Over the past couple weeks, PBR Arizona has had a chance to finally get back to the diamond and start covering more live action. With seasons being shut down and baseball starting back up, we are starting to see some quality 2022 grad prospects that are starting to make jumps onto the scene. This past week, PBR Arizona had a chance to hold its Class of 2022- Top Prospect games with some of the top players in the class on display. The live game action portion of the event was live broadcasted to college coaches and scouts from around the area and country. The Class of 2022- Top Prospect Games took place on Wednesday, June 24th at Shadow Ridge High School in Surprise, AZ. This event featured over 65 prospects from the 2022 class from all across the state of Arizona. This annual event has become a must attend event for college prospects that are looking to play at the next level.

We began our post event coverage last week by taking a look at the top five performers at each statistical category in our Statistical Analysis. Today, we will be highlighting our first impressions of 10 prospects that stood out in our Quick Hits segment. Be sure to stay tuned over the next few weeks for more post-event coverage. 

CLICK HERE to view all event statistics.

+ 2022 OF Jack Ellsworth (Highland)- one of the bigger surprises of the event as Ellsworth is a bit more under the radar than some. At 6-foot-2 185-pounds, his natural strength stands out. He shows some power at the plate, having been the only one to record a 100mph exit velocity off the tee. He backed that up by hitting six balls over 90mph in his round of BP where he also maxed out at 100mph. He also hit a fly ball HR to LF that he just missed in our live action. His strength also stands out in the OF with a strong arm with raw movements, throwing 89mph from the OF. Ellsworth is a player whose development should be monitored closely.

+ 2022 OF Isaiah Jackson (Cienega)- This left-handed hitting CF had one of the more impressive rounds of BP on day, hitting four balls out. At 6-foot-2 180-pounds, Jackson has a long athletic body with some present strength and potential to add even more. His strength & body control at the plate make up for what he does not have in twitchyness, although he does display some. He ran a 7.45 60-yard dash on the day with an 84-mph arm from the OF. He currently plays CF in HS but will probably be more suited for a corner OF spot in the future. His left-handed bat with power potential should make for a strong follow.

+ 2022 SS Brayden Grantham (Red Mountain)- 5-foot-11 170-pounds, athletic balanced frame, defined body with strong legs & arms. His athleticism stands outs, running a 7.08 60-yard dash. Grantham is a pretty well rounded prospect that lets his natural athleticism take over. His arm should improve by learning and gaining more experience at the shortstop position. Good hands & rhythm in the field. He currently hits with a somewhat raw approach, pre-loading with a slight toe tap at times. Looked to hit the ball in the air his round of BP, consistently around 90mph exit velos. Grantham’s athleticism should be followed.

+ 2022 OF Andrew Mings (Chaparral)- has made some big strides since we last saw him at an event back in December. Part of that has to do with maturing more physically. He had some pretty good actions in the past. At 5-foot-11 170-pounds, Mings has gained at least 10- pounds of strength since then. His lean body still shows significant projectability and room to add even more strength. He has athleticism that plays in the OF, running a 7.02 60-yard dash. His arm has improved greatly compared to the winter, throwing 87mph. Offensively, he has a short left-handed stroke with a line drive approach. He also got on the mound in the event, working his FB 79-83mph. Mixed in a CV around 70mph.

+ 2022 3B/RHP Thomas DeChesaro (Saguaro)- 5-foot-10 175-pounds, broad shoulders, strong physical build especially in the lower half, big limbs, seems to have some more growth left as well. Uses brute strength in actions. Also plays football. Ran a 7.14 60-yard dash. Shows natural pop at the plate without a lot of effort, 97mph exit velocity. Hit two balls hard in our live game action, a hard LD single to LF & deep fly to LCF. Showed some arm strength across the diamond at 84mph with ok hands at 3B.

+ 2022 OF Alessandro Castro (Pusch Ridge)- played the whole day on a sprained ankle, wouldn’t be able to tell unless you saw it. Ran a 7.12 60-yard dash. At 6-foot 170-pounds, Castro shows good projectability in an already athletic frame. Two-way potential at the right school. Smooth swing from the left-handed side of the plate. Short level path to the ball, find the barrel consistently. Athleticism plays in the OF with good feet & approach to the baseball, showing arm strength at 87mph. Also got on the mound during live action. Left-hander worked his FB 80-83mph with a SL at 71-74mph.

+ 2023 SS Miles VandenHeuvel (Chaparral)- probably the youngest player at the event being a 2023 grad playing up with all of the 2022s. At 5-foot-11 150-pounds, VandenHeuvel has started to mature a bit. He came to our event back in January where his body was still developing. He's gained some strength since then. Watching him during BP, one wouldn't know fully that there is a decent hitter in there as there is quite a bit of extra movement. In live action AB’s, it's a bit more calm and puts himself in a better position to hit. He hit a line drive single up the middle in our games with a short swing. He also made a good play defensively on a chopper up the middle. There is also some two-way potential on the mound, showing a quick arm at 78-81mph, combining with a SL. Overall, his numbers don't quite jump off the page at you yet but there is more coming with added strength and maturity.

+ 2022 3B/1B Mitch Namie (Red Mountain)- 6-foot-1 185-pounds, strength & durability to build off. More athleticism from current CINF than one would think. Namie had a few different parts of his game that stood out on the day. One of them being his hustle, he was the first player out to his position every inning and you can tell he has a high baseball IQ. He also ran a 6.83 60-yard dash as a corner infielder. His left-handed bat also played well at the event, hitting two balls hard to CF. One being a LD triple that was smoked over the CF’s head on a SL. His athleticism and left-handed bat make for a strong follow.

+ 2022 OF Skylar Edmonds (Red Mountain)- At 6-1 190-pounds, there weren’t many players out there on the day that stood out physically more than Edmonds did. Strong well built player with broad shoulders. Also, plays linebacker in football, looks the part. Ran a 7.18 60-yard dash with some athleticism. If he can learn to sequence and improve timing a bit better at the plate, he has a chance to do some real damage at the plate. He is a more than capable corner OF with a quick arm, 84mph arm strength. Going to be a player to follow.

+ 2022 SS AJ Singer (Mountain Ridge)- Quick twitch athlete with lean body. Singer was listed as one of the smaller players on the field at 5-foot-9 155-pounds. However, he didn't play that way as he packs a bigger punch than his frame would suggest. He has a short compact swing, level path to the baseball with good pop.  He hit a ball on the screws to the middle of the field one hopping the CF in live action. Worked into the mid to upper 90mph exit velocities in his round of BP while hitting a ball 360ft to center. Defensively, he might be able to stick to SS at the next level if he can improve the arm strength and keep getting faster. He has long arms, soft hands with quick transfers. He ran a 7.09 60-yard dash on the day. Follow as a middle infield prospect.

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