Burton's Scout Blog: Week 2
March 27, 2025
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The Prep Baseball Virginia/DC staff makes their way across the Commonwealth and DC throughout the spring to assist high school players in gathering evaluations, including video and some data, that allow our staff to assist in the potential recruitment of student-athletes.
Take a look at a few games and players that stood out over the past week of play.
*Schools and player names are in alphabetical order.*
*If a player does not have a profile, we do not have the ability to feature them in a story.*
Atlantic Shores
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Brett Beasley SS / RHP / Atlantic Shores Christian, VA / 2025The East Carolina commit was absolute nails on the mound on Saturday. Works with intent and effort, attacks hitters with three pitches, and flashed some glove side command with the fastball. The fastball was 89-91 through three innings. In addition to the fastball, the slider/cutter sat 80-83 and was firm with late short shape. The curveball was more gradual and tended to back up out of the hand. Beasley worked 4.2 innings, allowed two hits, three walks, two runs, and had nine strikeouts.
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Brody Beasley SS / RHP / Atlantic Shores, VA / 2028Like many others on that Saturday, he struggled offensively and expanded the zone, but it was expected for the quality of arm that he was facing. The bigger thing I took out of the look was his ability to defend on the left side. The younger brother of ECU commit, Brett Beasley, Brody moved really well laterally and reminded me a little bit of older brother. Above average arm strength, showed some ability to throw from different slots, and it just functioned well. Will be one to continue to watch grow, physically and into his offense.
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Ty Woods RHP / 1B / Atlantic Shores Christian , VA / 2025
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Cape Henry
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Keaton Lane OF / RHP / CAPE HENRY COLLEGIATE, VA / 2029First time seeing this young switch hitting infielder. Not a ton to take away, as Lane, and the entire Cape lineup was facing a really good arm on the day. However, he did have one of the very few hits for Cape. He was overpowered in most of his at bats, but so was every other hitter in the lineup. While I am sure it was his first time facing 90-93 with a 80 mph slider, he did not look uncomfortable in his at bats. Defensively he moved well and showed solid actions, especially for an 8th grader, while starting at third base.
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Trajan Taylor RHP / 3B / Cape Henry, VA / 2025
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Douglas Freeman
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Drew LeVasseur LHP / OF / Douglas Freeman, VA / 2027Second time in as weeks seeing the sophomore left hander. He was every bit of what he was the first time, and more. More extended outing, held velo well, and the control might have gotten a little better as he went. There are still some very short spurts that he will be uncompetitive outside of the zone, but all in all I would say slightly above average command. The fastball works mostly outer half and he was able to beat hitters in the zone with the low 80's offering. Did not spin as many breaking balls in this outing, but did not need to, as he was winning at bats with the fastball. Finished with ten strikeouts, one walk, and did not allow a hit or a run.
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Finn Whipple OF / Douglas Freeman, VA / 2025Just looks much more comfortable at the plate and has picked up the contact rate from years past. Thin frame, tall and narrow setup, and some pull side tendency with the swing, but certainly has the lean strength and bat speed to impact in both gaps. Multi-hit day, going three for five and tallying five RBI's. Although no pregame I/O took place, watching him warm-up, there is pretty easy arm strength for the Harvard commit. Some easy to see tools that are starting to show up in game a little more this season.
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Gainesville
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Matthew Eidemiller 2B / SS / Gainesville High School, VA / 2026
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Ian Fournier OF / Gainesville, VA / 2026When Fournier was a freshman, you came away thinking about what it could be. As the past two years have gone along, when we have seen him, it has shown flashes, but has been inconsistent at times. This year could be a coming out party for the junior. Has a little bit of an edge to him when he is in the box, a sort of quiet confidence in how he carries himself. Is not a big physical bat, but nonetheless, has some sneaky juice and ability to impact the ball. Had two fairly hard hit balls on the night, one a double off the fence and then a fairly well hit ball for a sac fly. Will be one to watch as an uncommitted '26, but also could prove to be a huge piece for this Gainesville lineup.
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Caden Merritt OF / RHP / Gainesville, VA / 2025Competitor. Did not have the velo that we have seen, but he is the guy that is going to show up and compete with what he has that day, regardless of whether that is his "A stuff", or not. Used the slider as the out pitch, but was not afraid to challenge later in counts with the fastball. The fastball velo was 85-86 early on and he landed the sweeping breaking ball for strikes fairly consistently. At the plate, outside of a well hit ball in his first at bat, he did not see a ton of competitive pitches in the zone that night. Coastal Carolina commit.
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Aaron Ritenour OF / OF / Gainesville, VA / 2026Long levered 6-foot-4 frame. Plenty of room to grow into the frame. During BP the swing was a little more uphill and top hand heavy, but during the game it leveled out a bit and showed some more length in the zone. Had a loud double in his first at bat, but nothing much after that. Approach wise, Ritenour is very patient/passive at the plate. Whether or not it is really good zone discipline, is probably a decision we come to after we see some at bats lumped together in a few weeks at the Commonwealth Classic.
