denver preseason id: upperclassmen preview

The Denver Preseason ID will serve as our first event of the year for the second year in a row and is now less than three weeks away! We already have 27 rostered players for the event from the 2022 - 2025 classes with plenty more coming. 

With a large crop of talent already on tap for the event, we're going to begin breaking down the players who are attending and what to watch for later this month at Slammers South. 

First up, we're going to take a look at five of the upperclassmen to keep an eye with all of them being uncommitted. 

Nathan Balser 2B / SS / Legend, CO / 2023 Rankings  StateRank: 69 / POS: 7 We saw 2023 middle infielder/RHP Nathan Balser multiple times last year and put together a good day at the dish at the Underclass Invitational. The 6-foot-0, 180-pound right-handed hitter had consistent hard, line-drive contact with a top exit velocity of 93.6. It will be interesting to see later this month if Legend HS product has added any physicality since we saw him last winter.

Darian Burnett RHP / 1B / Erie, CO / 2023 You can tab 2023 RHP Darian Burnett as one of the most exciting arms we’ll have at the Denver Preseason ID. The 6-foot-3, 215-pound Erie High School product was another standout at last year’s Underclass Invitational with a fastball that sat 85-89 and a good slider at 77 mph. It will be interesting to see how the deceptive right-hander is looking after another year of development.

Peter D'Agostino SS / RHP / Eagle Valley, CO / 2022 2022 shortstop Peter D’Agostino (Eagle Valley HS) is one of several unsigned seniors we’re looking forward to seeing in Denver. D’Agostino is a right-handed hitter who works gap-to-gap and does a good job staying on his backside to create power. D’Agostino was a bat first player last time we saw him so it will be intriguing to see how his defensive game has developed.

Cameron Ochoa RHP / 1B / Grand Junction, CO / 2023 We haven’t seen 2023 Cameron Ochoa since late 2020 but his size and performance have our staff wanting to see more at the Denver Preseason ID. The 6-foot-0, 215-pound RHP/1B has present strength in his game and stood out on the bump with a fastball that worked up to 81.5. Now a year later, it will be interesting to see where that velo has jumped to.

Liam OConnor SS / 2B / Conifer , CO / 2023 2023 Liam O’Connor is one of the upperclass middle infielders we’re really looking forward to seeing later this month. Although he was still raw and needed development, there was projectability and intriguing tools when we last saw him. 5-foot-9, 150-pound with a good swing from the right-side. Athletic movements are evident all over his game. Added strength will be what elevates his game so we’ll be interested to see how the body looks later this month.

 

UPCOMING EVENTS

SHOWCASE	STATE	DATE	LOCATION
Denver Preseason ID	CO	01/23	Slammers South
Northern Colorado Preseason ID	CO	01/29	DBAT Norco
Super 60 Pro Showcase	NATIONAL	02/06	The MAX - McCook, Ill.
Preseason All-State (Invite-Only)	CO	02/27	Marucci Clubhouse
Rising Stars ID	CO	02/27	Marucci Clubhouse - Castle Rock, CO
Northern Colorado Rising Stars ID	CO	03/13	DBAT Norco - Windsor, CO