Prep Baseball Report

Fall Scout Notebook: 2017 Class



By Toby Bicknell
Texas Scouting Director

Our staff at Prep Baseball Report Texas spent a lot of time on the road evaluating teams and players this fall. Here, we present you with an updated list of the top seniors we saw. Be sure to follow us on Twitter: @PBR_Texas and stay tuned for daily news.

COMMITTED PITCHERS

Bryce Bonnin, SS/RHP, Barbers Hill HS, 2017
Arkansas commit. 6-foot-1, 180-pound frame. Lean build with long limbs, wiry strong. The right-hander works from a ¾ slot with long arm action and a smooth, up-tempo delivery. Bonnin showed excellent command of both his fastball and slider only allowing one walk in 3 innings of work. His fastball exploded on hitters in the first inning 90-92 mph, eventually settling into the 89-91 mph range. His slider is a swing-and-miss pitch that has good tilt and late life at 80-82 mph.

Ryan Stuempfig, RHP, Flower Mound HS, 2017
Wichita State commit. 6-foot-4, 200-pound projectable frame. Works form a ¾ slot with long arm action, some funk, but gets his hand back out front. His fastball jumps out of the hand with great life at 87-90 mph. His slider has cutter type action and was a swing-and-miss pitch at 81 mph. He also mixes in a curveball with more depth at 74 mph.

Devin Fontenot, RHP/OF, The Woodlands HS, 2017
Louisiana State commit. 6-foot-2, 178-pound frame. Works from a ¾ slot with whippy arm action and a smooth delivery. His fastball has arm-side run at 87-89 mph, topping out at 90 mph. His slider has sweepy lateral action at 75-76 mph. Fontenot also came in relief in the last game of the weekend to close out a 6-4 win. From the stretch, he starts with a closed angle set-up showing his back to the batter, athletic delivery and quick arm back to front. His velo was 87-89 mph with arm-side run, while the slider was 73-76 mph.

John Kodros, LHP, Coppell HS, 2017
Louisiana State commit. 6-foot-5, 175-pound wiry frame. The projectable left-hander works from a ¾ arm slot, whippy arm-action with a high leg kick in the delivery, creates some deception. Four-seam fastball ranged from 84-86 mph, while his two-seam fastball has great arm-side run at 81-82 mph. Kodros used his slider this day as his out pitch, it had 2-8 shape with big, slurvey break at 75-76 mph.

Russell Smith, LHP, Midlothian HS, 2017
TCU commit. 6-foot-9, 235-pound frame. Very projectable frame combined with a high-¾ slot creates a lot of angle. His fastball ranges from 86-89 mph with good arm-side run. His changeup was his best pitch that ranged from 78-80 with very good depth and arm-side fade.

Rylan Kaufman, LHP, Friendswood HS, 2017
San Jacinto JC commit. 6-foot-3, 190-pound projectable frame. Has a high-¾ clean arm swing with a smooth, repeatable delivery. He pitched off his fastball ranging from 86-88 mph. He threw one changeup at 79 mph and although he was on the side of his curveball at times, it showed good shape at 67-72 mph.

Chandler Jozwiak, LHP, Brenham HS, 2017
San Jacinto JC commit. 6-foot, 155-pound, came on in relief working 4 scoreless innings eventually recording the win. Works from a ¾ slot with long, loose arm action. He located his fastball on both sides of the plate at 84-86 mph. He shows great command of his offspeed stuff, spinning his slider 72-73 mph with the ability to put it on the back foot of right-handed hitters. His changeup is also a plus pitch at 75-77 mph.

Maddux Miller, RHP, Arlington Martin HS, 2017
Baylor commit. 6-foot-4, 185-pound frame with long arms. Works from ¾ arm slot with a small reach at hand break. His fastball ranged from 87-90 mph with heavy sink. Slider ranged from 71-72 mph while his changeup was 76-77 mph.

Alex Gregory Ayala, LHP, Moody HS, 2017
The 5-foot-9, 155-pound, Texas A&M Corpus Christi recruit, works from a ¾ slot with long arm-action and athletic delivery. The left-hander works both sides of the plate with his fastball ranging between 83-85 mph. The fastball has some cut to his glove side when throwing inside to right-handed hitters, and arm-side run when going away. His curveball has 2-8 shape that he commands well at 74-76 mph.

