Prep Baseball Report

PBA Scout Day Player Analysis II


Steve Doherty
SoCal Area Scout

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LOS ANGELES, CA. Forty-eight players divided into groups of 4-6 came through the baseball diamond over a three day period to be worked out by PBA coaches while PBR provided coverage and data capture through Trackman and Blast Motion. 

Players were put through their workouts designed by coaches and PBR took measurements and analyzed/evaluated players. We recently featured some players in both the Quick Hits and the Stats Leaders stories. 

We will continue to roll out more in-depth coverage of the workout as we take a closer look at the players with this Player Analysis II piece.

Cameron Cunnings RHP / Bullard , CA / 2021

Body: 6’1 200lbs; Sturdy frame

Hit: Athletic set up in box with a small leg kick trigger. Upper and lower half work in unison to create coil within the body. Barrel gets on plane early and stays through the zone.

Power: Average currently, 90 MPH Exit Velocity

Field: Showed very well during his workout at 1B. Actions looked fluid and under control while fielding ground balls. Showed the ability to move around to both sides while providing quality double play feeds.

Run: 7.33 60-Yard

Pitching:

Delivery: Simple delivery working exclusively from the stretch with a mid-height leg lift. Drop and drive style lower half that really gets into the ground. Back foot stays connected to rubber until he rotates into foot strike allowing it to peel off. 

Arm Action: Arm is long, but is able to get it up, on time, and in rhythm with his delivery. Higher slot (12:15 tilt) that allows him to create some ride. Shows the ability to create arm speed when it all syncs up.

FB: 81-84; Avg almost 20 inches of Vertical Break. FB Plays up in zone.

CH: 73-75; Relying only on speed difference from FB

CB: 68-70; Mirroring planes of rotation make this match well with FB

Isaiah Alvarado OF / 2B / Hart, CA / 2022

Body: 5’10 170lbs; Lean & Athletic

Hit: Balanced set up with low hand placement and a preset load into the back hip. Showed some rhythm in his swing with a small leg kick and hand hitch before contact. Has feel for the barrel and drove balls to the gaps during his rounds of batting practice. Needs to be mindful of barrel lagging at times due to hand movements before initiating the swing.

Power: Average currently, 88 MPH Exit Velocity

Arm: 75 MPH Outfield Velocity

Field: Moved around well in the outfield showing under control actions and an accurate throwing arm. Fielded all balls cleanly and had quick transfers out of the glove. Moved around laterally to both sides with a sense of urgency. Biggest benefit would come from adding arm strength.

Run: 7.40 60-Yard

Ty DePerno C / SS / West Ranch, CA / 2023

Body: 5’10 165lbs; Athletic, Room to fill out

Hit: Balanced, athletic set up in the box with a smaller leg kick and slight hand hitch. Hands slot in nicely and work short to the ball while staying on plane after contact. Engages rear hip/glute well and is able to create some momentum moving into foot plant.

Power: Average currently, 88 MPH Exit Velocity

Arm: 77 MPH Catcher Velocity

Field: Showed maturity behind the plate performing well in all aspects of his defensive workout. A strong arm (77 MPH) coupled with clean receiving/transfer skills allowed him to make quality throw downs with ease. Also had solid block and recover abilities fielding  both  balls in dirt and bunts laterally to both sides.

Run: 7.51 60-Yard

Pitching:

Delivery: Simple drop step delivery with a high leg lift. Has the ability to maintain body control at its peak which sets hip up to begin moving down the mound. Engages glute and holds tension in the back hip well. Rotates nicely around a firm front hip. Added mass will increase velocity.

Arm Action: Free and easy arm with what seems like very little tension. Arm works in sync with the body and gets up and on time at foot strike. Matches plane of rotation with hips and shoulders really well making for a solid deceleration pattern.

FB: 81-83; 1:00 Tilt creates ride up in zone

CH: 74-76; Solid movement separation from FB

SL: 68-69; Pure Sidespin, goes well with FB

Andrew Hiestand 2B / RHP / Mira Costa , CA / 2021

Body: 5’11 185lbs; Athletic & Sturdy frame

Hit: Quiet and Balanced set up allows for controlled, compact violent swings. Leg kick initiates a hand hitch that helps him create hand/barrel speed. He uses ground his lower half and ground forces extremely well to put him in a position to launch from.

Power: 88 MPH Exit Velocity

Arm: 81 MPH Infield Velocity

Field: Possibly the best part of his game. Showed polished actions not seen in many high school players. Used his strong lower half to gain leverage on the ground while fielding ground balls and had an accurate throwing arm during the workout. All of his actions are deliberate and concentrated.

Run: 7.15 60-Yard

Pitching:

Delivery: Quick, athletic delivery powered by a strong lower half that gets deep into the ground. Back hip shows the ability to hold tension for an extremely long time until the body begins to unwind. Back foot becomes in-stable near peak leg lift causing the heel to peel off and energy to leak. 

Arm Action: Similar to the infield, the arm action is relatively short and very quick.  He gets into a clean scapula retraction which gets him set up to deliver the arm on time at foot strike. Arm comes through clean which allows for a healthy deceleration pattern.

FB: 81-83; Extremely high ride, plays up in zone

CH: 73-74; Pairs well with FB, solid speed & movement separation

CB: 65-67; Close to opposite spin direction, very good pair with FB

CT: 74-76; True cutter movement

Rowan Jen RHP / 1B / Harvard-Westlake, CA / 2023

Body: 6’3 185lbs; Large frame, room to fill out and add muscle

Hit: Bigger body allows for him to start with a wider base. Leg kick timing mechanism and gains some ground with his weight shift moving forward. Head stays quiet as the body rotates around. Barrel gets on plane and stays there post contact.

