Utah Fall I.D: Infield Analysis

Brody Duvall 2B / OF / Spanish Fork, UT / 2022

A player I was looking forward to seeing, as he plays for the elite Team Utah ‘22 and I was pleasantly surprised! Duvall brings an athletic package to the middle of the diamond and looks to be an offensive minded 2B’man in the future. He acquits himself at SS, and should be able to handle the position in spurts, but the package is intriguing across the bag at second. A 6.80/60 with a solid running gate, and defensively he moves with actions and fields out front with quick hands. Looks comfortable to the backhand side, and does take an extra step to get rid of the ball, but does have a smooth arm stroke and his throws are online and accurate. The bat from the left side, is what separates him from other players who hit RH’ed, with the LHH profile. The bat shows separation between the load and timing of the landing of his front foot, giving him a strong base to fire off a short compact hitting stroke with a one and two hand finish, depending on the location and point of contact. The kid can play and also features some metrics to aid the game play, as he’s able to use it in games. With a 6.80/60 to go with an EV of 93.4 and 70 MPH bat speed, these give him a speed/strength combo to build from. Definite college level player!

Payton Gubler SS / RHP / Desert Hills, UT / 2022

A two way multi faceted “baseball player” that can beat you 3 ways as an amateur, with his glove, his arm and the bat. The Desert Hills SS also takes his turn in the rotation and has created a name for himself over the past year, playing for the powerful Team Utah ‘22, and the Mets Scout Team ’22 in AZ. Gubler showed at the Fall Prospect ID, why he will be a very strong player at the next level. A recent BYU signee, Payton had the 2nd best exit velo in his class at 95.4, and produced another at 95.1 and 94.3. A strong BP session, with a classic RHH stance and starts with the bat at a 45, and rocks back to load and fires his hands in a short compact manner, with length out front and whips the bat into a strong and high one hand finish. At SS, he showed dance to his educated feet, and showed actions and is fluid in his approach to the baseball. As he gathers and separates the hands, he gets his arm up quick and gets off a strong and accurate throw across the diamond. An all around player that also produced 90 MPH FB’s in his pen session, Gubler profiles in the MIF, but could be a strong two way type at BYU and provide roster flexibility for a nationally ranked program. Doesn't show big tools, but is schooled in the fundamentals and knows how to play the game. A sum of all his parts type, which is what a “baseball player” is. Plays the game the right way!

Jonny Hatch 3B / RHP / Bingham , UT / 2022

A Lg thin frame with wiry strength, Hatch has physical proj with another 20 Lbs left to fill and get even stronger with maturity. As a pitcher, he shows a side step and methodical pivot to balance and then lifts his lead leg into a high flexible kick with a compact delivery. A medium clean HTQ clean arm stroke with finish out front and repeats to fill up the zone for K’s. The FB 82-86 has straight life and shows solid hand/eye to hit the mitt. The FB looks to carry more as he adds arm strength coupled with physical maturity. The CB 71-75 has even spacing of velo off the FB and has medium short depth. With a tweak with some hand adjs thru release, he should add more depth as he continues to add inns and exp. The CH 78-79 shows fade and has proper velo and arm speed and with added FB velocity will create more area for a hitter to cover. The defensive work at SS, he shows soft hands and some bounce with his lower ½, and fields out front, yet gets a little too deep at times, but his feet carry through the ball, and he gets off clean accurate throws to 1B. The bat has strength now and has some rock back to load at a 45 and gets good separation with his lower ½ and fires the bat with a short compact stroke with length and contact out front. He does get upright and shows a rotating base through contact, if he gets down into his legs more, with his hand speed and EV of 95, he should carry even more thump as he continues to fill out. Intriguing set of tools to develop over the next 2 years before entering college. 

Preston Jacobson 3B / RHP / Bingham, UT / 2022

A good sized physical build with strength throughout and added strength to come in the years moving forward as he gains his man strength. From an offensive standpoint, he takes a high load with a vertical bat and does drift somewhat with his body into contact, yet it looks to work for him, and he has solid timing out front at contact, with a short compact stroke and some uphill to the stroke at contact to lift the ball. Has solid hand/eye coordination and barreled balls thruout. On the defensive side, he shows okay footwork, yet fields out front and shows soft hands to receive. He shuffles and replaces his feet to get aligned to his intended target. The arm is enough, though he needs to lower his slot to HTQ, instead of OH, which will allow for a consistent release and being able to throw from multiple angles. His home is 3B and shows enough athleticism to be able to handle both corner spots nicely. The ball jumps off his bat and with 2 years remaining, physical size and natural strength, coupled with some minor tweaks, he could break out. 

