CIF-SS Playoff Week in Review
May 14, 2019
CIF-SS PLAYOFFS PREVIEW PODCAST
The CIF-SS playoffs have reached the Final Four in each division with teams playing for the right at a championship game this Saturday. A few of our scouts took to the road to cover the games last week taking in the Mira Costa v Notre Dame, Cypress v Capo Valley, Yucaipa v Cypress, Serra v Yorba Linda, and Mira Costa v La Mirada games last week. There were plenty of anxious moments, along with some standout performances, in all of these games.
Let’s tak a look at some of the standouts from last week
2019 RHP (UCLA) Jared Karros long and lean frame with wiry strength and physical projection. He is easy out of the windup and the stretch. Karros uses his size to his advantage as he gets good extension. Has a live fastball with little effort and looks faster because of his size. His fastball does have a little late movement. His curveball has some loose movement and is a developing pitch. When he throws it for a strike it can be effective. Throws his change-up for a strike has good deception from fastball. Karros uses his change-up effectively as a pitch he can rely on in a big situation or he needs a strike. Has a great presence on the mound and is a competitor. Karros arguably had his best performance in the biggest game of the year. Karros had a masterful performance against a very talented Notre Dame Sherman Oaks team. Threw the GC, allowing 4 hits, 1 earn run, striking out 10 and 15 swing and misses. I’ve seen Karros three times in the last two week and he has been stellar every time. Against Redondo Union he threw a complete game allowing 2 runs, 7 hits, 2 walks and striking out 7 batters. On the biggest stages Karros has been stepping up.
2019 INF (LMU) Dylan Dennis medium frame, young athletic body. Operates from a slightly open set-up and a shorter stride. Has a compact line drive swing, keeps barrel through the zone, makes consistent contact and uses the whole field. He doesn’t flash power. Has quick feet, medium stride and will steal a bag. Has average arm strength, makes accurate throws with consistent mechanics. Fields the ball smoothly and gets good reads off the bat. Can play multiple infield position and also can play the outfield. Dennis has been swinging a really hot bat at the end of the regular season and in the playoffs. In the last game of the regular season he was 1-for-2 with 1 RBI and 3 runs scored. He was 1-for-3 with 2 RBI against JSerra. On Tuesday he was 2-for-3 with one RBI as Costa beat Notre Dame 2-1. In the biggest games of the year Dennis is 4-for-7 with 8 rbis.
2020 3B (UCLA) Kyle Karros tall frame, athletic young body, with wiry strength and physical projection. Has a gap-to-gap hitting approach, uses the whole field and makes consistent contact. Operates from a slightly open set-up at the plate with a smaller leg lift. Has a longer stride on the paths, doesn’t steal much. Has a strong arm at third base and makes accurate throws with consistent-mechanics. Karros is looking really comfortable at third carving himself out a solid niche at the position. Good reads off the bat. funnels the baseball and fields it smoothly with softer hands. His range is strong and covers ground as he can make the play going to his glove side and backhand. Karros had a very good day at the plate against Notre Dame. Karros was 2-for-3 with two singles against Notre Dame.
2021 C (Santa Clara) Nick Bacura strong young body, strong lower half and physical projection. Has a line drive approach and has a compact swing. He makes consistent contact and uses the whole field. Doesn’t flash power right now but will come as he adds more strength. Has a strong arm behind the plate and he carries through the throw. His mechanics are on point, with good footwork and quick hands. Excels receiving the ball and does a great job keeping the ball in front of him minimizing the running game. He is a smart catcher and is advanced for his age behind the plate. He handles a very heavy senior staff and does a great job catching them. He is a leader on the field and has the respect of his teammates. He was 1-for-3 with one single. He made a huge impact when he cut down a runner at second base. In the top of the 5th Notre Dame got the lead-off runner on first and Bacura threw him out, shutting down any momentum that Notre Dame was gaining.
