SoCal Underclass ID Camp I - Quick Hits (Saturday)

IRVINE, CALIF. - The SoCal Underclass ID events took place at Great Park in Irvine on 10/10 and 10/11. Close to 100 players attended during the two-day camps composed of mostly uncommitted 2023-2024 players. Today we will look at early standouts from the Saturday sessions of the camp. 

Players were put through a traditional pro-style workout utilizing TrackMan in the live BP session for exit velocity metrics, as well as estimated distance and launch angle. Blast Motion was also used during BP, measuring bat speed, rotational acceleration, attack angle, and on-plane efficiency. TrackMan was also used for pitchers during their main mound 'pen session, tracking velocity, spin rate, as well as all the other more advanced data points.

We recently rolled out the Stats Leaders for this event and will roll out position breakdowns in the coming weeks along with various leaderboards from data provided by our data partners. 

Until then we’ll take a look at some early standouts from the Saturday Session at the SoCal Underclass ID Camp.  

(Click through to individual players profiles for full stats and video when available)

Cody Nitowitz OF / 2B / Cathedral Catholic, CA / 2023 Rankings  StateRank: 55 / POS: 9 Lots to like with Nitowitz whose strength gains since my last viewing are paying off in spades. Outfield velo of 83 mph and exit velo of 87 mph are indicators of the gains, and when you mix in a 7.11 laser timed 60, what you have is a well rounded player who is only getting better. Sprayed line drives to all fields with an average exit velo of 87.3 mph on those hits. Showed the ability to manipulate the barrel through the zone while maintaining his balance through finish.

Luke Viola 2B / SS / Bishop Amat, CA / 2023 With a compact, strong and sturdy frame, Viola impressed with his overall game showing fluidity on defense from the middle-infield position. Has present arm strength (78 mph) with accuracy to the bag. Hands are quick, exchanges clean. Registered an 89 mph peak exit velo. Ran a 7.09 laser timed 60.

Ian Duarte OF / RHP / Chaminade, CA / 2023 Rankings  StateRank: 34 / POS: 4 OverallRank: 305 / POS: 46 Duarte stood out at the plate, in the outfield, and on the mound. At the plate he showed a pull approach with plenty of balls into the LCF gap which would be easy doubles using his 6.92 speed. In the outfield the arm is very big (88 mph) and was plenty accurate to both third base and home plate. Showed good routes to the ball with proper footwork while gathering out front. On the mound he touched 85 mph with the fastball while flashing a curveball that has more slider movement with average spin. Also features a changeup with late fading action and movement.

Jackson Kemmerer OF / 2B / Santa Margarita Catholic, CA / 2023 Rankings  StateRank: 66 / POS: 12 Don't let the height confuse you, Kemmerer is an absolute player. Opened up with a 6.83 laser timed 60 that could have maybe been a tick quicker at the start. Showed smooth actions on the infield showing ample range to both sides with a backhand that was true. Arm strength is there (74 mph) and plays way up in the outfield (84 mph). There's accuracy from both positions. Attacks the ball in the outfield and comes up in position to throw. Excellent footwork at both spots. Had more line drives than grounders and pop ups combined. A player to monitor closely moving forward.

Vaughn Major SS / RHP / Christian Unified, CA / 2023 Rankings  StateRank: 51 / POS: 15 Major continues to dazzle on the mound where his 6-foot-2, 161-pound frame is easy to dream on. But I'm not ready to give up on him as a shortstop just yet. Moves around the dirt very easily for a player his size and shows exception range and body control. Arm is big (83 mph) and accurate. Has power at the plate too (88 mph EV) where he shows a clean gap-to-gap approach. However, it's on the mound where you can easily see him in the future. Uses his length and hand size very well to manipulate release points and pitch shape. Slider is ready now with it's avg. spin of 2569 rpm and avg. horizontal movement of -9.0. Couple that with a mid-80's fastball with avg. IVB of 20.5", and it's easy to get excited about Major moving forward.

Errick Barnes Jr. SS / 2B / Francis Parker , CA / 2023 Barnes showed the defensive abilities at shortstop of a player much older than him. It's almost as though the game slows down for him. Footwork and body control were noticeable right away then combined with the soft hand and quick, clean exchanges and you have what will certainly be a high level defensive player moving forward. Uses his present lower body strength very well in his swing where he's compact to the ball but explosive through it to finish. Registered a peak exit velocity of 89 mph which was only 2 mph higher than his average.

Caleb Casas OF / 1B / Mission Viejo, CA / 2023 Looks the part of consistent starter in the future for the Diablos. Wether that's in the outfield where he showed athleticism in his approach along with an accurate arm that will develop, or at first base where his footwork was smooth and his hands soft. Where his middle-right approach resulted in hard hit line drive after hard hit line drive. It's easy to see his 6-foot, 175-pound frame continuing to develop and the power that should come with it. Very intriguing player in this class that plays for a head coach that simply develops players.

Austin Moon OF / RHP / Don Antonio Lugo, CA / 2022 Moon impressed once he stepped in the box for BP and didn't stop until he walked off the field. Peppered the RCF gaps with line drive that had a peak exit velo of 90 mph wwith an average of 85 mph. Spray chart looks like the Eiffel Tower pointing to RCF. In the outfield his arm was one of the best from a consistency, accuracy, and strength standpoint. Throws flashed carry and were on a line. No hump. Footwork was adequate with good angles to the ball. On the mound he flashed very good feel for his three-pitch mix. His feel for the changeup and ability to spot it to the mitt stood out.

Richard Tejeda III C / 1B / Orange Lutheran , CA / 2023 Rankings  StateRank: 32 / POS: 6 OverallRank: 289 / POS: 36 Tejeda was one of the best catchers at the event. His ability to frame, catch-and-throw, and block-and-recover belies his age. Arm was clean and accurate with pop times in the 2.01-2.08 range. Throws were all on the bag. His strength in the lower half really shows at the plate is evident with his max exit velocity of 96 mph where he shows a preference for the left-center-field gap. No ball hit was shorter than 350' in distance. Tejeda is coming off a strong showing at the PBR Future Games this summer and continues to add to his profile as a premier catching and hitting prospect in his class.

Spencer Shannon 1B / RHP / Santa Margarita Catholic, CA / 2023 Rankings  StateRank: 83 / POS: 4 Perhaps no player stood out more on the day than Spencer Shannon. At 6-foot-7, 235-pounds Shannon is not hard to mix, but when you get a glimpse of him at the plate and around the bag at first and you can't help but wonder just how good he is going to be. Also a football player at Santa Margarita, Shannon does not lack in strength and appears to be just scratching the surface in baseball. His swings during BP combined to average 343' of distance with a long of 369' to the LCF fence. There's present bat speed and clear hand-eye coordination. Shannon is playing later into the season than normal which should only bode well for him come the spring season.