By Jeff Markle
Assistant State Director

The Prep Baseball Report Colorado ran the Fall Prospect ID on September 12th and 13th at Highlands Ranch High School. 40+ players competed in games and a pro-style showcase for the PBR staff. Over the course of the next week, we will bring you positional analysis of the Fall Prospect ID. Concluding our look is the Pitchers position.

Best of the Best:

Gavin Gifford, 2016, Brighton High School, RHP/1B
A 6-foot-3, 235-pound, left-hand hitting pitcher who ran a 7.67 60.  On the mound he stands tall and slightly closed. He uses a high leg kick to transfer weight to his back leg and then drives hard to the plate. He throws from a high ¾ arm slot releasing out front and finishing off to the first base side. Gifford did a nice job of pounding the zone with a max fastball of 87 MPH and showed good command of both sides of the plate. He mixed in a 68 MPH curve with sharp break down and away to the right0hand hitter. At the plate he hits from a balanced stance shows good hip rotation during the swing.  Arms stay long through the baseball and come through the zone with an upward plane. He has good power to right center and had an exit velocity of 87 MPH.  In the field he moves well off the bag to cover good ground. He delivers an accurate ball to the bag and had an arm velocity of 82 MPH.

Jordan Medina, 2018, Highlands Ranch High School, C/RHP/INF
A 6-foot-0, 180-pound, right-hand hitting three-way player who showed well in all aspects of the showcase. Medina has a live arm that produced an 85 MPH arm velocity with accuracy and pop-times of 2.13-2.15.  On the mound he uses a tall motion with good drive to the plate. He throws from a high ¾ arm slot and featured an 84 MPH fastball with a 63-64 MPH curve. Location on all pitches needs to improve.  In the field he is fluid and ranges well, he gets rid of the ball quickly and shows good accuracy across the diamond.  At the plate he hits from an semi-open stance with a high leg kick that loads his weight on his back side.  Quick hands bring the bat through the zone for an 84 MPH exit velocity. He shows good weight transfer and has excellent power to left field. 

Larry Nolasco, 2016, Bruce Randolph School, LHP/OF
A 5-foot-8, 145-pound left-hand hitting pitcher/OF who ran a 7.8 60.  On the mound he stands tall with a high leg kick.  He lands slightly closed and throws across his body.  He delivers pitches from a high ¾ arm slot and finishes falling off to the third base side. He showcased an 81 MPH fastball with good command of both sides of the plate. His out pitch is 65 MPH curve with sharp break down and in on the right-hand hitter. He also showed a 64 MPH knuckle that dove out of the zone. In the outfield he tracks the ball well and does a nice job of getting behind the ball. He had a 77 MPH arm velocity on throws that had some tail. At the plate he hits from a balanced stance, he shows good weight transfer and barrel whip, he registered an 80 MPH exit velocity.

Best of the Rest (Listed Alphabetically)

Alex Covarruibias, 2017, Brighton High School, LHP
A 5-foot-11, 180-pound, LHP who was a little banged up for this event with a sprained ankle. On the mound he stand tall and falls to the plate. He has an over the top arm slot and displayed a 75 MPH fastball that lived on the outer half. He also showcased a 63-65 MPH curve with gradual break to the right hand hitter. 

Jason Mair, 2018, Discovery Canyon High School, RHP/3B
A 5-foot-8, 135-pound, RHP/3B right-hand hitter who ran a 7.57 60. On the mound he throws from a crouched delivery with a low ¾ to sidearm arm slot. This gives all of his pitches good movement and he locates well on both sides of the plate. His fastball was 72 MPH with good run back in on the right-handed hitters hands.  He also showed a 64 MPH slurve with late movement across the zone. At the plate the starts 60/40 on his backside with a short stride to get weight transfer going. He does a nice job of keeping the bat in the hitting zone and good weight transfer produced an exit velocity of 77 MPH.  In the field he moves well to balls to his backhand. He does a nice job of setting his feet and delivering an accurate ball at 70 MPH across the diamond. 

Dan McGettigan, 2016, Highlands Ranch High School, RHP/INF
A 5-foot-11, 180-pound, right hand hitting two way player who ran a 7.56 60. On the mound he delivers from a sink and drive motion with an over the top arm slot. He lands in-line with the plate and stays square on his finish. He showcased a 75 MPH fastball with good command of the zone and added a 65 MPH curve with gradual break. In the field he was solid with good fundamentals and decent hands. He gets rid of the ball quickly and had a 72 MPH arm velocity. At the plate he hits from a wide power stance. A short stride begins to move his weight through the zone and good barrel whip registered an 83 MPH exit velocity.    

Harry Paul, 2018, Fairview High School, LHP/OF
A 5-foot-6, 130-pound, left-hand hitting two way player, on the mound he stands tall with a high leg kick. He sinks and drives to the plate landing in-line with a high ¾ arm angle. He remains square to the plate through his finish. He featured a 72 MPH fastball and lived on the outside portion of the plate. He also showcased a 53 MPH curve with gradual break.