The Arizona Fall Scout Blog provides insider information and scouting notes from the AZ Scouting Director Jordon Banfield throughout the fall season. This running blog will feature information on underclass prospects, unsigned seniors, draft prospects, and anything else that is notable. We will provide a wide range of information, including player evaluations, velocities, pop times, home to first times, and more. Simply put, the Fall Notebook is loaded with information …

AZ Junior Fall Classic – 10/19/17-10/22/17

German Fajardo, RHP, 2019, Nogales
Uncommitted. 5-foot-11 150-pounds. Physically immature, projectable frame with high waist. Simple, low effort delivery from ¾ arm slot. Worked with a true four pitch mix, showing an ability to throw any pitch in any count. Sat 84 with a mostly straight fastball, mixing in a 76-78 mph slider with 10-4 shape and a 71 mph curveball with more depth. Also showed fading 74 mph changeup to LHH. Very strong follow on the mound as his body continues to mature.

Daniel Sotelo, LHP, 2019, Corona Del Sol
Uncommitted. 5-foot-11 170-pounds. Athletic body and delivery with high leg lift. Explosive lower half. Uses high front side to generate solid downhill plane on 83-84 mph fastball, especially for his size. High ¾ slot can get even higher at times due to inconsistent posture; pitches have better life when he maintains spine angle. Showed tight rotation on 74 mph curveball with 1-7 shape and good depth.

Eli Ankeney, LHP, 2019, Desert Vista
Uncommitted. No listed height/weight, but appears a shade under 6-foot with a strong lower half. Pitched almost exclusively with his fastball early in this outing, working mostly 82-85. Shows some stiffness in lower half, but does a good job repeating his delivery and pounding the strike zone. 3-piece arm action creates some deception and allows the FB velo to play up and get by hitters. Early pronator that should be able to develop a solid changeup. Good LHP follow on the mound.

Dylan Skov, C, 2019, Cactus Shadows        
Uncommitted. 5-foot-11 160-pounds. Looks bigger and stronger than his listed weight. Made consistent hard contact on the weekend. Hits with a high back elbow and leg lift trigger, generating good hip rotation and some bat speed. Received well and excelled blocking balls in the dirt. Throws to second carried well and were generally accurate, posting a 2.04 pop. Plays very hard.

Logan Kershner, OF, 2019, Horizon
Uncommitted. 5-foot-10 152-pounds. Athletic body, broad shoulders, plenty of room to add strength and mass. Simple, loose LH swing. Hits from a wide base with no stride. Contact oriented approach. Ran 4.29 down the line on a swing and projects get faster as he gets stronger. Interesting unsigned prospect.

Shane Murphy, LHP, 2019, Hamilton
Uncommitted. 6-foot-4 240-pounds. Big, broad frame that should be very durable. Touched 86 in his first inning of work with a 77 mph breaking ball, both up a tick from the weekend prior. Worked more 81-84 for the rest of his outing with consistent heavy sink to the fastball that hitters struggled to get underneath. It is difficult to tell if he’s throwing two different breaking balls by choice or just varying the speed on it as the shape remains slurvy with consistent tight rotation from 71-77 mph. Generates good arm speed from a ¾ slot and projects to throw harder as his body matures and he’s able to speed up his lower half some. One of the top uncommitted prospects in Arizona’s 2019 class.

AZ Senior Fall Classic – 10/11/17-10/15/17

Kiko Romero, C, 2019, Canyon Del Oro
Uncommitted. 5-foot-11 165-pounds. Slight frame, very athletic for a catcher. Runs out of the box in his swing at times, producing a 4.41 home to first on a ground ball to the left side. Hits from a narrow, upright stance and should produce more game power as he adds strength. Athleticism and flexibility makes him a sound receiver and blocker behind the plate.

Cal Lambert, LHP, 2019, Sandra Day O’Connor
Uncommitted. 6-foot-3 180-pounds. Good pitcher’s frame with broad shoulders and a strong lower half. Lands slightly open which can cause him to be late at times. Clean arm action from ¾ slot. Pitched at 81-83 with his fastball with good riding life.  Has touched higher velocities in the past. Showed consistent rotation on 68 mph curveball with 1/7 shape. Strong 2019 follow on the mound. 

