Scrimmage: Valley Christian at De La Salle

Scrimmages have been underway and on 2/22/20 two Power 25 teams hooked up for a 16 inning scrimmage, as Valley Christian (CCS) traveled from San Jose to Concord to take on De La Salle (NCS). Both schools won their section titles in 2019 and have high hopes for 2020. De La Salle is working on a 28 game winning streak. Both teams boast nationally and state ranked players, including the nation's top 2020 prep left-hander, Kyle Harrison of De La Salle. 

Both schools have multiple D1 commits and others who will be so in the future. De La Salle's most significant returning position players have all been scouted by us pretty extensively, including seniors Vince Bianchina (SS-Northwestern), Charles McAdoo (3B-SJSU), and junior Blake Burke (1B/OF-Tennessee). There were a few sophomores who drew my attention and a couple of juniors to keep an eye on at DLS. As for Valley Christian, we've seen plenty of their pair of Stanford commits, senior CF Eddie Park and junior SS Trevor Haskins, as well as junior Kansas commit 1B/C/OF/RHP Jonathan Cymrot. It was a freshman who drew the most attention today, RHP Jacob Hudson who was stellar on the mound and also hit a HR later in the day. There were a couple of underclassmen who also drew my attention, as well as a junior multi-positional athlete.

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QUICK HITS

De La Salle

Senior RHP Cameron Barger (6-foot-2, 190-pounds) had a very nice showing, building off what we saw of him last fall. He will be in the mix to be the #2 behind Harrison. Strong durable build with workhorse type body, 3/4 release and long easy arm action. Was letting the fastball go and it had some giddy-up, up to 88-89 mph and sat 85-87. The stuff is going to keep coming and there will be some sniffs of 90 mph in the spring. Smooth slider/slurve ball that has enough width to be effective if he can start it in the zone on a consistent basis. Really pitched well off the fastball and got numerous swings and misses with it. Look for him to really shine this spring.... senior 3B Charles McAdoo (R/R) is a player who is best appreciated over multiple viewings, as he does have tools that stand out, but it's the usability of the hit/power tools that show up over those multiple viewings. At 6-foot-2 195-pounds he's certainly physically attractive and with 4.37 speed down the line he obviously runs pretty darn well. The arm plays at SS though the fielding skills are still a bit of a work in progress. It's at the plate though where he makes the most noise, with a heavy barrel (strong hands) and approach that keeps him in the middle of the field and a swing plane and barrel control that allows him to drive the ball with carry to CF and right-centerfield. There is real power in his future....Among the younger DLS players, it's 2022 CF Zeke Berry (R/R) who is most intriguing to me. He's 6-foot-0 180-pounds with a strong physical build. Berry has plus wheels and with what I saw of his hitting approach and bat speed, he's got a chance to be a terror for the next three seasons. He showed the ability to lay off quality breaking balls and looks to have a fairly refined approach for a young player. His hand speed when swinging the bat is about as fast as any player around, and he's short to the ball as well, though occasionally the barrel leaves the zone a little early. Berry seems to see the ball well and should be able to frequently find his way on base and wreak havoc on the bases. Not enough of a look to break down the arm and full complement of defensive tools.... junior 1B/C Joey Donnelly (L/R) is another DLS hitter who appears to have a very sound hitting approach. At 6-foot-1 210-pounds he certainly looks the part and fits right in with the physical hitters the Spartans have been known to produce. He looked to stay on the fastball early in his at-bats and with an aggressive and easy stroke, there is ample power in his future. Seeing him cut down his swing in a two-strike count and ground a curveball up the middle and into centerfield was good to see. He should be an important of the DLS line-up this season.... senior RHP Mason Carvacho (6-foot-0 180-pounds) is a pitcher we saw in the fall and liked as a candidate to emerge in the spring season. He came out at 84-86 mph with a nice slider at 71 mph. The arm action is clean and the mechanics will hold up deep into games. As I said with Barger, the Spartans will be hunting for a #2 and a #3 behind Harrison and Carvacho has a chance to earn one of those spots. The stuff has showed to be consistent in three viewings of him. Obviously to get some college interest the velocity will need another tick upward....2022 MIF A.J. Bianchina (L/R) has a chance to be a contributing player this season, at 2nd base (competing with junior Caleb Chance for that spot). He's a compactly build 5-foot-6 150-pounds (on DLS roster), with noticeable forearm strength. He's more quick than fast but got around the bases well when a sinking liner to left field eluded the outfielder and he ended up at 3rd base. The swing is pretty short though the two high fly balls toward the short porch in RF were somewhat of a concern, as power is probably not what he needs to be trying to access at this point in his devleopment. While at SS later in the scrimmage he went to the backhand well but the arm showed to be more suitable at 2nd base... 

