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High School  | General  | 3/1/2024

Northwest Dream Team & Top Tools

David Rawnsley     
NORTHWEST REGION (WA, OR, ID, WY, AK, MT) 

There is lots of high ceiling talent in the Northwest Region right now, especially in the 2025 class that features three Top 25 talents nationally in third baseman Xavier Neyens, left-handed pitcher Kruz Schoolcraft and shortstop/right-handed pitcher Mason Pike.  Power bats and power arms are also not in short supply.



Puyallup (WA) High School is the only nationally ranked team in the Perfect Game pre-season rankings, checking in at 30th overall.  The Vikings have one of the most impressive collection of mid-field talent in the country between Pike, fellow junior shortstop Gage Thompson and senior catcher Kailand Halstead.  All three are committed or signed with Oregon State, which has corralled many of the top 2024 and 2025 talents in the Region already.

C – Coen Niclai (Sr., Service HS, Ak.)

It’s always exciting to highlight prospects from Alaska and Niclai might be the best prospect from the state since Jonny Homza was drafted in the fifth round in 2017.  Niclai is a big and strong right-handed hitter with plus/plus power potential and has garnered plenty of scout attention from his appearances in the Lower 48.  The Oregon commit played at the 2023 PG National Showcase, the 2023 WWBA World Championships and recently hit .500-2-6 at the 2024 18U PG West MLK Championship.

1B – Brock Silvers (Jr., Middleton Academy, Idaho)

Like Coen Niclai above, Silvers is one of the best prospects Idaho has produced in a long time and currently checks in at 39th overall in the 2025 class rankings.  The 6-foot-4, 210-pound right-handed hitter has a smooth right-handed swing that combines barrel accuracy with power and really projects well.  Silvers has outstanding physical tools for a first baseman, with 6.97 speed and an upper 80’s arm off the mound.  He hit .317-4-24 as a sophomore at Middleton Academy.

MIF – Adam Haight (Sr., Cedar Park Christian HS, Wash.)

Haight is a high-level two-way prospect who some see as a future right-handed pitcher, where he’s been up to 93 mph at PG tournaments with an 80 mph slider.  For the time being, the 6-foot-2, 190-pound Oregon State commit is a left-side infielder with some pop in his bat and a big infield arm.

MIF –  Finn Leach (Jr., Nathan Hale HS, Wash.)

Leach has a nice balance of offensive and defensive tools and a surprising polish to his game for a young player from the Northwest.  He’s a switch-hitter at the plate with same approach and bat speed from both sides of the plate and hit .427-0-15/1.094 OPS in 33 PG tournament games in 2023.  Defensively, Leach has smooth actions with soft hands and good balance.  He’s verbally committed to Arizona State.

3B – Xavier Neyens (Jr., Mount Vernon HS, Wash.)

Neyens has been a nationally known prospect since his early teen years and the only thing that has appreciatively changed is a switch from catcher to third base.  His two best tools are his huge left-handed power and his strong throwing arm, both of which were on display at the 2023 WWBA 17U National Championships where Neyens was All-Tournament both pitching (10K’s in 7 innings, top 92 mph) and batting (.478-2-9, 6 BB’s).  He’s the third ranked prospect overall in the 2025 class.

OF – Gabriel Coltman (Jr., Lincoln HS, Ore.)

Coltman plays more first base than outfield but even at 6-foot-5, 230-pounds runs a 6.88 sixty and has a 90 mph outfield arm.  His big tool, though, is his enormous right-handed power and he has regularly posted exit velocities well in excess of 100 mph. Coltman was outstanding at the year ending 2023 PG National Showcase Main Event and is poised for a big breakout in 2024.

OF - Slater de Brun (Jr., Summit HS, Ore.)

de Brun is a compact and very athletic 5-foot-9, 180-pound left/left outfielder who had a huge 2023 summer to put himself on the prospect map.  He has center field tools and energy and runs a 6.59 sixty while throwing 89 mph off the mound. de Brun is committed to Vanderbilt.

OF – Grady Woodward (Sr., Eastlake HS, Wash.)

Woodward is a old fashioned three-sport athlete, with a football resume that is actually more impressive than his baseball exploits.  The 6-foot-3, 190-pound right-handed hitter plays baseball with an aggressiveness of a football player.  He’s signed with Washington.

LHP Kruz Schoolcraft (Jr., Sunset HS, Ore.)

A 2022 Perfect Game 14U Select Festival participant, the 6-foot-8, 215-pound Schoolcraft is an impressive athlete on both sides of the ball.  As a primary left-handed pitcher, Schoolcraft has been up to 93 mph on his fastball to go with a sweeping mid-70’s breaking ball.  He also batted .385-3-19/1.176 OPS in 27 games of PG tournament play in 2023 with a very easy and simple left-handed swing that maximizes contact despite his size.  Schoolcraft is currently ranked 14th in the 2025 class rankings after re-classifying from the 2026 class.

RHP Dax Whitney (Sr., Blackfoot HS, Idaho)

Whitney is a still very projectable 6-foot-5, 195-pound right-hander who has been up to 92 mph with a four-pitch mix of strikes at PG tournaments.  He’s probably the most dominant player in Idaho prep baseball and went 5-1, 1.03 last spring with 91 strikeouts and only 15 walks in 47 innings, while also hitting .453-3-30 at the plate.  He’s signed with Oregon State.

