Central California Preseason ID: Quick Hits
January 15, 2025
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Ventura, Ca. -
With the turn of the calendar and the start of the New Year baseball was ready to go in Southern California. This time with a trip up the coastline of the Golden State the Prep Baseball California staff continued their 2025 Events calendar with the second of six different Preseason ID events. This edition of the Preseason ID took place on the campus of Ventura College.
Players attending this and all Preseason ID events in Californa undergo a Pro-Style workout beginning firsts with official measurements for their height, weight and grip strength. From there they are run through athletic testing on the VALD platforms (60 yard dash and Jump testing). As well, all position players undergo a defensive workout/evaluation (OF/Corner INF/Middle INF/1B/Catcher) to showcase their defensive actions with video and arm strength recorded. The position players workout concludes with On-Field Batting Practice utlizing Trackman Technologies and Blast Motion to provide valuable data feedback on the player's offensive tools, as well as video. Finally, each event finishes with bullpen sessions for all pitcher in attendance. Each pitcher who takes the mound are assesed by Trackman Technologies to gather data on their pitches from velocity, spin rates, movement patterns and more, plus video being recorded.
Today, we take a look at some of the top performers from our second Preseason ID event of the year at Ventura College.
For all information on the players in attendance please click here: Central California Preseason ID
CENTRAL CALIFORNIA PRESEASON ID QUICK HITS:
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Jackson Tyler 2B / OF / Chaminade College Prep , CA / 2025Tyler entered the event as the lone committed player in attendance having signed with San Diego State to continue his baseball career upon the completion of his high school career at Chaminade. A solidly built athlete who also has a strong football background he showed quickly why he was the top player in attendance by running an event best 6.83 60 time and then throwing 93 MPH from the OF with carry and accuracy to his throws. As well, he took reps at SS during the INF portion of the day with quick feet, smooth hands and a sound arm up to 81 MPH on his throws that can handle 2B giving him positional versatility. During BP the RH hitter took an overall solid 3 rounds lacing hard lines drives from the middle to pull side of the field including the second highest max EV at 97.4 MPH. His swing is geared more for leverage than lift that will profile to high contact and doubles from pull gap to opposite foul line with enough strength to sneak some HRs to the pull side. The Aztecs landed a very solid overall player, but first Tyler has his eyes on helping Chaminade repeat a very good performance in 2024 with another run to the CIF-SS playoffs.
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Cooper Casey SS / 2B / Foothill Technology , CA / 2027Casey returned to the Preseason ID stage after a sound 2024 appearance at the OC Preseason ID and a solid showing at the Future Games Tryout: Ventura County in summer 2024. He continues to get stronger and more athletic having added some strength to his wiry athletic frame with room to keep building. As well, he ran a personal best for our staff in the 60 clocking a 7.25 and the arm continues to get stronger up to 75 MPH now. He plays downhill with quick feet on the dirt and solid hands into a quick transfer which helped him to see significant time at SS on the varsity level as a FR., but the increases in his arm strength with room to keep adding more may give him a chance to stay there long term. In addition the swing path continues to trend upward for Casey who showed better leverage with more impact during his 3 rounds of BP lacing the ball the middle of the field with carry. His peak EV is now up to 88.1 MPH while averagaing just under 83 MPH. Casey should be the full time starter at SS for Foothill Tech again this spring and as just a '27 the arrow on him points up to keep getting better. |
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Davin Arth C / Foothill Technology, CA / 2027Arth has consistently been a strong performer across a wide variety of different looks for our staff and just after a solid performance at the Central California Preseason All State event came out to get one last look before the start of the spring which saw him put up one of his best offensive performances including new tops in bat speed (68.3 MPH), rotational acceleration (18 Gs), max EV (93.5 MPH), avg EV (88.1), max distance (335') and hard hit rate (44%). The RH hitter is a sound athlete who has consistently run 60 times in the 7.1 range while showing 2.08-2.15 pop times which will go down even more as he adds strength to his frame. Arth is looking at a vital role on the varsity level for Foothill Tech in the spring both as their backstop and in their lineup. |
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Kaden Graves 2B / SS / Agoura High, CA / 2026Graves just continues to get better and better each time our staff sees him. Starting with a solid 2024 CIF-SS spring season look into a very good Future Games Tryout: Ventura County and Ventura County Uncommitted Games the LH hitter out of Agoura wanted one more chance to show his tools/development before the start of his JR. campaign and made the most of it. After a first round spent getting himself comfortable Graves started to drive the ball in this 2nd/3rd rounds of BP and with a strong wind blowing straight in from RCF was able to drill a few balls through the wind deep in the the gap. Graves reached a personal best on his hard hit rate at 22%, max EV at 91.2 MPH, avg EV at 85.7 MPH, and sweet spot rate at 56%. As well, he clocked a new low in the 60 with a 7.16 time and showed improved footwork/hands/arm action looking more and more like a strong defender at 2B who can bring offensive upside.
