Area Code Games: Day 4

As we get extended looks at these players, standouts are starting to separate themselves from the pack with their tools, consistency and effort. Below are the highlights from Day Four.

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BREWERS:

2020 RHP Max Rajcic (Orange Lutheran) - UCLA commit. Rajcic came out and set the tone for the Brewers working three quick innings with three K’s, one walk and five easy ground balls as he pounded the bottom half of the zone with the fastball mixing in his sharp curveball to keep hitters off the fastball. The delivery keeps good balance, repeating his mechanics well with a compact strong arm coming from a H-3/4 slot jumping on hitters as it stays deceptive behind him. FB 89-92 working with above-average plane down through the zone using it on both sides of the plate constantly getting ahead. CB 76-78 showed 12-to-5 break with long shape and tight, sharp spin showing feel for the pitch working it into and through the zone; swing-and-miss pitch. 

2020 C Kevin Parada (Loyola) - Georgia Tech commit. 6-foot,185 pounds has a strong sturdy frame with present strength. Parada has been putting on a clinic in Long Beach seeing the ball extremely well. On Thursday that was the case as he went 2-4, 2 doubles and 2 RBI’s. Parada routinely makes loud consistent contact. He’s routinely had 100 plus exit velo off the bat this week flashing a gap to gap approach using the whole field and not being afraid to go the other way. The quick hands at the plate are able to turn on those inside pitches. He has also had a good week behind the plate blocking the ball and throwing out a couple runners including on Thursday (2.07 pop).

2020 INF Drew Bowser (Harvard-Westlake) - Stanford commit. 6-foot-4, 205 pounds tall frame, athletic, sturdy young body. Bowser has been swinging the bat and seeing the ball extremely well this week. That continued on Thursday as he went 2-for-4 with two singles. He is very quiet at the plate, quick bat speed and compact swing making loud contact consistently using the whole field. Shows good versatility as he can play third earlier this week while playing shortstop on Thursday. Shows proper mechanics, fields from down to up and gets good reads off the bat. Has a strong arm with enough strength to stay on the left-side of the infield. This week Bowser has put himself on the map as a must see in the spring. 

2020 OF Kalai Rosario (Waiakea, HI) - Cal Baptist commit. 6-foot-1, 200 pounds has a sturdy frame, athletic and present strength. Rosario is having a great week at the plate flashing a gap approach as he’s made consistent loud contact using the whole field. Rosario flashes a compact swing with present power. On Thursday he recorded two singles having two quality at-bats. On his single he stayed on the pitch away going that way with it (103 exit). Rosario showed the ability to run well for his size. He gets a good first step out of the box and puts pressure on the defense as we have seen this week. This week he has made it extremely hard for scouts not to make a trip or two to Hawaii this spring.

2020 INF Jacob Gonzalez (Glendora) - Mississippi commit. Gonzales has continued to show a patient approach at the plate finding pitches he can attack and doing just that. Gonzales was on base all three times driving in two runs and picking up another barreled hit as he drove a double into LCF (91 exit) showing easy athleticism as he cruised into 2nd base. Gonzales’s defense has shown versatility being able to stick on the left-side of the diamond with enough arm strength to make the throws across. 

A’s

2020 C Tyler Soderstrom (Turlock) - UCLA commit. Soderstrom is making his case as the top catching prospect in the country having another two barreled balls picking up his fourth hit this week with a lined single into LCF driving in a run in the process (95 exit); in his first AB he sent the CF deep (91 exit) as he’s regularly used the entire field this week. Behind the plate, Soderstrom is quiet and calm showing a strong receiving hand and above-average arm that is consistently putting balls on the bag at 2nd base between innings (1.97-2.09 pops). 

2020 C Cole Carrigg (Turlock) - SDSU commit. Carrigg has shown the ability to make hard contact all week from both sides of the plate and he kept at it on Thursday picking up two hits. Carrigg also showed off his arm getting the A’s out of a bases-loaded jam with a back pick to 1st base on a snap throw where the runner didn’t have the time to dive back in. Playing on a high school team with fellow A’s Tyler Soderstrom and Andy Owen will have scouts flocking to the Central Valley come spring. 

2020 RHP TJ Nichols (Oakmont) - Uncommitted. After going 1 inning on Monday with spotty command, Nichols came back Thursday showing the same live arm and late breaking slider with much improved command powering the fastball past hitters with ease. Having had limited time on the mound, the upside is present and with the ease of velocity from the fast arm, scouts will want to see how much progress comes this spring. On Thursday, Nichols went 2 innings scattering 2 hits for a run, while striking out 4. FB 92-96 with life up through the zone and consistently having hitter be late to the pitch. SLD 79-82 is sharp with advanced feel throwing for strikes in the zone and out of it; late bite being a swing-and-miss pitch. 

2020 OF Petey Halpin (St. Francis) - Uncommitted. Halpin had two solid games on Thursday reaching base three times and showing the juice in his bat and arm. During the 2nd game he hit a rocket to RF that carried over the right-fielders head for an easy stand up triple. He also walked twice and showed his first step reactions to take two stolen bases. In CF, Halpin showed the ability to track the baseball and the arm strength that can fit in any of the three OF spots coming up to throw out a runner at home with ease; throw was online with easy carry beating the runner by a good ten feet allowing the catcher to make an easy tag. 

2020 OF Carson Yates (Leland) - Uncommitted. Yates showed off his skills again during Day Four with an infield single showing his gliding run style flying down the line (4.2 H-1st) without a throw. Yates also showed his base running skills taking second with a headfirst dive; would have stolen a 2nd base during the game if not for a called 3rd strike at home to end the inning. The strength in his bat continues to show up when he laced another hard fly ball to CF for a deep F8. 

2020 INF Nick Yorke (Archbishop Mitty) - Arizona commit. Yorke had another solid day at the plate with a walk, before barreling the ball twice; the first one was a line drive right at the SS (97 exit) before whistling a single into CF (101 exit) continuing to show the bat-to-ball skills we’ve seen consistently. At 2nd base for defense in this one, he was able to make the routine plays while also helping to turn a double-play and get the A’s back in to hit. 

2020 RHP Isaac Ayon (Buchanan) - Oregon commit. Ayon’s 6-4, 210 frame is the ideal frame to be a workhorse and he showed the ability to come back after pitching on Monday and maintain his velocity three days later. In this one his FB found a bit more of the plate leading to a few hits (3) and runs (2), but the stuff continues to show promise as he racked up three more K’s in his 2 inning outing. Coming from a tempo delivery, the 3/4 strong arm flashed a strong three-pitch mix. FB 91-93 maintaining same velocity as Monday with 2-seam run to the arm side and using the pitch to set up his two-offspeed pitches. CB 81-84 showed blend between 11/5-to-12/6 shape with tight, hard spin showing the ability to manipulate the length into and through the zone; the hard break on the pitch bent some RHH’s. CHG 83-87 has made big improvements and looked good on Thursday as he sold the pitch well with good arm speed and the pitch having sink under barrels. 

2020 RHP Andy Owen (Turlock) - USC commit. Owen also came back from Monday with velocity holding and the breaking ball looking better going 2 scoreless innings. From an athletic delivery, the loose and live 3/4 arm attacked hitters getting a strikeout and walk during the outing. FB 89-92 showed life at the plate and was able to spot the pitch to the arm side setting up his CHG. CHG 83-85 was more of a straight change during the outing with usage under the hands of righties. SLD 78-80 flashed better actions during the outing, especially on a strikeout, with better tilt for the swing-and-miss. Being able to throw to Soderstrom and Carrigg during Spring should boost his stock.