2015 Coach Bob National Invitational

3/28/2015 12:30:02 PM

The 2015 edition of the Coach Bob Invitational is in the books with the final games concluding Friday evening, marking yet another successful tournament. Teams from all over the country were able to take advantage of the beautiful weather throughout the Valley while facing some tough competition on daily basis. We experienced just one day of rain that occurred during the evening and wiped out some early morning games opening week, forcing some divisions to have co-champions. Aside from the Open Division where teams just compete and play games, teams were crowned "Champion" throughout both weeks and the breakdown is featured below:

Week 1

American Division: Co-Champions Broken Arrow, OK (3-0) & Liberty, AZ (5-0)

Premier Division: Co-Champions Stillwater, OK (4-0) & Valley Vista, AZ (5-3)*
*Valley Vista also competed in the Open Division during Week 2

AAA Division: Ponca City, OK (4-0)

Week 2

National Division: John Burroughs, CA (5-0)

Classic Division: Jesuit, OR (3-0-1)

All-Star Division: Rock Canyon, CO (4-0)


It was a great two weeks full of talented players, outstanding games, and fantastic weather. This is my third trip out west to scout the Coach Bob Tournament and each year it has continued to grow in all facets. 

3/26/2015 9:42:26 PM

Grand Junction HS (Colorado) showed several players with solid skills on Thursday, including shortstop Caleb Coleman, left-handed pitcher Sinjin Garrett, and catcher Tyson Zanski.

-Despite not getting the results he wanted on the mound, junior lefty Sinjin Garrett showed flashes of having legitimate college-level potential. He has solid size at 6’1” 175; projects to put on some more strength as he matures, and shows really easy arm action at present. The arm works very well, but his mechanics and command were inconsistent throughout his start. He features a rotational delivery and short arm circle to a high ¾ slot, but too often his arm slot would slip more to ¾ and he would tend to miss up in the zone. The fastball sat in the low 80’s early in his start, touching 84, and showed slight life to the arm side. His delivery can be deceptive and the ball comes out easy, and was really hard to square up—or even make contact with—when located down in the zone.

-Senior Caleb Coleman shows quality actions and hands at shortstop, consistently making the routine play to both sides, and showing impressive range to his arm side by snaring a hard grounder deep in the hole early in the game. He makes consistent contact and is more than willing to use the entire field with his line drive approach, and should begin to drive the baseball more as he fills out his frame.

-Junior catcher Tyson Zanski certainly looks the part, with a broad-shouldered and muscular 6’2” 210 pound frame. He has quality flexibility in his lower half, receives the baseball well, and moves pretty well side-to-side behind the dish. He consistently pops in the 2.1-2.2 second range, and will continue to pop quicker times as his catch-and-throw mechanics get better. At bat, he shows loose hands with a momentum-driven swing, showing the ability to barrel the baseball all over the zone and hit hard liners to all fields. 

-Brian Sakowski

Though he wasn’t able to take the bat off his shoulder much in Green Mountain’s (CO) first game of the day, junior outfielder Wyatt Featherston still had a productive day at the plate. Strolling to the right-handed batter’s box, the uncommitted and physically built 6-foot-1 Featherston reached base in all four trips, three via a free pass. It did show his patience at the plate and ability to stay within the zone, never expanding just to swing. His third at-bat afforded him the opportunity to swing and he did just that, lining a pitch hard into left field for a line drive single. Featherston shows nice balance in his swing with a short and quick path to the ball and once he reaches base, he shows off surprising speed given his strong look.

When you’re ranked within the top five players in the country and have the long list of accolades that senior shortstop Nicholas Shumpert does, odds are you’re going to attract scouts to your games. The former Perfect Game All-American did that over Highland Ranch’s four games in the desert and he didn’t disappoint, showing off  his impressive tools on both sides of the ball. Though I didn’t see his third game, I was told how he ended it by going yard in his final two at-bats, one to his pull side and one to the opposite field.

For those who weren’t able to see his power display Wednesday Shumpert gave us a look at it on Thursday, once again going deep and he wasted little time to do so. After taking the first pitch of the game for a ball, the University of Kentucky commit jumped on the next pitch, showing his extremely quick hands and strength off the barrel and drove it over the left-centerfield gap wall. For those keeping track it was his third home run in his last three at-bats. That swing set the tone for the rest of the first inning as Highland Ranch erupted for a 9-spot, allowing for Shumpert to get another at-bat in the first inning. He sat back well on the pitch and shot a hard line drive over the shortstop’s head for an RBI single. Shumpert then walked and hit a 6.2+ second popup behind the second baseman, falling in the triangle for his third hit of the game.

Defensively, Shumpert did what he has always done up the middle, showing quick feet and range to complement his strong arm and soft hands. He was put to the test immediately, recording two of the first three outs on ground balls. One of those ground balls had Shumpert range to his right where he picked the ball with his backhand crisply before delivering a strike across the diamond.

On the field opposite of Shumpert’s, Valley Vista senior outfielder Terrance Robertson and his teammates were taking batting practice before their 3:00 game. A 6-foot-1, 175-pound center fielder who is full of quick-twitch muscle, Robertson showed off his hidden strength from the left side in BP, putting a few balls over the right field fence, clearing the street that lies just on the other side of the fence. He didn’t quite show that strength in game time but he did pick up a hard line drive single to the opposite field in his third at-bat after being plunked in his prior trip to the plate. Like Shumpert above, Robertson recorded two of the first three outs in the first inning, showing a quick first step (Robertson is an easy plus-runner) with solid range and closing speed. He features a strong arm as evidenced by his 87 mph fastball earlier in the tournament and is an intriguing athlete that will remain on scout’s radar throughout the spring.

 -Jheremy Brown

 

3/26/2015 10:38:41 AM

-Lewis-Palmer junior right-hander Paul Tillotson, a University of Nebraska commitment, showed really high-end stuff on Wednesday afternoon. A well-built prospect, Tillotson stands at 6’2” or 6’2” and weighs in at a sturdy 200 pounds, showing present strength and athleticism with some room to fill out as well. Tillotson showed why he’s presently a Top 200 Prospect overall in the Class of 2016. He worked 90-91 early in his start, settling in at 88-91 for the entirety of his start. He employs long arm action to a near overtop slot, generating excellent arm speed and pretty quality overall command once he hones it in. His fastball shows excellent life to the arm side, both when commanded down in the zone as well as when elevated. The fastball is obviously his bread-and-butter pitch, but he complements it with both a curveball and changeup. He took an inning or two to get the feel for his changeup, but when he did it showed as a quality pitch. Thrown at 76-78 MPH, it has a significant velocity differential from his fastball, and mimicked the fastball well in terms of arm speed and life to arm side. He struggled with consistency of the pitch, but turned over quite a few solid ones and got several swings and misses off the pitch. His best secondary offering on this day was his curveball, which ended up being a true weapon pitch and flashed legitimate above-average potential pretty often. Thrown in the low 70’s, the pitch presents 11/5-12/6 break, quality shape, and very hard downward bite. When commanded--which he did pretty well with the curveball—it was a very effective pitch both in the zone and out of it. He got several awkward looking swings on the pitch, as well as some jelly-legged takes on the pitch. En route to racking up double-digit strikeouts, the curveball played a big role for Tillotson.

 -Monarch HS (Colorado) played Jesuit HS on Wednesday morning, starting sophomore right-hander Blake Rohm. Despite mixed results in the scorebook, Rohm showed some impressive things, especially considering his age. Working from a long, lean 6’4” 170-pound frame, Rohm combined solid arm speed with a balanced delivery to hurl mid-80’s heat in the early part of his start, generating solid plane to the plate despite some spine tilt in his delivery. He worked 83-85 early, dropping more to 81-82 after 50 or so pitches, and while the looseness of his command is what got him into trouble, the raw stuff is intriguing. He flashed quality feel for a changeup, throwing it at around 75-76 with fade and thrown with good arm speed.

 -Senior right-hander Tucker Klein of Pine Creek HS (Colorado) did a little bit of everything on Wednesday, leading his team on the mound and with the bat. He works in the 80-82 range with his fastball, employs short arm action to a high ¾ slot, generates solid arm speed, arm works well, uses his lower half effectively, and offers an athletic delivery and quality overall command profile. He pounded the zone with all of his pitches and did an excellent job of challenging opposing hitters. He showed very good athleticism, hopping off the mound to field his position effectively as well. Helped himself out with the bat, showing some surprising pop from a smooth stroke that resulted in a double over the CF’s head in the opposite-field gap. 

