DALLAS, TX -  On Saturday April 8th, the PBR TX staff traveled to Lake Dallas High School to host the DFW Rising Stars ID. The event consisted of players from the 2027 & 2028 classes participating in a pro style workout. They started by running a 60, using swift performance timing gates, then moved into the defensive workout. The day was capped off with a round of batting practice followed by pitchers throwing bullpens, both portions collecting TrackMan data available in player profiles. Today, we take a look at some of the standouts from the day..

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Quick Hits

2027's

Dominic Naylor SS / RHP / Cedar Park , TX / 2027 Naylor had one of the better overall days at the event.  He had solid actions on the infield and showed enough arm to project him staying on the left side of the infield.  At the plate, Naylor had an event best 96+ mph max exit velo.  He showed the ability to drive the baseball to all fields and projects to have above average. pull side power. Naylor also showed arm strength on the mound and had a max fastball velo of 83.0. Overall, it was a really good day for Naylor

William McIntire C / RHP / Boyd, TX / 2027 McIntire made Jr. Future Games last year at 13, and he showed up on Saturday more physical and it showed in his performance. The 5 '11 RHP had an event best 85 mph fastball. McIntire has a quick arm with a short arm action that allows his FB to play up.  He shows the ability to sink it when he wants to. He also threw two different breaking balls, and both showed promise.  He has a slower breaking ball he can steal strikes with and then he has a tighter one that should generate swing and miss. He has good command of his arsenal for his age and is one of the top 27 arms in the state.  He has gotten quicker behind the plate as well, as he was consistently around a 2.0 on his pop times. A really good day for McIntire.

Easton Brunson 1B / OF / Goose Creek Memorial, TX / 2027 Brunson is a good looking athlete who is 5’11 with broad shoulders. He is a 1B/OF who looked comfortable at both.  He has good feet and soft hands around the bag at first and took good angles in the OF.  At the plate, the LHH has some stiffness to the swing right now, but once it gets going he shows really good bat speed and the barrel stays in the zone for an extended period of time.  As he continues to find his rhythm at the plate, Brunson will grow into some power. Brunson also showed promise on the mound.  He topped out at 79, relying mostly on arm speed. As he learns to sync the lower half with the arm, he will have some velo jumps.  He threw the breaking ball with confidence and it showed quality shape and depth. His arm drops on the changeup but he throws it with the same arm speed as his fastball.

Joseph Cardona Jr. 1B / LHP / Moe & Gene Johnson, TX / 2027 Cardona had a good day overall on both sides of the ball. He showed good footwork and soft hands around the bag at 1st. At the plate, Cardona showed good bat speed and had some natural rhythm in his swing. He has a slight leg kick and showed some pull side power. Cardona also hopped on the mound and was an intriguing look.  He topped out at 78 from the left side, but there is a lot more in there with his lower half.  His velo could continue to improve and big jumps if his lower half gets synced up.  Overall, Cardona showed a lot of tools and the Lefty has some serious upside.

Hudson Cuevas 2B / RHP / Cedar Park, TX / 2027 Cuevas had one of the best overall days at the event, excelling in all phases. The centex standout had one of the cleanest rounds of infield out of anyone at the event. He showed good lateral quickness and could throw from multiple angles.  At the plate, Cuevas showed the ability to impact the baseball to all fields.  He had a max exit velocity of 91.6, and had a plan with each swing.  Cuevas has top of the order barrel to ball skills and will be fun to watch his offensive game continue to evolve.  On the mound he threw a low effort upper 70’s fastball and showed aptitude for spin.  Between Naylor and Cuevas, Cedar Park has an exciting infield coming soon.

Jackson Fetters RHP / SS / China Spring , TX / 2027 Fetters had a good day overall, but really stood out on the mound.  The 6’ righty is all knees and elbows right now, but he has a quick arm and is a quality strike thrower.  His fastball was up to 80.1 and he filled up the bottom of the zone with it. He has an efficient, shorter arm swing that allows him to stay on time and get out front.  He also threw a quality changeup at 73-74 that he did a good job killing spin on it.  He also threw a tight breaking ball that had late downward life to it.  It has a chance to be a plus pitch as he continues to gain strength and throws it with more power.  At the plate, Fetters has a simple swing that he repeats well. He just needs to continue to get stronger and he should develop into some quality power.

