Prep Baseball Report

Los Angeles Preseason ID: Quick Hits


Steven Hardesty
Associate Director SoCal

   

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On Sunday, January 11th, the Prep Baseball California team hosted the Los Angeles Preseason ID at Buena High School in Ventura, Cal. This was an open event for high school classes (2026-2029), and gave our staff an ample look at the area's top prospects. As well, due to weather in the Southern California region the previous weekend several players from the previously scheduled Los Angeles Preseason All State were in attendance for this event.

The combination of the two events brought nearly 80 players out to Ventura where they participated in a pro-style workout. Position players were run through athletic testing, defensive evaluations and a batting practice session. During this even the VALD system was in use for the athletic testing, all defensive evaluations included arm strength measurements (pop times for catchers) and during batting practice the Trackman system and Blast Motion sensors were used to gather valuable data on their offensive performances. The day completed with bullpen sessions for all two-way players and pitcher only attendees where they threw on the main mound with Trackman system running to gather their pitching metrics.

It was a blustery day with wind gusts over 20+ MPH throughout the day, but the talent in attendance was the deepest of any event I have individually run over the two plus years I've now been with Prep Baseball California. With over 80 players in attendance on the day narrowing down the top performers from this event was the most difficult one I've had. With that in mind  we will be looking at five of the top overall performers from the 2026-2027 classes, six players from the 2027 class and a duo from the 2029 class with over 10+ names to know of other strong performers in attendance at the event, found below.

LOS ANGELES PRESEASON ID: TOP PERFORMERS

2026:

Noah Vasquez SS / 2B / Royal High School, CA / 2026

Vasquez once again shined bright in front of our staff after a standout High Desert Uncommitted Games showing in fall 2025. This time returning to our event stage for the LA PSID event, was originally slated for LA PSAS, but the event was rained out. It is the bat for me with Vasquez that carries what is a solid overall profile as an uncommitted infielder in the 2026 class. His batting practice session was easily the most consistent and one of the most impressive of the days with a simple repeatable RH swing and astute barrel awareness. During his batting practice session Vasquez posted a max exit velocity of 99.5 MPH, but averaged 94.6 MPH which was the top in the event with a 90% hard hit rate (balls over 90 MPH) on the day and topped it off witha 381' blast to his pull side. This offensive performance is right in line with all of what Vasquez has done on the event stage and live looks for myself. He is sound defender who plays with consistent footwork, soft hands, clean transfers and accuracy to his arm profile that will comfortably fit at 2B or 3B, while his bat can easily handle a move to LF if necessary. All in all Vasquez will be a strong offensive land for the college program who pulls the trigger on his bat.

Jakob Kerr C / OF / Castaic High, CA / 2026

Kerr attended the 2025 Central California Preseason All State which featured a loaded catching crop and made a solid impression for himself. Over the past year the RH hitting backstop has gone to work on his game and body to return for this PSID event with an impressive showing of development. Kerr is a solidly built at 5'9 175.7 with athleticism in how he moves behind the plate and in the batters box. Where Kerr made the biggest gains in the last year was with his consistency of all his tools showing newly improved arm strength with accuracy behind the dish posting PRs in velocity at 78 MPH while reaching a PR pop times of 2.05-2.1 on the day. The bat speed for Kerr has improved with his stronger frame now at 68 MPH with 11+ Gs of rotational acceleration. His swing improvements lead to a new PR of 63% hard hit rate (balls hit over 90 MPH) and max distance at 342' on a rocket to the pull side. The profile for Kerr is headed in the right direction as an uncommitted SR. out of the Santa Clarita region of Southern California.

Robert Juker 1B / 3B / Foothill Technology High, CA / 2026

Juker passes the eye test immediately when you see him checking in at 6'5 with a wiry 185 lbs. frame that has plenty of room to continue adding strength which allows you to dream on his power potential. Juker has consistently posted max EVs in the upper 90's and there is more in the tank for him if he adds additional strength and on this day he peaked at 97 MPH while posting a new PR with a 78% hard hit rate from a swing that has loft in the profile. His hand speed has improved to over 22 MPH allowing him to keep them back a tick longer before pulling the trigger on his swing to be more accurate with his barrel reflected in the previously noted improved hard hit rate. His large frame profiles perfectly at 1B where he presents a large target for INF defenders and has cleaned up his footwork/hands moving around for grounders. His arm has ticked up to the 80 MPH range now with solid accuracy on his throws to 2B for DPs and 3B coming downhill on bunts. Another uncommitted 2026 who has plenty of offensive upside for a collegiate program to pull the trigger on.

