NorCal Top Prospect Game: Pitchers
October 21, 2019
Blaine Clemmens
Northern California Director of Scouting
KENTFIELD, CA - The Northern California Top Prospect Game took place on Sunday October 13th at College of Marin, with talented players from all four current grad classes in attendance. The players participated in a pro-style workout before taking the field for game play. Each position player had three plate appearances in the games, with pitchers facing 4-6 batters in their outings.
There were some state-ranked players in attendance and some others opened our eyes to the point that they will be in strong consideration for the next ranking of their graduation class. Thus far we have published our Quick Hits featuring early standouts, the Statistical Leaders, and catchers. Today we focus on the pitchers, listed alphabetically.
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Owen Dueck LHP / Aptos, CA / 2022
Max FB 79, FB 77-79, CB 65-69, CHG 69-72
Lean and somewhat thin 6-foot-0, 148-pound body, we continue to have a favorable projection of Dueck, much of which will take place as he more physically develops. Given that this event was mid-October, it's understandable that his velocity was a bit down from what we've seen (up to 82 previously), but that doesn't take away from the easy clean arm action, simple repeatable mechanics and feel for the change-up. His strength, as he evolves, will be the FB/CHG combo. The CB does need to tighten up and he can work to get more of out his lower half in the delivery. He very clearly fits the positive connotation of projectable lefty.
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Eli Gennis RHP / Berkeley , CA / 2022
Max FB 86, FB 82-85, CB 68-72, CB 80
Perhaps the most eye-popping player at the event, one of top 2022 pitching prospects in Northern California. Listed at 5-foot-10 170-pounds with an average present day build, displayed live and loose 3/4 arm worked in sequence through athletic delivery changing timing and pounding the zone with three pitches. FB 84-86 with life through the zone flashing some run when needed. CB 68-72 with short 11/5 shape flashing tight and sharp ones later in the outing. CHG 80 arm-side fade. Two strikeouts while keeping defense busy with lots of ground balls. Three-pitch mix to be a starter at the next level. Young face/body type indicates that his ceiling is very significant as he is well away from full physical maturity/strength.
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Jack Harris LHP / Las Lomas, CA / 2021
Max FB 71, FB 70-71, CB 64-65, CHG 67-69
Compact build on 5-foot-7, 150-pound frame, possesses good body control on the mound, with a high-tempo delivery. Clean, longer arm action on the backside, maintains consistent arm speed with his repertoire. Highly competitive to the zone, able to start bat and use hitters' aggressiveness against them. Curveball with some lateness in the zone, breaking with smooth 1/7 shape. Change-up comes out of hand well and confidently, with some slipperiness just off the barrel. Raw stuff obviously may have to trend up to gain college attention but if/when it does tick upward, he's already got feel for the ball and understands the craft of pitching.
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Max FB 81, FB 77-80, CB 65-66, CHG 74
Lean and athletically lean body type on 6-foot-0, 142-pound frame. If for some reason he's not recruited as a position player (which would be odd), Heredia would have a chance to develop on the mound. Clean mechanics with athleticism working for him on mound. Easy lift, compact backside arm action that's repeatable, good direction and lower body stability, though spun off front side in live action more than in warm-ups. Attacking type pitcher, displayed some angle on the fastball from a high-3/4 slot, good CHG extension and big 12/5 type break with the CB. With a bit more front arm stability he can get to a more consistent release point.
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Davis Kennedy RHP / St. Patrick-St. Vincent, CA / 2023
Max FB 75, FB 72-74, SL 64-68
Long and lanky, young 6-foot-5, 161-pound body, clearly a long way from full physical maturity. Energetic delivery with a high quick knee lift, showing off quite a bit of agility. Short abbreviated backside arm action, gets to an overhand slot. Lands with solid stability and maintains in-line direction. Raw arm speed and strength are still areas that will improve with strength. Created some down angle with the fastball and willing to work in the strike zone. Tempo is good. Slider tends to slip out of his release point a little early, a function of the delivery tempo and lack of extension. Will be interesting to see how he evolves with strength gains and some tweaks/adjustments to the delivery and arm action.
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Isaac Lamparas RHP / James Logan, CA / 2020
Max FB 85, FB 83-85, CB 68-71
Strong and proportional 5-foot-11, 175-pound body type, with sloping shoulders and athleticism on the mound. Immediately gives off a confident/composed and aggressive demeanor when taking the ball. Powerful delivery, gets into his legs well, long backside arm action with full extension, aggressive stride that does land slightly open with slightly fanned plant foot. Gets to high-3/4 slot and creates extension that adds life to his raw stuff. Fastball has some length and some riding action while the spiked curveball has some bite that can continue to improve. A bit more body control/gathering in mid-delivery just before separation, along with slightly better direction could be adjustments that have positive effects. The arm speed and innate strength indicate that a jump to mid-upper 80s is possible.
