Prep Baseball Report

San Diego Fall Open: Scouting Reports - Pitchers


Prep Baseball Report - California
Scouting Staff

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SAN DIEGO, CALIF. - Prep Baseball Report California ended the year on a high note with the San Diego Fall Open. With the sun setting an hour earlier and on a weekend that featured the Breeders’ Cup World Championships a mile away at the Del Mar racetrack, the San Diego Fall Open had its fair share of standouts, longshots and new names to help set the table for 2022. The event featured 400 batting practice pitches, 136 live at-bats, 306 defensive in game slots, 96 pages of TrackMan and Blast data and 7 hours of the best game on Earth. 

With so many talented players on hand it was a great day of showcase baseball. The Quick Hits edition hit leadoff for post-event content followed by our stats story and TrackMan pitching analysis. Profile videos have been officially uploaded, helping clear the way for the four part scouting report rollout. TrackMan and Blast Motion provide necessary data needed to analyze and understand player capabilities but the written eye test remains undefeated and an integral part in scouting. Today we take a look at pitchers. 

CLICK HERE FOR SORTABLE PLAYER STATISTICS INCLUDING TRACKMAN AND BLAST MOTION DATA

SCOUTING REPORTS

Gabe Camacho, La Costa Canyon (CA), 2023
Positional Profile: LHP
Body: 6-1, 200-pounds. Larger build with strength throughout. Can add some athleticism.
Delivery: Good feel on the mound, repeatable delivery with limited wasted movement. Mature feel, consistent pitch to pitch, lower half engagement takes ease off his arm and helps his stamina. 
Arm Action: LH. Repeatable natural arm action, velocity stays constant, lacking quick twitch.
FB: T81, 79-81 mph. Fastball shows extreme ride with 17.8 induced vertical break and average spin rate at 2142 - showing a fastball that can be worked throughout the zone, generate more swings and misses than expected and would greatly benefit from a velocity jump.
CB: 72-73 mph. Quality breaking ball that he relies on in any count. Potential for swing and miss but more effective used early in the count. TrackMan shows more slider than curveball action.   
CH: 75-76 mph. Shows good feel for the change, pitch enables him to make it through a high school order three times, loosening of grip could decrease spin rate even more and help generate more swings and miss. 

 

Jackson Chastain, Canyon (CA), 2023
Positional Profile: LHP
Body: 5-10, 150-pounds. Long and lanky, some athletic actions on the mound, significant room for development, weight and strength needed.
Delivery: Relaxed out of the windup, slow and easy delivery, balanced throughout. Does a good job of keeping head inline with intended target and repeating windup.
Arm Action: LH. Short arm swing, straight out of the glove to ear, high 3/4 arm release. Short arm swing needs a closed front side.
FB: T79, 76-79 mph. Fastball has some cut to it, showed best inside to RHH where the hitters were late getting the bat extended.
CB: 67-68 mph. Developing curveball, limited spin and break, follow through snap and grip key to future of pitch.   
CH: 71-72 mph. Quality speed and spin differential from fastball, slower arm action at times, accuracy issues. 

 

Koa Dabuet, Woodcrest Christian (CA), 2022
Positional Profile: LHP
Body: 5-11, 185-pounds. Medium size at 5-11 that is mature and well developed. Present strength and athleticism throughout the build.
Delivery: Side steps into a medium knee tuck. Maintains backleg flexion and creates good drive down the mound. Level shoulders. Still head. Establishes direction with glove. Works in-line with home. Repeatable. Firm at landing. 
Arm Action: LH. Compact arm circle that works out of the 3/4 slot. Present effort and armspeed. Consistent armspeed across all pitch types.
FB: T85, 82-85 mph. Considerable spin on the fastball at around 2500 rpm. Slight armside run. Present late life.  
SL: 69-72 mph. Tight spin. Showed good command. Minimal vertical break. 
CH: 73 mph. Kills some spin. Late fading CH. Consistent arm speed gives it deception off the FB. 

