Prep Baseball Report

Phoenix Preseason ID: Quick Hits


Shea Sbranti
Arizona Scouting Director

On Saturday, January 21st, Prep Baseball Report Arizona hosted the Phoenix ID at Apollo High School. The Phoenix ID is an open showcase provided for players in the 2027-2023 classes in the state of Arizona. Giving the players the chance to showcase their skills in front of the PBR Arizona Staff using state-of-the-art technology on field. 

Today, we’ll start by giving you the Top Performers from the Underclass Showcase, which we like to call Quick Hits. In Quick Hits you will be able to see how these players tested and were evaluated by the PBR Arizona Staff throughout the showcase. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for more post event coverage.

FULL EVENT COVERAGE

Israel Hernandez SS / 2B / , AZ / 2027

Hernandez turned heads during his workout on Saturday, especially in the defensive portion. The 2027 grad showed high level actions with the glove and athleticism moving side to side. At the plate Hernandez has a slightly open stance with a heavy weight transfer to his front side to help him generate power. Hernandez drove hard line drives and ground balls to both sides of the field. With added strength and size Hernandez has the potential to be one of the top players in the 2027 class in the state of Arizona. The Arizona staff looks forward to seeing Hernandez this spring with the Canes.

Gunnar Penzkover OF / RHP / Northwest Christian , AZ / 2024

Perhaps one of the most interesting players to come out of the Phoenix ID was 2024 OF/RHP Gunnar Penzkover, out of Northwest Christian HS. Penzkover started his day by running a 6.67 60 and followed it up with a top OF velo of the day at 91 mph. In the outfield Penzkover moves athleticly and quick to the ball with good breakdown, showcasing a HTQ slot with accurate throws to the bases. At the plate Penzkover has a slightly open stance with a simple crossover step load and flat to slightly uphill path, producing a 92 mph max EV and deep fly balls to the middle part of the field. We look forward to following Penzkover this spring as he goes into his Junior season at Northwest Christian.

Gavin Mesa OF / 3B / Chaparral , AZ / 2025

6-foot-4 190 pound Mesa had the loudest rounds of BP for the Underclassmen this past weekend with a max EV of 93.5  and a max distance of 343ft. The big lefty stayed inside the ball well with minimal extension, but produced a quality amount of bat speed for his age. In the outfield Mesa showed an 84 mph arm with good feel for the glove and an accurate over the top arm action. While Mesa is only going into his Sophomore year we look forward to following his progression as he continues to fill out and get stronger.

Xzayvier Buckner C / SS / Mingus, AZ / 2025

The stand out performer behind the plate was switch hitting C/SS  Xzayvier Buckner. The 2025 grad out of Mingus high school showcased an event high 1.86 pop time. Buckner won’t wow you with size, but he has an extremely quick transfer that produced accurate throws on the bag. At the plate the switch hitting Buckner had a wide base, toe tap load and a flat compact swing, producing a max EV of 93 mph with a good mix of line drives and fly balls to both sides of the field. We look forward to following Buckner this spring as he goes into his Sophomore season at Mingus high.

 

Trey Olchawa C / OF / Campo Verde, AZ / 2024

With one of the more mature rounds on the day was 2024 grad C/OF Trey Olchawa from Campo Verde high school. The right handed hitter had a wide base in the box, a light lift load and quick bat that worked flat through the zone. Olchawa produced hard hit line drives to the pull side gap with true flight spin. Defensively Olchawa showed to have good hands and footwork in his throws. His pop times behind the plate varied from 2.08-2.15, however if he could get the ball down on his throws and continue to improve his accuracy, we should see consistent times in the high 1.9 to low 2.0. We look forward to following Olchawa as he goes into his Junior season at Campo.

Grayson Headon RHP / OF / Cactus Shadows , AZ / 2025

The top performing pitcher on the day was 6-foot-3 180 pound Grayson Headon. The 2025 grad was the last one to throw on Saturday afternoon and closed the event in style. Headon has a tall build with a strong lower half, and quick over the top arm action. The right hander had the highest velocity of the day at 87 mph with 2200+ Spin. With the ability to keep the same hand speed as the fastball, Headon’s best offspeed pitch was his changeup sitting 73-76 with 1600 spin and an average of 16in of horizontal movement. The sophomore will be a high follow as he goes into his sophomore season at Cactus Shadows.

Sam Jenkins RHP / 1B / Notre Dame Prep, AZ / 2027

One to keep an eye on was 2027 Sam Jenkins. The 5-foot-11 190 pound RHP/1B, impressed on the mound this past Saturday with a fastball sitting 78-79 and a spin ranging from 1900-2100. Jenkins BB works at more of a 12/6 action sitting 65-66 with 2200+ spin and the ability to throw for strikes. While Jenkins still has some cleaning up to do mechanically on the mound, the size and strength for his age is there. We look forward to following Jenkins this spring as he goes into his 8th grade spring season.

Jeremy Kuiper 3B / OF / Gilbert Christian, AZ / 2024

6-foot-2 195 pound Jeremy Kuiper, showed all around athleticism on Saturday. At the plate Kuiper showcased an easy right handed swing that worked flat through the zone working to the big part of the field. Kuiper’s physical build translated into 71 mph bat speed and 24 mph peak hand speed. In the field Kuiper projects as a 3B due to his size and mobility, he works low to the ground and shows confidence in the glove. We look forward to following Kuiper as he goes into his Junior season at Gilbert Christian.

UPCOMING EVENTS

SHOWCASE STATE DATE LOCATION
Tucson Preseason ID AZ 01/28 Kino Sports Complex - Tucson, AZ
Preseason All-State Games: Underclass (Invite-Only) AZ 02/04 Mountain View High School - Mesa, AZ
Preseason All-State Games: Upperclass (Invite-Only) AZ 02/05 Mountain View High School - Mesa, AZ
Super 60 Pro Showcase NATIONAL 02/05 The MAX - McCook, IL
Phoenix Rising Stars ID AZ 04/01 Grand Canyon University - Phoenix, AZ


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