Fresno Easter Classic: Day 2 Notebook

2022 MIF Brandon Forrester (Oregon State) of Bella Vista shows plenty of tools for a freshman both defensively and at the plate. He understands the strike zone and shows discipline at the plate. Hands were quick through the zone although there were hints of a lagging barrel, could be due to his developing body and strength. Squared up two balls in the viewing and showed to be a very good baserunner. Had a scare when he dove headfirst into second base and appeared to jam his shoulder. He got up after a bit and appeared okay. Defensively his actions are clean with good lateral movement to both sides and fair range.

2020 3B Garret Forrester (Oregon State) of Bella Vista is a big bodied, country strong looking third baseman with present power in the bat. From an upright, hands close stance, he whips the barrel in the zone on plane. Smoked a home run to left-center field that cleared the 15 foot wall by plenty.  Shows fair footwork at third base where his arm strength is plentiful and accurate presently. Profiles well at third base moving forward.

2020 P/INF Jake Torres (UNLV)  of Bella Vista showed very well at the plate where his left-handed swing is pure and consistent. Showed the ability to manipulate the barrel plane when he adjusted mid-pitch to an offspeed pitch before pulling it into the right-center field gap. Very athletic player whose future is on the mound.

2022 SS Mikey Bell (Uncommitted) of San Joaquin Memorial stands around 6-foot 165-pounds by the eyeball test (no height/weight in program) with present tools that will make him a player that will be highly coveted by college recruiters in short order. With plenty of room for physical development, Bell is a rangy shortstop with average present arm strength. He made a very athletic play on a backhand in the hole to initiate an inning-ending double play. He also showed his instincts by covering an open bag at third with a runner rounding second. At the plate he shows the ability to fight off pitches and extend at-bats. Looks comfortable in the box. Aggressively smart baserunner.

2021 2B Eddie Saldivar (Uncommitted) of San Joaquin Memorial is a left-handed hitting middle infielder that shows very good actions defensively to go with a patient and disciplined offensive approach. Smoked a single through the box on a breaking ball he sat back on. Busted out of the box forcing the center fielder to work a little to get the ball in. Shows feel for the barrel with a short, compact attack on the ball. Saldivar showed to be a strong defender with excellent footwork and quick hands with clean exchanges. Turned a double play with ease and in a hurry. Arm is presently average with accuracy.

2020 P Joey Bell (Uncommitted) of San Joaquin Memorial pitched last night so he DH’d in this viewing and he did not disappoint smacking a ball deep off the left-center field wall that nearly missed getting out. He collected a couple other hits in the game showing a consistent approach that relies on using quick hands through the zone before utilizing the present strength in the body.  

2019 SS Hunter Bryan (Fresno St.) from Redwood looks far more physical than the last time I saw him play last summer. He’s stronger throughout the frame, particularly in the shoulders and lower half. Showed excellent range making plays to both sides. The backhand was very good in this viewing; smooth and seamless. He’s coming back from a sore arm/shoulder and it appears he’s still not 100% in that area. At the plate the added strength was on display as he took the first pitch he saw in the game deep over the left-center field wall for a three-run home run. He hit a couple other balls hard in the viewing.

2020 RHP Juaron Watts-Brown (Texas Tech) from Hanford was a big draw on Day Two of the Fresno Easter Classic. The junior righty burst on the scene last summer at the Underclass Area Code Games where he flashed a lively fastball and two-plane slider and has improved his command of both pitches since then. His fastball showed some late life while working at 87-89 most of the night. It was straight at times but he showed the ability to elevate and bury it when needed while also working to both sides of the plate. Didn’t lose any velocity out of the stretch early before settling in at 85-87 from there late. Slider showed two breaks to it. Initially it was slurvy with late biting action, before it took on more of a curveball break with depth working at 75-77 and touching 78 with the pitch, he took something off from the stretch causing the break to be a tad loopier at 71-73 which also kept hitters off balance.