UNCOMMITTED PITCHERS

Garrison Taska, RHP, Kingwood Park HS, 2017
Sturdy 6-foot-5, 210-pound frame with proportional strength. Completely stymied a loaded Royals Scout Team during the Houston Heat's victory. Simple delivery, minimal side rocker step, slow, deliberate tempo. Deceptive arm action, high-¾ slot, extremely short on the backside, seemingly coming out of his ear. Ball comes out of hand easily, sat 85-87 mph early on, and actually picked up steam as the game wore on. Fastball topped at 89 mph once with several 88's. Stays tall on backside, creating good downhill plane. Lived predominately off fastball but wrinkled in 77-78 mph changeup with good arm action, and mid-70s breaking ball. At one point, he struck out four straight in the first and second innings, and consistently got weak contact.

Pepper Jones, RHP/SS, McKinney HS, 2017
The uncommitted senior stands 6-foot, 172-pounds with a live body. Jones entered the game in relief for the Dallas Tigers bumping 89-91 mph facing his first two batters, eventually settling in at 86-89 mph. The two-way player has up-tempo, aggressive delivery, working from a high ¾ arm slot. He threw his slider 74-78 mph. Defensively, Jones has the look of a versatile utility player with good, all-around athletic speed. In one baserunning opportunity he stole third on a delay steal.

William Adair, RHP, Highland Park HS
5-foot-10, 170-pound frame. Worked from a high-3/4 slot with a fastball ranging between 85-88 mph. His curveball was 70-71 mph consistently, while his changeup 74 mph. Showed fastball command and the ability to spin his breaking pitch in and out of the zone. In another we saw Adair work with some downward angle on his fastball ranging from 84-87 mph, topping out once at 90 mph. Located his fastball on both sides of the plate. Slider sat 74-75 mph with good, sharp, late life. Curveball was 70-71 mph. Allowed three runs in the first inning then came out determined in the second inning striking out the side.

Clayton Jones, RHP, Coppell HS, 2017
6-foot-1, 185-pound frame. The uncommitted senior started game three for DBAT in Jupiter. He sat 84-86 mph through the first two innings with a fastball that has some arm-side sink. His slider is a pitch that shows tight spin at 74-77 mph with 10-4 break. As we wrote about earlier this month, Jones has low miles on the arm and comes from a good pedigree. High academic student.

Zachary DeLeon, RHP, Hondo HS
Listed at 6 feet, 180 pounds with broad shoulders. Works from a ¾ slot with a repeatable delivery that has good energy getting down the mound. Fastball sits 84-87 mph with clean arm action. Slider has good downward slurvy action at 74 mph. Can move ball around the zone and throws his slider consistently moving it in and out of the zone depending on the count. Showed the ability to field his position making a nice play on a swinging bunt down the third base line.

Kyle Sweeney, RHP, Southlake Carroll HS, 2017
6-foot-4, 225-pound strong frame, wide shoulders, long arms. The projectable, uncommitted right-hander, worked from a high-¾ slot with a fastball ranging from 82-85 mph, occasionally getting on the side of his fastball creating some cut and run to his glove side. His slider was a good pitch for him at times, sitting in the 73-75 mph range with cutter-type action.

Garrett Egli, RHP, Smithson Valley HS
6-foot-4, 195-pound frame. Works from a high-¾ slot with a short, clean arm action. His fastball was 81-83 at the end of his outing, but the slider was 72-74 mph with good action and downward life. Very projectable with lots of upside, he should throw harder down the road.

Ryan Johnston, RHP, Flower Mound HS, 2017
6-foot-1, 195-pound strong frame, with well defined lower half. Works from a high-¾ slot with some shoulder tilt in the delivery that creates good angle on his pitches. His fastball ranged from 83-86 mph with some heavy action when it was at the bottom of the zone. His changeup was his most consistent offspeed pitch this day, ranging from 80-81 mph with good depth. The curveball was better in the second inning of work at 72-75 mph with 11-5 shape.

Hunter Bushnell, RHP, Marcus HS, 2017
6-foot, 185-pound frame. The uncommitted senior works from a high-¾ slot and hides the ball well with an early hand separation and easy arm action. Although the fastball only topped out at 86 mph working mostly 84-86 mph, the slider has tight spin and good 11-5 action at 75-77 mph. Bushnell showed the ability to command both pitches and threw the slider multiple times for strikes early in the count, then getting swings and misses expanding it off the plate.

COMMITTED INFIELDERS

Adam Oviedo, SS, Alvarado HS, 2017
Texas Christian commit. 6-foot, 186-pound frame. The slick fielding shortstop made a great play in the first inning ranging to his left behind the bag at second base and throwing out the hitter at first base. Oviedo took solid swings during the game showing good rhythm and bat speed. He was 1-for-3 on the day with a base hit to center field.

