Thu October 11, 2018
The Inaugural Rising Stars Showcase took place recently at Santiago High School in Corona, California and was open to players in the 2022 and 2023 classes. The event attracted over 50 players in these two classes with many of these players likely to be found on our upcoming 2022 Class Rankings. The participants were put through a pro-style workout that saw them run the 60 yard dash, batting practice, and a defensive workout before the pitchers took the stage to throw their bullpens and close out the event.
With over 50 players at the event our team of scouts were not only impressed with talent on display, but the depth of the talent was something that continued to show itself at the event. Many players showed well at multiple positions during the event making them no brainers for this list. In addition to them, there was a high level of very projectable players at the event, players who are certain to make a name for themselves as they move into high school and beyond.
Let's take a closer look at the top prospects from the Rising Stars event. Players are listed in no particular order.
9/23/18 - Rising Stars Showcase - Five-foot-6, 140-pounds, long, lean, medium frame with present wiry strength throughout the body. Rodriguez shows an upright, open stance with high hands. Rocks weight back with a high leg kick before using his explosive lower half and quick hands to drive the barrel into the ball. Shows present bat speed and a knack for barreling balls. Has a presence about him in the box. Flashed some indications of future power with line drives to the gaps including a one-hopper off the left center field fence. Defensively he shows rhythmic movements with his footwork, range, and overall athleticism. Gathers ball out front and has fast, clean exchanges with enough arm strength to make accurate throws from multiple angles. On the mound he oozes projection. Starts tall and uses a high leg lift before driving down the mound. Arm is quick-to-fast with easy effort. Fastball is heavy with some life as it enters the zone. Has excellent command of the pitch to all quadrants of the strike zone. Curveball shows short, quick break late with some down action. Pitch really projects as he not only has command of it, but he keeps it down in the zone. Throws fastball and curveball from same slot and arm speed. Changeup shows downward sinking action from same slot. While he didn't flash the command of it that he did with other pitches, the changeup projects to be a future out pitch.
9/23/18 - Rising Stars Showcase - Six-foot-2, 175-pounds, large frame with lean muscle and wiry strength throughout the body. Squared shoulders with long limbs and large feet (size 16). Roulston is one of most projectable athletes that participated in the event with his raw present tools. At the plate he shows a knack for barreling the ball consistently and driving balls to the gaps. Barrel really plays in the hitting zone where he keeps it on plane and through the zone for a long time. Does an excellent job of syncing his lower half with his swing. Finish is balanced. In the outfield he shows excellent range to both sides and athletic movements. Attacks balls aggressively with good footwork. Hands are average and his arm gets a little long in the throw. With continued work in the outfield Roulston has big potential out there given his athleticism. Exchanges are quick and clean while his present arm strength is average. Plays through the ball but tends to slow when arriving to it.
UPCOMING EVENTS
| SHOWCASE | STATE | DATE | LOCATION |
| Senior Games (Invite Only) | CA | 10/13 | JSerra High School |
| Los Angeles Open | CA | 10/20 | Maverick Field |
Scouting Report
9/23/18 - Rising Stars Showcase - Six-foot, 170-pounds, big, physical frame with squared shoulders and strength down through the wrists with a thick backside and thighs. Coffey was one of the top players at the event given his overall skill set at the plate, at shortstop, and on the mound. When hitting he shows big power potential thanks to his knack for squaring up balls and using his explosive lower half strength to drive them to all fields. Has present bat speed that result in line drives and gap-to-gap power presently. Very projectable power at the plate. Defensively he excellent footwork and range to both sides. Actions are athletic and smooth. Has plenty of arm strength to make accurate throws from multiple angles. Hands are fast and smooth while his exchanges are clean. Throws have carry from a short arm action. On the mound Coffey flashed the ability to pound the zone with a fastball/curveball combination. Has a compact arm with quick speed through to an out front release point from a ¾ slot. Generates downhill plane from a slight drop-and-drive delivery. Fastball flashes run to the arm side which he commanded to both sides of the plate. Curveball has plus pitch potential as it's sharp with late, downer breaking action with 1/7 shape. Also threw a slurvy version of the curveball with downer sinking action. Lots of projection here as there's way more in the tank with Coffey.