 

Jacob Dagan, Maranatha Christian (CA), 2023
Positional Profile: RHP
Body: 5-10, 170-pounds. Medium athletic build. Higher waisted. Room to add gains throughout.
Delivery: Side steps into a straight up-down knee lift. Torso tilts slightly downward at knee lift. Smaller drop into the back leg and pushes hard off the rubber. Slight head wack. Glove arm stays down. Good direction towards home and firm at landing.
Arm Action: RH. Stab arm action that shows some stiffness. Some scapular retraction is present. Decent layback. Present arm speed. High effort. 3/4 slot.
FB: T80, 78-80 mph. Good overall movement characteristics. Present run with 18.4 inch average HB. Worked around the zone.  
SL: 66-67 mph. Slurvy action due to present VB. Decent spin. Feel for zone (67% strike rate). Developing K pitch. 

 

Christopher DiPrima, Del Norte (CA), 2023
Positional Profile: RHP
Body: 5-11, 175-pounds. Medium build that is maturing and filling out. Present strength in the lower half.
Delivery: Side steps while hands work overhead. As hands work back over he gets into a higher knee tuck that gets him engaged in his back hip. Drop and drive type delivery as he sinks into his lower half. Upper half creates more of a pulldown effect as he establishes a higher gloveside direction with uphill shoulders. Works hard down the mound with good energy. Is in-line with home with a firm front leg at finish.
Arm Action: RH. Clean arm action. Medium arm circle that gets into some good scapular retraction into foot strike while maintaining good separation.  Present armspeed and effort throughout the delivery. Works out of the H 3/4 slot.
FB: T87, 84-87 mph. Decent spin at around 2200-2300 rpm. Had some present late life. Worked well up in the zone. 
CB: 70-74 mph. Above average spin at around 2500 rpm. Solid movement characteristics. Consistent armspeed and slot. 
SL: 73-74 mph. Slurvy break. Above average spin. Hard and tight break. Worked well of the FB. 

 

Jack Gallison, Dana Hills (CA), 2023
Positional Profile: RHP
Body: 6-3, 175-pounds. Long and lanky frame, showed some strength in his lower half in batting practice, two-way player with some current athleticism.
Delivery: Out of the stretch, kept his weight back well, pushed off the rubber, stayed closed and fired towards home, some rawness overall.
Arm Action: RH. Over-the-top release, long in the back, speed in the arm, potential for more sooner than later.
FB: T85, 82-85 mph. Significant ride to his fastball with induced vertical break averaging 22.7 - the highest of any pitcher at the event. 
CB: 70-74 mph. Developing secondary, average spin, room for more with better feel and finish. Key to his success. Breaking ball and fastball mix could create a big time bullpen arm for Dana Hills. 

 

Andrew Garcia, Valley View  (CA), 2022
Positional Profile: RHP
Body: 6-0, 235-pounds. Sturdy frame, pitchers build, room to cut.
Delivery: Out of the stretch, inline with intended target, balanced head, slow follow through.
Arm Action: RH. High 3/4 arm slot, repeatable arm slot with fastball and curveball, arm kickback could cause issues. Retired 6 of the 8 batters faced in gameplay. 
FB: T71, 70-71 mph. Ride and run to the pitch, located to both sides of the plate, got outs. 
CB: 61-62 mph. Slow breaking pitch, can see it out of the hand but made it extremely difficult for the hitters to stay patient and keep their weight back. Also got easy outs.  

