CCB World Series Weekend

MVP: 

 2020 3B/OF Mario DeMera (St Ignatius) was the most consistent player all weekend regularly finding barrels and moving around the field making plays. The long-large frame is physical showing broad shoulders and current strength. DeMera showed strong wrists and quick bat speed with pop to the opposite field. DeMera regularly manipulate the barrel to work the entire field on his way to going 7-for-13 with two walks, two stolen bases, a HR and double. Defensively he moved from 3rd base to the OF on each day showing the ability to stick at any of the corners. DeMera moves well able to track the ball with some closing speed in the OF or move laterally with a high-release arm showing strength at 3rd. His baseball intelligence was also strong showing good reactions on the bases with an aggressiveness to go 1st-to-3rd or score from 2nd. DeMera is coming back from a hand injury that knocked him out of last season at St. Ignatius and showing a bat that will fit in a lineup at the next level. 

Offensive Player: 

 2020 1B/RHP Reese Barrelier (Hillsdale) caught my attention with a 6.79 60yd and 91 MPH exit velocity at the Scout Day on Friday from a long 6-2, 180lb strongly built frame. Barrelier’s frame still has space for growth with large feet and hands. His natural strength comes out in his swing as he ended the weekend going 4-7 with two doubles and two HR’s. From direct hands, Barrelier regularly showed the ability to get the bat head out front for hard contact with quickness while creating backspin with a strong top hand turn on the baseball. Both HR’s got out in a hurry as he jumped all over the FB pulling both to LF. The two doubles also got off the bat in a hurry. With a loose, full swinging arm that gets to a H-3/4 release before extension, Barrelier went right after hitters with an attacking demeanor. FB 76-79 with tight spin moving it through the top of the zone with life. SLD 70-71 acting as a cutter with short lateral action late at the plate; stayed off the barrels. CB 58-60 longer and slower with rolling break. 

Defensive Player (tie):

2020 SS Luke Keaschall (Aptos) - Keaschall continues to show me strong range with the glove and quick burst from his medium, lean and athletically built frame. Keaschall ran a 6.75 60yd on Friday and showed the speed again in games (4.04 H-1st, 4.36T) over the weekend. At SS, that burst and twitch allows him to bounce all around the field showing range and the ability to track pop-ups into the OF while covering the dirt both ways. Keaschall took strong angles to the baseball, taking away a lot of hits with his strong arm (83 MPH). At the plate, Keaschall showed a quick, compact stroke that can pepper gap-to-gap with good rhythm and weight transfer in the swing. The flat barrel stayed to the middle/oppo hitting a number of balls right at defenders during games after rocketing balls deep into gaps during BP on Friday. My favorite thing about Keaschall was his approach and demeanor around the game. The kid is a field rat always doing something, and just wanting to play the game. He stayed around multiple times between games in case he got a chance to play and was consistently positive and encouraging with teammates while taking instruction and looking to improve. 

2022 C Ryan Lee (St. Francis) - Lee was an anchor behind the plate using his arm, blocking and receiving to help his team in any way. Lee showed the true marks of a catcher taking some clean shots on foul tips and kept getting back in and making plays. The medium, full frame is wide with athletic feet and agile actions able to bounce from position and showing strength in the frame. Behind the plate Lee showed a firm wrist with quiet movements beating the baseball to spots. His blocking was also good sacrificing himself to prevent the ball from getting by and smothering pitches into the dirt. He threw out 4 runners during the games (2.09-2.19 Pop, 74 MPH) and was regularly on the bag in between innings with a quick flick release. At the plate he stands wide and very low with high even hands. There’s a pronounced upward movement from the front shoulder, but he showed the ability to whip the barrel through the zone grabbing two doubles on the final day (83 EV). In between innings I would talk with him about sequences and he had a good idea of what his pitcher wanted to do and how to attack hitters. 

Top Pitcher: 

2020 Max Smith-Uchida (Lynbrook) - Uchida pushed Team Rojko into the winners bracket going CG giving up 1 late hit while striking out 3 and walking 1. The long limbed medium frame found rhythm on the mound from a stretch only delivery where the long arm works over some crossfire delivery from a 3/4 release that made it tough for hitters to square up. FB 76-79 moving to all quadrants and getting lots of 1st pitch strikes for weak contact. 65-69 with short depth having sweep through the zone; he showed strong feel for the pitch using it in and out of the zone. Smith-Uchida went right after hitters all game and didn’t give in when falling behind. 

ALL TOURNEY TEAM:

C: 2022 C Caovinh Nguyen (Mission) - Medium frame, wide with strength, Nguyen showed advanced catching skills being really strong with his blocking and receiving. The arm was good as well keeping the ball on the bag (2.01-2.15 Pop, 73 MPH). Offensively he’s got a longer barrel that stays flat in the zone lining some balls at defenders.

1B: 2020 1B/C Tyler Nelson (Menlo-Atherton) - Large, strong frame, Nelson really swang the bat well over the weekend flashing a patient approach with the ability to make hard contact. The barrel works on an upward path and has the strength behind it to drive balls into the gaps. Had 2 doubles and 2 singles while also walking 3 times. Showed fair lateral blocking skills and arm with the pop time between 2.25-2.30.  

