Boras Classic Arizona Coverage
On Saturday (03/14) the 2020 Boras Classic took place in Tempe, Arizona with some of the top high school teams from throughout the western part of the country. Below are some of the standouts from Corona Del Sol HS, Chandler HS, and Hamilton HS:
Corona Del Sol HS (Tempe, AZ)
2020 SS Hunter Haas (Arizona State commit)
Arguably one of the best players in the state. The future Sun Devil showed high level defensive skills, with great lateral movement. Haas made a back hand play in the five/six hole on a tricky hop where he showed off the arm strength to nail the runner on bang-bang play. Then showed the ability to range glove side on a diving stop making a throw from his knees, showing excellent body control. Haas is a force at the plate with high level movements with a nice blend of bat speed and swing adjustability. He has a tremendous upside with a similar style of play of former Mt Ridge HS and University of Arizona standout Cameron Cannon.
2021 MIF/C Zach Kress (Uncommitted)
On a loaded Aztec team Kress fits right in. The uncommitted junior played up the middle with Haas and was impressive in his own right. Showed some serious feel with the glove. Kress has a solid approach on ground balls with good posture and presentation. Displayed some good pivots and turns with quick transfers. On ground balls he ranged to the back hand side and was able to display his arm strength that can play on either side of the bag. At the plate, Kress has a solid gap-to-gap approach with pop, a compact swing that has barrel exposure in the zone for a long time and produces consistent hard contact. Swing has quick hands with no wasted movement and two hand finish with slight lift. Zach Kress will be a name that will be known around the state quickly.
2021 OF Quade Swearingen (Uncommitted)
A legit two-sport athlete, Quade has an athletic, muscular frame with explosive movements that holds up on the gridiron where he stars as quarterback for the Aztec. At the plate Quade has a slight leg kick start with a small barrel tip, a short, tight swing turning from the middle that causes excellent direction. Strong, quick hands allows for pop to all fields. Swearingen has some foot speed and is aggressive on bases, looking to take an extra base. The uncommitted two-way star is a delight to watch with a blend of controlled aggression and high end athleticism
Chandler HS (Chandler, AZ)
2020 OF Javier Gutierrez (Uncommitted)
Possesses a strong, athletic build with a frame that can increase physically. The left handed hitter has a presence in the box and a simple lower half load with good linear movement that lands him in a 50/50 position. Has some good lead arm extension and turns well from middle. Gutierrez utilizes a clean path to the ball with some bat speed and intent. Finishes with two hands and balanced. If he elevates the ball consistently, he can be a real power threat.
2020 SS Efrain Manzon (Santa Clara commit)
The senior shortstop is physically mature with a stocky, athletic build. Efrain has a very polished skill set on defense with a good first step, soft hands, and very good rhythm with solid arm strength that can keep him on the left side of the infield. Offensively he starts his swing with a small leg kick trigger, utilizing his lower half well, swings with some intent with slight lift, barrel is in zone for a long time allowing pop from gap-to-gap. Would not be shocked if he steps in and contributes early at the next level.
Hamilton HS (Chandler, AZ)
2020 SS Isaiah Adams (Uncommitted)
Slender, wiry build and is ultra twitchy. Defensively he is very active and plays at a high energy clip. Overall defensive tools are sufficient to make him a more than an adequate shortstop, works decent around the middle on pivots and turns with quick transfer. The versatility will allow him to play on both sides of the bag. Has some looseness at the plate with good hand speed, more of a spray line drive hitter presently. His best tool is no doubt his speed, the uncommitted SS accelerates out of the box and turns around bags. With excellent stride length going from 1st to 3rd and scoring from second on knocks are almost automatic. Stock will only rise once he adds muscle to frame with physical maturity.