 Valley Christian

It wasn't the greatest of days for junior SS Trevor Haskins (5-foot-11 165-pounds, R/R), but by the end of the day he flashed the defensive tools and projectable offensive talents that we've come to appreciate. A couple of rough at-bats early ended with Ks, one vs Harrison on a 93 mph heater up and away and one on a FB that was off the plate. He bounced back to find contact in subsequent at-bats, including a double to left field. There is some swing length that shows up vs higher velocities, but the swing works easily. Defensively he is smooth to the ball with excellent footwork and plenty of arm for the SS position.... junior UTL (OF/1B/C) Jaxson Wall of Valley Christian is an interesting player who is now on my radar. I don't know yet what he is, but I know he's built right (6-foot-2, 175-pounds, R/R) and he plays with an edge. He will need to make some strength gains, like all players, and when that happens he can take a big leap forward. Aggressive in all phases of the game, swing works, glove is versatile from OF to 1B and he's ready to play any spot at any time. Gut says he's a corner outfielder with chance to develop a well-rounded tool set for the college game.... 2022 OF Easton Kreshel is a player to track. At 6-foot-1, 175-pounds he's built with long and sinewy proportions. The younger brother of a good high school player (senior Creighton Kreshel), the younger-bro storyline looks like it could be present here. Three quality at-bats in the back half of the scrimmage and found barrel all three times. Has a twitchy stroke that will produce some pop as he gains strength in the coming years. Moved around on the bases with liveliness as well. It was the simplicity and ease of the swing, with that projectable body type, that stood out. He's going to be a significant part of the program in the coming years and is a name to know.... junior UTL (1B/C/OF/P) Jonathan Cymrot was all over the field on Saturday. The Kansas commit was impressive on the mound with his ability to locate the fastball (83-84) and high usage of a quality slider (73-74). The fastball velocity doesn't jump off the page but the life through the zone was good. Defensively he seems likely to roam around for the Warriors this spring but it was behind the plate, late in the scrimmage, where he frankly looked the best. It would appear there is a need for VC to find a quality catcher on this squad and he's the best candidate to fill that spot. His blocking was quite good, with agility to block and steer BIDs back to the field side. He received well and showed leadership qualities and a take charge presence that stood out. Offensively he's a grind it out, quality at-bat type of hitter, the type who will drive in runs and do what needs to be done approach.... 2022 MIF Eli Martinez got a chance to show his talents at the end of the game and in a short amount of time displayed both defensive and offensive talents that suggest he's a sophomore to keep on the radar. Without a full depth of knowledge of his tools, he sure looked capable of playing SS every day at the HS level, with excellent angles and footwork. The swing is a little long and there will have to be some adjustments to the swing type and also strength needed. But in brief look, he's one to learn more about.

THE BREAKDOWN

* 2020 LHP Kyle Harrison * 2023 RHP Jacob Hudson * 2021 1B/OF Blake Burke * 2020 OF Eddie Park * 2021 RHP Griffin Allen

Valley Christian 2023 RHP Jacob Hudson (listed 5-foot-10, 170-pounds, R/R) was VERY impressive. Aside from the raw stuff, which I'll get it, he got the start opposite Harrison, on the road vs De La Salle, and turned in two scoreless innings. They weren't EASY innings, but he showed not only stuff (up to 89), but grit and tenacity and composure.

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