2024 Utah Top 10 Prospects (August Update)

Another Future Games standout that is improving so fast, it’s hard to know where the ceiling is at this point?! A year ago, Barrett was the talk of the Future Games, showing an interesting 3 pitch profile to throw K’s w/a FB ranging from 84-86 and showing the + feel to spin the ball and also kill spin w/a pot + CH. 

Fast forward a year now and the Arizona State commit had a 5A 1st Team All-State season with 110 K outs as a sophomore. His outing this past week in a tourney in SoCal was a potential pre-cursor, not only as a legit D1 talent, but a potential high Rd draft talent in 2024. With a FB now registering 88-92 and recording 11 K outs over 6 innings vs a very good hitting lineup, was pretty impressive. His CB 76-78 was dialed in w/impressive spin, shape and change of direction. It was virtually un-hittable! The CH 79-82 was used sparingly, but the 3 pitch mix is there to fill a starters role and a potential front end of the rotation role. 

 2021 PBR Future Games

Three days after returning home from the PBR Future Games, Lauaki made the commitment to play for the Oregon Ducks. Junior should jump to the top in the 2024 Ducks recruiting class. With an arm and bat, but more so the arm, Junior should be an immediate impact type rotation piece right away. Although with two years of HS remaining, Lauaki will jump to the #2 spot in the class of ‘24 rankings when they are released in 2 weeks. Lauaki made his presence felt right away on workout day with a couple of long HR’s during BP, as he launched an event best 404’ shot to deep LCF and threw EZ bullets across the INF from 1B. But it was on the mound that sealed the deal for his college choice, as he showed his best stuff to date. Lauaki has been 86-88, 88-91 T92 this summer, as he’s played all around the country. But it was in the humidity of Atlanta that he featured one of the two best FB’s recorded at the Future Games. Lauaki displayed an EZ effort, med kick to delivery with a fluid arm stroke, the FB sat 90-92 and topped out at 93.1 on the Trackman system and held his velocity in his 3 innings of work vs a very good hitting Team Kentucky. But the secondary pitch was just as lethal, with his SL coming in at 80-82 with late sharp tilt, that bottomed out. The pitch is a put away pitch, as he has abv avg feel to land and bury beneath bats for swing/misses. With an imposing 6-3 240 Lb build, Junior is not even close to gaining his man strength at 16 yrs old, it’s easy to dream of a mid to high 90’s heater as he reaches campus. The sky's the limit for the incoming junior at Springville HS. 

The reigning 4A Utah MVP, got off to a slow start in game one, then showed why he’s the best hitter in the 4A class and one of the best in the state in game 2, with a 2-3 effort, with a 2 run 1B and a deep drive to LCF for a ground rule 2B and also stole a base. For his efforts in a 7-3 win vs Team Tennessee, Evans was named the Dicks Sporting Goods Player of the Game. Evans spreads out and controls the zone as he rests his bat on his shoulder and then rocks back and forth, into an early load and inward turn of the knee, with a lift of the heal and sets it back down and fires the know towards the baseball and lays his barrel into the hitting zone, to create a flat to slightly uphill fast stroke to impact the baseball with power to all fields. Evans does need to work on his OF defense and routes/angles to balls, as he is new to the OF since his freshman year. The arm is relegated to LF, but the bat is loud and will carry him to the D1 level, as he already has an offer on the table. 

  2021 / 2022 PBR Future Games

2022 Future Games (Game 2 vs Tennessee)

Dick's Sporting Goods - Player of the Game

Recently re-opened his recruiting after committing to Utah in August of 2021. Saw Luke quite a bit this past week in SoCal with his ‘24 Trosky National team and he was really good with the bat and had 5 hits in 4 games w/2 2B’s and a long HR to LF. Taylor looks to be catching his stride and is gaining further attention, now that he’s back on the recruiting trail. The bat has big upside w/loft, bat speed and natural leverage for better than avg to potential + pwr moving forward. The tools behind the plate are developing nicely for a 16 yr old. Shows the soft hands to catch and works his thumb underneath the ball to steal pitches for K’s. The arm has improved from some inconsistencies in bouncing one hoppers in the past, to now showing online accurate throws through the bag w/some 1.90-2.00 pop times.

