Joey
Estes

V St. Francis - Long Beach State Commit. Looked fantastic in outing showing off a 4 pitch mix and the frame to be a top of the rotation guy if he gets to Long Beach State; should hear his name called in MLB Draft. Large, squared up frame with long limbs and current strength in build; athletic as well. Hands start at chin, working down to waist and up to mid-chest on average knee. Repeatable delivery that messes with hitters timing well using pause, hold, and quick pitch with consistent balance in different deliveries; strong core and lower half to be able to hold position on the mound in different deliveries. Loose, live arm that produces easy velocity from 3/4 release point. Good leg usage and smooth down the hill with powerful back side drive over strong straight front leg. FB 88-92 T94 MPH able to spot on both sides of the plate and life at the plate; went up the ladder getting lots of swing and misses. FB velo held for entire 6IP with consistent range between 89-92 MPH; able to dial it up when needing to get a swing and miss. Three off-speed pitches with feel for all three and ability to change sequences. CHG 78-81 MPH with dive arm-side; FB look out of hand with late actions at the plate and being used for swing and miss. Confident in pitch and went to it in 3-2 counts. CB 74-76 MPH early bend with short 11/5 shape; more of a show pitch to keep hitters thinking. SLD 77-81 MPH with tilt and late hard actions; off the plate actions with late life. Loved the fire he pitched with and ability to induce lots of weak contact; 1 ball left the infield during his outing. 6IP 0R, 3H, 2BB, 2HBP, 8K.

9/20/18 - The senior has a lot of things working for him in addition to his 92 mph fastball. You see, the senior doesn't turn 17 until October which means he'll be 17 if/when he's drafted next June. In fact, he'd be 17 for four months after he's drafted. He'd be 17 for three months after he moved into his dorm at Long Beach State if that's his path.

7/15/18 - Estes is a guy you're going to be hearing a whole lot about over the next year. The 16 year-old junior (he doesn't turn 17 until October) came out and showed why he was such a sought after recruit before ultimately choosing Long Beach State. His fastball shows tailing action at 90-92 while his slider has wipeout pitch potential at 80 mph. But it's his curveball that drew the most grunts from scouts in the stands. A true two-plane pitch, it starts high before darting down with an 11/5 shape and the occasional 10/4 break at 75-76 mph. Estes really projects for both future physical maturity and added velocity. Couple that with his age and date of birth and you could have a sleeper in next year's draft.