RHP River Hamilton (Jr., Sam Barlow HS, Ore.)

Hamilton has already been one of the most impressive pitchers on the entire West Coast early in the 2024 season.  He was named Most Valuable Player at the PG 18U MLK Championship and later stood out at an Area Code event in Southern California that was attended by most of the top California pitchers.  At the MLK Championship, the slender 6-foot-3, 180-pound Hamilton struck out 13 hitters in 6 hitless innings, working 91-94 on his fastball to go with a full four-pitch mix of strikes.  He is committed to Oregon State.

RHP Zach Swanson (Sr., Toutle Lake HS, Wash.)

Swanson is the top ranked 2024 prospect in the Northwest Region and 68th nationally in the PG class rankings.  His raw stuff matches up with almost any pitcher in the country, with a 92-95 mph fastball with 2700+ spin and a mid-80’s swing and miss slider with 2800+ spin rates.  More consistent command and mechanics could merit Day 1 draft consideration for the very athletic Swanson this spring.

RHP  Finn Edwards (Sr., Summit HS, Ore.)

Edwards joins junior outfielder Slater de Brun to give Oregon’s Summit High School two players on the All-Northwest Region team.  Edwards is another extra-large hurler for the team at 6-foot-7, 210-pounds and works in the 88-91 mph range with big downhill angle to his pitches.  He also throws a curveball and change up.

UT   Mason Pike (Jr., Puyallup HS, Wash.)

Pike has long been considered one of the top shortstops in the 2025 class nationally and played at the 2021 14U Select Festival, but his prospect status took a jump at the 2023 WWBA World Championships when he took the mound and threw 93-95 mph with strikes and a four-pitch mix.  He followed that up with a dominating performance at the 2024 18U PG West MLK championships in early January, topping out at 94 mph while throwing 71% strikes. 


Northwest Region Top Tools


Best Hitter for Average: Finn Leach (Jr., Nathan Hale HS, Wash.)

Leach has a very similar approach from both sides of the plate, with a simple inside path that emphasizes solid mid-field to opposite field contact.  In addition to hitting .427 in 33 games of PG play in 2023, Leach also walked 21 times against only 6 strikeouts and posted a .533 on-base percentage.

Best Hitter for Power: Xavier Neyens (Jr., Mount Vernon HS, Wash.)

There is no lack of power hitters in the Region and Gabriel Coltman or Coen Niclai or Brock Silvers wld be solid choices any other year.  But Neyens power has always played on national stages and it comes so easily that he gets the nod here.

Best Runner: Slater de Brun (Jr., Summit HS, Ore.)

de Brun has run a 6.59 at PG events and there are reports of his running faster at non-PG events, so his next PG showcase appearance should be interesting.  His energy on the field helps make his speed play up as well.
 
Best Defensive Catcher: Ryan Vandenbrink (Sr., West Linn HS, Ore.)

Vandenbrink has stood out for two-time state champion West Linn High School and was especially impressive handling 2023 first round pick and West Linn alum Noble Meyer.  He has quick and athletic actions behind the plate and plenty of arm strength.  He is signed with Oregon State.

Best Defensive Infielder: Finn Leach (Jr., Nathan Hale HS, Wash.)

Leach reminds us of the classic Southern California prospect shortstop in that he doesn’t flash big run/throw numbers or stand out physically but that he just flat knows how to play shortstop with angles and balance and accurate throws.

Best Defensive Outfielder: Slater de Brun (Jr., Summit HS, Ore.)

Along with his speed, de Brun has a strong left arm that should help him stand out defensively as well.

Best Defensive Arm: Mason Pike (Jr., Puyallup HS, Wash.)

Pike not only hump up and reaches the low 90’s from shortstop, he has always been very adept at make strong throws on the run.  Adam Haight was also a consideration in this category and might even end up as a pitcher or two-way player at the next level.

Best Fastball: Mason Pike (Jr., Puyallup HS, Wash.)

This could be either Kruz Schoolcraft or a baseball-only focused Zach Swanson by the end of the spring but Pike’s combination of mid-90’s velocity and command make this fast riser stand out in this category.

Best Off-Speed Stuff: Zach Swanson (Sr., Toutle Lake HS, Wash.)

Swanson’s mid-80’s/2800+ slider is the single most impressive swing and miss pitch in the Region and one of the best in the country.  He also has a better than average change up for a high school power pitcher.

Best Pitchability: River Hamilton (Jr., Sam Barlow HS, Ore.)

The most impressive part about Hamilton’s quick rise as a prospect has been his command of four quality pitches.  He’s also extremely projectable physically and should continue to improve the quality of all of his pitches as he gets stronger.

Best Multi-Sport Athlete: Zach Swanson (Sr., Toutle Lake HS, Wash.)

In addition to being the top ranked senior in the region and owning a 95 mph fastball, Swanson passed 2,000 career points early in the season on the hardwoods.  Ryan Vandenbrink is a second team All-6A Oregon linebacker.
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