15u Team Elite Prime had a big 15-0 win on Tuesday evening and a big part of that win was the play of centerfielder Trejyn Fletcher (2020, Portland, Maine). Fletcher is a remarkable athlete with quick twitch muscle and athleticism throughout the frame. The stance is very simple with a high hand set and high back elbow to go along with explosive bat and hand speed. There is a small leg lift timing trigger but it is less pronounced than in previous viewings and allows him to be consistently on time. The freshman has had no issues crushing the ball as he has been turning in exit velocities in the 90+ range, including exit velocities of 99 mph and 101 mph early Wednesday morning. Fletcher moves well in centerfield and has excellent arm strength relative to his age. The athleticism and speed also make him dangerous on the base paths with a 4.48 second turn from the right side on a standup double. Fletcher oozes tools and as the no. 3 overall player in the class, it is easy to see why he is so highly regarded.
Pitching in relief for the 17u Team Elite Prime was righthander Chance Huff (2018, Niceville, Fla.) and he showed an advanced repertoire to go along with quality stuff. The Vanderbilt commit stands very tall on the mound at 6-foot-4, 200-pounds with plenty of room for additional strength to be added to the frame. Huff has very long limbs and he uses that length to get downhill effectively and consistently. The arm action was loose and quick and Huff delivered his pitches to the plate from a high three-quarter arm slot. His ability to get downhill adds some heavy life to a fastball that is otherwise fairly straight in movement; the pitch sat 88-90 mph while topping out at 91 mph early on. The heaviness allowed him to keep the ball on the ground for the majority of the outing. Huff showed three additional pitches to his slider on Tuesday night which included a curveball, slider, and changeup. The slider flashed late bite and occasional two-plane action in the high-70s with a spin rate of up to 2500 rpm. Both the slider and the curveball were tight in shape and rotation and were effective at inducing defensive swings with two-strikes. The changeup was not brought out often but flashed downward fade when low in the strike zone. Huff remains a top arm in the 2018 class and has an extremely high ceiling.
Two of Huff’s teammates Will Banfield (2018, Lawrenceville, Ga.) and Parker Meadows (2018, Grayson, Ga.) also showed high level tools throughout their doubleheader that, in part, attest to why they are near the top of the class rankings.
Banfield is no stranger to PG events, being the no. 6 overall player in the class and all, and the Vanderbilt commit has shown a strong bat following a spring where he hit .409 for Brookwood High School. A slight mechanical difference noticed in the swing is that Banfield starts his hands more out in front of the plate and closer to the mound pre-load. This allows him to generate some momentum into the swing and may act as a timing indicator as well. He wags his bat before the pitcher is set and then bars back into his load and explodes as the pitch is incoming highlighted by his excellent bat speed. The swing plane is lofted naturally with the raw power to be able to drive the ball gap-to-gap. On Tuesday night, Banfield’s approach was line drive oriented and he connected on a few balls that were smoked for base hits. Banfield is going to be one of the most-watched players this upcoming summer and he looks to be off to a good start.
The centerfielder on the team, Meadows has advanced physicality, projection, and athleticism. Standing at what might be a bit conservative 6-foot-4, 195-pounds, Meadows has extremely long limbs and allows him to patrol centerfield with ease. The length of his strides allow his speed to shine as he recorded a 4.12 home to first time from the left side on Tuesday night. The Clemson commit swings hard at the plate and is looking to drive the ball in the air. Meadows creates impressive bat speed through his swing and is looking to lift the ball and allow his strength, or his legs, do some of the extra lifting in that regard. Meadows knocked in a couple of hits on Tuesday night and is another piece to what is shaping up to be an excellent 2018 class for the state of Georgia.
Having first caught this scout’s eye at the 2016 WWBA Freshman World Championships, Cayden Wallace (2020, Greenbrier, Ark.) has become one of the most touted freshmen in the country. Wallace hit .349 for a contending Greenbrier team this high school season and also impressed at the 2017 National Indoor Showcase. Wallace looks stronger than in previous viewings with immense strength throughout the frame. He generates quality bat speed and leverages throughout the swing creating serious power. That power was on display on Monday as he launched a home run. On Tuesday, he had multiple 90+ mph exit velocities including a 98 mph run-scoring triple. Wallace is also an aggressive hitter as he is not afraid to swing 3-0 and looking to drive the ball for power in any count. Despite his strength, he also shows solid speed and athleticism. He was recorded at 4.68 seconds to first on a turn and moves well over at third base.