2020 INF (UCLA) Daylen Reyes #17 ranked player 2020 in California; young body, athletic with wiry strength. Operates from an open set-up low hands with a small leg kick. Has a line drive hitting approach and uses the whole field. Is balanced at the plate makes consistent contact. Makes loud contact, but doesn’t flash much power. Has quick feet, medium stride and can be a threat on the base path. Has a strong arm and mechanics are on-point. Fields the ball smoothly with soft hands and quick first step. Above average range with enough range to play shortstop. Has versatility and enough athleticism to play almost all infield spots. Didn’t record a hit Thursday but had two quality at-bats making hard contact.
2020 OF (Uncommitted) Chris Aldrich #52 ranked player 2020 in California; strong physical frame with athleticism. Has a gap-to-gap approach makes consistent contact and uses the whole field. Flashes power with a loud bat has a strong lower half. Has a longer running stride and isn’t a liability on the base paths. Has a strong arm carries through the ball. Gets good reads off the bat and strong first step. Has enough range to play either outfield spot. He was 1-for-3 on Tuesday with one single. Also pitches although he didn’t throw in this game.
2019 SS (USD) Chase Meidroth is a strong and athletic middle infielder with a young body and a strong lower half. Meidroth is a prototypical leadoff hitter. A gap-to-gap hitter who makes consistent contact and uses the whole field. He is a perfect leadoff hitter because he works the count and fouls off tough pitches helping his fellow hitters see what the opposing pitcher has to offer. Flashes power to all fields and has a loud bat. Has a strong arm from shortstop. He gets good reads off the bat and can make the plays in the 5-6 hole and gobbles everything up in his vicinity. Has plus range, might profile better at second though has enough range to play short at the next level. Has plus instincts’ and is always aware of the situation making the smart baseball play.
2021 OF (Uncommitted) Jonah Storey young athletic body with physical projection. Has a line drive approach, with a compact line drive swing. He makes consistent contact and use the whole field. His hitting approach at the plate is advanced for his age. Doesn’t flash much power but will when adds more strength. Quick feet and a medium stride and can steal a bag. Has a strong arm and quick first-step. Enough athleticism to play both corner outfield spots. Good reads off the bat and awareness of the situation. Smart instincts and doesn’t show fear going for the ball even crashing into the wall Saturday to try and make a play. On Saturday was 1-for-3 with one single. Had two quality at-bats against Jared Jones. Storey impressed in that he wasn’t overmatched by Jones and his 96-99 mph fastball. I’ve seen Storey a handful of times and he hasn’t look overmatched against some MLB pitching prospects. If schools aren’t looking at Storey now, they need to be.
--RUSS MORGAN
2019 RHP/3B Cameron Repetti (CSUF) was superb on the bump hurling a complete game, four hit, nine-strikeout performance. Fastball sat 87-89, topping 90 and 91. Curveball was 74-76 with command and sharp bite and 11-5 shape. Repetti is a bulldog competitor with a killer instinct that displays high emotion on the mound, but you know he cares, and it’s refreshing to watch. I consider him to be one of the best defenders in his class as a pitcher. Has soft, quick hands and gets to a balanced fielding position after the delivery. Capped the day off going two-for-three at the plate.
2019 INF Tyler Chaffee (Uncommitted) six-feet, 190lbs solid, sturdy frame. Aggressive all fields approach with ability to drive balls into the gap consistently and hit home runs occasionally. Shows strong hands, and above average bat speed. Currently has high double totals, with over the fence power potential. Average runner that is adequate on the bases and has position flexibility being able to play both corner infield positions and the outfield as well. In all my views of Chaffee, he’s always right in the middle of being a big contributor every game. This recruit is a steal for many college programs. Was one-for-three with three RBI on the day.
2020 Noah Carter (CSUF) six-foot-one, 180lbs, athletic, strong frame. Rhythmic hitter, slightly open stance, with high hands setup, and moderate leg kick trigger. Displays a pull approach with uppercut swing path. Squares the ball up with some consistency, but tends to roll over balls occasionally. Has over the fence power potential, but currently hits lots of singles and doubles. Shows position flexibility as a middle infielder that has been moved to the outfield. I think we will see him back on the left side of the infield next year as he has the tools and ability to sick in the infield. Was one-for-three with a RBI double seen here.
