Nicholas
Storz (2017,
Brooklyn, N.Y.) is far from a stranger when it comes to Perfect Game
events despite finishing off just his sophomore season. A physically
built 6-foot-6, 245-pound righthander who wouldn’t draw second
glances on a college campus or in a minor league clubhouse, Storz
continues to makes strides on the mound each time he takes the ball.
Not all that long ago Storz was a primary catcher who pitched a
little but has since begun to focus solely on pitching and the
results standout pretty clearly.
The
more Storz continues to throw there’s that much more fluidity
throughout his delivery and with that comes the ability to repeat his
mechanics which ultimately leads to more strikes. Throwing from a
traditional three-quarters arm slot, Storz shows looseness through
the backside and did a nice job of consistently getting on top of the
ball and worked down in the zone with his fastball. Over his first
couple of innings the uncommitted Storz sat in the 89-91 mph range
but more impressive than the velocity was the heavy life he generated
on the pitch. With running life to his arm side on his heater Stroz
was able to to miss barrels and induce weak ground ball contact
throughout the outing.
The
development of his off-speed has been significant as well since last
spring and summer as he not only throws the for strikes not but does
so with feel and consistency. His slider was the pitch he showed most
often and lived in the 77-79 mph range with the offering. After
pulling the first one or two across his body Storz locked in and
began repeating his arm action on the pitch, leading to some
two-plane tilt down in the zone and showed the ability to get the
pitch to the back foot of a lefthanded hitter. His third pitch, which
he hasn’t showed often in the past and flashed only a couple last
night is his changeup. In between innings he showed comfort with the
pitch and did so in game as he doubled up on the 80 mph offering
while generating solid fading life to his arm side.
Storz
may throw hard and have a feel for three pitches but he’s still
making mechanical strides on the mound and as he progresses, the
finished product has a chance to be something special.
Pat
DeMarco (2017,
Staten Island, N.Y.) puts on the same Poly Prep (N.Y.) jersey in the
spring as Storz as well as the same Team Elite Prime jersey in the
summer. A physically built 5-foot-11, 205-pound outfielder, DeMarco
recently stood out at the Junior National Showcase and has continued
to turn heads since that performance. He quickly put his hit tool on
display as he turned on an inner half fastball and with quick hands
ripped the ball down the left field line for a standup double. His
turn time around the base was impressive for a 2017 with his build
and he should turn in at least average times down the line through
the bag.
Listed
as a primary outfielder on his Perfect Game profile, Sam
Hall (2017,
Hampstead, N.C.) got the start at shortstop last night and looked
nowhere near out of place. With light actions on his feet up the
middle Hall shows solid footwork around the second base bag and is
able to generate plenty of arm strength across the diamond on his
throws. With the bat the uncommitted Hall was just as impressive with
loose wrists and solid bat speed through the zone, consistently
lining balls up the middle and to his pull side.
David
LaManna
(2017 Saddle River, N.J.) is currently uncommitted but his tools and
performances on the showcase circuit are loud and can impact a game.
Listed at 5-foot-10, 170-pounds LaManna’s actions behind the plate
are advanced for a player his age showing strong wrists receiving
along with the ability to stick off speed pitches on the corners. He
does a nice job of shifting his weight to either side on dirt balls
and showed he wasn’t afraid to use his strong arm to back pick
runners just as he did early on to get a runner at second base.
LaManna’s pop time were a tick below 2.00 in between innings and
though he wasn’t challenged in game the catch and throw skills are
there with quick transfer and solid carry on his throws.
Currently
ranked No. 68 in the 2017 class, LaManna has also showcased his hit
tool well, showing both barrel skills and power to his pull side.
Friday was no different as the New Jersey native hit a loud double
off the left field fence in his first at-bat showing a short path to
the ball with solid separation in his swing and carry off the barrel.
LaManna stays balanced through his swing well and showed the ability
to hit to all fields with authority despite not picking up a base hit
as a result. In his second trip to the plate LaManna went with an
outer half pitch and hit a hard line drive right at the second
baseman, jumping off the barrel while showing an all fields approach.
