Daily Recaps: Day 1
2017
righthander Johnny
Kuhn
(Lakewood, Calif.) started on the bump for CBA Marucci, and is
immediately an imposing presence when he takes the mound. Standing
6-foot-5 with long limbs and tons of physical projection remaining,
Kuhn certainly looks the part of what evaulators want to see in young
pitchers. He worked in the 82-84 range with his fastball, topping at
85, and showing the kind of arm speed and general projection that
will definitely lead to big velocity gains in the future. As with any
teenager with that kind of size, he struggled to control his body a
little bit in his delivery, which led to trouble repeating said
delivery, which in turn led to some issues with command and the
overall effectiveness he had. When right, he was downhill with good
plane and command to both sides of the plate, generating swings and
misses on his fastball in addition to weak contact on the ground. He
complemented his fastball with a slider that showed legitimate bat
missing potential, working in the low-mid 70’s with good two-plane
break and snap. He would get to the side of the slider at times,
flattening the pitch out and making it easier to hit. There is
certainly a lot to like—and a lot to project—from him moving
forward.
Kuhn’s
CBA Marucci teammate, 2017 shortstop/second baseman Tyler Freeman
(Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) was impressive on Saturday as well.
Starting early by laying down a perfect bunt down the third base line
and showing off his plus speed, clocking a 3.88 time down the line,
Freeman showed the kind of high-end athleticism and overall feel for
the game that is nearly unmatched in his class. He’s another highly
projectable prospect who already has the particulars down offensively
as far as handling the bat with clean swing mechanics and bat speed;
and will only add to his offensive prowess as he develops physically.
Playing second base in this matchup, he has no problem with arm
strength and projects to have enough to play the left side of the
infield consistently. He’s light on his feet with range to both
sides and fluid actions throughout, making him a high-end prospect in
every facet of the game.
2017
righthander Tyler
Ahearn
(Jupiter, Fla.) has been a well-known commodity to Perfect Game for
quite awhile now, as the Florida State commit has been lighting up
radar guns for over a year. As one would expect with 2017 prospects,
he’s always been raw with command and feel for offspeed, but on
Saturday he took a step forward with both. Coming out of the chute
working 88-91 and touching 92 a couple times, Ahearn shows the kind
of loose arm action and projectable arm speed that makes projecting
more velocity gains pretty easy from evaluator’s perspectives.
Early on, Ahearn consistently pounded the bottom of the zone with his
fastball, working to both sides, and showing quality arm side life on
the pitch. He’s a plus athlete on the mound as well, fielding his
position well and doing a better job of using that athleticism to
repeat his delivery with more success than he’d done before. His
curveball flashed as an excellent pitch, with hard snap and depth
with 11-to-5 shape. He gets to the side of it at times and turns it a
bit slurvy but for the most part it was a consistent pitch for him,
showing above-average potential. He still has a bit of violence in
his delivery in the form of some head whack, but given the strides
he’s made in the last year, it’s easy to think he can make
similar strides moving forward and catapult himself towards the top
of the draft rankings in 2017.
2018
shortstop Jordan Groshans, a Texas commit and the No. 11
overall prospect in the class of 2018, continues to show why he’s
one of the highest upside positional players in the class on both
sides of the ball. With easy bat speed and a pretty simple overall
approach to hitting, Groshans shows off legitimate present gap power
that will turn into more HR power as he continues to develop. In the
field he’s very light on his feet with excellent range to both
sides, showing off smooth actions as well as very good arm strength.
Obviously athletic, Groshans projects to stay right where he is at
shortstop at the next level and be an impact player on both sides of
the ball.
2016
lefthander Jared Pettitte started opposite Ahearn, and did a
very good job keeping the Scorpion hitters off balance with a
three-pitch mix and impressive physicality. As one might expect given
his bloodlines, Pettitte’s overall mechanics and delivery are very
advanced and repeatable right now, something that will only benefit
him moving forward as he continues to add strength to his already
well-built frame. Working in the 80-82 range with his fastball and
touching 84, Pettitte commanded the pitch well to both sides while
generating good downhill plane from a high three-quarters slot. His
fastball had the typical 'lefty run' that was very effective at
missing barrels when located down in the zone. He also featured a
hard biting 1-to-7 curveball with very good depth and impressive
overall command of the offering. He has advanced feel for the
changeup as well, with fading action on the pitch in the low-70s,
showing good deception out of the hand with a clean release the same
arm speed/arm slot as his fastball.
