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CORONA, CALIF. - After a one week postponement due to rain, the 7th Annual Inland Empire Preseason ID took place on the campus of Santiago High School in Corona. With over 30 players in attendance, our staff had an opportunity to see many new faces all vying for an invitation to the 7th Annual California State Games later in July. 

Amongst the group of 2025-2028 players in attendance were many familiar faces of players who have been a part of Prep Baseball California events in the past, with the bulk of players being first-time participants in a showcase under our umbrella. 

Players were put through a Pro-Style workout beginning with official measurements for their height, weight and grip strength. From there they were run through athletic testing on the VALD platform with laser timed 10,30, and 60 yard run times. All position players underwent a defensive workout/evaluation (OF/Corner INF/Middle INF/1B/Catcher) to showcase their defensive actions with video and arm strength recorded. Players also completed testing on Vizual Edge which offers a comprehensive assessment that analyzes an athlete's core visual skills, including alignment, depth perception, convergence, and more. This baseline evaluation helps identify strengths and weaknesses to tailor training programs. 

The workout concluded with on-field batting practice with Trackman Technologies and Blast Motion providing data feedback on the player's offensive tools with video. All pitchers who took the mound were also on Trackman Technologies to gather data on their pitches from velocity, spin rates, movement patterns and more. 

In this edition of Quick Hits we’ll take a look at some early standouts from the Inland Empire Preseason ID before releasing full scouting reports, data leaderboards, a Top 10 prospect list, and much more. 

EARLY STANDOUTS

(Players listed in no particular order)

Joaquin Covarrubias OF / LHP / Bonita High, CA / 2027 Arguably the most prolific showing came from Covarrubias who stood out in a big way on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. An athletic mover in the outfield, Covarrubias had a session low 6.97 60 along with a session high 91mph outfield velo with throws showing carry and accuracy. Moves well to both sides while gaining ground from a developing 5’10” 158 pound frame. Covarrubias then took to the hitting portion of the event where he put on a show with multiple balls leaving the yard to the pullside with a max exit velo of 95mph and 66% sweet spot percentage. Where Covarrubias really stood out was on the mound where he worked into the upper 80’s with the fastball while flashing a sharp, late breaking slider that was all around the zone. His changeup was a good pitch in a bullpen setting and is likely a get me over pitch currently that flashes big upside.

Alvaro Moreno Jr 3B / RHP / Ganesha, CA / 2026 Rankings  StateRank: 158 / POS: 11 Moreno, a standout at the 2024 California State Games, showed his off season gains on both sides of the ball. He plays third base with shortstop instincts and enough range and arm strength (84mph) to stay on that side of the field. Footwork really stands out on the 6’3” 206-pound frame. With a 66% sweet spot percentage, Moreno was a line-drive hitting machine during his two rounds of BP that saw him use all fields taking pitches the other way and showing some pull side present power. It’s a simple and aggressive approach at the plate that sees him use the lower half to drive to initiate the swing that flashes high hand/bat speed along with excellent barrel control through the zone.

Jordan Mejico 3B / RHP / Los Osos High, CA / 2026 At 6’1” 177-pounds, Mejico stands out physically which immediately catches your attention. An easy mover on the dirt, Mejico showed adequate ability on the infield during the workout portion of the event with plenty of arm strength (82mph) for a junior. A third base profile, his ability to get to balls to his left stood out during the workout where his throws were all on the bag with accuracy. On the mound the frame provides an imposing figure for hitters. His three pitch mix, landing all for strikes, was intriguing as he worked down in the zone with all pitches. It’s an easy, fluid operation on the mound where his athletic actions allow him to get down the mound easily and consistently.

Oscar Grijalva C / OF / Gahr High School, CA / 2026 Rankings  StateRank: 213 / POS: 30 Grijalva has long been one of the better defensive catchers in the CIF-SS and he did nothing at this event to deter me from that view. With a session best 78mph catcher velo, it was the 1.93-2.00 pop times that really stood out. All throws were either on the bag or just off to the first base side which would give an infielder a real chance for a catch-and-tag opportunity. Grijalva also showed off his big arm in the outfield where his athleticism showed in the way he attacked balls and flashing the same quick exchange/release that he shows behind the plate. During the hitting portion he flashed his hitting ability with a pair of barrel filled rounds with line drives to all fields and a 90mph max exit velocity. At 5’8” 178-pounds, Grijalva has the physical stature and strength that will serve him well long term as a catcher.

