2023 High School Showcase All-Stars

C—Cade Arrambide, Tomball (Texas) HS

Arrambide has a chance to follow Blake Mitchell’s path as a Texas-based LSU commit who becomes the first catcher drafted. He entered the summer with a sterling reputation for his defensive chops behind the plate and double-plus throwing arm. He’s a vocal defender who sticks and presents the ball well, though at times this summer his blocking got a bit inconsistent. His arm strength is clear, and he led all catchers at PGN with a 90 mph throw from behind the plate, as well as a 1.94-second pop time at ACG. Arrambide also showed impressive opposite-field power at ACG by homering twice and hitting six balls harder than 90 mph. He faces some contact questions versus spin but offers plenty of impact.

CI—Caleb Bonemer, Okemos (Mich.) HS

Bonemer was the most impressive player this summer who didn’t enter the circuit ranked on our top 100 draft list. The 6-foot-1, 195-pound third baseman is on a rocket ship up draft boards thanks to his exciting power-speed combination and solid run of hammering the baseball in live games this summer. He homered twice against 93 mph fastballs at PGN, then went 6-for-11 (.545) with three doubles, four walks and three strikeouts at the ACG—including four batted balls hit harder than 93 mph. Bonemer recorded the 10th-fastest 60-yard dash at PGN, the 7th-fastest at ECP and clocked a 4.26-second home-to-first time at ACG. He also made a number of smooth body control plays at the hot corner.

CI—Ethan Surowiec, Gulfport (Miss.) HS

A 6-foot-2, 205-pound third baseman, Surowiec stood out for his rhythmic swing and raw power this summer. In 28 logged games, he hit .378/.447/.608 with two home runs. He has a solid frame with physical projection remaining, though he already has impressive bat speed and straightaway raw power. In the box, Surowiec makes consistent hard contact and has good rhythm and solid swing decisions, though his bat path is a bit long and his impact comes with some swing-and-miss tendencies. He has enough arm strength for third base.

MI—Charlie Bates, Palo Alto (Calif.) HS

A 6-foot-1, 180-pound lefthanded hitter, Bates entered the summer as the No. 5 shortstop in the prep class. He has a simple and repeatable swing, with a track record of making contact. While his offensive numbers this summer don’t jump off the page, he showed solid swing decisions (19% chase rate), a mature approach and solid raw power to his pull side. Bates has some strength in the lower half now, but has plenty of room still to fill out and add more. He should stick at shortstop with fluid, smooth actions, solid arm strength and body control.

MI—Carter Johnson, Oxford (Miss.) HS

Johnson is the sort of player who doesn’t jump out at scouts immediately with raw tools, but he has a steady, reliable presence on both sides of the field. He is a lean, high-waisted shortstop with a 6-foot-2, 180-pound frame and simple, compact swing from the left side. Johnson won’t punch too many balls over the fence right now, instead relying on snappy hands, good rhythm and standout contact ability to put the ball in play to the gaps. In a 233-pitch Synergy sample, Johnson had an impressive 89% overall contact rate. He’s a steady defender with solid actions at the position and average arm strength, though this summer he was a below-average runner.

OF—Slade Caldwell, Valley View HS, Jonesboro, Ark.

Caldwell is an electric, top-of-the-order table setter and speedy center fielder. Listed at 5-foot-9, 177 pounds, he doesn’t offer much physical projection or over-the-fence power potential, but he should impact the game in every other dimension. In the box, he has good rhythm, fast hands, a line-drive-oriented swing and also employs a sound batting eye and selectively aggressive approach. He doesn’t head to the plate searching for a walk, but he will take them where they come and lay off pitches outside the strike zone (14% chase rate). Caldwell is a double-plus runner who consistently runs hard down the line. He covers plenty of ground in center, where he has sound jumps and route-running ability.

OF—PJ Morlando, Summerville (S.C.) HS

Morlando is one of the most fearsome hitters in the 2024 class thanks to a tremendous combination of bat speed, raw power and pure hitting chops. He hit three home runs in seven games with USA Baseball’s 18U qualifier team last fall, then won the high school home run derby at the All-Star Game in Seattle. He also was one of the most impressive hitters in the high school all-star game, with a number of hard-hit balls against live competition. Morlando has a physical, 6-foot-3, 200-pound frame and utilizes an ultra-wide stance and a setup with minimal movement. He’s a pull-heavy hitter at times, with an uphill path perfect for impact flyball contact. He has shown solid zone skills, swing decisions and the ability to hammer velocity.