Lane Johnson OF / RHP / N/A, TX / 2027 One of the stars on the day was Johnson. Johnson is a 6’1 broad shouldered athlete who looks the part.  He is an easy mover and ran a 7.16 60, which is a really good time for his size and age.  He takes good angles and has an arm that plays in all 3 OF positions.  At the plate, Johnson showed the ability to hit line drives to all parts of the field. He is at his best when he is working gap to gap, and he shows the ability to drive the ball to the pull side. He had a max exit velocity of 90  and that number will continue to climb.  Johnson also showed a lot of promise on the mound.  He had the 2nd best FB velo at 83.7. He throws from a high slot and creates a fastball he throws straight downhill. He threw his changeup with the same arm action and same angle. The command is still  a work in progress on the pitch, but he shows potential to have at least an average changeup.  I really liked his slider, he threw it in the 74-77 range and it had late bite and could be a potential put away pitch. Johnson has all the tools, and it will be fun to watch his HS career.

2028's

Luke Esquivel LHP / 1B / Grapevine, TX / 2028 I was excited to see Esquivel, as I have heard a lot of good things about the lefty. And he exceeded all expectations. He looks the part, standing 6’ with a projectable frame.  At the plate, Esquivel showed good rhythm, and consistently got the barrel to the ball. He flashed some pull side power, and that should only continue to improve as he gets older and matures. He had soft hands at first and had a good idea around the bag.  Where Esquivel really shined to me was on the mound. He threw the ball with extreme confidence and had a plan on the mound.  He topped out at 82.5 with a repeatable motion. He has a shorter arm swing that he repeats well and also helps him hide the ball. He also flashed an above average breaker that he threw in the low 60’s. It had 10-4 shape and he should be able to generate swing and misses to both lefties and righties with the pitch.  Esquivel was really impressive on Saturday, and i'm excited to see him again.

Brandon Pace RHP / 3B / First Baptist Christian Academy, TX / 2028 Pace was another 2028 that really caught my eye.  At the plate, Pace showed some present strength, but has a frame that projects for much more.  He keeps the barrel in the zone for an extended period of time that allows him to drive the ball to all parts of the field.  There will be power as he gets older, and he shows a natural rhythm in the box as well. I thought he looked good on the dirt as well. He had a plan with the glove and moved well to both sides.  He will have plenty of arm to play 3rd base as he gets older.  On the mound, Pace showed that arm off as he topped out at 78 mph. He has a long arm swing out of the glove that he shortens up as the hand gets up. The breaker flashed potential and he threw the change with good arm speed.  Pace is a high end player on both sides of the ball

Tristin Gaines SS / OF / Waller , TX / 2028 Gaines caught everyone's eye with his glove work on Saturday. The slick fielding SS has all the actions to be a high end defensive guy up the middle. He moves to his left and right well, and can throw from different angles.  He did a good job of creating good bounces for himself.  He also looked extremely sharp in the OF taking good angles and once again creating good hops for himself.  At the plate, Gaines showed good barrel to ball skills and hit line drives to the entire field. He is still growing into his body and gaining strength, but he showed all the traits to be able to really hit as he matures.  Gaines has good baseball feel and the game seems to come naturally to him. It will be fun to watch his growth as he matures physically.

 

UPCOMING EVENTS

SHOWCASE	STATE	DATE	LOCATION
DFW Summer Open	TX	05/30	Lake Dallas High School - Corinth, TX
San Antonio Summer Open	TX	06/06	Cornerstone Christian HS - San Antonio, TX
Houston Summer Open	TX	06/07	Rice University - Reckling Park
Top Prospect Games: North Texas (Invite-Only)	TX	06/13	Texas Christian University
East Texas Summer Open	TX	06/14	Tyler Junior College (Mike Carter Field) - Tyler, TX
Top Prospect Games: Central Texas (Invite-Only)	TX	06/20	Texas State University
Central Texas Summer Open	TX	06/21	Salado High School - Salado, TX
Top Prospect Games: South Texas (Invite-Only)	TX	06/27	Texas A&M University
West Texas Summer Open	TX	07/11	Abilene Christian University - Crutcher Scott Field
PBR Junior Future Games	NATIONAL	07/25	LakePoint

 

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