Prep Baseball Report

THE FIVE: OC Preseason All-State


Les Lukach
State Scouting Director

                          

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SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, CA. - The Road to the California State Games began at the second annual Orange County Preseason All-State held at JSerra High School. Players descended on St. Pierre Field to show their fall/winter progress in the leadup to the spring season. The invitation only event drew over 200 requests that were narrowed down to the 80 participants selected.  

Players were put through a customary pro-style workout that included a laser-time 60-yard sprint, a round of batting practice, a defensive workout that includes double-play turns for infielders, and concluded with bullpen sessions for pitchers. 

This event has quickly become a high demand event giving players an early opportunity to show their fall/winter gains. It also gives our staff an opportunity to see some new faces that will be added to spring follow lists. Earlier we released our Quick Hits highlighting 20 early standouts, the Statistical Analysis, the catchers analysis, infielders analysis

In this post we’ll take a look at The Five which will highlight the top players in the event. Due to the turnout of prospects, I decided to include only committed players or players who have not since committed. This means players like Austin Overn, Liam Crichett, Daniel Briones, Sebastian “Pollo” Flores, and Ali Camarillo were left off this list despite stellar performances. The list will also not include the eye opening performance of Ben Reiland who was the only 2024 invited to either Preseason All-State. I decided to leave him out because while he is no question an outstanding player, there's some awkwardness when evaluating players who are a year away from high school. 

With 80 participants and 30 players highlighted in the quick hits piece it was difficult to whittle this down to five players, but in the end there was at least one thing that stood out for this player over the rest. I hope you enjoy. 

THE FIVE


ANALYSIS

LES'S QUICK TAKE:
Peters continues to impress even after the OC Preseason All-State where he saw his stock rise after posting a consistent upper 80's fastball. Highly athletic shortstop who has seen some strength gains translate into more consistent gap power with his middle-middle approach. Currently uncommitted, look for Peters to be one of the top 2021's in Orange County college coaches will see come March 1st. 
SCOUTING REPORT:

OC Preseason All-State: Not our first viewing of Peters but it certainly will be the most lasting as he showed his overall abilities both at shortstop and on the bump combined with legitimate hitting skills. Sets up slightly open using a leg lift trigger before exploding off backside. Keeps hands in motion during setup and pairs them with leg lift getting his barrel on plane which he maintains through the zone. Hands are explosive. Easy to see high RBI, consistent gap power coming on his 5-foot-10, 160-pound frame. Defensively his actions are smooth and consistent. Backhand is pure while showing the ability to adjust to bad hop. Hands were quick on the turn. On the mound it was our best viewing of Peters as he appears to have increased command and velocity with more consistent mechanics. Touching 89 mph with his fastball it comes from an almost over-the-top slot on a downhill plane that he worked black-to-black. It’s tight and fairly straight showing the occasional hint of run. Curveball is sharp and tilts away from righties and will be a more than effective pitch. It was the changeup that showed the most improvement since last viewing. Coming from the same tunnel as the fastball there’s late depth and fade. While he touched 78 mph with the pitch, the action on the pitch was best noted at 76 mph. 



ANALYSIS

LES'S QUICK TAKE:
Storey will have an opportunity to have a major impact at the plate, in the outfield, and on the mound on how good Mira Costa will be this season. The uncommitted junior showed off his loose, whippy arm action at the OC Preseason All-State that has already garnered the attention of college recruiters. Storey is an above average defender in the outfield with desirable baserunning instincts that will make him a highly sought after prospect this spring. 
SCOUTING REPORT:

OC Preseason All-State: Storey participated in the Top Prospects Games last fall where he stood out with his overall athleticism in the outfield and at the plate where his right handed stroke projected gap power. Storey improved on his outfield velocity (84 mph) and his exit velocity (90 mph) from the Top Prospects Games. He continued to show athletic and easy actions in the outfield where he funnels balls out front under control and shows clean exchanges with sub 1.0 glove-to-release times. Storey hopped on the mound for the first time where he shows a lively arm with an 84 mph fastball that works downhill in the zone and side-to-side. Storey’s curveball was tight with late tilt at 65-66 mph while his changeup works off the fastball tunnel before dying at the plate at 75-76 mph. When asked after his session if he’s been pitching much Storey replied in his casual style, “no, not really.” Well, here’s to hoping we get to see that more often this spring because the are is free and easy with way more in there. 



