Righthander
Christopher Paddack (2015, Cedar Park, Texas) wasn't among the
highest velocity Texas flamethrowers on display, but the Texas A&M
commit was the most advanced present pitchability hurler to take the
mound all weekend long at the 2014 WWBA South Qualifier. Padack
pounded the corners of the strike zone with a fastball that sat 84-87
with plus tailing depth to the arm side from a low effort delivery
that hides the baseball extremely well. He showed plus command and
was able to live on the black of both sides of the plate. He issued
three walks over seven innings of work despite an approach with a
heavy focus on running the ball back over the corners which leaves
very little margin for error.
He
paired his sinking fastball with an equally advanced changeup which
features identical arm speed and arm action, with even bigger darting
life diagonally to the arm side in the mid-70s. While he didn't
exhibit quite the same feel for the changeup as the fastball, he
showed the ability to locate it to either side of the strike zone
with control rarely seen on high school changeups. He rarely went to
his breaking ball as it was unnecessary for him in this outing, and
aside from one mistake that he was punished with a solo home run for,
he was in cruise control for the Austin Banditos. He left the game
tied at 1-1 after seven innings, striking out nine while allowing
three hits.
First
baseman Joe Davis (2015, Austin, Texas) continued his torrid
pace, bludgeoning his way to MVP honors by crushing five home runs in
seven games as the Houston Banditos Black successfully defended their
title. He also crushed three doubles as well, and the amount of carry
off of his bat was evident by the reactions of opposing center
fielders. Thanks to the plus strength at contact from Davis, balls
that look like medium deep pop ups wound up carrying all the way to,
or over, the fence. His patient approach and comfort with letting the
ball travel deep resulted in a handful of strikeouts throughout the
tournament, and several walks, as he was pitched carefully, and his
power was oriented around the middle of the field. He has shown an
ability to hit against high velocity and high level stuff in the past
and this weekend he showed an impressive approach that led to the
monster performance.
Righthander
Alfredo Villareal (2015, Brownsville, Texas) got the start in
the title game and delivered a championship performance. He topped
out at 90 mph and showed a sharp curveball with big depth up to 75
mph with good control of it, generating both swings and misses as
well as locating it for called strikes. His fastball featured good
life and he lived in the upper-80s throwing consistent strikes.
Righthander
M.D. Johnson (2016, Red Oak, Texas) was one of the higher
upside underclass arms to take the mound over the weekend in the
Banditos Black's quarterfinal playoff game. He topped out at 90 mph
and has a quick arm. His 6-foot-5, 165=pound frame has a lot of room
to fill and there is a lot of funk to his delivery. But what stands
out most about Johnson is his 12-to-6 curveball with sharp break and
good depth in the mid-70s with good control. It was his put-away
pitch, and any time he got into trouble he was able to go to it to
get out of that trouble. He wasn't especially sharp in the command
department in this outing, but in terms of raw ingredients he checks
all of the boxes that scouts look for in underclassmen.
Jaxon
Williams (2016, Rosenberg, Texas) did his part to help send the
South Texas Sliders into the championship game of the South
Qualifier. With the score tied 1-1 in the top of the 10th, Williams
stepped to the plate and connected for one of the loudest hit balls
on the tournament, squaring up a fastball for a line drive home run
over the left-center field fence, which would prove to be the
game-winning hit.
Although
a primary middle infielder, Williams also provided the Sliders with
four innings of quality, shutout relief on the mound, working in the
mid-80s with a nice feel for a sharp, late-breaking slider which he
mixed in frequently. Williams finished the game off with a 1-2-3
inning on the mound after delivering his big hit.
Standing
5-foot-7, the University of Arkansas commit is full of lean,
quick-twitch muscle, which he put on display in the championship with
both his defense and on the base paths. Playing second base, Williams
moved well on his feet getting to numerous ground balls and has
obvious arm strength for the position, as he showed it off on the
mound the game prior. His tool set projects well as he continues to
gain strength, but already shows solid bat speed and his run tool
plays well in game action, accelerating well while running from first
to third.
Williams'
double-play partners for the South Texas Sliders was Beau O'Hara
(2015, Katy, Texas), who also was impressive throughout the weekend.
He is a high energy player whose long strides in the infield give him
the potential for plus range as he improves his ability to work
through the baseball. He adjusted as the weekend wore on and became
more comfortable with reading the hops on the artificial surface at
Premiere Baseball of Texas. Even though most infielders' range
diminishes by the time they played their seventh game in five days,
O'Hara's range was still at the same level he showed in the opener.
He is a high energy player with a strong arm and has some potential
with the bat as well.
The
web gem of the weekend came during the playoffs as Texas Drillers
shortstop Quincy McAfee (2016, Houston, Texas) made a
phenomenal play behind the second base bag. His momentum was taking
him towards first base as he was charging hard to his left, and with
a speedy runner coming down the line and the ball taking big hops on
the artificial surface, he changed course mid-play. Instead of
fielding with his glove as he had been planning, he left his feet and
twisted his body in mid-air to put himself in position to barehand
the ball on the hop and make a one-motion throw to first. He stood
out at shortstop throughout the weekend before taking the mound to
close out the quarterfinal playoff game working 85-88 mph with a
highly athletic delivery.
