San Diego Notebook

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SAN DIEGO, CALIF. - We are nearing the end of the San Diego Section regular season, and ahead are some exciting playoff matchups. Below I highlighted some notable players that were key contributors to their team’s performances in games within the last two weeks with some quick scouting notes and video. 

‘24 SS Thomas Maher - Torrey Pines (UCSB)

• UCSB commit Thomas Maher is an athletic SS out of Torrey Pines HS. He has a lean/medium build, standing at 5-10/172. Overall, he’s had a successful spring for the Falcons offensively, hitting .303 with a HR and 5 XBH’s. From the right side, Maher has a balanced stance, with feet wide and knees bent in an athletic position. The swing is a quick, short stroke, while the hands are direct to the baseball. The barrel has some whippiness to it, as he demonstrated above average bat speed. Maher can adjust to different pitch locations, as I saw him shoot a fastball in the upper part of the zone to the right side for an RBI single vs. La Costa Canyon. In my look, he showed athleticism/quickness both out of the box as well as with a wide range at SS. He exhibited nimble footwork and a solid arm out in the field. Maher looks to be a true impact player, being reliable at both the plate and in the field.

‘24 RHP Sean Cannon - Coronado 

• Cannon was one of the most impressive ‘24 arms that I’ve seen in San Diego this season. It’s easy to look past the smaller build, as he had an electric performance in the game I took in. He has as an advanced sense of pitchability and composure on the bump. Along with this, the delivery checks a lot of boxes mechanically. Cannon’s windup includes a fairly high leg kick, as the knee tucks up over the belt. He stays deep in the back leg showing balance and body control while driving hard down the mound into a longer stride. The arm action is longer and fluid throughout the delivery, releasing the ball from a ¾ slot. Overall, the fastball comes out with fairly effortless velocity, as he topped out at 91 while sitting 88-90 throughout the game vs Clairemont HS. The CB has a slurvy action, sitting in the mid-upper 70’s. What impressed the most about Cannon’s performance was his ability to locate each pitch, showing quality command. He was able to work up in the zone with the FB on two strike counts, as well as challenge hitters with a first pitch breaking ball to get ahead and keep hitters off balance. Cannon is a name to know in the San Diego region, especially for any colleges in the market for a projectable RHP.

‘24 MIF Trevor Tse - Poway 

• Tse is an uncommitted MIF, standing around 5-11/170lbs. The physical build is a projectable one, with present strength and athleticism. From the right side, Tse has a wide base with weight evenly distributed on both feet. The hands are about shoulder height, and load back slightly into the swing. Tse has no stride, and uses a slight heel lift trigger to initiate the swing. As he loads, his weight shifts from the back leg to the front as the front heel meets the ground. Tse’s swing is a bit longer, but gets extension out front through contact. The lower and upper half stay connected through the swing, and he showed off quality bat control with tougher pitches on the outer half of the plate. In the first matchup vs Torrey Pines, he sparked the comeback victory for the Titans, leading off the 7th by shooting a line drive base hit to the right side. He’s an aggressive hitter, which suits the leadoff spot well for Poway.

‘25 RHP Christian Garcia - Clairemont 

• At 6-3/215, Garcia has a stronger build, especially as a young guy. He’s one of the better ‘25 arms I’ve seen while covering San Diego this season. Overall, the delivery is pretty simple. The leg kick is about belt high, and he has a slight internal rotation of the knee at the top of the leg kick, helping him to stay closed throughout the delivery. Garcia stays into the back leg well, sinking down and gaining momentum down the hill. The arm circle is shorter and compact, while he releases from an upper ¾ slot. What impressed most about Garcia was the shape of each of his secondary pitches. The CB (70-74) had an 11/5 shape with rolling action, and he also mixed in a slider (75-78) with horizontal tilt that had some depth to it. Each of these seemed to keep hitters guessing, as just the slight jump in velo/change in shape between both breaking balls made it tough for hitters to track. The FB had present life at 85-87 and topping out at 88 after a few innings deep into the game vs Coronado HS. He also flashed a rare CH with quality fade, thrown vs LHH’s on the outer half of the plate. Garcia is an up and coming arm that will be interesting to watch as we head towards the summer. He currently holds a 2.70 ERA with 54 K’s in 36.1 IP.

