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CIF-SS PLAYOFFS PREVIEW PODCAST

SoCal - Last week saw a lot of playoff action across the Southland as both the CIF-SS and CIFLACS teams were in action. A few of our scouts were out to cover the action in the semi-finals and finals of the Southern Section along with the second round of the LA City Section.

Let’s take a closer look at some players that stood out to our scouts.

CIF-SS SEMIFINAL

2019 INF Brett Barrera (Stanford) Six-foot-two, 195lbs, athletic, projectable frame; fit upper-body and core, with long arms and legs. Displays above average bat speed and barrel control. Has balanced, quiet set up with simplistic load trigger. Bat speed makes swing conducive to power, and uses his hips well with plenty of extension to drive the ball. Currently hits for high average and respectable doubles totals. Added upper body strength and maturity will allow Barrera to get to the inside pitch and hit over fence at a higher rate.  Moves well laterally with average range and arm; defense works anywhere on the field as an everyday utility player. Shows average speed on the bases and is alert 100% of the time. Barrera is as steady and even-keel as they get at the high school level. He will be a tremendous value add down on “The Farm” and will have a solid career at the college level capped off with the opportunity to play professional baseball. This was Barrera’s last high school baseball game. Led his team with two hits, going two-for-three, with a run scored.

2020 OF Pete Crow-Armstrong (Vandy) Our #2 ranked player in the 2020 class and #3 overall displays aptitude, instincts, and feel for the game. PCA plays with joy and it rubs off on his teammates; he impacts the game every viewing, and puts his stamp on it in some form or fashion. Glides around the field, and has the ability to slow the game down at critical moments and excel. PCA did his part going one-for-three with a run scored and an RBI in the victory. The Wolverines advance to the CIF-SS Division I finals where they will take on Cypress HS.

2020 OF/1B Jag Burden (Cal) Our #28 ranked player in the 2020 class. Six-foot-one, 180lbs, wiry strong, athletic frame.  Classic, smooth, LH swing. Swing path and setup has noticeably improved compared to 2018 video. Overall, approach is advanced for age and level. Barrel stays in zone with plus bat speed. Shows off gifted barrel control in all my viewings. Has the ability to recognize and square up secondary pitches on a consistent basis. Currently hits for high average, high double totals, and possesses over the fence power potential. Burden is an aware base runner, better underway, with above average speed. Has fast first to third times, and is exceptionally efficient second to home because of committed secondary leads. There is no doubt Burden will climb up our rankings and put himself in position as on of the top 10 players in the State next year. Contributed a one-for-three day at the plate with a double seen here.    

2020 SS Drew Bowser (Stanford) Our #10 ranked player in the 2020 class. Six-foot-two, 190lbs, athletic, sturdy frame. Very similar body type to what Alex Rodriguez (Yankees) looked like as a 16-17 year old. Displays gap to gap approach at current time with occasional ability to drive line drives deep.  Power numbers will come in the form of high double totals and ability to drive over fence as he ages & grows stronger. Consistently has hit the ball hard in my viewings. Swing is geared for significant power output in the future. Not a true base threat, but will be adequate on the base paths.  Shows good footwork around second base, can turn a smooth double play, and make all the throws from all the angles. Had a huge day at the plate going four-for-four with three RBI’s and two runs scored.

---STEVE DOHERTY

CIF-LACS ROUND TWO GAME

I’ve been following Pedro all year and there are some intriguing players who college need to start taking a look at. Josh Duarte 2020 is a grinder who can play multiple positions. Dom Porter is an advanced outfielder and Cain Lusic is an interesting-young developing shortstop prospect 2021. Rising senior Waldier Perez might be the most unknown prospect in the South Bay. Colleges will want to take notice because he is advanced behind the plate and is starting to add hitting.

2020 INF (Uncommitted) Josh Duarte has a medium frame, young and athletic. Duarte has a line drive approach at the plate, has a compact swing. He uses the whole field and makes consistent contact. Flashes some power as he is able to get a hold of one once in a while. He is an average runner, is very smart and has smart instincts on the base paths. Has a strong arm, carries threw the ball and has enough arm strength to play short and 3rd. He makes accurate throws. He gets good reads off the bat, proper first step and fields the ball smoothly and has awareness around him. He covers a lot of ground and can play multiple positions on the dirt. Duarte has smart instincts and is aware of the situation. Is an aggressive player and believes he can make every play. Duarte is a gamer that every team needs to have. He physically doesn’t jump off the page but he seems to make a big play at the right time or get a big hit. He will not wow you but he does everything right and when it’s time to be clutch you can turn to him. On Friday Duarte was 2 for 3 with one double and one stolen base.

2021 OF (Uncommitted) Dom Porter has a medium frame, strong, athletic with physical projection. Operate from a slightly open setup, his leg glides and his hands are low in ready hitting position. Has a gap-to-gap approach at the plate, uses the whole field and a strong hitting approach that is advanced for his age. He flashes present power and has a loud bat. Has quick feet, medium stride and can steal a bag or two. Has a strong arm and carries threw the ball. Good reads off the bat and a proper first step. Covers a good amount of ground for a corner outfielder, enough range to play both either corner outfield spots. Porter didn’t record a hit Friday but hit the ball hard every time finished the day 0 for 3. Porter put a charge into three of his at-bats but the wind was blowing in and very hard so the ball died. Porter will be a staple in the Pedro lineup and teams need to start giving him looks.

