2016 Joey Riherd Adds a Dimension, 2018 C William Kahn Trims a Second in San Francisco
Maloney Field
The Under Armour Baseball Factory National Tryout Tour rolled through the Bay Area on Sunday, September 6, with a stop at Maloney Field on the campus of San Francisco State University.
Members of the NCAA Division II California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA), the San Francisco State Gators finished the 2015 season with four selected to the All-CCAA Team.
We saw a number of familiar faces over the course of the day, including several players that showed off impressive improvements, and another that showed an added dimension — in the form of a new position.
2016 3B/C Joey Riherd
2016 Joey Riherd (Diablo, CA) showed off newfound skills behind the plate this workout. With help from former Major League catcher John Baker, Riherd got behind the plate and quickly picked up catch & throw skills — as evidenced by his 1.96 workout pop time. He showed natural rhythm to his release, allowing for consistently strong and accurate throws.
Good hands are good hands (in most cases), so it’s no surprise he received well based on what we’d seen from his ability to field ground balls cleanly at third base. He moved well to block also, giving him a solid overall base of skills to build on if/when he is called on behind the plate.
We first saw him at the September 2014 Under Armour Baseball Factory National Tryout in San Francisco, where he showed a solid right-handed stroke and touched 84 mph raw velocity.
He was better almost across the board a few months later at the Under Armour Baseball Factory Recruiting Classic in Arizona, where both his fielding ability and raw power improved by a half-grade on the Baseball Factory 10-70 scouting scale. He also improved his 60 yard dash by nearly three tenths of a second, down from 7.62 to a respectable 7.34.
Between the January 2015 Under Armour All-America Pre-Season Tournament and the July 2015 Under Armour National West Showcase, he added an inch and 15 pounds (from 6-0/170 up to 6-1/185) and continued to show well-rounded ability in workouts and usable tools in games.
Riherd’s added dimension stands to make him a more interesting prospect, as the ability to play a premium position allows offensive ability to be looked at in a different light.
Top performers by measurable category appear below:
Catcher Release Times
| Sec | Pop Time Leaders |
| 1.96 | Joey Riherd (C – 2016 – Monte Vista HS – Diablo, CA) |
| 2.01 | Jordan Down (C – 2018 – Folsom, CA HS) |
| 2.03 | Cameron Barstad (C – 2018 – Junipero Serra HS – Redwood City, CA) |
| 2.05 | William Kahn (C – 2018 – Stuart Hall HS – San Francisco, CA) |
| 2.08 | Ramon Enriquez (C – 2016 – Capuchino HS – San Bruno, CA) |
| 2.10 | Cody Nisbet (C – 2017 – California HS – San Ramon, CA) |
2017 C Cody Nisbet
We first saw 2017 C Cody Nisbet (San Ramon, CA) at the 2014 Under Armour So Cal Classic as a member of the Thunder Sox Baseball Club.
His next event was the 2015 Under Armour All-America Pre-Season Tournament, where he posted pop times as low as 2.21.
About six months later, at the Under Armour National West Showcase, he pushed his low end pop time all the way down to 1.96 — placing him in the top five catch & throw guys at that event, and marking an improvement of a quarter-second from the 2.21 we saw his last time out.
His best time most recently was 2.10, while his raw velocity was 81 mph (a little better than previous) and his bat exit velocity was 79 mph (also a little better than previous).
Raw Velocity
| mph | Raw Velocity Leaders |
| 85 | Aaron Watson (OF – 2017 – California HS – San Ramon, CA) |
| 84 | Ramon Enriquez (C – 2016 – Capuchino HS – San Bruno, CA) |
| 83 | Karter Koch (SS/RHP – 2017 – Ukiah, CA HS) |
| 83 | William Kahn (C – 2018 – Stuart Hall HS – San Francisco, CA) |
| 82 | Jack Mori (OF – 2017 – Junipero Serra HS – San Mateo, CA) |
| 81 | Nicholas Israel (SS – 2017 – Bishop Gorman HS – Henderson, NV) |
| 81 | Joey Riherd (C – 2016 – Monte Vista HS – Diablo, CA) |
At the March 2014 Under Armour Baseball Factory National Tryout in Union City, 2017 OF Jack Mori (San Mateo, CA) posted 79 mph raw velocity and ran 7.58 in the 60 yard dash. At that time, he was listed at 6-1/195, and showed advanced hitting ability and raw power in batting practice.
It’s been about a year-and-a-half since we’ve seen him, and in that time he’s gotten bigger — such that he is now listed at 6-foot-2 and 225 pounds. At this most recent event, he didn’t run quite as well as we saw before, but he did improve his raw velocity by three miles per hour (up from 79 to 82 mph).
We didn’t test grip strength in 2014, but his measure of 150 psi with his right hand stands near the top of what we’ve seen so far in 2015. He again showed an interesting combination of hitting ability and raw power in batting practice, thanks to a coordinated left-handed stroke and the ability to consistently deliver the barrel for hard contact.
