Prep Baseball Report

Preseason All-State Games: CINF Analysis


Brett Thorney
State Scouting Director

With the current cancellation of spring baseball season, we want to take the time to highlight some players from our past events. Here's a look at the Corner Infielders from the Preseason All-State Games that took place on January 26th at Arizona State University. Some of the most pop of the event offensively coming from this group of corner infielders. There was talent across the board with many players that scouts should keep an eye on going into the summer season. Here are reports from the afternoon, listed in alphabetical order. 

Stay tuned as we will be releasing pitchers this week. 

Blake Avila 1B / 3B / Gila Ridge, AZ / 2021

5-foot-10 195-pounds, strong physical frame, broad shoulders, big lower half & forearms. Left-handed hitter. Starts from a slightly spread out squared base, leaning on the back leg. Uses knee turn leg lift with minimal forward movement. Small separation. Short slightly downward path looking for backspin. Natural strength through swing with easy effort, stays balanced. Middle approach, hard contact at 92mph. Low effort fielder with some athleticism around the bag. Low intensity on his throws at 76mph arm strength. Ran a 7.50 60-yard dash. Follow as a physical left-handed bat.

Jackson Bucholz 1B / 3B / Brophy College Prepatory, AZ / 2023

5-foot-11 180-pounds, strong, big legs, long arms, some durability to work with. Raw swing with some natural strength & pop, 93mph exit velocity. Tall slightly open stance, using leg lift with little forward movement. Lands squares in a powerful launch position with some separation. Mid/oppo approach. Power potential at the plate. Average footwork defensively, ran a 8.25 60-yard dash. Fields ball deep on his heels. Low intensity throws at 72 mph arm strength.

Miles Crutchley 3B / 1B / Saguaro, AZ / 2022

5-foot-11 190-pounds, strong body, long legs, broad shoulders. Narrow slightly open stance, using a gathered toe tap trigger to create leverage. Inconsistent sequencing of the hands. Level swing with mid/pull approach. More pop in BP than 83mph exit velocity would suggest. Average footwork and hands with some effort. Ran a 7.72 60-yard dash. Glove tap before throwing with 68mph arm strength.

Anthony Diaz 3B / OF / Brophy College Prep, AZ / 2022

5-foot-10 180-pounds, athletic build with some present strength. Left-handed hitter with pull approach. Looks to elevate baseball, working uphill creating top spin. Starts from a narrow slightly open base. Uses leg lift with some forward movement to generate pop. Hard contact at 87mph exit velocity. Worked out in the OF & 3B. Quicker than 7.75 60-yard dash shows. Uses step behind in OF with average carry on throws at 82mph. Rounds baseball, fielding ball with two hands and chest down. 77mph arm strength at 3B.

Matthew Diaz OF / 3B / Brophy College Prep, AZ / 2022

5-foot-10 180-pounds build, balance frame with some strength in legs. Hits from an upright position with an average base. Used a leg lift trigger, landing hard at times. Starts hands above shoulder, loading them slightly down. Level swing with mid/pull approach. Slightly above average contact at 83mph. Ran a 7.49 60-yard dash. Plays through the ball in the OF with step behind. Accurate arm with some carry from both positions, especially OF. Natural arm strength at 84mph from OF.

Jadin Grannis 3B / 2B / Casteel , AZ / 2021

5-foot-10 185-pound, stocky build, strong lower half, some present strength. Average slightly open base, using toe tap trigger to create weight transfer. Little stretch & separation of the hands. Short to the baseball, quick out of zone. Opposite field approach. Level swing with average contact, 76mph exit velocity. Heavy footwork in the infield with average effort. Fields ball from spread out base in between legs with two hands. Minimal momentum and direction towards the bag. 75 mph arm strength across the diamond.

Brady Nelson RHP / 1B / Ironwood Ridge, AZ / 2021

6-foot-2 170-pounds, lean body, long limbs with some athleticism. Currently a two-way player. Raw rotational swinger with extra movement. Tall narrow upright stance, slightly open. Reached forward into front foot strike. Loads back elbow up, locking arms. Pull approach with inconsistent top-spin contact, 83mph exit velocity. Lets the ball get to him defensively with low effort. Natural arm strength with whippy arm across the diamond, 84mph arm strength across the diamond. Future is on the mound. Throw from ¾ arm slot, short arm swing. Disconnected from ground early. FB sat 80-83mph with late cutting action, erratic at times. Mixed in a 12/6 breaking ball up in the zone with early action, near FB arm speed. Development should be followed on the mound.

Tanner Nelson C / RHP / Saguaro , AZ / 2023

Large 6-foot-1 165-pound build, long limbs with above average strength & athleticism, body stands out for age. Ran a 7.27 60-yard dash. Starts from a squared upright base, rocking into the back leg. Short forward move landing square. Long uphill swing with mid approach. 82 mph exit velocity. Relaxed approach catching. Ball takes glove out of the zone at times. Short arm action with tight glove side. Transfers to the side of the body, deep at times. Pop times of 2.1-2.2 with 70mph arm strength. More arm strength there with a little more separation. Tools combined with body/ athleticism make him a follow in class.

