Kamehameha junior-to-be Christian DeJesus caught the eye of Atlanta Braves area scout Dan Cox at the Braves' tryout Saturday at Mililani High School. CJ Caraang | SL

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CJ Caraang | SL

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MILILANI - There were no major surprises at the Atlanta Braves tryout Saturday at Mililani High School's baseball field.  But youth caught the eyes Braves area scout Dan Cox.

Among the standouts was Kamehameha junior-to-be Christian DeJesus. The 5-foot-10, 220-pound right-handed pitcher did not take long to impress, touching 92 mph in his first three tosses in the preliminary session of the tryout. He was told to stop after three pitches because he would have to pitch again later, as well as show what he could do in the batter's box and at catcher and first base. He was primarily a relief pitcher for the Warriors this past season, though he picked up two wins starting against Maryknoll and Baldwin in the state tournament.

"I thought it was a good idea just to get exposure," DeJesus said of participating in the tryout."You get to meet people from the pros. It's just a good experience."

DeJesus said he was surprised at his velocity reading.  

"Last year, it was sitting 85, 86 (mph)," the 15-yead-old DeJesus said of his fastball. "To come out here and do that, it feels great."

Intriguing Cox was DeJesus' age. 

"He's 15-years old, a 2019 grad," Cox said. "He's interesting as a position player as well. He's got some bat speed and some power."

Although the tryout was billed for high-school aged players, some collegians, as well as those done with college eligibility attended, including former University of Hawaii player Marcus Doi (as well as fomrer UH pitcher Kyle Mitchell).

"He should be playing pro ball," Cox said of Doi. "We'll see what he decides to do, but he's always hit.  (But) he has a history of getting injured, that's one thing that set him back, but he's always been a good player since we saw him in high school (at Mid-Pac)."

A total of 51 players showed up. In the Braves first tryout in 2015, 139 attended, including a number of former pros.

The only player with affiliated experience was Baldwin alumus Branden Kaupe, an infielder who signed after being drafted in the fourth round by the New York Mets in 2012.  He was released in 2015 and had been nursing a wrist injury.

In the 2015 tryout, the big surprise came from then 26-year-old Ashkon Kuhaulua, a Kamehameha-Kapalama alumnus who hailed from Kauai. His fastball was clocked at 96 mph and eventually returned to the game at Menlo College.

Still, Cox was pleased with the turnout.

"Didn't have the big arms that we typically have," Cox said. "The Ashkon Kuhauluas throwing 95 or 96, but we had some interesting high school players."

Among them were Pearl City senior-to-be Matt Aribal, a left-handed hitting shortstop with offers from UH-Hilo and Air Force.

"It's just to get my name out there," Aribal said of attending the tryout. "I can get their advice and get better.

"I thought I did pretty good, doing the simple stuff right, the small things."

Another high-school player with a nice showing was Mid-Pacific Institute senior-to-be Kyle Layugan, primarily a catcher for the Owls this past season.  The Braves looked him as a pitcher as well. (He made one pitching appearance in 2017.)

"I came out to show I'm one of the kids who has the drive to play at the next level after college," Layugan said.

"I think I did pretty good. They liked my arm and I can catch."

He was touching 83 to 84 mph during his pitching session.

Layugan has no college offers yet, but some Division I schools, such as Cal State-Northridge, Virginia Miliary Institute, Puget Sound and UH have shown interest.

Layugan enjoyed the challenge of facing players older than him.

"I see these older guys and I know they're better than me, but it pushes me more so I can compete better," Layugan said.

Cox told the players before the workout that no one would be signed because there are no openings in the Braves' farm system. But injuries happen and players get released. With scouting reports on attendees in hand, any of the eligible players could sign as undrafted free agents, he said.