Brody Kaylor SS / RHP / Buena High, CA / 2026

This was Kaylor's debut on the Prep Baseball California event stage after well over a year of very strong live looks at the talented two-way from Buena High School. While he just went through the position player workout for the day the arm talent was easily on display to go with a strong frame which he controls well. Standing 6'1 and checking in at 199.3 he easily passes the eye test to stick on the left side of the INF with potential for SS, but can comfortably handle a move to 3B. Kaylor has quick feet on the dirt with ability to play laterally, move downhill with comfort and make any long throws to his backhand side with ease using his 90 MPH INF arm velocity. His throws have low carry out of the hands and he is relatively accurate presenting a strong defensive profile for him in the future. At the plate Kaylor showed strong bat speed with a strong ability to generate torque posting over 74 MPH of bat speed with 14 Gs of rotational acceleration and an ability to hit the ball with authority. His max EV was over 97 MPH  while he produced a 40% hard hit rate. His swing is uphill with potential for loft and power which has shown up during live looks, but can be polished to be more consistent in reaching his impact potential. His position player profile is one to take note of for college programs with arm strength to handle the left side of the INF dirt and has experience playing the OF to handle RF in the future with impact upside from his RH hitting profile.

Osvaldo Nunez RHP / 1B / Bishop Alemany High School, CA / 2026

Nunez returns to the Prep Baseball California stage after a strong showing at the 2025 Central California Preseason All State. At that event he was in the low 90's with his FB, showed an emerging feel to spin his breaking ball and an intriguing CHG against live hitters. In a bullpen setting for the PSID event Nunez once again stood out with over 20+ pitchers in attendance. He controlled a lively upper 80's FB on the day, while dropping in his upper 70's CHG with strong feel for killing spin on the offering and improved feel for controlling his low 70's SLD. Nunez spins his FB with over 2200 RPMs of average spin while generating life to the arm side with nearly 17" of average horizontal run on the pitch. The SLD for Nunez gives him an east/west attack profile mixing the -5.5" average horizontal breaking offering. He gets a vertical shape difference when he mixes in an impressive upper 70's CHG that has over 10+" of vertical separtion in the IVB reading compared to his FB while killing over 500+ RPMs of spin differential from his FB. Nunez throws all of his pitchers from a lower arm slot in the 5' range for each pitch creating a different look for RH hitters. He has transferred into Bishop Alemany for his SR. season and is a talented uncommitted arm for college programs to be taking note of.

2027:

Gavin Berigan SS / 2B / Thousand Oaks High, CA / 2027

With a deep crop of 2027 talent in attendance at this event it was one of the tougher groups to pick just five players out of, but Berigan really shined amongst this group. I've seen Gavin going back to his FR. season at Thousand Oaks High School and his overall profile has continued to steadily trend upwards over that time frame. But, the growth he has put together since I last saw him in May of 2025 at the Future Games Tryout: Malibu to this event was a big part of what set him apart. Berigan has added nearly 15+ lbs. of strength to his frame now in the mid 150's on his 5'10 frame while still having time and room to add more strength before his high school career completes. The maturity to his frame showed up in his tools on the field with PRs in nearly every hitting metric gathered via the Blast Motion and Trackman systems in use. Berigan is now generating 12 Gs of rotational acceleration to go with a swing that averages upper 60's bat speed with explosive hands that work up near the 25 MPH range. Those metrics combined with his astute approach/timing at the plate combined into an eye-opening batting practice session where Berigan posted impressive numbers with a new PR max EV at 93.5 MPH, average EV at 89.5 MPH, max distance at 319' with a 42% hard hit rate. He has always been a strong defender for me personally with his clean footwork, smooth hands, ability to throw from multiple slots, but now with his arm strength ticking in the mid 80's to go with previous 6.6 run times there is plenty of evidence to his potential to stick at the SS position beyond the high school level. Berigan will be a priority live look for me this spring after his showing at the LA PSID to see how all of his tools improvements show during live games.

