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Scout Blog - Fife/Bonney Lake/Getchell/Pilchuck

April 16, 2021
Dan Jurik
Scouting Director - Pacific Northwest

Continuing our look at the High School baseball action from across Washington, we’ve got additional scouting notes from 2 match-ups we caught last week. 

First up was Fife against Bonney Lake followed by Marysville-Getchell against crosstown rival Marysville-Pilchuck. 

In both instances, the games ended early due to a 10-run rule after 5 complete innings. When that’s the case and a score is significantly lopsided, it can be tough to get a comprehensive look at players. Typically the lower scoring team gets fewer at-bats and less opportunities to flash their ability. Miscues on the defensive side can also make it tough to really get a sense for what players are capable of. Because of that, some teams might have more notes or coverage than their opponent based on how the game went. It does not mean there weren't prospects on the other side of the diamond, but we can only report on what we see for that particular day. 

So with that, let's get into some of the action we saw…

fife

When breaking down Fife, you have to start with one of the most dominant and consistent hitters not only in the Pacific Northwest but on the entire West Coast in ‘21 AJ Guerrero. 

At this point, the Washington commit is well known for his hitting prowess and shows no signs of slowing down. At 6'0, 180 pounds, Guerrero doesn't overwhelm you with the size or physicality you'd expect to see from a potential power bat. But he gets the most out of his frame and his entire body works in sequence to generate effortless loud contact. Despite not facing great competition in his HS league, Guerrero never gets away from his approach and shows consistent discipline at the plate. Projects to be an above average hitter at the next level who should produce at least average power in game. The bat will be the carrying tool moving forward. Defensively he plays SS for his HS team but a shift to either 1B or OF seems inevitable. He has been a sure-handed defender on our looks and while the athleticism doesn't stand out, he makes up for it with a high baseball IQ and overall feel for the game. Thankfully on this look he was thrown enough strikes to get some swings off and went 2-2 with a 2B, 1B, BB and HBP while scoring 2 runs and driving in 3. Guerrero has continued to climb in the 2021 national rankings since he got on our radar and currently sits at 190 overall. 

On the bump for Fife was ‘21 RHP Justin Lewis. Lewis pitched like a mature senior and came out attacked with a lively FB at 82-83 and a 10/4 breaking ball in the 70-72 range. For a taller athlete, he pitches from a lower right handed slot and attacks the upper half of the zone. He also helped his own cause at the plate going 1-3 with 2 RBI. Lewis plans on enrolling in the Navy post graduation. 

Another familiar name we’ve seen before from Fife was ‘21 OF Kyle Henington (Skagit Valley commit). A standout performer from our 2019 Fall PNW Championship tournament, Henington started off fast with a leadoff double and would eventually come around to score the first run of the game. He added 2 BB later on and scored a total of 3 runs. He plays a confident and aggressive CF. Showing easy speed into the gaps and taking crisp routes to the ball. The arm strength plays and he showed off the accuracy when he had the chance to air it out. Exciting top of the order type of player.  

Fife also got a big offensive contribution from ‘22 INF Chase Cretti who went 2-3 with 3 R and a RBI on the day. Athletic INF showed well during I/O at second and has a tough, grinder approach at the plate. 

We had the chance to see ‘22 OF Ricky Reyes earlier this spring at one of our indoor workouts. Reyes showed off his easy left handed swing early in the game when he drove a hard oppo single to LF. Has the chance to be a tough out with his contact ability and ‘handsy’ type swing. 

bonney lake

For visiting Bonney Lake, it was tough to get anything going offensively as they only collected 3 total hits in the game. 

‘21 OF/RHP Cash Hartness (Tacoma CC commit) was on the bump to start things off for Bonney Lake. We’ve had eyes on Hartness across multiple events in the last 2 years. The 2-way prospect is strong framed 6-foot, 185 pounds with an athletic build. A sub-7 runner with arm strength and bat speed, Hartness can impact the game in a lot of ways. On this look, he pitched in the 80-82 range with his FB while mixing in a low 70s CB and CH at 73-75. Had a quiet day at the plate but flashed impressive bat speed when he took his hacks. He’s a top 150 player for us in our updated 2021 state rankings.

