Seattle, WA - This past week we had eyes on 3 ultra-talented SS prospects from across the state who are all committed to Division 1 baseball programs for next year. We take an extended look at their skill sets while also highlighting some of their teammates who stood out during game action. 

Garfield

‘19 Owen Cobb, SS, R/R, Stanford commit
6-foot-2, 180 pounds with a wide, square frame and lean, projectable build. Cobb possesses the natural actions and athleticism you want to see from a SS. Light on his feet with balanced lateral movements. Displays a controlled tempo throughout the fielding process with feel for a soft glove hand. Clean, whippy arm action. Capable of manipulating arm slot based on the throw. Produces good carry on the ball from various release points. Resets feet to establish direction towards target and gets rid of the ball quickly. Didn’t get many looks at the swing on this showing. Very rarely had pitches to hit but we had a look at the set-up and actions. Sets up in a tall, upright stance with feet set just outside of shoulder width. Maintains some subtle movement with the hands before he gets into his load. Uses a low, controlled leg lift to initiate forward stride. Weight stays centered and doesn’t shift much prior to swing. Smooth, fluid barrel path thru the zone with slight uppercut finish. Stays balanced throughout. Low effort swing that should develop more power in the future as he gets stronger. While Cobb presently has an advanced skill set and a natural feel for the game, his best days on the diamond might still be ahead of him.

‘19 Ben Jeweler, RHP, Uncommitted
Tall and lean with an extra wide frame at 6-foot-5, 180 pounds. We only had a 2 inning look at Jeweler but it was an impressive one. Showed the ability to pound the bottom 3rd of the zone with his FB from a high ¾ slot. Velo ranged 82-84 with minimal effort. Flashed heavy life and sink when located to his arm-side. Didn’t go to his secondary offerings in game, he punched out 6 using exclusively his FB, but showed a 71 mph CB with 11/5 shape in warm-ups. Clean, repeatable delivery. Capable of adding significant weight/strength onto frame. High academic student. 

selah

‘19 Carter Young, SS, S/R, Vanderbilt commit
6-foot, 165 pounds with a frame that will allow for additional strength down the road. Young possess a balanced, well-rounded collection of tools to go with standout defensive skills. While he’s shown some defensive versatility in the past, including spending time at catcher, we saw Young exclusively at SS on this look. The infield actions are velvety smooth, especially the quickness in his hands on the exchange into throws. Utilizes arm strength well by getting rid of the ball quickly from a high, compact throwing motion. Ball shows true carry after release. Keeps his balance centered while moving laterally and maintains steady tempo while working thru the ball. A switch-hitter, we had the chance to see the hitting actions on both sides of the plate. Acknowledging that he won’t face a high volume of LHP this spring, Young took at-bats from his right side while facing a RHP. As a RHH, sets up slightly open to the pitcher with a crouched, athletic stance. Syncs up load in his hands with low, controlled leg kick for timing. Front shoulder stays closed at landing, allowing hips to open up first in proper sequence. Easy, low effort swing with a one-handed finish after contact. Hit a few line-drives to his pull-side and stayed inside of a ball for an opposite field hit over the course of the DH. Similar actions and tempo from the left-side. Hits from a slightly more upright posture and the swing flashes more natural lift. Got a FB up in the zone he could handle and put it over the RF fence for a HR in Game 1. Displays a quality feel for finding the barrel on both sides of the plate. With his natural defensive skills, hit tool and overall make-up, Young should continue to draw a large following from the scouting community this spring.

‘19 Dylan Bishop, RHP, Whitworth commit
5-foot-11, 160 pounds. Bishop got the starting nod for Selah and was highly efficient in this outing. Came out showing a FB at 81-82 and topped at 83. Ball comes out of his hand with easy effort. Showed willingness to work to both sides of the plate. Paired it with a slurve shaped breaking ball at 73-74. Did an effective job minimizing the hump on the pitch out of hand. Physically he has a wide, sloped upper body that could lead to more velocity down the road as he gets stronger. Proportionally built between his upper and lower half. Repeats delivery and has the look of a consistent strike thrower. Clean arm action from high ¾ release. Committed to Whitworth College shortly after this outing.

‘21 Caden Herbst, 3B/RHP, R/R, Uncommitted
6-foot-1, 185 pounds with a presently developed, strong frame. Herbst showed well in this outing and has the look of a young arm who will have a chance to pitch at the next level. Simple, repeatable delivery with minimal effort. Features short, compact arm action with some deception from ¾ arm slot. Hides ball well. Balanced finish with eyes on target. FB held velocity at 79-80. Showed quality feel for 11/5 CB at 69-71 and flashed an occasional CH at 71-72. Kept everything around the zone and demonstrated a willingness to mix pitches.

Also, keep an eye on uncommitted ‘21 C Dean Pettyjohn moving forward. Quality defensive catcher who has a wiry, projectable frame. Moves well behind the dish and shows the ‘catch and throw’ actions to stick back there long-term. As with most young players, improving physical strength will be a crucial part of his development.

Anacortes

‘19 Ty Saunders, SS/RHP, S/R, Portland commit
Athletic frame at 5-foot-10, 160 pounds. Saunders flashed the ability to do several things well on the diamond while we were in attendance. From the left-side, he got the game started off with a deep drive to CF that he almost legged out for a triple. He has a loose, relaxed set-up in the box and produces a quick, whippy barrel thru the zone with easy effort. Handsy type of swing with natural lift after contact. Hands stay tight to the body and keep barrel inside of the ball. From the right side, he’s slightly more spread out and flashes a level, gap to gap type of swing. Again, hands work quickly to the ball and there’s a natural ability to find the barrel. Defensively he’s agile and light on his feet at SS. Moves with noticeable bounce in his step and plays with energy. Quick hands when exchanging into a feed or throw. Loose, whippy arm action with plenty of strength. Showed off some of that arm strength when he got the start on the mound in Game 2 of a DH. Came out with his FB sitting 84-86 and topped at 87. Also mixed in a sharp CB at 71-73. Simple, athletic delivery on the mound with clean direction towards target. Controls his body when moving down the slope. ¾ arm slot with some hand speed out at release. Shows the type of feel you would expect to see from a middle INF when they step on the mound. Exciting and versatile player to watch.

A couple young teammates who also stood out for Anacortes were ‘21 Logan Hilyer and ‘21 Joe Cutter. Hilyer is a 1B/LHP with a sturdy frame at 6-foot, 185 pounds. Although he didn’t have a great outing on the mound in this look, he has the size and left-handed arm action to garner some attention. FB was working in the mid-70’s presently but he could improve upon that in the near future as he gets more physical. Cutter has an above average run tool and showed it off by clocking 4.17s down the line on a bunt 1B. Overall he had a quiet day at the plate but if he continues to flash that kind of speed, he’ll pop up on someone’s radar soon.