-Brian Sakowski

-A long 6-foot-6 right-hander, Tualatin’s Jacob Bennett is coming off a successful basketball season but it’s on the diamond where he truly shines. A University of Oregon commit, Bennett works from a high three-quarter slot which when combined with his long levers and athleticism allows for him to create solid downhill plane on fastball which sat in the 86-88 mph rather comfortably with more on the high end of the range. 

His fastball shows heavy life down in the zone and was able to miss bats with the pitch, though when the ball was put in play it was weak ground ball contact more often than not. Bennett shows a quick arm coming through the backside and projects to only throw harder as he continues to fill out and incorporate more of his lower half into his delivery. A separator for Bennett throughout the game though was his slider, a solid offering in the 80-81 mph that he used to pick up more than a couple of his punch outs. From the first slider to the last one he threw, Bennett had an exceptionally strong feel for the pitch, maintaining his arm action and arm speed allowing him to generate short and late break on the pitch. 

-An uncommitted senior left-hander, Ponderosa’s Brian King in an intriguing arm who is more than capable of pitching at the next level and projects very well on the mound. Listed at 6-foot, 175-pounds, King came out in the first inning sitting 85-86 mph, touching an 87 from a high three-quarter release, allowing him to generate solid downhill plane. With broad shoulders, King still has room to fill and will help his stuff take the next step.  He creates nice angle on his fastball and shows occasional cutting action while showing a balanced and fluid delivery on the mound. He worked more in the 82-83 mph out of the stretch but in the fifth inning came back out sitting 85-86 mph. The Colorado native also showed a low-70s curveball with nice 1-7 shape and flashed a slider with short break at 80 mph. King did a nice job of filling up the strike zone and getting in on right-handers, inducing consistent, weak ground ball contact. 

-A junior right-hander and already a San Diego State commit, Mitchell Allen of Boulder Creek (AZ) got the start opposite of Bennett and showed interesting stuff of his own on the mound. With also worth pointing out that when he isn’t pitching Allen plays first base and is one of Boulder Creek’s top bats, serving as their three-hole hitter where he shows plenty of strength from the right side. With a lower arm slot on the mound, Allen makes for an uncomfortable at-bat when he stays on top of the ball, creating angle and late life to his arm side. Throughout the game he sat in the 84-87 mph range, touching a handful of 88s and peaked at 89 mph twice. He attacked hitters with the pitch and filled up the zone, showing a quick but compact arm action, adding to deception in the delivery. With the ball getting on hitters quickly, the future Aztec also mixed in a short 11-5 curveball in the mid-70s and flashed a changeup that was up to 83 mph.

-Jheremy Brown

3/25/2015 10:47:06 AM

Highlands Ranch (CO) vs. Beaverton (OR)

 -The big draw here, obviously, is Highlands Ranch senior shortstop Nick Shumpert, the #5 overall player in the class of 2015 per Perfect Game. Shumpert delivered on the hype on Tuesday, at least defensively. He’s a plus quick-twitch athlete with excellent speed and general quickness/agility. He made at least two “plus range” plays on Tuesday, ranging far to his right to snare a groundball before seemingly turning on a dime and throwing a clothesline across the infield to nab the runner by a full step. It was an impressive display of lateral agility, footwork, athleticism, and arm strength—all of which Shumpert has in spades. He showed excellent bat speed at the plate, to go along with a swing that is highlighted by natural lift and lots of leverage. He expanded the zone a few times and chased high fastballs, coming up empty, but the potential of that swing with that bat speed is something that will keep pro scouts talking.

 -Beaverton senior right-hander Sam Noyer, a 3 star quarterback prospect, was on the mound against Highlands Ranch. He has a good body and frame with good size, standing 6’3” and weighing in around 200 pounds. He’s a projectable prospect, with broad shoulders and long limbs, leading one to believe that he can add physical strength as he continues to mature. He was pretty good, working in the 83-86 game, touching 87 and 88 a few times each. Throws from an overtop slot and generates good plane when on top, and showed ability, though inconsistently, to cut his fastball with almost boring life in on the hands of left-handed hitters. Showed ability to command fastball, complementing it with a curveball and change, showing feel for both pitches.

 Westview (OR) vs. O”Connor (AZ)

 -Westview started junior righty Kenyon Yovan, a strong, well-built prospect standing in the 6’3” range and weighing around 200 pounds. He battled his command all day, but such rust should be expected seeing as this way his 1^st or 2^nd start of the season. He throws from an overtop slot, generated by slight drop and drive and big spine tilt, allowing him to get on top of the baseball but sacrificing down of the downward plane he would otherwise generate. He has legitimate arm strength, easily working in the 87-90 range for the entirety of his start, touching 91 several times early, and showing the overall potential stuff that had college coaches and pro scouts watching his start. His best secondary pitch is the curveball, an absolute hammer when he gets on top of it in the 72-74 range. It has 11/5 shape, very tight spin, and overall excellent bite. Over the course of his start, Yovan showed the ability to throw the pitch for strikes as well as a chase pitch, and despite the command and effectiveness being inconsistent, it was truly a weapon pitch. Flashed a CH with some fading action in the 79-80 range, but really could not get a feel for it on this day.

 -Senior outfielder Colton Sakamoto had a good day as well, showing a short, quick stroke from the left side that is generated by quality hands and some strength. He took a Colby Wyatt 86 MPH fastball in on his hands and drove it the other way for a single. He’s a good-looking athlete with projection on his frame, he runs well, and on the whole seems to be a quality all-around prospect.

 -O’Connor junior outfielder Bailin Markridge has grown on me over the past week or so (seeing as I’ve seen O’Connor about 6 times now). He’s a very good athlete with a highly projectable frame, standing 6’3” and weighing in at 170 with lots of room to fill out. He always takes impressive outfield pre-game, showing range and overall feel for the position during games. He can play any of the 3 OF positions, and showcases the defensively ability and raw arm strength in game as well. He’s an excellent runner, clocking consistent 4.0-4.1 dig times from the left side, and I don’t think I’ve seen him strike out yet. While he’s not driving the baseball yet, he makes consistent contact as well as the ability to draw walks, bunt, and bunt for base hits. He’s had a very good week in my eyes.

 Grand Junction (CO) vs. Millennium (AZ)

 -Millennium senior righty Grant Smith certainly looks the part of a pitcher, standing 6’6” and weighing around 200, with long limbs and projection throughout his frame. On Tuesday, his stuff (for the most part) backed up the first look. He worked 83-86 for the entire game, hitting 87 a few times and 88 twice, generating excellent downward plane from his high ¾ slot. The delivery is rotational and mostly upper body with some head whack, but Smith showed the ability to command his fastball down in the zone, where it’s highlighted by solid life to the arm side. The delivery, despite having some effort, is pretty well balanced and seems to work for him. His primary secondary pitch is a shorter slider, thrown at 71-74 and showing legitimate tilt, even if it’s a shorter break in general. He also flashed quality feel for a curveball, somewhere in between 12/6 and 11/5 break, thrown slower than the slider in the 66-68 range and showing good depth, but the command was a little loose on this day.

 -Grand Junction junior righty Tyler Mantlo earns the “most consistent” award of the day, nearly throwing a complete game on Tuesday but holding the exact same velocity in the 7^th that he did in the 1^st. He’s a solid athlete on the mound, repeating a long-arm delivery with consistency, working 80-83 T 84 on the mound with decent arm side run, and pounding the zone for strikes. He kept the Millennium hitters off-balance all evening, and was very impressive in his ability to really get inside on right-handed hitters. If this were a wood bat tournament, he would have broken 2-3 bats easily. 

-Brian Sakowski

After seeing Karsen Lindell and his West Linn teammates play Friday, I went back in hopes of seeing one of their younger arms throw out of the bullpen and while I was able to, it was the offense that caught my attention too. Looking like a completely different team in their second game, the Lions came out attacking the ball throughout the order and showing aggressiveness in every other phase of the game. 