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Kaden Zimorowicz SS / RHP / Gainesville High School, VA / 2027This was our first look at Zimorowicz, a new arm to VA/DC. It is an extremely quick arm from a three-quarter slot, works with intent, and lands closed getting down the mound. It was an extremely cold night and whether or not that played into some command issues is TBD. The fastball was 85-88 mph and had some riding life to it from what appeared to be a lower release height. The breaking ball is more of a depthy slider at 76-79 mph and has some swing and miss potential. It is an arm that is well worth seeing again, and like some others, I am sure we will get to see in the next two to three weeks.
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Miller School
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Noah Gray OF / 2B / MILLER SCHOOL OF ALBEMARLE, VA / 2027Simply put, all this young man does is hit. Every day when MSA was in Florida I checked the box score, just to see how they did. While they did struggle versus the high level teams they played, the one constant was the Noah Gray was gonna have at least one hit. Leading the team hitting right now, hitting over .600, most of it coming versus high level arms. It is not a big impact, run production type of bat. He has really solid bat to ball skills and simply forces the action on the opposing team, coming out on top more than not. Right now I would lean more left field/center field in terms of defensive fit long term. Is an above average runner and will need to continue to grow in the baserunning department to let some of that run tool play a little better in game.
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Evan Hankins 1B / LHP / Miller School, VA / 2025All around solid day for the Tennessee commit. Started on the mound and worked four innings, giving up five hits, and while he did allow four runs, none of those were credited as earned. He worked in the mid to upper 80's, toucing 89 mph, and absolutely filled up the strike zone with three pitches. Early on he was landing probably 80% strikes and ended the outing with a 72% strike percentage. While he more than held his own on the mound, it was at the plate where he was the biggest contributor. Hankins was two for three with a homerun, a single, and four RBI's. He was extremely patient early in counts and seemed comfortable hitting in two strike counts, especially on an elevated fastball that he got on plane and lined back through the middle. While just stat line and production wise he had struggled the first week or so, he looks to be settling in just fine.
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Jackson Rosales OF / RHP / Miller School of Albemarle, VA / 2026Strong and physical right handed hitting corner outfielder. Wider setup at the plate, minimal to no stride, more of a rotational load with the shoulders closed off, and a one piece type of swing. Above average bat speed and did a nice job of staying inside of this ball for a line drive single on Wednesday. Has the strength to impact it in both gaps. Had a big putout early in the game on a throw from right field to throw out a runner at the plate.
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Drew Wade RHP / 3B / Miller School of Albemarle, VA / 2028The freshman closer. Every bit of the closer mentality too. With the Miller School skipper, who better to teach what it takes and to know what it takes to be a succcesful closer more than one of the greatest to ever do it? Wade has that makeup to be succesful at it. He wants the ball in that spot and is not afraid of the situation. Had a walk to start the seventh, and in a two run game, he never flinched. Wade dominated the next two hitters, leading to two strikeouts, and then induced a pop up to end the game. Wade sat 83-85 and touched 86 once. He showed a slider or two, but it was a come and get it fastball that did most of the work. The kid is a competitor and he expects to be succesful, and that in itself is half the battle when you are on the mound.
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Trinity Episcopal
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Vinnie Fischi OF / LHP / Trinity Episcopal , VA / 2026Fischi is a long limbed, 6-foot-6 left/left outfielder and arm. While there are still some questions as to where he fits best in the long term, his biggest contributions on this day were at the plate where he three for three in the first game, all three hits coming with two strikes. It is a wider base at the plate, shifts the weight to load, and small pick up and put down to stride. Shorter path to contact and has some pullside tendency at times, but did barrel up a line drive to center. On the mound, Fischi was up to 86-87, but sat mostly 83-85. He struggled with fastball command during his two innings of work, walking three and striking out one. Three quarter slot from a longer arm swing. Fairly normal effort in the delivery. Lands very slightly closed at landing. Was a heavy fastball dose as he tried establish a consistent feel for the zone. In his first inning, when ahead he would run the velo up just a touch, but it would drop just a bit when he was searching for feel. It did settle a bit in his second inning and made pitches at the right time to keep Cape off the board.
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Jalen German RHP / 1B / Trinity Episcopal , VA / 20262024 Future Games alum and Coastal Carolina commit. Strong 6-foot-2, 225-pound frame that is evident throughout the frame. Full arm action, low three-quarter slot, and pitches with slightly above normal effort. While we have known, A) there is plenty of upside B) the stuff has a chance to play, but there have been some other questions like A) will he miss enough bats B) will the command improve. While it was only one outing, he looks to have answered some of those questions. Five innings, two hits late in the outing, two walks (both 3-2 walks), ten strikeouts, held velo, and showed much improved control. German threw sixty-plus percent strikes on the day, with control being much tighter from the full windup versus the stretch. Now to the data/metrics portion. Fastballs ranged from 91-93 from the delivery and tended to be more 89-91 from the stretch, which he was not in very frequently. The slider was 79-81 with late depth and tighter shape. Also showed a few changeups at 82-84. His ability to show that changeup and continue to build on that, or a third pitch in general, will be paramount when it comes to draft status next year.
