I can now say that I have attended my first college baseball regional and without a doubt it’s one of the most electric environments in amateur athletics. Top-of-the-line baseball talent all together in one place for a weekend makes scouting easier and watching highly enjoyable. Below is a collection of live looks I accumulated from the regional.
LHP Brycen Mautz, University of San Diego, 6/3
Performance: 7 IP, 4 H, 1 ER 1 BB, 5 K
I have been fortunate to see the majority of the top west coast college arms for the 2022 draft class but had yet to see Mautz until the Corvallis regional. Mautz has a very lanky frame with long limbs that bode well for projected added strength in pro ball. He pitches exclusively from the stretch with a slight hitch upon separation with high effort while moving downhill. Mautz has a great hip bend and really drives his chest towards home plate but generates little extension. What was noticeable with his operation and arm action was that he generates great deception with a slight coil and cross-body low 3/4 release. This justifies why he generated so many uncomfortable swings from Vanderbilt hitters from his operation.
Mautz predominantly worked with a two-pitch mix of fastball and slider and occasionally mixed in a changeup. His fastball generates hard arm side run averaging just under 20 inches of horizontal break sitting between 88-93 MPH. He worked his fastball away from RHH and in on the hands of LHH with intent. The slider works with sharp and hard sweep and shows flashes of plus while sitting in the low 80s. Mautz’s occasional changeup was filth with good velocity separation off his fastball and hard fading shape.
Overall it was a very competitive outing for Mautz even without having his normal swing and miss stuff. He consistently battled and sequenced against the Vanderbilt lineup showing great composure and a confidence mound presence. His big league role is likely in the bullpen with his high effort delivery and heavy two-pitch mix. Look for Mautz to go between R2-R3 in the draft.
C Caleb Ricketts, University of San Diego, 6/3
Performance: 1-4, 2 RBI, K
Caleb Ricketts was a name I had no knowledge of before the regional itself but he displayed a lot of intrigue as a prospect. A big bodied, lean, and high waisted catcher is not something that you see every day. Aside from the physical traits, Ricketts showed a clean swing from the left side of the plate. By no means does he have impressive bat speed but he optimizes his swing bath to consistently barrel up baseballs and put the bat on the ball - evidenced by his 12.5% K rate on the year. By doing more research into Ricketts I was able to discover that 2022 was the first year he grew into his power as he also had been a strong bat to ball guy. A bat first catcher with decent catch and throw skills will no doubt find a home on day 3 of the draft, and maybe even late day 2.
OF Spencer Jones, Vanderbilt, 6/3
Performance: 0-4, 1 K
Spencer Jones has played his way into backend first round conversation this spring with his loud performance to date. There is loads to like physically from Jones with the combination of his long and lean extra-large frame and natural athleticism. He demonstrated surprising speed from his size with times to first base ranging from 4.09-4.22 seconds – he generates long strides at a high frequency allowing him to glide on the base paths and move smoothly in RF. In the batters box Jones makes loud contact with his above average bat speed and good barrel control. He maintains a strong lower half in his stance and generates loads of raw power with little stride and aggressive hip rotation. Overall Jones is a very high powered athlete and tooled up ball player who bodes well for pro ball as he continues to transition to a full time position player, leaving his two way days in the past.
1B Dom Keegan, Vanderbilt, 6/3
Performance: 2-3, HR, BB, K
Keegan had the most success of any Vanderbilt hitter against Mautz with two pieces of loud contact on the day. His home run was a barreled up fastball out over the plate that he took out to RCF. Keegan has a natural hitter’s feel with good raw power to boot. His future defensive home is likely at 1B but the bat will provide plenty of value and intrigue between rounds four and six.
SS Carter Young, Vanderbilt, 6/3
Performance: 0-3, 2 K, error
Carter Young had a rough day at the field showing a couple of lapses at SS and a lack of comfort in the batter’s box. At short, Young showed a quick first step and route-running ability to get to the intersection of the baseball. However, once he got to that point he rushed his hands and booted baseballs. In the batter’s box Young never established consistent timing and rhythm off Mautz and attempted to muscle up the baseball creating inefficient and upper body heavy swing paths that cut underneath everything. The athleticism and raw tools still exist and are apparent with Young but right now the game seems to be going too fast for him on both sides. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see a team take a flyer on him between the fourth and sixth round but it could be in his best interest to return to school to rebuild up his value.
