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This past Sunday, March 29th, the Prep Baseball California team hosted the Inland Empire Rising Stars ID at the Corona High School in Corona, Cal. This was an open event for all rising stars classes (2030-31), and gave our staff an ample look at some of the area's top rising players. 

Players in attendance were put through a pro-style workout with an emphasis on introducing these players to the showcase workout and providing instruction on the process of a showcase, along with their individual baseball abilities. The players participated in a 60-yard sprint test with results gathered via the VALD laser-timing system. Next, position players underwent defensive evaluations at the primary and/or secondary positions, with skills evaluations and arm strength testing taking place. Finally, the hitters in attendance took multiple rounds of batting practice with Trackman Technologies running to gather batted ball data on their current metrics, while our staff evaluated their offensive abilities. The day was completed with the pitchers in attendance throwing bullpen sessions with Trackman Technologies running to gather metrics on their current pitch velocities, movements, and spin rates, while our staff evaluated their pitching operation.

Today, we take a look back at a few of the strong performers of the day and leaders of some of the statistical categories for the event.

TOP PERFORMERS:

Wyatt Timboe C / RHP / EM Speed & Power, CA / 2030 Timboe quickly catches your eyes with his blend of size/physicality that would pass the eye test for an upperclass HS player, let alone one at a Rising Stars ID event. While size/strength alone isn't enough to get a player recognized, Timboe backs up that initial intrigue with a solid, well-rounded overall profile. A sound athlete who clocked a 7.32 60-yard sprint time with some burst off the line and ability to maintain his speed over the full 60 yards. His work behind the plate is strong with clean actions when receiving and noticeable arm strength (78 MPH C velo and pop times in the 2.01-2.1 range). A LH hitter the profile at present shows natural strength with hard contact producing a max EV of 102 MPH while crushing a 344' drive to his pull side and 44% of the balls he put in play were hard hit (90+ MPH EV) in multiple rounds of batting practice. The foundation for Timboe is impressive and as he continues to polish his overall feel for getting to his strong tools it will be a name to keep tabs on in the Inland Empire going forward.

Max Moreno OF / 2B / Beaumont Senior High, CA / 2030 Moreno is more compact in his present build, but does showcase some emerging strength across his frame that will develop more as he matures through high school. What the LH hitting OF does possess at present is a twitchy, athletic profile that shows up across every part of his game. An already dynamic runner with burst off the line, ability to build and maintain speed, Moreno posted a 6.62 60-yard sprint time and looks comfortably able to run faster in the future as his frame matures. It's a CF defensive profile with athleticism, but he backs it up with an arm that has a chance to be a true weapon even in the center of the diamond, with 82 MPH OF velocity and throws that show low carry with accuracy to both third base and home plate during the workout. I really like the way he swings the bat; it's a clean, athletic stroke with a direct path that comes from a balanced base and works to the middle of the diamond. Moreno shows a present hit over power profile, but there is plenty of reason to project future impact with the twitch in his profile. His max EV was 90 MPH, but hits the ball at good angles with a 63% sweet spot rate and averaged 80.6 MPH across both rounds of batting practice. While still young in his baseball career, there is enough to the foundation with Moreno to see a long-term impact as a CF defender who hits near the top of a lineup in the coming years.

Gavin Cruz C / 3B / Norco High, CA / 2030 With Norco already boasting a loaded program, there looks to be even more talent on its way in the presence of Gavin Cruz. Compact in build with wiry present strength, Cruz is a good mover across the board who clocked an impressive 7.14 60-yard sprint time. But, the athleticism in his profile really showed up during the defensive portion of the day as he moves with quiet grace when receiving pitches during bullpens and then has easy natural arm speed with advanced feel for his transfer/footwork to post a 77 MPH C velocity with 1.97-2.1 pop times across the throwing portion of the defensive workout. He rounds out what is a strong present foundation with a strong offensive profile that shows present hit and emerging impact. Cruz peaked at 91.3 MPH on his EV while drilling a 340' pull side HR during his batting practice rounds, while averaging 82.4 MPH. His angles at contact can improve as he matures, but the barrel awareness and power potential are there.

Position Statistical Leaders

60-yard dash:

INF Velocity:

OF Velocity:

Catcher pop times:

Max Exit Velocity:

Avg. Exit Velocity:

Max Batted Ball Distance:

Upcoming Events

Showcase	State	Date	Location
Inland Empire Rising Stars ID (2030-2031 Grads)	CA	03/29	Corona High School - Corona, CA
NorCal Rising Stars ID (2030-2031 Grads)	CA	03/29	Delta College - Stockton, CA
Central Coast Rising Stars ID (2030-2031 Grads)	CA	04/11	Buena High School - Ventura, CA
SoCal Rising Stars Game (Invite-Only)	CA	05/03	Santa Ana, CA
NorCal Rising Stars Game (Invite-Only)	CA	05/09	Islanders Field - Lathrop, CA
High Desert Summer ID	CA	06/17	Antelope Valley College - Lancaster, CA
Bay Area Summer ID	CA	06/30	Islanders Field - Lathrop, CA
San Diego Summer ID	CA	06/30	Maranatha Christian - San Diego, CA
Central Coast Summer ID	CA	07/08	Buena High School - Ventura, CA

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