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New Episode LIVE now! - At The Yard Podcast

SAN DIEGO, CALIF. - We've had another busy week out in San Diego watching some great baseball. This featured Power 25 matchups and a plethora of D1 and uncommitted arms and bats. Follow along down below for the notes and videos from last week.

NOTES

‘25 RHP Taylor Werth (Uncommitted) - The Coronado starter continued his dominant start to the season, tossing another six innings allowing two hits while striking out 11. He has an easy motion with which uses his limbs effectively. His fastball was at 83-86 mph, topping at 87 (I’ve seen 89 in the past). His best pitch is by far his SL (72-73 mph) which he has good command, able to start it at a RHH and end it inside the zone. The same strategy is used to get whiffs out of the zone as well. Werth also flashed a changeup at 76 mph that had some fade to his arm side. This CH was primarily used against LHH. He was pitching on a very tall mound and had some ball to strike issues but that being said, 6IP, 11Ks, 2H, 2BB is a good line. Werth has plenty of room to grow and add to his frame which will only help him more with his efficient body control.

‘24 LHP Rowan Haynes (Seattle) - Haynes looked really good on the mound for Wednesday’s premium match-up of Granite Hills and St. Augustine. I view Haynes as a strong pitcher with command over two secondaries. Saints’ lefty dominant lineup and Haynes’ SL/CB combo being ON was favorable to his ability to effectively deal with LHH by pelting them continuously with sliders and curveballs on the front hip, in the zone and away as a chase pitch. His motion is loose with plenty of movement on all three pitches. His fastball was at 86-87 mph in his first inning, living on the outside half of the plate to RHH. The curveball sat in the low 70s where I clocked a 72 mph. The slider, with big time sweep, was 76-77 mph and is so effective by him stepping over with his stride to throw the ball from closer to first base.

‘25 RHP Grayson Boles (Texas) - This was my second time seeing Boles this season and the stuff was very impressive. The last time I saw him, the mix was fastball dominant but on Wednesday I saw a true full mix. Boles got squeezed a bit on the corners but stayed offering competitive pitches near and around the zone consistently regardless of walks. The fastball was at 89-91 mph with arm side run, dropping to 88 in his further innings. It worked effectively on the outside edge of the zone, often coming back towards the plate late in ball flight. The curveball was the winner of the day for me, sitting an impressive 79-82 mph. Late and sharp break was giving the Granite Hills lineup issues when the CB was in the zone over 80 mph. Boles also flashed a changeup (79-80 mph) that he used against LHH grabbing a strikeout and weak roll over. It faded towards the arm side with subtle dive, lived on the outside corner. The full arsenal is looking good and in control for Boles.

‘25 C Shane Miranda (Notre Dame) - Miranda has been one of the leading bats in the lineup while being a strong defender behind the plate. He faced the tall task of a LHP with high use of offspeed. In one of his at-bats, Miranda got nearly buckled by a curveball that dropped into the inside of the zone. He made the adjustment, kept the front shoulder and hip closed and was able to line a single to RF. Behind the plate, he nearly threw out a runner at second on a 50/50 call from the umpire and made a very athletic play on a weak roller to the third base side. Strong catching presence with a LH bat hitting .417 this spring.

‘25 1B/OF Anthony Tompkins (Uncommitted) - Tompkins had a day, launching two solo shots on near identical high fastballs from both a LHP and RHP. These two bombs bring his tally up to three on the year. The swing brings plenty of lift with power to the pull side. Big time performance in a highly competitive game.

‘24 SS Tommy Carney (Uncommitted) - Carney has been deployed at a range of positions this year and continues to show defensive strength and adaptability anywhere he plays. The arm and the agility play and showed off with some good plays at SS. At the plate, Carney was caught in a long and competitive at bat with two runners on and two outs. Facing a diet of ~70% offspeed, he stayed in there, working the count to 2-2 and found a way to poke a linedrive to CF to deliver two runs for the Saints.

‘26 RHP Jonny Haskett (Uncommitted) - Haskett came in and closed the door for St. Augustine and showed an intriguing first look. His motion is tall and balanced when landing off his front foot. He featured a fastball at 84-87 mph, topping at 88. He also flashed an interesting curveball (69-72 mph) that he was consistently getting in the zone. It seems to be a high spin and effective secondary coming from the same slot as his FB. I’d like to see the velo grow on the CB to catch up with the fastball. A good arm to watch for the next 2.5 years at St. Augustine.

‘26 OF Alex Mestman (Uncommitted) - Mestman reached base once in Patrick Henry vs. Mission Hills but he made it count. He put PH ahead by shooting a CH to the opposite field for a single. The speed and contact combo has him hitting leadoff for Patrick Henry in the last couple of weeks. Uncommitted OF to follow.

‘24 C Jack Giordano (USD) - Giordano continuously shows he’s a top catcher in San Diego with his athleticism and ability behind the plate. On Friday, he delivered with the bat, driving a line drive over the head of the second basemen with the bases loaded to cash in on a run. He uses his whole body in the swing and moves well with his taller frame.

‘24 RHP Nico Lopez (Uncommitted) - Lopez was the closer for PH and tossed two impressive innings. He is on the upswing of a shoulder injury recovery and is building everything back up. Lopez showed a full arsenal with a FB at 84-87 mph, a CB at 67-69 and a versatile splitter at 70-74. The motion starts slow and speeds up as his lead foot drives toward landing. He has a shorter arm path so it is sometimes prone to short arming the fastball. With the correct path, the FB was dialed, hitting the edges of the zone and getting chases high in the zone. The CB is poses as a chase pitch down and away with the occasional get-me-over strike. What was very interesting was the splitter, the first one had a corkscrew movement that got in on the hands of the batter and the second one moved like a slider to the outside of the plate. If the finger pressure and release angle can be controlled, Lopez will essentially have two more pitches that move outside of traditional movement patterns.

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
2024 CALIFORNIA STATE GAMES (INVITE-ONLY)	CA	08/09 - 08/11	Fullerton College

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