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Uncommitted Upperclass: Quick Hits

October 22, 2020
Brett Thorney
State Scouting Director

Uncommitted Upperclass: Quick Hits

It's finally starting to feel like baseball in Arizona is somewhat back to its normal self again with plenty of consistent action to cover over the last month. The PBR Arizona staff has spent over 100 hours at the baseball field over the last month covering live tournament action. The depth of talent the state of Arizona has across the board is starting improve and standout on the national level. When the season shutdown early this year it was a bit unclear as to how it would affect upcoming recruiting classes. Some coaches have been able to get back on the recruiting trail in recent weeks. However, DI schools are still unable to go out to see players. Since January, PBR has put some of its main focus in highlighting and covering uncommitted players throughout the state. There is plenty of talent still left on the board in the 2021 & 2022 classes that coaches may want to make a move on here soon or follow closely in the future. 

On Sunday, October 18th, PBR Arizona had a chance to hold its Uncommitted Upperclass Showcase. This event was an open event featuring 70+ uncommitted prospects in the 2021 & 2022 grad classes. The event took place at Cactus Shadows High School in Cave Creek, AZ which arguably might be one of the best HS facilities in the state. This event has become a popular event as the Fall Season starts to wrap up. It's a great event for players still looking for homes at the next level as well as coaches still looking to fill their rosters with depth for the next recruiting classes.

Today, we will continue our post event coverage by taking a look at some first impressions from the event. This isn't a top prospect list but rather some things that stood out on the day. Be sure to stay tuned over the next few weeks for more post-event coverage. 

CLICK HERE to view all event statistics. 

+ 2021 RHP Nick Evans (Arcadia)- Evans' high upside as a right-handed pitcher stood out. In a wiry 6-foot-7 180-pounds, he has a high waist in an obvious lengthy frame with good athleticism and plenty of room to add more weight. He threw from an athletic delivery with easy effort. Displayed short arm action from a 3/4 slot with some quickness in the arm. Evans FB sat 83-85, topping out at 86mph on the day. He showed some feel for the SL that was slurvy at times at 71-75mph at 2369rpm. His CH showed as an above average pitch for him with sink down in the zone at 75-77mph. Evans athleticism and ultra projectable frame with present ability give him a high ceiling that scouts should pay attention to going forward. 

 

+ 2022 C Victor Londono (Salpointe Catholic)- Londono turned in a pretty solid all around day as a backstop as well as putting on a loud round of BP. Londono has a strong body at 5-foot-10 180-pounds. His strength stoodout at the plate where he controlled the tempo in the box. Consistently barreled up the baseball with hard contact at 96mph. Defensively, he was a bit more clean this time out with more fluid actions. He has a naturally lower center of gravity with some ability to get under low pitches. Overall, Londono has some tools that should help him standout more in the future with continued progression.

 

+ 2022 OF Shaun Cottrell (Mountain Ridge)- Cottrell had one of the better all around days of the entire group. In a 5-foot-10 160-pounds frame, he showed above average athleticism with some twitch to his actions. There were some advanced tools coming out of that frame that has a chance to improve even more with more maturity. As a left-handed hitter, he gave us a glimpse of a line drive approach with some feel for the barrel, working the middle of the field.  Cottrell's athleticism plays in the OF with easy footwork, he ran a 7.01 60-yard dash. He also noticeably had the top arm of the day in the OF, throwing 91mph. Cottrell also showed some two-way ability working his FB up to 84mph at a left-hander.

+ 2021 SS Ty Nelson (Saguaro)- We had wrote up Nelson in our event preview as one of top uncommitted 2021 INFs to watch at the event. He continues to be a player that scouts are paying attention to. Nelson sports a lean athletic 5-foot-10 180-pound frame with strong legs. He has gotten stronger since he attended our event in January and it shows the plate where he showed some improved, recording 96mph exit velocities via Trackman. Nelson displayed soft twitchy hands with a quick exchange and release. This time out he made sure to show off his arm strength a bit more, letting it go with accuracy at 87mph across the diamond. His speed doesn't jump off the page at you but plays the game with some quickness and good instincts. Shouldn't be uncommitted too much longer.

+ 2022 1B Evan Butler-Vander Valk (Coconino)- Vander Valk's round of BP at the event might have arguably been one of the top of the day. In at 6-foot-3 205-pound build, he shows above average strength with some athleticism. He showed consistent loud contact with good bat speed in his on the field session. There was some aggressiveness to his pull approach, yet had the ability to control his body. Defensively, he should athleticism around the bag as well as posting a 7.22 60-yard dash. Vander Valk should be a hitter to monitor in the 2022 class. 

 

+ 2022 LHP Brandon Koble (Red Mountain)- Koble shows strong upside as a left-handed pitching prospect with natural arm strength that he showed off in his OF velocity testing, recording 89mph from the position. He also has a chance to see some jumps on the mound in the future. Koble uses an athletic controlled delivery, falling into front foot strike. Short arm action from a H3/4 slot, quick arm speed. FB worked up to 84mph with run. CV showed as above average with hard late break at times at 69-73mph. Koble's projectable frame combined with athleticism should make for some jumps in the future. Should be followed closely. 

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