Asher Bunnin OF / 2B / Harvard-Westlake, CA / 2027

Bunnin was a returner from the previous weekends LA Preseason All State which was rained out. On a dry day with some wind the setting was better suited for a showcase opportunity for Bunnin and the RH hitting OF from Harvard-Westlake took full advantage of it. A dynamic athlete who is well known for his foot speed, but it was the other tools for him on this day that cemented a spot on this list of standout players. During the defensive workout on the day Bunnin showed off improved arm strength since our last look at him during the California State Games in July with a PR of 88 MPH showing carry and accuracy to home plate. Then during his batting practice session the RH hitter unveiled upward trending impact to his offensive profile. All three of his Blast Motion metrics for the day were new PRs for Bunnin with quick hands now working over 21 MPH, strong bat speed approaching 73 MPH and the ability to generate torque with over 17 Gs of rotational acceleration. The upward trend to his swing metrics helped produced new PRs for Bunnin in his max EV at 101.9 MPH and his hard hit rate with a 67% showing for the day. His dynamic run tool posted a 6.47 60 at the LA Preseason All State before the event was rained out giving him a comfortable future as  CF defender with an impact potential arm for the spot. The upgrades he has made offensively now has him trending towards a strong/impact potential future for the RH hitter.

Kyas Howard 1B / OF / Sierra Canyon School, CA / 2027

Howard was making his Prep Baseball California event debut after several live looks for our scouting staff at the Sierra Canyon product. It was an impressive performance for the RH hitting OF from the Mission League program where he impressed in several facets looking every bit of the potential corner profile defender with power in his bat. Standing 5'11  with 183.9 lbs on his athletic frame Howard is solidly built with room to add more in the future. The arm strength for Howard stands out with live out of his hand and carry on all of his throws from the OF peaking at 91 MPH while hitting 89+ on each of his throws for the day it's a long term RF profile on the defensive side of the game. With a corner defensive profile the bat is an important tool and Howard possesses the type of bat that can comfortably handle that type of weight it needs to carry. Howard posted the top max EV for the day with at 104.9 MPH and crushed a nearly 400' homer through a stiff wind knocking down any ball hit in the air reaching 396'. Diving deeper into what Howard does in the batters box his Blast Motion metrics were the top or amongst the top in each category with explosive hand speed at 24.3 MPH, with strong bat speed at 73.3 MPH while generating eye-opening torque with over 30 Gs of rotational acceleration in the swing. Howard makes loud contact when he connects with an 83% hard hit rate during batting practice and hits the ball at good angles with an 83% sweet spot rate. Headed into his JR. season at Sierra Canyon which is a program looking to break through the ceiling at the top of Mission League Howard will be a player I'm keeping close tabs on this spring. 

Taehan Kim C / 1B / Redondo Union High, CA / 2027

Kim was another player making his debut for the Prep Baseball California event platform and it was a strong one for the RH hitting catcher. Solidly built at 5'9 with strength already emerging on his frame at 186.3 lbs. already. His entire workout was impressive showing an overall well-rounded ability to his game. Behind the dish Kim is an athletic receiver who looked comfortable in each of his bullpen sessions during the event while flashing high level arm strength. Over his throwing session Kim lived in the upper 70's with each throw peaking at 79 MPH with plenty of reason to anticipate it ticking over 80 MPH in the future. He is accurate with his throws from a quick release the produces 1.85-1.92 pop times during a workout setting. Already comfortably amongst the top players at the event with his defensive work the offensive profile for Kim is equally if not even more impressive. His RH swing is athletic with quickness in the hands reaching over 22 MPH of hand speed, solid bat speed reaching over 72 MPH while posting impressive torque at 25.9 Gs of rotational acceleration. Those swing metrics alone are strong, but his feel to combine it with a strong approach allowed for Kim to produce high end batted ball data. His max EV was amongst the top in attendance with a 99.2 MPH peak while averaging 91.4 MPH of exit velocity across the entirety of his round. The deeper dive metrics were strong for Kim with a 67% hard hit rate while producing a 56% sweet spot rate with his batted ball angles. An uncommitted backstop in the 2027 class with a well-rounded profile Kim is a name to be keeping close tabs on going forward.