2017
lefthander Jacob Palisch drew quite the collection of notable
college coaches to see his start, and he didn't disappoint those in
attendance. With a 6-foot-5, highly projectable frame, Palisch worked
83-85 consistently with his fastball, touching 86 early. He generates
good angle from an extended high three-quarters slot, with some
horizontal spine tilt used to try and get on top of the pitch even
more so. His shorter arm circle does a good job hiding the ball from
hitters but also can limit the amount of whippy arm speed he could
otherwise create from his very long (even for his size) levers. He
employs a slight crossfire delivery, but manages to stay balanced for
the most part despite not executing with his lower half consistently.
He will get off balance at times and struggle to repeat, but given
his size, age, and delivery mechanics, he’s an impressive athlete
on the mound. He has feel for the slider and the change, with the
slider showing good, sharp tilt that is effective vs. both right and
lefthanded hitters, and the change featuring arm-side run as the
action with good velocity differential. His physicality and velocity
are both very projectable moving forward, making him a very
intriguing young arm to watch in the class of 2017.
It
may have only been a one-inning look, but what 2016 righthander
Braydon Cook did on Saturday night had the college coaches in
attendance buzzing when talking about the uncommitted righty. In a
short stint out of the pen, Cook worked with a fastball at 87-89,
touching 90, with heavy, plus sink to go along with excellent command
of the offering. His loose, easy arm action and good build speak to
even more velocity in the future; and when combining that projection
with the present stuff and pitchability, he’s certainly a
legitimate pitching prospect who won’t be uncommitted for long.
Burying
the lede a little bit here, but 2017 righthander Joe
Boyle
may have been the story of the day as far as uncommitted 2017 arms
are concerned. A physical monster with equally monstrous projection,
Boyle is presently 6-foot-6, 200-pounds, and will certainly be much
bigger by the time he’s done growing. Certainly physically
imposing, Boyle’s physicality was matched by his raw stuff on
Saturday night. Working consistently in the 88-89 range with his
fastball and touching 91, Boyle just consistently blew the fastball
by opposing hitters with relative ease. With a free, easy arm action
that allows dreaming about future velocity, Boyle’s fastball also
has good arm side run and even a bit of sink when commanded down in
the zone. He works very quickly on the mound, almost seeming to
already be in his motion when he catches the ball back from the
catcher. At times, he can work too quickly, not quite gathering
himself fully over the rubber and tending to drift forward as a
result, which in turn causes his arm to drag some and not catch up
with his body, causing him to miss up to the arm side with his
pitches. When he’s fully balanced, the delivery and overall
mechanical profile are very clean, with excellent downhill plane and
lower half usage. He didn't need to use his curveball very much on
this night, and though the first few stayed up on him a bit, as the
evening went on he snapped off several dominant breakers. With
12-to-6 shape and hard snap with tons of depth, the curveball is a
bat misser and knee buckler, giving him a very impressive two pitch
arsenal to go along with his impressive physicality. When one
considers the overall physical projection he offers both on his body
and with his stuff, it’s easy to dream on him being one of the very
top righthanders in the class of 2017 within the next 12-18 months.
– Brian
Sakowski
Not
listed in the program, young righthander Kumar
Rocker
(2018, Watkinsville, Ga.) sent college coaches alike into a scramble
before he even threw a warmup pitch to due to his long and loose
6-foot-4, 220-pound frame. After he delivered his first pitch it was
clear he was a high end arm and after getting his name and a quick
search in the Perfect Game database it was revealed that Rocker just
completed his freshman year of high school, something neither his
physicality nor his overall stuff on the mound would indicate.
