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High School  | General  | 3/3/2017

Regional HS Preview: Northwest

David Rawnsley     
Photo: Perfect Game



For all of Perfect Game's regional previews as part of the 2017 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.




2017 Perfect Game High School Preview Index

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

According to the National Federation of State High School Associations, the total number of high school baseball players in the Northwest region, acknowledging that Wyoming and Montana do not even have high school baseball, numbered just over 19,000. That number would rank eighth as a state behind California, Texas, Florida, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Illinois.

Despite that, the region continues to produce high quality talent every year, including a steady stream of players for the several Top 25-caliber college teams also in the region. It is unlikely that the region produces a high-level draft pick in June as it routinely has in the past but there are several promising underclassman who could put themselves in that position in years to come.

Perhaps the most notable member of the Northwest All-Region Team in that context is Alaskan infielder Jonny Homza, a Hawaii signee. According to the numbers cited above, Alaska had 725 high school baseball players during the 2015-16 school year. 


Northwest Region Dream Team

C – Shane McGuire, Sr., Kentwood (Wash.)
Reese McGuire's younger brother has many of the same strengths as a player both offensively and defensively. He is a lefthanded hitter with a strong and quick line drive stroke and hit .447-0-23 as a junior with nine doubles and six triples. Those extra-base hits highlight McGuire's unusual speed for a catcher, even at 6-foot-1, 200-pounds, as he ran the 60-yard dash in 6.82 seconds at the 2016 PG National Showcase. He is signed with San Diego.

1B – Henry Gargus, So., Yakima Davis (Wash.)
Gargus is an extremely strong lefthanded hitter for his age, with a big 6-foot-1, 210-pound build but lots of upper body looseness. He hit .474-3-27 for Yakima Davis High School as a freshman and could become the Northwest's most dominant player over the next three years. Gargus also throws up to 87 already off the mound as a southpaw pitcher.

MIF – Kyler McMahan, Sr., Lynnwood (Wash.)
McMahan slumped to .299-1-13 as a junior after hitting over .400 combined as a freshman and sophomore but still walked 17 times in 23 games and stole 10 bases. An Oregon State signee, McMahan has a short and strong righthanded swing that works the middle of the field and should produce high averages at the next level. He's a pure middle infielder on defense, with quick lateral actions and plenty of arm strength.

MIF – Arthur Pate, Sr., Shorewood (Wash.)
Pate and McMahan are similar players with solid middle-of-the-field athleticism and speed and the ability to play shortstop, or second base, through their college careers. A Washington signee, Pate also has the same type of strong middle-of-the-field line drive approach that McMahan uses and should have a quick adjustment to college baseball next year.

3B – Jonny Homza, Sr., South Anchorage (Alaska)
Homza is the first Alaskan to be honored with PG All-Region recognition but the 6-foot-1, 180-pound middle infielder has competed well in national level events and is signed with Hawaii. He has a short and quick righthanded swing that handles velocity very well and is quick and agile in his defensive actions. Homza hit .517 during Alaska's short high school season last year and also threw a no-hitter on the mound.

OF – Kevin Watson Jr., Sr., Beaverton (Ore.)
Watson was a second team All-State player as a junior and stood out for his tools and performance at two of the top Perfect Game tournaments during the summer and fall, the 2016 17u PG World Series and the WWBA World Championship. He's a 6-foot-1, 180-pound lefthanded hitter with outstanding running speed and has a particular knack of picking up triples, hitting six in the 2016 high school season and three more at the PG World Series. He is signed with Oregon State, where his father also played during the 1990s.

OF – Jesse Franklin, Sr., Seattle Prep (Wash.)
Franklin is not only one of the fastest players in the Northwest Region but also one of the strongest. He is listed at 6-foot-2, 207-pounds of lean athleticism and was timed at 6.47 seconds in the 60-yard dash at the 2016 PG National Showcase, speed that he uses very well in center field and on the basepaths. Franklin is a lefthanded hitter with a strong swing with plenty of bat speed and power potential but is also a player who is just as likely to lay down a bunt. He is signed with Michigan.

OF – Tim Tawa, Sr., West Linn (Ore.)
Tawa is a three-sport standout who has concentrated more on football during his high school career than baseball and doesn't have much national exposure on the diamond. He is set to attend Stanford on a baseball scholarship, however, and his skills have a good chance to catch up to his athleticism with more high-level repetitions.

UT – Andrew Walling, Jr., Castle Rock (Wash.)
Walling is the 99th ranked player in the PG 2018 class rankings and it is still to be determined whether he ends up as a primary first baseman or lefthanded pitcher. He works in the upper-80s off the mound from an over-the-top release point that creates lots of angle and helps give his mid-70s curveball plenty of downer depth as well. Offensively, Walling has a smooth and loose lefthanded swing that projects just as much power in the future as his loose arm projects velocity. He is an Oregon State commit. Oregon's lefthanded pitcher and first baseman Kolby Somers, a senior at Century High School, deserves mention in the utility category as well.

P – Steve Emanuels, Sr. Interlake (Wash.)
Small pitchers need not apply for the Northwest All-Region team and Emanuels fits the trend with a long armed 6-foot-5, 195-pound build and an extended three-quarters arm slot that emphasizes his length. The Washington signee works in the upper-80s regularly and has reportedly been up to 92 mph. He has thrown both a curveball and a slider in the past, with the upper-70s slider being the most promising offering. Emanuals went 5-1, 2.10 as a junior at Interlake High School.

P – Patrick Fredrickson, Sr., Gig Harbor (Wash.)
Fredrickson is a tall and athletic 6-foot-6, 220-pound righthander who is also a standout on the basketball court. He works in the upper-80s on the mound with lots of sinking life on his fastball and throws both a sweeping curveball in the mid-70s and a solid changeup. He is signed to play baseball at Minnesota.

P – Jacob Pfennigs, Jr., Post Falls (Idaho)
The 6-foot-7, 185-pound Pfennigs is ranked 57th in the Perfect Game 2018 class rankings despite not having traveled much out of the Northwest and there is plenty of potential for the Idaho resident to become a highest level prospect between now and the 2018 draft. The Arizona State commit has an effortless delivery that creates huge downhill angle to the plate on his 89-91 mph fastball and he also throws a sharp breaking slider for strikes.

P – Tommy Vail, Sr., Bishop Blanchet (Wash.)
Vail struck out an eye opening 53 hitters in 24 innings of work last spring for Bishop Blanchet High School while going 3-1, 1.13 in five starts. He topped out at 91 mph at the preseason PG West MLK Championship in Arizona in January while also spinning a mid-70s curveball and a changeup. Vail is signed with Notre Dame.

P – Andrew Zmuda, Sr., Capital (Idaho)
The 6-foot-4, 190-pound Zmuda gives Idaho two big righthanders on the All-Region team. A Grand Canyon signee, Zmuda is a three-sport standout athlete who projects as a three-pitch starter with a fastball that reaches 91 mph, plus a solid slider/changeup combination. He posted a 2.41 ERA as a junior with 36 strikeouts in 40 innings.


Northwest Region Top Tools


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