Jett Urbas SS / 3B / Westlake High, CA / 2027

Urbas was another returner from the rained out LA Preseason All State event and he return performance was impressive. Already a standout at our SoCal Uncommitted Game from the fall Urbas built on that showing with a loud workout at Buena High School. He measured in at 6'2 201.9 lbs. looking every bit the part of a power profile INF for the long term his tools back up the physical profile. While his showing in the fall was impressive the LA PSID was a PR fest for the RH hitter who posted new bests in every offensive category with each being impressive numbers for each batted ball metric. Urbas blasted a 98.1 MPH max EV that carried 370' to the pull side for a HR through the stiff inward blowing wind. That one ball was impressive, but he was consistent throughout the round with a 92.3 MPH average exit velocity, 75% hard hit rate with good angles to his batted balls with a 67% sweet spot rate. The arm strength for Urbas will comfortably handle either spot on the left side of the INF with an accurate 88 MPH arm that carries easily across the field to the 1B. Urbas is joining the Westlake program for his JR. season where he should be a key piece of their attempt to repeat at the top of the Marmonte League after splitting a league title in 2025. 

2028:

Dru Wilson OF / RHP / Notre Dame, CA / 2028

Wilson was only able to get his 60 yard time in during the LA Preseason All State before the rained washed out the rest of the event. He returned for the LA Preseason ID to complete the rest of the workout and it was a loud showing for the talented 2028. Wilson has the athleticism to stick in CF long term, but if he has to move out of the middle of the diamond at any point in his career his arm will comfortably stick in RF with carry on his 95 MPH throws. The bat for Wilson was uber impressive during his round of batting practice putting up consistent hard contact with 70% hard hit rate across all of his batted balls. There is power in his profile with a 100+ MPH max EV and 92.6 MPH average EV, but his batted ball angles are more of the line drive profile which combined with his foot speed makes him a double/triples threat on any ball he drives to the OF. The swing metrics for Wilson are a testament to his athleticism with quick hands over 22 MPH, impressive bat speed nearing 77 MPH and nearly 24 Gs of rotational acceleration in his swing. A full time starter on the varsity level as a FR. for Notre Dame Wilson is one of the top talents in the state and has a sky high ceiling for his future.

Oliver Dauskurdas OF / RHP / Oaks Christian, CA / 2028

Dauskurdas has been a steady high level performer across every event he has attended for Prep Baseball California to go with live looks and his showing at the LA Preseason ID was no different. His an athletic versatile defender who is showing realistic ability to handle a corner INF spot to go along with three position versatility in the OF showing arm strength that is nearing the 90 MPH mark as he popped 89 MPH from the OF during the defensive workout. Per usual his batting practice was a display of hard hit baseballs all around the field with majority of those baseballs being rocketed in the air from the middle to pull side of the field. With already impressive metrics offensively across the board for what he does offensively, Dauskurdas kicked it up a notch at Buena High School. The RH hitter posted new PRs in his max EV with a 98.2 MPH drive and an impressive 93.2 MPH average EV. His deeper dive metrics with the quality of his batted ball data showed an 88% hard hit rate for the day with impressive angles posting a 88% sweet spot rate on his swings. Dauskurdas is part of a loaded 2028 class at Oaks Christian and his profile just continues to trend upwards as not only one of the top rising talents in that program, but in the state of California.

Colton Mellinger 3B / RHP / Agoura High School, CA / 2028

Mellinger was a standout performer for Agoura High School during his FR. season where he earned Second Team All Marmonte League honors. I was able to get a quick look at him during the summer circuit in 2025, but the LA Preseason ID provided my first lengthy look at the talented two-way product. He is athletically built at a present 6'1 171 lbs. with length to his frame where he can easily add another 20 lbs. or more while still maintaining his sound athletic ability. His defensive workout was sound showing quality footwork with clean hands and body control moving laterally or downhill. The transfer is clean with solid present arm strength to stick at 3B (86 MPH across the INF) and presents a solid to strong defensive profile at present. I was intrigued with the quality of his overall offensive profile after a strong showing during the batting practice portion of the event. His in game performance is backed up by strong metrics from his batted ball data. Mellinger peaked at 95.3 MPH on his exit velocity, but impressively averaged 91.1 MPH with a 63% hard hit rate (balls over 90 MPH). The RH hitter produces quality angles at a consistent level with a 50% sweet spot rate hammering a 350' line drive to the pull side gap as his max distance for the day. Colton employs a compact quick swing with nearly 74 MPH of present bat speed, quick hands over 20 MPH while generating solid torque at present with 16+ Gs of rotational acceleration. On the mound his athleticism and arm strength at present both show up in a solid profile featuring a 81-83 MPH FB generating over 2200 RPMs of average spin that is backed up by his feel for a quality change in the 76-77 MPH range while killing spin (1600 RPMs of average spin) to create vertical separation on the shapes. His feel to spin will be an area of focus for Mellinger as he progresses his pitching profile, but flashed a sound 69-71 MPH softer spinning CB at present. The Agoura product has built a strong foundation between his performance and toolset to make him one of the stronger names in the 2028 class for this region, while showing plenty of future upside to his bright future.

