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PITTSBURG, CA. - In the 2nd Annual Pittsburg Invitational which wrapped up on Thursday March 5th, there were co-champs due to two ties in the second round games. These teams were in the tourney; Acalanes, Amador Valley, Berkeley, Clayton Valley, Freedom, Pittsburg, San Ramon Valley, & Vacaville. Acalanes & Clayton Valley shared the title by virtue of their wins on 3/5/20 at Michael Valle Field City Park, which I was there to see.

Here is the link to the Quick Hits piece with reports/notes on player from all four teams.

In this prospect reports piece we look at the following players: 2021 SS Davis Diaz (Acalanes - Vanderbilt commit), 2021 C Thatcher Hurd (Acalanes - UC Santa Barbara commit), 2020 SS Theo Hardy (Berkeley - San Jose State signee), 2020 SS Brian McClellin (Vacaville - Cal signee), 2020 RHP Joey Soberon (Clayton Valley - UC San Diego signee), 2023 RHP Kyle Connelly (Clayton Valley - Cal commit), & 2023 C Ryder Helfrick (Clayton Valley - Cal commit) - With video from that night for each of them within piece, available to subscribers.

THE BREAKDOWN

2021 SS Davis Diaz - Acalanes HS - Vanderbilt commit; One of the nation's top junior shortstops, Diaz, as a three year varsity player, has proven himself to be an exceptional defender with a high baseball IQ and ability to contribute with the bat. The tool that gets the highest grade is the fielding tool, given his quick feet and agility, angles and reads and jumps, which all come start with his pre-pitch preparation. The raw arm strength plays up further with his quick release and at the major college level it will play as above average. Offensively he hit out of the 2-spot which fits his talents well. A contact oriented hitter, he has the ability to work counts and to execute situational hitting (two RHP in this one with a singled punched through the middle and a 4-3 out, both with a runner at 3B and less than two outs). He gets the barrel into the zone and can frustrate pitchers. I've seen gap pop on occasion over the years and perhaps he grows into some more power potential as he physically matures, but that's likely to show up as a college player. He's a 4.42-4.4 runner down the line.

2020 SS Theo Hardy - Berkeley HS - San Jose State signee; He's quickly starting to look like a very viable draft prospect for the 2020 draft. Long lean and limber at about 6-foot-1 170-pounds, his defensive tools stand out...

2020 SS Brian McClellin - Vacaville HS - Cal signee; An attendee at the 2019 ProCase, McClellin (lean 6-foot-2 182-pounds) has fast been gaining ground on other 2020 prospects in the region. One of the top defenders at the SS position...

2021 C Thatcher Hurd - Acalanes HS - UC Santa Barbara commit; Lean and lanky, at 6-foot-4 195-pounds, Hurd has the look that resembles a pitcher more than a catcher but absolutely possesses the traits behind the plate that put him among the most talented defensive backstops...

2020 RHP Joey Soberon - Clayton Valley Charter - UC San Diego signee; We saw Soberon a few times in 2019, including at the ProCase. He's a thick sturdy 6-foot-1 200-pounds and over his high school career has consistently possessed one of the better breaking balls...

2023 RHP Kyle Connelly - Clayton Valley Charter - Cal commit; An athletically put together young pitcher, looks to be about 5-foot-10 170-pounds. One of the 2023s to emerge very early on, he's appropriately contributing already at the varsity level on a contending team...

2023 C Ryder Helfrick - Clayton Valley Charter - Cal commit; An interesting player, he will be one to keep an eye on for years to come. Guesstimate for the body is around 5-foot-10 185-pounds and well-proportioned with some muscularity. Raw, talented, competitive are some of the words...

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