Norcal Preseason All-State Pitchers

Broad and full-bodied at 6-foot-1, 185-pounds. Multiple arm angles on the mound, showed that he can use the multiple looks to throw various pitches. Starts delivery with post leg move to the 1B side of rubber, easy lift, keeps knees pinched and works calmly down the slope to a slightly open stride that is on-line. Long circular arm action gets to high 3/4 slot, while also incorporating a side arm slot. All fastballs and change-ups showed nice fade and action down in the zone, while H3/4 slot curveball showed steady 11/5 break. Maintained good body control throughout the delivery and ends up in good fielding position. Went through pen session with good energy and seems to enjoy the game that pitching can be, vs just going through the motions and throwing the baseball. Seems to have creativity in the craft, with a pitch-to-contact approach.

Lean and streamlined 6-foot-1, 175-pound body on an athletically proportioned frame. Intriguing talent for sure, with enough present raw talent to pair with future mechanical adjustments he can make to further enhance his talents. There is some tightness/tension in his delivery that just might be holding back even more raw stuff. Simple footwork over the rubber, on-line stride, shallow backside arm action getting to high 3/4 slot. Strong arm with good arm speed. Loses some umph as front hip/stride leg don’t provide much leverage as arm stroke and backside power forward. Up to 86 purely on the arm strength. Curveball with 11/5 shape showed makings of a quality pitch beyond high school with most of the velocities in the 76-78 range, dropped down to lower speeds late in the pen session. Made adjustment to stay inside the change-up better with last few ones, vs letting fingers get around the ball. Good mold of clay to work with.

Lean and lanky, rangy 6-foot-4, 165-pounds with projectable frame/dimensions. Body works easily, as does the arm stroke. Gut feel is there is a velocity spike coming this spring/summer. Stride is on-line though opens landing toe early, which does allow for full hip rotation but also saps power and makes finish of arm stroke reliant on the shoulder. Release maintains good direction to the plate. Long circular backside arm action works cleanly and gets to an overhand slot. There is some length with fastball through the zone and as he gets stronger he’s going to have a release point that will make the fastball jump. Slider has some depth/tilt and change-up showed good arm side fade in the bottom of the zone. Looks like a good bet to be a recruitable college pitching prospect and one of the better ones in the East Bay.

Lean and streamlined 6-foot-4, 185-pound with athletic proportions, certainly looks the part. We first came across Millikan at the Area Code Underclass tryouts and he looks to be on his way to  a strong junior season and future recruitment by 4-year programs. Those coaches scouting for quality present stuff but more projection, along with feel for the craft will like Millikan. Hard to nitpick much about his delivery, though it was entirely done out of the stretch. Body control, timing, clean arm out of the glove while getting to an overhand slot, good direction, stable landing and aggressive finish of pitches while being in good fielding position. The curveball is late and tight and the change-up has lots of late run down below the zone. Both grade out as future above average pitches at the college level and the fastball will come along. Presently that can be the only thing holding back schools from making offers because the polish in the delivery and the secondary stuff are outstanding.

Lean and lithe 6-foot-1, 150-pound body that is still clearly some time away from physical maturity. There are a lot of positives in place and if/when the size and strength comes along, Peterson could make a quick jump. He showed feel of three pitches, a good delivery with body control and clean arm action. Hooks the rubber with cleat before gliding down the slope (does somewhat close post foot which can sap some hip torque), compact backside arm action that gets to a high 3/4 slot. Quick paced delivery with some body actions that could create deception. Occasional fastball tilt with good change-up fade off the fastball arm action. Curveball with bite deep enough into the zone to get soft contact though more gets more lateral break than depth. Slight adjustments to get fingers to front of the ball can create that better depth.

Standard body type with what appears to be some lower body strength/size gains at 5-foot-10, 161-pounds. Composed controlled delivery, slide and glide down the slope with on-line stride. Good stability at foot strike. Compact on the backside with a bit of an inverted elbow, eventually getting to a 3/4 slot. Aggressive back hip finish through release. Best two pitches were the curveball (10/5 shape w/occasional slight backing up action) and change-up (late fade), both thrown with confidence and feel. Control of fastball and consistency of release point with the fastball are areas to continue to work on, as is quieting the front side. Velocity has steadily crept up over the number of viewings we’ve had and there is more to come with adjustments.