Pierce OBrien 1B / OF / Bishop Montgomery High, CA / 2028

O'Brien was another summer cirucit find who showed well during a quick look at the Prep Baseball West Coast Program Invite. The LA Preseason ID served as his debut event for the Prep Baseball California event platform and it was an impressive one. Physically well built at present the corner profile OF/1B defender checked in at 6'5 236 lbs. with room for polish to his frame in the future. He is a sound defender in the OF and on the dirt at 1B with a solid present arm that profiles more accuracy than power with 78 MPH INF/82 MPH OF velocities. Where he LH hitter shines brightest is once he steps into the batters box. My live look at Pierce included two at bats where his operation look confident and controlled during a game setting, but the metrics he produced on this day raised interest to another level in his future potential. O'Brien has a relatively simple operation for a larger framed player with solid overall swing metrics including quickness in both his hand and bat speed (21.2 MPH hand & 71.9 MPH bat) with solid ability to produce torque during his swing (12.2 Gs of rotational acceleration). The strength in his frame helps generate loud, hard contact on a regular basis for O'Brien who had a 90% hard hit rate (balls over 90 MPH) with a peak at 104 MPH from a more direct swing that gears more towards present line drives than fly balls (40% sweet spot rate). The strength in his profile has plenty of intriguing power potential as he learns to elevate the ball more especially to the pull side of the field.

Matthew Coye RHP / OF / Redondo Union High, CA / 2028

Coye is an interesting rising Soph. arm whose stuff impressed during the bullpen session. Medium in build at present measuring in at 5'10 181 lbs. there is future development to his body that will help tick up a sound overall arsenal and feel to control it. The RHP lived in the 85-87 MPH range with a solid FB that produces spin rates north of 2200 RPMs while getting 18.6" of IVB on average with 13" of average horizontal run on the shape. The riding life and strong present velocity of the FB for Coye set up each of his offspeed offerings. Coye spins an emerging SLD that flashed several quality metrics including spin rates approaching the 2400 RPM range with an average of -8.2" of glove side break while staying flatter in it's shape and living in the 70-72 MPH range. The CHG for Coye has splitter like action including average spin rates below 1000 RPMs with on average 10+" of separation off his FB IVB metric and producing arm side run of around 10" on average. He repeats his arm slot with consistency on each offering staying in the 5'3" to 5'4" height range for all offerings. There is work he can do on his extension in the future, but at present the quality of his stuff, athleticism in the delivery to go with solid feel to control all his pitches presents a starting pitcher profile for the long term.

Austin Maiden SS / 3B / Chaminade College Preparatory, CA / 2028

Maiden burst onto the scene this summer with a dynamic performance on the tournament circuit. He was outstanding in my first look at him during the winter high school scrimmage season. Now making his Prep Baseball California event debut at the LA Preseason ID Maiden did not disappoint with the metrics/actions he showed off at Buena High School. He is a smooth, fluid mover on defense who plays with natural grace and body control. Moving laterally, coming downhill or working to balls hit right at him Maiden always looks in control with his footwork even when playing on the run. The hands are super smooth and soft with an easy clean transfer that allows him to throw from multiple angles. He relies more on a quick transfer and comfort throwing from those different angles over pure arm strength, but still shows present 80 MPH INF velocity without letting it loose, so there is undoubtedly more in the tank for Austin. At the plate it's a simple operation that relies on his impressive hands/barrel awareness to deliver a compact swing path that wears out the middle of the diamond with hard contact. His swing focuses on the quickness of his hands at 20+ MPH presently to produce 68+ MPH bat speed to works directly to the baseball and is geared towards contact over raw power. But, don't get it wrong that the 5'9 170 lbs. RH hitter doesn't have present impact as he peaked at 94.7 MPH on his max EV while averaging over 87 MPH on his full round of exit velocities. The angles that Maiden produces are high level posting a 82% sweet spot rate with a 355' max distance at present on a line drive to his pull side gap. A rising talent on the SoCal baseball scene Maiden confirmed for me his natural ability to go with his ability to use his tools in game and will be a top name to follow in the 2028 class going forward.