‘24 LHP Levi Ham - Maranatha Christian 

• Uncommitted ‘24 Levi Ham is a bigger left handed bat that currently sits a physical 6-2/200. He plays 1B when not pitching for the Maranatha Christian Eagles. At the plate, Ham’s feet begin slightly past shoulder width, with a slight bend in the knees. His hands begin up by the head, and the bat is horizontal over the back shoulder with some slight movement into the load. The swing is smooth, and he seems to generate high bat speed with minimal effort along with present barrel control and consistency. The bat path itself is more level through the zone, showing he had the ability as a hitter to adjust to different pitch locations while still making solid contact on the barrel. Ham has a connected swing, and demonstrates a high intent approach in each swing. He is currently hitting .380 with 5 HR’s, 8 doubles, and 24 RBI’s. Look for Ham to fuel the Eagle’s offense as they make their run into the playoffs this spring.

‘24 MIF Chase Klemke - Torrey Pines (STANFORD)

• Stanford commit Chase Klemke is an athletic MIF with a medium build, standing at 5-11/165. As a RHH, Klemke has a more upright, balanced load with some slight movement of the hands. He times with a medium stride while the hands draw back, and demonstrates the ability to keep the hands inside with pitches on the inner half of the plate. The swing is more level and stays through the zone, connecting through contact. From the eye, Klemke has above average bat speed which is seemingly effortless, relying on the lower half to generate this speed. In the field, he demonstrated quick feet and the ability to make plays using his athleticism while covering a wide range of the infield. He’s hitting .324 for the Falcons with a HR and 4 doubles. Klemke tracks well out of the box, and has demonstrated this speed with 8 stolen bases this far. Overall, he’s a toolsy athlete that will be interesting to watch as the Falcons enter a playoff push at the end of the season.

‘23 RHP Joey Wittig - Maranatha Christian (Air Force)

• Air Force commit Joey Wittig is a RHP with medium, high waisted build out of Maranatha Christian. He’s an intriguing guy to watch, and has established himself as a dominant arm in the San Diego area. The delivery is higher effort but gradual, as he initiates with a higher leg kick while keeping the front knee slightly closed. Wittig is strong in the back side, and keeps the back heel grounded while moving with force down the mound until lower half rotation begins. He drives into a longer stride, spinning over and around a firm front foot strike. Wittig has a quick, longer arm action that releases the ball from an upper ¾ slot. The upper half of the delivery is slightly cross-body, which seems to impact his command at some points. In the game I took in vs Bishop’s his FB topped at 93 and he consistently sat 91-92 with some occasional ASR. What’s most impressive about Wittig is the high spin rate CB, which sat in the upper 70’s with some sharp diving bite. He hides the ball well throughout the delivery, and keeps his arm speed consistent with both the FB and breaking ball. Wittig currently has a 1.75 ERA with 69K’s in 48IP this season.

‘23 MIF Nolan Farley - La Costa Canyon (Ohio State)

• Nolan Farley is an intriguing SS/RHP out of La Costa Canyon HS. The Ohio State commit has a tall/lean build, standing at 6-3/180. In the game I took in, Farley seemed to have an unhinged, aggressive approach at the plate. The swing is long, and he gets extended well through contact. Farley also covered the plate well, as I saw him able to make solid contact off the barrel on pitches that were slightly out of the zone. He demonstrated a rhythmic load, and a consistent, uphill bat path. He kept his head on the ball well through contact, and tracks well on his takes. In the field, Farley exhibited a wide range, and the arm showed out strong across the diamond. He’s stood out this spring for the Mavericks, hitting .333 with a HR and 6XBH’s.

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