The
athleticism and overall balance on the mound is worth noting as the
uncommitted Rocker did a nice job of repeating his mechanics while
showing one of the easiest and loosest arm actions I’ve seen in
Georgia. 'Easy' is the best word to use to describe the arm action
and with it came a fastball that steadily sat in the 86-89 mph range
and bumped 90 mph during his first inning of work. Rocker uses his
length well to generate downhill plane on his fastball and showed the
ability to consistently get low to his glove side all while
harnessing the late running life his fastball possesses. While the
present velocity is already impressive Rocker projects for a good bit
more moving forward with the looseness and athleticism in his frame
and given the fact he has three more springs of high school baseball.
To
complement his fastball Rocker showed a slider that worked in the
upper-70s and peaked 79 mph with some short tilting and used it to
pick up his first strikeout of the outing by freezing a batter with
one at 76 mph. He also flashed a changeup, once early and a handful
of times later i the outing and like his slider showed a feel for the
pitch. Though he does drop his slot slightly on the pitch he’s able
to turn it over well at 80 mph showing some fading life down in the
zone.
Tanner
Allen
(2017, Theodore, Ala.) had onlookers buzzing about his abilities with
his left-handed swing as he’s appearing in his first national level
type event with Perfect Game. A strongly built 6-foot, 180-pound
right fielder, Allen quickly showed the foot speed on the bases and
the overall athleticism that could make it easy to envision him
patrolling center field and doing so rather easily. The starting
quarterback on his high school’s football team, Allen made an
instant impact in the middle of the Marucci Elite lineup with a loud
triple to that burned the center fielder. Currently uncommitted,
Allen was able to generate solid jump off the barrel and did so with
a rather easy swing and average contact. To follow up his triple
Allen lined a single to the opposite field showing a quick and direct
path to the ball. Allen’s bat is a high level type tool as his the
athleticism and speed as he quickly stole second and third within a
handful of pitches, turning his single seamlessly into a triple.
Like
a couple of his FTB Pride teammates, righthander Tyler
Myrick
(2016, Lake City, Fla.) is committed to Alabama State and should he
make it to campus he has a chance to make an immediate impact on the
mound. With more than a handful of Perfect Game events to his name
already, Myrick continues to make strides on the mound especially
from last fall to this summer.
Listed
at 6-foot, 170-pounds, Myrick came out working from an up-tempo, high
energy delivery and did so while pounding the strike zone. Myrick
came out attacking with his fastball and continued to do so over his
three innings of work, generating consistent heavy life down in the
zone and located to both sides. Staying short through the backside
Myrick is able to hide the ball well before delivering a heater in
the 89-91 mph range, bumping 93 mph a couple times throughout and
projects for more as he continues to incorporate his lower half into
his delivery. The arm action is fast and he did a nice job of working
his fastball to either side of the plate for strikes, setting up the
handful of off speed offerings that he showed.
To
go with the fastball Myrick showed a solid changeup with late fading
life a couple of times, exhibiting a feel while working the zone. He
showed his curveball less than his changeup but it was of equal
quality at 76 mph with short and late depth.
The
overall tool package of M.J.
Melendez
(2017, Montgomery, Ala.) is a well known commodity in the amateur
baseball world as he shows high level tools behind the dish and with
his left-handed bat. A projectable 6-foot, 160-pound backstop
Melendez shows light actions on his feet with bounce in his step and
a strong right arm that he isn’t afraid to show off. Last night his
at-bats were what stood out most as he shows an advanced approach at
the plate with a very strong knowledge of the strike zone and isn’t
afraid to take his walks as evidenced by the free passes he took his
first two trips to the plate. In his third at-bat Melendez was able
to put his bat speed on display and lined a hard single back up the
middle.
Jose
Ciccarello
(2017, Tampa, (Fla.), a University of Florida commit, is no stranger
to Perfect Game with 23 separate events linked to his profile. With
an extended look we’ve been able to see the progression the young
shortstop has made and it’s continue to occur throughout the summer
circuit. Similar to Melendez above, Ciccarello’s defensive exploits
have been well noted as he shows plenty of arm strength and defensive
action up the middle but it was the bat the was the loudest tool in
FTB Pride’s run rule shortened game. After a hard line drive double
down the left field line in his first trip to the plate, Ciccarello
one upped himself later in the contest as he went out to left field
again, this time making it to third for a triple.
