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San Diego HS Notebook

April 24, 2023
Matt Grangetto
PBR Contributor

New Episode LIVE now! - At The Yard Podcast

SAN DIEGO, CALIF. - We are about midway through the San Diego Section Spring season, and I’ve continued to take in some standout performances from local players. While some names will be easily recognized, others mentioned may be under the radar that left a lasting impression at the games I saw. These players range from uncommitted seniors/juniors, to younger players that I deem projectable that deserve to be given some exposure. 

‘23 Carson Reese - Del Norte HS

  • At 6-3/175, Reese holds a tall, lean frame that projects well on the mound. The delivery is a more high effort one, yet efficient and repeatable. Solely out of the stretch, Reese initiates with a quick leg kick, and sinks low and hard into the back leg. He moves with force down the mound and demonstrates a shorter, continuous arm action. In his complete game vs Madison, over half of the 12 strikeouts were with the fastball. He pounded the zone with a fastball that showed good life, getting on top of barrels up in the zone. The CB was a 11-5, rolling shape that kept hitters off balance. Reese showed good feel for a fading CH vs LHH’s, and I’d like to have seen him throw it more. Along with this, I’d say he impressed overall with the ability to locate, walking none throughout the complete game performance. Currently, Reese has a 1.82 ERA with 52 K’s in 34.2 IP this season.

 

‘26 Alex Harrington - Cathedral Catholic HS

  • Stanford commit Alex Harrington is easily one of the most exciting underclass players to watch in the San Diego region. Harrington boasts an advanced level of athleticism through his lean 6-1/165 build. As a RHH, he begins with a wide, balanced base that loads with a medium leg kick and extends out into a long stride. Harrington shows quick, snappy hip rotation from the lower half, transferring to advanced bat/hand speed. Along with the ability to cover both sides of the plate, he has an advanced ability for pitch recognition that makes him an even tougher out for pitchers. Harrington’s plate appearances can best be described with a sense of composed intensity. Overall, it’s not a surprise that he’s the # 1 ranked 2026 player in the country.

 

‘25 Evan Seneres - San Pasqual HS

  • Uncommitted sophomore Evan Seneres is an intriguing RHP with an advanced sense of pitchability. What stood out in his performance I took in vs. El Camino was the ability to locate the fastball on the outer half of the plate, keeping it low in the strike zone. The delivery is smooth and easy down the mound, and somewhat effortless.  The FB is in the low 80’s, and he also showed a slurvy CB mixed into the repertoire. Seneres also flashed a quality CH with fade that was thrown often to RHH’s down in the zone. He showed standout feel and comfortability with all his secondaries. He had a strong performance, going 5.2 innings while giving up 0 runs. Seneres is a projectable two way player, notably hitting over .300 this far into the season while playing SS when not on the mound.

 

‘23 Matthew Duran - Eastlake HS

  • Duran is an uncommitted senior at Eastlake that I’d define as a true impact player. I took in his 3 hit game vs Cathedral Catholic, where he contributed offensively to the Titans 11-4 victory. Duran is a versatile 1B/OF with a strong 6-1/195 frame. He begins with a very wide base, simple toe trigger, and still hands into the load. The swing path is slightly uphill and controlled, staying connected through the baseball with a two handed finish. Duran gets the barrel out front with good extension, and seems to have real intent for a line drive approach at the plate. Each plate appearance showed Duran to be an aggressive hitter, looking to attack the fastball. He’s having a standout performance offensively this spring, leading Eastlake with a .411 batting average.

 

‘24 Ashton McCurty - Christian HS

  • McCurty is one of the top uncommitted ‘24’s in the San Diego region, leading the Christian Patriots as the backbone of the pitching staff. With a large/mature 6-2/195 frame, McCurty demonstrates a simple stretch delivery. He initiates with a gradual leg kick, sinking into a back leg coil that builds momentum down the mound. McCurty has a medium/compact upper ¾ AA, showing good levers with the arm and gloveside. In his CG shutout vs Scripps Ranch, the FB topped at 87 and he was able to consistently locate the slider vs RHH’s on the outer half of the plate. McCurty mixed up both his pitches very well, keeping hitters off balance throughout the game. His stats are no surprise, as he holds a 0.40 ERA in 34.2 IP, and has yet to give up an XBH.

