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High School  | General  | 4/5/2018

Boras Classic Day 2 Notes

Photo: Perfect Game

Boras Classic Day 1 Notes

The morning game over at JSerra is likely one that many would have expected to be one in the winner’s bracket, between No. 7 Notre Dame and No. 19 Huntington Beach. However, both teams were upset on Tuesday and thus found themselves opening up Wednesday’s action in the loser’s bracket.

Jake Vogel (2020, Huntington Beach, Calif.) is a prototypical table-setter at the top of the Oilers lineup and he had himself a very good game with two hits on the afternoon and his game was highlighted by the athleticism and speed at his disposal. The 5-foot-10, 160-pound San Diego commit is full of fast-twitch muscle and this allows him to post above-average run times at the dish and play strong centerfield defense. Vogel recorded run times routinely in the 4.2 second range and has very quick hands at the dish. He often opts to allow the quickness of his wrists do most of the damage as he puts the ball in play often and can impact the ball with some strength. The sophomore starter for the No. 19 team in the country.




Huntington Beach replaced one highly touted lefthanded pitcher and first base prospect in last year’s first round pick Nick Pratto with junior Joshua Hahn (2019, Huntington Beach, Calif.) , who was obviously a huge part of last year’s squad as well. The comps will be tough to escape for Hahn as he enters his draft-year summer, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing, as both prospect have shown a very well-rounded skill set.

The UCLA commit was slated to start today’s game before being scratched a short time before first pitch with some shoulder tightness. Hahn entered the game in the seventh inning to close out the win, and although the velocity was a bit down, he still showed why he is one of the top lefthanded arms in the class. Hahn works with good pacing and rhythm and tossed in a noticeably easy 86-88 mph fastball that he worked to hitter. Hahn threw enough strikes and really didn’t get a look at an extended outing and he mixed in a curveball in the upper-60s with 12-to-6 shape for strikes.

Hahn is a feared hitter, and received what amounted to the Barry Bonds treatment for the majority of the afternoon. He has lots of present bat speed and loft to the swing plane as it is such an easy trigger into the load. This is where the comparison’s between Hahn and Pratto become more prevalent as both showed such fluidity and looseness to the swing with natural feel for the barrel. Hahn might have more power at this juncture than Pratto did, however, as he has shown in the past loud power to the pull side with immense strength in his 6-foot-1, 195-pound frame. Hahn collected an RBI hit as well as a 96 mph fly out during Wednesday’s action and was also pitched around in a separate at-bat while also adding an intentional pass to the box score.

Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks, California entered the weekend as the No. 7 team in the Perfect Game Top 50 High School rankings and they are led by a number of impressive underclassmen. Shortstop Devan Ornelas (2020, Chatsworth, Calif.) impressed in a single-game look showing off his athleticism as well as defensive skills during the tough loss. A Texas Christian commit, Ornelas bats in the two-hole for Notre Dame and has a very short, compact swing with a contact-oriented, all fields approach. Ornelas, for lack of a better term, throws the barrel at the baseball and this allows him to take the pitch where it’s located and go to the opposite field with ease, as he did for a double during the game. Ornelas can turn over the inside part of the plate well and has some natural pop off the barrel, but his game is best suited with a slash approach and utilizing both gaps. The defense was very good for Ornelas, which included a highlight reel play that saw him range behind the second base bag, spin, and fire a strike to first to get the batter out.

One of the seniors on the Notre Dame team that has been a consistent contributor in the middle of the lineup has been Grant Berman (2018, Encino, Calif.) and the NYU commit had a strong showing during this look. Berman fits in a kind of super-utility role for the team as he is a primary catcher but his arm strength allows him to be a weapon in the outfield; he started in left field for the Notre Dame. Berman showed off that arm strength by hosing a runner trying to score from second on a single in order to preserve the then 1-0 lead for the squad. He shows a strength-oriented approach at the plate as he can drive the ball with some juice with some hitting ability at the dish. Berman is hitting around .450 on the year for Notre Dame and will be a key piece in the lineup moving forward.




The second game of the day at JSerra featured a heavily-scouted pitching matchup that included Cathedral Catholic’s Nick Nastrini (2018, San Diego, Calif.). The righthander is a top 300 prospect for the 2018 class and showed off some of the best command and polish of an arm in the class.

The UCLA commit has an ideal pitching frame of 6-foot-3, 195-pounds with a very clean and fluid delivery. The arm stroke is loose and easy while being on time consistently and he profiles well as someone you can project above average command upon given future development and arm action. Nastrini pounds the strike zone with a fastball in the 86-89 mph range while also bumping 90 mph on occasion; Nastrini held the velocity very well as he was still bumping 88s and 89s in the final frame. The future Bruin sinks the ball well and he can locate the fastball to either side of the plate with authority.