He
may have just finished his freshman year of high school but the
left-handed swing of Alec
Sanchez
(2018, Jacksonville, Fla.) produces one of the better hit tools in
the 2018 class and stands out in a loud way on a very consistent
basis. While his high leg lift trigger at the beginning of the swing
could be seen as a potential timing hiccup in his swing, Sanchez is
able to remain extremely balanced while tracking the ball into the
zone before putting the barrel to work. Having shown power to his
pull side in the past Sanchez did a nice job of staying back on an
elevated outer half curveball and threw the barrel out for a hard
line drive double down the left field line.
Colin
Hall
(2017, Alpharetta, Ga.) has done nothing but find the barrel of the
bat in the first two days of the 16u WWBA National Championship and
has been one of the most consistent bats in a potent Team Elite Prime
lineup. After wearing out the middle of the field in game one with
barreled up line drive singles Hall picked up where he left off
yesterday afternoon in his first two at-bats, lining a single up the
middle in both trips to the plate. An uncommitted middle infielder,
Hall wrapped up a perfect 3-for-3 day while continuing to show his
barrel feel as he shot a line drive through the 5-6 hole, showing an
all fields approach.
After
helping his team to a championship down at the BCS in Fort Myers,
lefthander D.L. Hall
(2017, Valdosta, Ga.) took the mound Saturday afternoon and continued
to do what he’s done all summer. He may not have showed the 92 mph
on his fastball that he did at the Junior National but he did topped
90 mph early and showed a consistent feel to work ahead in the count
with his fastball.
Hall’s
frame is an easy one to project on at 6-foot-2, 170-pounds with long
limbs and broad shoulders and as he continues to fill out his stuff
is only going to get that much better. Living in the 86-88 mph range
with his fastball in the middle innings, Hall did a nice job of
staying on top of the ball from his high three-quarters arm slot and
was able to generate solid angle while overpowering hitters on the
strength of his fastball. And while he could have worked through the
lineup using just his fastball Hall mixed in a sharp curveball that
was a weapon itself.
Much
like his fastball, Hall stayed on top of his curveball well and when
he did -which was quite frequent- he showed the ability to put it on
the back foot of right-handed hitters and induces empty swings. A
73-75 mph offering, Hall’s curveball showed sharp life with some
late bite and depth though his feel for the pitch may have been as
impressive as the pitch itself.
A
righthanded pitcher from Miami, Florida, Robert
Touron
(2017, Miami, Fla.) was handed the ball for the Louisiana-based
Marucci Elite and showed interesting stuff on the mound. Though his
fastball wasn’t quite what it was at the Junior National where he
topped 92 mph, the uncommitted Touron did run his fastball up to 89
mph while still showing the same loose and whippy arm action through
the back. With a high waisted, long limbed and easy to project on
6-foot-2, 170-pound frame, Touron shows an up-tempo delivery before
delivery a fastball from a lower three-quarters arm slot that’s
capable of producing late life on his fastball when down in the zone.
His
arm is quick though coming through and when he begins locating to
either side it proves to be a difficult at-bat and has the life
capable of producing consistent ground ball contact. Though he
pitched mostly off his fastball Touron did show a couple of sliders
in the low-70s and was able to pick up two swings and misses on the
first two offerings, the first coming with two strikes to pick up his
first strikeout of the game.
Jacob
Pearson
(2017, West Monroe, La.) is another lefthanded bat in the Marucci
Elite lineup that has a chance to be special and has already shown
consistent hard contact on the national circuit with a strong showing
at the Junior National. Already committed to Mississippi State,
Pearson followed up a game one home run with a second in as many
games, clearing the right field wall at LakePoint. At 6-foot-1,
185-pounds Pearson uses his strength well is consistently drives the
ball with loud contact coming off the barrel. The bat however isn’t
his only weapon as Pearson is just an overall high end athlete and he
can really run as evidenced by the 4.02 home to first time he turned
in on his first at-bat.
– Jheremy
Brown