Prep Baseball Report

Uncommitted Spotlight - 2021 Grads


Dan Jurik
Scouting Director - Pacific Northwest

As we head into the winter, a lot of talent remains on the board in the 2021 class for Oregon. 2020 has not been kind to high school athletes looking to advance to the next level and baseball players have sure seen their fair share of adversity. Below are some of the prospects in Oregon we had the chance to see throughout the year at various events. 

PBR events provide players with the opportunity to build their profile with the most up-to-date information and video footage before heading into the off-season. All players in attendance receive an online profile with their verified statistics, player report, picture and video. Additionally, all subsequent stories written about a prospect will be linked to the player’s profile, ultimately creating a one-stop shop for recruiters.

Showcases help identify which prospects have asserted themselves towards the top of their class as well as who might be one of the next youngsters to emerge onto the scene. They also serve as potential identifiers for invite-only events such as our Future Games and Junior Future Games

Here are 6 uncommitted prospects we're high on heading into 2021...

uncommitted spotlight

2021 prospects

Chase Reynolds RHP / 3B / West Albany, OR / 2021

6-foot, 197 pounds with a physically strong build and athletic frame. Offensively, sets up with a narrow, slightly crouched stance with bend in his lower half. Hands show loose, relaxed rhythm pre-pitch. Takes a short, controlled forward stride with a compact hand load into landing. Keeps flexion in his levers as he rotates barrel into the zone with easy bat speed. Strong at the point of contact. Creates impressive rotational power into an uphill finish with some loft. Power plays gap-to-gap presently with more to come to his pull-side. Defensively, handled 3B with confident actions and aggressive demeanor. Worked around the ball to allow himself to keep momentum going thru the play. Smooth lower half transitioning into throwing motion from exchange. Short, tight arm action from ¾ slot. On the mound, pitched with a simple, repeatable delivery and consistent body control. Keeps his actions simple and deliberate with clean direction towards his target throughout. High leg lift with slight flexion in his back leg before he strides down the mound. Keeps a level shoulder line into landing. Short, continuous arm path with quickness out front at release. Showed some of the best spin metrics we’ve seen this year with his FB/SL combination

Joey Gartrell RHP / C / Canby, OR / 2021

6-foot-4, 195 pounds with a high waisted frame and a projectable build. In the box, sets up with some weight pre-shifted onto his backside with slight bend in rear leg to begin. Uses a knee-knock leg kick to get into back hip with some hinge in his upper half as well. Lead foot gets down quickly with a short forward stride. Hands stay below shoulder line and use a push back load. Barrel gets on plane early with a high finish thru contact. Flashed pull-side power with easy lift. At C, creates a compact target despite having a bigger frame for the position. Lower half sets up with a staggered position. Does a solid job of keeping flexion in his glove arm while receiving. Has shown the ability to handle high level pitching. Quick exchange out of crouch with smooth actions. Tight, compact arm action with high ¾ release. Ball comes out of hand with true ball flight. On the mound, arm strength and body control translates well. Stays tall at leg lift with slight coil towards reach shoulder. Has some drop & drive action in lower half but maintains a level shoulder line into footstrike. Smooth, continuous arm stroke with a loose finish. Strong lower half allows him to brace up with front side and get extension towards the plate from his torso. Solid direction towards target. Eyes stay on target throughout.

Lucas Wear C / 2B / Lake Oswego, OR / 2021

After getting eyes on Wear earlier this summer, he was back to show what he could do in the ProCase setting. The speed, defensive ability and arm strength all hit the same marks he established in June. Continuing to show that he has set a new standard for his physical tools. BP was consistent again this time out and established a new high in exit velocity at 92 mph. Again, the offensive adjustments make him look more comfortable and dynamic in the box. Stayed thru the ball after contact with a balanced finish. Strong lower half allows him to keep posture in his legs while being aggressive with his upper half. During game action, he found barrel in all of his ABs and produced hard contact throughout. Showed a disciplined approach and stayed in the strike zone. Also went back and forth between catching duties and did a solid job handling various arms throughout the day

Caden Rickman OF / C / Westview , OR / 2021

5-foot-11, 165 pounds with more size/strength on the frame since we saw him in action last spring during the HS season. Hits from a balanced set-up in the box with weight centered. Hands show slight bat wiggle for rhythm. Low leg lift to get into forward move, creating slight stretch against his hands. Maintians flexion in arms and lets wrists control the barrel. Keeps everything tight to his body and works inside of the ball. Up to 91 mph with his exit velocity during BP.  In the OF, takes easy, ranging strides as he tracks down the ball. Funnels in directly on glove side with a clean exchange into throwing motion. High takeaway into compact arm action. Ball flight stays true with consistent carry out of hand.

Reece McKenzie SS / 2B / Sam Barlow , OR / 2021

Compact frame at 5-foot-7, 145 pounds with an average build. Square, upright set-up at the plate with bend in lower half. Uses a low leg lift that shows continuous motion as he gets to landing. Hands stay near back shoulder with a subtle hand load that puts barrel at a better angle once his stride foot gets down. Fluid, compact swing with a feel for contact. Everything works together in the box and looks very ‘hitter-ish’. Defensively, uses short, active footwork that should keep him in the INF long-term. Flashed slight hop in his pre-pitch approach. Loose hips allow him to stay low on ball while still keeping athletic posture in his upper half. Quick, natural actions with his hands on exchange and double play feeds

Titus Dumitru 1B / 3B / Sam Barlow , OR / 2021

6-foot-2, 195 pounds with an athletic build to his frame. Showed off impressive raw power in BP with a peak exit velo of 99.9 off the bat. Hits from a tall, open stance with loose, rhythmic hands. Uses a high leg kick with some weight shift onto his backside to create momentum into landing. Rides out back hip and avoids leaking forward, instead lands balanced and in an athletic base. Hands work fluidly thru the zone with a high lofted finish. Intriguing power potential in the bat. Defensively the tools profile well to corner INF. He handled 1B with consistent footwork and reliable glove hand. Has some athleticism in his actions and looked comfortable while moving around/off the bag. Keeps ball centered as he funnels in. Solid exchange into short, bent arm action with ¾ release point.