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Riley Phelan LHP / Sonoma Valley , CA / 2020
Max FB 75, FB 71-74, SL 65-67
Athletically proportioned 6-foot-3, 195-pound body. We saw Phelan in back to back weekends and the looks were the same. Repeatable delivery with composed smooth tempo, repeats arm stroke well in getting to 3/4 slot. Confident and willing strike thrower, changes speeds well and seems to understand that upsetting the timing of hitters is what he can control. Works to arm side well vs right-handed hitters and gets just enough movement away from the barrel to take advantage of pull-oriented hitters. Change-up has some dip that works as a complement to the fastball and the slider just enough action to keep hitters honest if they are jumpy to the fastball. Pitches as though he's enjoying playing the game... fun to watch.
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Ruben Rivera LHP / San Ramon Valley, CA / 2022
Max FB 79, FB 75-77, CB 67-68, SL 71-72, CHG 67-68
Lean lithe body type on 5-foot-11, 145-pound frame, he’s able to manipulate the baseball on the mound throwing four different pitches; athletic delivery and pitching with tempo going right at hitters. FB 75-77 T79 with run and understanding how to set hitters up. CHG 66-68 being able to turn it over for late sinking run. CB 67-68 with late depth from 1/6 shape. SLD 71-72 with small lateral break running off barrels. Controlled all pitches throughout outing leading to little hard contact. High level of pitchability and trusts his stuff/approach. Getting more separation between CB and CHG is an area to improve on.
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Max FB 78, FB 75-77, CB 61-62, CHG 72-73
Has some rangy upper body proportions on a 5-foot-10, 175-pound frame. Competed as a two-way player (3B) at the event. Methodical delivery, has fluidity in his actions on the mound. Calm out of the glove, does tend to overexpose the ball on the backside with a clean circular arm action and needs to create some deception to better utilize his three-pitch mix. Does good work over the rubber and sync's up well. There is looseness in the arm and hints of arm speed that will allow the raw stuff to steadily tick up as he develops. Attacked well on the glove side, getting hitters to expand a bit. Curveball with sweepy smooth action and change-up with some fading action.
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Kevin Sharp RHP / College Park, CA / 2021
Max FB 85, FB 82-85, SL 67-69, CHG 71-74
Rangy, lanky but athletically proportioned, prototypical pitchers build at 6-foot-2 170-pounds, able to keep projecting with added strength. Attacked hitters going two innings striking out four and one walk. Arm is loose and whippy working long out of the glove and quickly through the 3/4 slot; body stays inline well and uses large stride to have ball jump through zone. FB 82-84 T85 expanding the plate and having swings through it. SLD 67-69 hard, slurvy break having late sweep. CHG 71-74 flashing late bottom. Stuff to project for next level. Competes with a gamer-type approach and seems to be a field rat.
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TeJean Smith SS / Laguna Creek, CA / 2021
Max FB 82, FB 78-82, SL 70-72, CHG 71
Strong and compactly built 5-foot-10, 170-pound body. Competitive in all he does on the field, that is no different on the mound. Simple delivery, strong lift, very short backside which is that of a middle infielder, quick arm and minimal lower body usage in the delivery. The 82 mph is generated just about entirely with his arm. Pounds the strike zone and occasionally gets some arm side action on the fastball that plays up a little better than the velocity. Slider has some sweeping action and when release point is dialed in the FB/SL can play well off of each other. Strength and arm speed, along with an understanding/feel of the game, would give him chance to develop a beyond HS level pitcher, if he chose that route.
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Max FB 86, FB 82-85, SL 70-71, CHG 81-82
Strong, lean body type on a 6-foot-0, 175-pound frame that retains ranginess to continue to physically mature and enhance the athleticism/explosiveness. Quick arm, athletic delivery with a high knee lift. Aggressive use of the body and athleticism. Arm speed is there to someday pitch in the upper-80s. Fastball has big late run, almost a bit too much. Made an adjustment to move to the 1st base side of rubber and was able to let that run work for him. Slider has some tilt though breaks a bit early. Raw stuff is definitely intriguing. Arm is strong, arm is loose, body is live. Mechanical improvements and college level coaching very likely would unlock a pitcher of significance. For those with access to the video, it's easy to see.
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