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LA Top Prospects ID: Quick Hits

July 18, 2022
California Staff

New Episode LIVE now! - At The Yard Podcast

LOS ANGELES, CALIF. - Our LA Top Prospects ID showcase took place this past Tuesday and we hosted several talented players from all classes in the one-day showcase. Players were put through a traditional pro style workout that included a laser timed 10-30-60 yard dash, jump mat testing, two rounds of batting practice, and an extended defensive workout. 

The event annually attracts plenty of talent as players look to earn invitations to some of our invite only events like our State Games, West Coast Games, and Future Games. With many talented players on hand we start our post event coverage with our Quick Hits highlighting 7 early standouts with some quick notes on how they performed. 

We will continue to break down the top performers in multiple categories as we review notes/data, until then here are some early standouts in this edition of Quick Hits.

 

Lopez was the most skilled ‘25 we had out on Tuesday. In BP he showed a rhythmic swing with loose quick hands. His two rounds of BP featured a ton of barrels that stayed through the middle of the field. He uses a toe tap trigger and lands consistently balanced and on-time. Defensively he looked the part of a natural/confident SS with his sure actions, light feet and soft hands. Also showed a quick glove/hand exchange and an accurate arm across the diamond. Lopez is going to be a name to watch and put up some numbers next year in the tough Mission League.



This was our first ever look at Chao and he put together a solid overall workout. Currently sits at a lean athletic 6-0, 170lb build with room to fill out some more. His BP was one of the best of the day where he showed advanced bat speed via. Blast Motion (74mph avg. 78mph max). It’s a compact stroke that works on a flat path that produced multiple 90+ EVs (97mph max). Chao worked out in both the OF and INF and looked the part of a true utility-type player. In the OF showed an easy and accurate 87 mph arm and in the INF exhibited solid fundamental actions. Chao will be joining Team California in Las Vegas for the West Coast Games.



Xander was one of the more impressive ‘24s we had out on Tuesday. He might have found the most consistent LD barrels of anyone. At the plate he has noticeable quick hands within an efficient and direct barrel path. He loads early and creates good rhythm within his swing. He was consistently on-time in his two BP rounds showing natural feel for the barrel and good balance at finish. Defensively he worked out at both C/INF but the catch/throw skillset stood out during throwdowns where he put up a solid pop range of 2.00-2.06 with each of his throwdowns being an accurate throw to the bag. Showed a quick exchange with an above average 76 mph arm that works quick to release.



Flores is an intriguing RHP out of the LA City Section. Has a smaller athletic build but the arm is quick. He uses an uptempo delivery that he is able to repeat well. Showed a 4-pitch mix. FB was 85-86 with a tendency to locate it to the arm side. Showed good feel and shape with his SL/CH. SL was of the sweeper variety with spin up to 2500rpm. Looks like a pitch that garners a lot of swing/miss against RHHs. The CH also flashed quality shape showing a good amount of both fade and downward action to it. Is coming off a great junior campaign at Birmingham Charter and is an arm to keep an eye on going into the 2023 season.



Gasway showed above average skills across the board in his showcase workout. Started with a solid 6.96 60-yard dash. Then it was a BP where he didn’t put up super high EVs but found the sweet spot at a very high clip via TrackMan (78%). He uses a toe tap trigger for timing and the barrel works compact and linear to the baseball (74% on-plane). Defensively he showed athletic actions and used an 86mph arm that put 5/5 accurate 1-hop throws to the bag. Gasway is definitely a name to keep an eye on the rest of this summer/fall.



Cassidy flashed upside all around the field on Tuesday. Found inconsistent barrels in his first round of BP, but found his swing in his second where he punished several balls over 90mph EVs. He sits in a wide athletic stance with higher set hands. Bat speed is above average at 72mph via. Blast Motion and it works on an uphill path that produced no GBs during his two rounds. In the OF he showed off some easy arm strength with an event high 87mph that produced ⅘ accurate on the fly throws to the bag. Also showed decent potential on the mound getting up to 84 mph with his FB.



Omar’s BP and defensive workout were both standout on Tuesday. He had a professional round of BP where he worked through the middle of the field with a ton of LDs (72% LDs). Omar is relaxed in stance and uses a simple forward stride where the barrel works more upright in his load. Omar turns the barrel well into the zone on a slight uphill path with natural feel for the barrel. Then defensively he showed soft hands, light feet, and an accurate 82 mph arm that looks to play and stay up the middle. Is coming off a solid HS season at Sierra Canyon HS and we are looking forward to seeing more of him in the coming weeks/months. 

UPCOMING EVENTS

SHOWCASE STATE DATE LOCATION
California State Games CA 07/30 Hart Park


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