West Linn’s roster currently houses five players who have already committed to a Pac-12 school, with Lindell (University of Washington) being the only senior of the five. 

The other Pac-12 arm and the one who I mentioned I was hoping to see is junior right-hander Daniel Ferrario. He may not be a household name yet but if he continues to throw the way he did yesterday, you’ll be sure to be hearing about him over the next two years. With a broad and strongly built 6-foot-2, 215-pound frame, Ferrario has long and loose limbs, which with his strength, is able to generate premium velocity on his fastball. The Oregon State commit didn’t disappoint working consistently in the 91-94 mph range with his fastball, throwing from a high three-quarter slot and did a nice job of getting the ball down in the zone. His heater showed occasional run to his arm side and flashed cutting action at other times, but one thing was consistent in his one inning of work and that was his command of the strike zone. Overall he struck out three and induced a weak fly ball (dropped third strike allowed runner to reach) and flashed a short breaking slider at 80 mph to pick up his second strikeout of the inning. 

Though not an arm, fellow Oregon State commit, junior middle infielder Brayden Pene had a nice day at the plate picking up a couple hard base hits to all fields. Early in the game Pene showed off strength and speed, driving an outside pitch to the right-center field gap for what ended up being a standup triple. Later in the game Pene saved his energy and pulled a pitch down the left field line for a two-run home run. 

Another player who picked up a home run yesterday had to exert a little more effort than Pene but it still counted all the same. Senior Parker Huffman connected for a hard line drive to deep centerfield that continued carrying and made its way over the centerfielder’s head. Seeing that, Huffman got out of the box well and didn’t stop running until he touched them all, coming across the plate for an inside the park home run. 

Playing to the right of Pene in the infield is sophomore shortstop Tim Tawa, a Stanford commit who was mentioned in the blog yesterday. His tools were on display again yesterday and continued to show a consistent feel for his barrel, picking up a couple of well-struck singles through the left side. He also jumped on the mound for the seventh and worked consistently in the low-80s, showing a simple, athletic delivery and a quick arm action. 

Look to the right of Tawa and you’ll find another Stanford commit, 6-foot-5 junior William Matthiessen who showed well on both sides of the ball yesterday. Starting with his defense, Matthiessen showed off his athleticism by controlling his long levers well while diving to his right before delivering an accurate throw across, preventing a run from scoring and ending the inning. With the bat Matthiessen also impressed, showing present strength and projects for a lot more, especially as he continues to add strength to his long frame. He does a nice job of staying short to the ball for the most part while creating natural leverage in his swing, evidenced by the hard RBI double down the left field line. 

Continuing with the Stanford University theme, Pine Creek (CO.) senior shortstop Peter McEvoy showed solid athletic actions and impressed in Tuesday’s game. A lean, projectable 6-foot-4 frame, McEvoy shows athletic actions that should allow him to stay up the middle at the next level, showing quick footwork with range to either side and balanced actions while charging in on a slow chopper. In his third at-bat McEvoy drove a long double to the left centerfield gap. 

One of Boulder Creek’s youngest players took the mound again this week and 6-foot-1 sophomore Mason Millett showed well early in the outing. With a young and lean 155-pound frame, Millett worked consistently in the 82-85 mph with his fastball, throwing from a quick and compact arm action. He gets to his glove side well and projects very well as he continues to incorporate his lower half into his delivery. Millett also showed off a strong feel for his 11-5 curveball in the mid-70s, showing late life and depth.

-Jheremy Brown

3/24/2015 11:39:06 AM

Those involved in the inner circles of baseball or who are passionate about the game understand the title of this article. For those who don’t the first use of the word “heat” refers to the large amount of scouts who gathered behind the backstop throughout the games Monday morning and afternoon. With teams coming from all over the West Coast and spring training happening simultaneously, scouts and directors are given the opportunity to see several top players for the upcoming draft in one spot. The other two uses of “heat” are a little more self explanatory as Monday marked the first day of week two, meaning all teams are fresh and usually send their top arms to the mound, often lighting up the radar guns. And it’s the beginning of spring in Arizona, a state know for their sun and Monday was no different with temperatures hovering around 90 degrees and felt even hotter.

Whenever a “pop-up” player begins making noise early in the spring, scouts are sure to catch as many starts as they can, making up for lost time and gain as much knowledge on a player as they can. The term pop-up often refers to a player who has come onto the national scene after being relatively unknown outside their immediate area. And it’s not to say that Quartz Hill senior right-hander Jonas Wyatt was a complete unknown by any means as he had already accepted a scholarship to San Diego State University but it is safe to say his stuff on the mound has taken a step forward since last spring.

A strongly built 6-foot-2 frame with broad shoulders and a long, physical upper-half, Wyatt began making noise early in the spring at a showcase in Compton where he was up to 94 mph. As the starts continued, his stuff also continued to improve and yesterday was no different. With a solid crowd of scouts looking on to what might be the hardest throwing matchup of pitchers this entire high school season, Wyatt set the tone as his Quartz Hill team was home and took the field first.

With a high three-quarter slot and a compact arm action in the back, Wyatt came out and sat 94-95 mph with his fastball, throwing a total of nine fastballs; seven of them clocked in at 94 mph and the other two at 95. In the second inning Wyatt took it a tick high, touching 96 mph with his first pitch of the inning before pitching the rest of the second in the 93-95 mph range. The ball leaves Wyatt’s hand cleanly without much effort and with his high release he is able to generate solid downhill plane to both sides of the plate when he stays on top of the ball.

A couple of defensive miscues to the first two batters of the third inning forced Wyatt to work from the stretch where he continued to show premium velocity. Just as he began the game doing, Wyatt continued to pound the zone with all his offerings and got himself out of the inning unscathed.

His fastball shows very nice run to him arm side showing the ability to get in to left-handed hitters, something that helped make his changeup become that much more of an effective pitch. Maintaining his arm speed and release on his changeup while mimicking his fastball out of his hand, Wyatt’s changeup is already an above average offering in the 83-86 mph with late fading and diving action. The pitch serves as his put away offering, generating more empty swings with it than contact. He also flashed a solid 11-5 curveball in the mid-70s, though he went mostly fastball-changeup, generating consistent ground ball contact.

Wyatt began to tire towards the end of his outing but he had a strong overall showing, continuously missing bats with both his fastball-changeup combo and continued to open eyes early in the 2015 season.

Though only a junior, Key West right-hander Gregory Veliz is a Perfect Game veteran, playing in several summer season tournaments with the Elite Squad based out of Miami along with participating in several showcases. Seeing Veliz for the last couple of years, we at Perfect Game have been able to watch as the University of Miami commit makes strides to his overall game and yesterday was another stepping stone.

Up to 95 mph in the past at Perfect Game events, we were told Veliz was touching 96s this spring and it’s safe to say he more than just touched it over the first three innings on Monday. Over those three frames the broad and very athletic Veliz sat 94-96 mph, only once “dipping” to 93 mph while pounding the ball down to the knees on either side of the plate. His arm action is long and fluid coming through the backside and he creates solid angle on his fastball from the third base side, only adding to the discomfort of digging in to face him. Veliz’s fastball featured last run to his arm side and showed riding life when he was threw up in the zone.

Up until the fifth inning Veliz carried a perfect game before plunking a hitter with his curveball and then lost the no-hitter as the ball snuck through the 5-6 hole for a single. In fact, that single was the only ball to leave the infield during his time on the mound. At one point he struck out five in a row, using his hard 11-5 curveball up to 78 mph to finish off at-bats, and struck out eight of eleven in one stretch. The future Hurricane works quickly on the mound and attacks hitters with his fastball, generating plus velocity without much effort. It wasn’t until the fourth inning that Veliz showed his changeup, the lone one he threw in the outing, coming across at 87 mph to a left-handed hitter.

Seniors Anthony Henriquez and Brandon Presley put good swings on a Wyatt offering as neither appeared to be intimidated by his high-octane stuff. Presley recorded Key West’s first hit of the game, dropping the barrel on an inside 94 mph fastball over the left fielder’s head for a standup double. Henriquez is a quicker twitch athlete who moves well on his feet and showed off solid speed accelerating from first to third on his triple that he lined down the right field line.

