Rising Stars ID - Reports
August 19, 2021
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LATHROP, CALIF. - This was a small event but we came across a few players that were subsequently invited to the Underclass Games being held on Sept 18th at Islanders Field. Here are the reports for the players in attendance, organized by grad year and then alphabetically.
2023
Will Rueb, De La Salle (CA)
Positional Profile: 1B/OF
Body: 6-1, 182-pounds. Present physicality, wide strong shoulders, lean muscle in lower half.
Defense: pop times. Sets feet well to get ball underway to second base, pivots with confidence, gets head around and front shoulder/hip clear to make feed to 2B, soft receiving glove hand, reads ball well, confident actions around and at the bag.
Arm: RH. 1B - 78 mph. Pocket arm stroke, confident thrower to bags, certainly adequate arm strength for 1B.
Hit: LHH. Hitterish, medium width feet, slightly closed, weight back on backside early, bat waggle early to vertical barrel similar to where Matt Olson fires from, smooth stride, fights against front side with leverage. Physical stroke, strong with compact approach to contact, flat swing with ability to drive to all fields, has loft power ability on pull side.
Power: 96 mph exit velocity via TrackMan in live BP.
Run: 7.38 runner in the 60.
2024
Reilly Hauck, Sobrato (CA)
Positional Profile: 3B/OF
Body: 5-10, 180-pounds. Frame has width in shoulders and hips.
Defense: Aggressive fielder and closes on ball with urgency both in OF and 3B, hands showed to be soft, range is limited to still developing footspeed, footwork to be solid defender is present.
Arm: RH. 3B - 75 mph. OF - 78 mph. Similar arm action at both 3B and OF, gets to goal post type of takeaway, minimal arm stroke arc.
Hit: RHH. Medium depth in box, slight pinch of knees in fairly tall set-up, hands/elbows comfortably relaxed with barrel slightly tilted over shoulder, small load of hands, short stride, leans back as barrel clears contact. Fairly flat plane, rotational stroke with energy escaping front side a bit in the follow through, aggressive swing.
Power: 83 mph exit velocity via TrackMan in live BP.
Run: 8.19 runner in the 60.
Daniel Kim, Bellarmine Prep (CA)
Positional Profile: 3B/C
Body: 5-8, 155-pounds. Compact build on stout body type.
Defense: 2.35-2.52 pop times. At 3B strong pre-pitch set-up, plays low to and through the ball, understands angles to a ground ball and displayed soft hands and ability to play the ball out front and rake through it; at C showed clean foot replacement technique in pop, bursts out of crouch well, quiet glove in pre-pitch to receive, hands solid at reception, able to crouch in multiple set-ups.
Arm: RH. C - 62 mph. 3B - 64 mph. Medium depth backside arm action at 3B, longer 3B arm action, showed arm angle versatility on slow roller, at C shortens up the arm stroke to a compact arm action.
Hit: RHH. Quiet early presence in box, barrel laid back a bit to start, wider balanced even feet, longer stride after medium height knee lift. Aggress barrel through contact, hits ball hard, creates some leverage prior to swing happening, hands are fairly dominant through the swing.
Power: 89 mph exit velocity via TrackMan in live BP.
Run: 8.12 runner in the 60.
Luke Oyler, Whitney (CA) - ACCEPTED INVITATION TO UNDERCLASS GAMES
Positional Profile: SS
Body: 6-1, 155-pounds. Long athletic body type, high waisted, lean build.
Defense: Clean set up to ball, creates angles for accurate throws, steps inside with right foot on balls at him and to his left, smooth actions, soft hands, secures ball well while keeping hands off the body.
Arm: RH. INF - 81 mph. Compact arm action, ball exits hand well, quick arm with projectable future raw arm strength for left side.
Hit: LHH. Balanced, deep in box, hitter-ish presence, hands and barrel in position to stretch to small load, small controlled stride, swing happens easily. Quick smooth hands, sees ball well, swing adjustable to multiple locations, short to contact with barrel staying behind the ball, projects to develop some power down the road with chance to also hit for average.
Power: 87 mph exit velocity via TrackMan in live BP.
Run: 7.54 runner in the 60.
Jackson Runnels, Escalon (CA)
Positional Profile: SS
Body: 5-10, 145-pounds. High waisted, long arms, proportionate body, presently lean with frame to add plenty of size and strength.
Defense: Funnels/traps ball smoothly and calmly, soft hands, sound footwork gets him in position to field and throw in rhythm, plays with some feel of a confident fielder.
Arm: RH. INF - 74 mph. Short arm stroke, flicking type arm action suited to infield, gets underway quickly, fair carry, confident thrower with accuracy.
