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PODCAST: Northern CA ProCase

STOCKTON, CA. - The 2019 MLB Draft was completed on June 5th and on June 9th, and now it's time to turn our attention to the 2020 class at the Northern California ProCase. A select group of players were invited to participate in this exclusive event geared toward draft prospects and high level collegiate talents with future draft potential. Players were put through a pro-style workout with various stats/data recorded during the workouts which can be found HERE. 

Be sure to click on the highlighted player to see more video and notes from previous viewings at PBR events and game play from previous spring seasons. We continue our player spotlights from the event:

LHP Kyle Harrison (De La Salle)

2020 LHP Kyle Harrison (UCLA commit) was named our PBR California State Pitcher of the Year after a season that saw him go 10-0 and lead De La Salle to a 29-1 season, including 28 wins in a row from the point they were 1-1 after two games. He took the ball in the CIF-NCS D1 quarterfinals and then again in the championship game, punching out 10 hitters both times.

He came out to the ProCase and as he had not faced live hitters since the NCS championship game, he opted to throw a pen on the main mound as the area scouts looked on, noting his body type, arm action, delivery, presence (yes, even in a main mound pen session), and of course his repertoire. Harrison threw at less than his 'compete' level, which has seen him get the fastball up to 93 while also snapping off nasty sliders. He worked around 87-90, spotting to both sides, working at his own pace.

The environment could have been a bit nerve-wracking for some kids, but he seems fully comfortable being observed in a bit of a 'fishbowl,' a trait of a steely nerved competitor who trusts who he is and what he can do. Having seen him numerous times in game competition, that is absolutely what you see when he's in tight spots or when he has the chance to earn his team a win.

The arm works cleanly from a 3/4 slot, with an easy lift and somewhat up-tempo delivery. He lands with a soft but firm stride leg and as he sinks into that front leg he gains stability. That allows for a release point that creates a plane that gives his fastball quite a bit of riding action. He will occasionally get a little over-aggressive and force the ball out early, particularly with the fastball and slider. However, none of that showed up in his pen session, which gave a glimpse of how he goes about his work between starts and as he his working to hone his craft. Harrison has body control and maintains balance/direction throughout the delivery, which is clearly repeatable.

Harrison has both a curveball and a slider and though that can be a complicated relationship for many pitchers, I've seen him utilize the curveball to gain feel for his slider in game action. He is a competitive kid and occasionally will over-torque the slider early in a game but has the ability to slow down a bit and find feel by using the curveball, which he will throw simply to steal strikes and plant a seed in a hitter's head. It's not always that way, sometimes of course he has feel of the slider right away, but all the same it's impressive to see him utilize his other pitches in order to make others work for him. He's also got some feel of the change-up. A full four-pitch repertoire with both the fastball and slider grading out as future above average/plus offerings.

What seems to be apparent each time we see him pitch/compete is that he is mature and he is focused. Harrison seems to genuinely enjoy playing baseball, whether pitching in a section final, or hitting and playing 1st base, or throwing a pen for a bunch of MLB area scouts/crosscheckers. He's one of the top 2020 pitchers in the nation, not just California, and when the 2020 draft rolls around he will be in the mix for a very early round selection.

UPCOMING EVENTS

SHOWCASE	STATE	DATE	LOCATION
Inland Empire Top Prospect ID	CA	07/23	Santiago High School
Northern California Top Prospect ID	CA	07/24	St. Mary's College
Junior Future Games	NATIONAL	07/30	LakePoint
2019 PBR Future Games (California Invite)	CA	07/31	LakePoint - Cartersville, GA
California State Games	CA	08/17	Vanguard University
Kern County Prospect I.D.	CA	09/07	Cal State Bakersfield
SoCal Prospect Games	CA	09/14	JSerra High School
Rising Stars Showcase	CA	09/21	Santiago High School

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