LHP Cooper Hjerpe, Oregon State, 6/3
Performance: 6.2 IP, 2 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 10 K, 3 HBP
This was my fourth look on Hjerpe over the last two years and I need to say its been awesome to see his growth from summer 2020 to what he is now. Hjerpe has arguably the best ability in amateur baseball to pound fastballs in on the hands of hitters. He is absolutely fearless and relentless in doing so and it is a major contributor to countless uncomfortable at-bats experienced when facing him. He is not afraid to throw his slider in any count at any location at will, and consistently rode its sweeping action off the back feet of New Mexico State hitters. The one lapse on Hjerpe’s outing was he lost his command at one point by undercutting his pitches upon release leading to a lot of hit batters. Nevertheless, his ability to attack and execute pitches with his dynamic arsenal was on display and he proved why he is worthy of a mid first round pick in the upcoming draft.
OF Jacob Melton, Oregon State, 6/3
Performance: 1-5, RBI, 2 K
Melton has continued his ascension as a prospect over the last two months since my last live look on him largely due to his offensive performance. Melton has a natural ability to barrel up the baseball with authority and generates loud contact with above average batspeed and consistent bat paths. He has great body control of his stance in the box and is capable of holding his head steady while waiting on offspeed pitches. He laced one hit on the night where he stayed up through the middle of the diamond but in two other plate appearances he looked out of his normal self. Late in the game, Melton relied more on his upper body with higher aggression as opposed to his hands leading him to swing over the top on multiple breaking pitches. There is a clear difference in his swing execution when Melton is easy and relaxed vs tense and aggressive. He has also shown over the last couple of months he is capable of playing CF with a gliding route running ability and strong throwing arm. Look for him to fall between the comp rounds and second round in the upcoming draft.
OF Justin Boyd, Oregon State, 6/3
Performance: 1-4, 2B, RBI, 2 BB, 2 K
Justin Boyd has been a do everything well but nothing great type of ball player. He doesn’t have a true plus tool but the consistency of his game has been remarkable to watch. He makes in-game adjustments with his approach and consistently plays in an even keel manner. After striking out in his first two at-bats over Mejia’s breaking balls, Boyd stayed inside the baseball and shot a double down the 1B line. He has good bat to ball skills and can make adjustments in on his swing path. He has upped his stock into solid day two consideration and could have some untapped potential for a player development to get their hands on.
UTIL Wade Meckler, Oregon State, 6/3
Performance: 1-4, BB
Meckler can very simply be described as a energetic sparkplug. He consistently finds a way to impact the game whether thats igniting a rally, taking an extra base, or making a heads up play. He has an above average K rate and will consistently put the bat on the ball on any kind of pitch. He has shown a flexible ability to adapt to different types of pitches in the zone and adjust his swing path. Meckler is a high impact ball player that deserves to get drafted on day three with his bat to ball skills, high energy, defensive flexibility, and speed.
RHP Ian Mejia, New Mexico State, 6/3
Performance: 7.1 IP, 9 H, 4 ER, 4 BB, 9 K, 2 HBP
Ian Mejia balled out against a touted Oregon State lineup showing loud intangible traits and a wicked curveball. Mejia displayed a very easy and athletic delivery that repeated itself well. He has a very quick arm that is consistent with his fastball and offspeed pitches. The fastball has some riding life that jumped in on Oregon State hitters leading to some mistimed swings. The big pitch was his 11/5 curveball, as he showed a feel to spin it in any count and in and out of the zone, a legitimate swing and miss pitch. Above everything else, Mejia showed a great feel to compete and buckle down when the stakes rose. He constantly battled out of jams showing a fiery competitive spirit that fueled his teammates. He represents an intriguing flyer on day three of the draft with his innate feel to spin it, arm action, delivery, and intangibles.