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Where MLB scouts, college coaches, and top high school prospects meet.
Over the course of the 2024 high school baseball season, Five Tool will have scouts to go alongside video coverage at select games throughout our regional areas. The Five Tool Scouting Staff Notes this week include Southern California and Texas. Our staff has been tasked to look at all sorts of players who perform at a high level as well as players who have 2024 MLB Draft potential.
There will be a wide variety of players in these notes from uncommitted players to commitments across all college levels. Some games may have a few players noted while others may have a plethora, all dependent upon performances during the games.
Listed below is this installment of Five Tool Scouting Staff Notes.
Canyon View's Landon Hood had a solid outing of 6.1 innings on the bump for his squad. His biggest strength was mixing up his timing and hitting the corners. He also worked quickly and put pressure on the hitters. He continuously hit the strike zone with three separate pitches. Catcher Colin Mowrey had a 2-RBI double down the right-field line. Defensively he communicated well, threw out a runner, and was always aware of where to go with the baseball. Second baseman Ty Spire showed good range and communication in the infield anchoring a solid defense up the middle. Also showed discipline and forced pitchers to work through lengthy at-bats.
Chaparral's catcher Raul Escobar made a sliding catch on the bunt attempt to hold the runners. He was active defensively all day and bounced out of his stance quickly with agility. Chaparral's infielder Chris Newstrom should not have been thrown a strike all game. Showing patience and power offensively, he feasted on mistakes each time a pitch didn’t hit the right location; had two extra-base hits including a three-run home run to left-center.
Justin Montroy, Five Tool Arizona
Pinnacle's sophomore pitcher Noah Weiss went the distance (six innings) and gave up just one earned run with five strikeouts; he showed great movement around the zone and arm-side run. His fastball was up to 83 MPH, changeup at 78 MPH and curveball at 74 MPH. He mixed up his timing and gave up just two hits. Third baseman Brayden Bullard made an impact with the bat and defensively. Getting on base three times in different ways (HBP, hard hit ball, infield single); fearlessly fielding a shot to the hot corner to start an inning-ending double play to keep a shutout alive. Brayden shows potential with a strong frame. Gabe Velasquez-Mendoza gets on base and continually puts the ball in play. He did a good job of keeping his barrel in the zone making strong contact and doing a job for his team. His power comes naturally with a strong lower half allowing for a relaxed swing. Tolleson’s Dilan Molina located around the strike zone with a fastball at 82 MPH and a curve at 70 MPH. He had good movement and made hitters swing out of the strike zone.
Justin Montroy, Five Tool Arizona
Casteel offense looked very loose at the plate today. Bobby Pierce ignited the offense with a triple and he'd come around to score on an errant throw. Also, hitting behind him Landon Hairston and Tyler Hatch showed impressive discipline and skill at the plate with two hits apiece. On the mound, Payton Denny tossed 4.0 shutout innings and gave up just two hits. Overall, it was a very good day for the Colts.
Higley couldn't recover from a tough start to the game. Nick Patula was left on base twice in scoring position. Shane Miller, a big bat in their lineup, was out due to a shoulder injury.
Jermayne Ward, Five Tool Arizona
Buckeye's starting pitcher Adrian Fierro set the tone early for his team with 2.0 quality innings before a huge lead allowed Buckeye to utilize its bullpen. He used his changeup to create uncomfortable at-bats and chases out of the zone. Felix Rivera showed a simple, powerful swing (had a home run to left) that was very repeatable. He looked comfortable at shortstop and made all his plays. The game moved slow to him. Isaiah Leyva recorded multiple hits before the first inning was finished. He was a strong presence at the plate, had a quick and aggressive swing, and moved smoothly on the bases. His body type shows room to grow as well.
Justin Montroy, Five Tool Arizona
Mountain Pointe pitcher Blake Bell recorded 8K through 4.2 IP; ran the fastball up to 87 MPH. He had good arm side run, froze hitters with his offspeed, and his fastball played up in the zone. Cesar Verduzco had a multi-hit game and used the entire field. He swung early and confidently in counts and didn’t miss his pitch.
Willow Canyon’s Kaile Hamlin ripped hits up the middle all day. Regardless of the velocity, he easily timed fastballs; quick hands through the zone and a strong frame. Willow Canyon's middle infield had good chemistry. Second baseman Jake Miller and SS Cameron Davidson were a great duo defensively and each one always knew where the other was going with the throw. Both showed good range and soft fielding hands.
Justin Montroy, Five Tool Arizona
Horizon's Ethan Trahan was dominant and created good rhythm from the first pitch that he carried the entire game, which led to 6.0 no-hit innings. When an opponent did get on, he completely shut down the running game with multiple pickoff moves. His off-speed was impressive and his demeanor even more. Even when the game was delayed due to weather or challenged by a rowdy crowd, Trahan was unfazed. He helped his own cause by getting on base multiple times including a double to give himself an early lead; all-around gamer who showed strong athleticism.
Really liked the opening battery for Verrado. Starting pitcher Braxton Bjur worked well with junior catcher Nolan Raissle. They called a good game and Raissle worked well behind the dish blocking Braxton’s offspeed pitches.
