In what has become annual tradition the good folks at Program 15 invaded Fenway Park and Northeast Delta Dental Stadium for a three game set. In 2019 the showcase featured players like Zac Veen, Mick Abel, Justin Lange, Tyler Soderstrom, and several others. Simple and plain there’s a track record of top tier talent. This year’s iteration boasted it’s own crop of strong talent spanning the 2021, 2022, and 2023 prep classes. Prospects Live was on the scene as I attended two of the three games across the two day event. I attended the early game at Fenway and all the pre-game workouts, but missed the second game and Anthony Solemoto in the process. On Saturday I trekked up to Manchester, New Hampshire for day two catching the entirety of the workouts and the finale between the National and World teams.
Some quick background, the rosters are composed of two groups - the National team - made up of American high school players and - the World team - a roster of talents born outside the United States, though many, if not most, play high school ball stateside. We’ll dig into some rough notes on each of the notable players observed over the two day event.
National Team Hitters
Ryan Spikes, 2B/SS Parkview (GA) | Tennessee Commit | Ht: 5’9 Wt: 185 | H/T R/R
Few players stood out from an all-around perspective as much as Spikes did. A compact frame with good strength and plus speed, Spikes was more explosive than I expected. Getting an opportunity to start both games I watched at short, Spikes held his own, making a great vertical diving grab in Game One at Fenway, and coming over the middle on a dribbler to throw a strike to first later in the game. At the plate he worked counts, got on base and raised hell once on base stealing multiple bases. His bat is quick but it’s not elite bat speed, he has excellent control of his barrel and leverages his lower half effectively in his simple righty stroke. A quiet setup at the plate and average power in batting practice it’s reasonable to project average game power at maturation. Particularly as he adds strength and taps in to more pull side power. A leadoff profile that shows the hands, instincts and arm to stick in the dirt, even if it does turn out to be second base long term. Spikes is a good all-around talent with tools that translate to game success.
He pitched for the National Team on day two and was up to 90 mph with a breaking ball.
Braden Montgomery, OF/RHP Madison Central (MS) | Stanford Commit | Ht: 6’2 Wt: 201 | H/T S/R
The most impressive athlete at this event and one of the more impressive athletes in the 2021 prep class, Montgomery starred in the first game for the National taking a double to the wall after showcasing some good pop in the BP round at Fenway. A switch-hitter Montgomery shows above average barrel control from both sides of the plate. The differences between the two approaches seems to be a noticeable difference in power generated by his right-handed swing versus his left-handed swing. His bat is quick with a clean compact stroke, his right-handed swing has a powerful uppercut finish that allows him to back spin balls on the inner part of the plate.
Beyond his bat, Montgomery is a plus runner, and has the ability to hold down any of the outfield spots due to his strong throwing arm, speed, and reads. I only got a single look of him in the outfield as he started the third game on the mound for the National team up to 92 mph pounding the zone with a three pitch mix. Another play with tools and the ability to translate them to in game performance.
Josh Pearson, OF West Monroe (LA) | LSU Commit | Ht: 5’10 Wt: 195 | H/T L/R
An unusual build makes Pearson somewhat unassuming in person, but upon observation it’s easy to see he’s tooled up. A square build, Pearson has compact strength and strong forearms that promise more power to come. His left-handed swing is unorthodox, as he starts from a closed off position before cheating a little with his hips, dipping into his back leg and completing with an exaggerated follow-through. Pearson is able to make consistent contact with the swing and showed the ability to backspin balls to his pull-side when cheating in BP.
The most surprising thing was Pearson’s speed, he absolutely explodes out of the box like he was shot out of a cannon. A good prospect with the bat speed to project out above average power long term.
Ian Moller, C Wahlert (IA) | LSU Commit | Ht: 6’1 Wt: 201 | H/T R/R
The highest rated catcher in the class and the highest ranked player at the event according to our rankings, Moller did as expected, showcasing strong athleticism behind the plate and the ability to leverage his pull side power to punish balls on the inner-half.
