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ENCINO, CA. - With the 2020 Southern California High School baseball season rapidly approaching, our California staff continues its boots on the ground scouting efforts to bring you the best coverage of the the top programs and players Southern California has to offer.

I dropped in on Harvard-Westlake's pre-season double header, where they took on two Las Vegas power-houses in Desert Oasis and Bishop Gorman. Numerous Major League Baseball organizations, decision makers, and top level scouts came out to catch a glimpse of Harvard-Westlake's two 5-star recruits in Pete Crow-Armstrong, a Vanderbilt signee and the #1 ranked high school player in PBR's 2020 Overall HS Rankings, and Drew Bowser, a Stanford commit; the #30 ranked high school player in the country. There was plenty to gawk at talent wise all over the field including some top underclassmen, but at the end of the day everyone got what they came for as PCA put on a hitting clinic tallying seven hits in the double header.  I don' t want to get too excited, and It's too early to determine where Crow-Armstrong will go in this years 2020 MLB Amateur Draft, however, if this small sample size is any indication of what is to come, we know we will hear his name called early on the first day of the draft.

Lets take a closer look at some of the standout players from the double header

+ 2020 OF Pete Crow-Armstrong (Harvard-Westlake HS) needs no introduction. I'm going to leave this video compilation right here for all to admire. Count them...all 7-hits, and a stolen base in the double header. Going to be fun watching PCA this year. We all want to see what kind of numbers he can put up. 

+ 2020 SS Drew Bowser (Harvard-Westlake HS)  The Stanford recruit is looking more physical and has made obvious gains to his overall physique in the off-season.  The question is will he stay at shortstop after he leaves Harvard-Westlake or will he be pushed to a corner spot? The draft is definitely a possibility for Bowser, however, historically Stanford commits commit to Stanford and usually show up on "The Farm" more often than not even when taken high in the draft. Will he attend Stanford if drafted  or opt for professional baseball is the question that only time will answer. Here's Bowser squaring this one up for an RBI single.

+ 2020 RHP Jack Hassett (Harvard-Westlake HS) The New York University signee certainly opened onlookers eyes this outing. Hassett tossed four solid innings, keeping Desert Oasis off balance the whole afternoon. He featured a heavy fastball sitting 84-88 and mixed in a curveball at 73-74 that he was able to backdoor a few times as well.  Hassett will be a key cog in the success of the Wolverines this year.  

+ 2021 RHP Christian Becerra (Harvard-Westlake HS) The uncommitted sophomore got the start in game 1 of the double header. Becerra toed the rubber for two efficient innings featuring a tailing fastball sitting 83-86 topping 87. The curveball was sharp with good down angle at 71-74 and he featured a fading changeup at 75-80. Becerra shows a significant head-wack and really pulls down to his glove side. Moving forward, he will have to make the adjustment to be more linear in his delivery and as a result, his command will improve and be more consistent throwing strikes.

+ 2021 OF Justin Crawford (Bishop Gorman HS, NV) Projectable, toolsy, and twitchy, Crawford caught my eye as someone to follow closely the next two seasons. He took quality at-bats from the leadoff spot and when he got on base, its as good as a double. Admire the 12-step stolen base here. This is MLB leadoff type speed. 

+ 2022 Jordan Kang 3B (Harvard-Westlake HS) The #14 ranked player in California for the 2022 class and uncommitted, Kang brings more physicality to an already physical Wolverine lineup. Made a couple solid plays at third base and torches this ball for a single. Kang and the other Harvard-Westlake underclassmen have a unique opportunity to make a statement for themselves moving forward by showing off in front of the scouts that will be filling the seats at every one of their games this year.

+ 2023 INF Kai Caranto (Harvard-Westlake HS) The #9 ranked player in California for the 2023 class is going to be fun to watch for the next four years. The Team USA alum has a strength to his game not seen by many freshman.  Caranto started game 1 at second base and took over at shortstop in game 2. He will be used as a utility infielder all year for Head Coach Jared Halpert. In my opinion he is a plug-and-play type player that will hit and add value to any lineup.

 

 

UPCOMING EVENTS

SHOWCASE	STATE	DATE	LOCATION
Winter Update Series powered by Monterey Bay Pirates	CA	01/17	Monterey Bay Pirates Facility
California Far North Preseason I.D.	CA	01/18	Chico HS
Winter Update Series powered by South Bay Sport Training	CA	01/19	South Bay Sports Training
NorCal Preseason All-State (Invite-Only)	CA	01/25	Islanders Field at River Islands
Winter Update Series powered by Paradigm Sport	CA	01/26	Paradigm Sport
Winter Update Series powered by EM Sports	CA	01/27	EM Sports - Long Beach
Winter Update Series powered by EM Sports	CA	01/28	EM Sports - San Diego
Winter Update Series powered by FBK1	CA	01/30	FBK1
Super 60 Pro Showcase	NATIONAL	02/02	The MAX - McCook, IL
Winter Update Series powered by Mike Murphy Baseball	CA	02/08	MMB - Walnut Creek
Winter Update Series powered by EM Sports	CA	02/10	EM Sports - Rancho Cucamonga

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