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Tournaments  | Story  | 7/22/2016

16u BCS Finals Day 4 Scout Notes

Brandon Hohl     


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We introduce Day 4 of the 16u BCS Finals with two players from Florida Burn Platinum South. Uncommitted Garett Wallace (2018, Sanford, Fla.) is a righthanded hitting corner infielder who stands at 6-foot, 185-pounds. At the plate he has a wide stance with his back leg braced and his body in a hinged position with the knees bent and shoulders over the toes with the bat held at 45-degrees. He uses a simple and deliberate toe-tap stride that creates elastic tension as the body separates from the hands. Wallace has a violent lower half as the body works up to the ball with positive attack angle in bat path. He showed really impressive bat speed and the bat path alone will give him a chance to hit as he progresses.

Another member of the Florida Burn Platinum South that stood out was Max Rippl (2018, Fort Myers, Fla.). The uncommitted outfielder stands with his feet slightly wider than shoulder width and a slight bend in the legs; his torso is upright with rhythm in barrel as the barrel bounces up and down off the shoulder. Rippl starts his swing with a gather to his rear leg, a knee-to-knee leg lift, and as he strides forward the body separates from the hands creating elastic tension. Rippl’s lower half rotates well and gets in to a good finished position. His barrel takes a good path up to the ball ending in a short finish. Rippl is currently hitting .375 with two doubles in the tournament.

Brandon Fields (Orlando, Fla.) of Chet Lemons Juice might be the best overall talent at this event and we’ll have plenty of time to see him before he graduates in 2020. He’s extremely athletic and physically developed for his age built like a running back. At the plate he stands with his feet shoulder width apart and a slight bend in the legs with the back elbow up and the bat held vertical. There’s not much of a negative movement to begin his swing. He starts with the rear leg already braced to drive the weight forward, and as his body moves forward with the stride his hands stay back, creating natural separation and elastic tension. The barrel drops below the shoulder generating bat speed as his lower half finishes violently in the power-L position, with the lead leg locked out. Fields is an amazing runner making the field look small and often his speed is so ahead of the game at this point it’s hard to get a time down the line. I did record a 9.06-second double and 3.64-second tag play from third, and both of these times are incredibly fast. Also, the first game I saw Fields play he showed impressive arm strength by throwing a runner out at home on a line. Fields is hitting .571 with three doubles in the tournament.

Over at Terry Park righthanded pitcher and recent Florida State commit Jack Anderson (2018, Tampa, Fla.) took the mound for FTB55 Elite. Anderson had a really impressive and short three-inning outing on Thursday. First, on the mound he creates torque in the rear leg with his leg lift, driving with his rear leg down on the mound to a long stride with a quick three-quarters arm action with downhill plane. He showed advanced command of his 86-89 mph fastball, spotting up wherever he wanted to. Anderson’s main secondary pitch was his slurvy 10-to-5 curveball that he threw in the 70-72 mph range. Despite his arm angle he seemed to be able to stay on top of his curveball creating sharp downward action. He would occasionally set up his curveball effectively by changing elevation with the fastball. Anderson also showed a changeup but seemed to be developing a better feel for it, only showing it in between innings. The Florida State commit finished with one earned run, scattered four hits and striking out four.

One of the better matchups of the day was over at Florida Gulf Coast University where the FTB Rockets faced off against Chain National-Burress. Starting on the mound for Chain National-Burress was the 176th ranked prospect in the country, uncommitted Cameron Gray (2018, Cottondale, Fla.). Gray has a high smooth leg lift and his hands raise with the leg lift, driving off the back leg into a long stride to the plate, as his long arm action gains speed to an over-the-top release. He worked with a fastball and a curveball occasionally showing a changeup. Gray attacked hitters with the firm fastball that showed some arm-side run at 80-83 ph. He would mix in his 12-to-6 curveball at 68 mph once ahead in the count. Also, he threw the curveball with more frequency after the facing the order a second time. Gray finished his outing with three innings pitched, allowing one hit with four strikeouts.

Finally, at the CenturyLink Sports Complex, Team Elite Florida showed off their impressive offense and standing out was the uncommitted Parker Pillsbury (2018, Inverness, Fla.) and Georgia commit Shane Marshall (2018, Naples, Fla.). Pillsbury is a raw athletic outfielder that hits from the left side. He stands tall at the plate with feet shoulder width apart and holds the barrel high above his head. Sitting into the rear leg, Pillsbury then stride separates, keeping the barrel vertical, and landing in a torqued position. He has a really fluid swing, showing bat speed and a good path working up to the ball. His lower half finishes in a good position with the hips extending violently and his rear leg in the power-L. Pillsbury is a really aggressive runner, reaching full speed almost immediately out of the box, always looking to take the extra base. He finished the game 1-for-3 with a single.

This was my first opportunity to see Marshall and he made a great first impression. He’s a physically advanced athlete standing at 6-foot-3, 180-pounds with still more room to add strength to the body. At the plate, he has a wide stance with an upright torso. He uses rhythm in the barrel, which he holds flat across the shoulder. To begin the swing, Shane takes a quick, leg-lift stride forward while tipping the barrel over his head. Marshall shows good bat speed and sound, violent lower half mechanics. Behind the plate, Shane receives and has an impressive arm, and is currently hitting .529 with three doubles and five RBI in the tournament.