ANALYSIS

LES'S QUICK TAKE:
JJ is beginning to take the next step as a ballplayer and it's a lot of fun to watch. There's a newfound physicality in his 6-foot-2, 185-pound frame that is translating at the plate. Always a sure handed and reliable defender, the added strength has combined with some natural athleticism to show a stronger more athletic version of the Jaffe we saw last summer and fall. Jaffe also appears to have cleaned some things up with the bat where he is showing a more repeatable and consistent approach. 

SCOUTING REPORT:

OC Preseason All-State. Jaffe was one of the standouts in this workout. Has a projectable, large, tall, athletic frame with significant room for all around growth, Has made noticeable physical gains and has become more twitchy since our last viewing at the Future Games last July in Georgia. Exhibited a solid BP round punishing balls to all fields. Starts from a traditional, balance position, with high hands separated from body. Has a barrel load trigger with minimal hand movement. Approach to ball is violent with excellent bat speed and extension to high finish. As he adds weight and muscle, we will see him driving the inside pitch for high double totals and homeruns in the future. Defensively Jaffe moves extremely well for his length and makes the correct reads on ground balls with proper actions. Shows a strong accurate arm with carry and zip on throws across the diamond.



ANALYSIS

LES'S QUICK TAKE:
It's easy to get caught up in Burns's physical stature at 6-foot-1, 170-pounds because he looks like the All-American Quarterback some anticipate he may one day become. It isn't until you see him move around on the baseball field that you realize what may one day become on the diamond rather than the gridiron. A sub-7 runner with power in bunches at the plate, if Burns can refine his defense a tick at shortstop over his high school career, he's going to have a serious decision to make come June 2023. 
SCOUTING REPORT:
 OC Preseason All-State: Six-foot-1, 170-pounds, large, physical, and strong frame. Higher waist with thickness in lower half. Squared shoulders with a thick neck. Burns is the 14th ranked player in the Class of 2023 Rankings and the starting QB on Mission Viejo’s 10-0 freshman football team. He’ll also be a name every college recruiter will know before too long, assuming they don’t already. He’s not a football player playing baseball, he’s an athlete who plays football and baseball and does both very well. Opened with a laser-time 6.89 60 before entering the hitting wheel where he recorded a 91 mph exit velocity which tied him for third-best amongst all participants. Uses his long frame well in his swing after starting from an upright, open stance with high hands. Not much movement other than a slight foot drift into the ball. Hands are explosive and when his barrel was on time we got a sneak peek of the power that will come as his last ball smashed off the wall. Defensively he has the tools to stick at short in the long term and should see his fair amount of time there this spring. The arm is, as you would imagine, big and accurate. Was 84 mph across the diamond.


ANALYSIs

LES'S QUICK TAKE:
At first glimpse Bond has the look of a mild mannered baseball player then you get him on the mound where he was a nasty strike throwing machine. With a big, sturdy frame, Bond showed a loose, whippy arm that projects for continued velocity gains. With feel for a three pitch mix, Bond, only a junior, will be a staple on a loaded Sierra Canyon pitching staff. There's room for physical growth to enhance that enhances the profile. 
SCOUTING REPORT:

Orange County Preseason All-State - large mature and imposing 6-foot-4 215 pound frame. Arm worked off a whippy ¾ arm action with a consistent release point. Showed a straight 86-88 mph fastball with carry through the zone, topping at 90 mph on the last pitch of his bullpen. Curveball had some funky side-to-side spin to it at 73 mph that played off his fastball well. Change-up showed run and sink from the same release point as his fastball at 77-80 mph. Overall competitiveness and imposing fastball coupled with a funky curveball will make him difficult to face and should become an uncommitted name to watch.



UPCOMING EVENT

Norcal Underclass Games (INVITE ONLY) CA 06/06 Islanders Field - Lathrop
SoCal Underclass Games (INVITE ONLY) CA 06/13 Hart Park
SoCal ProCase CA 06/14 Hart Park
2020 PBR Future Games (California Invite) CA 07/29 LakePoint Sports

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