Samohi’s Skaggs Shows Scouts What He Has:

The high school baseball season is over and a new one is months away, but this is an important time for players to show professional scouts what talent they possess.There are numerous off-season events which are part of major league baseball’s evaluation process and Santa Monica High School (Samohi) pitcher Tyler Skaggs recently participated in one — the MLB Scouting Bureau’s summer showcase at the Urban Youth Academy in Compton.Players who do well in this setting take a major step toward meriting closer looks as teams prepare for the next draft in June, 2009.Skaggs, a 6-foot-4 lefthander, attracted considerable attention in his junior season at Samohi in which he became Ocean League Player of the Year.It’s well known he’s a high caliber prospect with some work to do. Becoming stronger and elevating his fastball a bit on the radar gun tops the list. But at the Urban Youth Academy, competing against other heralded youngsters, he did well.When the event ended Skaggs was one of three pitchers who made a list, obtained by the Mirror that rated him in consideration to be drafted in the first three rounds next June.According to the report, Skaggs’ fastball was clocked at 88mph. Scouts would like to see it go higher but believe that will occur as he grows and matures. And they’re well aware that he had a 10-inning shutout against Culver City High in which he struck out 14 batters and walked none.The other two pitchers who stood out from an impressive group were Tyler Matock of Capistrano High in Mission Viejo and Matt Hagood of Norco High.With Skaggs clearly on the radar of major league organizations, there most likely will be plenty of scouts at Samohi’s games next season.