Phoenix Open: Quick Hits
June 2, 2022
On May 31st, Prep Baseball Report Arizona held the Phoenix Open ID at South Mountain Community College. The Phoenix Open ID is an open showcase accessible to the class of 2022-2026 players in the state of Arizona, granting players the opportunity to be evaluated by the PBR Arizona staff while their tools were analyzed by state-of-the-art technologies on-site.
Today, we’ll begin to publish our findings from our first event of the year in the form of this Quick Hits post. In no order, we will state some of our initial takeaways and highlights from Saturday’s showcase. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for more post-event coverage.
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Quick Hits
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Tommy Chiappetti OF / RHP / Verrado, AZ / 20235-foot-11 155 pounds, uncommitted 2023 prospect out of Verrado showed very well at the Phoenix Open. Chiappetti is an above average athlete, with body control and repeatable actions across the board. He showed he was one of the top all around athletes at the event with two-way potential. He was a big contributor to Verrado's championship efforts in the 2022 season in the outfield and on the mound, recording the final out of the 5A state title game on the mound. Chiappetti has a swing path that leads with the knob, is direct, and produces a high rate of hard line drive contact. His best contact on the day was to the middle of the field. He turned in the events top 60 time at 6.83 seconds, and was in the top 2 of the 10/30 yard splits. His athleticism translates well to the outfield and on the mound. He has a quick arm with some great carry on the ball from the outfield, 90 mph OF velo. He's a strike thrower on the mound with a repeatable delivery, was up to 84 mph with the FB. SL sat 67-70 mph, and CH was at 74-76 mph.
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Taylor Trillo 1B / RHP / Pinnacle, AZ / 20246-foot-4 197 pounds, Taylor Trillo showed some potential as a LHH power bat at first base at the Phoenix Open. Trillo's size gives him natural leverage at the plate, with east pop to the big part of the field. Trillo turned in an event high for Max Distance hitting, with a distance of 362 feet, with a top 3 EV of 94.6 mph. His BP rounds consisted of a high % of hard contact and line drives. He sets up slightly open in the box with a bend in the knees. There is a small amount of length created early in the swing, with the starting point of his hands pushed out over the plate, but there was no trouble getting the barrel to the ball. If Trillo can tighten the swing up a hair, as opposing pitchers velo rises, this could be a raw power bat. We also saw Trillo on the mound, where he topped out at 81 mph with the FB, SL was 70-73 mph, and the CH was 73-74 mph. He was around the zone with all three pitches, with some arm side run to the FB and a horizontal breaking slider. Trillo's best projection is with the bat.
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Lucas Mitchell 3B / RHP / Liberty, AZ / 20256-foot-4 180 pounds, upside is very high with Lucas Mitchell. Long levers with clean actions. Room for added strength and athleticism. As Mitchell puts on size, with is what your prototype power hitting corner infielder looks like. Very simple in the box, with little movement to the body/head. He will have to work to keep the swing short and tight to the body with the swing with the length of his arms. But actions are simple and he's in a great spot to hit. He has easy actions defensively with a consistent glove. There is room for improvement with his footwork, but as athleticism and maturity come, he should have no issues playing a corner infield spot. 76 mph infield velo with an easy arm and upside, arm will play from the left side. Look forward to following Mitchell's development as strength is added and he continues to get reps.
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Preston Armstrong C / RHP / Millennium, AZ / 20256-foot-1 180 pounds, Preston Armstrong is another high follow in the 2025 class seen out at the Phoenix Open. Above average strength and size for his age. The mechanics of his swing are advanced for his age, with a tight and direct bat path to the top half and ability to manipulate the barrel. Consistently getting to the top half, with only 5% fly balls in his BP rounds. With his size and strength, as reps continue to come, anticipate a higher % of balls in the air with true flight. His extension through the baseball is impressive, as the barrel continues to travel through the middle of the field after contact. He hits from a strong position, and as he starts to tap into his strength, expect some balls to start leaving the yard. Unsure where his future lies defensively, as he has spent some time all around the diamond, for now his primary position is C. Velo from the C position was 71 mph, arm action shows some upside and the ball travels to 2B with 4 seam flight.
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Ryan Villani 2B / SS / Red Mountain High School, AZ / 2022Rankings StateRank: 112 / POS: 1
5-foot-11 165 pounds, uncommitted 2022 MIF out of Red Mountain. Every day 2B in the 2022 season for the Mountain Lions. Had a steady year with the bat and glove, fielding at a .966 clip with only 2 errors in 56 chances. Ability to play in the middle of the diamond, 76 mph IF velo with more in the tank if he can use the lower half. The LHH turned in the #4 exit velo at the event at 94 mph, and a max distance of 328 feet. Athleticism and body control is there with strength. Speed is average, ran a 7.41 60 yard. Quick feet and hands defensively with good glove skills, quick and consistent to transfer and release. Athletic set up in the box and hits from a strong base with an easy swing from the left side. Uses the middle/oppo part of the field well with sneaky pop.
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Jacob Mustain SS / 2B / Pusch Ridge Christian, AZ / 20246-foot-1 185 pounds, two-way prospect out of Pusch Ridge Christian showed well on Tuesday at the Phoenix Open. Projectable frame with strength and still much room to grow. Showed some two-way ability, posting event highs for FB velo (84), FB spin rate (2230), and CB spin rate (2350). Was consistently getting the barrel to the ball in batting practice, posted a 92 mph EV and max distance of 342 feet. Also posted a top 5 60 time (7.11) and top 3 IF velo (80). Mustain has the tools to build on and had a successful year at the plate in 2022 (.450/11/1/1). As he continues to add strength and get more reps, this could be a left side infielder to follow with potential on the mound. Mustain stayed to the middle of the field with line drives for the majority of his BP rounds. Swing path works slightly uphill with some early hip rotation. Getting a little more grounded and into his legs with a more directional path through center can make Mustain a gap to gap XBH hitter with potential to leave the yard. Good follow in the 2024 class.
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Brylen Brown SS / 3B / Desert Vista , AZ / 20246-foot-2 170 pounds, Brylen Brown had an impressive workout at the Phoenix Open. He showed his above average athleticism and quick twitch actions. Ran the 2nd best 60 at the event (6.92) with long strides and much potential to top that time in coming years. His strides were long and smooth, and he gets to top speed quickly, posting the fasted 30 yard split (3.83). He took a mature BP, getting to the top half and staying to the middle of the field with his loose swing mechanics. High rate of line drive/ground ball contact with a max EV of 89 mph. A top half approach pairs well with his speed and athleticism. Defensively, Brown took ground balls at SS and showed his are can play from the left side with a 79 mph IF velo and much more in the tank. He has a short and quick arm action, and tapping into his lower half more and adding strength will increase his arm strength over the years. Upside is high for Brown, excited to follow his development.
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Jaxon Wickes SS / 2B / Pinnacle , AZ / 20235-foot-8 135 pounds, Jaxon Wickes showed well at the Phoenix Open on Tuesday. Clean ball player with simple and sound actions in the box with defensive ability. The uncommitted 2023 didn't blow up the stat sheet, but was clean across the board and showed to be just be a ball player. Quick and active feet in the infield with some give into the body with the glove, and good rhythm and timing while fielding. 76 mph IF velo, showed he can play up the middle. The bat path stays tight to the body, and leads with the knob, an inside path to the baseball. Wickes has a middle of the field approach and gets to the top half of the baseball well, fits his profile. Added strength will help his game, will follow development.
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| Top Prospect Games: Class of 2023 (Invite-Only) | AZ | 06/27 | Central Arizona College - Coolidge, AZ |
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