SoCal Upperclass Games Scouting Reports: Outfielders
October 6, 2021
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LA MIRADA, CALIF. - The annual SoCal Upperclass Games blew into Biola University and brought with it some top uncommitted talent from around the region. The event featured a showcase followed by a 12 inning simulated game in which pitchers threw to five batters per inning. With several ranked players in the 2022 and 2023 classes, the SoCal Upperclass Games featured quality fall baseball with plenty of talent to be seen.
As customary to most PBR California events, scouting reports complete the post-event content rollout. TrackMan and Blast Motion provide necessary data needed to analyze and understand player capabilities but the written eye test remains undefeated and an integral part in scouting. Today we take a look at outfielders.
CLICK HERE FOR FULL ROSTER AND STATS FROM THE EVENT
SCOUTING REPORTS
Jake Bourne, JSerra (CA), 2023
Positional Profile: OF
Body: 6-0, 160-pounds. Speedy outfielders build, room for more, showed natural instinct.
Hit: RHH. Wide base, leg lift to load, twitchy hand actions, back leg drive, two-hand finish. 40% flyball - 30% ground ball - 20% line drive shows solid result differentiation. Blast Motion scores of 49-37-43. Plane and Rotation scores grade average showing a swing that stays in the zone for a long time and quickly builds up bat speed but connection score shows issue with staying aligned and on plane from start to contact.
Power: 84 mph max exit velocity,
Arm: RH. OF - 72.00 mph. Medium arm swing, slight pause before firing through release, high arm angle, accurate throws 4/5.
Defense: Good footwork approaching the ball, low center of gravity, moved well laterally. Showed ability to play all three outfield spots, speed increase could keep him in center.
Run: 7.09 runner in the 60.
Stefano Gonzales, Mater Dei (CA), 2023
Positional Profile: RHP/OF
Body: 6-0, 160-pounds. Medium build. Lean and athletic. Room to add gains.
Hit: RHH. Wider set feet and closed in stance. Simple forward stride and he lands consistently on time and balanced. Handsy swing that works on a steep-level plane. Shorter extension at finish. Middle of the field approach in BP. Dug out a low CB for a LD single to left in-game.
Power: 86 mph max exit velocity. Average bat speed but above average rotational acceleration at 19gs shows potential for more power.
Arm: RH. OF - 75.00 mph. Average arm strength from the OF. Higher arching throws. 5/5 accurate throws with the majority on 1 hop.
Defense: Takes an aggressive and direct approach to the ball. Maintains momentum when coming through. Solid actions.
Run: 7.51 runner in the 60.
Ben Lyons, Rancho Bernardo (CA), 2023
Positional Profile: RHP/OF
Body: 6-0, 170-pounds. Proportional build with present athleticism enabling his true two-way ability.
Hit: RHH. Wide hitting setup, low hands, simple step to load, one-hand finish. Swing looked at its best when driving the ball to centerfield. Rotation gains could increase power now and in the future. Blast Motion scores of 30-61-30. Connection score highlights his above-average feel for hitting alignment and ability to get in a good position to hit. Displayed his hitting alignment with a crisp single in his first live at-bat.
Power: 93 mph max exit velocity,
Arm: RH. OF - 79.00 mph. Quality high-school arm; sitting comfortably in the low 80s on the mound, 79 mph from the outfield, displayed accuracy with his throws 4/5.
Defense: Showed good feel in the outfield; first step actions and reads, clean ball to glove to release, consistent throws.
Run: 7.10 runner in the 60.
Noah Williams, Redondo Union (CA), 2022
Positional Profile: OF
Body: 6-2, 175-pounds. Lean and athletic build with projectable athleticism throughout.
Hit: SH. Switch hitter with a better feel from the left side. Not much negative movement in both swings with hands simply loading into a solid launch position. Tendency to get onto frontside from the right side and is more balanced from the left. Smooth compact stroke with barrel working on a level path from both sides with good high extension. Ability to use the whole field.
Power: 92 mph max exit velocity. Present pull side pop from the left side. Flashed advanced bat speed from the left side at 72.5 mph average.
Arm: RH.OF - 79.00 mph. Showed shorter arm action than in recent events. 4/5 accurate throws and showed natural carry. Average arm strength. A mix of both 1 hops and on-the-fly throws.
Defense: Showed athletic actions. Charges balls low and fast and fields out in front. Takes the right angles. Needs to reset his feet after fielding to get off throws.
Run: 6.96 runner in the 60.
Positional Profile: OF/MIF
Body: 5-9, 165-pounds. Smaller athletic build. Well-proportioned for his size.
Hit: RHH. Athletic in stance with straight-up feet. Rhythm in hands. Loads into back hip as hands pull back into a higher elbow early connection. Torso/hip creates good separation into footstrike. Bat works on a level path. Stays connected with his body throughout with good balance. Stayed middle of the field throughout his round.
Power: 89 mph max exit velocity, Above average rotational acceleration of 17.4 gs shows well for future potential power.
Arm: RH. INF - 84.00 mph. OF - 87.00 mph. Shorter arm action from both spots with above-average arm speed and strength. 4/5 accurate throws from both spots with throws showing good carry to the bag. Was able to get to release quickly.
Defense: His athleticism was present from both spots. In the OF, he aggressively came in on balls while staying low and fielding out front. Set up feet to quickly get off his throws. Made a great running catch into the RCF gap from RF that seemed impossible to get to. INF actions were solid as well. Took good angles and got to his spots. At times fielding deep into the body but glove skills are present. With quickness and arm, he can stay at SS.
Run: 6.65 runner in the 60.
UPCOMING EVENTS
| SHOWCASE | STATE | DATE | LOCATION |
| Northern California Academic Games | CA | 10/16 | Menlo College |
| Unsigned Senior Games | CA | 10/17 | Hart Park |