Our premier winter event, the Preseason All-State Games took place on Sunday, January 28th at Phoenix Municipal Stadium, home of the Arizona State Sun Devils. The event featured top prospects from the 2019-2021 classes with a roster assembled on an invite-only basis. Today, we begin our top overall prospect lists with the freshmen. Due to the size and quality of the event we will rank the position groups with all classes combined, then do a top prospect list for 2019, 2020 and 2021 separately. Complete video, data, pictures and scouting reports have been posted to players' individual profiles. As always contact [email protected] or direct message @PBRArizona on Twitter with any questions and/or information. 

Barrett Skaugrud established himself as the number two freshman prospect in the state and clearly tops at the event after an impressive performance where his advanced offensive ability stood out above the rest. Augie Walters projects to have the best fastball of any freshman arm we've seen and Zach Kress shows the potential to be an elite defensive catcher. After those three the prospects are more tightly bunched from 4-10 with a number of players who performed well just missing the list, including Spencer Horwatch, Derek Figueroa, Michael Riley, Steven Stewart and Alex Hernandez. Check out the full top ten list below.

Top 2021 Prospects:

Barrett Skaugrud SS / 2B / Sandra Day O'Connor, AZ / 2021 Rankings  StateRank: 2 / POS: 1 OverallRank: 74 / POS: 22 Just a freshman, Skaugrud’s long, wiry 6-foot, 135-pound frame will add a substantial amount of weight and muscle in the future. He looked taller in uniform as he possesses long limbs, and while his actions were athletic, they will be even better when he feels more comfortable with his long frame and new movement patterns. At the plate, the left-handed hitter’s approach stands out. His hands are fluid throughout the setup and work effortlessly down and back before driving through the zone on an uphill plane. Loose and relaxed, Skaugrud peppered the left centerfield gap with line drives, and projects to drive balls from gap to gap in the future. As his lower-half gets stronger, I suspect he will make an even bigger jump with the bat. In the field, the young shortstop has solid hands along with a short arm that allows him to get rid of the ball quickly and accurately from all angles. Again, because he is still so young and is still growing into a longer frame, Skaugrud will benefit from continued maturation as he will become more comfortable. Overall, the bat really looks like it will play in the future, and given time to progress/mature, expect Skaugrud to continue making quick progress.

 

 

Augie Walters RHP / OF / Brophy College Prep, AZ / 2021 Rankings  StateRank: 3 / POS: 1 OverallRank: 66 / POS: 14 Walters, just a freshman, is very much still maturing into his long-limbed, 6-foot-3, 165-pound frame, but exhibits the athleticism necessary to continue making advancements moving forward. The right-handed pitcher ran a 7.09 60-yard dash at the PBR Arizona Preseason All-State event, and touched 83 mph high atop the bump. He is still raw with regards to his mechanics, but the quick hand speed that he possesses out front should allow him to make major jumps in velocity in the future as he gets stronger and fills out. Releasing out of a high ¾ slot, Walters is still learning how to utilize his lower-half, but currently has the athleticism to make up for it in throwing strikes with his fastball with some arm side life. His breaking ball is more of a developing pitch at 67-68, and he shows better feel for a changeup at 74-79. He has a long, loose arm swing is continuously moving which should allow him to repeat easier. Overall, Walters is far from polished, but with his raw athletic and quick hand speed, he could make a big jump in the near future as he matures and gets stronger.

 

 

Zach Kress C / 2B / Corona Del Sol, AZ / 2021 Rankings  StateRank: 6 / POS: 1 5-foot-11, 145-pound frame. Looking to lift and pull in BP with deep hand load and slight uphill path. Stays behind the baseball. Body doesn’t yet match up with the type of swing he is trying to execute. 71 mph exit velocity. Easily the top defender at our Freshmen Free event a couple months prior, Kress again stood out at the Preseason All-State Games amongst players much older than him. He continually shows very quick transfer and elite accuracy on his throws to 2B. Kress posted a top pop time of 2.01 with 70 mph velocity and also excelled as a receiver, showing quiet hands and superior flexibility. Very young physically, Kress is a ways off from being able to drive the ball consistently but shows the hand eye coordination necessary to develop into an offensive contributor in addition to his elite defense at a premium position.