 

Wyatt Hamro, Rancho Buena Vista (CA), 2022
Positional Profile: RHP
Body: 6-2, 195-pounds. Physicality immediately stands out thanks to his proportional strength throughout his frame. Room for more at the college level.
Delivery: Works quick with no wasted actions in his delivery that sees him rock back onto his right leg with a high left leg kick before driving down the mound through to his release.
Arm Action: RH. Short path in the back through a “stabbish” type release where he keeps the elbow close to body allows his fastball/slider pairing to come from the same arm slot and tunnel. Commanded both pitches and landed each for strikes en route to six strikeouts and a shallow fly ball out while allowing only a weak base hit to the right side during his outing.
FB: T83, 82-83 mph. Significant ride and average spin give this pitch some ride to work off. Along with a 6.9 extension this is a fastball that is playing much harder than 83 mph. 
CB: 71-72 mph. Significant movement on the pitch and ability to locate showcased this swing and miss pitch. Lots of confidence in the pitch and could use it at will in the 2022 season. 
CH: 77-78 mph. Ride, run and spin an average distance away from the fastball to make a difference but more could make it even better. Tinkering with the grip and helping really pronate and slow down the pitch could really benefit the development. 

 

Andrew Hurtado, San Juan Hills (CA), 2022
Positional Profile: RHP
Body: 6-2, 192-pounds. Starter's build. High waisted. Strong lower half. Athletic mover.
Delivery: Drop and drive type delivery. Up-tempo. Still head. Gains energy down the mound. Explosive at release. Good use of the lower half. Hard and firm at landing and falls toward 1B side of the mound.
Arm Action: RH. Loose arm action. Medium arm circle in the back. Present armspeed. Decent layback. Accelerates well into release with peak armspeed. H 3/4 slot.
FB: T88, 83-88 mph. Some present ASR with 16 inch avg. HB. Late life helped by good extension out front. Produced plenty of late swings and misses. 
SL:  64-67 mph Slurvy break due to present VB which gives it some depth. Good feel for it in the zone. 

 

Zach Isaacman, Torrey Pines (CA), 2022
Positional Profile: RHP
Body: 5-11, 195-pounds. Physical frame at 5’11” 195-pounds with strength throughout the body that really shows itself on the mound where he gains ground down the mound with the extension (avg.7’3”) of a much taller player. Sturdy lower half and track record show off his starters ability.
Delivery: Repeatable delivery that shows why his plus control and three-pitch command have had so much success. The lower half ability really takes ease off the arm and enables him to stay consistent.
Arm Action: RH. Short and compact through the back he maintains the same arm slot on all pitches with his breaking balls (CB/BB) both tunnelling off the fastball plane until their late sinking action comes into play. Had four strikeouts to go with a few weak groundouts that supported what the eyes saw.
FB: T86, 84-86 mph. Horizontal movement of 12.9 shows off his extreme run on the pitch aided by his 2074 spin rate. This heavy of run of a 4-seam heavy usage makes one wonder what throwing the two-seam more would do. The heavy run showed with ground ball outs. 
CB: 71-72 mph. Quality feel for the pitch, was able to repeat release, average speed and spin. Ability to locate and create swing and miss help create outs. 
CH: 74-75 mph. The lowest spin rate of any changeup thrown at the event. Had the staff buzzing with such advanced speed/spin differential from fastball. Rare to see at the high school level. 

 

Luke Kovaleski, San Juan Hills  (CA), 2022
Positional Profile: RHP
Body: 6-3, 190-pounds. Projectable pitcher's build. Long and lean. Athletic mover down the mound.
Delivery: Simple and easy effort delivery. Exclusive from the stretch, Medium knee lift. Slight hip hinge. Good separation. Hard and quick down the mound. Establishes good front side direction with glove. Works direct towards home.
Arm Action: RH. Compact arm action. Short arm circle in the back. Present arm speed. Repeatable with his slots and arm speeds. Good layback. Above average extension out front (7.4ft). Comes out of the 3/4 slot. Retired 7 of 8 batters and K’d 6.
FB: T92, 88-92 mph. Pounded zone with the FB (75% strike percentage). Above average extension allows for increased perceived velo. Present arm side run at 15 inch average HB. Decent spin. Plenty of late swings and whiffs during game action. 
SL: 73-74 mph. Well developed strikeout secondary. Real good feel in-zone at 86% strike percentage. Above average spin at 2500rpm. Slurvy break due to present VB gives it some depth and whiffs over the pitch. 
CH: 82-83 mph. Kills some spin on it. Some armside fade. Played well off his FB. 