Brady Strachan OF / SS / Rancho Bernardo High, CA / 2026 Rankings  StateRank: 74 / POS: 11 Strachan made the drive up the 15 freeway from San Diego and he proved the drive to be worthwhile. An athletic outfielder that covers lots of ground on the grass, Strachan opened with a 7.01 60 before the 6’ 167-pounder showed off his strong, accurate arm (83 OF velo) with throws that were on the bag at third while providing perfect long hops on throws to the catcher. At the plate, his 94mph exit velo was amongst the best of the session as was his hand speed at 22.6mph. He flashed a barrel filled batting practice driving balls to the pull side gap with ease with a 60% sweet spot percentage. Profiles as an extra base hitter with some future power potential. The frame is presently strong and has some projection, particularly in upper body strength with squared shoulders.

Codey Brown C / 1B / Ayala , CA / 2027 Rankings  StateRank: 40 / POS: 3 A member of the 2023 Jr. Future Games where he represented Team California, Brown followed that performance up with a standout freshman season at Ayala that saw him hit over .330 for the season. He has carried that momentum into a strong fall campaign with visions of an even bigger sophomore season ahead. In this event, Brown once again was amongst the top catchers in what was a very strong group of them. At 6’1” 166-pounds, Brown was amongst the leaders in catcher stats (77mph throws/2.03-2.11 pop times), cementing himself a spot on this and future lists. At the plate it was another barrel filled round that saw Brown pepper the right side of the field with line drives that would almost certainly be extra base hits in game situations.

Alberto Arteaga C / SS / Henry J. Kaiser High, CA / 2026 Our first viewing of Arteaga didn’t disappoint, and while he didn’t do anything that awed you, he did plenty of things to catch our attention. He showed to be quick out of the crouch with a strong, accurate arm (75mph/2.07-2.2 pops) with throws to the first base side of the bag that were low to the ground. The transfers were clean and quick. At the plate he shows a simple load-and-go approach that resulted in several barrels to the deepest part of the part. With an 88mph exit velo as his best on the day, it’s easy to see his overall game improve as his 5’9” 155-pound frame continues to fill out.

Jake Torres C / St John Bosco, CA / 2026 Torres impressed with one of the loudest couple of rounds of batting practice on the day. With a max exit velo of 94.1mph, Torres lined balls to all fields at an impressive clip showing off his ability to control the barrel and manipulate its path through the zone with a robust 25.8g’s of rotational acceleration that uses all the strength in his 5’7” 220-pound frame that is both strong and muscular with room for continued development. Behind the plate he moves quickly on balls in the dirt and his ability to hop out of the crouch on a block-and-recover was amongst the best. His arm is accurate and still developing with 71mph throws down to second. His pop times were clocked at 2.15-2.29 with accurate throws that were on the bag.

Brady Horn OF / RHP / Bonita High, CA / 2026 Horn impressed on a couple of different fronts with his athleticism and instincts on the field. Opened with a 7.29 60 before putting on a clinic in the outfield workout portion. While the arm is loose and projectable, the throws it produces are accurate each and every time. Moves well to both sides with excellent routes to the ball before calmly gathering and playing through the ball to release. Arm is fair (81mph) but again, the accuracy makes up for any shortcomings in that department. At the plate is where he really opened some eyes as the left-handed hitter gets the most from his average hand and bat speed to generate a 91mph max exit velo. It’s a smooth and rhythmic swing where he’s able to get the barrel to-and-through the zone on plane to the tune of a 69% sweet spot percentage. He’s short to the ball and long through resulting in a max distance of 345 feet. With a compact (5’9”) yet strong frame that can easily add mass to his current 155-pounds, Horn could be an impact player this spring.

Dorian Valencia III OF / LHP / Citrus Valley, CA / 2027 Valencia attended his first Prep Baseball CA event in a couple of years and the gains made to his physicality and overall game are very significant. A two-way player, Valencia flashed improved footwork and arm strength (82mph) from the outfield resulting in accurate throws with carry to all bases. The physical gains were on display during the hitting portion where his 93mph exit velo was amongst the best in the event. The improved strength resulted in a gap-to-gap line drive filled BP over two rounds. He consistently stayed in the middle of the field wearing out the gaps where it was easy to envision a high double profile as his 5’9” 157-pound continues to develop physically. On the mound Valencia pounded the zone with multiple pitches all living in the zone while working to all quadrants. It’s a simple, repeatable, and athletic delivery that gains ground down the mound.

Upcoming Events

Showcase	State	Date	Location
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

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