Moller had the most impressive BP round on Friday peppering the Green Monster in left and putting a ball out of the park on a loud pull-side shot. In game he struggled a little against left-hander Jose Valadez-Acuna who punched him out in consecutive at bats with fastballs up. Behind the dish Kenya Huggins Jr made him work early in the first game, as his command and control really came and went.
Moller’s blocking is above average as is his throwing but it’s his overall awareness of the game that sticks out. Looking down runners, positioning himself in the right spot on a play at the plate, or knowing when to throw and when to eat it. There’s ability on both sides of the ball and Moller fits the profile of a power-hitting catcher with above average defensive abilities, how he develops over the next several years will determine whether or not he exceeds that designation. The top name in a talented prep catching class.
Jonathan Santucci, OF/LHP Phillips Academy (MA | Duke Commit | Ht: 6’2 Wt; 190 | H/T L/L
The loudest BP of day two belonged to Santucci, a last minute replacement for Shane Panzini and a local Massachusetts product. Santucci blistered balls to his pull-side with a violent quick stroke. His frame is thinner than I expected with significant projection throughout his body still remaining. His left arm is strong as he bumped 93 a pair of times during his innings on the bump. It’s a left-handed hitting power over contact profile with some supporting skills in the arm.
He’s a good not great athlete and isn’t a burner but he’s an average runner with good instincts in the outfield. A top five round talent should he decide to spurn Duke for the professional ranks.
Roc Riggio, 2B Thousand Oaks (CA) | Oklahoma St Commit | Ht: 5-9 Wt: 180 | H/T: L/R
Throughout the event Riggio made his presence known in the field, not only making some strong plays up the middle at the keystone but also being incredibly vocal throughout each game. His greatest strength at the moment is in the field. At the plate he displayed an easy stroke, that’s heavy upper body despite a larger leg lift before trigger.
He does a good job of getting angle on his bat path and it shows in BP on his best contact, though a majority is still of the line drive variety. He’s an above average runner and athlete, and should find a home long term at second. He’ll need to tap into more power as he matures in order to fit the modern second base profile. He has a smaller frame at under six feet and relatively filled out at the moment, so just how much more strength projection remains is up for debate.
Cam Collier, 3B Mt. Paran Christian (GA) | Louisville Commit | Ht: 6’1 Wt: 210 | H/T: L/R
The youngest player in the event Collier had arguably the loudest bat as he showed power in both days of BP and had some loud outs in game. Collier is 15 but physically mature like a 21 year old college player. It’s good strength throughout his frame with a very powerful lower half he uses to launch balls to all fields.
In game Collier showed defensive chops moving well laterally and showcasing his elite throwing arm at third. Already a polished hitter, Collier spit on junk and waited for his pitch showing plate approach and poise above his years. Mechanically the swing is sound and he doesn't sell out for power. It’s one of the top bats in the 2023 class and a player that the untrained eye may have pegged as one of the older players.
Aidan Stewart, SS Next Level Academy (AL) | Missouri Commit | Ht: 6’5 Wt: 200 | H/T: S/R
It’s not often you see a middle infield prospect with the build of Tristan McKenzie. Aidan Stewart a 2021 shortstop out of Alabama breaks the mold. The switch-hitting Missouri commit is glove over bat at the moment. He made some smooth plays in the field and shows solid infield actions and movements.
At the plate he’s more advanced from the left side than the right, showing the ability to shoot the gaps from the left, but generating predominantly groundball contact from the right. Due to his long levers his swing will get long and it’s a somewhat linear bat path. Often gets caught off balance and too heavily onto his front foot. There is some projection left in the frame and he can flash average power on his best contact.
Carson Crawford, SS Cardinal Newman (CA) | Cal Commit | Ht: 6’1 Wt: 185 | H/T: R/R
In a prep middle infield class as deep as this one there’s guaranteed to be players who go under-discussed. Carson Crawford is a perfect example of this phenomenon. An average but athletic build, Crawford is a steady fielder with a good arm that’s been up to 92 mph in the infield. Where the Cal commit stands out is in the batter’s box. His compact stroke with a steep launch plan gives him the ability to backspin balls on the inner-half to his pullside. He had consistent rounds of BP across each day and made good contact multiple times in game.
