Preseason All-State: Scouting Reports - Upperclass Infielders

 

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ROSEVILLE, CA - Anticipation and expectations for this loaded event were quickly validated with impressive TrackMan and Blast Motion metrics. Many players saw their metrics make improvements while newcomers discovered them for the first time and the value that they hold.  However, the annual Preseason All-State event isn't complete without a detailed scouting report from the Prep Baseball Report scouting staff. In this addition we dive into Upperclass Infielders. 

CLICK HERE FOR SORTABLE PLAYER STATISTICS INCLUDING TRACKMAN AND BLAST MOTION DATA

Caden Thompson, Woodcreek, 2022
Body: 5-9, 170-pounds. Highwaist, proportional build with strength showing and more on the way.
Hit: RHH. Compact set up, slightly open and even stance. Keeps hands on back shoulder timing up hand pump with front foot lift. Constantly ready to fire-starting swing with back hip and holding ground. Barrel works upwards getting on plane deep in zone and staying connected to the body with rotation. Peppered the pullside consistently with hard contact line drives and flyballs (90% via Trackman). 23.9 gs Max Rotational Acceleration, 75.5 Max Bat Speed, 59% On Plane Efficiency
Power: 95.30 mph exit velocity
Arm: RH. INF - 77.00 mph. Quick and easy release is smooth and fluid; kept balls firm across diamond understanding when he needed more on throws.
Defense: Feet and Hands stood out with easy actions; smooth on the field with rhythm and timing. Limited wasted movements and efficient through the baseball.
Run: 7.39 runner in the 60.      

Jared Lewis, Alpha Charter, 2022
Body: 5-9, 165-pounds. Athletic build with solid strength present in the frame; shoulder strength stands out
Hit: SH. Similar set up on both sides with slight open and higher hands; hands pull down and hold with slight front foot lift. Did have times where he utilizes toe-tap to adapt to incoming pitch. The back leg stays engaged with the ground through hinge/forward move. Rotates very well allowing the barrel to unwind through the zone and upward upon finish. Best swings occurred when he was behind baseball and able to work gap-to-gap with linedrive; times where he rushed swing leading to more pull groundballs. 29.1 gs Max Rotational Acceleration, 73.3 Max Bat Speed, 57% On Plane Efficiency
Power: 92.40 mph exit velocity
Arm: RH. INF - 90.00 mph. Loose arm gets to ear quickly and shows the ability to have the ball get out of hand easily. Able to adapt it for different angles and keep throws accurate
Defense: Very fluid feet and glove actions. Glove stays with the body when moving and efficient funnel to middle of the body. Actions showed up in workout and game settings.
Run: 6.86 runner in the 60.

Arjan Johal, Jesuit, 2022
Body: 5-9, 175-pounds. Compact frame, with strength present in the wider chest
Hit: RHH. Bat starts flat on back shoulder lifting hands up with front leg lift; transfers weight into frontside early in swing having hips stop and torso continue through the zone. Quick, flat barrel path stayed with the body on turns and created contact out front of the plate. Spraying type of swing consistently having liners to middle and pull gap. 71.9 Bat Speed Max, 82% Fly Ball/Line Drive %.
Power: 95.40 mph exit velocity
Arm: RH. INF - 87.00 mph. OF - 86 mph. Limited depth, wider throws from ear in both OF/INF, the release was quick with handspeed out front. Action creates cut/run on ball from OF to bases; was more accurate in INF and able to keep throw angles on bag.
Defense: OF kept a slower pace to the baseball and trusted arm to make throws; more space to utilize lower half in throws. INF showed the ability to be on-time to the baseball and fluid in his glove actions. Hips played well in INF opening and allowing him some lateral range
Run: 6.92 runner in the 60. 

Aeden Alexander, St. John Bosco, 2022
Body: 5-9, 170-pounds. Compact frame, with pronounced strength showing in lower half.
Hit: RHH. Early momentum in swing with high hands and hover foot lift. Hands pull back with a slight body coil. Keeps posture tall and connected with timing in swing. Steeper hands with upward path post-contact. Contact over power in the swing and ability to work pull side/middle well. 17.0 gs Max Rotational Acceleration, 69.3 Max Bat Speed. 57% On-Plane Efficiency
Power: 91.60 mph exit velocity
Arm: RH. INF - 82.00 mph. Quick to ear and compact with throws; arm fits for 2B at next level and can make the throws at SS right now.
Defense: Played with good rhythm and utilized his footwork well. Funnels and clean out of the glove.
Run: 7.60 runner in the 60. 