Isaac Lyon SS / RHP / Snow Canyon, UT / 2022

Previously written up as a RHP, we got to see the offensive/defensive part of his two way profile, as he was taking a break from the mound due to getting ready for basketball season. Isaac the son of longtime MLB RHP, Brandon Lyon shows the same build as his Father at the same stage of development. As a SS, there's athleticism and some educated feet and fields from the ground up. The feet are active and live, with plenty of forward momentum in shortening his throws. The arm plays and the ball exits his hand clean with something on it, while hitting the 1B’man in the chest. Able to throw from multiple arm angles with accuracy. From the offensive end, he’s made big strides, and he’s added strength with the bat. Gets separation with a short stride and soft landing, while hitting off a firm front side. The stroke is online with some uphill, yet is compact and short to the ball with some one and two hand finish, depending on where the pitch location is and what he’s trying to do with the baseball. He does need to get loaded into his back hip and utilize his backside better, which will even increase what he brings to the table with an EV of 95.7. A definite two way type that has two years of HS left to make some noise and the belief is that he will do both with the bat and his arm.

Cole DeCastro SS / OF / Desert Hills , UT / 2023

A lean thin athletic build that projects more weight and strength gains with maturity. Cole has performed up to this point and has taken a step forward over the past summer/fall. For a kid that looks like there isn’t strength, he generated a high exit velo of 85.3, which with physical maturity you can see another 10 MPH over the next 3 spring seasons. Features a spread out semi crouched square stance with his bat on his back shoulder and times up a pitcher's release and rocks back and turns the barrel into the launch position with a slight lift of the foot and sets it down into a soft short stride. He shows a very short compact stroke on a linear plane with the ball and finishes with a tight two hand follow through. With tweaks to create length out front, driving the ball to the pull side will happen quickly. Defensively as a SS, he shows educated feet and moves fluidly toward the ball and plays from the ground up with his hands out front. He catches balls clean and shows an EZ fluid release without selling out for velocity. His throws are accurate across the diamond and makes the routine play routine. 

Grant Scholzen SS / 2B / Hurricane, UT / 2023

A strong game player that’s the best pure hitter in the ‘23 class. A small lean, yet ripped athletic build w/proj size and strength as he matures. Pound for pound type strong. Shows a fluid smooth LH stroke, that’s performed at a high level vs older competition, in and out of state. A LHH middle INF’er with strong D1 interest from a handful of schools on the west coast over the past year. Baseball bloodlines, with his father a former MLB scout/MiLB player and his uncle a former MIF in the Rays system. A quick twitch energetic leadoff/2 hole hitter with an advanced approach to hit for his age. A LD hitter with quality takes, works a count, in looking for a FB, to spray barreled up balls line to line. At the Fall prospect ID, he showed a top 3 exit velo of 82.1 for his class and displayed top 5 hand speed. Showed educated feet with some dance and overall glove actions. Can pick and throw, while making the tough in between hop, a short hop and getting off accurate throws.

Corbin Gull RHP / 2B / Salem Hills, UT / 2024

A small package, yet young and very intriguing. 14 yrs old and will be taking his first HS AB’s this coming spring, but has some advanced actions for a young kid. Plays at a top notch baseball school and for a very good coach that wins. As a pitcher, he has a 4 pitch mix with the FB/CB/SL and an intriguing KNK ball. He has a balanced online high flexible delivery and gets into his legs well while showing a loose fluid arm stroke with ext out front. The FB was for K’s at 76-77, while the CB showed some depth and proper spin and the SL had TQ tilted shape for K’s as well. Took GB’s with confidence and showed some educated feet, with his hands out front. Needs to play the hop a tad better as he tended to receive the ball a bit deep, but has actions and a loose arm to fire K’s across the field. As a LHH, he shows solid hand/eye with a high kick to gather on his back side and gets into a solid launch phase, then casts the barrel, and sweeps through the ball, which creates some arm bar. The swing has some length right now and after contact he gets to a high one hand finish. If he can correct the bat path and cast, there are some definite hitting tools to develop over the course of his 4 year career. 