Just by looking at West Linn senior right-hander Karsen Lindell you can tell he’s going to show you something special on them mound given his long, youthful 6-foot-2, broad shouldered build. Watching the pre-game bullpen adds to that notion and watching his first inning on the mound only confirms everything you previously thought.

With a full, fluid arm action and a high release, the future Washington Huskie showed limited effort en route to producing a consistent low-90s fastball with downhill life, peaking at 93 mph early in the outing. Early in the game he tried mixing frequently, showing a full four pitch mix but once he began pitching off his fastball he began missing bats. Showing a quick arm and easy to repeat mechanics, Lindell is the type of arm that you can look at and say “yeah, he’s going to throw even harder in the very near future”. Living comfortably in the 89-91 mph range throughout, often times touching 92 mph, Lindell was able to generate nice running action to his arm side with occasional heavy life while showing the ability to work both sides of the plate.

As for the off speed, Lindell shows potential with all three of his additional pitches, including a changeup, curveball, and slider. His changeup shows solid potential, thrown consistently in the low-80s while creating late fading action down in the zone. Of his two breaking balls, it was the curveball that Lindell threw more often showing 11-5 shape with depth in the 75-78 mph and projects for even more. Rounding out the arsenal is his slider, a pitch he flashed in the mid-80s and like everything else, showed a feel for the pitch even in the limited amount of showings.

Though only a sophomore, West Linn’s shortstop Tim Tawa shows actions beyond his years up the middle and projects to only get stronger over the next two and a half years. With Lindell pounding down in the strike zone and producing ground balls, Tawa seemed to be a magnet for the ball and like clockwork Tawa would make the play, regardless if hit at him or to either side. The Stanford University commit shows solid arm strength across and it’s only going to continue to develop as he fills out his still growing 5-foot-11 frame. Tawa handles the bat well at the top of West Linn’s lineup too, picking up a line drive single through the 5-6 hole in his third trip to the plate yesterday afternoon. And just to confirm Tawa’s athleticism he was named the 2014 Gatorade Player of the Year in football after throwing for nearly 3,000 yards as West Linn’s starting quarterback.

With a good-looking, athletic build who stands around 6-foot-1, junior middle infielder Daryl Myers dug right in for his first at-bat against Lindell. Going to the plate with a plan, Myers jumped on an early pitch, showing a smooth and fluid stroke on a ball that landed in the right-center field gap for a standup double. It caught the attention of everybody on the field as he was later intentionally walked with a runner on second base late in the game.

Senior right-hander Bryce Dietz took the ball opposite of Lindell in Monday morning’s matchup and Dietz did what he had to do to help his team come out on top over a strong West Linn lineup. Uncommitted per his Perfect Game profile, the Rock Canyon senior did a nice job of living in the low to mid-80s over the course of the game, working low to his glove side with plenty of late sink and run. With movement like that it’s expected he would get lots of ground ball contact and he did just that. Standing 6-foot, 180-pounds with broad shoulders and a compact arm action, Dietz did a nice job of filling up the zone while mixing in a 12-6 curveball in the mid-70s.

Last year Tualatin senior right-hander Karter Cook was featured in the Coach Bob blog and within the write up it was mentioned how he had made a comfortable jump from the low-80s to the mid-80s. Well it’s been another year and the Air Force commit has made another jump in terms of velocity. With an up-tempo and deceptive delivery, Cook worked comfortably in the 85-88 mph, showing solid cutting action on the pitch with the ability to locate well to his glove side once he settled in. The strongly built, 6-foot-4, 210-pound Cook did a nice job of consistently mixing in his 76-79 mph slider, a pitch that showed late life away from right-handed hitters and flashed a changeup at 78 mph. 

-Jheremy Brown

Legend (CO) vs. Sherwood (OR)

-The main draw for the 30+ pro scouts on hand for this matchup was, obviously, Legend outfielder Greg Pickett, the #27 overall prospect in the Class of 2015. It may have been a somewhat quiet day offensively for the left-handed slugger, but that doesn't mean he didn't show some things. He showed off his above-average throwing arm from right field on a few occasions, and showed better athleticism than given credit for when running down fly balls and running out batted balls. He turned in a 4.31 dig on what ended up being an E4, not exactly a burner but certainly solid speed for a power hitting prospect who stands 6’4” and weighs in around 220-230 pounds.

-Legend senior left-hander Justin Wick showed some interesting stuff. The slender lefty pitches from a sidearm slot and generates good arm speed with relatively loose action. He slings his fastball in the 80-82 range, working down in the zone, and absolutely dominating left-handed hitters by riding his fastball in on their hands. Showed a solid slider in the 68-71 range, obviously with more horizontal break than vertical break, but it did show some tilt at times.

Bentonville (AR) vs. Chatfield (CO)

-Bentonville starting pitcher Kasey Ford made a serious impression on Monday from the moment he took the mound through his final pitch of the game. First of all, he’s simply massive. Standing 6’6” and weighing in around 250-260, he intimidates opponents by simply walking onto the field. His stuff is pretty good too, however, His arm works pretty well and his delivery in general comes with a good amount of ease. He was up to 90 a few times, settled in around 86-88, and just pounded the bottom of the zone with hard sink and life to arm side. His command is a bit looser at present, but the junior right-hander showed the ability to throw consistent strikes with both his fastball and curveball. The curveball shows as an impressive pitch, working 72-75 with very tight spin, excellent shape, and the ability to throw for strikes and as a chase pitch. He flashed some feel for a changeup but more or less scrapped the offering when he realized he didn't need it on this day. The combination of size, ease of delivery, consistency of mechanics, and overall stuff was very impressive.

Fayetteville (AR) vs. Valley Vista (AZ)

-We’ve covered him before in this blog, but Fayetteville senior righty Andy Pagnozzi just continues to show why he’s going to be a major contributor in college from the very moment he steps on campus in the fall. He was as consistent as consistent can be on Monday, working 87-89 consistently, reaching back for 90 a few times when needed, and showing an incredibly advanced feel for pitching. He throws two curveballs, one more 12/6 and a touch slower at 70-73; and one more 11/5 with more horizontal break and a little less vertical break, this one thrown a bit harder at 73-76. He pounded the zone with all 3 pitches, repeating his mechanics as well as you’ll see a high school prospect do so, and keeping opposing hitters off balance with relative ease. Whenever he allowed a baserunner, he pretty much immediately was erased on a double play. It was a very good performance, and one that was enjoyable to watch.

-Fayetteville senior catcher Grant Koch had an excellent day as well. In Game 1 vs. Valley Vista, he hit a long home run to LF after waiting back extremely well on a breaking ball; then followed that up in his next at bat by tripling down the RF line on a fastball that was probably 2-3 inches off the plate away. He really is an excellent hitter, with a whole-field approach that doesn't sap any of his power, patience, approach, and feel for the barrel. He popped a 2.0 time to 2nd base, and showed times consistently in that range during warm ups as well.

-Valley Vista senior Terrance Robertson has been talked about in this spot before, but he warrants further discussion based on what he did on Monday. First off, he started on the mound for the Monsoon. Despite not having the results he wanted, he showed some ability to be a college prospect as a pitcher, working consistently in the 82-85 range, touching 87, and doing it all from a relatively easy, albeit raw, delivery and mechanical profile. His command and breaking ball were inconsistent, but the rawness of the profile combined with his natural arm strength and athleticism on the mound make his profile as a left-handed pitcher an intriguing one, at the very least. He still hit leadoff, and went 1-3 with a bunt single. On that bunt single, he turned in a 3.64 time down the line. This time was confirmed with 3 scouts who were attendance, as they had 3.67, 3.63, and 3.70. That’s insanely fast, but that’s nothing new from Terrance Robertson.