The changeup was the better of the three off-speed pitches on the afternoon as it worked in the upper-70s and graded out as average on the Major League scouting scale multiple times. The pitch had good, late action to it and he showed the confidence to throw it to either righties or lefties. The pitch gave lefties no chance as they swung over it often and it projects to be an above average pitch with future development. Nastrini showed both a slider and curveball, the former of which flashed some bit while the latter was the more consistent, 11-to-5 breaking pitch for strikes.

Nastrini reminds this scout of current North Carolina pitcher Gianluca Dalatri, as the stuff is not particularly overpowering but the low effort delivery and easy arm action give him pinpoint control, something that absolutely entices professional scouts despite the current below-average Major League velocity.




Newbury Park righthander Jake Miller (2018, Newbury Park, Calif.) was the other piece to the top-level pitching matchup during the second game of the day. Miller is a very different profile on the mound as compared to Nastrini, as Miller had a bit rough command but still showed strikeout-type stuff.

The San Diego signee is a very physical and strong 6-foot-2, 190-pounds with present athleticism on the mound too. The delivery is a bit timing heavy, with a longer arm stroke and upper-body torque through release, however the fastball comes in hot with tough downhill plane due to his release point. Miller has a fast arm, which allows some leeway on his timing, but he did have four walks on the afternoon. The righthander worked his fastball in the 87-91 mph range for the entirety of the afternoon while touching 92 mph on a couple different occasion.

There is some effort to the release, and Miller showed two offspeed pitches, a slurvy breaking ball and a changeup. The breaking ball showed 10/4 shape and he could locate the pitch for strikes, while the changeup showed growth throughout the start and got better and better. What sells the changeup so well is that he throws it with the same conviction and effort as his fastball and that can flash some nasty life low in the strike zone. The upside is notable with Miller as the frame projects, the arm is fast, and the stuff plays now while it looks like he will only continue to get better.

Shortstop Danny Becerra (2018, San Diego, Calif.) had himself a strong day on the left side of the infield for Cathedral Catholic as he made a number of defensive highlights to keep runners at bay and help seal the victory. The San Diego State signee has very clean and easy hands as he made a number of impressive picks and the two highlights of the day were a diving stop he made up the middle, but couldn’t quite get the runner, and made a tough play moving in and to his right. Becerra handles the barrel well too as he registered a hit in the two-hole and has the makings of a very solid college player at the next level.




One of the most impressive players at the event regardless of class has been shortstop Drew Bowser (2020, Encino, Calif.) for Harvard Westlake. The Stanford commit has all the indicators you look for in a prospect: the 6-foot-3 and 190-pound frame, twitchy athleticism (4.2 runner to first), and big time tools. Bowser showed off the power during Wednesday’s game as he launched a first-inning home run deep to left centerfield, and that gave him two hits in as many days that ended up being the deciding factor; Bowser laced an opposite field triple that was 92 mph off the bat on Tuesday to be the difference in Harvard Westlake’s 1-0 victory.

Bowser plays a very clean and athletic shortstop. The athleticis and speed allow him to reach almost any ball while the arm strength plays well from the position and allows him to make throws from deep in the hole. The hitting tools are especially loud, even when not considering the loud power he put on display. The bat speed is real and he has tons of impact strength with a loose swing. Bowser has all the makings of one of the top shortstops in the class and is undoubtedly one of the top players that this event has had to offer thus far.

Uncommitted righthander Jack Limongelli (2019, Sierra Madre, Calif.) was simply masterful during Harvard Westlake’s upset victory of Orange Lutheran as the junior twirled a masterpiece complete game shutout while only allowing one hit. Limongelli is not an overpowering pitcher, both in terms of stuff and size, but he has outstanding pitchability and pounded the zone while allowing his defense to pick him up. The fastball ranged from 83-86 mph for the majority of the start and he bumped 88 mph on one occasion. The arm path is compact and quick through the zone and he repeats extraordinarily well, all of which allows him to pound strikes. Limongelli showed both a breaking ball and changeup in the mid- to upper 70s, both effective pitches that helped fool hitters. Limongelli put on a hell of a performance on a huge stage and it wouldn’t be unexpected to see him garner significant college interest going forward.