A Future Games participant and the #1 ranked player in the ‘24 class. Easton showed well from a stuff and tools standpoint at LakePoint, as he showed the college recruiters in attendance the strong framed athletic build you look for in a young pitcher. The ability to throw 3 pitches with arm strength. One of the top 20 velocity arms at the event, Davies flashed 91 with the FB and showed sink life below the thigh with a 2569 abv avg spin rate. He showed the ability to repeat his delivery, although he along with some of the other pitchers had some difficulty gripping the baseball due to many of them pitching in humidity for the first time. When he used the rosin, he pounded the ball down in the zone and was able to spin the SL 78-82 with tight late lateral biting action with depth at times. As he continues to grow, add strength and mature, this is the kind of arm that will be throwing really hard one day and attract MLB scouts. He is already on the radar with major colleges from his time in Atlanta, with offers already in hand. 

(PBR Future Games) At 6-3 185, Reiser has a lean athletic and filled out look w/even more room for added weight and strength gains to come. Features a flexible high compact kick to delivery, with a downhill plane of attack. Stretches out into a soft landing out front, by landing on the ball of his foot w/a bent front leg and then locks out at release. The arm action is of the LTQ variety and creates late life to the FB w/arm side run/tailing life. Does break his hands late and at foot strike, his arm is down and hasn’t reached the upward arm swing into the throwing window, creating some torque and shoulder restriction in getting his arm up. This makes it a challenge to repeat and throw quality K’s. I’d like to see him stay over the rubber longer and break sooner, to get into the slot sooner, to see if this restriction goes away? Blessed with arm strength and the ability to work his FB in the 86-89 range and with 2 years of HS remaining, there’s a chance he's working in the 90-93 range and will be a top notch D1 pitcher. The SL has late tilt and when caught right, tilts with TQ shape and bottom. The CH 77-78 is his best secondary pitch, with his hand inside the baseball from his low slot, the pitch fades w/late turnover sink and misses barrels for swing/misses. Was cruising through 2 innings at 27 pitches, until laboring in the humid weather of Atlanta in the 3rd. But his first 2 innings were quality. An athlete that looks the part of a next level body and arm w/an intriguing 3 pitch mix and base to build from. If the mechanical tweak mentioned above is ironed out, this kid could really take off! 

Dubbed the Swiss Army Knife by yours truly, Tua is a coach's dream as he can play all 3 OF spots, the MIF, and is his HS team's starting catcher, along with taking his strong right arm to the mound as well. A line to line hitter with left side pull power, Wolfgramm has cut his 60 time more than any player in the state from a 7.45 to an incredible 6.68, through diet, nutrition and tightening up his lean athletic build over the last year in the gym. This is almost unheard of, but he accomplished it with a relentless work ethic and high baseball IQ and passion for the game. Tua also displayed 1.93-2.06 pop times and squared balls up in BP for an outstanding showing in Atlanta. Not to be out done, Tua also showed a plus arm in the OF as he put up a 93 mph reading!! A team leader and instant plus personality in the dugout, make for a high caliber teammate and the club responds to his enthusiasm and energy. A very bright future lies ahead!

A two sport baseball/football star, Watts was a standout on workout day at the PBR Future Games, as he led Team Utah in 6 of the 8 metrics recorded by Trackman and Blast Motion. At 6-0 190, Watts looks the part of a next level player! Built like a halfback w/broad shoulders, and tapered into a small waist, w/a well defined lower half. Powerful and strong with twitchy movement patterns, Watts ran a 7.09/60 for a CIF, but he showed light feet at 1B w/proper angles in working through balls out front and from the ground up. He showed a strong arm at 83 mph across the INF with online accurate throws. The bat was on point all week, as Watts was spotlighted by LakePoint Sports on social media, as he led the Future Games event with 5 hits in 3 games. Watts had a 2 hit game with a 2B vs Team Arkansas in game one and followed it up in game three w/a 3 hit affair as well. Playing for one of the best HS programs in the country, American Fork HS had half a dozen D1 signees, ranging from BYU, Utah and TCU. Watts was a member of the 30-1 6A state champions in 2021 and the state runner up in 2022! Colleges, you don’t want to miss out on this one, as it’s hard to find a 1B that not only can hit, but is athletic and can pick it at 1B defensively!