Fayetteville (AR) vs. Chatfield (CO)

-Fayetteville senior righty Joey Boushelle took the mound for the Bulldogs, and was impressive. He’s a very long, lanky, and highly projectable prospect; standing 6’6” and weighing around 200 pounds. He works with a shorter stride delivery, but does an excellent job of getting downhill and generating plane to the plate from his XL height. He has excellent arm speed, and combined with the projectability of his body as well as the general simplicity of his mechanics, I believe he has lots of projection as far as velocity gains going forward. He worked 88-90 early, settling in around 86-89 and still touching 90 in the 4th-5th innings. The fastball shows hard, nasty sink when Boushelle really gets on top of the pitch; and for the most part he was able to locate it down in the zone and to both arm and glove side. He consistently pitched “away” from hitters, locating his fastball to both sides, depending on the handedness of the hitter at the plate. He worked with just a FB/SL for the entirely of his outing, and showed legitimate college and professional projection on both pitches. He showed the ability to manipulate the break of his slider, showing a harder one with more tilt in the 76-78 velocity band; and one with a bit less tilt and more shape but not quite a “slurve” in the 73-75 velocity band. On the whole, it was a very impressive start for the Kansas State commit.

-Brian Sakowski

3/22/2015 12:12:53 PM

-Fayetteville East High School (Fayetteville, AR) played their first two games of the tournament on Saturday, and did little to shake the claim that they are arguably the top pitching team at the CBNI

-Game 1 vs. Mullen (CO) saw senior right-hander Connor Shaw take the mound, and the win, for the Bulldogs. He was pretty solid throughout his start, working 81-84 with good life to the arm side, advanced fastball command, and maintaining his velocity for the entire game. He's a compact pitcher with an uptempo, athletic, and repeatable delivery who uses the repeatability to consistently pound the bottom of the zone with his fastball. He flashed some quality off speed as well, highlighted by an 11/5 curveball in the 70-73 zone that was a consistent swing and miss offering all game, when commanded. It's not as consistent as the fastball, but certainly shows as a quality 2nd offering in his arsenal. 

-Senior shortstop Drew Tyler had a pretty solid day as well, showcasing the tools that justify his lofty PG ranking and SEC (Arkansas) college commitment. Tyler hits from a slightly open, slightly crouched stance, has strong feel for the barrel, and highlights the swing overall with very fast hands. He knows the zone very well and has a good feel for recognizing off speed pitches. He'll show some extra base pop at present, but the leverage in his swing and consistent ability to barrel the baseball says that he'll end up with more power as he continues to mature physically. He'll stick at SS in college, where his soft hands and clean, easy actions pair extremely well with his range and overall feel for the game. 

-In the 2nd game, a 1-0 extra innings loss to O'Connor HS, seniors Cody Davenport and Andy Pagnozzi combined for 7+ innings of one run baseball, but still took the loss. 

-Cody Davenport was impressive, albeit a bit raw and somewhat inconsistent in terms of command and secondary pitches. He's a well-built, physical prospect who has upside both as a pitcher and a positional player. He employs a well-balanced delivery with good hip rotation, some spine tilt, to an overtop slot (most of the time). He worked 88-90 T 91 early, showing good ability to keep the fastball down and work it to both sides of the plate. He also showed a quality slider with frisbee action, running away from right-handed hitters, though his command of the offering wasn't completely on. Throughout the course of the game he sat in the 85-89 range with slight life to the arm side, and showed the ability to mix his pitches well and never really give opposing hitters a comfortable at bat. He did, however, walk 5 hitters by missing up with his fastball consistently. He was more comfortable throwing the slider to right-handers and his curveball to lefties, which did develop into a pattern as the game moved on. He showed the ability to be very good, and his inconsistencies will be ironed out at the next level. 

-Andy Pagnozzi came on in relief of Davenport, and despite allowing the eventual winning run, he showed why he is ranked so highly by Perfect Game. He's an athletic, well-built prospect with quality mechanics and an advanced feel for pitching. In this game, he worked consistently 87-89, touching 90, and his curveball already shows the makings of eventually being a plus pitch. Thrown in the mid 70's, it has excellent shape and sharp vertical bite, and he shows the ability to throw it for strikes as well as out of the zone as a chase pitch. 

-Despite the combined prowess of Davenport and Pagnozzi, this day belonged to O'Connor HS senior right-hander Zachary Humphrey, who went the distance and picked up the win for the Eagles. He's a tall, slender prospect with a loose arm and some velocity projection remaining. He worked in the high 70's all game long, holding his velocity very well, and he did something that young pitchers so often forget to do: He threw strikes. He just threw tons and tons of strikes. He didn't miss a ton of bats, but in the end the name of the game is missing barrels, not bats. He allowed his defense to work behind him, but really didn't give up many well-struck baseballs. It was an impressive showing in it's simplicity and effectiveness, highlighted by the simple fact that he just threw strikes and kept Fayetteville off balance. 

-Brian Sakowski

3/21/2015 10:44:56 AM

-Liberty High School (AZ) put their offensive firepower on display on Friday, as it seemed like every starter in their lineup had several hits, or at least hit the ball hard several times. 

-Liberty leadoff hitter Rudy Karre is someone Perfect Game has definitely talked about before, but he continues to impress at every turn. Karre played center field on Friday, and his natural instincts and overall plus athleticism allow him to easily project there long term. The unique thing about Karre is that he's not being forced to the outfield by a lack of infield chops...he might be better at shortstop than he is in centerfield, and he's very good out there. Usually when we see high-level prospects, the question we ask is "can Player X stick at shortstop at the next level? Will he have to move to 3rd base? The OF?" With Karre, this is not the case, as he's going to head to Kansas with the ability to contribute immediately at 3 premium positions (SS, CF, RHP)...and he can also catch! He hits leadoff for Liberty, and the first pitch he saw of the game ended up off the wall in LF for a double. He clocked 4.46 on the turn, and although he's not an elite-level runner, he doesn't need to be. He's a switch-hitter, and I've seen him hit from both sides, but what is interesting is that on Friday he took all of his at-bats right-handed, against a RHP. 

-Liberty RHP/UT Tyler Wyatt, who Jheremy wrote up in this blog a couple days ago after his outing on the mound, looked very comfortable at the plate as well on Friday. He starts with a relaxed stance/set up, gets the back elbow high, and really fires forward with leverage and some natural lift. On Friday it took a little bit for his hands to get going, but when they did the results were excellent. Wyatt is a very strong player, and the strength shows in the swing, with easy strength at contact and consistent hard contact. He stays through the middle in his approach, and simply just looks to make hard contact wherever the ball is pitched. It's a quality swing with solid mechanics, highlighted by strength and a natural feel to hit. 

-Liberty junior left-hander Vinnie Cafarelli started and picked up the win, showcasing advanced pitchability and quality command of his entire arsenal throughout the start. He works in the high 70's, touching 80-81, but his fastball is hardly the primary pitch of his arsenal. It seemed to me that he threw equal numbers of fastball, sliders, and changeups. He does an excellent job of mixing pitches, kept the opposing hitters of balance, and just looked comfortable working quickly and firing strike after strike. 

-O'Connor High School (AZ) took on Sprague (OR) on Friday afternoon, and similar to Liberty, showed an offense that didn't seem to give any breaks to opposing pitchers, all the way from 1 through 9. 

-Senior 2nd baseman Dakota Solis is just a quality, old-school baseball player. He makes consistent contact with a line drive plane and quick hands, just trying to spray line drives, and has an advanced feel for the strike zone as well as recognition skills. He is, in other words, "the ideal #2 hitter." He doesn't strike out, he handles the bat extremely well, and he gets on base at a high level. He's also a quality defender at 2B with quick feet and more than enough arm for the position. He plays hard, knows the game, takes the extra base, and in general is just quite fun to watch. 

-O'Connor junior Ryan Alexander showed off some raw pop, even with a somewhat unrefined approach, during Friday's game. Alexander, who can play in any corner on the diamond, starts with a really upright stance with an extremely high hand set, and just looks the part of a power hitter. He has some hand noise pre-swing, but on the whole the unorthodox swing worked really well for him. He drilled a long fly ball just foul in his first AB, which ended up bouncing on the roof of a building beyond the RF wall. He is raw in certain phases of hitting, including strike zone knowledge and general recognition skills, but it's hard not to like his legitimate bat speed and natural raw power. 

-Brian Sakowski

3/20/2015 11:08:00 AM

-Ponca City High School (OK) came down to Arizona and absolutely destroyed their competition, going 4-0 in their division and outscoring their opponents by nearly 50 runs. 

