Prep Baseball Report

San Diego Open Scouting Reports: Outfielders


PBR California Staff

At The Yard Podcast

SAN DIEGO, CA. - The first annual San Diego Open showcased the type of energy, talent and positive vibes that make San Diego one of the best baseball cities in the world. With the state of California granting full return to youth sports you could see an extra burst of energy from the Open participants with the looming high school season just around the corner. Open showcases are unique in that there are always players that participate that have yet to be seen and make their mark. Everyone came out a winner at the Open with camaraderie, leadership, and satisfaction seen throughout the day. 

Mizuno Baseball set up shop in the left-field batting cages showcasing their 2021 line of gloves and bats, with Fernando Tatis Jr, Andrelton Simmons and Mike Soroka model gloves receiving the most interest. Technology once again dominated the event with TrackMan, Blast Motion, Twitter, Instagram, video production, live stream and scout eyes working non-stop to showcase each player. 

Scouting reports continue to be an integral part of PBR - CA events. Hit, Power, Arm, Defense, Speed being the focal points of the reports. Please note Blast Motion scores are graded on a 20-80 scale. Today we take a look at outfielders. 

CLICK HERE FOR SORTABLE PLAYER TRACKMAN AND BLAST MOTION DATA

Outfielders

Cristian Angulo, Palm Desert (CA), 2022
Positional Profile: OF/1B
Body: 6-0, 175-pounds. Slick infielders build, athleticism, some twitch, strength gains will help.
Defense: Fielded with a low center of gravity, glove out in front, worked well laterally, 4/5 on throws.
Arm: LH.  INF - 77 mph. OF - 81 mph. Arm works freely and with ease, good follow through, pitching potential.
Hit: LHH. Relaxed setup, no wasted movement, hands do the work, two-hand finish. Showed plus bat speed averaging 75.57 and maxing at 78.70. Exit speed average of 74.11 should improve with maturity and bat speed combination.
Power: 91 mph exit velocity.
Run: 7.16 runner in the 60. 

John Iacono, Palisades Charter (CA), 2024
Positional Profile:POF
Body: 5-8, 140-pounds. Slim, proportional build with room for added strength.
Defense: Quickness in footwork; First step instincts are very good allowing him to properly position his body while gathering out front.
Arm: RH.  OF - 86 mph. Arm plays in the OF with accurate throws to 3B & home. Throws flash carry and ride.
Hit: RHH. Open stance with significant leg lift trigger, rocks hands pre-pitch.  Slight uphill path allowing him to create backspin; knob to ball approach; loud contact.
Power: 90 mph exit velocity. 
Run: 7.44 runner in the 60. 

Dashawn Jackson-Washington, Vista Murrieta (CA), 2022
Positional Profile: OF
Body: 5-7, 130-pounds. Proportional athletic build, some twitch, more to come.
Defense: Speed and feel gives him a chance to stay in center, accurate throws are a bonus, early read development needed.
Arm: RH.  OF - 79 mph. Arm profiles in leftfield and centerfield, very accurate long hop throws, 5/5 on target throws.
Hit: RHH. Relaxed set-up, wide base, simple step load. Hands shoulder height before dropping into swing plane with the elbow tucked into a one-hand finish.  Contact deep in the zone, spray chart shows majority of contact to the middle and opposite-field. Average hand speed of 20.90 and bat speed of 67.00 show some next level ability.
Power: 84 mph exit velocity.
Run: 6.95 runner in the 60. 

Nikko Paoletto, Damien (CA), 2024
Positional Profile: OF
Body: 5-11, 200-pounds. Physical, athletic build; Strength throughout the frame.
Defense: Funnels balls out front showing clean exchanges and a quick release.
Arm: RH.  INF - 80 mph. OF - 85 mph. Arm strength is present with accuracy to the bag; Clean exchanges with fast release; No wasted movements.
Hit: RHH. Neutral, upright setup with hands above shoulders. Leg lift trigger with consistent stride.  Maintains barrel on plane through to extension. Can shift weight too soon and hit off front leg. Showed plus bat speed and power.
Power: 100 mph exit velocity. Power is very real; Hit 5 HR's in BP.
Run: 7.35 runner in the 60. 

Jeremiah Vargas, Patrick Henry (CA), 2024
Positional Profile: OF
Body: 5-11, 170-pounds. Baseball athleticism, hands and feet work well, proportional throughout, room for more.
Defense: Baseball IQ, positions himself well, good first step, able to play throughout the infield and corner outfield positions.
Arm: RH.  INF - 77 mph. OF - 76 mph.
Hit: RHH. Relaxed stance, advanced actions, smooth one-hand finish. Blast Motion scores of 48-53-49 show significant improvement from previous showing with no present glaring holes. Ability to get in a good position to hit his best hitting score. TrackMan exit speed average increased from 77.3 to 83.42 in 5 months, average distance from 178 ft to 208 ft and max distance from 309 ft to 319 ft.
Power: 93 mph exit velocity. 
Run: 7.29 runner in the 60. 

