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Quick Hits: New Orleans Rising Stars ID

April 11, 2023
Alex Armand
Louisiana Scouting Director

Our first Rising Stars event of the year was held this past Saturday April 8, 2023 at Mandeville High School.  This series of events is for up and coming prospects in the 2027 and 2028 classes, and serves as an identifier for our Junior Future Games teams.  Today, we continue our post-event coverage of the event with another edition of of Quick Hits.  This piece focuses on some of the prospects that caught our eye.  Be sure to follow us, on all of our social media platforms, for continued coverage of the New Orleans Rising Stars ID!

 

2028 OF Burk Cresse (Catholic BR HS)

5'10" 140 lbs. long and lean frame that will continue to pack on strength as he matures.  If the name "Cresse" rings a bell to Louisiana baseball fans, then it's because you probably remember Burk's dad, Brad Cresse, who is a LSU baseball legend.  Burk had a good showing at Saturday's New Orleans Rising Stars ID and was the first participant to take BP on the day.  A LHH, Cresse starts in a balanced and upright stance with his hands held above shoulder height, before rocking to shift his weight back, using a simple load and stride to get to center.  Cresse gets his barrel behind the ball early working on-plane to contact and uphill through extension with a two-handed finish.  He found a lot of barrels to the middle of the field and opposite field gap, and he repeats his swing well.  In a showcase setting, it's easy for prospects to get "pull-happy", so it was nice to see Cresse work the baseball up the middle and as he continues to get stronger the power will continue to tick up.  

 

2027 MIF Ian Smith (Rummel HS)

Athletic 5'9" 145 lbs. frame.  Our staff came away impressed with Smith after Saturday's event for a variety of reasons.  At the plate, he starts in a slightly open and balanced stance with his hands held above shoulder height and uses a toe-tap load and stride, and his hands come down to just below shoulder height as his front foot hits the ground.  Smith swung the bat with controlled aggression and intent, showing present bat speed.  Early on his BP round, he tried to pull the ball a little too much, but when he adjusted his sights and worked to the middle of the field it was really good, as he was peppering balls from gap to gap that resulted in a max exit velocity of 84 mph.  Defensively, he took a clean round of infield showing athletic actions and a quick release.  All of his throws across the diamond were accurate as well.  Rummel has produced its fair share of infielders over the years, including a trio of D1 commits who are currently all on campus right now, and Smith looks like he could be the next one in line.  

 

2027 MIF/P Lavrenti Brock (Franklinton HS)

I've seen a lot of things in my time in the game of baseball, but I'm not sure if I've ever seen a switch-hitting middle infielder who is also an ambidextrous pitcher, and that's exactly what Brock is.  Brock's swing mirrors each other from both sides, as he operates in a slightly open and athletic stance with good rhythm in his hands, using a toe-tap load and stride.  He uses a direct path to the ball to create a lot of consistent hard contact from gap to gap.  On the turf, he received the ball with soft hands into a funnel and used athletic footwork to play through every ball.  He finished his day off on the mound, showing the ability to throw with both his left and right arm with aptitude for spin from both sides as well.  Brock is one of the more interesting young prospects that I've seen and will be a fun follow as he moves into high school next year.

 

2027 INF/RHP Peyton Starr (West Monroe HS)

Starr looks to be another promising prospect heading to West Monroe next year.  At the plate, he starts in a balanced and upright stance and uses a modified leg kick load and stride.  Starr creates good rotational acceleration by turning his back hip with some force to get the bat head to the ball and he finishes with slightly uphill extension and a one-handed finish.  He recorded a max exit velocity of 91.5 mph, while showing the ability to drive the ball from gap to gap.  On the mound, he offered a lot of intrigue as well.  It's a repeatable and athletic delivery and he uses a loose arm stroke to release the ball from a lower 3/4 slot.  His FB sat 79-81 mph with arm-side run.  He also flashed a sweeping 70-73 mph SL that has the potential to be a future swing and miss offering.  

 

2027 INF/RHP Brooks Bumstead (Dutchtown HS)

Physical 6'1" 175 lbs. frame with long limbs.  At the plate, Bumstead starts in an open and slightly wider stance down in his legs with the bat head laid back, before using a simple load and stride to get to center.  He worked down to the baseball with a direct path and slightly uphill extension with a two-handed finish, flashing some power up the middle and to the pull-side gap.  On the mound, he showcased a whippy arm action with a FB in the 80-82 mph range to go along with really good feel for a late-fading 70-71 mph CH that he was able to land for strikes to consistently.  

 

2027 C/RHP Lane Billings (Live Oak HS)

Physical 6'2" 185 lbs. frame; Billings already physically looks the part of someone who is ready to help a high school team.  In the box, he starts in a slightly open and athletic stance using a simple load and stride.  He works short to long, staying inside the baseball, while working gap to gap in his approach.  The future Live Oak Eagle recorded one of the best max exit velocities on the day at 89.6 mph.  From the crouch, he also flashed a good arm and athletic actions that resulted in pop times of 2.04-2.13.  

 

2027 Mason Rogillio (West Feliciana HS)

6'0" 185 lbs. frame with a strong lower-half.  Rogillio took a quality BP round on Saturday, showcasing some present power to the pull-side.  He starts in an upright and balanced stance and hovers with his front foot before landing.  Rogillio creates a lot of torque by aggressively firing his back hip, which creates an on-plane path to contact and slightly uphill extension with a two-handed finish.  Defensively, he also had a really good showing, as he tied for an event best 74 mph positional velocity from the crouch.  I also enjoyed watching him receive and block the ball during bullpens.  After a long day, it's easy for players to lose their energy, but he stayed vocal until the end and was very engaged with each pitcher that he was receiving, which is a quality that you want to see out of your catcher.  

 

2027 OF/LHP Clayton Fontenot (St. Michael's HS)

Wiry and athletic 5'10" 145 lbs. frame that will continue to add physicality as he matures.  The future West Feliciana product was another interesting two-way prospect in attendance on Saturday.  A really good overall athlete, Fontenot turned in the best 60 time of the day at a 6.87.  At the plate, he works from a slightly open and balanced set-up with minimal movements pre-pitch.  He repeats his swing well and maintains balance from start to finish, and worked the ball on a line up the middle.  On the mound, it's easy to see how he could create a tough look, especially for left-handed hitters.  Fontenot strides slightly across his body and releases the ball from a low 3/4 slot, which causes his FB to sink and run to his arm-side.  

UPCOMING EVENTS

SHOWCASE STATE DATE LOCATION
Lake Charles Rising Stars ID LA 05/20 Barbe High School - Lake Charles, LA
Lake Charles Summer Open LA 05/21 Barbe High School - Lake Charles, LA
Monroe Summer Open LA 05/30 Sterlington Sports Complex - Sterlington, LA
New Orleans Summer Open LA 06/06 Tulane University
Louisiana Top Prospect Games (Invite-Only) LA 06/13 University of Louisiana - Lafayette
East Texas Summer Open LA 06/14 Tyler Junior College (Mike Carter Field) - Tyler, TX
Baton Rouge Summer Open LA 06/20 Zachary High School - Zachary, LA
Gulf Coast Open LA 07/11 Mississippi Gulf Coast CC - Perkinston, MS
Gulf Coast Rising Stars ID LA 07/11 Mississippi Gulf Coast CC - Perkinston, MS
PBR Junior Future Games NATIONAL 07/25 LakePoint
2023 PBR Future Games (Louisiana Invite) LA 07/26 LakePoint Sports - Emerson, GA

 

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