-On Thursday, they threw senior Austin Emmer, a 6'1" 165 pound lefty who showed some quality stuff. He worked in the 81-83 range early on with his fastball, settling in for the remainder of his start around 78-81. He's a solid-sized kid with good physical projection, who also projects to add some velocity as he fills out his frame. He worked from an overtop slot, generating solid plane to the plate, and showing slight life to the arm side on his fastball. He showed a slider and change as well, but truth be told he didn't really need them. The slider showed tight spin and more vertical break than horizontal; and he flashed some feel for a fading change as well. 

-Ponca City shortstop Blake Shepherd was very impressive in every facet of the game. He has good size and build (6'0" 185), and showed the ability to do just about everything on the baseball field. He showed off good range at SS, ranging far back to his right and left to snare pop ups, though he wasn't really challenged defensively. All of his at bats were impressive in different ways, as the senior was very disciplined, stayed within the zone, used the entire field with hard contact, and showed off good bursts of speed. He turned in 2 "dig" times, one of them at 4.37 and one of them at 4.42, which are quality times for a high school right-handed hitter. He stole 2B in 3.40 seconds, and established himself as a truly excellent baserunner as far as instincts and knowledge of the game are concerned. 

-Junior Ponca City catcher Brian Wicker also stood out, and may have the highest upside of anyone on the team. He's a very strong kid with a strong, sturdy build while retaining solid athleticism. He wasn't challenged behind the plate, as Ponca City kept the Desert Edge hitters off the bases for the most part, but still looked good during his warmup pops. The mechanics work, and he was consistently in the 2.10 second range down to 2nd base. He has the most raw power of anyone on the team, and he certainly tries to use it, employing a big swing that is definitely built more for power than contact. It's an aggressive approach as well, but he still understands the zone and has some recognition skills. 

-Brian Sakowski

-Mesa Mountain View senior righty Seth Nordin started on Thursday, and had a good day. Worked his fastball in the 82-86/87 range for the entirety of his start. Strong build, throws easy, broad shoulders, rotational delivery, works fastball down in zone with consistency and effectiveness. Will slow his arm down some and drag a bit when throwing his curveball, which still showed quality shape and depth. Arm action is short in the back to a lower slot, did a good job filling up the zone, showed really easy arm action. 

-Senior outfielder Canon Anderson showed quality hitting tools across several at bats. He employs a smaller load and shorter stride, but his hands are excellent and when combined with natural strength and some leverage, he showed the ability to do damage offensively. He took several excellent swings, making hard contact on nearly all of them, including a triple to the wall in the opposite-field gap. 

-Mullen (CO) catcher Maverick Handley has a strong, mature build and looks good both at the plate and behind it. Employs a very short, quick swing that is direct to the baseball, drilled a hard single through the 5-6 hole, shows quality receiving skills behind the plate with solid mechanics and a strong arm. 

-Mullen senior Jimmy Dobrash made his first start of the season on Thursday, and showed flashes of being a legitimate talent. He hasn't really done much pitching in his high school career, as he's primarily been an outfielder, but he definitely projects on the mound to the next level. Was up to 87 MPH several times early in his start, settled in around 82-85 for the majority of his outing, flashing quality, although inconsistent, life on the fastball when down in the zone. Works with an uptempo delivery, has some effort at release, gets some downhill plane from 6'0" frame, and showed flashes of a quality CB/CH combo, though he couldn't really get a feel for either offering in this outing. As the season moves forward and he stretches out, he could be one to watch. 

-Jheremy Brown

3/19/2015 1:07:54 PM

Bishop McGuiness (OK) @ Muskogee (OK)

-Muskogee sophomore shortstop Trayvon Hughes, who has shown well in both Muskogee games I’ve seen, stood out with the bat on Wednesday. He shows a young, projectable frame but packs a punch at the plate. He tripled up the RCF gap, turned in a 4.43 turn time, and turned on the afterburners as he coasted into 3B. He has a quality approach with good bat speed, and is only going to get stronger as he develops.

Fossil Ridge (CO) @ Millennium (AZ)

-Fossil Ridge senior Codi Heuer, a 6’4” prospect who oozes projectability, had an overall good showing from a projection/scouting perspective, even though the results weren’t what he was looking for. As stated, he stands 6’4” and weighs in around 180 with lots of room for physical growth and added strength. He’s a lanky kid with long levers, which he uses to create good extension out front in his delivery. He worked in the 83-85 range, touched 86 a few times, and showed the ability to generate good sink down in the zone, though the sinking action lacked overall consistency. Also showed the ability to truly get downhill and generate significant plane; though that lacked consistency as well. Throws from high ¾ slot with some effort though it’s not violent, showed a shorter slider in the 79-80 range that he has feel for, and overall looked the part of a potential legitimate college starter.

-Millennium starter Tyler Christensen got the better of Heuer in terms of the matchup, as the junior righty showed a good ability to throws tons of strikes with both his 80-82 MPH fastball and his 11/5 CB. The curveball is easily the out pitch, as Christensen was comfortable throwing it for strikes and down out of the zone as a chase pitch. He pounded the zone all afternoon and just kept the Fossil Ridge hitters off balance.

Victory Christian (OK) @ Juneau Douglas (AK)

-Sophomore RHP Bryce Swofford, a 15-year-old starting pitcher, got the nod for Juneau. He’s listed at 5’6” 150 pounds and left-handed in the program. He is none of those things, as he stands around 6’6”-6’7”, weighs in the projectable 180 pound range, and is most definitely a right-handed sophomore (per both his coach and his family). He didn't end up with the results he may have wanted from his start, but he opened my eyes as someone we should be paying attention to. He worked in the 79-82 range for most of his outing, touching 83, and showed significant arm side life and sink on his fastball. Throws from a ¾ slot and uses his height to generate significant plane. His command was a bit inconsistent, as he too often left fastballs up in the strike zone where he got hit, but on the whole showed excellent projection. He won’t turn 16 until the summer, which puts him in the “young for grade” category amongst the class of 2017. He’s definitely one to watch over the next couple years, especially as he fills out and develops physically.

-Victory Christian senior Alex Valverde put together a few quality at bats, showcasing a smooth stroke from the left side with good gap power, highlighted by a 2 RBI double up the gap in RCF. He turned on a fastball and drove it with power. Strong build, solid athleticism, drew a walk as well, showed good approach with feel for the zone. Good performance.

Shadow Ridge (AZ) @ Valley Vista (AZ)

-This was easily the best game of the day, as the two Arizona schools really went at each other with excellent pitching, good defense, and timely hitting (from one team, at least)

-Valley Vista senior Terrance Robertson had a relatively quiet day at the plate, drawing a walk and turning in a 4.2 time down the line on a groundball, but it wasn't a true dig. He also went a long ways to track down a fly ball in RCF, but that’s expected at this point.

-Senior right-hander Koty Fallon started for Valley Vista, and despite taking the loss, was really good. He’s the fastest worker I’ve ever witnessed at the prep level, just grabbing the ball and throwing it. His coach calls the pitches from the dugout, so as soon as the catcher flashed the sign, Fallon was into his delivery and firing. He’s a big kid, standing 6’4” and weighing in at a strong 200 pounds, and works from ¾ slot with a stiffer arm action. Absolutely pounded the zone at 83-86, up to 88, showed the ability to work both sides of the plate with his fastball and elevate when needed. He threw, realistically, 85-90% fastballs. Showed a curveball in the low 70’s, though it lacked the command of his fastball, and he got hurt by leaving it up a few times.

-Shadow Ridge started junior righty Fabian Villegas, a 6’3’ prospect who maybe didn't have the flash of Fallon, but ended up beating him anyways. Villegas went the distance for Shadow Ridge, throwing a complete game shutout. He held his velocity all game, working comfortably around 78-82, touching 83 a few times (including in the 7th inning). He threw strikes consistently, mixed and matched with a slurvy breaking ball that he threw for strikes, and just really competed well.

Yesterday might have only been the third day of the tournament but you’ll be hard pressed to find a more dominating performance than the one sophomore right-hander Boyd Vander Kooi turned in for Skyline High School last night. With a well-built, highly athletic 6-foot-5, 200-pound frame, the Oregon commit is listed as a primary shortstop in the program and the athleticism shows fielding his position off the mound, but it looks like the rubber is where his future is.

