The No Limits Baseball PBR Scout Day took place on Saturday, December 16 at Ironwood Ridge High School. We begin our coverage today with some Quick Hits on standout performers at the event. If your organization is interested in hosting a PBR Scout Day please reach out to [email protected] or DM @PBRArizona on Twitter. 

Possible Position Change for Top 2020 Prospect

-2020 Shane Erickson (Ironwood Ridge) came in to the event as PBR’s 7^th-rated Arizona prospect in the 2020 class and did not disappoint. With a stocky 5-foot-10, 170-pound frame Erickson has been evaluated mostly as a third baseman where his hands and arm work well, posting 84 mph infield velocity. One look at his frame and physical tools make you wonder what he could do behind the plate and on this day he hopped behind the plate and looked right at home. With some softness in his hands and great carry on his throws, the fit was natural, producing 1.89-1.96 pop times with 78 mph velocity. There is very little question this is his best long-term position based on his physical and athletic profile. Erickson’s bat has never been a question as he shows impressive present strength and the ability to be on time with the fastball, starting his leg-kick very early. Looking to lift and pull, he hit a number of long homers in his BP round with wood and posted a 91 mph exit velocity. With continued development at the position, Erickson’s potential move behind the plate makes him a much higher level prospect than he would have been as a 3B and will be exciting to follow moving forward.

 
2019 Bats

-2019 SS Nathan Baez (Ironwood Ridge) impressed in one of his first performances coming off injury. There is little question about his offensive ability as he produced hard contact all over the field and has surprising pop (90 mph exit velocity) for his present physical stature. With a big early leg-lift trigger, Baez excels at being on time, loading his hands very deep to a near arm bar and getting lots of backside rotation in his swing. Despite not being an elite runner (7.32 60-yard dash), Baez moves well on defense, getting good reads off the bat and has a strong chance to stay up the middle in college. He showed softness in his hands and the ability to throw from multiple angles. There is no question he can be a strong contributor at a high level.

-2019 OF Ajay Ram (Ironwood Ridge) was the best looking physical specimen in attendance with a strong 6-foot-1, 195-pound frame. Ram shows big raw power (50), launching multiple long homers with wood in BP and posting a 91 mph exit velocity. Despite some crudeness to his swing, with a short stride, jerky hand load and short two-hand finish, his natural athleticism produced plenty of loud barrels. An athletic mover in the outfield, Ram tracks the ball well and turned in an 83 mph outfield velocity. His 7.26 60-yard dash doesn’t match up with what you see in the field and much better times have been reported. A very interesting follow as he cleans up some of his mechanics and potentially regains some speed. 

-2019 C Romeo Reiff (Ironwood Ridge) is a bit raw as a baseball player, especially defensively, but shows some serious strength in the box. The ball flew off his bat during BP, showing at least 45 raw power. His strong 5-foot-11, 195-pound frame and very broad shoulders, combined with impressive athleticism (7.15 60-yard dash) make him a very intriguing follow moving forward. Reiff shows great adjustability in his front side and the ability to get on plane with pitches of any height using his flat path. Defensively his footwork is the biggest area for improvement and will allow him to significantly improve his 2.22 pop time as he shows solid carry on his throws. This prospect could make a big jump between now and graduation. 

More Solid Performers

-2021 RHP Brady Nelson (Ironwood Ridge) showed off a clean arm action and projectable frame that should produce much more velocity as he develops physically.

-2018 LHH OF Clayton Daly (Ironwood Ridge) is a Colorado School of Mines commit and has plenty of tools across the board to be a standout there.

-Unsigned Senior 1B/LHP John Dormanen swung the bat well from the left side and showed a good glove at 1B. There’s no question he can help a college program.

-2019 1B/RHP Levi White (Ironwood Ridge) has a very long 6-foot-5, 170-pound frame and could become an interesting prospect both ways as he adds strength. 

-2019 Infielders Javier Chavarria (Salpointe Catholic) and Julian De Alva (Ironwood Ridge) are both scrappy players with feel for the game and enough tools to help a college program.

-2019 OF David Vegrood (Ironwood Ridge) has made big improvements to his game and turned in a solid 7.19 60-yard dash and 88 mph exit velocity.