best Runner: Ty Southisene (Sr., Basic HS, Nev.)

Southisene not only has 6.45 speed in the sixty but it’s first step quickness generated and plays up on the baseball field, both on the bases and on defense.  And there’s no doubt the high energy Southisene is going to be running all out to first base on every grounder.

Best Defensive Catcher: Drew Rogers (Sr., Hamilton HS, Ariz.)

Rogers might be the best defensive catcher in the country.  Along with his agility and soft hands, Rogers will shut a running game down.  He threw 85 mph with a 1.79 pop time in drills at the PG National Showcase, then threw out the first two runners to run on him in game action at 1.83 and 1.89.

Best Defensive Infielder: Ty Southisene (Sr., Basic HS, Nev.)

It’s easy to pigeon hole the diminutive Southisene to second base, where he would no doubt be outstanding, but he has plenty of arm to make the plays from shortstop.  His range is going to be plus wherever he plays.

Best Defensive Outfielder: Ky McGary (Sr., Sandra Day O’Connor HS, Ariz.)

McGary’s combination of 6.49 speed, 94 mph outfield arm and outstanding athleticism make this an easy choice in the outfield.

Best Defensive Arm: Cam Caminiti (Sr., Saguaro HS, Ariz.)

Caminiti plays a lot of first base when not on the mound but he’s ideally a right fielder as a position player with his arm strength.  Drew Rogers has one of the top arms of any catcher in the country.


Best Fastball: Trey Gregory-Alford (Sr., Coronado HS, Colo.)

Gregory-Alford has a powerful 6-foot-5, 235-pound build that is the source of some of his velocity but much of his 94-97 mph fastball comes from pure arm speed.
 
Best Off-Speed Stuff: Cam Caminiti (Sr., Saguaro HS, Ariz.)

Caminiti draws attention with his fastball, that started touching 90 mph at age 14 and now often hits 96 mph, but that distracts from the fact that he’s a four-pitch southpaw who can change the shape and power of his breaking ball and drop in a nice change up to right-handed hitters.

Best Pitchability: Smith Bailey (Sr., Mountain Ridge, Ariz.)

Pitchability usually doesn’t come with being 6-foot-6 but Bailey’s height doesn’t keep him from being a strike thrower with three quality pitches.  He walked only 17 hitters in 64 innings as a junior last spring and seems comfortable pitching to weak contact.

Best Multi-Sport Athlete: Boston Kellner (Jr., Hamilton HS, Ariz.)

He will not be playing the sport interscholastically anymore as Arizona doesn’t have high school hockey but Kellner was an ice standout in Colorado, posting 15 goals and 25 points in 19 games last winter.
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