 

 

Cayden Collins RHP / SS / Mountain Ridge , AZ / 2021 Rankings  StateRank: 7 / POS: 2 6-foot-1, 165-pound frame with lots of physical projection remaining. Profiles best on the mound where he worked 77-79, T80 with his fastball. Manages to get plane on his FB from a low ¾ arm slot while working slightly across his body. Very low effort delivery with short stride. 65-69 mph curveball shows downward break and will improve as he tightens the rotation and creates later break. Arm action/slot may fit a slider or slurve with more lateral break better. Also mixed in 69-72 mph changeup.

 

 

Tanner Smith C / 3B / Basha, AZ / 2021 Rankings  StateRank: 9 / POS: 2 Solid 5-foot-11, 180-pound frame with thick lower half. Advanced swing with ability to drive the baseball to all fields. Was on time with high-level pitching in game action and showed the ability to square up the baseball. There’s very little question Smith will be a high-level hitter as he continues to mature. 2.08 best pop time with 70 mph velocity from the crouch. Throwing ability will dictate what level prospect he becomes. Shows quick transfer. 7.73 60-yard dash.

 

 

Beau Ankeney 1B / 3B / Desert Vista, AZ / 2021 Rankings  StateRank: 10 / POS: 1 6-foot-2, 215-pound frame with impressive natural strength. Leg kick trigger varies in size. Loads hands deep and elbow high. Tended to get started late and make contact deep in the zone. Plenty of bat speed to handle velo if he starts gathering earlier; 90 mph exit velocity. Playable defender at first base. Moves around the bag well; shows some stiffness in hands. Made accurate throws on the infield with 78 mph velocity.

 

 

John Lauinger OF / SS / Pinnacle, AZ / 2021 Rankings  StateRank: 16 / POS: 1 Lean 5-foot-10, 140-pound frame. Fast-twitch athlete posted 7.10 60-yard dash and has previously turned in sub-7.0. Shows knack for finding the barrel in game action. Hits from wide setup with low hands and virtually no stride. Hands take short and flat path to and through the baseball producing line drive contact to all fields. 78 mph exit velo will improve with added strength/mass. Moves comfortably in the outfield and his 77 mph throws show solid on-line carry. Definite follow moving forward.

 

 

Tyler Kearney SS / 2B / Mountain Pointe, AZ / 2021 Rankings  StateRank: 11 / POS: 4 6-foot, 150-pound frame.Doesn't possess a standout tool yet, but is solid across the board and does a terrific job squaring up the baseball with his flat swing plane. Hits from very wide setup with virtually no stride. Tips barrel forward to begin load. 80 mph exit velocity. Kearney is also a solid infield defender with advanced actions and an accurate arm that’s plays extremely under control for a freshman. Also a solid athlete (7.20 60-yard dash) that will be worth monitoring as he develops.

 

 

Kaden Schiefelbein 3B / RHP / Liberty, AZ / 2021 Rankings  StateRank: 13 / POS: 1 Thin, immature 5-foot-11, 130-pound frame. Has the type of body that might develop into an ideal pitcher's frame down the road. He shows a workable arm action, getting on top of the ball quickly on the back side and the ability to fill up the strike zone. Ran his fastball up to 79 at 130 pounds and projects for lots more velo in the future. Shows advanced feel for 73-74 mph sinking changeup with good hand speed. Shows some feel to hit with a wide solid base and line drive swing plane ; 77 mph exit velocity. 3B profile on defense. Posted 7.25 60-yard dash, showing solid athleticism which adds to his projectability.

 

 

Aaron Limon SS / RHP / Liberty, AZ / 2021 Rankings  StateRank: 18 / POS: 7 5-foot-10, 165-pound frame with impressive present strength for a 2021 grad. Turned in 7.15 60-yard dash and has previously posted sub-7.0. Works hard to flatten barrel early and get underneath the baseball. Barrel leaves zone quickly and works to a high finish. 83 mph exit velocity. Athletic mover at SS with some softness in hands. Feet work comfortably to both sides. Tends to push the ball uphill on the infield with a very short arm action, but shows arm strength on the mound where he sat 78-79 FB with low effort and a very short stride. Upper body drifts forward very quickly. Showed advanced feel for sinking 72-73 mph changeup with good arm speed. Also showed the ability to throw 68-69 mph curveball in the zone consistently. Would improve on defense if he could take his arm action on the mound to SS and improve carry on throws.