 

‘24 Elijah Selga - Cathedral Catholic HS

  • Hawaii commit Elijah Selga is an OF/C with a strong/stocky build at 5-10/210 lbs. The bat speed is impressive from Selga, projecting a legit power bat. He starts with a wider base, with weight loaded into the back side. The load is started with a quick toe tap trigger, and the hands are set high near the head. Selga is quick to the baseball with the hands working down and finishing out through the zone. He stays inside the ball well, and has an uphill/whippy bat. The barrel has a snappy, loose action that results in hard contact. Selga hit a rocket over the fence vs Eastlake in his first HR of the season, verifying the potential he has as a projectable power hitter.

 

‘25 Trenton Uyeda - Westview HS

  • Uncommited ‘25 Trenton Uyeda stands out as a projectable, toolsy INF. With a lean, 5-10/165 build, he shows out as a scrappy player. Uyeda begins with the feet slightly past shoulder width, and weight loaded into the back leg while the front leg is set straight. He loads with a higher leg kick trigger with medium set hands. He stays inside the ball well with hands staying close and direct to the baseball. Uyeda is a twitchy hitter, with quick hips getting through the swing. He demonstrated confidence in a perfectly placed sac bunt down the first base line in the game vs Santana, nearly beating it out. Overall, Uyeda is an athlete that also proves as a threat on the basepaths.

 

‘24 Noah Betanco - Eastlake HS

  • Betanco is another uncommitted standout from Eastlake with a lean, 6-1/150 build with room to fill. From the right side, his stance is narrow, with weight loaded into the back leg. His timing is triggered with a higher leg kick extending into a long stride. The load is rhythmic, and is followed with quick, snappy hands through the zone. Betanco has a longer swing with long extension. The swing is that of high intent and commitment as well. As with most Eastlake hitters, he presented himself as a tough out with an advanced sense of pitch recognition. Betanco is definitely a name to follow, hitting .364 this season with 2 HR’s and 14 RBIs for the Titans.

 

‘25 Joey Monetti - West Hills HS

  • Uncommitted ‘25 Joey Monetti is a lean bodied, mobile catcher out of West Hills HS. As a RHH, Monetti has a wide base with even feet. The hands are low with some slight bat movement. It’s a simple load/toe trigger that initiates quick hip rotation and quality separation for Monetti. With a shorter, slightly uphill stroke, he demonstrated the ability to backspin the ball to the pullside shown in this double off the LF fence vs. South East HS. Monetti’s hand speed is impressive, as he’s direct and quick to the baseball while getting the barrel out front through contact. Behind the plate, Monetti demonstrated solid catch/throw ability with a quick exchange. As always, it’s something to take note of when a sophomore is leading the varsity team offensively, as he’s hitting .310 this far for West Hills.

 

‘24 Jordan Green - Scripps Ranch HS

  • Green is another impressive uncommitted ‘24 that is having a very strong spring offensively for Scripps Ranch HS. He’s a medium build SS/RHP that provides some versatility for the Falcons. As a RHH, Green’s feet are slightly past shoulder width, and the hands are set fairly high. He times with a simple toe trigger and slight lift of the front foot into a smaller stride. The lower half appeared to be well connected with the upper, and the swing path is a clean/level stroke that demonstrated a line drive approach. I was impressed with each of his plate appearances in the game vs Christian HS, as he was a gritty hitter that proved to be a tough out, not giving up at bats easily while working deep into the count. So far, the stats back up that evaluation, as he’s only struck out 6 times in 58 plate appearances this season. Green has been very reliable offensively, currently hitting .365 for the Falcons with a 0.421 OBP.

 

UPCOMING EVENTS

SHOWCASE STATE DATE LOCATION
Rising Stars ID: Sacramento CA 05/07 McBean Stadium - Lincoln
SoCal Rising Stars Game CA 05/21 Cerritos College 
CA FUTURE GAMES TRYOUT CA 06/03 Fullerton College
NorCal ProCase CA 06/04 Chabot College - Hayward
SoCal-NV-AZ-ProCase CA 06/04 University of Southern California - Dedeaux Field
NorCal Rising Stars Game CA 06/06 Islanders Field (morning)
Team CA Future Games ID CA 06/06 Islanders Field (afternoon/early evening)
Bay Area State Gamess Open ID CA 06/14 College of San Mateo
OC State Games Open ID CA 07/11 Hart Park


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