Hit: RHH. Fairly tall set-up, medium width feet, front elbow down w/back elbow parallel to ground in relaxed pre-pitch set, deep load of hands, starts slightly open with toe tap out to longer stride. Smooth stroke, easy swing, some upward swing plane toward contact, sweeps barrel through the zone from the deep load, primarily a one hand finish.
Power: 84 mph exit velocity via TrackMan in live BP.
Run: 7.79 runner in the 60.
Ben Straw, Granite Bay (CA) - ACCEPTED INVITATION TO UNDERCLASS GAMES
Positional Profile: C
Body: 5-9, 175-pounds. Compact frame, stout build with present strength.
Defense: 1.97-2.16 pop times. Pop times reflect the ability to threaten the running game, strong out of the crouch, strong soft hands with sound receiving skills, showed receive-ability in both traditional set-up and recent techniques.
Arm: RH. C - 76 mph. Clean shorter arm stroke, ball exits hand well, can develop more carry and accuracy but the arm strength is present to be above average thrower.
Hit: RHH. Wider feet, slightly open, balanced, hitterish set-up, wider elbows with barrel relaxed over shoulder before load, small stride after slight knee lift. Physical through contact, compact with strength and power potential, has ability to drive ball, when stayed connected the ball jumped off bat.
Power: 92 mph exit velocity via TrackMan in live BP.
Run: 7.78 runner in the 60.
Nathan Wedderburn, Monterey (CA), 2024
Positional Profile: RHP/SS - One of top 2024 RHP in Northern California.
Body: 5-10, 135-pounds. Lean strength throughout, angular, ample room in frame for future size, streamlined.
Delivery: Rhythmic, slides post foot across rubber to 1B side, slight cross body, lands in-line with target, some drop/drive away from rubber, athletic delivery.
Arm Action: RH. Overhand slot, controlled depth on backside to a small stab, quick arm, easy arm speed.
FB: T83, 80-83 mph. Quick FB with length through the zone (18.4 avg IVB), projects to be a future plus fastball beyond the HS level, release height and spin rates work well together to be effective above the belt.
CB: 67-69 mph. Fair spin at present, more lateral movement than depth, flashes potential for above average CB.
SL: 71-75 mph. Tighter spin than CB, similar movement pattern suggesting this is the better of the two pitches for him, release is similar.
CH: 73-76 mph. Feel for this pitch, straight change with similar release height to both breaking balls, gets to quality extension and takes enough the FB to project this as above average.
Defense: Sets up closed to 1st side of field, feet are live, an extra step to get rid of ball due in part to arm stroke length, plays with some urgency, is athletic and bouncy.
Arm: RH. INF - 87 mph. Longer arm action, loose arm, strong arm but release can be a touch quicker.
Hit: RHH. Open, medium width feet, slight crouch and bent at waist, deeper load, small stride, torquey hips, pronounced over-rotation of the back side. Some length into the zone, upward attack angle, abbreviated finish, has hand speed.
Power: 82 mph exit velocity via TrackMan in live BP.
Run: 7.19 runner in the 60.
2025
Gavin Arias, Pacheco (CA), 2025
Positional Profile: 3B/C
Body: 5-4, 145-pounds. Burly body type, stout proportions.
Defense: 2.39-2.49 pop times. Gets rid of ball with some urgency, calm feet, clean actions at 3B, plays a bit high but hands showed well; at C showed sound replacement of feet on pops, strong soft hands as receiver.
Arm: RH. C - 63 mph. 3B - 68 mph. Longer arm on backside at 3B, high-3/4 slot, shortens up the stroke at C with more traditional stroke for that position.
Hit: RHH. Tall set-up, narrow feet, slight knee pinch, high hands off the back shoulder, barrel starts behind the head, small stride, swing starts from where hands begin. Maintains verticality through swing, throws barrel through contact, handsy swing, aggressive upward attack angle through contact, consistent contact point out front of plate.
Power: 81 mph exit velocity via TrackMan in live BP.
Run: 8.92 runner in the 60.
Ian Garcia, Pinole Valley (CA), 2025
Positional Profile: 3B / SS
Body: 5-7, 133-pounds. Lean athletic body type on rising freshman, proportionate, some lower body lean muscle, frame for future size/strength.
Defense: Plays low below ball, tips head, catches ball out front with funnel to waist, smooth confident actions, gets rid of ball quickly, hands are soft, angles are clean.
Arm: RH. INF - 75 mph. Quick arm, compact on backside with elbow leading separation from glove, can drop down to lower slot when on the move.
Hit: RHH. Medium width feet open to start, slight crouch over backside with weight back early, high back elbow, front foot toe down with heel up, closes off in stride. Gets backside through as shifts to leverage against front side, handsy stroke, flat through zone with high finish, easy swing.
Power: 84 mph exit velocity via TrackMan in live BP.