Lean, long, lithe build on 6-foot-1, 170-pound frame. Looks the part of a projection-type right-hander. Smooth delivery with smooth body actions. Pretty obvious that with strength gains, particularly in lower body, that he will steadily gain velocity. Simple and efficient delivery with little effort, stride is on-line and arm action is clean out of the glove, with some depth below the waist and good timing on the backside. Not a bunch of power coming from lower half yet, both in strength and how he utilizes his lower body. Finishes with good balance to field position. Slot is high 3/4 approaching overhand. Some head tilt off line as arm comes through. Feel and shape of curveball (11/6) both give hints that it’s a usable pitch in game action, with change-up velocity off the upper-70s fastball can be effective. Both FB and CHG were up a bit more than he would have liked.

Lean and trim 6-foot-2, 185-pound body that fits on the mound. Multiple pitch (5) repertoire and showed feel to mix them all in, creating multiple looks with the different speeds and shapes. Pitchability and ability to pitch to contact, while effectively changing speeds look to be strengths of Ringenberg. Very composed delivery with good body control throughout. Starts with a closed set-up and with slight opening of front hip he gets online, with firm stable strike foot. Long-ish clean backside arm action with slight pause that can create some timing issues for a hitter. Frontside mechanics are clean and effective in allowing for repeatable release point, finishes in good fielding position. Fastball flashed arm side run with some down angle. Curveball smaller with somewhat slider type break and thrown with feel and late enough break to elicit soft contact or takes on the black. Knuckle ball with some dance down in the zone. Would be a fun pitcher to watch navigate through a line-up in a HS game.

Long and lanky with broad/athletic proportions on his 6-foot-3, 195-pound frame. There is quite a bit of upside still remaining for Robinson, even as a senior. His body type, the ease of his arm stroke, his body control, and his feel for the ball are all assets. There are a few delivery tweaks and adjustments that can be made to find more raw stuff and given time and training beyond HS, it would be interesting to see him develop. Maintains good direction and timing in delivery, with good direction to the plate, with a clean and controlled backside arm action that works slightly below the waist and gets to an overhand slot. Finishes with balance and stability, in good fielding position. Fastball mostly straight but with long fingers and big hands he can work on wrist angle/finger manipulation to find more movement. Big steady 11/5 curveball thrown with feel and provides a different change-up look with a knuckleball he thew with control and had some dance to it.

Broad and sturdy 6-foot-4, 205-pound body that is well-proportioned and strong throughout. Tomlinson is one of the top uncommitted senior pitchers in the East Bay and in the Northern half of the state. One of the more impressive pens at this event and it builds on previous good looks of Tomlinson. First thing that jumps out, aside from his impressive body, is the heaviness of his stuff, particularly the fastball that at times was like a bowling ball. Pitches from 1st base side of rubber, hooks edge of rubber with cleats. Timing of delivery is good and direction is on-line to the plate, with firm/stable landing. Timing of long backside arm action with foot strike allows him to get out to an out front release point, creating that heavy action and length through the zone. Change-up is a potential well-above average pitch at college level and excellent look off the fastball. Slider feel and action better than curveball, which was mostly slider-like. Can improve the breaking ball by settling on one of them, allowing for double the reps.

Strong and compact build on 5-foot-7, 160-pound frame that resembles his catcher position status and somewhat belies what we think of with a pitcher. What position he settles into by the time his high school days are over is TBD, but for now, the ability he shows on the mound is certainly intriguing. Good body control throughout the delivery, high hand set and they remain high until starting down with his lift knee. Aggressive move down the slope with on-line stide. Very compact on backside, getting to a high 3/4 slot and finishing with good extension, though aggressive back hip creates some loss of energy to 1B line. Fastball sneaky 82-84 and can create tilt. Late break with good spin and shape of both the CB and SL. Enough variance of velocity to make both usable. Both with more lateral break than vertical tilt. Displayed control of change-up. Demeanor is that of a confident attacking type pitcher.

Lean and strong with an athletic and somewhat twitchy 6-foot-0, 175-pound body. We’ve seen Zazzarino in a positive light as both a position player and a pitcher and what he is beyond HS is still TBD. The athleticism and physical strength he has is clearly visible and much of what he does on the mound and as a player is reliant on that athleticism. There is still a ceiling he can reach that can grab 4-year college attention on the mound. High knee lift, slight cross body stride, long smooth backside arm action with good timing with stride/arm stroke. Gets to overhand slot with long stride and loose quick arm. Occasional tilt and length to fastball. Not real difficult for him getting to 86 mph, feels like there is upper-80s and maybe more that can come out in next few seasons. Curveball was good more often than not, with 12/5 shape and enough depth to use it as an effective out-pitch. Didn’t not show a third pitch.