AZ Athletics Scout Day: Pitching Analysis
December 15, 2017
PBR’s first travel organization scout day in Arizona took place on November 12 at Sunrise Mountain HS in Peoria. This week we continue our positional analysis from the event with the pitchers. If your organization is interested in hosting a PBR Scout Day please reach out to [email protected] or DM @PBRArizona on Twitter.
Unsigned senior Trevor Pruitt occupies the top spot on the list after showing a college-ready arsenal of pitches on the mound. 2020 Brock Arnold is a projection guy from the left side with the requisite arm speed to throw quite hard down the line. A trio of young prospects round out the list with 2020 Garrett Olson just a tick above 2021's Dawson DeHerrera and Nicholas Lustig based on how clean his arm works and a bigger frame to grow into. 2018 Jacob Emerson and 2019 David Norman just missed the list and are similar prospects with advanced feel to pitch.
Top Pitching Prospects
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Trevor Pruitt RHP / Sunrise Mountain, AZ / 20185-foot-11 160-pound frame; not the most physically imposing pitcher out there, but his combination off stuff and command made him clearly the most advanced pitching prospect in attendance. Very little effort. Dominated the bottom of the zone with three pitches and advanced feel using a simple delivery with clean arm action and 3/4 slot, Pruitt worked 84-87, T88 with good late life on his fastball. His 64-67 mph curveball showed consistent rotation and good depth, while his straight changeup was 73-74 with good arm speed. Pruitt's feel on the mound and command of three pitches makes him ready to help a college program right away. |
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Brock Arnold 1B / OF / Mountain Ridge, AZ / 2020Lean 6-foot, 160-pound frame with plenty of room to add strength as he matures. Two-way prospect is a strong follow as LHP and 1B and one of the top prospects at the event regardless of class. On the mound Arnold works with a compact delivery, explosive lower half and generates plenty of arm speed from a high ¾ slot. Fastball sat 75-77, T78 flashing good downhill plane. There’s plenty more velo to come as he adds mass and strength to his frame. Sweeping 2-8 breaking ball showed consistent rotation at 63-66. Showed advanced feel for fading changeup with good arm speed at 71-73. At the plate, hits from tall, open setup with leg-kick trigger. Creates very little separation, using only a small negative move with his hands. Shows solid bat speed and makes an aggressive move with his lower half as he looks to lift the ball with a high two-hand finish. 79 mph exit velocity will increase rapidly with physical maturation. Defensively, his athleticism currently profiles best to 1B where he moves well and registered 76 mph infield velocity. Also worked out in outfield where he threw 78 mph. 7.58 60-yard dash with good running form. Has a chance to become a high-level prospect with significant increase in physical strength.
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Garrett Olson C / RHP / Mountain Ridge, AZ / 20205-foot-10, 145-pound frame with high waist. Two-way prospect shows good skills as pitcher and catcher. On the mound sat 74-75, T76 working exclusively from the stretch using a high ¾ arm slot, short stride and low effort delivery. 65-57 mph changeup with late fading action is most advanced secondary pitch. Also mixed in developing 62-64 mph breaking ball that he tending to leave up in the zone. Defensively showed good, quiet receiving ability behind the plate and turned in a best pop time of 2.2 with 69 mph velocity. The LHH uses a toe-tap trigger and does an excellent job getting on plane with the pitch, generating consistent hard contact during his round. 7.38 60-yard dash. |
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Dawson DeHerrera SS / RHP / Sunrise Mountain, AZ / 20215-foot-9, 125-pound frame. Two-way prospect showed best on the mound where he sat 77-78, T79 from a high ¾ slot working exclusively from the stretch. 71-73 mph changeup was best secondary pitch, thrown with conviction and good arm speed, showing some sink/fade. Developing 66-69 mph curveball had 11/5 shape. Offensively hits from balanced, slightly open setup with linear past and high two-handed finish. Moves well defensively with a quick transfer and the ability to throw from multiple angles; 74 mph infield velo.