Arguably one of the biggest power threats in the 2018 class is Cincinnati Spikes’ first baseman Trae Harmon (Somerset, Ky.). The Kentucky commit has an extra-large frame with size and strength throughout. The size, however, does not limit the athleticism as he is able to move well over at first base. The calling card for Harmon as a prospect, however, is the bat. The swing path is shorter and he gets it through mostly clean with immense strength through the point of contact. He gets his weight behind all of his swings and is able to crush baseballs. He turned in exit velocities of 96 mph and 101 mph on Tuesday evening and if the bat stays hot he could be in store for a huge summer.
-Vincent Cervino
The Perfect Game/East Cobb Invitational could not have started better for 643 Bishop as they began with a 10-2 win in large part because of Reid Robertson (2020, Marietta, Ga.) and Ryan Mannelly (2019, Atlanta, Ga.). Robertson showed a line drive swing plane and potential power with a double to deep center field. He has a small build, but makes hard, loud contact. His double left his bat with an exit velocity of 89.1 mph per Trackman. His teammate, Mannelly, had an explosive day at the plate banging a no-doubt-about-it home run to left-center field that travelled 380 feet and had an exit velocity of 93 mph. Mannelly is a strong kid with a high ceiling and raw power predominately to pull side.
Travis Hamrick (2020, Banner Elk, N.C.) sat 87-88 on his fastball with arm side run. The righthander from North Carolina has a violent delivery with solid effort used. He is a big build kid standing at 6-foot-2 and 220-pounds. He did show a good double-A in his delivery with a 2-8 curveball in the low-70s that had good depth. His teammate Corey Collins (2020, Suwanee, Ga.) is a special player. His athleticism is outstanding to go along with his projectable frame. At the plate, Collins showed an advanced approach with good bat speed. He has a very high ceiling.
Brock Butler (2020, Meridian, Miss.) had a standout day at the dish with a home run, a double and what would have been another home run, but the ball went foul just before the foul pole in left field. The catcher from Meridian has a narrow base, low hand set, open stance, leg lift load and raw power. He showed good bat speed and a lift in his swing when hitting his home run and double. His homer had an exit velocity of 90 mph and traveled 347 feet.
The Yalobusha Giants 2020 is an elite 15U team lead by players like Peyton Puckett (2020, Tupelo, Miss.), Kemp Alderman (2020, Decatur, Miss.), and Justin Swan (2019, Smithville, Miss.). Puckett is a good leadoff hitter with a projectable frame and room to fill. The future Mississippi State Bulldog has good fielding actions at shortstop that caught my eye first. He stands at the plate with a wide base and a toe tap load. His hands are up high by his ear and he has a slight bat waggle with a high back elbow before getting his hands into a good hitting position. Alderman's swing is just about flawless. The rising sophomore from Decatur has a very fluid stroke and an aggressive approach. He is a very strong player ripping a double down the left field line on Monday. His bat speed is very good with exceptionally quick hands. Swan has a narrow base with his front foot facing inward. When he loads, he coils his front leg and lifts his leg to generate torque. He has a patient approach and makes hard contact including a rocket line drive to the opposite field.
Tristin Lively (2018, Las Cruces, N.M.) had a solid day on the mound for the Atlanta Blue Jays 17U. In his first inning of work he ran his fastball up to 90 mph and sat 86-88. The 6-foot 190-pound righthander has a very quick arm and short arm action. The future New Mexico Lobo also mixed in a 12-6 curveball at 75 mph. His velocity did begin to drop as the game progressed but still lived in the mid- to upper-80s.