Much like fellow Arizona sophomore Matt Schroer, Vander Kooi has continued to make strides on the mound and looks like he has taken the next step forward, even from earlier this summer. And the strides he has made in the last year are worth noting as I saw him at this event last year where he topped out at 83 mph and projected for more. He has in fact taken his game to the next level, never throwing a pitch below 84 mph and still touched 87-88 mph in the 7^th inning.

As noted above, Vander Kooi is also a strong shortstop with a high level of athleticism, something that helps him repeat his delivery and pound the strike zone while on the mound. Coming out early, the future Duck sat in the 86-89 mph with hard, whiffle ball like life on his fastball. He did a nice job working both sides of the plate and did a particularly solid job of commanding his glove side, bringing the pitch back over the outer half to right-handed hitters.

Vander Kooi’s arm action is very compact in the back and extremely fast coming through the zone, generating his velocity rather effortlessly with heavy life and downhill plane. He cuts himself off out front with his landing foot and always has, but it’s of no concern as he uses it to his advantage, creating angle and making for that much more of an uncomfortable at-bat. His strong frame allows him to maintain his velocity both from the stretch and over the course of a game, still popping 89 mph out of the stretch in the fifth inning.

Though he didn’t throw much more than his fastball during the outing, he did throw both a changeup and his curveball, each showing interesting potential. The changeup is more advanced of the two and shows excellent potential, already showing above average life in the 80-82 mph down in the zone. Mimicking his fastball through his arm action and out of his hand, Vander Kooi generates nice fading life with late diving action. He only threw two curveballs in the game, each with two strikes and shows depth in the mid-70s. And only fitting, Vander Kooi drove in the first and only run of the game with a sharply hit ground ball through the 5-6 hole.

Final line: Seven innings, no hits, no walks, one three-ball count, 11 strikeouts, 76 pitches and only 15 balls.

Vander Kooi wasn’t the only impressive arm to take the mound on Wednesday, as the game between Jenks (OK) and Mountain Ridge (AZ) featured two highly interesting arms.

A long and lean right-hander with broad shoulders and plenty of room to add strength, senior Justin Revels took the ball for Mountain Ridge and once he settled in after the first inning he was dominant. The Grand Canyon commit does a nice job of controlling his long levers and 6-foot-5 frame, staying balanced through his delivery and repeats it well.

Throughout the game Revels sat comfortably in the mid-80s throughout and touched a tick higher, showing a short and quick arm action with downhill plane. The ball comes out of his hand well and he’ll continue to add velocity as he continues to fill out. After a very quick second inning, Revels locked in and began pounding both sides of the plate, working in and out with intent and missed bats. Revels’ curveball also developed and he showed two different versions of the pitch. The first variation was thrown in the low-70s and showed bigger shape with depth and tight spin. The other curveball was thrown harder, in the 75-77 mph range with equally as tight spin but harder and later break, serving as a swing and miss offering, especially to right-handed hitters.

A University of Arkansas commit, Jenks senior right-hander Barrett Loseke is an easy frame to project, standing with a lean 6-foot, 155-pounds, allowing his impressive stuff to take another step forward. As it is now, Loseke came out showing a very short and compact arm action with a high slot release and a fast arm, getting on top of the ball well with downhill plane.

He worked both sides of the plate well with his fastball, sitting 86-89 mph, touching 90 frequently over the early innings with solid run to his arm side down in the zone. The delivery is very simple and repeats it well for the most part, allowing him to fill up the strike zone while mixing in his off speed. With a distinct difference in both shape and velocity on his curveball/slider, he mixed both throughout his outing. The curveball shows 12-6 shape in the low-70s while his slider features short, vertical break in the 75-77 mph range down in the zone. His changeup shows the best potential with proper spin and late fading life, a pitch that will continue to develop as he fills out his frame.

Kellis senior center fielder Tyler Williams is one of the top draft prospects in the state of Arizona and has been on the national radar ever since the 2015 rankings were released a couple of years ago. It’s been fun to watch Williams develop and looks like he has become even stronger and more athletic than the last time I saw him. With a broad and long 6-foot-3 frame, Williams is a big time athlete who shows 6.5 60-speed and turns in above average times down the first base line.

He showed an aggressive approach in the box yesterday, jumping on first pitch fastballs in each of his first two at-bats, going with the outer half pitch with big strength to the opposite field. The swing path is fluid and he showed comfort going in the opposite field, evidenced in yesterday’s performance. In his third at-bat, he took a first pitch curveball for a strike before seeing curveballs the next two pitches and made an adjustment before hitting a groundball to shortstop. The speed made an impact on this particular play, forcing the shortstop to hurry and rush through his actions. His speed helped manufacture the first run of the game too, reaching with a single to opposite field in his second at-bat before swiping second base on the very next pitch. From one Williams to another, junior infielder Justin Williams, Tyler’s younger brother, drove in his brother one a single through the 5-6 hole and a hard hit ground ball. Though listed as a primary third baseman, the younger Williams as playing shortstop where he showed actions and tools, particularly in his hands, which are quick and soft, helping to start a key double play for Kellis to get out of an inning.

3/18/2015 12:25:34 PM

Mountain Ridge junior shortstop Cameron Cannon was featured in this blog a year ago for his performance in the 2014 edition of the tournament and has continued to elevate his level of play. Physically he’s what you want a junior in college to look like, let alone one in high school. He has a strong, physical 5-foot-11 build with broad shoulders and a filled out frame, though it doesn’t inhibit his footwork or quickness defensively. His overall athleticism should allow him to stay up the middle as he shows both the tools and instincts with soft hands, plenty of range, and a loose and easy arm across.

The fluidity follows Cannon into the batter’s box where he starts with a very simple and balanced set up before attacking the ball. He put the ball in play in each of the first three at-bats I saw and showed he wasn’t afraid to take pitches, working himself into favorable counts. His first at-bat was a ground ball to the left side but he got a clean start out of the box, making it down to first in 4.28 seconds and looks as though he may be capable of an even lower time. The uncommitted Cannon’s second at-bat was one of the more impressive swings I’ve seen throughout the first two days of the tournament. On a fastball thrown to the outer half, Cannon did a nice job of extending his arms and going with the pitch to right field, generating big jump off the barrel for what ended up being a triple after the ball bounced by the right fielder.

Take a look at sophomore right-hander Matt Schroer’s Perfect Game profile and you’ll notice how the velocity continues to add another tick, almost in subsequent events. In true fashion, Schroer bumped his fastball up to 87 mph last night, another tick high than his previous high of 86 mph at a Perfect Game event. With the ultra-long, projectable build and the way the arm works, there’s a very strong chance the upward trend of velocity is going to continue.

With a very projectable frame, listed 6-foot-3 but looks taller on the mound, Schroer has plenty of room to put on additional muscle and as he does, his stuff is only going to get that much better. As it is now, the Louisiana State commit sat comfortably in the 84-87 mph over the course of six innings but more impressive than that is the extension he is able to create out front, giving the pitch an extra hop at the end. Though there’s a head snap at release, his arm action works well and is relatively smooth with a higher three-quarter release and he does a nice job of creating downhill plane. When he stays on top of his fastball the pitch shows big running life and helps his changeup that much more.

Thrown in the mid-70s, Schroer’s changeup shows promising potential as he does a nice job of replicating his arm action and generates similar life to his arm side on the pitch, looking like a fastball coming out. He showed the comfort and feel to throw the pitch in any count, keeping hitters true and off balance. His release point on his curveball was inconsistent early but as the outing progressed, so did the pitch and his feel. Staying on top of the pitch was key and Schroer began to do so once he settled in, showing nice depth in the low-70s which gave him a solid three-pitch mix.

Listed as a high follow by Perfect Game, fellow Arcadia sophomore middle infielder Nick Dicarlo made a nice play up the middle in the sixth inning that not only stopped the threat, but prevented at least two runs from coming in and making it a one run ballgame. With the bases loaded and two outs in the top of the sixth, Fossil Ridge was threatening and was a base hit or two away from taking the lead. On a harder hit, chopped ground ball to Dicarlo’s right (playing second base), he showed a quick first step and plenty of range to not only get to the ball, but get behind it, plant his feet, and throw a strike over to first. Most young players would let their momentum carry themselves away from the base, lessening the strength on the throw and ultimately allowing the runner to be safe which is why this particular play by Dicarlo was very impressive.

