Owen
Digenan

Despite having to navigate four defensive errors behind him that led to four unearned runs, Digenan turned in a strong four-inning outing, striking out eight. The sophomore remained composed on the mound, and his stuff continued to sharpen as the outing wore on. This was definitely an encouraging sight to see given the defensive miscues that took place while he was out there. Digenan’s FB sat 83-85 mph and touched 86, showing life through the zone with a little extra juice in 2-strike counts. His CB at 72-75 mph featured tight spin and depth, serving as his go-to secondary, generating multiple swings and misses/called strikes. He also flashed a developing CT at 79-80 that was used in the earlier innings, and while the CH (76 mph) was his primary weapon in the 1st live viewing I had of him, (CG 1-hitter on 3/27) it was used more sparingly this time around providing an additional look to keep batters honest. The FB/CB combo was the standout on the day and it gives him a legitimate 3-pitch mix to rely on with the CB/CH already showing an advanced feel. Through 34.1 innings this season, opponents are hitting just .216 against Digenan. Both times I’ve seen him he has shown the ability to generate soft contact and execute consistently, even when not everything behind him goes smoothly. But his impact isn’t limited to the mound. On days when he’s not pitching, Digenan sees time at 3B, 2B, and SS. He flashes dependable defensive actions and instincts across the board. Offensively, the bat is still developing but he’s shown flashes of progress at the plate and gives signs that a two-way impact could be in the cards as his HS career progresses. There is upside to the body as well. He stands a lean 6-2, roughly 175 and has room to fill out in the coming years. With a big summer ahead, Digenan has a chance to have his name continue to trend upward and make significant strides while he is on the mound.

Digenan threw the ball really well in his start against Santa Fe Christian. He attacked with a 4 pitch mix and he had all 4 working from his 1st inning on. His FB in the early innings was coming in at 83-84 mph and topped at 86. It flashed a late cutting action that was deceptive to RHHs. He had life at the top of the zone with it and was not afraid to fill it up on the inner half of the strike zone.  As the game progressed, he settled in around 81-82 mph once the 4th inning rolled around but that didn't change from how dominant he was on the bump. He remained in complete control because his secondary pitches were very effective for him. His SL (76-78 mph) was a true wipeout pitch for him as he was able to bury down and away to RHHs in two strike counts. He was able to rack up several strikeouts with it in the start. His CB that sat 73-74 mph early and 71-72 mph late, was a weapon for him, especially against LHHs. It was a good change of eye level from his FB and hitters were caught frozen when it crossed home plate more times than not. His CH however, in my opinion, was his most impressive pitch of his outing. It was a consistent 76 mph and it looked like a FB out of his hand, until the bottom dropped out of it and hitters couldn’t pick it up until it was too late. It was a nice change of speed from his FB and he showed an advanced feel for it. A true plus-pitch for him in his arsenal. Digenan ended up throwing a complete game 1 hitter. His only hit surrendered was a HR in the 5th. He ran into a bit of trouble in the 3rd inning with a BB, HBP, and an error, but he was able to work out of it unscathed. His final line: 7 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 6 Ks, on 86 pitches. If Digenan can continue to build off of this strong outing, he should be a ‘27 arm to keep a look out for down here in San Diego.