Power: Average currently, 92 MPH Exit Velocity

Arm: 71 MPH 1B Velocity

Field: Worked out at 1B during the defensive portion and showed well. Fielded groundballs to both sides well demonstrating mobility to his left, right, had clean transfer and feeds to second base. Footwork will continue to improve with maturity/development and glove will have to take a step forward in the future.

Run: 7.76 60-Yard

Pitching:

Delivery: Simple delivery with a higher leg lift that gives him time to begin to sit into his rear glute. Body works in rhythm to create a quicker tempo out of hand break and into foot strike.  Can get into the quad and push out at times. Will be interesting to see with continued development.

Arm Action: Arm is long out of the glove but becomes constrained by the lower half. As the front leg begins to move out into foot strike the arm is pulled up and gets there on time. The arm path spirals out nicely as it unwinds and goes into deceleration.

FB: 81-82; Lower spin and movement will play best down in the zone.

CH: 75-76; Ideal movement separation from FB

CB: 64-67; Spin direction Pairs well with FB Spin Direction

Hunter Friedberg OF / LHP / St. John Bosco, CA / 2023

Body: 5’9 150lbs; Lean, with room to fill out and add muscle.

Hit: Simple and balanced stance with a small leg lift that allows for a quick launch. Head stays quiet and gets into lower half well. Impressed during his two round of batting practice by consistently hitting the ball hard and showing some power to the pull side.

Power: Average currently, 93 MPH Exit Velocity

Arm: 84 MPH Outfield Velocity

Field: Showed quick, under control actions during his outfield workout. Moved with a sense of urgency and had clean transfers from glove to hand. Moved around well to both sides and showed both a strong and accurate throwing arm. Shorter arm action.

Run: 7.42 60-Yard

Pitching:

Delivery: Quicker tempo delivery with a drop and drive style lower half. Weight shifts to the ball of the foot early causing him to lose heel connection / energy. Rotates around a firm front leg as the arm goes into deceleration.

Arm Action: Arm action is short and stays close to the body. Hand stays neutral out of the glove allowing the arm to take a direct path to the cocked position. Arm gets pulled up going into foot strike as the front hip begins to open.

FB: 79-81; Very high slot creates above average ride

CH: 68-70; No movement separation from FB, relying on speed difference

CB: 60-62; Movement profiles as a slider

Casey Hinojosa 3B / SS / Hart, CA / 2022

Body: 5’10 155lbs; Wiry, Room to fill out

Hit: Narrow stance with a preset load into the back hip. Leg kick timing mechanism with a quiet head. Looks as though he loses some lower half engagement on the stride out. Barrel gets on plane through the zone, hands work. Will benefit from keeping lower half engaged during rotation.

Power:  88 MPH Exit Velocity 

Field: Primary 3B, showed some athleticism and bounce in his step during the defensive workout. Footwork was under control and had rhythm. Performed with a sense of urgency. Fielded and threw well on the run.

Run: 7.76 60-Yard


Marty Kaplan OF / Harvard-Westlake, CA / 2022

Body:  6’3 185lbs; Athletic, Solid frame

Hit: Toe Tap timing mechanism that gives him time to sink into his lower half. Holds tension in the back hip for an extended amount of time before firing. Barrel is deep and gets on plane early. Quick launch with short to it long through it bat path.  Showed pull side power.

Power: 92 MPH Exit Velocity

Arm: 85 MPH Outfield Velocity

Field: Moved with a sense of urgency in the outfield during his workout. Had clean transfers with a strong and accurate throwing arm that topped at 85MPH. Good athlete that can get moving too fast for himself at times. Already has coordination, but biggest area for improvement would be footwork.

Run: 7.31 60-Yard

Jack Kelman C / OF / Harvard-Westlake, CA / 2023

Body: 5’9 155lbs; with ample room to fill out and add muscle

Hit: Toe tap trigger, with low hands and displays a rhythmic and athletic swing. Hands really work and has solid feel for the barrel. The body remains under control at all times allowing for the hands to get working. Biggest improvement will come from added  muscle and flexibility

Power: Below average currently, 83 MPH Exit Velocity

Arm: 65 MPH Catcher Velocity

Field: Wide set up behind the plate. Quick catch and throw skills and showed the ability to get down and block it during the defensive workout. Arm strength should come with continued development. Had him at 2.18-2.32 pop during the workout.

Run: 8.10 60-Yard

Jack Gurevitch 1B / RHP / Notre Dame , CA / 2022

Body: 6’1 195lbs; strong, athletic

Hit: Displayed some pop to the pull side. Leg Kick trigger; gains a ton of ground on the weight shift while he slots the barrel into launch position. Barrel stays in the zone for an extended period of time. Uses lower to get into the ground.

Power: Average currently, 90 MPH Exit Velocity

Arm: 72 MPH 1B Velocity

Field: Worked out at 1B during defensive workout. Showed his athleticism with the ability to move around the bag and field balls to his left. And right. Glove and footwork looked very clean and helped set him up to make double play turns. Arm can get long at times.

Run: 7.78 60-Yard

Pitching:

Delivery: Quicker tempo delivery, high leg lift, holds external rotation in the back hip as he moves forward. Front hip pulls back leg out of ground connection during stride leading to some energy loss. Rotates around front hip well after foot strike.

Arm Action: Long out of the glove, can become late and outside of 90 degrees at foot plant. Comes out of scap load early. Lots of potential velocity still in the tank. Decelerates well.

FB: 81-83; Equal Vertical and Horizontal Break

CB: 66-86; Mirroring planes of rotation make this pair well with  FB


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