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Ventura, Calif. -

We were able to put eyes on some talented players at the Rising Stars Los Angeles ID on Sunday, March 17th. Players in attendance for our Rising Stars Events are in the current '28 & '29 graduating classes. 

Players were put through the traditional showcase workout that included a 60 yard sprint time, On Field Batting Practice, defensive workouts at their positions and concluded with pitchers throwing an on field bullpen session. Trackman was in use for all hitting and pitching sessions to gather data and help measure their present athletic proficiencies and future projectability. 

Rising Stars events are aimed at first exposing 7th and 8th grade players to the showcase structure with an opportunity for our PBR California staff to interact with the next generation of High School baseball players in California and evaluate their present athletic ability, baseball tool sets and provide feedback on the development process for these players. Players who stand out at these events have the chance to earn an invitation to the California Rising Stars Game on May 12th at Mater Dei High School which will be a workout/simulated game play event featuring the top performers from our Rising Stars ID events. Which in turn can ultimately culminate into a trip to LakePoint, Georgia for the 2024 JR Future Games to compete against Prep Baseball teams from other states around the country in a tournament style event.  

For all the data and information on all of the players outside of the Quick Hits click here.

Here is a first look at some of the standouts from the Rising Stars Los Angeles ID in this edition of Quick Hits.

Hibiki Suzuki SS / RHP / Undecided, CA / 2029 Suzuki showed an intriguing all around ability throughout the workout. It started during the 60 where the '29 grad ran a 7.47 time. Then once he moved to batting practice the RH hitting Suzuki showed a compact swing with some present bat speed while flashing impact and the ability to drive the baseball to both the pull side and the opposite field. His batted ball data was strong with a 90.5 MPH max exit velocity, 86 MPH avg. exit velocity and a sweet spot rate of 83%.  Flashed athleticism to his actions on the INF dirt with good feet/hands and good arm strength for his age. As strong as the performance was on the position player side the 2-way Suzuki showed very well on the bump during his bullpen session.  A quality FB which worked at 73-75 consistently and touched 76 MPH while mixing in a quality CHG he threw at 66-70 MPH with good arm speed on the pitch and threw it for strikes. Adds in a CB in the 63-66 MPH range. All together Suzuki had one of the best performances on the day.

Ashton Bates 2B / OF / Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks), CA / 2028 Bates is an intriguing LH hitting MINF/OF who stood out with a very strong BP session to go with his athleticism and defensive actions. Ran a 7.3 second 60 yard time as a '28 while flashing good feet/hands on the INF dirt with a solid arm from both the INF dirt and the OF with accuracy on his throws. His offensive ability from the LH side is advanced with a loose swing that shows lift in the path with carry off the bat and an accurate barrel. The batted ball data from Trackman was impressive with a 91.5 MPH max exit velocity, 82.2 MPH average exit velocity while driving a ball 300' on his best blast.

Milo Benattar 3B / RHP / Sierra Canyon, CA / 2028 Benattar had a loud offensive performance to go with a very strong bullpen session. With an event highs on his 96.6 MPH max exit velocity and 344' max distance on a pull side HR there is definite impact in his bat presently. He uses his lower 1/2 effectively getting into his legs with lift in his bat path that allowed him to consistently get the baseball in the air. Showed arm strength moving around at SS during the defensive portion with the actions in his feet/glove showing the ability to be a 3B going forward. Another 2-way talent who showed very well during his bullpen session. Working with a FB that touches 76 MPH while sitting at 74-75 MPH. Spun an interesting breaking ball that was at 65-66 MPH and spin rates up to 2000 RPMs while adding a 68-70 MPH CHG with good arm speed to the delivery. All around Benattar showed an intriguing power profile as a corner infielder who has good ability on the mound.

Jayden Barraza SS / RHP / Harvard Westlake, CA / 2028 Barraza had a solid day on the defensive side/hitting portion of the workout where his hands/feet work on the INF dirt with arm strength up to 73 MPH on his throws. Adds a solid swing from the RH side with a max exit velocity at 79.7 MPH. But, where Barraza really stood out was when he opend up the bullpen sessions with an exciting performance. He showed a loose fast arm which pumped a FB up to 77 MPH while sitting consistently at 76 MPH with life through the zone. From there he features a quality SLD in the 69-74 MPH range with consistent shape while showing feel for his 68-70 MPH CHG which he threw in the strike zone consistently.

Leonardo Knapp-Schwarzenegger C / OF / Loyola, CA / 2028 Starting the day off with an event best 7.08 60 the athleticism he shows in his running ability translates to his actions across the board at the plate, behind the dish and moving around the OF. Showed arm strength behind the plate with a pop time as low as 2.04, but sitting consistently around the 2.1 range. Took a pair of quality consistent rounds of batting practice with quiet load, balance in his lower 1/2 during the turn while showing hand speed/strength through the path and an ability to lift the baseball with carry to the big part of the field. Standing 5'11 155 lbs. presently with good athletic ability, solid tools as a premium defensive position and adding an intriguing offensive profile Schwarzenegger had an outstanding day.

There are still two more opportunities available for California '28 and '29 grads to be seen by Prep Baseball California's staff at the Rising Stars events this spring with ID events upcoming on March 30th at Corona High School in Corona, Ca. and April 21st at Thousand Oaks High School in Thousand Oaks, Ca. For your chance to be a part a Rising Stars ID event click here.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Showcase	State	Date	Location
Rising Stars ID: Corona	CA	03/30	Corona High School
Rising Stars ID: VTA County	CA	04/21	Thousand Oaks High School
SoCal Rising Stars Game	CA	05/12	Mater Dei High School
FUTURE GAMES TRYOUT: Orange County	CA	06/01	Fullerton College
FUTURE GAMES TRYOUT: Ventura County	CA	06/09	Westmont College

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