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Diego Magana SS / 2B / Moorpark High, CA / 2027This was my first look at Magana who is a rising '27 looking to compete for a significant role on the varsity level at Moorpark High who is coming off a CIF-SS D2 runner season in 2024 (as well as a CIF-South Regional D2 title appearance). What the RH hitting INF showed during his workout at Ventura College was an indication of his potential to help the Musketeers this year, but also his intriguing upside potential for the future. With an explosive swing that has present hand speed at 23.1 MPH, bat speed at 76.8 MPH, and rotational acceleration at 23.6 Gs there is impact in a wiry athletic frame. Magana flashed that impact during BP (the approach needs polish, but the foundation is there). Reaching a max EV of 96.4 MPH, avg EV of 90.8 MPH, max distance of 347' while posting a hard hit rate at 75% to go with a sweet spot rate of 50%. The bat right now is the carrying tool for Magana, but he shows enough athletically and with his defensive actions to project potential to handle 2B/3B at present and maybe develop into a SS in the future. All in all Magana made a strong statement with his first appearance for our staff and will be one I'm looking to get eyes on during the CIF-SS spring season.
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Mauna Loa Tizon Unga LHP / 1B / Thousand Oaks High, CA / 2026Tizon Unga came out to Ventura College for his first appearance in front of the Prep Baseball California staff and myself and left making quite the strong impression. It's a lean wiry athletic build at present, but looks to be able to add strength throughout which if he can do will help the strong toolset he showed at the Central California Preseason ID jump up even more. A solid athlete who ran one of the 3 sub-7.0 60 times on the day clocking in at 6.9 seconds while showing good actions on the INF dirt with his hands, but you can see the arm action and body control that he could play CF/LF adding versatility to his profile. During BP Tizon Unga showed an ease of operation in his swing with loose fast hands up to 24.8 MPH while adding in explosiveness in the turn up to 21.3 Gs of rotational acceleration. The swing path is direct to the ball and flatter through the zone staying mainly to low line drive/ground ball contact at present, but the impact is there with feel for the barrel. He was up to 94.3 MPH on his max EV, while averaging 90.6 MPH and a 64% hard hit rate through his 3 rounds. Should he learn to get below and through the ball consistently you can see pull gap to pull foul line HR power in his future. |
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Jonah Cohen RHP / Palos Verdes, CA / 2027Checking in at a 6'5 with an athletic build just over 188 lbs. at present with an easy operation to his delivery the bullpen Cohen threw was rather impressive being a rising '27. Sitting at 85-86 on his FB with a quick arm that works to 6'6-6'9 range release point while getting over 8 feet of extension on his FB/CHG, but still getting a feel for his CB the 3 pitch mix for Cohen shows a very good present foundation, but with plenty of upside to polish/improve each pitch. He has been up to 89 by reports and you can easily see that he has an extra gear he can go to when he wants and eventually should be able to pitch at the next gear while building to a new top level gear. The FB shows good spin going above 2400 RPMs at the max and averaging around 2350 RPMs with run and ride in the movement profile. Still young and raw there is plenty to like about the future of this SoCal arm.
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Zander Friedman RHP / RHP / DE TOLDEO HIGH SCHOOL, CA / 2027Friedman hails from a small school in the Los Angeles area, but the arm talent this rising '27 showed off is anything but small. Standing at 6'2 190.5 lbs. he possesses a prototype pitchers build with the clean delivery and arm action to match his build. His release point was consistent in the 7'-7'2 range on his FB/CB/SLD, but does drop down a bit on his SLD which could in the long term mean he will benefit from focusing on one breaking ball shape over trying to develop two separate ones. The FB was up to 87 while sitting 85-86 getting both ride and run to the arm side that gives it potential to miss bats. His CHG looked to be his most comfortable offspeed at present which he gets extension on (7'9 of it) while getting similar movement to his FB to tunnel the two pitches well together. Both his breaking balls at present are a bit on the softer side, but the CB seemed to show the best potential for the future. All in all Friedman has the build, delivery, pitch mix and upside to profile as a long term starter should he reach his potential.