Jacob Nesbit, SS, Coppell HS, 2017
The 6-foot, 170-pound strong frame, Arkansas recruit laced two base hits in the first game of the day, one to left, and the other to center field. The right-handed hitter has solid bat speed with strong hands and finds the barrel often. Defensively, the infielder showed great footwork, range, and advanced arm strength.

Nick Loftin, SS/RHP, Ray HS, 2017
Baylor commit. 6-foot-1, 160-pound athletic frame. Loftin has a live body, strong arm, advanced, fast-twitch actions, and long strides. The right-handed hitter lined out to left field sharply on the barrel, he also grounded out to shortstop twice with a 4.32 home-to-first time. Loftin also got on the mound, working 84-86 mph with an aggressive delivery and whippy ¾ arm action. He threw a slurve at 70 mph.

Parker Kelly, 3B/SS, Wichita Falls HS, 2017
Texas Tech commit. 6-foot-2, 200-pound, athletic, strong frame with broad shoulders and long arms. The infielder shows great actions on the left side of the field with plenty of arm strength to stay there. Offensively, he has a tall, simple set-up with good bat speed having good at-bats vs. a low-90's arm.

Jimmy Glowenke, SS, Marcus HS, 2017
Dallas Baptist commit. 5-foot-10, 180-pound frame. The slick-fielding shortstop handles the ball well defensively keeping everything in the midline of his body. The arm action is good from different angles and on the run, showing the ability to play all three infield positions. The right-handed hitter starts from a tall upright stance, lowers himself with a gliding, hover-like stride, walking away from his hands to land in an athletic hitting position.

Jordan Westburg, SS, New Braunfels HS, 2017
Mississippi State commit. 6-foot-2, 190-pound athletic frame. Long stride runner with good speed, shows advanced range on the infield with good footwork and a strong arm. Offensively, the right-handed starts from a tall stance, quick leg-kick, fast-twitch bat speed with good barrel awareness.

Jaxon Hallmark, SS, Midland HS, 2017
Nebraska commit. 5-foot-11, 165-pounds. The Cornhuskers got a good in Hallmark, who shows the ability to play all three infield positions with advanced range and a quick arm. Hallmark can also bounce to the outfield and cover serious ground. The right-handed hitter ran a 3.64 home-to-first time on a base-hit bunt, as well as a 4.45 with a turn on a deep fly ball to center field.

Kelby Weyler, SS/OF, Warren HS, 2017
Rice commit. 5-foot-10, 180-pound frame. The athletic shortstop has smooth, midline glove-work, solid actions and accurate arm.

Mark Ready, IF, Jesuit College Prep, 2017
Santa Clara commit. 5-foot-11, 180-pound, strong, athletic frame. The infielder played second most of the weekend showing advanced quick-twitch actions to start and finish double plays. Offensively, Ready has real strength at contact with a simple set-up and quiet rhythm. Showed a good two-strike approach taking a curveball the other way in an RBI situation.

Dylan Ditzenberger, 3B, Allen HS, 2017
5-foot-11, 180-pounds. The Kansas commit is a solid defender at third base showing all the necessary tools to play on that side of the field, arm strength with carry, good footwork, and the ability to play low. The left-handed hitter has a smooth swing with a slight leg kick showing good bat speed through the zone. He barrelled up several balls right at defenders and had quality at-bats against some upper-80's velocity.

Eduardo Malinowski, SS, Klein Oak HS, 2017
Penn commit. 6-foot, 165-pound frame. Solid defensive actions with good rhythm through ground balls. Average, accurate arm strength. Long stride runner with fast-twitch movements. Shows all the tools to stay in the middle of the field at the next level.

Will Frizzell, 3B/1B, Rockwall HS, 2017
6-foot-5, 215-pound frame. The left-handed hitter is an imposing presence in the batters box. He works from a slightly-open stance with neutral hand position. He hit two balls on the button on Friday, one of which was a single to left field for a big RBI, the other was a slider that he hammered to right field by keeping his hands back.

Trei Cruz, SS, Episcopal HS, 2017
Rice commit. 6-foot-1, 175-pound frame. Started two games on the infield, one at shortstop and one at second base. Good defender with athletic actions and range. The left-handed hitter has a larger load to get started, lowers hands to trigger the bat, closes off to pitcher with a slightly closed launch position.

Everrett Harris, 3B, Frisco HS, 2017
Miami (OH) commit. 5-foot-11, 180-pound frame. Athletic player with good bat speed and loose finish. Although he did not have much to show for it he took good swings against high velocity arm. Ran a 4.4 home-to-first time.

