3/17/2015 12:02:57 PM
Stillwater (OK) @ Kellis (AZ)
-Kellis centerfielder Tyler Williams, ranked #45 overall in the 2015 class, had a solid, if a bit quiet, day vs. Stillwater. He definitely looks the part, filling out the uniform well and just absolutely looking the part of the plus athlete that he is. He was never really challenged in the outfield, so I didn't get a chance to see him show off his 6.5 speed. However, I did get a chance to see him take some in game swings, and came away with a few thoughts. When consistently on, his approach, swing and subsequent results could rival even the most highly ranked players in the 2015 class. In his 3rd at bat on Monday, Williams waited back patiently on an outside fastball and succeeded in driving it down the right field line for a ground rule double. The patience needed to wait back so long, especially on a low-mid 70’s fastball, so as to be able to drive it the other way; rather than trying to kill it to the pull field, showed an advanced approach and true knowledge of the game situation. That type of swing and approach, even if just for one swing in one game, is the type of thing that intrigues scouts.
-The Kellis leadoff hitter, Adrian Salazar, was impressive as well. He showed a compact, short swing that is 100% built for contact and getting on base. He did an excellent job of working counts, fighting off borderline pitches, and spraying line drives all over the field. He is a heady player who will always take the extra base when the situation allows it. He had a good performance on Monday.
-Stillwater had a few standout performances of their own, but what stood out the most to me was their team-wide approach to hitting. As a general rule, they did not expand the strike zone, did not chase bad pitches, and were more than willing to use the entire field.
-Stillwater 3rd baseman Brooks Zimmerman stood out with the bat, showcasing some power to the pull field along with a solid overall feel for hitting. He showed a patient approach with solid recognition skills, an athletic build with excellent size, and quality defense at 3rd base in Monday’s contest. He’s one to watch this season.
-Sophomore right fielder Riley Metzger had an excellent day as well; waiting back on a slow, looping curveball to drill it over the LF fence for a home run. He showed quality swing mechanics as a whole, with fast hands and some leverage in his swing. Wasn't really challenged defensively, but did show off a quality arm as he stopped a runner from going 2nd to home on a single to RF.
Ada (OK) @ Desert Edge (AZ)
-Desert Edge started senior left-hander Miguel Paez, and he was impressive in his ability to mix pitches for several innings. He worked with a fastball in the low 70’s with nice run to the arm side, as well as a slider and changeup in the mid 60’s. He was able to keep the Ada hitters off balance by mixing and matching with his entire arsenal, pitching backwards, and just throwing strikes with consistency.
-Sophomore shortstop Danny Kamins had a very good day defensively, consistently making the routine play, showing good range to both sides, and making a “Web Gem” type play by ranging up the middle, leaving his feet, and snaring a line drive that was headed into center field. He showed quick feet with good range, and a strong arm to go with it.
Liberty senior Tyler Wyatt is currently ranked #343 in the class of 2015 rankings and has been viewed as a true two-way talent for some time now. He showed off a little bit of everything yesterday throwing the first four innings of a run shortened five-inning game. Working consistently in the 87-89 mph range throughout the four innings, Wyatt shows a loose arm action with fluidity and creates his velocity without much effort. He does a nice job of getting on top of his fastball, showing occasional arm side life while spotting to either side of the plate. A Grand Canyon University commit, Wyatt’s feel for his off speed developed nicely, showing primarily a 74-77 mph curveball early with 11-5 shape and depth before giving way to his changeup in the mid-70s with fading life down in the zone.
He helped his own cause in the bottom of the first, roping a line drive RBI single through the 5-6 hole, playing the first run of the game. Wyatt’s a solid athlete all around and remains balanced through his swing showing a smooth and fluid path to the ball.
The other Division-1 commit on Liberty’s roster is senior shortstop Rudy Karre who is committed to the University of Kansas. Ranked #363, Karre is full of athleticism and looking at his Perfect Game profile quickly confirms it with solid numbers across the board from several positions. Though he didn’t take the mound, where he has been up to 91 mph, Karre did show off his above average arm strength on several throws from shortstop, including one to complete a double play in which he got the ball out of his glove quickly before getting the runner on a bang-bang play.
Karre is also a switch-hitter who took three at-bats from the left side and one from the right. From the left side he starts with an upright and narrow stance where shows interesting barrel skills with nice pitch recognition and speed down the line that can impact a game. His right-handed swing shows a bit more fluidity and strength with solid bat speed, lining an outside pitch hard to the opposite field for a loud out.
Carter Nelson is a strongly built junior for Jenks High School and he showed off his big left-handed strength in his first at-bat. Standing 6-foot, 225-pounds, Nelson is strongly built with broad shoulders and shot an 88 mph outer half fastball to the left-centerfield gap, one hopping the fence for a stand up double before coming around to score in the next couple of pitches.
In the second game of the night, North Canyon and Millennium featured athletic shortstops, both of whom are seniors and show plenty of promise.
Starting up the middle of Millennium is Giovanni Lopez, an uncommitted senior per his Perfect Game profile page. A long and loose-limbed athlete standing at 6-foot-2, 180-pounds, the athleticism is evident as the arm strength from shortstop, which is further confirmed by the 91 mph fastball listed in his profile. The arm action is smooth and easy and of course is able to create plenty of carry on his throws across. Lopez shows balance and strength at the plate too, batting in the three hole for Millennium and showed his strength in an early at-bat. With an aggressive approach Lopez went up there swinging and connected on a first pitch elevated fastball, one hopping the wall in the left-center field gap for a standup double.
Though listed as a primary right-handed pitcher on his online profile, it’s safe to say North Canyon’s senior Matt Dalke will make an impact as a two-way player at Southeastern Louisiana after his display at shortstop last night. With quick feet and an up-tempo motor, Dalke attacks the ball and showed solid range to his backhand last night before setting his feet and delivering a strike across. The ball continued to find him and he continued to make the play with soft hands while working through it well and showing solid arm strength across from multiple arms slots.
Only a sophomore, Robert Cabrera of North Canyon is a player who caught my attention in pre-game warms with strong and accurate throws from left field. The frame and overall actions look the part of a middle infielder and after speaking to their coach he is in fact a natural shortstop who plays there when Dalke takes the mound, patrolling left field the rest of the time. His frame is lean and ultra-projectable, full of quick twitch muscle with light actions on his feet. A left-handed hitter, Cabrera went with an outside fastball in his first at-bat and put it in the left-center field gap for a two base hit, showing an aggressive and short swing with solid bat speed. He moves well for his age, getting down the line in 4.21 seconds, above average for a sophomore in high school. He also jumped on the mound for the final inning, working a perfect inning aside from a walk while showing very nice running action on his fastball that sat 80/81 mph.
Senior Jared McDonald looks the part standing at first base and in the right-handed batter’s box for Millennium High School, listed at 6-foot-2, 170-pounds with long limbs and plenty of athleticism. Like Wyatt above, McDonald is committed to Grand Canyon University and though listed as a primary catcher in the program he looked solid at first. He moves well down the line for his size and the footwork plays coming off the bag to go along with a strong arm that he showed throwing across the diamond. The frame projects for added muscle though he already shows strength in his swing with plenty of leverage, evidenced by the ball he put over the left-center field that jumped off the barrel.