Crew Secrist SS / 2B / Snow Canyon, UT / 2024

The son of longtime multiple state champion coach and former MiLB (13 years) UTL player Reed Secrist, Crew plays for one of the best HS teams in the state and gets the type of upbringing and coaching in the game others wish for. A RHH MIF with measured actions defensively with soft hands and fields out front. His feet work under him and gets into proper throwing pos and fires K’s across the diamond from a HTQ arm stroke. As a hitter, he pre-sets his hands in the load phase and rocks back into his back hip and takes a slight toe tap into a soft foot strike. Shows some bat speed at 70 MPH, which is good for his age and generated an EV of 85 with a short linear path and high one hand finish. Will be fun to watch his growth over the next 4 years with a solid baseball IQ! 

Jett Walker SS / RHP / American Fork, UT / 2024

A loose wiry young 14 yr old with a bright baseball future. Displays athleticism and has bloodlines, with his father Jason a former BYU defensive back and was drafted by the Montreal Expos in HS. Brother Jack is a freshman baseball player (OF) at Dixie State U. A SS out of a powerhouse HS program that could contribute to the varsity as a FR, Jett shows educated feet defensively with glove actions and fields out front and from the ground up. Displays comfort to the backhand and fields with both hands out front, while coming in on the slow roller. Features a longer arm action and repeats his arm stroke w/accurate throws across the diamond. A 7.23/60 and looks to be a sub 7.0 in time as he gains leg strength and features a smooth running gate. Repeats a short, compact hitting stroke with a slight uphill path and releases the hands well at contact. Shows an all fields approach and barreled balls on a line in BP. Will be a solid ‘24 follow for colleges and see big things in his future. 

Ashton Arciero 2B / 3B / Canyon View , UT / 2023

A little guy that just needs to physically grow and mature. Has some work to do all around and looks to be a late bloomer and develop over time. Defensively he takes a straight on approach to the baseball at SS and 2B looks to be his home. The hands are properly set, yet looks a little unsure at times and needs to trust his instincts. The arm is a low ¾ slot and gets okay carry with his throws. SS is a little bit of a stretch in a showcase setting and would have been nice to see his work across the bag at 2B. Not a runner, nor his game, but his bat has a linear path thru a short stroke after getting solid separation to his load and syncs up with his lower ½. Looks to be in the growing stages and with added work and focus to each part of his game, I look forward to seeing where he is in 6 months time. 

Dalton Davis C / 2B / Crimson Cliffs , UT / 2024

A small framed young 13/14 year old with a thin wiry build. Youth is his friend and has some developmental strides to make to get to where he wants to be at the HS level. He shines best behind the plate as he receives the ball comfortably and has a solid exchange out front to get off clean throws towards 2B. His throws currently lack carry and velo, but with physical maturation he should be able to fulfill his future promise moving forward. Not a runner at present and as he continues to add size and leg strength with a quality strength program I look for this to improve. At SS, he shows a solid effort and moves towards the baseball a little hesitant, and needs to get lower to the ground and come through the baseball with cleaner exchanges. The arm is accurate, but just needs to strengthen the arm and continue to work hard to develop his craft through reps and added field time. 

Zach Foote 3B / RHP / Union, UT / 2021

A LG big bodied football player type build w/natural country boy strength. A natural 3B, that took his GB’s at the event. Looked the part defensively of a 3B’man, stands his ground, and needs to come get the ball and use his feet a bit more. Does field from the ground up and out front w/soft hands. The arm is playable and 81 MPH across the diamond from an arched OH arm slot. Would recommend a more HTQ slot to align his shoulders better, and has plenty of enough erm arm for his current level. See a move across the diamond to 1B, as his feet and arm would work better. Not a runner, nor his style of play. The bat is interesting in a BP setting, as he has a firm, but semi wide balanced stance, and has a rhythmic bounce of the barrel on his shoulder, then his first move, is a front heel lift, into good separation and fires the bat with a short compact stroke, and utilizes his legs fairly well, and rotating his hips, with a strong core in creating an EV of 95 with hand speed of 73 MPH. There’s bat speed and strength and something here to develop at the next level. 