COMMITTED OUTFIELDERS

Zachary DeLoach, OF, Hebron HS, 2017
Texas A&M commit. 6-foot-1, 200-pound strong, athletic frame. Showed some of the best all-around tools at this event. DeLoach showed above average arm strength from center field during. Offensively, he has an athletic set-up, showing smooth rhythm and hand strength through contact in the middle of the field.

Tristen Lutz, OF, Arlington Martin HS, 2017
Lutz, a Texas commit, stands 6-foot-3, 200-pounds, began the day with a double off the bottom of the wall in left field that may have been a home run had it not been hit directly into a stiff breeze. The strong, athletic senior added two more base hits and finished the day 3-for-3 with a stolen base. He has strong hands with a quick, loose and short swing.

Drew Minter, OF/RHP, Clear Springs HS, 2017
Houston commit. 6-foot-1, 195-pound athletic frame. Solid set-up at the dish with smooth load and good bat speed. Shows flashes of power taking good swings on fastballs, but expanded the zone on a couple of strikeouts. Entered game in relief working 90-91 mph with fastball from a short, high-¾ slot. Aggressive delivery with a quick arm at foot strike. He threw his curveball 70-72 mph with 11-5 shape.

Cole Turney, OF, William B Travis HS, 2017
Arkansas commit. Physical 6-foot-1, 200-pound left-handed hitter. Turney shows premium power with the ability to lift balls to the pull side. Registers high exit velo's and the ability to hit velocity on the barrel. One of the most impressive bats in the 17 class.

Alerick Soularie, OF/IF, Atascocita HS, 2017
Arkansas commit. 6-foot, 185-pounds frame. The Arkansas recruit is an all-around athlete with a live body, long arms and fast-twitch tools. The right-handed hitter has great bat speed and presence with a clean path and loose finish. Soulaire, who registered two hits in the Houston Banditos first game of the day, also showed his athleticism on the bases, stealing second and third.

Heston Kjerstad, OF, Randall HS, 2017
The 6-foot-3, 180-pound left-handed hitting Arkansas recruit barreled the ball in each of his three at-bats, finishing 3-for-3. Kjerstad is a physical, athletic outfielder that had good swings against velocity all weekend. In another game, he lead off the game with a sharp line-drive to left field.

Cody Masters, OF, Coppell HS, 2017
Texas Tech commit. 6-foot-2, 195-pound, athletic frame. The fast twitch left-handed hitter was one-for-five with a double to right field and was a 4.53 on the turn. He also flew out to left and center field and was a 4.34 down the line on a ground ball to second base.

Michael Cooper, OF, Ridge Point HS, 2017
McLennan JC commit. 6-foot-5, 220-pound, wiry, long legs with athletic frame. The left-handed hitter shows a simple set-up, quick load and a smooth swing. Very projectable hitter with high ceiling, long stride runner.

Matthew Stary, OF/INF, Cypress Falls HS, 2017
Texas A&M Kingsville commit. Physically impressive 6-foot-3, 175-pound athlete, lean strength in frame with room for continued development. Hit in three-hole against Sandlot Scout Team in Jupiter. Relaxed, balanced approach, simple and strong to the ball, above-average bat speed, leverage in swing. Smoked a liner at the left fielder in first at-bat, and also dropped in a single over second baseman's head. Moves around athletically in centerfield.

COMMITTED CATCHERS

Justin Collins, C/3B, Memorial HS, 2017
Rice Commit. 6-foot, 205-pound frame. Well defined lower half with good hip mobility. Threw well between innings with multiple 1.96 pop times, working with a short, quick arm slot and excellent carry in the arm. The right handed hitter has a solid set-up in the box with a push-back leg kick, athletic lower half, workable swing and loose finish. He had a double to right field and registered a 4.62 home-to-first time on the turn.

Christian Ross Cadena, C, Southlake Carroll HS, 2017
Wichita State commit. 5-foot-10, 195-pound frame. The right-handed hitter has an athletic setup, good rhythm and a relaxed, high leg kick. Shows up on time with velocity and keeps his hands back on offspeed pitches. Cadena was 1-for-2 with a walk and an RBI sac fly to left that he hit well. Defensively showed relaxed receiving skills with strong hands and athletic actions when coming out of his crouch on blocks, pop-ups and bunts. His pop times ranged from 2.12-2.21 with good accuracy, carry and easy exchange.

Brady Disher, C, Byron Nelson HS, 2017
Arkansas commit. 6-foot-1, 190-pound athletic frame. The left-handed hitter has solid setup in the batters box. The rhythm and swing work well, provided for bat speed and leverage through contact. Defensively, Disher receives with a balanced, quiet setup. He was a 2.19-2.25 pop time between innings.

