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Quick Hits: Monroe Summer Open

May 31, 2023
Alex Armand
Louisiana Scouting Director

Sterlington, LA - Our second open event of the summer was held yesterday on May 30, 2023 at the Sterlington Sports Complex.  This series of events is for prospects in the 2024-2028 classes and serves as an identifier for our invite-only events such as the State Games, the Future Games, and the Jr. Future Games.  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 Monroe Summer Open!

 

+ 2025 OF Christian Turner (Haughton HS)

Athletic 6'0" 170 lbs. with a lean frame and room to add strength.  Turner was a guy that we were excited to see on Tuesday, after his successful sophomore year for the Bucs.  At the plate, he starts in a slightly open and upright stance with his hands held at shoulder height, while using a modified leg kick load.  Turner gets on-plane early and works with a slightly uphill path to contact and extension to match.  He primarily worked to the pull-side gap during BP and showed present bat speed that produced a max exit velocity of 93 mph.  Defensively, Turner took clean routes to the baseball and showed average arm strength with an 81 mph positional velocity.  His throws to home were accurate with backspin and carry.  A good overall athlete, Turner also posted a 6.95 laser-timed 60.  Haughton has produced some really good prospects over the last couple of years with the likes of Peyton Stovall (Arkansas) and Colin Rains (Northwestern State), and Turner looks to be the next guy in line.  

 

+2025 OF Jake Simmons (Ruston HS)

5'10" 180 lbs. compact frame with a physical lower-half.  Simmons is another guy who enjoyed a successful sophomore campaign for the Bearcats that saw him finish the year hitting at a .358 clip with a .477 OBP, and only 11 K's in 134 PA's.  On Tuesday, it was easy to see why he had so much success at the 5A level as a sophomore.  Simmons starts in a slightly open and athletic stance and uses a simple load and stride to get to center.  By the time his front foot hits the ground, he's anchored and in his lower-half, and maintains balance from start to finish.  Simmons rotates his back hip aggressively, yet under control, to deliver a heavy barrel to contact with uphill extension and a two-handed finish that produced a max exit velocity of 93 mph.  He's also a good athlete that posted a 7.18 in the 60, albeit on a slower track, and we've had him as low as a 6.96 in the past.  Simmons can hit and can drive the ball from gap to gap, so he's definitely a guy in the northern part of the state that should be followed this summer and moving forward.

 

+2024 RHP/OF Alex Morrison (Tioga HS)

Athletic and lean 6'1" 155 lbs. frame that is definitely going to fill out as he continues to mature.  Coming into Tuesday, reports on Morrison had been good, and turned in one of the best overall days at the Monroe Summer Open.  A good athlete with some twitch, Morrison turned in one of the best 60 times of the day with a 6.90.  He glided around in the outfield with long strides and showed a strong and accurate arm with an 86 mph positional velocity.  On the mound, however, is where he showed his most promise and upside.  It's a smooth, athletic, and repeatable operation with minimal effort, and a clean and compact arm stroke.  Morrison commanded his two-seam FB at 80-83 mph to both sides of the plate with arm-side sink and run.  He kept the same arm speed on his 77-78 mph CH that tunneled well off of his FB, and also flashed a developing 71-73 mph CB.  There's likely more velocity on the way, as Morrison a young 2024 graduate.  The "pitchability" is there and once the stuff catches up, he will be a guy that can help a program at the next level.  

 

+ 2024 RHP/SS Garrett Taylor (St. Frederick HS)

The uncommitted two-way prospect has been a familiar face at our events over the course of his high school career, and he had another good showing on Tuesday.  His work in the weight room was evident, as he showed up noticeably more physical, and also posted his best 60 time with a 6.80, which was tops on the day.  At the plate, he worked mostly to the pull-side with a simple and compact stroke that produced a max exit velocity of 91 mph.  On the infield, he received the ball with soft hands and athletic footwork playing through every baseball, while recording the best INF velocity of the day at 85 mph across the diamond.  On the mound, Taylor was one of St. Frederick's go-to guys on the mound and has long been known for his strike throwing ability.  He flashed a 82-84 mph FB and was able to command it to both sides of the plate, while also flashing feel for spin with a 70-72 mph CB and 71-72 mph SL.  Taylor also killed spin with a 77-78 mph CH with late fade, giving him a true 4-pitch mix that he can throw for strikes in any count.  

 

+ 2025 C Jack Ortego (Teurlings Catholic HS)

Physical 6'3" 180 lbs. frame that still has room to add strength.  Ortego was one of the more intriguing prospects on Tuesday with such a physical frame for a backstop.  At the plate, he starts in a squared off, athletic, and balanced stance, and uses a simple load and stride to get to center.  He delivers the bat head to the ball with a direct and slightly steeper path with uphill extension and a two-handed finish that produced a max exit velocity of 92 mph.  Defensively, Ortego received and blocked the ball well during bullpens, showing the ability to "stick" pitches, especially the ball down in the zone.  He also showed solid catch and throw skills that produced an event best 77 mph positional velocity with a 2.03 on-target pop time to second base.  

 

+ 2027 MIF Reeves Scroggs (Alexandria, LA)

Infield play is something that often goes overlooked at a pro-style workout, but Scroggs made it hard not to talk about after seeing his round of infield on Tuesday.  The incoming freshman showed a high "baseball IQ" with an advanced understanding of how to cut angles on different balls using athletic and quick footwork.  Scroggs also received the ball out front with a quiet and still glove, and showed a quick release, especially on the ball to his left and right.  At the plate, he starts in an open stance with a lot of rhythm in his hands before using a simple load and stride.  He worked balls to the middle and pull-side of the field on a line and hard on the ground.  Scroggs looks like another gritty, gamer type of middle-infielder coming out of CENLA that we're definitely excited to see more of moving forward.