Teyo Gil 3B / RHP / Roy , UT / 2022

A med wide, yet built kid with natural strength and a fullback type look. A Natural 3B, that I see making the move to 1B. His movement patterns would sync better across the diamond. Has soft hands, and moves methodically through the baseball and has a short, ball to ear and palm up throwing stroke. The bat is the intriguing part as he has a solid balanced base to hit. Features a square stance with his knees inside his feet and his hand setup is a rest of the bat on the back shoulder w/his hands high. He glides back into his back side with a carry of the front knee, and lands softly out front, while dropping his hands into the slot and fires the bat with a short, quick compact uphill stroke. Utilizes his legs well and needs to find the sweet spot a little better, as his hand speed is solid with an EV of 88 and can see more there down the road. A hard worker, who is active on social media with various drills and solid work habits. Interesting bat. 

Alex Harden 1B / OF / Morgan, UT / 2021

XL tall frame with a lean muscled look. Can tighten up the body and has the build to be physical. Does look  the part in a uniform. The bat is intriguing with some tweaks to his bat positioning in the load phase and feel he could really tap into his natural strength. Features a semi wide square even props stance with his bat over his back shoulder and lays it flat into the launch phase as he leans back and lifts his knee/foot, then falls forward a bit and carries his hips and hands well into the contact zone with a short compact linear stroke. Does have some slight uphill and whips the bat into a long flexible one hand release to finish. The bat speed is ideal and is above average at 78 MPH. Can find the barrel a bit better, with this type of bat speed, one can see definite improvements to his EV of 92.3. Believe he can carry 100 with better sweet spot contact. Defensively he has some methodical actions into the baseball, and fields a little deep, which causes him to catch the ball in the palm, rather than the pocket. Bends at the knees and needs to get his rear lower and get the hands out front. Proper reps and coaching will fix most definitely. 

Ashton Harrow SS / 3B / Bear River, UT / 2022

Med lean athletic build with some tools to develop with some tweaks and hard work. Not a runner, and will need to move to a corner and hit for some power. Offensively he shows an even props square stance with his hands held away from his body, and stretched out. Holds the bat laid open and uses a big drawback leg kick for leverage and to get something going back. As his foot lands, his bat is still in a laid back position and needs to turn the knob back to the catcher and get to a 45, to create a cocking effect of the hands, which will help with hand and bat speed and allow the ball to exit the bat cleaner. Defensively he showed avg actions and fields out front and has actions. There is comfort to the backhand and he got rid of the ball quickly. On routine GB’s, he takes that extra step to find the grip and this is fixable as they are tweaks to consider. Has 2 years to make some corrections and depending on the aptitude, they will help him turn a corner and show vast improvement. 

Bryce Intagliata LHP / OF / Virgin Valley, NV / 2024

Luke Iverson C / SS / Pine View, UT / 2022

Cole Kershaw 1B / 3B / Jordan, UT / 2023

An XL frame with big features thruout. Country strong kid that has three years of HS baseball left. When looking at him, it’s hard to believe he’s this young. He’s a man child and his hitting ability and future power projs leaves you wanting to see him every 3-6 months to see his progression. Offensively the LHH 1B, features an even props square stance with a high back elbow and waggles his bat for rhythm, he then rocks into his back hip and picks his front foot up and sets it down into a soft short stride. At foot strike he positions the bat vertically into a dead hand position and needs to get better separation, yet fires the bat with a short compact powerful stroke that’s geared to pull. He finishes balanced and in the center of his body. His bat speed at 76 MPH is fast and quick and he finds the barrel, and the ball jumps with an EV high of 95. On the defensive side at 1B, he shows soft hands and fields out front, yet bends at the knees. He does have  to gather and takes an extra step to position himself to throw. With reps and instruction, he has time on his side to improve, yet the bat draws your attention and he should provide power and run production for his team. The bat is one to keep an eye on. 