Nick Hawkins, Agoura, 2021
Body: 5-10, 168-pounds. Balanced body with a longer torso and some space for more strength to keep growing.
Hit: RHH. Hands at shoulder staying there through body crunch load with slight foot lift. Really understands his swing and sequences very well. Gets the front side into the ground and able to get the hip to start the swing. Easy barrel turn and direction through the zone to stay behind the baseball. Easy to see acceleration and deceleration in the swing and ability to drive ball to the pullside with carry. 78.3 Max Bat Speed, 17.1 gs Max Rotational Acceleration, 66.7% Hard Hit, 88.9% Line Drive/Fly Ball%
Power: 97.40 mph exit velocity
Arm: RH. INF - 77.00 mph. Compact arm, clean circle. Able to be accurate on all throws; limited life.
Defense: Moved well laterally and showed pre-fielding routine that was consistent. Glove secured the ball well and allowed for him to make plays.
Run: 7.13 runner in the 60. 

Joe Brown, Petaluma/Valley Oaks, 2022
Body: 5-9, 190-pounds. Compact, full-frame with current strength and good thickness throughout.
Hit: RHH. Slightly opened stance; loose early with lots of hand movement and bat tip to create momentum. Bigger leg lift staying connected with the back leg starting rotation before front leg gets to the ground.  Loose wrists/hands create bat speed and works upwards towards pullside; with early movement times where barrel can get out of connection with the body. Best swings found deep to pull gap and easy bat speed present. 82.6 Max Bat Speed, 18.4 gs Max Rotation Acceleration, 72% On Plane Efficiency
Power: 91.40 mph exit velocity.
Arm: RH. INF - 74.00 mph. Efficient arm action showing quick release. Footwork helps the arm play up.
Defense: Very good with his footwork early in the process and ability to open hips and get lateral. Understood timing/rhythm and when he needed to put more into it.
Run: 7.37 runner in the 60. 

AJ Guiliana, Torrey Pines, 2022
Body: 5-11, 170-pounds. High Waist, square shoulders, lean projectable frame
Hit: RHH. High hands, slight knee bend, slight upper half coil as uses slight foot lift to create tension. Backside really gets into the baseball and showed good ability of front side to stop. Hands work down and through contact creating backspin; times where he clips the ball. 74.9 Max Bat speed, 21.4 Max Handspeed, 80% On Plane Efficiency.
Power: 94.10 mph exit velocity
Arm: RH. INF - 79.00 mph.. Loose, long arm action. Throws stayed online to bag.
Defense: Has some bounce in his steps and covers ground well. Was on time to baseball and able to utilize the turf when throws needed it.
Run: 6.99 runner in the 60. 

Daniel McElveny, Bonita Vista, 2021
Body: 6-0, 190-pounds. Strong in the shoulders and chest with tight waist; some length/projection available.
Hit: RHH. Relaxed and balanced at the plate with high back elbow, hands work down and back with front foot lift. Fluid and controlled actions holding direction with backside drive. Fluid, upward path easy and loose; barrel follows hands well and allows him to damage baseball at multiple contact points. Finished the round barreling last 5-6 pitches all over deep LCF/CF parts of the field. 73.4 Max Bat speed, 21.4 Max Handspeed, 62% On Plane Efficiency
Power: 95.60 mph exit velocity
Arm: RH. INF - 86.00 mph. Powerful arm with strength to make all the throws; ball around bag and used turf.
Defense: Good bend in hips and clean funnel; gets the ball out of the glove quickly. Glove/feet/body controlled very well and with speed can stick to position
Run: 6.79 runner in the 60. 

Colin Spear, Sacred Heart Cathedral, 2022
Body: 6-2, 200-pounds. Wide shoulders with current strength present, yet still room to keep tightening frame and adding strength
Hit: RHH. Wide base, squatted with hands at back elbow; stays over the plate with side bend as hands pump backwards. Short stride after toe-tap with lower half creating direction through the baseball. Upward path allowing strength in the frame to come out; fluid swing easy and quick that produces loud damage and carry. 78.8 Max Batspeed, 27.9 Max Handspeed, 25.5 gs Max Rotational Acceleration, 60% Hard Hit and 90.93 Avg Exit Velo
Power: 95.70 mph exit velocity
Arm: RH. INF - 78.00 mph. Simple, compact arm able to make the throws needed.
Defense: Handled the bag well and was able to stay down and pick balls out of the ground. Some ability to move and make plays as needed.
Run: 7.99 runner in the 60. 