2021 SS (Uncommitted) Cain Lusic has a medium frame, young athletic body with physical projection left. Has a line drive approach, compact swing, uses the whole field and makes consistent contact. Shows advanced approach at the plate for his age. He doesn’t flash power. Has average arm strength that can develop to become strong as he adds more muscle. His fielding mechanics are on point and he gets behind the ball. Fields the ball smoothly and funnels the ball with a proper first step. Strong range and can make plays in the 5-6 hole. He ended the day 2 for 3 with one double. Everything will become stronger as he matures and add strength.

2020 C (Uncommitted) Waldier Perez has a large frame, strong, young and has broad shoulders. He has a gap to gap approach and uses the whole field. His hitting is a work in progress and is starting to swing it better than when I saw him earlier in the year. He doesn’t flash power but that will come as he develops his hitting. Average runner and not a threat to steal. He has a strong arm and carries through the throw. He was making on-line throws on a very windy day. Perez recorded a 2.0 pop time consistently through the game. His defense is where he stands out. He has quick hands a clean exchange. His footwork is quick and is a wall behind the plate. He didn’t record a hit but lined out to both left and right-field. Teams need to start taking notice because of his defense and believe the hitting will come.

2019 C (Washington) Johnny Tincher Small frame, athletic body. Has a line drive approach, compact swing and uses the whole field. IS a tough out and seems to have a good feel for the strike zone. Doesn’t flash power but does make loud contact. Has a strong arm behind the plate, carries threw throw and proper mechanics. Fielding, is a wall behind the plate as he has quick hands and quick feet. He recorded a 1.95-2.00 pop-time and having a clean exchange. On Friday he didn’t record a hit but had one walk and battled in his 3 at-bats.

CIF-SS D2/D1 FINALS

2020 OF (Uncommitted) Connor Bane has a tall frame, slender with wiry strength and a young body. He operates from a slightly open setup, hands by the back of the head a small leg lift. Has a gap to gap approach, uses the whole field and makes consistent contact. He flashes power and has a loud bat. Is an average base runner who can swipe a bag if needed. Has a strong arm in center and shows consistent mechanics. Gets good reads off the bat and has awareness around him. Strong range and can make every play in center. I’ve seen Bane twice in the last week and he has been impressive at the plate. Against Redondo he went 2 for 3 with 4 rbi. In the championship game he was 2 for 4 with one walk on Saturday. He beat out an infield single, Bane had 2 of the 7 hits Santa Margarita had. Bane is a threat in Santa Margaritas lineup especially when there are runners in scoring position.  

2020 SS (UCLA) Milan Tolentino has a young body, strong and athletic with physical projection. Has a gap-to-gap approach and uses the whole field. Does have some swing and miss in his bat at times. He flashes power as he makes loud contact. He has a strong arm at short, mechanics are on point with enough arm strength to stay at short at the next level. He fields the ball smoothly, proper first step awareness around him and funnels the ball. Is pretty fielding the ball at short. Has plus range at short and can make every play in the 5-6 hole and up-the middle. His instincts are good but will get stronger as he continues to mature. Tolentino ended the day 0 for 4 with a sac fly rbi. His RBI ended up being the winning run as he put a charge into a ball that might have gone out not have it had been at dodger stadium. Tolentino will be a fun player to keep an eye on this summer and next season.

2020 SS (Stanford) Drew Bowser # 10 in the 2020 class, has an athletic frame, young and strong with physical projection. Operate from a slightly open setup, bent knee and a small leg kick. Shows a gap to gap approach, uses the whole field and makes loud contact. Flashes power with a loud bat. Has quick feet, medium stride and a threat on the base path. Is a plus runner and is smoth runner as his head stay still as he glides. Has above average arm, carries through the ball. Arm will become stronger as he adds strength as he is only a junior. He fields the ball smoothly, proper mechanics and awareness around him. Has strong range, can make the play in the 5-6 hole and up-the-middle. His instincts are good will get stronger as he keeps adding game. This summer will be busy and loaded with games. He didn’t record a hit Saturday but his presence was still felt in the lineup and on the field.

2021 OF/INF (Uncommitted) George Cooper medium frame, young body, strong and athletic. Shows a compact line drive swing and uses the whole field. Didn’t flash much power on Saturday. He was an average runner who might be able to steal a bag or two. Good arm for a corner outfielder and carried through the ball. Fielding had athleticism in the outfield gets good reads off the bat. Enough range to play either corner outfield spot. On Saturday Cooper recorded one of the 4 hits Harvard Westlake recorded. He stung a ball through the 5-6 hole early in the game.

--RUSS MORGAN

UPCOMING EVENTS

SHOWCASE	STATE	DATE	LOCATION
South Bay Junior Future Games Trials	CA	04/14	Archbishop Mitty HS
North Bay Junior Future Games Trials	CA	04/28	Clyde P. Smith Field - Cardinal Newman HS
Northern California Future Games Trials	CA	05/26	Islanders Field
Inland Empire Futures Games Trials	CA	06/01	Norco High School
SoCal ProCase	CA	06/08	Hart Park
Northern California ProCase	CA	06/09	Delta College - Nick Cecchetti Field
Bay Area Open Showcase	CA	06/26	Laney College
Inland Empire Top Prospect ID	CA	07/23	Santiago High School
Norcal Top Prospect ID	CA	07/24	St. Mary's College
Junior Future Games	NATIONAL	07/30	LakePoint
Rising Stars Showcase	CA	09/21	Santiago High School

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