Cooper Whitton, Santa Fe Christian (CA), 2022
Positional Profile: OF/
Body: 6-3, 205-pounds. Pro build, size illuminates 6.6 speed, room for more.
Defense: Size and development give him flexibility, outfield likely with centerfield at the next level being an option, in a good position athletically to play in multiple spots. 
Arm: RH.  OF - 84 mph. Arm works, some stiffness in the back, outfield projection with potential on the corners.
Hit: RHH. Athletic base, active hands, strong rotation, two-hand finish. Blast Motion scores of 55-71-69 show extremely well; the most projectable scores are above-average making him a top 5 uncommitted player in the county. 100.28 exit speed max comes to no surprise with multiple batting practice home runs and 368 max distance.
Power: 100 mph exit velocity. 
Run: 6.6 runner in the 60. 

Braden Wilson, West Hills (CA), 2023
Positional Profile: OF
Body: 5-9, 170-pounds. Average build with more to come, arms and legs work together, showed pliability.
Defense: Corner outfield ability, arm has right-field projection, speed development needed to play center.
Arm: LH.  OF - 80 mph. Arm works loose and freely, kept the ball low and on a hop, 3/5 on accuracy.
Hit: LHH. Clean left-handed swing, short through the zone, rotates well with a two-handed finish.  Blast Motion scores of 27-51-74 show a hitter with plus rotational ability and below-average plane. Rotational ability comes as no surprise as he passed that eye test with batting practice home runs and consistent noticeable loud contact. Below-average plane shows concern for high strikeout potential.
Power: 91 mph exit velocity. 
Run: 7.46 runner in the 60. 

Stephan Janik, Santana (CA), 2023
Positional Profile: 2B/OF
Body: 5-10, 140-pounds. Lean build with plenty of room to fill out.
Hit: RHH. Sits in a wide stance with straight up feet. Slight lean to his backside. Not much of a negative move. Simple forward stride as bat works into a slight barrel tip which hurts early connection and on-plane scores. Bat works on a slight upward path. Contact point was deep which resulted in majority oppo hits. 
Power: 74 max exit velocity. Current singles hitter.
Arm: RH. INF - 68 mph. OF - 68 mph. Longer arm action out of a lower ¾ slot. OF throws were consistent one-two hops. ⅗ accurate throws from SS.  Time to release was slow.  
Defense: Average defensive actions at both positions. Took good angles to get around and through the ball. Glove skills can improve as well as exchanges. 
Run: 7.69 runner in the 60. 

Ezra Farmer, Tahquitz (CA), 2022
Positional Profile: OF/LHP
Body: 6-0, 165-pounds. Athletic proportional frame. Projectable
Hit: LHH. Balanced with straight up feet in stance. Uses a mild leg kick trigger as upper body internally rotates. Hands get into a good lower launch position. Smooth stroke that works on an upward path. Middle of the field approach.
Power: 92 max exit velocity. Bat speed average of 70 mph and rotational acceleration average of 20.34 are both above average for his age and show a + power ceiling.
Arm: LH. OF - 84 mph. Quick compact arm action out of a higher slot. Above average arm strength for level. Thows were made on an upward angle which got to the target on the fly. Flashed good carry for ⅘ accurate throws in the workout.
Defense: Aggressive actions from the OF. Charges balls and gets low to the ground. Uses momentum to get off strong throws. Takes some unnecessary steps after fielding it.
Run: 7.1 runner in the 60. 

Gavin Vanderpool, San Marcos (CA), 2024
Positional Profile: 1B/LHP
Body: 6-0, 190-pounds. Athletic well-proportioned frame that projects to fill out nicely.
Hit: LHH. Sits in a taller upright stance with relaxed hands. Uses a leg kick trigger to start his negative move. Gets into his back hip while creating some internal rotation as he starts his forward move. Hands stay back at footsrike and work in the zone on a flat-upward path. Smooth powerful stroke with contact point consistently out in front.
Power: 99 max exit velocity. Present + pull-side power for his age. Bat speed average of 77 mph and rotational acceleration average of 15 gs are both above average for his level.
Arm: LH. OF - 73 mph. Showed a short compact arm action from both positions. OF throws were made on an upward angle with some reaching the bag on the fly. ⅘ were accurate from the OF. ⅘ accurate throws in his INF workout.
Defense: Average actions in the OF. Gets around the ball so he can charge in straight on. Took extra steps after fielding it which hurts time to release. Showed above average actions at 1B. Decent glove skills and sets up feet to make quality throws on DPs. Nice feel around the bag.
Run: 7.64 runner in the 60. 