Nick Hill, Cerritos, 2021
Body: 6-3, 190-pounds. Large and athletic build that has added some physicality.
Hit: RHH. Stands slightly open and evenly balanced with a turned in front foot. Starts slow and early as he uses a leg kick trigger as his barrel tips slightly towards the pitcher. Hands work back down at footstrike where his front foot opens up to clear hips.  Hands provide most of the bat speed in his swing that is + (74mph average). Bat works up through the zone and the contact point was consistently out in front as all batted balls were up the middle to pullside. The front side at times turned over causing some rollovers but pull side power is there with 2 HRs during his hitting session.
Power: 97.40 mph exit velocity
Arm: RH. INF - 86.00 mph. Longer to release but with a shorter arm action. 3/5 throws were accurate. At times flashed decent life across the diamond.
Defense: Fields out in front and centered. At times is flat footed which makes it longer to transition into throws. Decent coming in and to the backhand side. Projects better at a corner infield spot.
Run: 7.25 runner in the 60. 

Ben Pernetti, Pleasant Grove, 2021
Body: 6-1, 205-pounds. Large, thick body with present strength; space to tighten as maturity comes in.
Hit: LHH. Open stance, tall with even hands. Weight over backside turning front leg internally on close up; hands keep pulling back/up until fire.  Hands attack down into zone turning with the body; best balls carried to the pullside. Strength present in the frame; in-game HR to pullside.
Power: 95.70 mph exit velocity
Arm: RH. INF - 76.00 mph. Slingy side 3/4. Regularly to the bag; limited carry/life.
Defense: Glove taps early to keep rhythm with the ball. Hips can get low; fair ability to open hips and work side to side.
Run: 7.61 runner in the 60.             

Cutter Coffey, Liberty, 2022
Body: 6-2, 193-pounds. Lean and athletic with longer limbs and a frame that still projects to have more room for gains.
Hit: RHH. Slightly open and relaxed in stance. Uses a mild leg kick trigger that gets him into his backside. Hands get back into a good early connection position while torso turns in for some internal rotation.  Swing is quick and whippy. Hands provide the majority of bat speed that is above average at 72 mph. Swing path is more upward in trajectory as 87.5% of all hits were of the fly ball variety. Present pullside power as he hit a HR in his hitting session and the average distance of all batted balls were 320ft.
Power: 95.30 mph exit velocity
Arm: RH. INF - 84.00 mph. Short arm action that is quick to release. 4/5 accurate throws in the defensive workout. Has the ability to throws from different angles when needed.
Defense: His defensive actions are +. Stays low to the ground and stays in rhythm with his heel to toe timing. Angles his body when fielding to be better inline with 1st to make more efficient throws. Clean exchanges and can throw on the move.
Run: 7.16 runner in the 60.        

Justin Trimble, Arroyo Grande, 2021
Body: 6-4, 220-pounds. Large and athletic build with present strength throughout the frame. Passes the eye test.
Hit: LHH. Sets up in a wider base with bat relaxed at the shoulder. Shifts slightly into his backside and use a simple forward stride. Hands stay back as he moves forward while staying connected to his backside.  Hands work inside the ball as he turns quick and tight. The swing path is flat as the bat enters the zone early and stays in the zone. Is extended and high at the finish. Maintains his tilt throughout the swing. + power tool with above-average bat speed at 79 mph average and rotational acceleration average at 23 gs.
Power: 100.10 mph exit velocity
Arm: RH. INF - 88.00 mph. Quick and compact arm action on DPs. All throws were accurate in the workout. Plus arm for a 1B at 88 mph; could handle corner OF position as well.
Defense: Showed best actions of any 1B at the event. Takes good angles, and athletic for the position. Strong footwork at the position and with his speed/arm strength the athleticism to fit a corner OF position as well.
Run: 7.13 runner in the 60. 

Devon Walczykowski, Jesuit, 2021
Body: 6-2, 210-pounds. Large physical frame with cleaned up strength and space to keep improving. Strength plays now at the next level.
Hit: RHH. High hands, open stance with hands working down and tight on big front leg lift. Gets into the backside very well carrying posture to forward move and having front leg absorb energy.  Easy barrel path to the middle of the field with compact swing having upward finish; hand speed present. Great extension out front and showed the ability to drive the ball easily to gaps/CF. 93.41 Avg Exit Velocity, 90.9 Hard Hit %, 79.4 Max Bat speed, 24.5 Max Handspeed.
Power: 99.00 mph exit velocity
Arm: RH. INF - 82.00 mph. Compact high arm, easy motion and repeatable. Able to make all the throws needed for the position with accuracy on bags.
Defense: Moved well off the bag and showed the range to cover position. Handled bag on throws and willing to stick his nose in for picks
Run: 7.74 runner in the 60.