The East Cobb Colt 45s 17U and the Ozone Warriors had a good matchup between two solid pitchers in Robert Bennett (2018, Lilburn, Ga.) and Tucker Daniel (2018, Cumming, Ga.). Bennett began the game for the Colt 45s mixing fastballs and curveballs for strikes to both sides of
the plate. He has an easy, balanced delivery with effortless arm action with more to come. He has a an athletic build and room to fill. The southpaw threw his fastball 83-85 mph and touched 86 once. His curveball was in the low- to mid-70s. His counterpart, Daniel, was outstanding for the Ozone Warriors throwing 5 1/3 innings, giving up 3 hits, 2 strikeouts and 1 walk. His fastball was 83-85 with occasional sink and occasional arm side run. Daniel pounded the zone and left all
his pitches down in the zone to a really good hitting team. He also mixed in a 2-8 curveball that was in the low- to mid-70s and flashed a changeup at 72. The switch hitting Mac Starbuck (2018, Central, S.C.) had two of the three hits off of Daniel and showed a line drive swing plane from the left side. Starbuck's defense at shortstop stood out early and often in the contest. He made a very impressive play deep in the hole and multiple plays on slow rollers. The future Clemson Tiger can throw from all arm angles and has soft, sure hands.
Garrett Brown (2018, Manchester, Ga.) is a tall, hard throwing righthander with upside. Brown has a smooth, balanced delivery and stays online. His fastball had a range of 86-87 early on with armside run. Brown liked to mix in his plus 1-7 curveball in the low-70s in any count. His curveball has good depth and is his out pitch. Brown did not allow a hit in his three innings of work.
Makenzie Stills (2018, Fayetteville, Ga.) has a special arm for Team Elite Prime 17U. He used it by attacking hitters with his two pitch mix. His fastball sat 89-91 and touched 92 with occasional armside run. His slider had a lot of bite to it in the low- to mid- 80s. The Vanderbilt commit has an exceptionally quick arm and pounds the strike zone. When Stills was pulled for relief after one inning of work, Ethan Bowdoin (2019, Alpharetta, Ga.) was called on to pitch. The lefthander showed a good double A in his mechanics. His fastball has riding life to armside that ranges from 84-87. His 10-4 curveball showed good depth in the low-70s. Both pitchers pitched well in route to a win.
-Gregory Gerard
Kendall Logan Simmons (2018, Macon, Ga. ) closed out the championship game for the ECB Yankees on Monday. His fastball sat mostly at 92 and 93, but reached up to 95.
Jonathan Edwards (2018, Stockbridge, Ga.) threw 2 and 2/3 innings on Monday. Edwards has a long and lanky frame. Throws downhill well, with a solid arm action that helps produce a mid 80s fastball with good life, that touched up to 89. He likes to work both sides of the plate and has the ability to throw a tight spinning curve, that lacks depth but he effectively uses it to back righties off the plate.
Alex McFarlane (2019, Virgin Islands) threw two scoreless innings for Team Elite 15U Nation. He has a small frame, but long lower half and throws with a high ¾ arm slot. McFarlane throws a solid fastball, with great run that sits from 88-90, with a spin rate of 2400. In his second inning, he was 84-87, touching 88, but still produced great run.
Nick Mauer (2018, Rome, Ga.) has a large frame and excellent upper body strength. Mauer moves his weight back during the pitchers wind up and does an excellent job of transferring weight forward to his front side to produce a solid, hard line drive swing that sent the baseball flying off the left field twice for his two doubles, going 2-2 with a walk.
Jake Gooch (2019, Cartersville, Ga.) threw 1 and 1/3 inning , with a fastball that ran from 87-89 with decent life. Gooch throws a quality curve, that has late 11-5 break and large depth. It is a pitch that has the potential to generate an abundance of swings and misses.
Daniel Espino (2019, Hinesville, Ga.) threw 2 and 2/3 innings and gave up one run while allowing one hit, two walks while striking out four. Espino throws with a slow, balanced wind up that builds up to the electric fastball that comes out of his over the top arm slot. His fastball sat from 91-94 in the first inning he threw and 88-92 in his second inning of work. He was able to produce some cut on some of the fastballs he threw. His curve and change up flash potential, but he must work on maintaining the same arm action on both pitches and produce more depth. Espino showed a great ability to make adjustments during the game when getting in trouble with his command.
Corey King (2018, Lithonia, Ga.) was a homerun shy of the cycle and showed a quality swing and approach in his contest against the East Cobb Colt 45 16U team. King hit a double down the line, a triple in the right field gap and a single in between the short stop and third basemen, showing he has solid contact to all sides of the field.
-Brandon Lowe