His ability to drive the ball in the air to his pullside is predicated on above average bat speed, and a short clean path to the ball. Easy balanced operation that starts with a leg lift trigger. Smooth upper-half, with barrel control, and some projection in the frame. Bat should allow him to move off of short to second base or an outfield corner if need be.
Christopher Bernal, C McAllen (TX) | Texas State Commit | Ht: 5’10 Wt: 190 | H/T: R/R
Few players found the barrel as quickly as Bernal did, often finding a pitch to drive early in each at-bat. He’s physically mature with a strong compact physical physique, he shows the ability to harness that strength at the plate, materializing in hard hit line drives. He starts from an upright open stance, closing in with a drifting step as a trigger. His hands are busy pre-load but quickly snap into place. Showed above average power in batting practice to his pullside-middle but tended to shorten up and stay inside the ball in game.
World Team Hitters
Edwin Arroyo, SS Arecibo Baseball Academy (Puerto Rico) | Florida State Commit | Ht: 6’0 Wt: 170 | H/T: S/R
This event featured several strong defenders up the middle but only Justin Colon showed as brightly in the dirt as Arroyo. He made several rangy plays up the middle covering ground quickly leaving himself in good position to make the needed throws. At the plate Arroyo didn’t have his strongest showing. Throughout the summer he’s shown the ability to make hard contact. In both sessions of BP that remained the case. In game however he got a little passive and got caught in between on a couple of swings. There’s certainly bat speed and the ability to impact the ball from both sides of the plate. His pre-pitch setup is reminiscent of Ozzie Albies in the way he positions his weight from his open stance. A very strong overall profile regardless of results in the pair of games I caught over the weekend.
Peter Vazquez, SS Lidership Christian Academy (Puerto Rico) | USC Commit | Ht: 6’0 Wt: 170 | H/T: B/R
I had no prior knowledge of Vazquez coming into Friday but left the weekend impressed by the USC commits bat speed, projectable power, and the ability to impact the ball from both sides of the plate. He’s still working on his ability to translate his loud BP into game power. Vazquez led-off for the World team, and fit the profile, He worked deep into counts, taking walks and battling off borderline strikes to prolong at bats. An above average to plus runner with good infield actions and a defensive profile that should keep him in the dirt.
Justin Colon, SS Montverde (FL) | Missouri Commit | Ht: 6’2 Wt: 175 | B/T: R/R
The top infield defender at the event, Colon can pick it with ease, showing good actions and clean transfers. Uncorks throws from short and is able to get some zip in them. Has been up to 94 mph at short. At the plate there’s projection and above average bat speed. He has a tendency to get long in games and swing over a lot of hittable pitches. Needs to hone bat to ball skills. Smooth and athletic defender that needs to catch up to his prodigious glove at the plate.
Daylan Pena, 1B/3B/OF Veteran’s Memorial | Texas State Commit | Ht: 6’1 Wt: 220 | B/T: R/R
Pena made loud contact in batting practice showing easy power to his center-pullside. Leverage over bat speed power, with explosive finish upon contact. Looks to elevate on everything, as he starts from an open stance to toe-tap trigger, with a frantic Sheffield-Esque pre-pitch movement of his hands. Had a double early on in game one to the opposite field.
Nathaniel Ochoa, OF Assumption (CAN) | Uncommitted 2022 | Ht: 6’1 Wt: 180
An uncommitted 2022 from Ontario, Ochoa is a high-waisted athlete with loads of projectability in his frame. It’s a simple operation from the right-hand side with a toe-tap trigger before unlocking his upper-half. Few moving parts with ability to backspin balls to his pullside in BP. His swing will get long and his mechanism is a little stiff, but overall it’s a clean swing with projection for more strength as he matures.