Scouting notes from the Easton Rockets underclassmen

September 30, 2015

By Rob Sidwell
Florida Scouting Director

St Lucie, Fl --- We continue to report from the Easton Rockets tryout at the New York Mets Spring Training complex in St Lucie. Today we take a look at the underclassmen that jumped out at me. The most impressive underclassman had to be 2018 RHP/SS Kristofer Armstrong from Benjamin School. He is a legitimate 2 way guy that showed a left handed power bat and a power arm with good secondary stuff on the mound. He certainly has a chance to become a 2018 draft, along with 2018 OF Isaiah Thomas from the Benjamin School. Thomas showed good tools and an athletic projectable body. A few underclassmen have already committed to colleges like 2017 switch hitting C Michael Rothenberg from Pine Crest HS. A big strong physical guy with a power bat who has committed to Duke. 2017 RHP/1B James Marinan from Park Vista HS who could be a 2 way guy with a power bat and a power arm who has committed to Miami. 2017 RHP Cameron Lauer from Palm Beach Central showed good stuff with a strong body and who has committed to Florida Atlantic. Here’s a look at what I saw.

Michael Rothenberg C Pine Crest 2017
Duke commit. 6-foot-3, 200 pound catcher with a thick blocky strong body. Average ML arm strength with an average type release. Good strength in the bat. Solid average ML raw power from both sides of the plate. Very physical young kid with a durable catchers body.

James Marinan RHP/1B Park Vista HS 2017
Miami commit. 6-foot-4, 200 pound 1B/RHP with a big strong thick body. He has a power bat and arm strength on the mound. A good 2 way guy. Has an aggressive approach with good bat speed and strength. Has a good bat path with some loft in path. Some length in swing. On the mound he was up to 88 mph with solid secondary stuff. He has been up to 90 mph in the past. Very good looking 2 way guy that still has 2 more years of High School baseball to play.

Cameron Lauer RHP Palm Beach Central 2017
FAU commit. 6-foot-1, 195 pound right hander with a strong blocky body and a quick arm at a ¾ arm slot. Fast ball was heavy at 84-87 mph. Had some boar on it. Curve ball was a ¾, slurvey break at 72-73 mph. He threw strikes. Some effort in his delivery but has a strong body to sustain it.

Jacob Mercado RHP Trinity Christian 2017
6-foot-2, 175 pound right hander with a loose lean athletic projectable body. Great pitchers body. Has a loose easy working arm at a high ¾ arm slot. Fast ball was 80-82 mph. Curve ball was 71-76 mph. Struggled to get over or through the breaking ball. Very young and projectable. Will throw harder with physical maturity.

Angelo Brunelas Wellington HS LHP 2017
5-foot-9, 170 pound lefty with a loose athletic body on a smaller frame. Compact delivery with a loose working arm. Hides ball in back. Lands across the body. Has deception. Fast ball has sink at 78-82 mph. Curve ball is a slurve at 70-71 mph. Change up has good arm speed and sink at 70-71 mph. Throws all 3 pitches for strikes. Has good feel for pitching. Will be a good college lefty.

Jordan Brown-Santiago RHP John I. Leonard HS 2017
6-foot-3, 200 pound right hander with a big athletic strong body. Loose arm at a high ¾ arm slot. . Ball jumps out of his hand. Takes ball out to 1B. Lands across his body. Leaves arm behind. Fast ball is 81-82 mph. Curve ball is a ¾ breaker at 65-66 mph.

Hakim Williams RHP Unknown 2017
6-foot-2, 170 pound right hander with a loose lean athletic projectable body. Loose arm at a high ¾ arm slot. Restricted arm action with a deep stab in the back. Short stride. Fights himself to get over front side consistently. Fast ball is 81-83 mph. Curve ball is a ¾ breaker at 67-70 mph. Hooks in back to throw it. A bit crude but very athletic and projectable.

Isaiah Thomas OF Benjamin School 2018
6-foot-2, 170 pound outfielder with a loose lean athletic live projectable body. Has a loose quick bat with late bat speed. Good strength and quickness in his hands. Ball jumps off his bat. Will have big future power. Can drive ball to both gaps. Athletic actions in the outfield with good instincts. Made a great over the head catch in deep CF. Showed above average range. Has a solid average ML arm. Throws have good carry. Ran a 6.7 60. Should become a 2018 draft.

Kristofer Armstrong RHP/SS Benjamin School 2018
6-foot-3, 185 pound RHP/SS with a tall loose athletic body. Has good infield actions with solid mechanics and soft hands. Light n his feet for a big guy. Lacks ideal range for the middle of the infield but would be a very good 3B down the road. Good left handed swing with strength and quickness already. Good balanced finish. Has present power with much more to come. Made a lot of hard contact. In 3 at bats he smoked a line drive to RF for a single, smoked a line drive to RF for a double, and got robbed on a deep fly ball to CF. Ran a 7.39 60. On the mound his fast ball was 87-90 with late sink and good downhill tilt. Curve ball was 72-74 mph with tight ¾ tilt. Flashed ML average. The change up was 71-74 mph with good arm speed and fade to it. He has a big take away and lands slightly across his body. Strike thrower with all 3 pitches. A legitimate 2 way guy. Should become a 2018 draft. Has good blood lines. Father pitched in the big leagues. Older brother was a first round pitcher out of Vanderbilt.

TJ Mckenzie SS Royal Palm Beach 2019
5-foot-9, 150 pound middle infielder with a loose lean athletic projectable body. Loose easy infield actions with quick soft hands. Has enough arm to stay at SS. Loose easy arm that will get stronger. Loose quick bat with good hand eye. Has a good bat path. Keeps barrel in the zone and stays inside ball. Sprays the ball and uses the whole field. Lacks strength right now, but overall game will improve with physical maturity. Good looking young player. Ran a 6.99 60.

Zach Mendiguren OF Park Vista HS 2018
5-foot-9, 140 pound outfielder with a loose athletic young body on a medium sized frame. Short quick line drive stroke with gap to gap approach. Good hitters hands. Stays inside ball well. Power will come with added strength. Good looking young hitter. Showed good OF actions with a good release and enough arm right now that will improve with physical maturity. Ran a 7.2 60.

Nathan Housen INF Taravella HS 2018
5-foot-9, 190 pound infielder with a thick blocky strong body. Had a quick bat with good strength. Showed present power with more to come. Took a very good BP. Ran a 7.2 60. Need to see more

Zach Mazur C Benjamin School 2018
5-foot-10, 160 pound catcher with a loose lean athletic projectable body. Loose quick bat with aggressive approach. Loose quick hands. Stays inside the ball well. Power will come with added strength. Smoked a line drive single up the middle. Ran a 6.98 60.

Brendan Power MIF Palm Beach Central 2018
5-foot-7, 145 middle infielder with good fielding mechanics with more of a second basemans arm right now. That will change with added strength. Short quick line drive stroke with strength and quickness in the bat for a young guy. Gap to gap aggressive approach. Hit a home run to deep left field. Ran a 7.09 60.