Prep Baseball Report

Uncommitted Spotlight: '24 RHP Ross Clark


Steven Hardesty

 

   

The Uncommitted Spotlight Series continues as we wind down the '23 calendar and look towards the start of the '24 CIF High School baseball season by taking a look at some of the top uncommitted class of '24 athletes. This group of players is pulled directly from our '24 Rankings. They remain as the top players left on the board going into the start of their senior seasons.

We invite you to get to know them through their data-backed numbers collected at our events with our partnered companies. TrackMan, Blast Motion, Swift Performance, and Visual Edge provide comparable data to project and evaluate players. All of these systems come together to give a clear picture of what colleges will get when a player steps onto their campus.

Today, we look at '24 RHP Ross Clark who is ranked 95th in the '24 class and is another impressive arm for the perenial power program Orange Lutheran. Previously committed to Arizona State in early Sept. Clark decided to decommit and reopen his recruiting process. A former member of the California Futures Games roster, a 2x California Pre-Season All State attendee and California State Games participant. With an athletic delivery, clean arm action with good arm speed and a 6'5 195 lbs. frame Clark looks the part of potential future starter in college. His stuff shows well with a FB in the upper 80's, mixing in a CHG in the low 80's, spinning a good CB/SLD combination and flashing control off all 4 pitches. Look for Clark to be a good late land in the '24 recruiting process for a college program.

Be sure to click on Clark's profile to see full statistics from his previous events.

Ross Clark

Class of 2024 / RHP

Player Information

  • Graduating Class: 2024
  • Primary Position: RHP
    Secondary Position: OF
  • High School: Orange Lutheran
    State: CA
  • Summer Team: USA Prime National
  • Height: 6-5
    Weight: 195lbs
  • Bat/Throw: R/R

Scouting Report

7/31/22

Event: California State Games
Body: 6-5, 195-pounds. Long and lean, rangy frame with some present size but ample room for future size and strength as he fills out and physically matures.
Delivery: Small rocker in front of rubber, simple up down rhythm between lift (mid-chest) and hands, starts chest high before going down to waist and back up with knee lift, clean mechanics, in-line stride, big back hip action through finish that see him get out over front leg with some pull to 1B line through release.
Arm Action: Smooth out of glove with compact backside that gets just below the waist, high 3/4 slot, loose easy arm, has control of the arm action.
FB: T88.5, 86-88 mph velo range. 2310 max spin, 2171 avg spin, 18.9 IVB avg, 6.5 HM avg, pounds the zone with aggressive fastball usage, plenty of velocity to rank with top 2024s in the state and with the extension and hints of impact spin he projects to develop the type of ‘come at you’ fastball he can trust in the zone and set up his secondary options. 5.9 avg FB release height w/6.1 avg extension, creates steep tilt with the FB.
CB: 74-78 mph. Firm CB, max 2408 spin (2307 avg spin), 5.8 avg release height, feel for zone with more downer action than lateral.
CH: 80-84 mph. Slightly lower release height (5.6 avg) off the FB which is something he can improve just a bit so as to not give it away, big spin reduction off the FB (CHG 1401 avg spin) which creates late depth in the zone and a heavier action, lots of arm side action, appears to be some backing off of the arm speed when throwing this pitch.

1/08/22

Positional Profile: RHP/OF
Body: 6-4, 190-pounds. Long, projectable 6'4" 190lb build that should fill out as he continues to develop.
Delivery: Sets up on 1B side of the rubber. Easy, under control delivery with minimal unnecessary movement. A quiet back foot allows him to stay connected and draw energy from the ground. Sits into the back hip well and gets in and around the front hip. Does a nice job of rotating from the middle of the body.
Arm Action: Free and easy arm swing that has no visible interruptions in the flow of energy. Gets up on time consistently. Higher slot aids in fastball deception.
FB: T81, 80-81 mph. Average 80 (have seen up to 87) with above-average Induced Vertical Break (20.7"). Also had 10.5" horizontal movement on the pitch despite below-average raw spin numbers. Also averaged 6.2 feet of extension.
SL: 71-72 mph. Small tight slider that gets positive induced vertical break with some horizontal sweep (3.8" average). Pitch tunnels well with the FB from a metric standpoint and should be a useful pitch if sequenced/located properly.
CH: 72-74 mph. Plus pitch, on average kills 12" of induced vertical break at a 9 mph velocity difference from the FB. This creates a large problem for hitters and if located, should have considerable success in game.

2/06/21

Body: 6-4, 185-pounds. Very long, lean strength with shoulders carrying strength now and projecting to be very well built at full maturity
DeliveryStretch only. Glove stays at waist with simple drift/drive delivery. Easily repeatable and athletic with strong frontside ability; gets front leg to stop body on shorter stride. Delivery/Body Projections to be one of better 2024 Arms.
Arm ActionRH. Compact, H-3/4 release. Stays in the pocket really well and fluid actions staying attached to the body till late. Ball is hidden well with the ability to come out to release point quickly.
FBT84.4, 81-83 mph. Heavier pitch plays well with ability to attack armside and glove side. (14.3 HM, 19.5 IVB Max)
SL67-69 mph. Short and fluid break; consistent actions and tight spin (-18.6 Max HB). Projects for big jumps at full maturity. 


UPCOMING EVENTS

Showcase State  Date  Location
Orange County Preseason ID CA 01/04 JSerra High School - San Juan Capistrano
SoCal Preseason All-State: Underclass (Invite-Only) CA 01/06 Temescal Canyon HS - Lake Elsinore, CA
SoCal Preseason All-State: Upperclass (Invite-Only) CA 01/07 Temescal Canyon HS- Lake Elsinore, CA
Fresno Preseason ID CA 01/14 Fresno Pacific University - Fresno, CA
Bay Area Preseason ID CA 01/21 College of San Mateo - San Mateo, CA
Inland Empire Preseason ID CA 01/21 Santiago High School - Corona, CA
NorCal Preseason All-State (Invite-Only) CA 01/27 Mission College - Santa Clara, CA
Sacramento Preseason ID CA 01/28 William Jessup University - Rocklin, CA
East Bay Preseason ID CA 02/04 Chabot College - Hayward, CA

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