Fall Uncommitted Notebook

‘25 Hunter Manning - West Ranch

• Manning is one of the more projectable uncommitted ‘25s out there. Currently stands 6-4 185lbs. Took in a shutout inning of his where he came out 84-87 T88 with the FB. Uses a shorter arm action that has some deception in the back. Showed a quality fading CH at 74-75 as well. At the plate its a simple/smooth LH stroke that finds barrel more often that not with flashes of some pull-side power. He should be on a ton of follow lists come spring time.

‘24 Ben Cushnie - West Ranch

• Was really impressed with Ben after just one look. Stands a tall/lean 6-2 160lbs with some projection and room to fill. Filled it up with the FB the day I saw him sitting 84-86 with it. Also showed feel in-zone for a fading CH and a larger/slower CB that both induced whiffs. His arm works loose and quick. There is some effort to the delivery but he repeats well. Has been dominant this fall throwing 11 innings giving up 0 runs and has K’d 14. He has quickly turned himself into a top uncommitted follow.

‘25 Landon Hu - West Ranch 

• I think Landon is going to surprise a lot of coaches this upcoming spring. The switch hitting INF is gonna start up the middle for the Ranchers. It’s a lean athletic frame that has plenty of room to fill in with strength. At the plate, it is a loose/whippy bat with noticeable hand speed and feel to hit. Defensively the fundamentals are there with present glove skills and an average arm. A strong spring should put Landon on a ton of radars come the summer.

‘25 Nate Lopez - Alemany

• This was not my first look at Nate as he was a standout at our LA Top Prospects ID early this past summer and was a consistent performer on a talented Legacy squad. Defensively his glove skills, footwork, and arm strength all standout and are showing early signs that he will be able to stay on the left side of the infield. With the bat it’s a rhythmic stroke. He has some loose quick hands that deliver the barrel on a clean barrel path through the middle. Expectations are high as he will hit in the middle of the Warriors lineup and is expected to produce.

‘25 Elias Reyes - South Hills

• Reyes is an intriguing young uncommitted ‘25 RHP. He currently stands at 6-0/180lbs. He works smooth down the mound with a more drop/drive type delivery. He repeats it well with a clean arm action. FB sat 82-84 T85 in an outing where he showed solid gloveside control of it. Flashed a developing large CB at 70-71 but in recent stints has shown a mid-70s SL that has sharper break and has been an effective secondary. Reyes should see a good amount of innings this upcoming spring for the Huskies. 

‘23 Josh Hickey - Yucaipa

• Took in two strong innings from Josh in a scrimmage against Summit HS at UCR. Josh currently stands a lean 6-1/170lbs with room to add. It’s an athletic delivery where he uses a shorter arm action that hides well and works with easy armspeed to release. The FB came out 85-87 T88 and mixed in a few quality lower 70s CBs that produced some chase. Hickey will play an important role in the rotation for the Thunderbirds.

‘26 Justin Romero - South Hills

• Romero is one of the better ‘26 arms our staff has seen so far. Stands an imposing 6-3 200lbs where he works downhill. Only showed his FB in the outing I took in where he struck out the side with ease. Romero gets good extension at release where his FB got up on hitters in a hurry at 82-84 inducing plenty of late swings and whiffs. He's on a ton of radars already and I’m excited to see his development these next four years with the Huskies.

‘24 Matthew Krause - Mira Costa

• Matthew showed off some decent two-way ability in a fall game I took in. Currently stands an athletic 6-0/175lbs. At the plate he showed loose hands that deliver a quick bat with some pullside power where he banged one off the LC wall for a triple in-game. Then showed some standout arm talent on the mound where he threw 2 shutout innings against Oaks Christian. He’s an easy/raw mover down the mound with noticeable arm speed where he was up to 89 with the FB and showed a shorter/tight SL at 75-76. 

‘24 Jake Despain - Mira Costa

• This was my second look at Despain where he was a standout at our Top Prospects Game in early October. He’s an UTL player who stands an athletic 6-1/185. The swing plays where he creates good rhythm within a slow/early toe tap trigger. His hands work quick through the zone. Showed good adjustability in one AB where he recognized spin early and was able to drive it up the middle for a single. I'm expecting a breakout season for Despain.

‘24 Luke Casarez - Sierra Canyon

• With Luke it all starts with his frame. Luke currently stands a lean/projectable 6-5/195lbs. He works hard down the mound with a quick arm that gets to a higher ¾ slot creating some downhill plane. In the outing I took in he filled it up with his 86-88 T89 FB. He also showed feel for a quality fading CH that was effective against both RHHs/LHHS along with a developing slow breaking ball. Luke is easily one of the top uncommitted arms heading into next spring.