2029:

Alexander Scott OF / SS / Sierra Canyon School, CA / 2029

Scott entered the LA Preseason ID as one the top talents in attendance based on rankings and our staffs previous look at him during the 2025 SoCal Rising Stars game. The Sierra Canyon product not only backed up his pedigree, but actually took a step forward in my eyes with a strong showing off his overall toolset. Wiry and athletic built at present the RH hitter checked in at 5'11 159 lbs. with plenty of room to fill in the coming years. A dynamic athlete who has easy actions when moving around the OF grass and plays with confidence attacking balls on the ground or in the air he profiles as a long term CF. His arm strength will be a weapon from the OF peaking at 91 MPH on the day with carry/accuracy and makes RF a natural move should he have to shift out of CF in the future. The swing is athletic and shows strong present impact at contact reaching 93 MPH with the peak exit velocity while averaging nearly 84 MPH at present. Scott hits the ball at good angles producing a 83% sweet spot rate, but trends more towards the line drive profile that will produce doubles/triples on balls the OF gaps or lines. Still young with plenty of development ahead of him, but the foundation for the type of player Scott can become is intriguingly high and will make him one of the top follows in the 2029 class going forward.

Andrew Garcia C / OF / Rio Mesa, CA / 2029

Garcia was a revelation in his first Prep Baseball California event and instantly made himself a must see this spring as he will compete for the Rio Mesa Spartans varsity program during his FR. season. A wiry present build at 5'11 163.8 lbs. there is length to his frame that presents plenty of room across it to add on strength in the coming years. The versatility to his defensive upside was on display as he showed sound actions both in the OF and behind the plate on the day. Garcia is a controlled mover in the OF with solid present arm strength reaching 80 MPH on his throws to home plate. Behind the dish it's a solid present profile with emerging arm strength at 73 MPH and accuracy to his throws reaching a low of 2.23 at present. His actions are sound when receiving with feel for what he is doing behind the plate at present. As solid as the defensive showing was for Garcia it was when the LH hitter stepped into the box that he put himself firmly amongst the top players in the event not just the 2029 class. Using a repeatable stroke that produces 68.5 MPH of bat speed, 20.4 MPH of hand speed with 14 Gs of rotational acceleration to generate torque that combined with strong feel for his approach/timing during batting practice. He hits the ball with present authority on a regular basis including a 94 MPH max exit velocity and a 82 MPH average exit velocity from a more direct bat path the produced a 46% sweet spot rate to the middle of the diamond including a 310' present max distance. The profile for Garcia is strong, but still somewaht raw building on the intrigue to his future upside as he continues to get better over his high school career.

OTHER NAMES TO KNOW: 

(Listed in alphabetical order)

+ '28 C Holden Backus - Westlake High School

+ '28 INF Leo Barrial - Chaminade College Preparatory

+ '27 OF Carson Caras - Harvard-Westlake School

+ '28 OF/RHP Caden Ceman - Mira Costa High School 

+ '28 OF Leyton Denove - Oaks Christian School

+ '26 SS/RHP Miles Herbert - San Marcos High School

+ '28 RHP Sam Jurenka - Loyola High School

+ '29 INF/RHP Riely Loggins - Simi Valley High School

+ '28 SS/2B Emilio McCann - Windward School

+ '26 OF Riley Ortega - Pacifica High School (Oxnard)

+ '28 SS/2B Adrian Rivera - West Ranch High School

+ '27 C Cruz Rodriguez - Chaminade College Preparatory

+ '27 INF/C Jack Sweeney - St. Augustine Academy

+ '26 3B Mason Trigo - Buena High School 

+ '26 C Bret Warner - Thousand Oaks High School 

+ CLICK HERE for a look at the complete statistics from the event.

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