Junior catcher Sam Huff is a strongly built 6-foot-3, 175-pounds and showed solid defensively tools behind the plate, handling Schroer well while showcasing a strong arm to second in between innings. He uses his strength well in the batter’s box too and is able to generate the type of bat speed that you can hear on the on deck circle. In his first at-bat he narrowly missed putting the ball out to left field, showing plenty of loft but just got under the ball and flew out to the warning track. Later in the game though he made sure not to miss and sent a long fly ball to deep center field just to the left of the batter’s eye about 360 feet.

The state of Arizona seems to have a nice crop of young talent coming up and Boulder Creek’s sophomore shortstop Daniel Carrizosa looks like he belongs in that group. Listed at 5-foot-10, 160-pounds, Carrizosa projects well physically and already looks like he might be bigger and stronger than the listed measurables. Both defensively and on the bases he takes long, graceful strides, speaking to his athleticism while showing next level actions up the middle. In the box he shows a relaxed stance with balance and fluidity in his swing, lining a crisp single up the middle in his second at-bat. Later on in the game he got tied up with an inside fastball, hitting the ball off his hands and sending it the other way, getting past a diving right fielder, resulting in a three base hit.

To keep the underclass theme going, Boulder Creek sent sophomore right-hander Mason Millett to the mound to open the game and is an interesting arm that will need to be followed over the next two and a half years. Standing 6-foot-1, 155-pounds, it’s easy to envision the young righty throwing harder in the future, especially as he continues to fill out his long frame.

As the stuff stands now, Millett worked in the 83-85 mph range with his fastball early, showing a quick arm action with occasional running life on the pitch. He gets on top of the ball well for the most part and that’s something that will continue to develop as he become more consistent with his delivery. When Millett stayed on top of his fastball he was able to induced weak ground ball contact, hardly ever leaving the infield. To complement his heater, Millett threw both a changeup and a curveball, each showing nice potential. A mid-70s offering, his curveball showed 12-6 shape with short break and depth while his changeup had nice fade down in the zone at 76-77 mph. Looking at his profile, Millett has already begun to take the next step in terms of velocity, working a comfortable 80-83 in January, the last time Perfect Game saw him throw.

Though only a sophomore, Nick Hamilton had a nice showing with the bat for Liberty, making his presence felt early and often. Listed 6-foot, 190-pounds, Hamilton helped Liberty jump out to an early lead as he pulled his hands in on an inside fastball, getting the barrel to the ball and lining it into left field for a two run double. Hamilton one-upped himself in his second at-bat, further extending the lead as he connected with a mid-80s fastball, sending it over the left field fence for a no doubt three run home run. He looks to be a solid bat that will fit in nicely with the senior talent on the roster.

Mentioned in the space yesterday more for his pitching, Liberty senior and Grand Canyon commit Tyler Wyatt impressed once again, this time with the bat. A true two-way talent, Wyatt looks the part out at shortstop and though he wasn’t challenged in game, the actions and arm certainly play pre-game and in between innings. With the bat though he seems to consistently getting the barrel to the ball and getting on base. In an early at-bat yesterday, Wyatt drilled a ball hard to the right-centerfield gap and accelerated well around the bases going from first to third. Later in the game he got jammed with an inside pitch but showed enough strength to muscle the ball through the middle of the field for his second base hit of the game. 

-Jheremy Brown

Ada (OK) @ Goldwater (AZ)

-After my second viewing of the Ada team, I came away impressed by a few things/players. Notably, junior center fielders Gabe Simons made an impression. He’s a good athlete with excellent size, and projects to fill out even more as he matures. Tracks the ball well in CF, takes good routes, and shows off a solid throwing arm. Has a good approach at the plate, understands the strike zone, does a solid job of recognizing off speed, and shows a good bat path while making contact to all fields. He’s a solid player.

-Goldwater starting pitcher Tyrece Hudson, primarily an outfielder, showed some solid skill on the mound. Worked in the mid-upper 70’s with solid life from a high ¾ slot and slight cross-body delivery. Showed a CB/CH mix. Mixed his pitches well and kept the Ada hitters off balance for the most part. Threw a high percentage of strikes.

Chandler (AZ) @ O’Connor (AZ)

-Chandler’s starting pitcher, senior lefty Hayden Durkiewicz made an impression both on the mound and at bat. Hitting leadoff for Chandler, he hit two doubles in his first two at bats, one to the RCF gap and one to the LCF gap, both hit a long ways. Excellent approach at the plate: recognizes well, understands the zone, and takes good, consistent swings. On the mound, he’s got a funky delivery that works cross-body from a lower slot (between ¾ and low ¾). Absolutely pounded the zone with all of his pitches, highlighted by a FB that worked 81-84 with excellent life. He probably showcased the best overall command of his arsenal that I’ve seen thus far in this event. Showed a quality breaking ball that was a bit slurvy due to the arm slot, but still had good shape and bite; as well as a fading changeup in the low 70’s.

-3rd baseman Colin Ludwig, a junior, has good potential with the bat. A left-handed hitter, Ludwig showcases really quality hands when hitting. They are quick and strong and take a direct path to the ball without any wasted motion. He employs an up the middle approach and is capable of extra-base power at present, with more power on the way as he develops physically.

-O’Connor starting pitcher Colby Wyatt threw well for the most part, working in the 83-86 range with his fastball, topping at 88. The pitch is a little flat due to Wyatt’s delivery not generating much plane, but it still showed solid arm side life and was effective when commanded down in the zone. Wyatt’s arsenal is rounded out by a breaking ball that is somewhere in between a slider and curve; as well as a changeup that he is still developing feel for. When on, the breaker shows quality 2 plane break with some depth; though he got on the side of it a little too often and struggled to command it down.

-Sophomore shortstop Nico Burgarello has some pretty serious upside both in the field and with the bat, especially when one considers his age. A left-handed hitter, Burgarello hits from an upright stance with a high hand set, then drops the hands into his load and comes through with a line drive swing plane that is built for contact. He has solid size and physical projection, and will grow into some power as well. He took a very good infield in the pregame and put that talent on display in the game as well. Highlighted by quick feet and range to both sides, he projects well defensively and should have no issue sticking at shortstop for now.

Muskogee (OK) @ Valley Vista (AZ)

-Muskogee right-hander Tony Horn Jr. showed pretty well in his start, working in the 83-85 range, touching 86, all of it from an easy delivery with an arm that works. Throwing from a near overtop slot, Horn generates good downhill plane to the plate, which makes the excellent life on his fastball that much more effective. He throws strikes consistently, but struggled at times to consistently work down in the zone. He has an advanced changeup that works 76-77 with excellent fade, thrown with the same arm speed and from the same keyhole as his fastball. He showed a curveball that was inconsistent but flashed legitimate potential with 11/5 break in the 71-73 velo band.

-Senior shortstop Bryson Bell played a quality game in his own right. He has a good build in his lower half, strong throughout really, and his at bats were highlighted by really solid bat control. He can bunt when needed, and controls the bat in such a way that he can really almost hit the ball wherever he wants to. A spray hitter with a line drive plane, he uses the entire field and just wants to get on base and make contact.

-Valley Vista’s centerfielder Terrance Robertson really impressed, with arguably the best performance of anyone I saw on Tuesday. A plus athlete, Robertson is a burner, turning in a 4.11 time down the line (from the left side) while pulling up on the final few steps, then smashing a triple over the center fielder’s head and showing a 4.3 time on the turn. He is quick out of the box with excellent acceleration, and that is put on display both on the bases and in the outfield where he covers lots of ground and looks very comfortable. Several pro scouts were in attendance to see Robertson play, as well. At bat he’s very upright, with a minimal load and minimal stride, highlighting his contact ability. His hands are lightning-quick, and he has no issues catching up to solid velocity and waiting back as long as possible before uncoiling and whipping the bat through the zone. He tripled after a 10 pitch battle with Horn, where he fouled off several quality two-strike pitches, let some borderline pitches go, and then drilled the 10th pitch to dead center. He has surprising pop, and it will only continue to develop as he gets stronger.

-Brian Sakowski

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 3^rd 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 3^rd 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 3^rd 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 2^nd 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.