‘25 Caden Sramek - Sierra Canyon

• Sramek is another large/projectable arm for Sierra Canyon standing 6-7/193lbs. Sramek is just getting back into the swing of things after being shut down with a hand injury. Still a raw mover on the mound but the arm works clean with a shorter/continuous path in the back that hides well and adds some deception. The FB got up to 84 with high % strikes. Also mixed in a slower CB at 71-73 that he showed quality feel for in-zone. Sramek is an easy follow where I’d expect a definite velo/stuff jump as he continues to build for spring. 

‘24 Troy Cooper - Hart HS

• Cooper is one of the more intriguing ‘24 uncommitted arms out there. He's a simple mover down the mound with a more uptempo delivery. Cooper creates some easy-effort arm speed with his loose/continuous arm action. The FB worked up to 87 and showed a quality 12/6 CB at 72-75 that induced swing/miss to both RHHs and LHHs. Also mixed in a developing CH as well at 75-76. 

‘25 Dylan Harrison - Summit HS

• Dylan is another big/projectable ‘25 body standing 6-5/175lbs. At the plate, it’s a relaxed stance with a simple load. The barrel works whippy through and on a flat path where he showed some pull-side power. In-game he sent an 85 mph FB over the CFs head for an LD triple. He also jumped the mound for an inning where he showed some definite upside. He was 82-84 that inning and mixed in a 71-73 mph SL that got up to 2500rpm.

‘23 Brian Trujillo - Huntington Beach

• Trujillo is one of the more consistent bats in the entire ‘23 CA class. Seems like he always finds barrel in every look our staff gets of him. His swing is one of my favorites to watch. He gets himself into really good positions at launch with a barrel that works on a clean/uphill path with present bat speed. Has shown decent power to all fields even showing an ability to leave the yard to the opposite field. Is hitting .350 on the fall with 2 HRs, 3 doubles, and a triple. Defensively he shows solid fundamentals where the glove looks to be able to stay at 2B.

‘23 Bradley Navarro - Huntington Beach 

• Navarro is one of the top uncommitted OFs left in the ‘23 class. Stands a smaller but athletic 5-11/175. Was the top performer at our Top Prospects Game in October and has been scorching hot this fall for Huntington Beach hitting .476 with 3 doubles and 2 triples. The swing plays from both sides of the plate where its a short smooth stroke that produces some sneaky pull-side power. Has some above avg. speed that plays in the OF and on the base paths. I’m predicting a monster spring for Navarro and whatever school that picks him up is getting a steal. 

‘24 Nico Lopez - Patrick Henry

• Really enjoyed what I took in with Nico Lopez on the mound. Shutdown a good Huntington Beach squad for 2 innings striking out 4. He has a smaller lean frame with room to add. It’s an athletic/uptempo delivery where he moves with force down the mound. The armspeed stands out where FB came out with good life and present carry through. The FB was 86-88 and he showed two quality secondaries being a 11/5 CB he landed for strikes and downward fading CH that showed effectiveness against LHHs. 

‘25 Christopher Romo - Eleanor Roosevelt 

• Christopher was a standout at our Underclass games back in September and I got to check in on him at the Austin Gorell Silver Championship where he got the 2 inning save to secure the win. It's a longer whippy arm action that works within a crossfire delivery. The FB sat 83-85 and he mixed in a slower sweeping SL at 72-73 that showed effectiveness against RHHs. Look for him to make an impact as as a two-way player for Roosevelt next spring. 

‘24 Braden Sellz - El Camino 

• Got two looks at Sellz this fall where the FB velo continues to tick up where he has turned himself into one of the more intriguing uncommitted follows for next spring. He’s another smaller framed RHP with a quick arm. The FB comes out 85-88 T89 with decent carry through inducing a lot of late contact and whiffs getting over barrels. His breaking ball has large slurvy shape and its a developing pitch where he throws it at 72-73 with feel with it in-zone. 

‘25 Christian Gastelum - El Camino

• Have gotten a couple looks at Christian this fall. He has shown present pitchabilty with his 3-pitch mix. The FB sits low 80s with present armside run that he consistently works off RH barrels. His CH has proven effective against RHHs as well inducing GBs and swing and miss getting under barrels. The SL is a developing pitch at 68-70 showing large slurvy break. He is able to repeat his delivery well and shows standout poise and maturity. Christian looks to be an instrumental piece of the rotation for the Royals next spring. 

‘25 Hayden George - Santa Margarita

• Took in 2 shutout innings from Hayden against a solid HW lineup. Has a projectable pitcher's build standing 6-3/185lbs. It’s an easy operation with his delivery/arm. Showed a 3-pitch mix mainly working FB/SL. Filled it up with the FB that came out 83-86. The SL was a shorter late breaker at 74-76 that induced some chase. CH is a developing pitch at 75-76 but did induce a right on right chase strikeout off the FB. Excited to see how many innings he'll get for a solid Santa Margarita squad next spring.