Stockton Mathis OF / 2B / Jordan , UT / 2023

A lean athletic build with definite weight and strength gains to come with a good strength and conditioning program as well as Mother Nature taking over, Mathis took GB’s in the INF/OF and showed he can handle both adequately. From the OF, he is measured in his approach and would suggest being more aggressive on approach as he has a loose fluid arm that can improve with time. From the INF, he bends at the waist and fields out front, but needs to get lower into his legs which will create added reach out front and help him work through the ball better. Shows a quicker release and comfort to the backhand. There are some things to like at both spots and has good coaching at his HS. A LHH that stands tall and presets his bat at a flatter angle and lifts his foot and posts upright and straight over his back leg. He then fires the bat from a still position, yet creates some bat speed and a linear path through the baseball with a two hand full finish. He did find the barrel throughout his round of BP. Young and has some things to work with here. 

Chachi Pincock 2B / SS / Crimson Cliffs , UT / 2024

A young 14 yr old INF that needs to add size, weight and considerable strength over the course of his HS career. With a core of 3-4 talented players at his HS a grade ahead, he will be able to learn and watch from some good players as well as a top notch coaching staff that will instill proper fundamentals. He’s at a good HS to get the kind of baseball environment he needs to develop. He takes some measured actions in his approach to GB’s and fields out front with a good open glove and does take an extra step to get the ball off and across the diamond. He looked comfortable in his backhand and is online with his throws. From the plate, he shows an even props open style stance and picks his foot up and gets back in line, while showing solid separation with his load and lower ½. He features a short compact stroke and hits LD’s to LCF and just needs physical maturity to have the strength for the bigger field at his current level of play. 

Brandon Roundy SS / RHP / Pine View , UT / 2022

A small compact package physically and fits the mold of a baseball player. What he lacks in pure tools, he makes up for with a sum of all his parts. Offensively he is a natural RHH, that’s taken to switch hitting. From the RH side, he features an even props square stance and rocks back for timing with a medium knee kick into a solid load with the bat at a 45, getting good separation. He takes a short compact linear stroke and sprays LD’s to all fields on a line while finding the barrel. From the LH side it’s a mirror image and one that you find with new switch hitters with a feel for the art, that being he finds the barrel and drifts somewhat, but takes the same short path and drives the ball hard on a line the other way. Thus as he gets stronger with added reps from the new side, he should be able to pull the ball in time. Defensively he shows a methodical approach to the baseball and measures his steps, yet fields out front and the ball disappears in the glove. He takes an extra step and gathers, but fires accurate K’s across the diamond. The package suggests a switch hitting LD to all fields approach holding down 2B at the next level. 

Hutson Slack 3B / SS / Canyon View , UT / 2023

A natural 3B with a short compact build on a small frame. Offensively he starts from a conventional RHH setup with his bat at a 45 and takes and inward turn of his front knee and rocks back into the load phase and sets the foot down softly at foot strike. The path is short with some uphill presently and although his hand speed is BA now, he accelerated the bat through the hitting zone with a high EV of 86. Defensively he is calculated and measured with his feet and takes an online approach to the baseball with semi soft hands and gathers well and his throws are accurate and online from a HTQ arm stroke. Has produced as a youngster with his travel teams and look forward to seeing his progress over the next 3 years. 

Kel Webb 1B / 3B / Hurricane, UT / 2021

A hitter! A med thick wide build with natural strength to drive the baseball. His calling card is the bat and I’ve seen him play live countless times. A better game player than was shown in a showcase setting. He rocks back into his load and lifts and hangs his front leg and recognizes pitches and sets the foot down and explodes into the baseball with balance and has a short compact hard LD approach with pull power to lift it out to left. Tried to lift and do too much today as this was a first showcase event for Kel. A clean up type that does just that in game settings. Has hit good pitching and looks to do damage. Defensively he needs to find a home. A former 3B, that’s made the move across the diamond and needs reps and time there to be comfortable. The arm is short and will need to be quicker with his feet to get off accurate online throws. Not a runner and not his game, but the bat carries to the JC level and he should hit. 

Ty White RHP / 3B / Crimson Cliffs , UT / 2024

A young 14 yr old freshman with his HS days still ahead. Looks to be making the transition to the bigger field and will take some time to adjs as he is just in the growing and maturing stage physically. At the plate, he has a linear patch and does glide some with the body and sprays LD’s straightaway to the opposite field. Pulling the ball will come as he continues to mature and get stronger. Defensively at SS, he measures his feet, actions and approach to the ball with his hands out front and shuffles into his HTQ arm stroke with online accurate throws. A good strength and conditioning program will help along the way, as well as “Father Time”