During pre-game we saw solid actions and defensive ability from ‘22 SS Cameron Duggan and ‘21 3B Tristan Gatchet. Both flashed sound footwork and clean exchanges into their throwing motion. The tandem should be a consistent presence on the left-side of the infield throughout the spring. 

‘22 OF Brennan Carbonell showed a solid approach all game and should be one of the more dependable left-handed hitters in the class moving forward. Ranked 66th in our updated 2022 state rankings, Carbonell has consistent contact ability and gap-to-gap power. At the plate, he stays balanced with quiet actions and allows the barrel to work free and easy. Expect to hear more from Carbonell as he looks ready for a productive year in 2021. 

 

UPCOMING EVENTS

SHOWCASE STATE DATE LOCATION
Underclass Summer Showcase (2024 - 2026) WA 06/12 Bellevue College
Upperclass Summer Showcase (2022-2023) WA 06/12 Bellevue College
2021 PNW ProCase WA 06/13 Bellevue College - Courter Field


marysville-getchell

Our next game of the week brought us over to see one of the top rated prospects in the country for the 2021 class. OF Malakhi Knight (UCLA commit) has been a standout for Marysville Getchell for years now and is our #1 player in Washington for 2021. Despite the obstacles that covid brought last year, he was still able to get out on the national scene and establish himself as a potential Day 1 prospect for the upcoming MLB Draft. In pre-game, Knight showed off the athleticism and easy actions in the OF. Moving with smooth, fluid strides and the ability to track the ball easily. He should be a natural fit in the OF moving forward. The arm grades to be at least average at the next level and has the chance to be above average as he gets more consistent baseball action. Offensively it was a quiet game as he only had a few pitches worth offering at in his 4 ABs. We had the chance to see 3 total swings as well as 2 BB. We’ll likely circle back to catch Knight in action again before the short spring season comes to a conclusion. 

Joining Knight at Getchell for the 2021 season is the duo of ‘21 Jack Johnson and his younger brother ‘23 Brad Johnson. Both of which had strong performances in this match-up. Brad got the nod for Getchell and was outstanding through his 5 full innings of work. Punched out 10 batters and was in complete control of the game from start to finish. FB was 83-84 in his first inning of work and he also mixed in a CB that ranged between 73-77 on a cold, cloudy afternoon. He has a loose, easy arm action with a whippy finish through release. Given his long and lean frame, there’s still projection left to tap into and it seems only like a matter of time before more velocity shows up. Also contributed to his own cause at the plate and should be a threat in the middle of the line-up moving forward

One of the strongest bats in the ‘21 class and a power threat at the plate, Jack Johnson had a productive day at the dish while holding down defensive responsibilities at 3rd. We saw the power play to both gaps on this look. Once on a deep sac fly to RCF and then to his pull-side gap for a loud double. He impacts the baseball with authority while hitting from a quiet, relaxed set-up with loose hands. We didn’t see him on the bump with this look but expect Jack to be a reliable force on the mound as well with a FB that reaches 85-86. 

Although they might not have filled up the stat sheet in this match-up, ‘23 OF Keegan Agen and ‘23 SS Ethan Jury are names to know moving forward for Getchell. Both project well at their respective positions and have athleticism/actions that should help them develop quickly as they get more regular baseball action in. 

marysville-pilchuck

On the other side for Pilchuck, it was tough to get anything going offensively against Johnson. Early on, ‘22 3B Brayden Rogers did some damage with a frozen rope into the LCF gap for an easy double. At 6-foot-5, 225 pounds, Rogers has a massive frame to work with and it gives him significant power at the plate. He’ll be an offensive threat in the middle of the Pilchuck line-up all season and has the chance to do damage with 1 swing if you make a mistake. 

‘23 SS/RHP Royce Hale also has the size and tools to be an impact player. Hales was featured in the off-season after a strong performance at the NW Pre-Season Invite in Centralia. Long and lean with a projectable 6-foot-2 frame, Hale controls his actions on the dirt and shows some feel for the barrel at the plate. How quickly he taps into his ceiling will likely come down to physical maturation and how soon the build can fill out and add more mass. He also showed some aptitude on the bump with a quick, tight arm action while running his FB between 78-80.