Run: 7.55 runner in the 60.
Dylan Letke, Washington (CA), 2025
Positional Profile: RHP
Body: 5-10, 130-pounds. Thin and lean, longer body type with roomy frame given status as rising freshman.
Run: 8.59 runner in the 60.
Delivery: High knee lift over rubber, slight cross body, stable front foot stride, maintains body control and balance throughout delivery, gets to firm front side, calm head.
Arm Action: RH. Long circular stroke, deep on backside in that sweeping circle, gets to high-3/4 slot, easy arm action, ability to repeat and manipulate the ball.
FB: T75, 73-75 mph. Creates considerable sink and arm side run, pounded the zone.
CB: 61-63 mph. Big break, showed deft feel for the zone, tight sping w/whiffle ball break, ability to use as a buckling type CB, very interesting breaking ball.
CH: 67-70 mph. Feel on arm side, similar look to the FB with depth in the zone with similar horizontal movement patter, has feel for the CHG.
Daniel Solis, Valley Christian (CA), 2025
Positional Profile: RHP/3B
Body: 6-0, 135-pounds. Tall with long levers, projectable body type on a rising freshman.
Defense: Quick steps to ball, fields with some urgency, knees a bit wide as receiving the ball, creates clean angles to make accurate and quick throws.
Arm: RH. 3B - 70 mph. Short arm action, gets ball underway quickly.
Hit: RHH. Wide feet, angled toward the catcher with feet, high hands, tall set-up, bat waggle rhythm pre-pitch, reverse stride out to longer stride. Small load, hands work inside, flat plane to ball with some upward finish through contact.
Power: 81 mph exit velocity via TrackMan in live BP.
Run: 7.78 runner in the 60.
Delivery: Methodical over rubber into knee lift, sinks into backside before going forward down slope, in-line stride with strike foot landing open, upright finish in strong fielding position.
Arm Action: RH. Long arm action with stabbing depth on the backside, high-3/4 slot with some recoil after release.
FB: T74, 72-73 mph. Considerable arm side run as he pronates at release.
CB: 56-57 mph. Big shape, slow change of pace, strong feel of this 11/5 tumbling breaking ball deep into the zone.
CH: 61-62 mph. Showed ability to get late depth, drop, fade in the zone.
2026
Austin Mak, N/A (CA), 2026
Positional Profile: 2B/SS
Body: 5-3, 100-pounds. Young smaller body on compact frame.
Defense: Clean footwork, sets up with rhythm and in position to throw by creating clean angles, plays through ball well, soft hands, sound technique with a quick release, plays low and below the ball.
Arm: RH. INF - 62 mph. Compact arm stroke, short with goal post type of backside.
Hit: RHH. Balanced, wider feet, confident set-up, gets hands ready early, quiet in box, creates elastic tension/separation. Direct to ball, clean stroke with consistent mechanics, controls bat and barrel well, some upward attack angle.
Power: 66 mph exit velocity via TrackMan in live BP.
Run: 9.09 runner in the 60.
Ian McMahon, N/A (CA), 2026
Positional Profile: C/RHP
Body: 5-11, 140-pounds. Long levers, young body development with ample frame to fill out.
Defense: 2.42-2.55 pop times. Sat a little high for pops, showed sound transfer technique, got ball underway fairly quickly, received well with traditional set-up and glove skills.
Arm: RH. C - 62 mph. Short arm action, clean, efficient arm stroke for the position.
Hit: RHH. Tall set-up, narrow feet start open, high knee lift, hands off chest, barrel vertical w/slight tilt, smooth in-line stride, small hand load. Short stroke, works inside, showed good timing, easy swing with some upward attack angle through contact.
Power: 82 mph exit velocity via TrackMan in live BP.
Run: 8.28 runner in the 60.
Delivery: Standard lift out to in-line and long stride, lands with foot direct to target, gets chest over front side, maintains body control and glove side stability.
Arm Action: RH. Long circular backside with mid-thigh depth of hand, gets to overhand slot/release, easy smooth arm action.
FB: T68, 64-67 mph. Offers some movement on the arm side with ability to place in the zone.
CH: 60-61 mph. Significant spin decrease off the FB with similar release height, has feel and depth in the zone.
SPLT: 62-63 mph. Perhaps his best pitch, again similar release height to FB, 921 avg spin provides tumble in zone.
UPCOMING EVENTS
SHOWCASE | STATE | DATE | LOCATION |
North Bay Open | CA | 09/04 | Borman Field - Yountville |
Norcal Uncommitted Games | CA | 09/11 | Islanders Field |
Norcal Underclass Games (Invite Only) | CA | 09/18 | Islanders Field |
Northern California Academic Games | CA | 10/16 | Menlo College |
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