2019 C Darrien Miller (New Mexico) from Clovis High was once again spectacular. After squaring up 92 the night before for a triple he squared up 89 that one-hopped the center field wall for a double. Miller tried to extend it to a triple but a perfect relay got him at third. The hit, and the entire at-bat for that matter, showed Miller’s immense talent. The fastball was elevated and Miller was able to adjust his barrel path and square it up. He busted out of the box and was going to for three before he rounded first showing his excellent baserunning ability with tight around the bags. He threw out a runner defensively and made the play of the game on a foul ball pop up behind the plate where his technique in handling the ball was textbook.

2021 C Anson Aroz (Uncommitted) of Placer is a catcher that played shortstop today. Athletic body that is a high energy/high IQ player. Couple of hard hit balls in this viewing both to the opposite field with a line drive stroke with carry. Not a large body but shows strong hands as the ball comes off the barrel nicely. Hard contact in all three at-bats. Aggressive baserunner who takes the extra base if he sees it. 2nd game showed off defensive skills behind the plate with lateral quickness and ability to bounce from blocks to recovery. Footwork is clean on throws to 2nd with quick steps while getting ball out of his glove in unison flashing average arm strength; 2.0-2.04 at the bag in spot for tags. His glove hand is strong with great setup for receiving pitches.

2021 C Carson Seeman (Uncommitted) of Placer capably did everything defensively - received well, handled the low pitch well. Multiple accurate throws on the bag - 2.11-2.19 pops - in game. Fair arm strength presently. Very solid blocking skills - quiet and efficient in his movements. Had a single and double to left along with a hard hit ball to centerfield. Quiet, simple approach. Similar approach and profile in 2nd game while playing 2nd base. Showed middle of the field approach with two hard hit balls back through the box; compact and on-time swing.

2021 CF Jacob Richardson (Uncommitted) of Placer has a compact, strong runner-type body. Can hit. Easy stroke from the right side that is simple and quiet. High average-type hitter. Everything was gap-to-gap and barreled in his three at-bats. Defensively shows above average range with a good first step and jump.

2020 Justin Holaday (Uncommitted) of Lemoore ran the bags well and showed good reads/jumps and angles in the outfield. Very instinctive off the bat. Plus defensive range both left and right with an above average, accurate arm. Really strong middle-oppo approach with present and projectable power. Good top hand - one-hopped the center field wall with bases loaded.

2021 SS Elvin Delic (Uncommitted) Consumnes Oaks SS has a medium frame with athletic actions that showed well on defense making plays to each side and moving in time through the ball. Flashed an above-average arm with easy release keeping it on the bag while on the move. Very quick feet with jailbreak running actions on drag bunt for Sacrifice (4.00 H-1st) and when stealing 2nd base. Bat showed some length when focusing heavily to pullside with swing, but strong wrists and good rhythm and timing in swing.

Notables:

2021 OF Landon Dodd of Hanford is an interesting player to follow. He shows discipline at the plate - had a 7 pitch walk - and has some speed down the line - 4.29 H-1st on a dropped swinging third strike….2020 OF Daylon Davis of Hanford is the center-fielder that started the great relay that nailed Miller at third. He also showed well at the plate squaring up a ball and flashing some speed on the bases….2020 OF Brandon Burgos of Hanford smashed two balls on the night. One was caught in deep center field while the other went into left field for a base hit. Burgos has shown a knack for hitting that should continue into the summer….2021 INF Lee Trevino of Redwood shows some big upside both at the plate and defensively. He handles the bat well with a quick handed short path to the ball that shows a knack for the opposite field. Moved around the bag at first base (not his position of the future) well and handled/scooped balls in the dirt….2019 SS Justin Tiger will see better days defensively but he came up in a huge spot for Clovis and deliver the game winning hit. With the bases loaded Tiger took an elevated fastball at 87 and drove it into right-center field for a bases clearing double that gave Clovis the lead and ultimately the win.