When it comes to baseball and the summer season, there aren’t many places that can beat Southern California. Five Tool California’s SoCal Kickoff event reinforced this baseball truth with pleasant weather conditions and, of course, talent. Because it never takes long to find baseball talent in Southern California.

In this edition of the Five Tool Five, we’ll take a look at some of the prospects who caught our attention during the official start to the summer season in California. Unsurprisingly, there are some prospects from powerhouse, well-known high school programs who are off to a great start in the summer. 

Uncommitted 2024 RHP with a swing-and-miss curveball

Edison 2024 right-handed pitcher Kaleb Fiscus looked very sharp during his 3.0-inning appearance this past weekend. He allowed zero hits and struck out two with a fastball up to 87 MPH that occasionally featured some natural cut at times. At 6-4 and around 210 pounds, Fiscus profiles as a future big, physical righty who utilizes a fairly simply and easy delivery. And he also profiles as a pitcher who could have one of the better right-handed curveballs in his area. Fiscus showed advanced feel for spinning a true overhand hook with depth, bite and what looked like good shape. Unsurprisingly, it missed bats. 

Future Riverside City College catcher showed his power

Among the many reasons why baseball in Southern California is so enjoyable is you get to see some great scenery and backdrops beyond baseball parks. What makes those backdrops look even cooler is when dudes smash bombs off into the distance. Ian Nguyen (Cajon) gave the Five Tool California staff an opportunity for two awesome videos when he showed his pull-side juice by blasting two majestic homers during one day of SoCal Kickoff action. 

The 2023 right-handed hitter features a simple, repeatable and fairly short swing that aims to get the barrel to pitches out in front and do some pull-side damage. Nguyen does a good job of leveraging his lower half in his swing and igniting his rotation with his back leg. It wouldn’t surprise me if he heads to Riverside City College and mashes. 

Uncommitted 2023 right-handed pitcher

Part of a combined no-hitter thrown by PFA Matadors, 2023 right-handed pitcher Joseph Norris, who attended powerhouse Notre Dame, showcased why he is good enough to continue pitching at the next level. The 6-3 righty did a good job driving his fastball, up to 90 MPH, down in the zone and throwing a tight breaking ball in that same window before it made a late move towards the dirt. Norris didn’t really need it during his 3.0-inning stint with two strikeouts, but he has featured five pitches in the past: four-seam and two-seam fastball, slider, curveball and changeup. 

Norris moves well on the mound, decelerates to finish a repeatable delivery, has notable hip-to-shoulder separation present in his delivery and could see an uptick in his fastball by keeping his front half closed longer. Norris broke his ankle over the summer. So, he flew a little under-the-radar this high school season as he worked his way back to getting back on the mound in game action. 

Another part of that combined no-hitter...

Another part of that combined no-hitter for PFA Matadors was right-handed Sage Nelson. An Orange Lutheran prospect from the 2024 class, Nelson featured a fastball up to 86 MPH and struck out five across 3.0 innings. At 6-4 with a delivery that doesn’t have much effort with a low-energy gather before quick moving through the finish, Nelson looks like the type of pitcher who could eat up innings and should be able to throw strikes with multiple pitches. He showed the ability to manipulate a breaking ball but his slider in particular stood out with its short, tight look and break. 

The young stars...

The stars showed up, too. Vanderbilt commitment and Huntington Beach 2025 prospect Linkin Garcia showed why he’s one of the top rising juniors in the state. After being a key piece for his nationally-ranked high school team, Garcia jumpstarted his summer by hammering extra-base hits around the year, showcasing his barrel feel and also his present strength that allows him to impact the ball with notable bat speed. At 6-3 with hands that work well on the infield dirt, Garcia looked every bit like the top prospect many view him as. 

Keeping with the theme of big, strong infielders who can mash, 2026 Orange Lutheran middle infielder and TCU commitment Gavin Hottle did it all this past weekend. He made a really nice play up the middle, stretching as far as he can to glove a bouncer before quickly spinning and throwing on the move to first base. 

Earlier during SoCal Kickoff action, Hottle smoked a rocket into the left-center gap for a double. For a 2026 prospect, he makes the bat look especially small in his hands because of the way he’s able to handle it quickly through the zone. Already around 6-2 and 190 pounds, Hottle could mature into a feared power hitter with the skill and ability to remain on the dirt. Immense upside. 

Dustin McComas
Senior Editor