Prep Baseball Report

Inside the JUCO Rankings


Jeff Scholzen
Utah Scouting Director

Inside the JUCO Wire Rankings...Jaxon Grossman

(Salt Lake CC) #45

Grossman Report: 

10/9/24

Background: The RS/Soph from Maui, HI played 3 of his 4 years of HS baseball in his native state, with a year mixed in (junior yr) in the state of Utah. As a junior, Grossman had extended family in the Salt Lake City area and was looking to get off the island and be seen by college recruiters. While playing at Corner Canyon HS and in the summer in Utah, Grossman was spotted by Gary Henderson and his staff at Utah and Grossman committed to the Utes. With an offer in hand, Jaxon moved back home to Maui and signed in the fall of 2021 and entered and then headed back to the Beehive State the next fall for college. A rocky 2023 freshman campaign resulted in Grossman leaving the “U” and taking a gap year this past year and was offered by JUCO powerhouse Salt Lake CC, and thus turned heads and is gaining attention from his Prep Baseball/SLCC Scout Day held October 9th and was recently named the #45 ranked player in the country with our Preseason JUCO Top 50 release!

Physical: XL Frame with long arms and legs with a physical imposing athletic build that is reminiscent of a prototype big league pitcher. Reminds me physically of current MLB reliever, Daniel Hudson. 

Strengths: Stretch style windup at all times. Low to med kick delivery, into a tucked compact solid hip turn up top. Gets downhill plane with angle and the arm is a compact full circle HTQ stroke that is fast and clean through the slot with ext out front. The FB 93-98 is well abv avg and jumps on hitters with well abv 2,637 spin and ride with carry through the zone. The SL 81-82 bends with late TQ tilt and abv 2,450 spin, while flashing avg with the potential for solid avg. 

Weaknesses: Although possessing two quality big league pitches, control of his stuff has been an issue dating back to HS. Will need to repeat his slot and release point more effectively to reach his potential. The ability to make adjustments is there, as he shows a peppered FB and then pounds with the next pitch. Just needs to minimize his misses and control the plate more often. Will be a controlled stuff through the zone over command type. 

Summation: The 21 year old with a big arm is vying for a spot in the rotation, but looks the part of a late inning high leverage weapon for the Bruins and with improved control and focus to land his big league stuff, Grossman has one of the better arms in the country at the JUCO level. It’s just a matter of putting things together and building confidence that in the zone, the stuff is overpowering and has considerable swing and miss capabilities. 

Grossman Video: Scout Day

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SCOUTING DIRECTOR (BIO)

Scholzen comes to Prep Baseball after serving 9 years as the "Four Corners" Scouting Supervisor with the Milwaukee Brewers (2011-2020). Prior to his run with the Brewers, Scholzen worked for the Los Angeles Angels for 11 years (1999-2010), serving in the same capacity as the "Four Corners" Scouting Supervisor (UT, WY, So-ID, Las Vegas, AZ, CO, NM and El Paso). Scholzen received a 2002 World Series ring for his contributions as a scout with the Angels. 

With the Angels, Scholzen created an Angels Scout Team, in which he coached the following MLB players: Kris Bryant, Kevin Gausman, Greg Bird, Tyler Wagner, Aaron Blair, Joey Rickard, Donn Roach, Johnny Field, Taylor Cole, Andy Burns and Paul Sewald to name a few.

During his run with the the Angels, Scholzen also served as the hitting coach for the Angels rookie ball affiliate in the Pioneer League, the Orem Owlz, helping guide the Owlz to the 2005 and 2007 Pioneer League titles, which earned Jeff two more championship rings.

In Scholzen's 20 year scouting career, he was credited with the signing of 6 MLB players starting with:

Brandon Wood, SS, Angels 2003, 1st Rd ~ Efren Navarro, 1B, Angels 2007, 50th Rd ~ Donn Roach, RHP, Angels 2010, 3rd Rd ~ Tyler Wagner, RHP, Brewers 2012, 4th Rd ~ Payton Henry, C, Brewers 2016, 6th Rd ~ Ryan Aguilar, 1B/OF - Brewers 2017, 31st Rd ~ Scholzen also had an additional 3 players added to various clubs 40 man MLB rosters over the years.

2019 (14th Rd) draft pick, RHP-Paxton Schultz from Utah Valley U, is currently in AAA (Buffalo Bisons) with the Toronto Blue Jays, and former 40 man Brewers rostered RHP (Utah Tech) just recently returned from Korea and signed with the NL Champion Arizona Diamondbacks and is in AAA with the Reno Aces.

Prior to becoming a professional scout, Scholzen served as the head coach at Southern Utah University between 1993-1997. At the time, Scholzen was the youngest Division I head coach in the country, when he was first hired at 24 years old. The Southern Utah baseball program was dropped after the 2012 season. While coaching at Southern Utah, Scholzen served as the hitting coach for the Alaska Goldpanners in 1995, as they won the Alaska League Championship. Scholzen also recruited and coached World Series RHP-Ryan Jensen of the San Francisco Giants, who would earn a top 5 finish for NL Rookie of the Year in 2022. Scholzen and Jensen had the unique opportunity, to be on opposing sides of the ledger, when Scholzen's Angels and Jensen's Giants squared off in the 2002 MLB Fall Classic.

Scholzen also had the pleasure of coaching Jensen's roommate and back up catcher, Kyle Turner who has worked in professional/major league baseball for 24 years. Kyle currently is in his 14th season with the big league Kansas City Royals and serves as the clubs Head Athletic Trainer. Turner was instramental, while a young player for Scholzen at Southern Utah, in introducing Scholzen to his first wife, the late Heidi Dalton Scholzen, who passed away in December of 2014. A native of Utah, Scholzen played at Hurricane HS and was twice named 1st team All-State and an AAU HM All-American, before moving on to Utah Valley CC and Eastern Oregon University, earning All-Conference honors on three separate occasions. Scholzen played in the Angels’ organization in 1991.

Scholzen was married to his late wife Heidi for 20 years and their union produced four children - McKyla 28, Miranda 25, McKenzie 23 and the couples only son, Grant Scholzen 19, played 2B/3B at D1 WCC school, the U of the Pacific (Pacific Tigers) on scholarship, in 2024 and transferred to Salt Lake CC.

After Heidi's passing in 2014, Scholzen married Cami Macias Scholzen, a widow herself and the same age as Heidi and the couple now have been married 9 years. Between both families, Jeff has 3 grandchildren and 5 step grandchildren (8 total). The Scholzen's reside in Hurricane, UT in the bottom left SW corner of the state, near the most iconic and scenic national parks in the country.