 

Ben Lyons, Rancho Bernardo  (CA), 2023
Positional Profile: RHP
Body: 6-0, 170-pounds. Mature build, proportional throughout, some present strength with room for more.
Delivery: Stands confident on the mound, keeps his body tight before throwing separation, sits on back leg and drives off the rubber.
Arm Action: RH. High arm angle, finishes in front well, follow through speed shows velo jump potential.
FB: T84, 82-84 mph. Fastball plays straight with some run, low spin makes this an effective groundball inducing pitch down in the zone. 
CB: 68-72 mph. True 12/6 curveball, hitters did not look comfortable in the box, slider or cutter development would really help his overall off-speed repertoire and play up his curveball even more. 
CH: 73-74 mph. Solid velocity and spin differential. Staying closed and keeping front side intact needed to keep this pitch consistent and thrown with command. 

 

Javier Martinez, El Camino  (CA), 2023
Positional Profile: RHP
Body: 5-10, 180-pounds. Compact frame, present strength, some two-way baseball athleticism, room for more.
Delivery: Tight delivery, stays close to body, separates with a high front side, delivery same for all three pitches. Emphasizes back side drive off the rubber, clean follow through, delivery mechanics show that of a starting pitcher.
Arm Action: RH. High 3/4 arm slot, does of good job of repeating release point, body balance helps drive his arm action, current speed along with projectable gains.
FB: T86, 82-86 mph. Fastball plays up in velocity thanks in part to induced vertical break of 17 giving it significant ride. The average spin, release height and extension temper that significant IVB ride some but in the end the fastball is getting on hitters with higher perceived velocity. Martinez ability to locate the pitch throughout the zone gives him a fastball he can throw in any count. 
CB: 73-74 mph. Showed command and feel for a breaking ball with typical high school characteristics. The command and feel for the pitch play up at this level but higher spin will be needed to get the next level swing and miss. 
CH: 74-78 mph. Changeup showed well thanks to differentiations from the fastball; with significant sink, run, speed and spin giving the pitch significant movement variations despite the same arm speed, release and early action as the fastball. 

 

Isaiah Martinez, Eastlake (CA), 2023
Positional Profile: LHP
Body: 5-10, 195-pounds. Medium size. Sturdy build. Strength throughout. Can cut.
Delivery: Exclusive from the stretch. Knee tuck that is up-down then down the mound. Glove taps before drifting forward. Athletic delivery moving hard down the mound with a good length stride. Establishes direction with glove. Level shoulders. Works in-line. Firm and straight landing leg.
Arm Action: LH. Has shortened up arm action since last event. Still with a slight stab but draws it from a higher positioning. Higher effort with present armspeed. Consistent slots and armspeed on all pitch types. Released out of the H 3/4 slot.
FB: T81, 80-81 mph. Showed good command to all quadrants. Good extension which increases perceived velo. Decent spin at around 2,200 rpm.
CB: 71-72 mph. Lower spin breaker. Slurvy break due to present HB of 8 inches. Used more of a chase pitch. Produced whiffs and weak contact. 
CH: 73-74 mph. Late fading CH. Consistent armspeed. Worked well off the FB. Produced early out front swings. 

 

Jack McWilliams, Cathedral Catholic (CA), 2024
Positional Profile: LHP
Body: 6-3, 175-pounds. Projectable build. Long, lean and athletic with plenty of room to fill out.
Delivery: Repeatable delivery. Uses a medium knee lift. Noticeable drop into his backside before driving forward. Level shoulders throughout. Not much shoulder/trunk tilt. Still head. Medium stride for decent extension. Stays closed well. Firm landing leg.
Arm Action: LH. Compact action. Medium arm circle in the back. Arm works up early in the action. Average arm speed. Releases out of the 3/4 slot.
FB: T82, 80-82 mph. Average spin. Decent command. Present ASR with 13 inch average HB. Movement profile shows to work best low in the zone.
SL: 66-67 mph. Sweeping action. Tons of HB break at 15.5 inch average. Showed solid command both in and out of zone to produce whiffs. 

