Rising Stars: Quick Hits
July 9, 2020
Brett Harrison
Nevada Scouting Director
Today we take a look at just a few of the athletes from the Rising Stars of Nevada event earlier this week. In our first event of the summer, the Rising Stars brought out a wave of talent that proves the next generation of Nevada baseball is in good hands. From this group, we were able to send out the Official Invites to represent Team Nevada at the Junior Future Games at the end of the month. The Rising Stars: Quick Hits will break down some of the events standouts with Top Performers coming out over the next few days.
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Connor Apeceche C / 3B / Green Valley , NV / 2024
Positional Profile: C/3B. His strong build and receiving abilities keep him behind the plate or at a corner infield position.
Body: 5-foot-10, 180 pounds. Stocky build with strong lower half. Still has youthful features with room to add strength.
Defense: C. Receives the ball well for his age. Strong hands. Maintains balance well. 1.96 Pop Time (Event Best). Quick, shoulder high transfer. Feet open to third base side on throw down. Tends to stay open on his throws to second. Direct line to second from receiving to throw should improve time and consistency in throws.
Arm: 68 mph. Short, quick arm action. High 3/4 arms slot. Some run on his throws due to front side opening up.
Hit: Wide based set up, sinks into backside with bat tap on shoulder trigger mechanism. Slight arm bar. Level to slight upper cut swing path. His backside tends to leak out on balls middle to away. Has the ability to spray balls to field and with lower half getting involved more could see his power numbers rise significantly.
Power: 84 mph via TrackMan
Run: 7.84, Laser Timed
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Joell Castro 3B / RHP / Desert Oasis, NV / 2024
Positional Profile: 3B/RHP. His size and foot speed should keep him at corner infield position.
Body: 5-foot-11, 165 pounds. Athletic build with developing physicality. Proportionate frame throughout.
Defense: Limited ranged to both sides with some mechanical fixes to be made. Elevated backside during fielding process causes him to field it deep.
Arm: 71 mph. Short, over-the-top arm cycle. Accurate with some carry.
Hit: Currently the best part of his game. Squared, slightly widened stance. Hands start head high, loading into his shoulder with a slight arm bar. Uses a medium leg kick that gets down on time. Rhythmic, efficient hands to the ball. Transfers weight into front side at contact with a high one handed finish.
Power: 86 mph, via TrackMan
Run: 7.98
Delivery: Starts in middle of the rubber. Minimal, clean delivery. Tall/tilt type. Stride land on-line. Throws over a high front side. Balanced finish with tendency to fall slightly to glove side.
Arm Action: Long, loose arm action. 3/4 to high 3/4 arm slot.
FB: 74 mph. Spin Rate - 1604-2068 rpm. Throws a heavy ball with downhill action.
CB: 58-62 mph. Spin Rate - 1942-2127 rpm. Slight arm curl. Front side tends to leak leaving the ball elevated or out of the zone. Flashes of good shape when he locates down in the zone.
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Positional Profile: SS/C. Overall athlete that could hold his own anywhere on the field. Showed projectable actions behind the plate as well as in the field. Lot of upside with this one still being a 2025.
Body: 5-foot-8, 160 pounds. Lean, athletic build. Twitchy, quick movements throughout his game.
Defense: C. 1.99 Pop Time. Athleticism shines through behind the plate with above average footwork for his age. Quick through the receiving, transfer, release process. Some carry on his ball. IF. Clean actions through the fielding process. Shows comfort with both the forehand and backhand. Accurate on his throws to 1B. Positions himself well to avoid "tween" hops. Currently relies on athleticism, but projects to smoothen out in the future.
Arm: C - 72 mph. IF - 72 mph.
Hit: Starts in a should-width base. Slight rhythm in his lower half as well as his shoulder high hands. Slow load into his back side followed by a short stride. Efficient hand path, gets through the ball well with level bat path. Flashes gap to gap power.
Power: 90 mph via TrackMan
Run: 6.81, Laser Timed.
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Ty Southisene SS / RHP / Basic , NV / 2024 / San Diego state commit
Positional Profile: SS/RHP. High level athleticism with well above average actions in the IF as well as at the plate. Shows comfort on the mound, pounds the zone.
Body: Lean, athletic build with plenty of room to add strength and size. Quick twitch athlete the shine through in every part of his game.
Defense: One of the top infielding actions in the state, regardless of class. Moves very well to both the forehand and backhand sides with extended range to both sides as well. Excellent footwork that puts allows him to roll with or through each groundball. Premium glove presentation with a quick midsection transfer allows him to get the ball in and out efficiently.
Arm: 72 mph. Short, clean arm action. Throws from different angles depending on the play. Accurate with carry.
Hit: Slightly open, shoulder width base. Uses hand and body timing rhythm in a high, hanging leg kick that gets down on time. Above average hand speed allows him to find the barrel consistently. High, one-handed finish. Has power potential to all fields, left the yard to RCF during the BP Session.
