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High School  | Rankings  | 2/20/2015

Regional HS Preview: Southwest

David Rawnsley     
Photo: Perfect Game

2015 Perfect Game High School Baseball Preview Index

For all of Perfect Game's regional previews as part of the 2015 high school baseball preview content, the Dream Team is available for free. The region top tools can be viewed with an Insider subscription. To learn more about Perfect Game's subscription packages and to sign up today please visit this link.


Southwest Region: Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah

The Southwest Region is dominated by its two largest metropolitan areas, Phoenix and Las Vegas, with the states of Utah and New Mexico lacking the impact player this year to make the Dream Team or best tools categories. Las Vegas powerhouse Bishop Gorman High School actually features three players on their own, with PG All-American shortstop Cayden Grenier, slugging Stanford-bound outfielder Brandon Wulff and junior righthander Jack Little.

One of the intriguing things about the top players from this region is how many already have connections with professional baseball. The fathers of First baseman Jaxxon Fagg and outfielder Tyler Williams are scouts. The brothers of shortstop Nicholas Quintana and righthander Nick Kingham are minor league pitching prospects. Third baseman Matthew Kroon's father was well known both in the United States and in Japan for his 100 mph fastball.

An irony of the region is that two of its top players, Sahuaro High School teammates Javier Medina and Cesar Salazar, were not eligible to play high school baseball in 2014 due to their immigration status. Both have signed to attend Arizona, however, and will be closely followed by scouts this spring regardless of their eligibility.


Southwest Region High School Dream Team


C - Logan Boyer, Jr., Hamilton (Ariz.)
Boyer has the prototypical big catcher's build at 6-foot-3, 205-pounds and has plus strength for his age. He's an enthusiastic blocker behind home plate with big arm strength that also enables him to hit 90 mph off the mound. Not surprisingly for his size and strength, Boyer is also a righthanded hitter with big strength in his bat and a middle-of-the-field approach.

1B - Jaxxon Fagg, Sr., Williams Field (Ariz.)
Fagg is a big and strong righthanded hitting first baseman who showed his power consistently last summer on the national showcase/tournament circuit, and previously hit .398-4-23 for Williams Field High School last spring. He is the son of Texas Rangers Director of Amateur Scouting Kipp Fagg.

MIF - Caydn Grenier, Sr., Bishop Gorman (Nev.)
A Perfect Game All-American and the 27th ranked player in the 2015 class, Grenier is more of a "sum of all the parts" player than the type of prospect who has one or two big tools. In fact, Grenier's biggest tool might be his ability to play baseball. He's equally at home playing either shortstop or second base defensively and is a table setter on offense with the ability to drive the ball up the gaps from the right side of the plate.

MIF - Nicholas Quintana, Jr., Arbor View (Nev.)
Quintana has been a nationally known prospect since he was a freshman but has evolved and rounded out his game in ways that usually only an older player can accomplish. Originally a bat-first player, Quintana has seen his speed and defensive ability improve dramatically as his body has matured. The bat is still there, of course, and with it big power potential. Quintana's brother, Zach, was a third round selection by the Milwaukee Brewers in 2012 as a righthanded pitcher and spent 2014 in the Class A Midwest League.

3B - Matthew Kroon, Sr., Horizon (Ariz.)
Some scouts believe that Kroon, the son of former MLB righthander and Japanese League star Marc Kroon, is the top sleeper in the region and could end up being a top round draft pick with a good spring. The 6-foot-1, 195-pound righthanded hitter has lots of bat speed and blossoming power and is a strong defender at third base. He's signed to go to Oregon if he doesn't sign professionally.

OF - Brandon Wulff, Sr., Bishop Gorman (Nev.)
Wulff looks the part of a power hitter with his big 6-foot-1, 215-pound build, and filled that projection as a junior, leading the state of Nevada in home runs while hitting .478-12-43 in only 29 games. But Wulff is also highly athletic, with sub-7.0 speed in the 60-yard dash leading to 15 stolen bases, and that speed and a strong arm enables him to be a high-level defensive outfielder. An excellent student, Wulff is signed with Stanford.

OF - Blake Perkins, Sr., Verrado (Ariz.)
Perkins excels both offensively and in center field defensively. The Arizona State signee is a 6.7 runner in the 60-yard dash and has plenty of righthanded bat speed and power. He hit .551 with 10 home runs as a junior and added 14 stolen bases for good measure.

OF - Tyler Williams, Sr., Kellis (Ariz.)
Williams is one of the most impressive athletes in the 2015 class, with a sculpted 6-foot-3, 210-pound build that has always looked like a perfect fit for a high-level wide receiver in football. The fact that Williams regularly runs 6.5 in the 60-yard dash at showcases points in that direction, too, although Williams is not a football player. He's hit .477, .443 and .475 in his first three years of high school baseball and was one of the stars of summer and fall circuits as his bat seemed to improve on an almost weekly basis. Williams father, Ted, is a full-time scout for the World Champion Giants in charge of the Four Corners area.

UT - Tyler Wyatt, Sr., Liberty (Ariz,)
Wyatt batted .472-3-40 as Liberty High School's starting shortstop but also throws up to 91 mph on the mound and went 6-3, 2.10 with 87 strikeouts in 73 innings as a junior. His versatility and athleticism reach beyond the baseball field, as he threw for 2,390 yards and 23 touchdowns this past fall as his school's quarterback. Wyatt has signed to go to Grand Canyon.

P - Javier Medina, Sr., Sahuaro (Ariz.)
A Mexican citizen, Medina didn't pitch last spring due to immigration/eligibility issues, otherwise Sahuaro High School would have had an outstanding righty-lefty duo on the mound with Medina and New York Yankees second round pick Alex Verdugo. Medina did, however, pitch very successfully on the summer and fall circuit, including an outstanding outing at the WWBA World Championship for GBG Marucci in October. The lack of mound time last spring didn't appear to set back Medina's development any, as he is one of the more polished high school pitchers in the 2015 class nationally.

P - Jiovanni Orozco, Sr., Salpointe Catholic (Ariz.)
Orozco is a strong and mature 6-foot-1, 210-pound righthander who went 8-1, 1.40 with 87 strikeouts and only 19 walks allowed in 50 innings last spring. He is capable of throwing in the low-90s and topped out at 94 mph last fall at the WWBA World Championship. Orozco has signed with Arizona.

P - Samuel Pastrone, Sr., Arbor View (Nev.)
Pastrone is a two-way standout for Arbor View High School as a pitcher/third baseman, but his future, whether it be professionally or at UNLV, will be on the mound. He pitches in the 89-91 mph range and will touch higher on occasion, while also throwing a quality slider, curveball and changeup.

P - Nolan Kingham, Sr., Desert Oasis (Nev.)
Kingham is another two-way prospect whose future is on the mound but also excels as a corner infielder, hitting .423 with 23 RBI as a junior. The 6-foot-4, 185-pound righthander has a smooth and athletic delivery to go with an 88-91 mph fastball and a very good power curveball, and he is an ideal candidate to keep improving as he concentrates primarily on pitching. The Texas signee has an older brother, Nick, who is a top prospect pitcher in the Pirates organization.

P - Saturnino Santa Cruz, Sr., Sahuarita (Ariz.)
Santa Cruz and fellow Arizona signee Jiovanni Orozco are very similar pitchers in both body type and basic stuff and could form the core of the pitching staff for the Wildcats should they both reach campus. The 6-foot-3, 225-pound Santa Cruz also throws in the low-90s and will touch 93-94 mph fairly frequently to go with an improving slider and changeup.


Southwest Region Top Tools


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