MIF: 2020 SS Jackson Johns (San Rafael) - Long, lean medium frame, Johns showed feel and footwork for the position moving around with ease and keeping the ball in the infield. The glove worked really well and matched it with a loose arm able to make the throws (82 MPH). At the plate he found holes all around the field with a compact flat bat using direct hands; picked up 6 hits the final day and 2 walks. 

MIF: 2022 SS Ricky Vidal (Santa Teresa) - Long, high waisted medium frame with some physicality and upper half strength, Vidal swang the bat with intensity all weekend. From a slow controlled load, the bat works slightly uphill making contact out front and showing ability to drive the ball to the pullside; lots of loud outs matched with a couple hard singles. Defensively he showed a compact arm with some strength and lateral agility in shorter spaces. The build and actions suggest he should be able to stay on the left side as he matures.

3B: 2020 RHP/3B Bryce Clark (Scotts Valley) - Wide, full large frame, Clark has started shaping the frame and it’s showing with more strength. He moves well at both corner spots and found a lot of barrels during the weekend. The open stance allows his hands to create loft with a longer barrel path and some late bat speed on his way to two hits and lots of hard outs. On the mound Clark worked 79-82 with armside run from a 3/4 release using his elbow to swing the arm. CB was 67-72 with late bite having 11/5 actions in the hard break. He made some nice plays at 3rd showing quick reactions and the ability to recover and make accurate throws. 

OF: 2021 OF JC Ng (Menlo School) - Long, wiry frame with some strength in the chest, Ng continues to show his athleticism and quick bat all over the field. The hands are quick with loose wrists creating an upward whip of the barrel as he made a lot of hard contact during the first day without anything to show for it. Was rewarded on Sunday with a long HR to RCF before almost taking the pitchers head off on a hard single back through the middle. Ng covers well in the OF with closing speed and a loose accurate arm. 

OF: 2020 OF Logan Azem (Serra) - Medium, full frame with strength in the build and quick actions from the lower half, Azem continues to show well this Summer starting a solid weekend with good measurables (6.82 60yd, 84 EV, 80 MPH). Only available for Saturday’s game, Azem showed the ability to stick in CF tracking balls down with a good 1st step and using his accurate arm to get the ball in quickly. Azem showed patience at the plate and feel for the barrel being able to drive balls into both gaps; also showed pop during BP. His speed and base running skills also were present with two stolen bases. 

OF: 2020 OF Steven Dong (St. Francis) - Athletically build medium frame with wider chest and quick feet, Dong stood out in the OF going to get balls in gaps and showing the ability to open up and track the ball. The arm is longer but shows good strength and able to keep it accurate. At the plate he keeps hands tight with quick turns having a compact swing; showed ability to turn on inside pitch for 2B down the LF line and use his speed going down the line (4.32 H-1st). His baserunning was very good understanding when to tag up and advancing on balls that most wouldn’t try to run on.

DH: 2020 C/3B Carter Jones (Branham) - Large, strong and full frame, Jones showed a bat that does a lot of damage over the weekend. At Friday’s Scout Day he peppered deep gaps showing his pop with some opposite field HR’s as well (87 EV) and continued that through the games picking up 5 hits including a double down the LF line. The swing is aggressive with bat speed creating a heavy barrel that whips through the zone with a slightly upward path. Defensively he showed strong developable skills behind the plate while also being able to play at the corners. His arm and transfer skills showed on Friday with best times behind the plate (1.87-1.93 Pop, 77 MPH). Jones showed he’s a true middle of the order threat. 

UTL: 2020 RHP/OF Casey Vogan (Liberty) - Long, tall and narrow, Vogan did a little bit of everything this weekend. At the plate he showed a longer windmill barrel that creates easy loft for the baseball flashing some pop with a HR to LF on Sunday. He covered well in the OF with a long arm that can make the throws. He pitched a CG on Sunday with a long loose arm moving cleanly to it’s 3/4 release while having a plus tempo and attacking hitters. FB 78-82 with angle to both sides of the plate. CB 75-79 with 11/5 shape showing late actions at the plate and feel for the pitch. CHG 72-73 showing some bottom. The frame still has some space and his ability to command the zone was solid. 

P: 2020 RHP Antonio Balestrino (Serra) - High waisted, long lean frame with length in the limbs, Balestrino went a CG on Saturday showing the ability to compete and make adjustments getting stronger as the outing continued. Full arm swing with some cast behind the back before a 3/4 release, Balestrino showed three pitches as he struck out 3 and walked 4. FB 78-81 having better angle when his arm swing was in time with the lower half. CB 67-69 with overhand spin and short depth. CHG 63-65 with some bottom under barrels. Still some space for the frame to add weight and strength. 

P: 2022 RHP/INF Reed Moring (Aptos) - Long, tight frame with a high waist and length in the lower half, Moring is very projectable as a player showing tools on the mound and in the field. On the hill, Moring moves fluidly down the hill with a slight back turn and high front knee allowing his loose arm to move quickly to 3/4 release. The FB 80-83 showed late life at the plate and ability to work the bottom half of the zone. The CHG (69-73) was extremely heavy, dying about halfway to home and flashing some run; pitch has a high ceiling. CB 66-67 11/4 with late cutting sweep in it’s depth; another pitch that projects well. Defensively he made plays all weekend at 3B showing the ability to cut angles and the arm to stick on the left side of the infield. His bat is compact with tight hands having some extra pre-swing movement; when he cuts it down he showed he could create hard contact through the middle of the field. Moring is a player I haven’t seen yet and came away very impressed. 

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