 

Aidan Mowins, Mt. Carmel (CA), 2023
Positional Profile: LHP
Body: 5-11, 185-pounds. Bigger frame with some present strength throughout the build. Can add some athleticism.
Delivery: Easy and under control delivery. Side steps into a smaller knee lift. Quick glove tap. Minimal stride. Generates easy drift down the mound. Level shoulders. Still head. Noticeable forward trunk into release. In-line throughout. Finishes onto a bent front leg still falling toward home.
Arm Action: LH. Loose arm action. Medium arm circle in the back that comes to release out of the H 3/4 slot. Average arm speed. Consistent release across pitch types.
FB: T77, 73-77 mph. Average spin. Worked it around the zone. Decent extension at 6.4 ft shows release out front.
CB: 63-66 mph. Decent spin at around 2300 rpm. Sweeping break due to minimal VB at 2 inches. Shows potential for above average strikeout pitch. 

 

Evan Newlander, Canyon Crest Academy (CA), 2022
Positional Profile: RHP
Body: 5-11, 160-pounds. Medium build. Higher waisted with long arms. Lean. Room to add.
Delivery: Max effort delivery. Side steps into a higher knee lift. Syncs glove separation with leg coming down. Establishes front side direction with glove. Present head wack as arm works to release. In-line throughout. Lands on a firm and straight front leg, while in a good fielding position. Struck out 4 during gameplay. 
Arm Action: RH. Slight stab in the back. Gets into some scapular retraction. Present layback as the arm works into release. Some present armspeed. H 3/4 slot.
FB: T84, 80-84 mph. Had some trouble locating. Above average extension at (6.7ft creates some extra perceived velo). Present ASR with 16.4 inch average horizontal break. 
CB: 69-70 mph. Decent secondary. Above average spin at around 2400 rpm. Feel for it in and out of the zone.
CH: 72-75 mph. 1641 spin - 6.6 extension. Limited showing, thrown from the same arm slot and with similar arm action as fastball, changeup development could help get him through the order multiple times. 

 

Russell Pettis III, Elk Grove (CA), 2024
Positional Profile: RHP
Body: 5-11, 165-pounds. Medium athletic build. Present strength in the lower half.
Delivery: Clean arm action. Medium arm circle in the back that is loose and easy to release. Present scapular retraction. Arm accelerates well with peak arm speed at release. Comes out of the H 3/4 slot.
Arm Action: RH. Smooth and repeatable delivery. Uses a medium knee tuck and initiates drift well down the mound. Gets into his backhip without needing to drop into the back leg. Creates good hip-shoulder separation into footstrike while maintaining flexion in backleg. Quiet head. Good lead leg block and finishes slightly falling off to 1B side of mound.
FB: T86, 83-86 mph. Average spin. Showed solid command to all quadrants. Extension is above average which increases perceived velo. 
SL: 71-72 mph. True sweeping break due to minimal VB (avg. 0.1 inch) and 11 inches of HB. Showed solid command of it (67% strike percentage). 
CH: 75-78 mph. Kills spin on the pitch (1700 rpm). Straight change. Same armspeed as FB. Ability to throw it for strikes. 

 

Gavin Strup, Torrey Pines (CA), 2023
Positional Profile: RHP
Body: 5-10, 165-pounds. Physical build with athleticism seen as a two-way player. Hustled and competed at the event.
Delivery: Worked out of the stretch, does a good job of holding balance and staying closed, sits back on back leg, fairly clean follow through.
Arm Action: RH. Showed that the arm can play on the mound, lacking elite action, shows some speed in follow through with a kickback. Held same release point with offspeed pitches.
FB: T80, 78-80 mph. Fastball plays straight with slight ride and average spin. Located throughout the zone. Grip, focus and balance key to throwing pitch where he wants. 
CB: 69-71 mph. Functional curveball that he commanded throughout the zone. Showed confidence throwing the pitch in any count. Above-average horizontal movement on the pitch serves it well. 50/50 usage with fastball should be utilized. 