– Vinnie Cervino





Highly touted draft prospect Brice Turang (2018, Corona, Calif.) has been making his rounds this spring and after appearing at last week's NHSI, Turang settles in at home during the Boras Classic. The shortstop, and former PG All-American, is a potential top 10 pick talent and has shown flashes of that top-level talent throughout the event thus far. After posting a couple of high exit velocities and a double during Tuesday's game, the Louisiana State signee showed the ability to turn the barrel over with intent and authority with a mammoth, no-doubt home run to the pull side. Turang has shown average present raw power now and probably projects for about above average with maturation and development, and he has flashed the ability to tap into that power like he did today. It wouldn't be a stretch to think that some teams have a future plus on the hit tool, as Turang shows such a smooth swing with present bat speed and elite bat-to-ball skills. The defense is a bit of a question as some scouts worry about his ability to stay at shortstop, he did make two errors today, but because of his plus run and average arm, on a Major League scale, Turang seems as safe a bet as any to stick at shortstop and produce at the next level. 

Santiago dropped a close game on Wednesday, but starting pitcher Tyler Frazier (2018, Corona, Calif.) showed off a very well-rounded arsenal to go along with excellent physical projection. The Oregon signee is a very lean and athletic prospect on the mound with a clean delivery, simple arm stroke, and projection going forward that is off the charts. He worked in the 82-84 mph range, although PG has seen him up into the upper-80s in the past, and gets downhill consistently and easily. He really repeats his mechanics well and this aided him in commanding his pitches to both sides of the plate. Frazier could throw his curveball for strikes in the 70-72 mph range and showed off an impressive changeup in the 77-78 mph range with impressive fading and sinking life. He pitched off his changeup at times and it was the best offering in his arsenal on Wednesday. Frazier will be an arm to monitor as he should thrive once he gets to Eugene in the fall for the Ducks. 

A third member of the Santiago team to impress on Wednesday was catcher Jacob Shanks (2018, Corona, Calif.) as the backstop has a well-rounded arsenal. The defensive tools stood out for the UC Riverside commit as he handled Frazier well and receiving showed a lot of polish. Shanks was able to steal a bit of strikes and has strong wrists and framing skills already. Shanks has good feel for the barrel of the bat and pitches jump off the barrel with authority. He shows some lift and leverage to the swing path to go along with a physical and strong frame. Shanks has been one of the better backstops over the weekend and looks like a nice piece for UC Riverside in the future. 




Senior lefthander Alex Burge (2018, Stevenson Ranch, Calif.) made his first start of the season for West Ranch and the southpaw had a very strong day on the bump with lots of good stuff to offer. The athletic build projects nicely on the hill and the Loyola Marymount showed off legitimate swing-and-miss stuff. Burge showed off excellent pitchability and pounded the strike zone, all while missing a significant number of bats. He has tons of deception and hides the ball well with a slight crossfire delivery and mixes all of his pitches well. The curveball was tight in the upper-70s while the changeup showed potential too in the low-80s. Burge showed off a lot of impressive stuff and might be one of Southern California's pop up arms, especially if the velocity ticks up as he gets more comfortable on the mound following his first impressive start. 




Two-way talent Jake Moberg (2018, Murrieta, Calif.) is a legitimate player on both sides of the ball and has a litany of tools to offer the Bruins should he get to campus at UCLA in the fall. Moberg is vey physical and strong with a very balanced and strong offensive profile. Moberg looks to elevate and punish the baseball at the plate with good plate discipline and baseball IQ at the plate. There is good bat speed and loft to the swing and Moberg is one of the more high-ceiling batters in the area. Moberg also hopped on the mound to close out the game pumping fastballs in the 87-89 mph range. He showed three pitches, a curveball at 72 mph and changeup at 80 mph, with a power mentality on the mound. He loads and explodes through his lower half well, though he does land slightly open, and Moberg earned the save for his Vista Murrieta ballclub on Wednesday. 

Uncommitted senior Erik Carmona (2018, Whittier, Calif.) held an extremely potent Mater Dei team at bay all night en route to a big win for himself and his talented La Mirada squad. The righthander is a bit undersized, listed at 5-foot-11, but tossed a complete game and didn't allow much hard hit contact all evening. The lean build with lengthy limbs indicates positive projection in terms of strength and velocity but worked in the mid-80s touching 88 mph early in the game. He mixed his pitches well with a power curveball in the 74-76 mph range with 11-to-5 shape and a good changeup as well up to 80 mph. Carmona created slight arm side life on his fastball and threw his changeup with similar arm speed to his fastball. Carmona was yet another prospect to show out well on a big stage, huge playoff win to advance La Mirada to the final four, and one wouldn't expect him to remain uncommitted for long. 

– Marcus Wojtkowicz
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