2020 RHP/OF Jared Jones (USC), the #1 ranked player in the 2020 class for the State of California and #2 overall in the nation, put on one of the most impressive overall performances I have ever witnessed. Getting the nod on the mound, Jones immediately announced his presence with authority throwing his first three pitches 98, 99, and 99 respectively. The ball explodes through the zone, with late arm-side tail. Arm action is clean and fluid through delivery. Has high percentage swing and miss on all of his offerings. Will be devastating if he develops and adds a changeup to his repertoire. Jones pitches with emotion, but maintains excellent poise and is unfazed by performance adversity. Adding to his show on the mound, Jones posted a gaudy three-for-three day at the plate, with a double, a homerun, an RBI, and three runs scored. We will be hearing his name called at the top of the 2020 MLB amateur draft.
2019 Catcher Darius Perry (UCLA) The #24 ranked player in the State. Six-foot-two, 215lbs, large, frame, with room to put on added muscle and strength. Perry seems to be getting hot at the right time for the Matadores and for his future. He slashed a three-for-three day at the plate with a single, double, walk, a homerun, three RBI’s, and two runs scored. Though draft talks have subsided, I believe he is an impact bat and arm at the college level. Perry will have to make a commitment to work on his consistency as a defender/receiver and his overall fitness over the summer to impact the Bruins lineup in 2020.
--STEVE DOHERTY
2020 RHP Tim Scarlett of Capo Valley took the mound against Cyress in the second round game last week and was dealing early and often. Working primarily in the 85-86 MPH fastball range, Scarlett kept hitters off balance with a sharp, biting slider at 81-83 MPH while showing feel for a changeup at 76-77 MPH. Working from a high 3/4 slot, Scarlett shows a loose, easy arm path with good extension down the mound. Scarlett showed improved command with the slider throughout his outing while his feel the changeup has improved as well. He had a very good outing with the exception of one pitch that ultimately was the difference in the game.
2022 C Luke Davis has shown the type of natural development you want to see from a freshman at this point in the season. His receiving skills have improved considerably in the sense that he looks more comfortable behind the plate while his blocking has also improved. His soft hands continue to impress as does his ability to steal strikes for his pitchers with his ability to frame pitches. Despite all that, it’s his bat that is the carrying tool now and potentially into the future. There’s a lot of power in his stroke that gets extended after contact. He does not get cheated at the plate. In a tie game in the top of the seventh inning, Davis did this….
2019 SS Blake Wink popped on the scene late last season where he showed off his defensive prowess along with his speed on the bases. He’s an instinctive player that seemingly is in the right position all the time. Wink had a huge day at the plate where he drove balls into the gap, pulled one into left field, and even had a bunt single. Defensively he’s the unquestioned captain of the team.
2019 OF Damone Hale impressed with his overall game, but it was his speed and instincts that really stood out. Hale covers a lot of ground in the outfield and shows the ability to track down just about anything. At the plate he shows bat speed and the ability to adjust to pitches within the at-bat. There’s some easy, natural power in his swing presently that projects for future development.
--LES LUKACH
| SHOWCASE | STATE | DATE | LOCATION |
| South Bay Junior Future Games Trials | CA | 04/14 | Archbishop Mitty HS |
| North Bay Junior Future Games Trials | CA | 04/28 | Clyde P. Smith Field - Cardinal Newman HS |
| Northern California Future Games Trials | CA | 05/26 | Islanders Field |
| Inland Empire Futures Games Trials | CA | 06/01 | Norco High School |
| SoCal ProCase | CA | 06/08 | Hart Park |
| Northern California ProCase | CA | 06/09 | Delta College - Nick Cecchetti Field |
| Bay Area Open Showcase | CA | 06/26 | Laney College |
| Inland Empire Top Prospect ID | CA | 07/23 | Santiago High School |
| Norcal Top Prospect ID | CA | 07/24 | St. Mary's College |
| Junior Future Games | NATIONAL | 07/30 | LakePoint |
| Rising Stars Showcase | CA | 09/21 | Santiago High School |