Sacramento Rising Stars ID: Event Analysis

February 21, 2025
By: Hank LoForte
Northern CA Scouting Director

Follow @PrepBaseballCA Follow @LesLukach Follow @PBRmonk Follow @hardy03bsbl Follow @HankLoForte

At The Yard Podcast: New Episode LIVE now!

On Sunday, February 9th, the Prep Baseball California staff traveled to McBean Park in Lincoln, CA, to host the Sacramento Rising Stars ID, an open event for the classes of 2029-2030.

5 players made their way to Lincoln this past weekend and participated in a pro-style workout, gathering unrivaled access to data through our state-of-the-art tech partners, as well as in-depth scouting analysis from our Prep Baseball California staff.

Today, we will be looking at the top measurable data performers from the event, found below.

QUICK HITS

INF Benson Billings (Rocklin, 2029)
Billings recently moved down here from the state of Oregon, so this was his first CA Prep Baseball event. He does a lot of the little things right, you can tell he loves playing the game when he’s out on the field. During his 60, he ran a 7.43 which was the best out of the Rising Stars group that ran. Had a max speed of 18.3 MPH. For being only in 8th grade, Billings showed good actions when at SS, his arm has enough to get balls across the diamond. Very athletic player all around. His vertical tested at 24.3 in which was the highest of the event for his age group. His BP was impressive, showed a lot of pop to the middle of the field followed by a lot of line drives, max EV of 87.1 MPH, avg EV of 78 MPH, and a max distance of 310 FT. FB topped out at 74 MPH, CH was at 69.1 MPH, & the SL was at 65-67 MPH with a spin rate of 1944 RPM.

C/RHP Joseph Keller (Westpark, 2029)
Keller doesn’t look like a normal sized 8th grader, he stands at 5’10” 188.5lbs packs on a solid frame. At C he moves pretty well behind the plate, sticks the ball well and has a strong arm. Pop times were 2.18-2.44 and a velocity of 70 MPH. Keller’s max EV was 88.3 MPH with an avg of 80.3 MPH, max distance of 292 FT (found sweet spot 42.9% of the time). Max bat speed of 75 MPH and a max hand speed of 22.9 MPH. I see a big arm in the future for Keller, he can throw hard and he can throw strikes. An event best with a max velo of 78.9 MPH, with an average fastball of 76.7 MPH with a avg spin rate of 1985 RPM. Throws a SK/SL/CB mix, I really like the CB has a good 12-6 bite to it. When he develops all of his pitches he’s going to be hard to hit against in the future.

LHP/1B Kolt Irwin (Folsom, 2029)
Irwin is an interesting two way that has the potential to do damage on both sides of the ball. Checked in at 5’9” 162.5lbs, tested 80.3 (RH) & 76.1 (LH) for his grip strength with a vertical of 15.2 in. Got in tons of work as he was the only 1B who attended the event, good glove work and first steps. Max EV was 76.1 MPH with an avg velocity of 72.5 MPH. (Avg launch angle avg of 24.6). On the mound is where I can see Irwin being the most dominant, he topped out at 74.3 MPH with an avg FB velocity of 70.9 MPH. The CB is gross, coming in about 20 MPH slower than his FB. CB spin 1755 MPH with an avg velo of 54.3 MPH and 17.2 in of total movement. The SL is another good pitch in his arsenal at 58.6 MPH with an avg spin of 1814 RPM and 17.5 in of total avg movement. Very efficient spin on all of his pitches that were thrown.

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS

FASTBALL VELOCITY (MAX)

FASTBALL SPIN RATE (AVG.)

60-YARD DASH

EXIT VELOCITY (MAX)

TOP INFIELD VELOCITY

TOP CATCHER VELOCITY

TOP POP TIMES

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

SCOUTING REPORTS (LISTED ALPHABETICALLY)

Kamren Avila, Folsom High (CA), 2029
Positional Profile: SS
Body: 5-7, 114 pounds.
Hit: RHH. Stands tall rocking bat, quiet load with a quick stride. Short path, possesses slight lift, aggressive finish. 53.7 mph bat speed with 4g of rotational acceleration.
Power: 75 mph max exit velocity (68.3 avg.); 240-foot max batted distance.
Arm: RH. INF - 64.00 mph. Short and quick action, low 3/4 slot.
Defense: Agile, smooth transfer, soft hands.
Athletic Testing: 7.92 runner in the 60-yard dash; 21.00-inch max vertical jump.

Positional Profile: RHP
Delivery: Quick tempo, explosive, loose with a balanced finish.
Arm Action: RH. Short and easy, low 3/4 slot.
FB: T73, 70-73 mph. Heavy spin. T2215, 2160 average rpm.
CB: 61-63 mph. Sweeping action, keeps low. T2216, 2147 average rpm.
CH: 64-66 mph. Possesses feel with some late depth. T1541, 1441 average rpm.

