Fall Underclass: Quick Hits

It's finally starting to feel like baseball in Arizona is somewhat back to its normal self again with plenty of consistent action to cover over the last month. The PBR Arizona staff has spent over 100 hours at the baseball field over the last month covering live tournament action. The depth of talent the state of Arizona has across the board and especially at the younger age groups is starting to stand out to scouts and college recruiters across the country. 

On Sunday, October 11th,  PBR Arizona had a chance to hold its second event of the fall season with its Fall Underclass Showcase. This event was an open event featuring 2023 & 2024 grad prospects. The event took place at Cactus Shadows High School in Cave Creek, AZ which arguably might be one of the best HS facilities in the state. Once again, we were able see many new faces up close as well as get updates on players that we have seen in past coverage. Players in the class of 2024 are also starting to attend more events. There were several players will solid performances on the day that one will want to pay attention to moving forward. This event has become a popular event as the Fall Season starts to wrap up before the offseason. 

Today, we will continue our post event coverage by taking a look at some first impressions from the event. This isn't a top prospect list but rather some things that stood out on the day. Be sure to stay tuned over the next few weeks for more post-event coverage. 

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+ 2023 RHP/OF Grant Smith (Pinnacle)- Smith truly had one of the more impressive showcases that we have seen this year, showing some real 5-tool potential. At just 14 years of age, Smith is 6-foot-4 200-pounds, in a long athletic body with proportional strength. He started the day out by running the top 60-yard dash time of 6.95 followed by arguably the best BP round, hitting a couple balls out including one at 100mph exit velocity. Even more impressive might have been his bullpen session where he used his raw athleticism in his delivery while sitting 86-90, topping out at 91mph. It's scary that he might have even more arm strength present on a more consistent basis with some adjustments and refinement.

+ 2023 SS/RHP Collin Senior (Horizon)- Senior showed some pretty well-rounded skills on the day from a large athletic frame with some quick actions, should be able to add some more strength to his body in the near future. At the plate, he showed a simple a approach with quick hands and above average bat speed. Good feel for the barrel with above average pop at 92mph. Defensively, he has quick athletic footwork with some natural arm strength at 83mph that should improve as he gets stronger. He also got on the mound at the end of the day maxing out at 85mph. Senior has upside and his development should be monitored in the future. 

+ 2023 3B/RHP Dillon Roberts (Cactus Shadows)- Roberts has some plus present strength to his frame with powerful actions. Higher intent approach on both sides of the ball. Offensively, he has a strong left-handed swing with above average bat speed & big pull approach. Looks to drive the baseball with authority. Defensively, he has a strong arm from the OF that reached 89mph which was the top positional velocity of the day. Hes currently listed as a 3B as his primary position but could also see some time at 1B or RF in the future. On the mound, he showed his natural arm strength with a FB/SL combo, topping at 87mph with some effort. Overall, Roberts has some two-way upside as he learns to control his aggressiveness and actions.

+ 2023 RHP Noah Scilley (Gilbert Classical)- Scilley didn't overwhelm you with his velocity on the day but he did show above average ability to spin the baseball combined with some above average movement profiles especially when you compare it to his velocity. Scilley threw with short arm action from a higher arm slot. His FB topped at 77mph with 26inches of induce vertical movement at 2351rpm. His curveball topped at 63mph with an impressive 2598rpm spin rate. Outside of his spin, he threw strikes with command of 3-pitches. Scilley shows some upside as right-handed pitcher and if he can continue to develop physically while developing some more arm strength, he could have a solid 3-pitch mix to work with down the road. 

+ 2024 3B/RHP Gavin Short (Sunnyslope)- Short first attended a PBR event back at the end of July where he attended the Junior Future Games in GA, playing for Team Arizona. He stood out during the event with some above average tools for his age. Once again, he exhibited some skills that our staff will need to pay attention to going forward. He has a large frame with above average strength for his age. Offensively, he displays good pop with some effort coming from his advanced bat & hand speed for the age group. He also accelerates on plane quickly and efficiently. There is some rawness to his young approach that should improve over time. As he develops more body control, he should be a hitter to keep an eye on. Defensively, he has a strong arm, working close to 80mph across the diamond and on the mound. Short should be a young 2024 whose development should be followed in the future. 

+ 2024 RHP/1B Len Elarionoff (Kamehameha, HI)- It's not often we see players coming to our events in Arizona from the islands of Hawaii. Elarionoff was in town for his brother's fall classic that he will also be participating in this week in the Freshmen group. His body stands out for his age at 6-foot 205- pounds with above average strength to build off. His strength was evident in his BP round where the ball was jumping off his barrel at 93mph. At times, he displayed elite bat speed and with more consistency could see a jump in his average exit velocity as well. Len also got on the mound during the day where he showed an interesting arsenal of pitches including a palm ball. He worked his FB up to 78mph. Elarionoff's strength should continue to help him standout in the future. 

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