SANTA ANA, CA - With the 2019 season set to start in less than a month, the Mater Dei Monarch played host to the La Mirada Matadores in a winter ball game as both teams look to put the finishing touches on their preseason campaigns with an eye the regular season.

These two teams could face each other again in both the Boras Classic as well as the CIF-SS Division I playoffs. But before we get too far ahead of ourselves, let's review what we saw last night.

Jared Jones is the #1 ranked player in the Class of 2020 in California and #2 in the country per Prep Baseball Report. The right-handed pitcher/outfielder continues to make his case as a legitimate two-way prospect due in large part to his big arm and his loud bat. The USC commit showed off that arm during pregame where his throws were on a line with some juice behind it. In the first inning he came up with a runner on first base and after seeing a couple pitches did this....

Hunter Cope is the 39th ranked player in the Class of 2019 in the state and appears thicker/strong in his 6-foot-11 frame than he did during the summer and last spring. He appears to have mixed up his delivery mechanics by keeping his hand closer to the ear from an almost over-the-top delivery. While his command was a tick off on the night, his velocity continues to hold true with this fastball that touched 91 and worked 88-89. He was moving the pitch from black-to-black with varying degrees of effectiveness. His curveball looked sharp and flashed some downward biting action and his command of the pitch was on point with the exception of one delivery. Cope appears thicker and stronger on his 6-foot-11 frame. His mechanics look more consistent as his release point is coming from the same slot repeatedly. He's seen an uptick in velocity since last spring which should continue with more physical development.

Mikey DeHaro is a Long Beach State commit who continues to impress on the mound with his electric arm and what should be a plus slider. The arm is loose and easy and doesn't show a lot of effort. DeHaro had varying degrees of success with his fastball command on the night. He showed the ability to throw to every quadrant of the strike zone with the pitch often time inducing swing-and-miss or weak contact as a result. The Long Beach State commit flashed a potential plus slider with sharp sinking action away from righties at 78-79 mph. The pitch was his most effective on the night as he was able to induce weak contact to the right side and get a strikeout with it. Curveball has tight spin with sharp break and 11/5 shape. It was an effective setup pitch for the slider that has sharp biting action away from righties. He also back-footed the pitch to a left handed hitter on the night. It was only an inning in this outing, but DeHaro appears to have firmly entrenched himself into what should be a very good rotation for La Mirada.

Alonzo Tredwell is the #1 player in the state in the Class of 2021 and the #25 nationally in the class. He was back on the mound for the the first time on the mound for Tredwell since last spring due to some complications in his back he experienced over the summer. The back issues were nothing serious, just a natural growth spurt issue. Tredwell came out firing working his fastball down in the zone before elevating it for swing-and-miss. While his command was naturally a bit rusty, his arm action and mechanics looked to be on point. The big righty works downhill on the mound where he gains a lot of ground thanks in part to his long stride. He's explosive down the mound after a slight dip-and-drive coil in the back. The ball jumps out of his hand with ease. Threw a single curveball in his outing which he spiked in front of the plate at 74 mph. Also threw one changeup at 82 mph that flashed big running action back over the plate and in on the right handed hitter.

Joey Nicolai looks primed for a big senior season after missing much of the 2018 campaign. The first baseman has power in the bat and looks to be in great shape physically. The 82nd ranked player in the state in his class is an athletic fielder who shows nimble footwork and an above average arm. Shows the versatility to play either corner infield position.

Jimmy Blumberg shows quick, twitchy athletic movements on the infield where his arm strength and fast hands allow him to make throws from every angle. His footwork and instincts are above average as he gets great reads off the bat usually beating it to the spot. Made one play where he charged the ball hard, gloved it, and got rid of it in a split second. It wasn't enough to get the speed runner, but it was an impressive display of his defensive abilities.

Sebastian Guzman is a 2021 SS/RHP for Mater Dei that has a chance to be the next guy for the Monarchs. Shows very well defensively where his range, arm strength, and instincts play up. Plays on his toes and funnels balls out front before his quick, clean transfers and fast hands allow him to get rid of the ball in a hurry. At the plate he shows a very good understanding of hitting and feel for the barrel. Doesn't give in to pitchers and shows a knack for fighting off tough pitches. On the mound he's intriguing given his feel for three pitches. We first saw him on the mound at the SoCal Underclass Trials and he's made improvements to both his delivery and gains in velocity.

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UPCOMING EVENTS

SHOWCASE	STATE	DATE	LOCATION
Central Valley Preseason I.D.	CA	01/13	Fresno City College - John Euless Ballpark
Northern California Preseason All-State (Invite-Only)	CA	01/27	San Joaquin Delta College
Super 60 Pro Showcase	NATIONAL	02/03	The Max
SoCal Junior Future Games Trials	CA	03/09	O'Malley Field - Harvard Westlake
Northern California Future Games Trials	CA	05/26	Islanders Field