Scout Ball Notes: 9/30/18
October 2, 2018
Les Lukach
State Scouting Director
The scout ball season in SoCal has finished its first month of action it as given us ample opportunity to see many players from Santa Barbara to San Diego and everywhere in between. On Sunday I headed over to Irvine Valley College to take in a Yankees intrasquad game.
The team took on-field BP before the game giving me an opportunity to see some hitters before the game started. The game gave me an opportunity to see a few pitchers that I haven't seen since the spring along with a rising senior I hadn't seen in two years that's made significant improvements since.
Let's get into it....
2020 SS Milan Tolentino (Santa Margarita HS) continues his impressive streak at the plate. The rising junior had a breakout spring season where he showed off his burgeoning power to compliment his elite level defense. He took a fastball away to left field for a standup double in his first at-bat where he was 4.30 with a turn around first base. The UCLA commit pulled another pitch to left field for another double before dropping a ball into no-mans land for yet another double in his third at-bat....
2019 C/3B Michael Campagna (Francis Parker HS) showed off some power during his batting practice sessions where he hit at least three balls out of the yard. The rising senior peppered the gaps when he wasn't hitting balls out. In game he turned on an 85 mph fastball on the inner half that he put over the left field wall that got out in a hurry. The UC Davis commit has present power that should continue to develop....
2019 3B/RHP Trent Lopez (Carlsbad HS) has seen big time improvement on the mound over the last year plus. A regular third baseman with some juice in the bat, Lopez took to the mound and showed that he has a chance to be a two-way player on the next level with some upside on the moud. Fastball shows life with some arm side run as it enters the hitting zone from a ¾ slot that touched 88 and lived 86-87 mph. Lopez's curveball shows late with tight spin and 2/8 shape which he showed excellent command of, but it's his slider that really plays up and projects. The pitch shows sharp, biting action with some tilt as it enters the zone....
2020 RHP Tyler Conant (Millikan HS) was one of the best arms on the day. At 6-foot-3, 170-pounds, the rising junior shows a loose arm from a full path in the back through to his ¾ slot. His fastball shows run to the arm side at 85 mph the pitch shows sinking action to the back foot of righties. He consistently threw the pitch for strikes and/or induced weak contact. Conant featured a sharp, downer curveball with 12/6 shape that he shows command of. His best present pitch may be his changeup that he throws from the same arm speed as the fastball and flashes sinking action that he kept at the knees or below. Conant threw one pitch that had characteristics of a cutter at 81 mph. The pitch was a called strike....
2019 OF Caden Connor (Orange Lutheran HS) continues to impress both at the plate and in the field where his strong, accurate arm is an asset certain to help a college program. An above average runner, Connor is proving himself more than capable of getting on base with solid, consistent contact which he did with his laser shot to center field. The ball was hit so hard that he had to hold at first base. One or two feet to either side and Connor ends up on second base. There's a lot to like from Connor who is primed for a big spring season....For the first time this fall I got eyes on
2021 1B/RHP Alonzo Tredwell (Mater Dei HS), the No. 1 player in his class in the state. Tredwell, a UCLA commit, played first base and swung the bat in the middle of the order. In his first at-bat he took a curveball on the outer half that he hit foul. On the next pitch he smoked a line drive to center field for base hit on a fastball in....
2019 SS Braden Murphy (Cypress HS) is a flat out ball player that looks the part and backs it up on defense and at the plate. The switch-hitting shortstop always has a plan every time he steps into the box. Murphy doesn't try and do too much and stays within himself at the plate. Shows a knack for hitting ball where they're pitched as he showed on his stand up double to right field on a fastball away. He added another double to left center field on a fastball away clocking a 4.53 with a turn. Murphy is certain to be one of the most sought after players in his class moving into the spring....
2020 RHP Michael DeHaro (La Mirada HS) got onto the bump and showed me that the Matadores are going to have one of the best rotations in the state in the spring. DeHaro is a solidly built 6-foot, 185-pounder that oozes projection. The Long Beach State commit shows a loose, easy arm with a repeatable delivery with a fastball that touched 89 and lived 86-88 mph. DeHaro threw one curveball in my viewing that showed late with tight spin and sharp downer break.
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