Landon Penney LHP / 1B / Brophy College Prep, AZ / 2023

6-foot 190-pound frame, physical body with broad shoulders, good strength for age. Two-way player currently. Left-handed hitter with above average pop for age. Hits from a slightly spread out base. Barrel starts flat, loading a little more vertical pointing towards backstop. Uses hard forward move to create violent swing. Pull approach, turning barrel early. Hard contact at 85mph. Also pitched on the day. Early forward movement in raw delivery, collapsing on the front side. Throws with short arm action, pushing the ball to home plate. FB sat 71-75mph with some heaviness. CV showed gradual downer shape at 68-69mph. Future looks to be at the plate at this time. Physical left handed hitter should be monitored. 

Christian Perez 3B / 1B / Sunnyslope, AZ / 2022

6-foot-1 215lbs, big body with some strength & durability, more athleticism than one would think for size. Two-way player currently. Left-handed hitter with average slightly open base. Uses gathered leg kick to create energy, loading his hands deep. Locks elbows at times. Some strength through his swing. Hits the ball to the opposite field well. Inconsistent on the outer half of the plate. Mid/oppo approach, hard contact at 91mph. Looked better at the plate in game. Easy footwork in the infield, showing some athleticism. Sure hands, playing through the baseball. 75mph arm strength across the diamond. Also pitched at the event. Tall delivery, recoiling on finish in live ABs. Throws from a H ¾ arm slot with short arm action. FB sat 75-76mph. CV showed some glimpses of having some sharp break at 61-62mph. Follow as a left-handed hitter. 

Masen Schechterle 3B / 1B / Brophy College Prep, AZ / 2021

6-foot-1 170-pounds, lean body with broad shoulders, long legs, some strength & athleticism. Has gotten a bit bigger since we last saw him in December. Starts from a squared base with balance. Uses gathered leg lift, riding back leg into heel plant. Long level swing, creating an arm bar at times. Middle approach with above average contact at 91mph. Had trouble getting into his legs on the low pitches. Easy controlled footwork in the infield with sure hands. Gets around the baseball. Forces hand glove separation before throwing, 82 mph arm strength across the diamond with more in the tank. All-around solid player.

Kaden Schiefelbein RHP / 3B / Liberty, AZ / 2021

6-foot-2 170-pounds, lean, athletic frame with long limbs and projection. Ran a 6.89 60-yard dash. Two-way player. Hits from an average balance base, using small forward move. Level swing with line-drive contact, 86mph exit velocity. Gap to gap approach. Athleticism plays in the infield with low effort actions and strong arm across the diamond at 84mph. More than capable HS third basemen & hitter. Showed solid tools as a position player, but his future lies on the mound. He pitches with a controlled, repeatable delivery and quick arm from a higher slot. He gets downhill with a high-spin fastball that sat 83-87 and touched 90 with riding life through the zone. He mixes in a short curveball in the upper 70s that shows more downer break and has shown glimpses of being a swing-and-miss pitch in the past. Current tools & athleticism should make him a high follow as a pitching prospect.

Tyler Stone 1B / Chaparral, AZ / 2020

6-foot-3 220-pounds, Gonzaga commit, big body with strength & durability to build off. Left-handed hitter with good natural pop. Had one of the better BP rounds with consistent loud contact. When Stone stepped into the box in our games, everyone was paying attention. Aggressive but yet controlled approach to Mid/ Pull side. Had the top exit velocity of 97mph. Another aspect to his game that may go unnoticed due to his loud bat, might be his defense. Strong showing defensively. Showed athleticism and good actions around the bag. Above average glove that saved some outs with his scooping ability. Also showed an 85mph arm across the diamond. Going to be a steal for a good JC program or a sneaky pick for a D1 school looking to add depth offensively.

Zachary Wadas 1B / LHP / Brophy College Prep, AZ / 2023

6-foot-3 180-pounds, body stand outs for age, young lean body with long legs and arms, more maturing left. Two-way player. Left-handed hitter with some rawness to approach. Hits from a wide athletic base with knee bend, turning knee inward as he goes slightly forward into foot strike. Works from underneath, trying to drive the baseball in the air. Average contact in BP on the day. Natural pop at 93mph arm strength. Confident actions and good target in the infield. Athleticism around the bag. Also pitched at the event. Tall athletic delivery with some repeatability, pushing off early. Throwing with over-top arm action with short arm swing. FB worked 79-80mph with some slight cutting action. Mixed in a gradual CV with downer shape at 64-69mph. High ceiling two way prospect to follow.

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