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Lawson Mcleod RHP / 1B / Trinity Episcopal, VA / 20266-foot-6, 215-pound frame. Like German, McLeod was dominant in his 5.2 innings of work. Also similar to German, McLeod threw sixty-plus percent strikes, with much higher percentages of strikes on the slider and changeup, while the fastball had some below average command in spurts. While there are plenty of differences between the two, there are also some similarities between the two Trinity aces. The ability to miss bats, the ability to land his arsenal for strikes, and work quicker in counts to allow him to get deeper into games. These were all areas for improvement for me coming into the year, and again like his counterpart, in this one start, he answered a lof of those questions. The fastball cruised at 91-93, still grabbing 92's in the sixth, and touched 94 and 95 mph a few times early. He would usually add that one to three mph when he was ahead in counts and was trying to finish at bats. The slider is much improved in shape and feel, but most of all in feel. He started and finished counts with it, sat 79-82 mph, and it would be safe to say that he landed it at a seventy-plus percent clip. While it was up in the zone more often than not, it flashed average to above average when he got it out front and got it down. When he did that it just had more bite at the bottom of the zone. While those two pitches showed their own unique upside, the changeup has a change to be really special. Like the slider, he threw it for strikes basically whenever he wanted and just seemed to be toying with hitters early in counts. It sat at 84-85 mph and had hard fade and killed spin. The changeup by itself, is probably average to slightly above, but when you pair it with those other two, it is an elite high school pitch and above average pitch at the next level. If he can continue to show that changeup, or even maybe add a serviceable fourth pitch, the profile could likely turn to starter potential, which in turn will help his value down the road.
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West Potomac
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Alex Cortes SS / RHP / West Potomac, VA / 2027Was a stark contrast on the look, as Cortes followed up Dean on the mound. 5-foot-11 right hander following the 6-foot-8 left hander. Cortes did a really solid job for most of the early work that I caught. Simply put, he threw strikes and held the West Springfield offense down in the middle innings while West Potomac tried to get back in the game. The velo and stuff alone are a bit light right now, but for the most part, he is not going to beat himself. He landed two pitches for strikes, especially with the slurvy low 70's breaking ball. As was stated that night, it is not big overpowering stuff, just a sophomore right hander getting out there and competing in the zone.
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Austin Dean LHP / 1B / West Potomac, VA / 2025Our first look at the 6-foot-8 Hokies commit in quite some time. Medium lift on the delivery, open lander, longer arm swing, and works from a lower three-quarter arm slot. In the first he struggled with command, but it got a little better after, trending more towards a 1:1 strike/ball ratio. The fastball tended to work arm side and struggled to get the fastball to the glove side. The slider was shorter shaped and worked more arm side, but did throw a few solid pitches that he got some swings and misses on. Most of them were inner half and down the right handers. Just a few changeups that he tended to pull a little bit and missed to the glove side. The fastball sat 88-90 early, dipped more 86-88, and then in the third was sitting more 85-87. The slider velo varied at times, but was at its best when he was 77-79 with the pitch.
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West Springfield
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Aaron Dierks RHP / 1B / WEST SPRINGFIELD HIGH, VA / 2026The best way I can describe Dierks is unique. It is unique in some of the pitch shapes and how they play out of the hand. Whether some of the pitch shaping and changes that happen from one pitch to the next are on purpose or not, I am not sure of, but regardless it offers a very different look for hitters. Will run the upper 80's fastball in on a right hander, then downhill with cut, then some cut and carry. It is just a funky look for hitters, especially for right handers. The South Carolina commit was up to 90 and just has right handers beating balls into the ground on a pretty consistent basis. Also landed two breaking balls, both with distinct shape and velo to them. The curveball was bigger and backed up at 72-74 mph, while the slider was 76-78 with shorter shape and not used as frequently as the curveball.
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Patrick Sido OF / LHP / WEST SPRINGFIELD HIGH, VA / 2025Every time I see Sido, my ability to pick him out gets less and less. His physical transformation over the past eighteen-ish months is pretty significant. Deserves a ton of credit for the physical strength he has added and how that is playing into his game. Even two to three years ago he showed some solid bat to ball skills, but you knew it was a corner outfield/first base profile and wondered if the impact would ever increase. Well, it has. A homerun and a backside double on the night, loud barrels, and an extremely strong young man. Mary Baldwin commit.
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Milo Thompson RHP / 1B / WEST SPRINGFIELD, VA / 2025
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