14u PG Series Classic Day 1 Notes
The first day of the PG Series for the 2016 calendar year saw the 14u age group come into Ft Myers, and a lot of talented players were on display at the JetBlue Player development complex. 2020 grad Derek VonHorn stood out on the mound for team New Jersey. Posting an impressive top velocity of 86 mph while consistently sitting around 82-83, VonHorn was able to keep team North Texas off the scoreboard through 4 innings. He was very efficient, throwing 54 pitches while striking out 5 and only walking 1. VonHorn’s fastball showed above average arm-side run, and his curveball was tight with late break. He has a short arm action and throws from his ear, and he works quickly with good tempo. VonHorn also showed some good athleticism, making a few defensive plays as well as tallying 1 hit and 1 RBI at the plate.
Another pitcher showing projectable stuff was 2020 grad Charez Butcher. Butcher, who lives in Indiana and is playing for Team Central, sat at 81-83 and touched 85 mph. Although he struggled with command on this day, it’s easy to see the 6’3” RHP growing into his frame and gaining even more velocity in the coming years.
Rylee Thornton from Gulf Coast held SoCal scoreless through his 4 innings of work, working in the mid 70s on the gun and mixing in a good 12 to 6 curveball to keep hitters off balance. He also displayed good command, starting 13 of the 19 hitters faced with first pith strikes. Other pitchers Colby Masters from East Georgia, Derek Haag from New York, and Stephen Barnicoat from West Florida went 4 strong innings for their teams, allowing 0 hits, 4 hits, and 4 hits respectively. Ryan Shaver from North Texas also added 3 innings of no hit baseball. Kevin S Padilla from team Puerto Rico showed some swing and miss stuff, fanning 6 batters through 3 innings.
2019 Grad Spencer Keefe from East Georgia recorded 2 hits and 2 runs today at the plate, and had a great skill testing session in the infield with a top velocity of 79 mph from shortstop. Other hitters to watch throughout the week are 2020 graduates Johnny Castagnozzi from New York and Braden Wallace from North Texas. Both players put on quite a show in the Homerun Derby, and will look to continue that momentum into the week. Castagnozzi doubled in his first at bat today. Wallace performed extremely well during skill testing with an OF velocity of 86 mph.
SoCal catcher Nick Bacura showed a solid swing in game, lining a single up the middle in his first at bat. During the skill testing batting practice, he applied his line drive approach and short swing to make solid contact to all parts of the field. Blake Rarog from Colorado showed smooth actions in game at shortstop while also adding 1 hit and 2 RBI’s. 2020 grad Dylan Maccallum representing team West was one of the top performers during the infield skill testing, touching 80 mph on his first throw across the infield and sitting in the upper 70's for the rest of his round. He also added a hit in today’s contest versus Puerto Rico. From team Mid Atlantic, infielder and 2020 grad Eddie Eisert has showed good tools throughout skill testing and day one of games with one of the top infield velocities of 79 mph, a 30 yd dash of 3.99 seconds, and collected a hit in today’s action of games.