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The 2014 SoCal Scout Ball season got underway Sunday, September 6th all across the region. I took in the game between the Rays and Padres at Saddleback College which feature rosters heavy on kids from San Diego county.
Pitching took center stage in this game while there were a couple hitters who stood out. There weren't many defensive standouts due to the lack of opportunities for those players to make plays.
Below are some notes on players that stood out. Players are listed in no particular order.
2015 LHP Will Tribucher (San Clemente HS) got the start for the Padres and quickly asserted himself. Working from a high three-quarter slot the senior-to-be showed a loose, live arm with some whip. Sitting 84-87 with the fastball, he was able to work both sides of the plate. His tight spinning curveball sat 67-72 and showed late, deep break with some bite. His changeup was a bit flat at 80, but when he took a little off it the pitch was more effective and showed late life. Tribucher, a University of Michigan commit, missed a lot of bats with all pitches and works down in the zone. 2015 RHP Dylan Robertson (La Jolla Country Day HS) was effective despite lacking deception in his pitches. His fastball worked 82-85 and showed some late life despite being a bit flat. His tight spinning curveball is his best current pitch and worked 71-73 with late break. The changeup showed some late run at 77 and could develop into an above average pitch. Robertson is a University of Pacific commit. 2015 LHP Ricky Reynoso (Bonita Vista HS) was a pleasant surprise to those of us who hadn't seen him pitch. Using a high leg kick, Reynoso showed a free-and-easy repeatable delivery which resulted in a lot of strikes. His fastball at 83-85 appeared faster when he'd run it in on hitters. His best current pitch is his curveball which sat at 69-71 and showed lots of late break in the zone. His changeup has a lot late life (think falling off the table movement) and sat 73-74. Reynoso showed a very high IQ when it comes to pitching in that he mixed pitches well and limited the number of times he delivered the same pitch on consecutive offerings. 2016 RHP Connor Cannon (Vista Murrieta HS) used a high three-quarter delivery that at times went over-the-top to pound the zone. Sitting 84-87 with the fastball, the junior-to-be mixed locations well and kept hitters off balance. At times it appears he's overthrowing a bit, but for the most part it's an easy, repeatable delivery from the physical RHP. He showed a tight, hard spinning curveball that he only threw a few times but worked in the 69-73 range. Definitely a guy to follow moving forward because of his physical attributes and the ability to pound the zone. 2015 SS Travis Moniot (Palm Desert HS) didn't get the opportunity to flash the leather in game situations, but it's evident from the pregame routine that he possesses the athleticism to stay at SS at the next level. Possessing quick hands, feet and and a strong arm, he showed the ability to make all plays. At the plate the switch-hitting University of Oregon commit appeared more comfortable from the left side. He took a 70MPH curveball on the outer half the other way (LCF) for a standup double.
2015 1B Dean Nevarez (Eastlake HS) is an intriguing prospect to follow. While he seemed a bit lackadaisical at time playing 1B, his reputation as a power hitter became obvious during an early AB. The future SDSU Aztec took an 86MPH fastball and put it over the fence in LCF and darn near cleared the scoreboard. Unfortunately for him, it was his only significant at bat of the day. A quiet approach with fast hands, Nevarez showed good plate discipline and coverage in every at bat. 2016 RHP Will Tomlinson (Crean Lutheran HS) is a guy that had scouts asking "where is Crean Lutheran HS?" Working from a high three-quarter arm slot the junior-to-be was 85-89 with his fastball that he worked to both sides of the plate and down in the zone. Uses great arm extension in his clean, repeatable delivery which allows him to keep his pitches down. His curveball sat in the 70-73 zone and flashed late bite but was a little loose at times. It appears he overthrows his curveball a bit a times, but for the most part he is pretty mechanically sound with his delivery. This is a great opportunity to get on some scouts radar for Tomlinson considering he pitches in a smaller school division in SoCal. 2015 RHP Blake Workman (Ramona HS) is a big (6'2") phyiscal (190) pitcher who really caught the attention of scouts in attendance. Workman pounded the zone with this fastaball (85-89) from an over-the-top delivery that was easy and repeatable. His changeup is an above average current pitch that showed late sink down in he zone and worked in the 72-73 range. An intriguing prospect to follow who could improve his stock if he develops his current pitches more and can add a curveball or slider to the repertoire. 2016 RHP Jonathan Worley (High Tech High HS) is a recent University of San Diego commit and should fit in nicely in that program. Worley pounded the zone working his fastaball (84-86) from black-to-black while using an over-the-top delivery with a high leg kick. His tight curveball (69-70) may be his best pitch in the future if he can learn to repeat his delivery on it as it got away from him on occasion. Very impressive pitcher who is only going to get better once he adds strength to his frame (6'2"ish - wasn't listed on roster). 2015 OF Gage Canning (Ramona HS) showed arguably the best hit tool of any player in the game. The Arizona State commit flashed incredible bat speed which allowed him to turn on a couple pitches on the inner-half. He also took a breaking ball away in the zone to the opposite field and ended with two triples and a standup double. Didn't have an opportunity to show off the arm during the game but in pregame showed the arm strength and accuracy that has scouts intrigued.
2016 OF Julian Escobedo (Eastlake HS) was an intriguing prospect in that he showed above average tools in his all around game. From the outfield he has a strong, accurate arm that shows good carry on his throws. At the plate he has a very good understanding of the zone and doesn't chase bad pitches. He runs pretty well although he's not a burner. A solid player all around who will certainly draw plenty of college recruiting attention this coming spring. 2016 RHP/C Nathan Walker (Carlsbad HS) is another University of San Diego commit who only saw action on the mound where I hadn't seen him before. He was impressive touching 87 with the fastball while working in the 84-86 range. His curveball is a work in progress, it's a little loose but was effective at 69-70. He tends to get a little armsy which makes him be max effort rather than relying on his mechanics, but that is something that can be cleaned up. Has a long, lean frame that should fill out in the next couple of years. 2015 RHP R.J. Peace (Serrano HS) is a Cal Poly SLO commit who was arguably the best pitcher of the day. Working from a high three-quarter slot. Peace has a very easy, repeatable delivery that will serve him well in the future. He threw his fastball black-to-black and sat 87-89 while touching 90 a couple times. He was a little wild to the arm side a few times, but that can be cleaned up as evidenced when he regrouped after those pitches. His slider was as effective as his fastball and worked in the 82-84 range. The pitch that had scouts intrigued was his slurve that worked in the 77-79 range and was unhittable. A slider with curve break, the pitch showed late break down in the zone. Peace commanded all of his pitches with the exception being the few times he scuffled with his fastball to the arm side. A very intriguing prospect moving forward.