Benson Billings, Rocklin (CA), 2029
Positional Profile: SS
Body: 5-7, 140 pounds. Athletic, projectable.
Hit: LHH. Sets up in the back of the box with weight on back side, heavy load during stride, stays in-line. Compact, shorter path, loose hands, long follow through. 62.9 mph bat speed with 10g of rotational acceleration.
Power: 87 mph max exit velocity (78 avg.); 310-foot max batted distance.
Arm: RH. INF - 71.00 mph. Short circle, whippy action, side arm.
Defense: pop time range; Natural look, easy two-hand gather, smooth transfer.
Athletic Testing: 7.43 runner in the 60-yard dash; 24.30-inch max vertical jump.

Positional Profile: RHP
Delivery: Stretch only, sets up with light knee bend, short and easy leg lift, falls down the mound, rotation in front foot strike.
Arm Action: RH. Extends arm on back swing, loose with some whip, side arm.
FB: T74, 72-74 mph. Sinking action, throws mainly arm side. T1836, 1724 average rpm.
SL: 65-67 mph. Late horizontal break, stays glove side. T1944, 1582 average rpm.
CH: 68-70 mph. Heavy fade. T1752, 1689 average rpm.

Jonathan Gutierrez, Elk Grove High (CA), 2029
Positional Profile: 3B/C
Body: 5-11, 157 pounds. Proportionate with projection.
Hit: RHH. Narrow in the front of the box, loads into a longer stride. Steady bat, quick hands, possesses some whip to barrel. 65.8 mph bat speed with 13g of rotational acceleration.
Arm: RH. C - 68.00 mph. INF - 68.00 mph. C: Short action, quick throw, 3/4 slot. INF: Compact, 3/4 slot.
Defense: 2.44-2.59 pop time range; C: Smooth gather, quick transfer, aggressive follow through on throw. INF: Easy approach to the ball, quick transfer.
Athletic Testing: 8.09 runner in the 60-yard dash; 19.40-inch max vertical jump.

Positional Profile: RHP
Delivery: Controlled windup, heavy load on back side, full extension over front leg.
Arm Action: RH. Longer action, fully extends arm on back swing, high 3/4 slot.
FB: T75, 73-75 mph. Late life with feel. T1864, 1821 average rpm.
CB: 60-62 mph. Gradual action with heavy depth. T2072, 1924 average rpm.
SL: 62-64 mph. Hard bite, keeps low. T2066, 1940 average rpm.
CH: 69-71 mph. Deceptive, kills spin. T1540, 1419 average rpm.

Kolten Irwin, Folsom High (CA), 2029
Positional Profile: 1B
Body: 5-9, 160 pounds.
Hit: LHH. Balanced setup, high leg lift, easy swing. Compact keeping hands close to body, easy path through the zone, pulls the ball. 55.5 mph bat speed with 8g of rotational acceleration.
Power: 76 mph max exit velocity (72.5 avg.); 258-foot max batted distance.
Arm: LH. INF - 64.00 mph. Short circle, 3/4 slot.
Defense: Steady, one hand gather in front of body.
Athletic Testing: 8.98 runner in the 60-yard dash; 15.20-inch max vertical jump.

Positional Profile: LHP
Delivery: Keeps feet close together in setup, stiff back leg, high leg lift, balanced finish.
Arm Action: LH. Full circle fully extending on back swing, low 3/4 slot.
FB: T74, 69-73 mph. Displays heavy run, accurate. T1725, 1607 average rpm.
CB: 53-55 mph. Gradual action, 12/6 break. T1781, 1755 average rpm.
SL: 57-60 mph. Displays feel, late break. T1924, 1814 average rpm.
CH: 60-62 mph. Possesses depth, ball dies as it reaches the plate. T1193, 1112 average rpm.

Joseph D. Keller, Westpark 95747 (CA), 2029
Positional Profile: C
Body: 5-10, 180 pounds. Possesses strength throughout.
Hit: RHH. Relaxed and slightly open stance, quiet load, short leg lift, balanced finish. Quiet hands, shorter path, stays on top of the ball. 58.7 mph bat speed with 15g of rotational acceleration.
Power: 88 mph max exit velocity (80.3 avg.); 292-foot max batted distance.
Arm: RH. C - 70.00 mph. Hand to ear, 3/4 slot, easy throw.
Defense: 2.18-2.44 pop time range; Athletic, quick out of crouch into throwing position, throws in-line.
Athletic Testing: 8.46 runner in the 60-yard dash; 15.70-inch max vertical jump.

Positional Profile: C/RHP
Delivery: Balanced and repeatable windup, quick leg lift, explodes off back side.
Arm Action: RH. Full circle, 3/4 slot, quick arm.
FB: T79, 75-78 mph. Accurate, keeps low in the zone. T2140, 1985 average rpm.
CB: 61-64 mph. Slurve action. T2033, 1965 average rpm.
SL: 66-67 mph. Tight rotation. T1988, 1877 average rpm.
CH: 70-71 mph. Keeps low with some fade. T1455, 1397 average rpm.