Tyler Porter, SS/OF, Canyon Del Oro
Uncommitted. 6-foot 170-pounds. Athletic body. Very hitterish in the box. Advanced rhythm and timing with toe-tap load. Made consistent loud contact with wood, mostly towards the middle of the field. Defensively, he made all of the plays at short; moves better to his left. Has a chance to stick at short, but could certainly handle 2B or OF at the next level. Bat is carrying tool. Plays very hard. One of the top uncommitted 2018 prospects in the state.

Andrew Kulis, RHP, 2018, Mingus Union
Uncommitted. 6-foot 165-pounds. Slight, narrow frame. Arm works well. Staircase arm action with high ¾ release, low front side and short stride. Fastball sat 81-83 flashing arm side run at times. Best pitch was a sharp 70 mph curveball with good depth and 12-6 shape. Showed excellent feel for this pitch.  Projects to add velo as he adds strength incorporates more lower half into his delivery.

Gerardo Hernandez, OF, 2019, San Luis
Uncommitted. 6-foot-1 170-pounds.  Very athletic, fast twitch body. Has looseness in wrists and showed the ability to drive the baseball with authority to all fields including with two strikes. Also showed ability to play the small game with a drag bunt for an easy hit.  At least an average runner, posting a 4.48 on a very wide turn. Rangy CF got consistently good bat reads. Potential elite level prospect.

Nick Leach, SS, 2018, Marcos de Niza
Westmont College commit. 5-foot-9 160-pounds. Very strong and physically developed for his listed size. Very high energy player.  Quick twitch actions on the infield, plenty of arm to remain at SS at the next level. Hits from a wide, balanced setup with lots of hip rotation in swing. Ran 4.38 on a swing from the right side. Excellent get for Westmont College.

John Neeley, RHP, 2018, Mountain View
Uncommitted. 6-foot-3 175-pounds. Worked 81-2 with the fastball, touching 83. Hard 76 mph slider with good tilt and depth was his best pitch in this outing. Drop and drive delivery with some early backside collapse. Generates good arm speed and has pitched with considerably higher velo in the past. Remains a good follow.

AZ Sophomore Fall Classic – 10/5/17-10/8/17

Andrew Calloway, LHP, 2020, Sabino
Uncommitted. 6-foot-4 178-pounds. Worked 77-79 with a mostly straight fastball. Threw from ¾ slot with long, loose arm action. Very low effort delivery that combined with his frame projects for more velo as he adds physical strength.  Has a chance to pitch with both plane and angle on the fastball. 67 mph curveball showed consistent rotation and was generally around the plate. Delivery indicates he should be capable of throwing a good changeup as he matures. Strong follow on the mound.

Ty Corcoran, C, 2020, Hamilton
Uncommitted. 6-foot-1 180-pounds. Looks bigger than listed size with strong, thick lower half. Arm strength stood out on defense as his throws carried very well to 2B from behind the plate. Showed off a 2.07 pop in game. Big, strong swing in the box with some raw power. Interested to see how he develops offensively as there are tools present to have success. 

Taylor Cash, LHP, 2020, Boulder Creek
Uncommitted. 6-foot 165-pounds. Ran his fastball up to 81 mph from the left side with a clean arm action. Some effort in delivery causes head movement at times. As he continues to add core strength and refine his delivery this should clean itself up and produce a very interesting prospect on the mound.

Jaeden Swanberg, LHP, 2020, Salpointe Catholic
Uncommitted. 6-foot-2 190-pounds. Big-bodied sophomore worked mostly 78-80 with his fastball that showed consistent run to the arm side.  Had some difficulty getting the ball to his glove side which should improve as he continues to get stronger in his core and more athletic with his lower half.  Short 3 piece arm action.  Mixed in 65 mph breaking ball with 2/8 shape. 

