The Unsigned Senior Showcase took place on Wednesday, October 10th at Sunnyslope HS. The event gave uncommitted 2019 prospects an opportunity to perform in front of 55 college coaches and scouts, by far our most highly attended event ever in Arizona. This event will become a staple for PBR every October, due to the response and large number of college coaches that travel to the area this week every year. Today, we start our event analysis with some Quick Hits on a few prospects who stood out. As with all our top events, it is impossible to include every prospect who showed well in this article. We also posted tons of brief notes and videos throughout the night on Twitter. 

Complete video, data and pictures will be posted soon to players' individual profiles with scouting reports to follow in the coming weeks. As always contact [email protected] or direct message @PBRArizona on Twitter with any questions and/or information.

POWER BATS SHINE IN BP

-It wouldn't be right to start this article with anyone other than 1B/LHP Justin Flebbe. Flebbe is clearly the top power bat available in AZ and is set for a significant bump when rankings are updated. His swing mechanics are very simple, with a strong, wide base and slight leg lift trigger. Flebbe does an outstanding job creating separation with a strong coil and consistently gets his foot down on time to unload on the baseball. He stays through the baseball, getting excellent extension and generates hard line drive and fly ball contact from CF to the LF foul pole; 93 mph exit velo was tops at the event. There's absolutely no question he is a D1 bat and shows the type of present strength, combined with an advanced swing and approach that could make him an early contributor. In addition, he's a polished defender at first that moves comfortably and excels on picks. He's also shown himself to be a mid-80's LHP on previous looks, but his future is likely in the batter's box.

-6-foot-3, 175-pound LHH OF Seth Nager was our top-rated uncommitted prospect in the state coming in to the event and that doesn't seem likely to change. Coming off of Tommy John surgery, Nager is just starting to round back into form, despite not throwing at full strength yet. Some rust remains apparent, but the toolset is undeniable as he posted a 6.81 60-yard dash on a slow track and 90 mph exit velocity, with a frame that offers elite projection.

  

-Like seemingly every player that comes out of Nogales HS, OF/1B Alec Acevedo and 3B Jesus Lopez can really hit. Lopez is the more imposing physical specimen at 6-foot-2, 195-pounds and has a better chance to defend somewhere other than 1B, due to his hands and 86 mph IF velo, but on this night Acevedo really shined offensively. With a leg-kick that he really makes work and low hand load, Acevedo drove the ball with authority to all fields, even banging one off the top of the batter's eye in CF. He's likely to end up at 1B, but has been a consistently elite offensive producer and U see no reason that won't continue at the college level. Lopez shows a slightly longer swing and a path that can get steep at times, but also made hard contact in BP and brings the type of physical presence that many programs love. Their HS teammate OF Mike Gerardo is also deserving of mention, despite not bringing the same physical presence, as he made lots of hard contact during his round of BP, showing a short, simple swing and line drive plane.

-6-foot-3, 205-pound 1B/RHP Mason Kokodynski put on by far the best performance we've seen from him. The elite student (31 ACT, 1410 SAT) should have no trouble finding a home after taking an impressive BP where he left the yard and showing huge improvement on the mound where he ran his fastball up to 86 mph and showed a promising breaking ball.

-6-foot-4, 205-pound OF Peyton McGregor is another tremendous student (33 ACT) and physical specimen with the type of tools that could really pay off for a program willing to invest in his development. The combination of MLB body, arm strength (90 mph OF velo), raw pop (91 mph exit velo) and athleticism (7.1 60-yard dash) and academic prowess should make McGregor a fit for a number of places and good provide them with a very big reward down the road.

-LHH OF Noah Thompson has a bigger swing, but possesses probably as much raw pop as any hitter in the class. Thompson hung out some vicious line drives in BP, turned in a 91 mph exit velocity and certainly has the type of offensive tools to impact the game at the next level. He's relatively new to the game and a somewhat raw defender, but a program willing to invest in his continued development could reap a big reward down the line.

Catchers Plentiful in AZ

-There's no question that catcher is the strongest position in the state as far as unsigned players and defensively there are none better than 6-foot-3, 185-pound Tyler Cotto. The athletic receiver/blocker really shined throughout the night, showing outstanding flexibility in his lower half and turned heads when it came time for the catchers to throw. Cotto posted pop times from 1.86-1.94 with 82 mph velocity and was consistently right on the bag. He showed athletic feet, and a quick release/transfer and there's very little question in my mind he could catch just about anywhere in the country. There's some refinement to come offensively, but he seems to show better in games than BP and there's plenty of room to add strength in the upper body.

-Cam LaLiberte isn't nearly as advanced defensively, having spent much of his time at other positions, but was clearly the top offensive catcher at the event. LaLiberte posted the top 60-yard dash at the event with a 6.79 and could certainly handle the outfield if the defense behind the plate never fully develops. He shows the type of short swing with bat speed that should translate to higher levels and has plenty of room to add strength to his lean, broad shouldered 6-foot-1, 180-pound frame.