OF—Garrett Shull, Enid (Okla.) HS

Shull showed an intriguing all-around tool set at ACG and PGN this summer. A 6-foot-1, 203-pound switch-hitter, Shull showed impressive bat speed and power potential from both sides of the plate. He’s lean and muscular and hit five balls harder than 97 mph at ACG, with a low-maintenance operation and solid feel for the barrel. Shull is just an average runner who is slow getting out of the box, so he’ll probably profile best as a corner outfielder. His above-average arm would fit in right field.

UT—Bryce Rainer, Harvard-Westlake HS, Los Angeles

Rainer is a 6-foot-4, 195-pound shortstop and righthanded pitcher with more experience as a position player. He has big arm strength and showed great carry on throws at ACG, though his size and hands might be a better fit at third base. Rainer is selective at the plate and understands the strike zone. He has solid power potential, but some contact question marks and length to his bat path. He wowed on the mound in a one-inning look at ACG, where he threw 95-96 mph fastballs with ease and spun an above-average curveball at 79-83 mph.

RHP—Lazaro Collera, Florida Christian HS, Miami

Collera consistently showed some of the most electric stuff in the 2024 class and had the best pure stuff of any pitcher at BFAA. A big and physically advanced righthander with a 6-foot-5, 230-pound frame, Collera attacks hitters with a fast arm, shorter arm action and three-quarters arm slot. He sat 95-97 mph in shorter stints this summer, generating easy swings and misses at the top of the zone. That’s a big uptick in velocity for Collera after he pitched in the upper 80s and low 90s in 2022. He also continued to improve his breaking ball, which showed solid tilt in the 80-84 mph range and looked like an above-average pitch at PGN.

RHP—William Schmidt, Catholic HS, Baton Rouge, La.

Schmidt is a lean and lanky, 6-foot-4, 180-pound righthander with long levers and extreme physical projection, as well as loud pure stuff. He shoved at PGN, where he struck out five of the eight batters he faced with a lethal fastball/curveball combination. He pitched at 91-94 mph and generated five whiffs with the pitch, though his 77-79 mph 12-to-6 hammer curveball might have been his best pitch at PGN. His curve features tons of depth and he showed good feel to land the pitch for strikes. Schmidt will need to refine his command.

RHP—Joey Oakie, Ankeny (Iowa) Centennial HS

A lower-slot righthander who has trended up in velocity over the last year, Oakie was one of the most electric pitchers at ACG, where he struck out five batters in three innings. A 6-foot-3, 195-pound righthander, Oakie has an athletic frame that still has room for more strength. In his first inning at ACG he pumped 95-96 mph fastballs with tons of armside life. He settled into the 91-94 mph range in his next two frames, but his release point and the movement on the pitch should make it difficult for hitters to square up. Oakie’s slider looked like one of the best breaking balls at the event. He generated seven whiffs with the pitch, which came in at 83-86 mph with big spin and hard late biting action.

RHP—Levi Sterling, Notre Dame HS, Sherman Oaks, Calif.

Sterling is on the extreme young end of the 2024 class and will be 17 years old on draft day. He pitched consistently well this summer and showed swing-and-miss traits with a fastball, slider and changeup—with different pitches taking center stage at different events. At ACG, Sterling struck out six batters and walked two in two innings. He sat 91-94 mph and showed an above-average slider. His breaking ball was in the 79-85 mph range and showed good bite and finish when he was on top of the pitch. Sterling also has a mid-80s changeup that looks like a real weapon now, and he mixes in all three pitches while working quickly and throwing solid strikes.

RHP—Zach Swanson, Toutle Lake (Wash.) HS

Swanson was consistently impressive in his outings this summer and Against 54 batters through five games this summer, Swanson struck out 28 and walked eight. A 6-foot-2, 205-pound righthander, he throws a 91-95 mph fastball with high spin rates and plus potential in the 2,400-2,700 rpm range. His command is scattered, especially to his glove side. Swanson showed better feel for an above-average breaking ball that generated whiffs against both righties and lefties and was also a great backdoor offering against lefties. He occasionally throws the pitch with Frisbee-like, sweeping shape and it has the makings of a plus slider with high spin. He also has mixed in a straight changeup at 84-87 mph.