Nick Medrano, Valhalla (CA), 2022
Positional Profile: OF/RHP
Body: 6-0, 200-pounds. Large athletic build that is filling out. Present strength throughout especially in the lower half.
Hit: RHH. Feet are straight up in stance. No negative move as he starts his forward move with a mild leg raise trigger. Bat stays neutral in positioning. Compact stroke, flat bat path, and level finish. Middle of the field approach.
Power: 92 max exit velocity. Present gap to gap power. Rotational acceleration average of 18 gs shows potential for a good power ceiling.
Arm: RH. OF - 81 mph. Shorter arm action. Average arm strength. Throws were made on a line for ⅘ accurate one hops to the bag.
Defense: Solid actions in the OF. Gets around the ball comes through it with momentum but uses stutter steps which slows him down a bit. Projects to a corner outfield spot.
Run: 6.99 runner in the 60. 

Weston Clark, Steele Canyon (CA), 2022
Positional Profile: OF/SS
Body: 6-1, 175-pounds. Well proportioned athletic frame with strength throughout.
Hit: RHH. Sits in an athletic stance with higher set hands and slightly pinched knees. Uses a quick leg lift gather into his back side as hands start to work into a good early connection position. Clears his lower half at foot strike and bat works back and enters the zone early (79% on plane efficiency). Compact stroke with quick hands (26.10 hand speed max). Flat bat path that is extended through at finish.
Power: 97 max exit velocity. Above average power for his level. 72 mph average bat speed and 23 gs average rotational acceleration show + power potential. 54.5% hard hit percentage
Arm: RH. OF - 87 mph. Long loose arm action. Above average arm strength. Higher arcing throws that were made on the fly. ⅗ accurate throws in the defensive workout.
Defense: Showed solid actions in the OF. Average time in getting to the ball but fields low to the ball and gathers enough momentum to get off strong throws.
Run: 6.51 runner in the 60. 

Cooper Hansen, Notre Dame (CA), 2023
Positional Profile: OF/1B
Body: 6-2, 175-pounds. Well proportioned and athletic. Room to add gains
Hit: LHH. Stands in an athletic stance with feet that are slightly closed. Higher set hands with a higher back elbow. Quick forward stride as barrel tips slightly which hurts early connection. Smooth stroke with an upward bat path. Middle-Oppo field approach throughout his round.
Power: 90 max exit velocity. Some present pull-side gap power.
Arm: LH. INF - 74 mph. OF - 84 mph. Long and loose arm action in the OF. Consistent strong and accurate throws to the bag from the OF. Arm action at 1B was more short, compact, and didn’t need extra steps to get off throws.
Defense: Proper footwork in getting around and through the ball in the OF. Infield glove skills are present. Clean transfers from both positions but the ones at 1B allowed for quick DPs. Looks more comfortable at 1B.
Run: 7.3 runner in the 60. 

Nate Snakenborg, San Marcos (CA), 2023
Positional Profile: C/OF
Body: 6-2, 200-pounds. Athletic well-proportioned build. Strength present throughout.
Hit: RHH. Balanced stance with hands active at his shoulder. Uses a quick simple stride as hands work down. Dips his back shoulder to help gain leverage under the baseball (73% flyball percentage). Flat-upward compact swing with consistent contact out in front (81% on plane efficiency). Gap to gap approach.
Power: 94 max exit velocity. Present gap to gap power (371ft max distance). Rotational acceleration average of 18.1 gs shows solid power ceiling to then build off.
Arm: RH. C - 75 mph. OF - 84 mph. At C, showed quick short arm action out of the ¾ slot. ⅘ accurate throwdowns. In the OF, arm action was slightly longer with throws made on a line for ⅘ accurate one-hops. Above average arm strength at both positions for his level.
Defense: Quick feet behind the dish on throwdowns and showed above average blocking and receiving skills. In the OF, showed average actions. Clean transfers and played low to the ball. Stutter steps were needed to play through the ball. Uses a mild crow hop to help gain back momentum to get off strong throws.
Run: 7.41 runner in the 60.

 

UPCOMING EVENTS

SHOWCASE STATE DATE LOCATION
Rising Stars Showcase - NorCal  CA 06/08 Islanders Field
State Games ID - NorCal  CA 06/15 Islanders Field
Rising Stars Showcase CA 06/22 Hart Park
Northern California ProCase  CA 07/06 McBean Stadium - Lincoln, CA
SoCal ProCase  CA 07/07 Hart Park
SoCal Academic Games  CA 07/13 Hart Park
California State Games  CA 07/16-07/18 Islanders Field


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