The combination of Tanner McDougal and Chris Cortez may be the best one-two punch Nevada has seen in quite some time. Both grew up playing the "Silverado way", both having the ability to run it up in to the mid 90's, both headed to play in the Pac-12 and both potential selections in the 2021 Major League Baseball Draft in July. Before the 4A season kicks off tomorrow, we sat down with the "Dynamic Duo" to discuss the journey over the last year to get to this point and much more. 

"McDougal has seen his stock skyrocket over the past year with his physical stature now registering at 6-foot-4, 200 pound and his fastball progressing from cruising speed of 88-89 mph with the occasional 90 bump to steadily sitting at 92-94 mph with the looseness in the arm that is a cause for excitement and he projects to have much more on the horizon as he continues to add strength to his long, developing frame. 

Cortez has been a steady riser with a live arm throughout his high school career and has honed in his ability to pitch over the past year as he has transitioned from a thrower into a pitcher. The arm speed used to run his fastball up to a PBR Verified 96.11 mph via TrackMan along with the recent development of his secondary arsenal that includes a potential plus breaking ball and a fading changeup makes him a interesting prospect that will be drawing major interest throughout the abbreviate Spring Season." Prep Baseball Report - Nevada Scout Director, Brett Harrison

"McDougal is easy to dream on: he's 6-foot-4, 200-pounds already but the frame still looks like it's going to hold a lot more strength so that 94 mph that he's pumping right now should tick up even higher in the future. You add to that the fact he has real aptitude for spin (3000+ metrics on the breaking ball) and strong potential for the changeup, and he looks the part of a future starter. There is lots of untapped potential, and he's the type of guy that a player development department or especially the staff at Oregon would be excited to get.

"I got to see Cortez and McDougal at the Area Code Games last summer and both impressed with their fastballs. Lively and in the low 90s, they can get outs with it alone. Being in the same high school rotation just seems unfair. Both have strong upside and I expect they'll get close attention leading up to the draft, or we'll see them lead successful college careers." Prep Baseball Report's National Supervisor, Nathan Rode

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