Power: 93 mph via TrackMan
Run: 6.76, Laser Timed. Quick out of the gate, easy strider once he's at top speed
Delivery: Hybrid start on left side of the rubber. Rhythmic, toe tap delivery. Drop and drive type. Strides slightly across his body. Throws over a high front side. Some effort in his delivery. Tends to fall off to 1B side after follow through. Creates some downhill action.
Arm Action: Quick, loose arm action. 3/4 to high 3/4 arm slot. Repeated on each pitch.
FB: Max 83 mph. Sat 80-83 mph. Spin Rate - 1918-1951 rpm. Downhill action that he locates in zone. Averaged 12 inches of Induced Vertical Movement.
CB: 62-63 mph. Spin Rate - 1114-1472 rpm. Average Tilt - 8:45. 11/5 action.
CT: 65-67 mph. Sweeping action. Works well off his FB.
CH: 67-68 mph. Slightly slower arm action.
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Positional Profile: UT/RHP. Recently transitioned to OF. Has the athleticism to play anywhere on the field.
Body: Athletic, proportionate build. Already developed for his age with plenty of room to continue adding size.
Defense: Confident, athletic approach as he comes through the ball. Gets around the ball well. Clean routes with advanced feel for the position for his age.
Arm: 74 mph. Short arm cycle. Gets the ball out quickly. Carry and accurate one hop on each throw.
Hit: Slightly opened, athletic set up. Small hand rhythm, shoulder high. Back elbow raise with load. Medium leg kick into a rotational swings. Quicks hands that allow him to square balls up consistently. Maintains quality balance throughout his swings.
Power: 88 mph via TrackMan
Run: 7.16, Laser Timed
Delivery: Starts on the left side of the rubber. Wide base set up into simple, drop/drive delivery. On-line stride into a balanced finish. Athletic, raw actions in his motion.
Arm Action: Short, whippy arm action. Over-the-top arm slot.
FB: Max 75 mph. Sat 73-75 mph. Spin Rate - 1785-1984 rpm. Some natural sink. Pounds the strike zone.
CB 63-65 mph. Spin Rate - 1829 - 1917 rpm. 12/6 action. Locates down in the zone. Flashes some back up action
CH: 65-68 mph. Spin Rate - 1458 - 1686 rpm. Heavy natural sink. Locates down in the zone.
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Kekoa Young 1B / LHP / Liberty, NV / 2025
Positional Profile: 1B/LHP. Excellent feel for the 1B position. Shows comfort around the bags. Confident on the mound with clean, repeated actions.
Body: 5-foot-6, 190 pounds. Stocky build. Strong lower half.
Defense: Above average instinct around the bag for his age. Quality footwork coming off the bag to get a long/short hop on his way to turning two. Confidently receives the ball at 1B.
Arm: 63 mph. Quick, loose arm action. Accurate. Has the ability to change arm angles when needed.
Hit: One of the few 2025's to leave the yard during BP. Confident rhythm at the plate. Sinks into his back side type load with vertical bat tilt before his efficient hand path to the ball. Consistently found the barrel throughout his round. Keeps his hands inside the ball well. Sprays the ball to all fields with flashes of big time power potential to LCF.
Power: 86 mph via TrackMan
Run: 8.69, Laser Timed
Delivery: Starts on the mid-right side of the rubber. Quiet, clean delivery. Low effort. with an on-line stride. Works with some pace. Finishes balanced over his front side with some fall towards the 3B side.
Arm Action: Long, loose arm action. Clean, 3/4 arm slot. Repeated arm slot on each of his pitches.
FB: Max 70 mph. Sat 65-70 mph. Spin Rate - 1580 - 1690 rpm. Natural arm side sinks and run.
CB 58-60 mph. Spin Rate - 1766 - 1830 rpm. 3:45-4:15 Tilt. Flashes good 11/5 shape with some back up action.
CH: 62-65 mph. Spin Rate - 1458 - 1686 rpm. Arm side fade. Locates down
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The TrackMan + Blast Hitter Update is coming Tuesday, July 14 to ETA (Elite Training Academy) for hitters to update statistical categories on their PBR Profiles for players in the 2021-2024 classes.
THIS EVENT WILL BE LIMITED TO 30 PROSPECTS
Prospects will receive multiple rounds of TrackMan + Blast Evaluated Swings (30+ Swings)
The Blast Motion system provides real time swing analysis that will be shared with players following the event to see what areas of their swings they excel as well as areas they may be deficient in to know where they can improve on for future events/competition.
The TrackMan system post contact date that allows prospects to immediately review the results of a batted ball, providing metrics such as Distance, Exit Velocity, Spin Rate, Launch Angle and much more.
These two systems combines produce an unrivaled amount of information at the prospects fingertips that they will be able to review sessions, track progress and compare themselves to see where they stack up against players in their class.
Data has become the ultimate separator of prospects over the past few years and this event will provide an opportunity to see where your metrics stand currently.