Canaan Smith, 1B/C, Rockwall Heath HS, 2017
Arkansas commit. 6-foot, 210-pound strong frame. The left-handed hitter is a premium bat in this years senior class. He has an athletic open stance in batter's box, a controlled leg kick and bat speed through the zone. Squares ball up routinely making hard outs. Had an opposite field RBI double that was hammered to left field was 4.75 on the turn. Defensively, his pop times were 1.97-2.1 between innings, while he showed 2.15 pop during one in-game throw.

Fabian Chapa, C/IF/OF, Davis HS, 2017
Army West Point commit. 5-foot-9, 170-pound frame. Fast twitch catcher with good arm strength and clean exchange. Solid receiver with great mobility and good footwork. Best pop time was 1.88. Hits with smooth rhythm, a leg kick, leverage and strong hands. Ran a 7.16 60-yard dash and registered 88 on exit velo.

UNCOMMITTED HITTERS

Saul Garza, C/1B, Edinburg North HS, 2017
The 6-foot-3, 220-pound right-handed has great presence and bat speed. Garza homered in his first at-bat of the day, hammering a fastball well beyond the left field fence. He then followed that up in the bottom of the seventh inning with a walk-off base hit to left field, lifting the Banditos to a victory. Garza, who played first base on day one, went behind the plate on day four. The uncommitted senior has good arm strength and a natural, elbow dominated arm action. His pop times were 2.13-2.16 between innings. He is athletic for his size behind the plate, receives well, clean exchange, and solid footwork. With the frame, athleticism, premium power in the bat, and ability to play multiple positions, I would be surprised if he was uncommitted much longer.

Ty Dragos, C/OF/RHP, Summer Creek HS, 2017
6-foot-2, 185-pound strong, athletic frame. One of the best all around prospects at the event, finishing in the top three in five categories. Dragos, a primary catcher, started the day by running a 6.73 60-yard dash, then touching 89 mph in the outfield workout showing an easy exchange and good arm action. As we moved to the infield portion of the showcase he was still 87 mph across the diamond with good footwork and actions. Then during the catcher's defensive workout he registered a 1.81 pop time. On the mound he works from a high-¾ arm slot with a short, quick arm action. Fastball topped at 83 mph with his curve sitting at 69 mph. His exit-velo was 90 mph.

Hayden Kerns, MIF, Memorial HS, 2017
Athletic 6-foot-2, 175-pound middle infielder, long limbs with plenty of room for continued physical development. Quick-twitch tendencies, can play shortstop and second base equally well. Moves with fluidity and confidence, moves well laterally, take-charge attitude in the infield. Solid carry across the infield. Offensively, right-handed hitter, aggressive, balanced approach, shows loose, athletic hands, length in the swing. Consistently squared up the ball at the plate. Overall heady player with upside.

Braxton Fulford, C, Lubbock-Monterey HS, 2017
5-foot-11, 185-pound strong frame, well defined lower-half. This uncommitted senior is a tough, versatile, athletic player. He has a short, compact arm action with 2.01 pop time, good hip mobility and solid receiver. Offensively, Fulford has a short, flat, compact swing. High academic student.

Zion Mayberry, IF, McKinney Boyd HS, 2017
6-foot, 190-pound, strong frame, well defined lower ½ and good upper body strength. The uncommitted right-handed hitter gets started from a slightly open stance with a leg kick. The infielder has longer defensive actions, good arm strength with long arm action. This week Mayberry showed the ability to recognize spin, laying off sliders out of the zone, and swinging at the ones that were in the zone.

Khalil Robinson, 3B, Klein HS, 2017
6-foot-2, s220-pound, physically strong, developed lower half, wide-shouldered athlete, cuts an imposing presence in the box. Aggressive approach, free swinger with advanced bat speed and strength in hands. Pull-side approach, ripped a pair of singles in first two at-bats to left field.

Logan Allen, OF, Magnolia HS, 2017
5-foot-11, 160-pound right-handed hitter, loose, athletic body with quick hands. Ripped a double to left field and singled up the middle in first two at-bats; runs the bases well.

Campbell Schultz, 1B/RHP, Coppell HS, 2017
6-foot, 185-pound frame. The two-way player continued swinging the bat in Jupiter with a three RBI, base clearing triple. The right-handed hitter has a simple, quiet set-up and is strong at contact with the ability to drive balls in the gap. Earlier this fall we saw him hit two doubles in a midweek game, as well as pitch.

Garrett Kellogg-Clarke, C, Cypress Woods HS, 2017
6-foot-1, 195-pound frame. Left-handed hitter with present strength and bat speed. Throws the barrel with some pull-side pop. Good arm strength behind the plate.

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