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Jrue Hurd OF / OF / St. John Bosco High School, CA / 2027Hurd made the trip up to the Central California Preseason ID and the 2-sport athlete from St. John Bosco made a loud impression during our staffs first look at him. Solidly built at 5'7 167.6 lbs. the LH hitting OF gives off a CF defensive profile vibe to go with a top of the order type offensive profile. St. John Bosco was the CIF-SS D3 runner up in 2024 and Hurd is looking to earn a varsity role with the Braves to help them make another run in 2025. With the tools he showed off at Ventura College there is definitely plenty of things he can do to help the Braves. Running a 7.16 60 to go with consistent hard contact you can see Hurd driving balls to the gaps and turning them into extra bases on the regular. He peaked at 96.4 MPH on his max EV with a 90.9 MPH avg EV with plenty of bat speed at the present (75 MPH) and explosiveness in the turn (22.6 Gs) of rotational acceleration. His underlying batted ball data also shows a 44% hard hit rate and 67% sweet spot rate.
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+ '28 C/OF Kole (KJ) Henrich - Oaks Christian High School
Another talented rising Fr. at the Oaks Christian program Henrich first caught my eye during the CIF-Fall Baseball period when I saw Oaks Christian play Simi Valley. Getting the intriguing RH hitting C/OF out to the Central California Preseason ID gave me a chance to see exactly how well developed those tools are at the present, plus the upside for his future. Standing 6' 174.2 lbs. Henrich is athletically built and looks sound behind the plate in his foundation (handled mid to upper 80's velocity with comfort) although there is some polish needed he popped a low 2.08 with 71 MPH C arm velocity, but was consistently accurate to the bag. As well, he showed sound arm strength during the OF workout getting up to 80 MPH with carry on his throws. But, where Henrich really made a statement was in the batters box during BP which confirmed my already visual appreciation of his offensive ability (his swing caught my eye during the fall live look for the path, explosiveness and barrel feel). While being one of the youngest players in attendance Henrich peaked at 99.3 MPH on his max EV (which was an event best) plus a 55% sweet spot rate from a swing that has 76.1 MPH of bat speed. There was some inconsistency at times with his timing/approach, but with continued development time the natural ability in Henrich's bat presents an intriguing upside for him as he moves forward.
NAMES TO KNOW:
- Players who made a strong impression on our staff with flashes of their upside potential.
+ '28 RHP/1B Colton Dunwoody - Royal High School
+ ' 26 C Jackson (JT) Lara - Royal High School
+ '26 C Akira Tamura - Hueneme High School
+ '27 SS Trevor Chang - Calabasas High School
+ '28 RHP Lucah Alvarado - St. Bonaventue High School
+ '28 SS/2B Luc Beauchemin - St. Bonaventure High School
+ '27 OF/LHP Logan Ishida - Centennial High School
+ '26 INF Joey Moore - Westlake High School
+ '26 SS/RHP Rocco Cortell - Westlake High School
For Full Event Data Click Here
Upcoming Events
Showcase | State | Date | Location |
North Bay Preseason ID | CA | 01/25/25 | Novato High School |
Inland Empire Preseason ID | CA | 01/26/25 | Ganesha High School |
East Bay Preseason ID | CA | 02/01/25 | Pittsburg High School |
Sacramento Preseason ID | CA | 02/09/25 | McBean Park |
Orange County Rising Stars ID | CA | 03/02/25 | Mater Dei High School |
Inland Empire Rising Stars ID | CA | 03/30/25 | Corona High School |
Los Angeles Rising Stars ID | CA | 04/27/25 | O'Malley Field |
MORE PREP BASEBALL NEWS
- CA 2025 High School Previews: Valhalla Norseman 2/10/25
- CA Central California Preseason: Pitcher Analysis 2/10/25
- CA Central California Preseason ID: Outfielder Analysis 2/10/25
- CA Sacramento Preseason ID: Statistical Analysis 2/10/25
- CA 2025 High School Previews: Novato Hornets 2/09/25
- CA 2025 High School Previews: Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks) Knights 2/09/25
- CA 2025 High School Previews: Rocklin Thunder 2/08/25
- CA 2025 High School Previews: Harvard Westlake Wolverines 2/08/25
- CA Central California Preseason ID: Infielder Analysis 2/07/25
- CA Central California Preseason ID: Catcher Analysis 2/07/25