 

 

Cameron Teper, Santiago (CA), 2023
Positional Profile: LHP
Body: 6-0, 170-pounds. Projectable build. Long and lengthy. Plenty of room to add efficient gains.
Delivery: Slow and under control delivery. Some drop and drive. Good rhythm with lead leg and glove separation. Larger stride. Front side direction is established. In-line at landing and in a good fielding position.
Arm Action: LH. Loose medium arm circle in the back. Some deception with arm kept behind the body. Slight pause before arm works up. H 3/4 slot.
FB: T82, 79-82 mph. Showed solid command (63% K percentage). Above average spin for velo. Solid extension at 7.1 ft gives it some added perceived velo. 
CB: 66-67 mph. Well developed secondary pitch. Slower breaker. Slurvy break. Produced confused takes and whiffs. Used both as a get-me-over and as a chase pitch. 

 

Brennan Waldrop, Mission Vista (CA), 2022
Positional Profile: LHP
Body: 6-0, 185-pounds. Big frame, starting pitchers build, strong lower half, long limbs show room for more.
Delivery: Funky left-handed delivery, drop and drive down the mound, high front side keeps his front side closed and helps hide the ball. Back side follows through well. Head stays inline and relatively balanced throughout.
Arm Action: LH. Longer arm swing, high front side helps hide the ball in the back, funky release and action overall. Deceptive overall. Retired 7 of 8 batters faced and struck out 3.
FB: T82, 79-82 mph. Located the fastball throughout the zone, extreme ride on the pitch with induced vertical break of 19.6, low velocity and average spin limit this pitch. The carry of the fastball and deceptive delivery certainly play up the fastball velocity and makes one wonder just how effective the fastball could be with a velocity jump. 
CB: 66-68 mph. High spin (2390) and extreme horizontal movement show why this sweeping breaking ball garnered so many swings and misses. Effective pitch that he commanded well. Threw for a strike and then went back foot on RHH and away on LHH for the swing and the miss. 

 

 

Andrew Wente, Xaviar College Prep (CA), 2024
Positional Profile: RHP
Body: 6-0, 157-pounds. Medium build. Lean throughout. Plenty of room to add gains.
Delivery: More tall and fall type delivery. Uses a knee lift that works straight down the mound. Establishes high glove direction early which creates uphill shoulders and a "pulldown action". Flashed a head wack at times. Works in a good direction toward home. Good fielding position at landing.
Arm Action: RH. Medium arm circle in the back that works to a H 3/4 slot. Shows ball to 2nd base as it comes up. Slight scap load. Decent extension to release out front.
FB: T77, 73-77 mph. Lower spin FB at around 1850 rpm. Movement profile looks for FB to be most effective low in the zone. Above average extension. 
SL: 63-67 mph. Slows down the arm slightly. Sweeping break due to minimal VB avg of 0.4 inch. Lower spin. 

 

UPCOMING EVENTS

SHOWCASE STATE DATE LOCATION
Central Valley Preseason ID CA 01/08 Fresno Pacific University
SoCal Preseason All-State Underclass CA 01/08 JSerra High School
SoCal Preseason All-State Upperclass CA 01/09 JSerra High School
East Bay Preseason ID CA 01/16 Ohlone College
Central Coast Preseason ID CA 01/22 Hartnell College
Sacramento/Delta Preseason ID CA 01/23 McBean Stadium
Peninsula/South Bay Preseason ID CA 01/30 Canada College
Super 60 Pro Showcase NATIONAL 02/06 The MAX - McCook, Ill.

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