-Recent Central Arizona commit Ryan Grabosch showed off a very solid 6-foot-2, 215-pound frame and impressive arm strength, posting a best pop of 1.94 with 81 mph velocity. The switch-hitter is far more advanced from the right side, but it's very easy to see why CAC wanted to lock up the physical backstop.

-Dylan Skov has always shown well in game action as a solid receiver/blocker who has a knack for finding the barrel for hard line drive contact. Not really a showcase tools type, Skov has clearly been working hard as he took by far the best round of BP we've seen from him and showed improved (79 mph) arm strength behind the plate. The elite student (4.54 GPA, 1330 SAT) could be a fit for programs at a number of levels depending on need.

-Daniel Johnson has always been the type of catcher that performed well in game action, but didn't possess the type of tools that catch the eye of coaches and scouts. He's worked hard to improve physically and posted by far the best numbers we've seen from him, with a best pop of 1.96 and 76 mph velocity. Johnson consistently guns down runners in games, blocks everything and handled the most talented staff in the state last spring at Mesquite HS. There's no question he can be a contributor for someone at the D2/D3 level.

-Dominick Vest is another catcher that doesn't stand out from a tools standpoint, but has consistently performed and does a really solid job receiving. Vest has the type of swing that could really allow him to take off with added physical strength. There's some present bat speed and a noticeable confidence in the box as he's looking to lift and pull with natural loft and extension.

 

 

-Enrique Figueroa, also at Mesquite HS is listed as a primary OF, but showed intriguing throwing ability behind the plate, popping 1.93-2.04 with 79 mph velocity.

Projectable LHP's

-Travis Higdon had previously intrigued with a combination of projectable, athletic body and ability to generate arm speed. He appears to be making a jump as he sat 85-86 mph with heavy sink on this look and has reportedly been up to 89 mph this fall.

-Tyler Gustafson really jumped out in our first look at the, 6-foot-2, 155-pound broad shouldered lefty. He generates significant arm speed, with a clean action and has the type of frame that really projects to add strength. Very interesting follow that could be at outstanding Juco fit as he continues to develop.

 

 

-Travis Densmore may be further away physically than some of these other names, but also shows more advanced pitchability. The 5-foot-10, 145-pound (maybe) lefty has grown since we saw him work in the low-70's in June. He filled up the zone with three pitches and has a chance with continued physical maturation.

-Tanner Isaacs is another thin-bodied lefty that makes for an intriguing follow. He threw all strikes at 81-83 mph with his fastball and showed two workable secondary offerings that will only improve as he's able to generate more arm speed. Listed at 6-foot-3, 167-pounds, Isaacs is another who may be an outstanding fit at a junior college.

Other notables

-MIF Anthony Mase and OF Jack Tomlinson came over from California stood out in the middle infield and outfield respectively. Made turned in a very strong 6.83 60-yard dash on a slow track, took a solid BP and showed the necessary tools to defend in the middle of the diamond. Tomlinson also showed playable speed at 7.03 and certainly has the actions to settle in a  corner OF spot. The switch-hitter may want to focus on hitting right-handed based on this look, as the swing is far more impactful from that side where he is able to generate significant bat speed and drive the ball with authority to LCF.

-Recent Central Arizona commit Jacob Alexander continues to intrigue and show a high ceiling in the infield and on the mound. The projectable 6-foot-4 prospect posted a 7.16 60-yard dash, 86 mph infield velo, 88 mph exit velo and hopped on the mound to touch 87 mph with a clean arm action. There's no doubt he's a terrific get for CAC and has a chance to become a high-D1 prospect after his junior college career.

-RHP Dane Vanderwerf showed well in his first PBR event, running his fastball up to 86 mph with an uptempo delivery. He generates some arm speed and showed the ability to spin a 68-70 mph slider and with some mechanical adjustments that allow him to better repeat his high-effort delivery can certainly be a contributor at the college level, most likely out of the bullpen. 

-Part of a very deep infield at O'Connor HS, Brayden Nichols has flown mostly under the radar, but continues to show well every time we see him. Despite not possessing a standout tool, he's just a very solid player that consistently barrels the baseball to all fields with a very quiet swing in the box. Defensively Nichols' feet and arm action may profile best to 3B at the next level.

-RHP Kyle Conway showed by far the best combination of stuff/control we've seen from him. The delivery remains max-effort, but Conway was generally around the plate and showed the ability to spin a tight curveball at times. His fastball sat in the mid-80's, but was able to dial up an 89 on his last pitch of the event.

-Big-Bodied LHP Riley Beauregard is another intriguing unsigned senior arm that missed some time with a minor injury and has remained somewhat under the radar. The 6-foot-3, 220-pounder sat 81-84 with his fastball, using a three-piece arm action and showed the ability to spin his curveball in the zone.