Prep Baseball Report

Bishop Gorman: Quick Hits


Brett Harrison
Nevada Scouting Director

The Bishop Gorman Scout Day in the books, we now take a look back at the standouts from yesterday's event. The Scout Day included a Pro-Style Workout where players ran a Laser Timed 60 Yard Dash, took a Batting Practice, Catcher Pop Times/Velocity, Outfield Evaluations/Velocity and Infield Evaluation/Velocity concluding with Pitches Bullpens. This was an exclusive event for players in the Bishop Gorman program to highlight current players as well as a spotlight on the current state of the program itself.

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Tyler Whitaker / OF/3B / Arizona

Whitaker entered the Bishop Gorman Scout Day as the top ranked prospect in the state and also climbed up to #89 in the recently released 2021 PBR National Rankings. The 6-foot-4, 190 pound prospect did exactly what we expected and produced an electric round of batting practice using his premium level athleticism with plenty of twitch as showcased his present power, especially to the pull side. His athletic, squared set up with low hovering, knee to knee type load that gets down on him and lets his hands go to work that allows him to routinely find the barrel with authority. His efficiency to the ball with a PBR Verified 87% OPE with lift through extension projects to translate well to the next level, which could very well be to the professional baseball level as he has put together a monster preseason and looks to carry it into the abbreviated Spring season. 

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Justin Crawford / OF / Arizona

Arguably the most athletic prospect in the state and throughout the West Coast, Crawford is a guy that you expect to do something special each time he steps to the plate. He lived gap to gap throughout his round with his power potential on display which we expect to be another element added to his game over the next year as he has started to add strength to his to lean 6-foot-2 frame. The quick twitch is present throughout his game and is heavily relied on at the plate with some raw mechanical features that at times has prevented him from getting to that inner third pitch, but with his athletic ability the adjustment should be fairly simple. This is a guy who is just now scratching the surface of what kind of player he will become over the next few years and we will be there to cover him through it all. 

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Santino Panaro / OF / UNLV 

Panaro has been a player who routinely has been overlooked because of the star power throughout the Bishop Gorman lineup, but this is not a player you will want to sleep on. Numerous times the question has been raised, "Who is that kid playing centerfield instead of Whitaker and Crawford?" and as you continue to watch the game you see that Panaro is the General of the Gaels lineup. Though he only hit at the Bishop Gorman Scout Day, his athleticism was still evident as he sprayed balls all over the yard with his power potential continuing to shine through as he posted a 101 mph Raw Exit Velocity prior to his batting practice round. Keep your eye on Panaro as he will be the guy you will most likely find on base with Crawford and Whitaker coming up behind him.

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Gavin Mez / OF / UNLV

Mez has been commonly referred as one of the the, if not the, top pure hitters in the state. The left handed bat has present power that has been on display all preseason and continued that at the Bishop Gorman Scout Day. His mature round of batting practice featured baseballs driving to the big part of the yard and left the yard when he was presented with a pitch over the heart of the plate. The biggest question mark about Mez has been his arm and he has all but cleared up that with his PBR Verified 1.88 Pop Time at the PBR Nevada ProCase and followed that up with a PBR Verified 1.90 Pop Time last Thursday. With the current depth of three Division 1 catchers on the Bishop Gorman roster, Mez has also been splitting time at first base which he has quickly gain comfort around the bag, increasing his value as premium bat that can hold down multiple positions.

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Joey Randazzo / C/IF / Cal Baptist

The recent Cal Baptist commit produced one of his top overall days at the Bishop Gorman Scout Day with a handful of new personal bests being achieved. He got his day started off with his clean stroke at the plate helping him drive balls all over the field. His wide based set up with a subtle rhythm helps Randazzo stay on time that allows him to consistently find the barrel with authority. Behind the plate, his receiving continues to trend in the right direction which could be attributed to his improved strength and flexibility that allows him to set up lower and stick that pitch down in the zone. Also with his improved physicality and foot speed (6.80 Laser Timed 60), he earned his top PBR Verified Pop Time at 1.96 with carry and accuracy that helped him live around the bag. 

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Billy Ham / IF/RHP / Uncommitted

An Under the Radar 2021 prospect that has recently been finding himself in the Bishop Gorman lineup on a regular basis, Billy Ham announced his presence on Thursday. Ham took full advantage of the down time provided by Covid-19 and added significant size to his 6-foot-0 frame bringing him to his current weight of 195 pounds and it has translated throughout his game. The Uncommitted two-way prospect improved each metric recorded, but nothing was more impressive than his batting practice round that saw him leave the yard six out of his ten swing, including four no doubt blasts in a row. The corner infielder then earned a share of the Top Infield Velocities at 86 mph that translated to his standout performances on the mound. Though he just recently started to toe the rubber, his athletic ability helped him locate his three pitch mix that included a fastball that sat 84-86, topping out at 87 mph. His complimented his fastball with a pair of secondary pitches including a projectable 11/5 spike grip breaking ball at 68-70 mph and a developing split change that he was able to locate down in the zone at 71-73 mph. This is a late bloomer who could have a significant impact this Spring both on the mound and at the plate. 

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Demitri Diamant / RHP/IF / Georgia Tech

The future Georgia Tech Yellowjacket is among the top two-way prospect in the state with his projectable actions in the field and present ability on the mound. The physical, 5-foot-11 prospect has obvious athleticism with his foot speed (6.78 Laser Time 60) helping him range to both sides on the defensive side of the ball, still with a few mechanical adjustment in his approach to the ball that could help sure up his defensive game. Offensively, he has seen his game improve over the last few months with a seemingly simplified approach that translated to his impressive showing during his batting practice round with power potential to the pull side. On the mound is where is stood out with some looseness in his arm that helped him run it up to 91 mph while sitting 88-90 to go with is secondary mix that featured his go to 11/5 curveball at 71-72 mph and a fading changeup that he showed feel for at 79-81 mph. Diamant will be a critical piece in the heart of the order as well as a big game arm for the Gaels this Spring.

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Payton Riske / RHP / Uncommitted

The top Uncommitted arm in the 2022 class, Riske oozes projectability with a loose, quick high 3/4 arm that consistently shows feel for each of his three pitches. Still at 5-foot-11 and just 145 pound, you would assume his current 87 mph fastball velocity would parallel his physical strength gains over next few years. The biggest separator for Riske is the feel for his secondary pitches that he has the has shown enough confidence in to throw in any count. He also comes from Big League bloodlines which can be directly attributed to his clean, low effort delivery and an advanced understanding of how to attack hitters. The interest is present with this prospect and is expected to be one of the next big commitments to come out of Nevada.

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Raffael Chiarella / LHP / Uncommitted

The slender, 6-foot-3 prospect has seen his game continue to trend positively over the past few months and it was on display at the Bishop Gorman Scout Day. His long, loose levers make him an interesting player to follow especially with his velocity progression that has taken place over the last few months as he topped out 85 mph from a 3/4 arm slot and projects to have much more velocity down the road as he gains strength and size. His breaking ball featured a both 11/5 shape as well as some sweeping action at 67-69 mph while his changeup, a pitch that he has significantly improved, flashed arm side action with some heaviness at 74-76 mph. This is a prospect should have his breakout year in the quickly approaching Spring season and is another arm in the deep Gorman pitching staff that could see come significant opportunities.

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UPCOMING EVENTS

SHOWCASE STATE DATE LOCATION
Rising Stars of Southern Nevada (2025/2026) NV 04/10 Faith Lutheran High School
The Meadows Scout Day NV 04/18 The Meadows
Rising Stars of Northern Nevada (2025-2026) NV 04/24 TBD

 

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