Jacob Berry, 1B/3B, 2020, Queen Creek
Uncommitted. 5-foot-11 200-pounds. Very strong, physically mature, square frame. Was consistently on time against high level pitching. Showed advanced feel for the strike zone and elite bat-to-ball ability. Not a ton of room left for physical development but already possesses plenty of power to be an impact bat at the next level. Defensive ability currently profiles best to 1B/DH. Did not have an opportunity to see him hit from the right side.

Daniel Davila, MIF, 2020, Flowing Wells
Uncommitted. 5-foot-10 155-pounds. Athletic frame with plenty of room to get stronger. Athletic actions on defense.  Arm currently profiles better to second base, but carry should improve with added physical strength. At the plate he showed off a short, fast twitch swing with surprising pop for his size including a flyout to the left field warning track at the Padres complex.  Good follow.

Caleb Lomeli, RHP, 2020, Corona Del Sol
Uncommitted. Ideal 6-foot-3 180-pound frame. Stays on line with delivery that starts with high leg lift. High ¾ slot that can get even higher at times as he chases velocity in his delivery with a very aggressive front side that affects his ability to maintain posture. Delivery makes it difficult for him to generate consistent downhill plane on fastball despite having elite size. Pitched at 79-81 with his fastball mixing in a big curveball at 65 with 12/6 shape. Strong follow on the mound as he continues to refine himself as a pitcher.

Tyler Davis, RHP/OF, 2020, Sunrise Mountain
Uncommitted. Listed 6-foot-1 175-pounds, but looks closer to 190. Impressive strength for a 2020; projects to be very physical prospect. Shows elite raw power in BP although swing can tend to get a bit long in game action. Worked 86-7 with his fastball on the mound and will be high-level RHP prospect.

Michael Brueser, OF, 2020, Hamilton
Uncommitted. 6-foot-1 180-pounds. Very well proportioned frame, projects to maintain athleticism as he adds bulk and continues to mature physically.  Balanced athletic setup at plate, loads hands deep and generates good extension with swing. Rangy defender showed well in CF on the weekend.

AZ Freshman Fall Classic – 9/28/17-10/1/17

Brock Selvidge, OF/LHP, 2021, Hamilton
Uncommitted. 6-foot-2 165-pounds. Listed as a switch hitter but hit RH vs. RHP. Showed combination of advanced approach and bat speed that produced consistent hard contact to the middle of the field.  Athletic, projectable body with plenty of room on frame to fill out and get stronger.  Highest level follow. Interested to see him on the mound.

Beau Ankeny, 1B, 2021, Desert Vista
Uncommitted. 6-foot-2 210-pounds. Extremely physical for a freshman.  Showed off very advanced rhythm and timing at the plate. Generates power with bat speed, not just strength. Defense should continue to improve over time.  Bat will be carrying tool.

Barrett Skaugrud, SS, 2021, O’Connor
Uncommitted. 6-foot 140-pounds. Terrific feel for the game. Executes at a level well beyond his years. Showed strong middle infield actions and the ability to throw from multiple angles. Arm strength will improve as he matures physically.  High waist, projectable body. Quiet, advanced approach, barrel stays in the zone a long time. Will be high-level prospect as he adds strength and continues to fill out.

Jose (JR) Lopez, SS/RHP, 2021, Poston Butte
Uncommitted. 5-foot-11 140-pounds. Showed best on defense where he easily made moving both directions and showed strong carry on his throws.  The switch hitter struggled some at the plate Thursday evening from the right side but looked much better the following day from the left side also running a 4.56 on turn.

Jackson Thomas, RHP, 2021, Mountain View
Uncommitted. Projectable high-waisted body. Ran his fastball up to 81 with good arm speed from a high ¾ arm slot. Clean arm action and aggressive delivery that at times included a significant head jerk that will need to be cleaned up some as he matures.  Good follow on the mound.

Tyler Kearney, MIF, 2021, Mountain Pointe
Uncommitted. Athletic looking MIF keeps bat in zone a long time. Hits from a wide, balanced set-up with low hands.  Loads hands deep to generate power creating a slight arm bar that didn’t prevent him from making hard contact with wood.