Jung's
Drillers teammate, 2016 catcher Michael Berglund (Corpus
Christi, Texas), had a standout performance of his own. He cut down a
basestealer in a critical situation in the playoffs with a 1.89
second pop time. He moves well behind the plate and is a small
athletic catcher with quick actions. He has loose extension out front
to his swing with quick hands and has promising two-way ability.
It’s
hard not to notice shortstop Bryce Blaum (2016, Sugar Land,
Texas) on the field, both for his athletic abilities and the fact
that he is the first one of the field, always springing out to his
position. An uncommitted junior, Blaum showed off high level Division
I tools all weekend on both sides of the ball.
He
shows the same high energy level in game action, moving very well at
shortstop, with range to either side and quick, light actions on his
feet. There was one particular play that Blaum made at Cy-Fair Sports
Complex that stood out. Playing farther back in the infield, the
hitter chopped a slow roller between the third baseman and Blaum who
came in charging and delivered an off-balance strike to nab the
runner at first base. He maintained control of his body very well and
showed a strong arm across even with his momentum taking him away
from the base.
As
stated above, Blaum isn’t a one-dimensional player and is equally
intriguing in the righthanded batter’s box. Standing at 5-foot-10,
170-pounds, Blaum shows a nice fluid swing with a strong feel for the
barrel, making consistent, hard contact throughout the weekend. He
showed strength to his pull side over the course of the weekend,
losing a couple balls over the left field fence, and showed an IQ in
the box as well. A Perfect Game field scout noted that after Blaum
hit a home run in his first at-bat of the game he followed it up with
a bunt single when he noticed the defense way playing back.
Jack
Conlon (2017, Sugar Land, Texas) and Blaum are teammates at
Clements High School and will draw college recruiters in this spring,
should they not be committed by then. Though he is just beginning his
sophomore year of high school and is still 15 years old, Conlon had a
strong showing on the mound, his first appearance on the bump in a
Perfect Game event.
Standing
at 6-foot-3, 200-pounds, Conlon’s frame is well proportioned
with a strong lower half and long, loose limbs. After taking his warm
up pitches, Conlon recorded two quick outs on two fastballs – which
recorded 89 and 91 mph respectively – before unleashing 92 mph heat
which rode up and in to a righthanded hitter. His delivery is still a
bit raw as there isn’t much lower half involved in his delivery,
but there is no mistaking the present and what Conlon can become with
some refinement.
With
a full, loose arm action coming through, the ball explodes out of
Conlon’s hand and he maintained 88-90 mph with his fastball from
the windup over his three innings of work. Throwing from an extended
three-quarters arm slot, Conlon is able to generate run on his
fastball back to his arm side and showed similar life on his
changeup, which he flashed at 78 mph low in the zone. He also showed
a slider, and though his release was inconsistent with the pitch, he
showed the pitch has potential to be a plus offering with the final
one he threw of the game. Thrown at 78 mph, the pitch showed tight
spin with late, sharp 10-to-4 tilt low in the zone away from the
righthanded hitter.
A Mississippi State commit, Parker Ford (2015, Lufkin, Texas)
sports a firm and physical 6-foot-3, 210-pound frame with long limbs
and an athletic look. Perfect Game got their first look at Ford this
June at the National Showcase where he topped out at 94 mph and
showed nice feel for a deep 12-to-6 curveball.
Although
he didn’t top out at 94 mph this weekend for the Texas Sun Devils,
he did pound the strike zone with all his pitches, and it looked as
though he has added a slider to his arsenal. Ford worked comfortably
in the 88-91 mph range throughout his time on the mound, touching 92
early with a full and loose arm action and high three-quarters
release. Ford creates deception with his delivery, keeping his hands
and the ball close to his body until his takeaway, with a slight hip
turn at top, and generated consistent downhill plane on his fastball,
showing occasional cutting action on the pitch. As the innings
progressed so did the feel for his curveball, which at its best was
up to 78 mph with sharp 12-to-6 break and the ability to back door it
to lefthanded hitters. His slider, a pitch we didn’t see at
National, showed more 10-to-4 break with sweeping life across the
strike zone and up to 79 mph.
Ryan
Leckich (2016, Port Neches, Texas) set the tone early for Twelve
in his outing, effectively changing speeds while pounding the strike
zone. A Baylor University commit, the lefthander showed a nice feel
on the mound for his full repertoire with the ability to spot
throughout the zone.
With
an up-tempo delivery, Leckich shows a slight turn at the top of his
delivery while he loads his weight onto his backside before driving
to the plate, showing some effort at release. The effort didn’t
hinder his velocity however, as he sat at 84-86 mph with downhill
plane, touching 87 later in the outing. He also showed both a slider
and curveball, each with distinct shape, as the curveball showed
1-to-7 break at 70 mph while his slider showed a shorter 2-to-8 shape
in the mid-70s.
An
uncommitted senior, outfielder Elijah MacNamee showed the
ability to use his long 6-foot-2 levers to create nice extension in
his swing and drive the ball to the opposite field gap for a loud
double. A strong runner, MacNamee projects well as he continues to
add strength to his frame.