Justin Montroy, Five Tool Arizona
Celina's Zack Henderson had a night at the plate with three hits, including a two-run double to the left-field corner. The reliable leadoff LHH makes pitchers work and is someone who you can count on to get on base. Kingston Hangartner also had an impressive night at the plate and drilled a three-run homer to left-center and a RBI double to center. Major Brignon had an RBI double and two-run single as well. Brady Broeckel recorded 6K through 6.0 IP and allowed just one run.
Aubrey's sophomore catcher, Diego Tagliaferro, showed off an impressive arm behind the plate. He hosed a runner trying to swipe second. Branden West had a single to left and his other plate appearances were loud outs.
Nick Klein, Five Tool Texas
Boswell's Berkeley Roddy made sure to start the day off strong with a bevy of MLB scouts in attendance. The 2024 right-handed pitcher topped 94 MPH in the first inning and struck out the side. The Oklahoma signee was mostly dominant aside from a three-spot mid-game; ended up striking out nine with just one hit. The velocity ticked down after the first inning into the upper 80s and low 90s. And as the game went on, Roddy found himself sitting 87-90 MPH. The slider was 78-81 MPH with a curveball at 75 MPH. Roddy works downhill out of the stretch with an over-the-top arm slot looking down at the ground at release point. Mechanics will be a big part to his future that the staff at the University of Oklahoma can help clean up to increase velocity and consistency. Out of his hand, both his slider and curveball had a similar appearance and shape but the curveball featured more depth. His stuff was less hittable when the ball was kept low and you could notice more zip and spin on the ball versus when the ball was left up high. With a listed 6-3, 210-pound frame, there's still plenty of upside in the years to come. Would not be surprised if he turns into a day one draft guy in three years time at OU.
It was my first time seeing Cade Julius, and I loved the way he competed. A 2025 uncommitted right-handed pitcher out of Mansfield, he touched 91 MPH in this outing. There was plenty of movement with both run and cut as Julius mixed fastballs up throughout the start. He threw what appeared to be a hard change up/two-seam fastball at 85-87 MPH that fell off as it reached the plate; had a slider at 76-78 MPH and changeup he needed to find feel for at 79-80 MPH. Julius struck out the best player on the other team three times, which he certainly knew who he was pitching too based upon the look on his face during all three at-bats. Julius has a 6-5, 215-pound frame with good extension on release. I think there's still some rawness to his game which can only show upside; worked mostly from a 3/4 arm slot with leg drive off the mound.; pitches that got away from him ran in to RHH with a higher release point (high 3/4). He struck out 11 in 6.2 innings of work with two hits. I'd buy stock in this guy immediately.
Jeffrey Kahn, Five Tool Texas
It was the Dasan Hill show that brought MLB scouts and crosscheckers out in droves. I'd say every MLB team was there (probable) with multiple crosscheckers on hand. The 2024 Dallas Baptist signee started the game off with a slider for a check-swing strike working backwards, but then started batters off with fastballs moving forward. He topped 95 MPH with the slider at 80-82 MPH, curveball at 77-79 MPH, and changeup at 81-82 MPH. The curveball he left up at times versus the slider having a sharper downward break. With more consistency, his slider could be a major weapon while his changeup projects to be a quality offering over time. There's a ton of projection with a 6-5, 175-pound listed height and weight working a clean arm. He found his spots the majority of times making some tough pitches in without the catcher moving his glove. He reminds me of a young Ricky Tiedemann, the Toronto Blue Jays current top prospect, who had a lean figure and worked with a similar slot. In his pre-game bullpen, Hill showed a low 3/4 arm slot. In game, there was some max effort that created a higher slot. Needless to say, I left the outing believing Hill has a real chance to be a top pitching prospect out of the Dallas-Fort Worth area be it by way of draft or three years at Dallas Baptist.
Doing the catching for Hill was 2026 Texas A&M commit Gianni Corral. The catcher was no stranger to handling velocity and provided a nice target and easy glove for his ace; caught multiple foul tips in the start leading to strikeouts. At the plate, Corral did damage late in the game with an RBI triple to left field. While it took a bounce off the wall in his favor, I like Corral's ability to get out of the box immediately and hustled all the way around the bases. It was a 12-second flat home to third showing that he moves well for a catcher. Corral seems like a leader in the making. On a team with seniors, he fit right in. He was in constant communication with his pitchers and seems like the kind of guy you want on your team.
Uncommitted 2024 C/3B Ryan Williams has some speed which seems to be a reoccurring theme for this Grapevine team. Playing third base on this day, Williams hit an RBI triple late in the game making it from home to third in 11.7 seconds. Williams took a low pitch to center field that one-hopped the fence. He has a toe-tap approach for timing getting the toe down on pitch and foot down completely on contact; gets out of the box quickly and seems like he's someone who is seeking extra bases. Didn't see too much action at third, but did start a double play on a ball hit right at him in the bottom of the fifth to end the inning. Seems more of an athletic catcher for the next level, but will need to see him catch.
Jeffrey Kahn, Five Tool Texas