Wesley Kath, SS, 2021, Desert Mountain
Uncommitted. 5-foot-9 140-pounds. Showed off lots of fast twitch ability in the field, including multiple plays from SS on the run.  Quick arm with strong carry on throws. Interested to see the LHH more on offense.

Ethan Linn, RHP, 2021, Queen Creek
Uncommitted. 6-foot 160-pounds. Lots of physical development yet to come.  Projects to have an ideal pitcher’s body. Clean, low-effort delivery. Threw his fastball downhill consistently at 78 mph. Developing secondary offerings.

AZ Athletics 2018 vs. Phoenix College – 9/27/17

Troy Balko, RHP, 2018, Sunrise Mountain
Uncommitted. 6-foot-3. Physically very immature, lots of room to get stronger and add velo.  Worked 83-87 with his fastball and generally commanded it in the zone.  Slider was best pitch and showed good tilt and depth at 77 mph.

Nicholas Barendrick, MIF, 2018, Saguaro
Uncommitted. Showed solid defensive actions at SS. Moves well and should be able to help someone up the middle at the next level.  Arm strength currently profiles more to 2B, but added physical strength may change that.  Showed a strong swing with good pop, especially for his size. Was consistently on the barrel.

Mitchell DeCovich, RHP/3B, 2018, O’Connor
Uncommitted. Great projectable body with extremely long limbs. Profiles best on the mound at the next level but also showed off strong infield actions.  Worked 80-83 with the fastball pitching exclusively out of the stretch.  Loose arm action from low ¾ slot that generated good arm side run in to RHH.

Esera Sua, OF/1B, 2018, Sunrise Mountain
Uncommitted. Extremely physical RHH showed off good raw power and a surprisingly short swing for a hitter his size.  Very strong.  Has a chance to help someone at the next level with the bat.

Diamondbacks Scout Team vs. South Mountain CC – 9/20/17

Brennen Davis, OF, 2018, Basha
Uncommitted. Elite multi-sport athlete also excels in basketball. CF profile with average arm and above average range. 3.33 on steal of second.  Room to develop as a hitter.  Will make more consistent hard contact as he shortens swing and gets more time on the diamond. Showed much better feel for the strike zone and was on time more consistently than the week prior.

Jake Jarvis, OF, 2018, Basha
Uncommitted. Athletic build, high waist. Hard line drive contact in BP. Some stiffness in swing, slight arm bar.  Barreled ball to all fields in game against high-level pitching.

Jack Silverman, 1B, 2018, Desert Mountain
Uncommitted. Big thick frame looked every bit of listed 6'2 210. Displayed impressive combination of raw power and bat speed in BP.  Will be interested to see more game AB’s from the physical hitter.

Seth Beckstead, C, 2018, Basha
Grand Canyon commit. Showed off strong accurate arm in throwing out multiple runners early in game (2.0 pop).

Sasha Sneider, LHP, 2018, Thunderbird
Arizona State commit. The 5'9 LHP showed an extremely advanced feel for pitching and an ability to get outs that should translate to the next level.  Worked at 85-88 with his fastball from a high 3/4 arm slot. Mixed in a 12-6 curveball with solid depth and a changeup with big fading action.  True 3-pitch mix. 

Diamondbacks Scout Team vs. Central Arizona College – 9/13/17

Tyler Woessner, RHP, 2018, Pinnacle
Arizona State commit. Very powerful 6'4 frame.  Worked 88-90, touching 91 with a heavy fastball.  Hard slider at 80-82.  Early pronator has potential to develop a plus changeup down the line.

Jonathan Ornelas, SS, 2018, Kellis
Professional level actions at SS. Soft hands, ability to throw from all angles, enough arm to stay on the left side. Displayed strong feel for the game. Gets late start with leg lift at times but took an outstanding BP making hard contact all over the field and showing surprising power for his size.  

Leo Palacios, LHP, 2018, Carl Hayden
Dual-commit to Grand Canyon and Central Arizona College. Big, strong bodied 2018 LHP. Worked at 88-90 with the fastball, touching 91. Fastball had good late life when down in the zone. Had a tendency to get underneath his off-speed at times. Delivery has improved, toe not as open at foot strike.