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Nicholas Lustig SS / RHP / Sunrise Mountain, AZ / 2021Young 5-foot-8, 130-pound frame. Bat speed stands out on offense, especially considering his current level of physical strength; 76 mph exit velocity. Creates good separation and has advanced rhythm in the box, using a slight leg lift trigger. Made lots of hard contact to the pull side during his round. Moves well on the infield defensively and showed strong carry on his throws with 75 mph velocity. Did show a tendency to play a bit high at times on defense. Also pitched, working 75-76, T77 with a slower tempo delivery, short stride and some effort. Sweeping 61-63 mph breaking ball showed consistent rotation and was generally around the zone. 65-67 mph changeup showed slight fading action at times. Interesting young prospect to follow as his body matures.
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Best of the Rest (ALphabetical Order)
Bennett Beltramo, 2020, Northwest Christian HS
5-foot-8, 135-pound frame. Defensively showed some softness in hands at shortstop and comfortably made plays to both sides. 70 mph infield velocity. Lower half works well in swing and his bat starts on a very good path, before leaving the zone prior to getting much extension, mostly due to a lack of present strength. 69 mph exit velocity. Lack of physical strength and development is biggest limiting factor at this point for him as he shows feel and plays the game with an energy level that stands out. Also pitched, working 70-71, T72 with his fastball, generally filling up the strike zone. Mixed in a 65-66 mph curveball and 66-68 mph changeup that showed potential to be his out pitch with good fading action and arm speed.
Ryan Dietrich, 2021, Sunrise Mountain HS
6-foot-1, 170-pound frame with long torso. Offensively hits from wide base, starting his hands deep and loading them even deeper creating a slight arm bar. Keeps barrel in zone; 78 mph exit velocity. Listed as primary 1B where he profiles best, but chose to workout on the infield. 8.31 60-yard dash. Also pitched, working 69-70, T71 with his fastball using a slow paced delivery. 65-67 mph changeup was best secondary pitch, also mixing in a developing 61 mph breaking ball.
Jacob Emerson, 2018, Notre Dame Prep HS
6-foot, 172-pound frame. Attacked the zone with a 3-pitch mix and high tempo delivery from slightly below ¾ arm slot. Looks very comfortable on the mound and shows feel to manipulate the baseball and miss barrels. 79-80 mph sinker was heavy and consistently down in the zone. 67-68 mph breaking ball showed consistent rotation and 10/4 shape. 74-75 mph changeup thrown with good arm speed and flashed fading action.
Spencer Horwath, 2021, Sunrise Mountain HS
5-foot-10, 145-pound frame with athletic look. 7.28 in the 60-yard dash. Active setup with high leg-kick and lots of moving parts in swing. Starts with hands deep and creates very little separation. Has physical tools to hit with some refinement. Feet work well on defense, likes to drop down and throw from low angle; 78 mph infield velocity. Throws across body on mound from low ¾ slot creating some deception. Good angle on 74-75 mph fastball. Also threw 61-64 mph sweeping breaking ball and 66-67 mph changeup that he showed a tendency to get underneath at times.
Bryce Kellerhals, 2021, Sunrise Mountain HS
5-foot-9, 150-pound frame. Two-way prospect worked 71-72 mph with his mostly straight fastball, touching 74 from a high ¾ slot with a compact delivery and short arm action. Also threw developing 64-66 mph curveball and 65-67 mph changeup. Offensively uses a toe-tap trigger to create a solid base and on-plane swing with good separation. 74 mph exit velocity. Tends to field the ball deep on the infield, throwing 73 mph from a high ¾ arm slot. Turned in 8.09 60-yard dash.
David Norman, 2019, Sunrise Mountain HS
6-foot-2, 190-pound wide frame. Gets good plane on fastball, sitting 76-78, touching 79 using a simple, clean delivery and high front side. Filled up zone with all four pitches in his arsenal. 62-64 mph curveball showed consistent rotation and 11/5 shape. Also threw 67-69 mph slider with similar shape to his curveball and slightly more tilt. 68-69 mph changeup thrown with good arm speed and fading action. Has feel to pitch.