Righthander
Landon Marceaux (2018,
Harahan, La.) may have just completed his freshman year of high
school but his comfort and overall feel on the mound is something of
a player much older than that of Marceaux. Currently uncommitted,
Marceaux had a nice gathering of collegiate recruiters behind the
plate and the Louisiana native showed well throughout his time on the
mound.
With
a well-proportioned 6-foot, 180-pound build Marceaux came out working
in the mid-80s with his fastball before turning it on fully as he
began to work in the upper-80s, peaking 89 mph. His arm action is
long and fluid and when he gets on top of the ball with his high
three-quarter release, which he does much more often than not, he’s
able to generate some running life to his arm side while locating to
either side of the plate. As he continues to add muscle mass to his
frame and develop physically it’s easy to envision Marceaux
throwing even harder but it’s his pitchability at present that
might be his biggest standout feature.
Similar
to Storz above, Marceaux didn’t feature many changeups early on but
the first one he did came across at 80 mph and showed an already
advanced feel for the offering. He did a nice job of maintaining his
arm slot on the changeup and did so with his slider as well, a pitch
that continued to sharpen the more he threw it. An upper-70s offering
Marceaux’s slider showed short 10-to-4 life with some tilt to it down
in the zone. One of the top arms in the 2018 class, Marceaux already
pitches beyond his age and will be a fun one to follow over the next
couple of years.
Tom
Sheehan
(2017, Brielle, N.J.), Notre Dame commit, was handed the ball in
Bubba Baseball’s opening game of the tournament and the left-hander
didn’t disappoint. Up to 88 mph early in his four inning stint,
Sheehan sat comfortably in the 83-86 mph range with his fastball and
in that stretch was able to induced several uncomfortable swing and
plenty of weak contact. The New Jersey native does a nice job of
hiding the ball through the back, creating deception on his fastball
and had hitters consistently beating the ball down into the ground
the ground towards the second baseman. Sheehan’s arm action is
quick and rather easy and was able to work through his four innings
mostly on the strength of his fastball. He did locate the one
changeup he threw to his arm side at 79 mph and did a nice job of
maintaining his arm speed on the pitch.
It
was a quick one inning look at Wake Forest commit Brady
Devereux
(2017, Glen Mills, Pa.) before Bubba Baseball ended the game with a
run rule in the bottom of the fifth but the right-handed did impress
with his overall feel. A Pennsylvania native, Devereux sat in the
83-85 mph range with a quick arm and did a nice job of landing online
with his lead leg while working over his front side. He’s continued
to fill out his 6-foot-1 frame nicely and still has the ball come out
cleanly at release. His curveball stood out as a present weapon
picking up both of his strikeouts with the pitch. With his first
punch out coming on a 72 mph hook, Devereux picked up a swinging
third strike on a 73 mph offering with solid depth and sharp 11-to-5
shape.
The
pitching for Bubba Baseball was impressive and so were their bats and
you might have a tough time trying to find a lineup in the 16u WWBA
more physical one through nine than the one Bubba has assembled.
I
was able to get my first look at outfielder Jack
Herman
(2018, Berlin, N.J.), a University of Maryland commit and saw the
tools that have him currently ranked No. 25 in the 2018 class. With a
strong and physically built 6-foot, 170-pound frame Herman put that
strength on display as he went with an elevated outer half fastball
and drove it to the right-center field gap for a three base hit.
Tim
Dezzi (2017,
Mullica Hill, N.J.) and Dillon
Marsh
(2018, Elizabethtown, Pa.) are two other players amongst many who
stood out for Bubba. Dezzi showed solid defensive tools at shortstop
as he made a nice charging play on a soft chopper, picked the ball
and delivered a strike to first without breaking stride and while
momentum was pulling him in the opposite direction from the bag.
Marsh is a two-way player and though he didn’t take the mound on
day one, he did put an impressive lefthanded swing on a ball early in
the game. A well built 6-foot-2, 200-pound frame Marsh, a rising
sophomore, showed a smooth and easy swing with plenty of natural lift
at contact and projects to hit for solid power in the future.