Bat Exit Velocity
| mph | Bat Exit Velocity Leaders |
| 89 | Ramon Enriquez (C – 2016 – Capuchino HS – San Bruno, CA) |
| 89 | Zach Smits (3B – 2016 – Los Gatos, CA HS) |
| 87 | Anthony Soto (OF – 2016 – Freedom HS – Brentwood, CA) |
| 86 | Jaymin Graveman (2B – 2016 – Rancho Cotate HS – Rohnert Park, CA) |
| 86 | Nick Prainito (SS – 2017 – Menlo Atherton HS – Menlo Park, CA) |
| 85 | Nicholas Israel (SS – 2017 – Bishop Gorman HS – Henderson, NV) |
| 84 | Jack Harris (RHP – 2017 – Tamalpais HS – Mill Valley, CA) |
| 82 | Nicki Brass (1B – 2018 – Tamalpais HS – Mill Valley, CA) |
| 82 | Jack Mori (OF – 2017 – Junipero Serra HS – San Mateo, CA) |
A pair of 6-foot-2, 210 pound right-handed hitters led the bat exit velocity category — and both arrived there via the same combination of bat speed and swing coordination.
2016 C Ramon Enriquez (San Bruno, CA) used his lower half and core rotation for strength at contact, and generated bat speed through contact for 89 mph bat exit velocity. He was also among the leaders in raw velocity and catcher release time, with marks of 84 mph and 2.08 respectively. His throws were accurate to the bag, and he sat well to receive and showed the ability to move down to block balls in the dirt.
Also through a combination of bat speed and core rotation through contact, 2016 3B Zach Smits (Los Gatos, GA) reached 89 mph bat exit velocity. The ball jumped off his bat a few times in batting practice, and as he works to eliminate some pre-pitch noise he stands to see that type of contact more consistently. Also a capable infield defender at third base, Smits showed the ability to make throws from multiple slots to complete plays.
Switch-hitting 2017 SS Nicholas Israel (Henderson, NV) handled the bat very well from both sides of the plate, with the only apparent difference coming in the form of bat exit velocity. He was 6 mph stronger from the left side of the plate, with a mark of 85 mph. He showed sure hands defensively, along with athletic actions and flashes of a nice first step and the ability to cover ground.
Fastball Velocity
| mph | Fastball Velocity Leaders |
| 86 | Jack Harris (RHP – 2017 – Tamalpais HS – Mill Valley, CA) |
| 83 | Mario Vargas (RHP – 2018 – Capuchino HS – San Bruno, CA) |
| 81 | Kevin Jacobs (SS/RHP – 2017 – San Mateo HS – Foster City, CA) |
| 81 | Karter Koch (SS/RHP – 2017 – Ukiah, CA HS) |
At the September 2014 Under Armour Baseball Factory National Tryout in San Francisco, 2017 SS/RHP Kevin Jacobs (Foster City, CA) threw his fastball between 75 and 80 mph, and showed a 61-63 mph breaking ball.
Almost exactly one year later, his breaking ball velocity jumped from the low 60s all the way into the low 70s — with much improved spin, depth and overall action. In the same period of time, his fastball velocity nudged up from 80 to 81 mph.
A one mile per hour jump in a year isn’t a huge jump, but for many evaluators, improvements (such as these) to breaking balls often indicate potential for improved fastball velocity. When you think about that, it makes perfect sense; it takes more arm speed along with a looser and stronger wrist to generate more spin on the pitch, and each of those factors also lead to improved velocity. There is no such thing as a guarantee when projecting future tools, but an indicator for future fastball velocity is certainly there for Kevin Jacobs.
60 Yard Dash
| sec | 60 Yard Dash Leaders |
| 7.01 | Hunter Estabrook (OF/RHP – 2016 – Maria Carillo HS – Sebastopol, CA) |
| 7.10 | Anthony Soto (OF – 2016 – Freedom HS – Brentwood, CA) |
| 7.22 | Nicholas Israel (SS – 2017 – Bishop Gorman HS – Henderson, NV) |
| 7.23 | Tai Garcia (SS – 2017 – Abraham Lincoln HS – San Francisco, CA) |
| 7.27 | William Kahn (C – 2018 – Stuart Hall HS – San Francisco, CA) |
2018 C William Kahn
This event marked the third time we’d seen 2018 C William Kahn (San Francisco, CA) to date in 2015. The first time was in April at the Baseball Factory College PREP in Union City, where he ran 8.19 and posted 82 mph raw velocity along with pop times between 2.03 and 2.17.
A couple of months later in June at the Baseball Factory National World Series in Omaha, he shaved three tenths off his 60 yard dash (down from 8.19 to 7.90) while his pop times and raw velocity stayed about the same.
In Omaha, he worked with former NFL running back Michael Blair (Baseball Factory’s Strength & Athletic Development Coach at many Player Development events, including both Omaha sessions) on his speed. Their work clearly paid off, and in a short period of time at that — by early September 2015, not even three months after he left Omaha, he got his 60 yard dash all the way down to 7.27 — marking an amazing improvement of nearly one full second in less than six months.
Kahn also increased his raw velocity by one tick up to 83 mph, and again posted release times around 2.05.
The Under Armour Baseball Factory National Tryout Tour is rolling through all 50 states. Tryouts are held for players ages 12-14 and 14-18. Don’t miss your opportunity to Be Discovered.
Find an Under Armour Baseball Factory National Tryout near you and register online or call (800) 641-4487.
