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PODCAST: Northern CA ProCase

The 2019 Northern CA ProCase was held last June 9th at Delta College in Stockton and it featured all but one of the local talents who are in the mix for the upper rounds of the 2020 draft. Of course MLB hasn't announced a draft date yet and we don't know the number of rounds, which could be five at a minimum.

We've begun to build the roster for the 2020 ProCase, where the players will again be put through a pro-style workout with various stats/data recorded during the workouts which can be found HERE from 2019, as well as competitive at-bats/game-type action. 

If the event cannot be held at Folsom Lake College due to Covid-19 precautions we have a contingency plan to hold it at Islanders Field in Lathrop. We have NOT adjusted the date at this time and are constantly surveying potential necessary changes. We do have an alternative/contingency future date/location set.

Click on the highlighted player name which is linked to his profile with more video and notes, etc.

A LOOK BACK AT... 

C Tyler Soderstrom (Turlock HS) - Report from 6/9/19

Tyler Soderstrom, a 2020 C/3B and a UCLA commit, is listed at 6-foot-2, 188-pounds. He's lean and athletically proportioned and has loose, easy, graceful actions and body movements. He's an athletic catcher with the ability to play multiple positions and play them well. Soderstrom has a pretty well-defined lower body but he's not physical yet, rather, just really well-proportioned. Behind the plate he moves quietly and efficiently and nothing he does behind the plate is forced. There is very likely more size and muscularity in the coming years and he likely will retain the athleticism and agility. He ran a 7.00 60-yard dash, which just goes to show the innate athleticism he possesses.

As for his measurable tools/talents as a defensive player, Soderstrom showed well but there is more growth ahead for him. He worked out at both catcher (80 mph) and 3rd base (82 mph) and displayed a strong arm from both positions, an arm that can be graded as a future above average tool, possibly approaching a plus tool. During spring game action we observed a little better velocity on a throw to 2nd base (82 mph). He gets rid of the ball well and the consistent 1.98-2.01 pop throws were among the best range of the five VERY good catchers at the ProCase. Soderstrom does have a lower release that can cause tail on his throws and limit the amount of tracking carry. The arm is loose however and his footwork is outstanding. That same footwork was on display when he worked out at 3rd base, where his actions were crisp, smooth, and clean.

As a receiver he has soft and strong hands and manipulates the ball very well, with subtle actions that display a high level of skill and nuance of the position. He sits comfortably and presents a welcoming target for his pitchers. Soderstrom's ability to block and control, as well as to pick balls when necessary, are all well above average and are part of the entire defensive profile that projects him as a future plus defender behind the plate. Graded alone as a 3rd baseman he grades out as an above average defender, which as we get to the offensive tools, makes Soderstrom a really intriguing prospect.

He's a left-handed hitter and has the type of easy swing, with strength, that would be looked upon favorably as simply a position player, say a 3rd baseman. However, he is a catcher with hit tools that project as above average and THAT is a big deal and very attractive to the MLB scouting community. Let's take the profile further and consider that his father Steve briefly pitched in the Big Leagues (Giants, 1996). So we are talking about an athletic, toolsy, left-hand hitting catcher with big league bloodlines and all the intangibles that no doubt have been ingrained growing up as the son of a big leaguer.

Soderstrom posted a 93 mph exit velocity off a tee, using a wood bat. So the bat speed, barrel control and mechanics are there for him to hit with power. The swing happens easily and he showed the ability work the ball around the field during his BP rounds. He did lose some barrel control when ramping up the effort level in a round when he was 'letting it eat' a bit, getting toward the end of the bat and over rotating his upper half. That is something I also witnessed in a game during the spring vs a left-handed pitcher with a good curveball. Staying through the middle and gap to gap will be a key to his ability to hit for average. The power will be there, enough to project as average usable power and possibly more.

Adding it all up... the athleticism, the tools, the left-hand hitting catcher profile, the ability to play a corner position and the bloodlines/intangibles, and what we have with Tyler Soderstrom is an elite prospect who for some scouts, will be rated the top high school catching prospect in a loaded 2020 class in California, and one of the top high schoolers off the board in the 2020 MLB Draft.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Of course given the Covid-19 pandemic, future event dates/locations could change. If they do, we will alert presently registered players and make adjustments to our calendar. 

SHOWCASE	STATE	DATE	LOCATION
Norcal Underclass Games (INVITE-ONLY)	CA	06/06	Islanders Field - Lathrop
Northern California ProCase (INVITE ONLY)	CA	06/13	Folsom Lake College or Islanders Field
SoCal Underclass Games (INVITE ONLY)	CA	06/13	Hart Park
SoCal ProCase (INVITE ONLY)	CA	06/14	Hart Park
CA State Games ID (Norcal)	CA	06/16	Islanders Field - Lathrop
California State Games	CA	07/25	Southern California

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