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Tournaments  | Story  | 7/11/2017

16u WWBA Day 4 Scout Notes

Photo: Perfect Game

Daily Leaders | Player Stats | Day 1 Notes | Day 2 Notes | Day 3 Notes

 An earlier commit to the Gamecocks of South Carolina, infielder Tyler Callihan (2019, Neptune Beach, Fla.) has long be lauded for his lefthanded bat and rightfully so as he’s more than once connected for long home runs and handles the barrel as well as anybody in the tournament. And while the bat is a loud tool that has led to more than a couple of write ups, this mention of Callihan is for the defensive actions he showed early Monday morning, particularly on two plays he made in the top of the first inning while manning third base. The first play came on a bunt in which Callihan came charging in, picked the ball barehanded, and completed the throw while mid-stride despite the morning dew on the grass. The play he made to finish the inning wasn’t too dissimilar only it came on a chopped ground ball which he again barehanded on the charge and preceded to throw a strike across. Already one of the better bats in the class, watch for Callihan defensively as well.

It was only a single swing for Riley Greene (2019, Oviedo, Fla.) that has him mentioned in this write up, but it may just be one of the prettiest swings you’ll find in this tournament. Already committed to the University of Florida, Greene showed his patience in his first at-bat with a five-pitch walk before letting the barrel fly on something he could handle in trip two. Safe to say he got all of it as Greene put the ball half way up the trees at Southern Poly to his pull side, a no doubter that disappeared into the tree line rather quickly. The swing itself is both fluid and pure with easy hands and he doesn’t have to sell out for the high-level power as he’s able to generate plenty of natural through the zone. Currently listed at 6-foot-2, 180-pounds it’s scary to think Greene is only going to grow stronger moving forward which in turn should lead to additional strength off the bat. (To see the swing of Greene’s home run, click here.)




When it comes to Minnesota native Mac Horvath (2020, Rochester, Minn.) you begin talking about perhaps the best two-way prospect in the nation at his age and if he wasn’t already in consideration he made sure to be by the end of Monday. He’s a high-end athlete who recently ran a 6.64 at the Junior National Showcase, where the also ran his fastball up to 89 mph and showed well with the bat. The 16u WWBA has been no different for Horvath as he had a swarm of college coaches behind the backstop for his most recent start and he didn’t disappoint.

Despite being listed at 6-foot, 165-pounds with near limitless projection, Horvath’s stuff on the mound already stands out, especially given his age and geographic location. The uncommitted Horvath put his clean and easy arm action on display and lived comfortably in the 87-89 mph range with his fastball early on, showing plane and angle to his glove side when he remained on line with his front side. He also showed the ability to maintain his velocity as he was still bumping 88s in the fourth inning and for the most part located down in the zone throughout.

The changeup is the secondary he showed the most present feel for at 79-80 mph as he would throw it for strikes more often than not and even spilled one back over the inner half against a lefthanded hitter to freeze him in the box. His curveball flashed shape and depth in the low-70s though he will get around it on occasion given his release.

While a rising high school sophomore throwing 89 mph is certain to draw attention, Horvath also hit two home runs over the team’s two games, the first of which he hooked to his pull side and registered 93.5 mph off the barrel. With quick hands and life to the barrel, Horvath then went and doubled to open the second game before again showing strength to his pull side with a 334-foot home run, registering 86 mph off the bat.




Uncommitted off the Midwest Elite squad, righthander Kale Davis (2019, Oklahoma City, Okla.) shows plenty of intrigue on the mound and it begins with a strong, yet still projectable, 6-foot-3, 205-pound frame. Over five innings against the Dirtbags Falcon squad Davis managed to punch out eight and though he walked four, he worked around the zone well and showed some ability to locate his fastball to both sides.

Up to 89 mph in the early innings before settling working in the 85-88 mph range, Davis comes at hitters with an over-the-top slot and does a nice job of generating plane to his heater with a short and quick arm stroke through the back. The ball comes out clean and shows subtle life down in the zone and he’ll undoubtedly continue to add to his fastball as he adds physical strength and keeps his lower half under him longer during his gather and drive.

Another area of Davis’s game that he already shows well with is his ability to spin the curveball, displaying solid hand speed and a consistent feel for the pitch. Given his higher slot, Davis can generate nice downward break on his 73-75 mph curveball with depth and tight rotation and picked up more than a couple of swings-and-misses.

Peyton Idol (2019, Advance, N.C.) is an interesting player to follow from the Dirtbags Falcon squad as the lefthanded hitter helps set the table at the top of the lineup and brings with him an aptitude for finding the barrel and plenty of fast-twitch muscle. After drawing a walk in his first at-bat against Davis (above), Idol promptly went with an outer half fastball in his second trip to the plate and lined the ball through the six-hole showing a short, quick stroke from the left side. To follow up his first single, Idol again picked up a single in at-bat number three, this timing showing his speed by beating out an infield single with a 4.09 time down the line.

It was a quick look on the mound at shortstop/righthander pitcher Travis Odom (2019, Franklin, Tenn.) but the raw arm strength is more than impressive, especially considering he was touching 88 mph just a month ago at the Junior National. With a short and compact arm action, Odom came out and bumped 93 mph while working in the 90-92 mph range early on with generating short life to his fastball. There is effort at release but he was still able to work on top of the ball and came out in attack mode, spinning a tight slider up to 78 mph as well.

Nothing that left A.J. Wilson’s (2019, Pilot Mountain, N.C.) was straight, both out of the windup and stretch, and early in the game when he was up to 86 mph the cut action played up even more. Committed to East Carolina, the lefthander is able to generate plane and angle when on top of the ball and worked down in the zone for the most part with his heater. Strongly built at 6-foot-2, 200-pounds, Wilson showed both a slider and curveball, both in the low-70s with distinctly different shape as the slider is short and tight while the curveball offers more depth.




There’ a reason for righthander Brennan Malone (2019, Matthews, N.C.) being ranked in the top ten of the 2019 class rankings and he put it all on display yesterday morning, more than looking the part of a top of the class type arm. Physically built at 6-foot-4, 205-pounds, Malone has continued to make strides to his delivery since last summer and has also refined his secondaries, helping transform him from a hard thrower to a complete pitcher.

Already committed to the University of North Carolina, Malone came out in the first inning working rather comfortably in the 92-94 mph with his fastball, showing plus arm speed and above average life when located down in the zone. He touched 95 mph in the second inning and maintained low-90s though it’s not unrealistic to envision additional velocity in the future as he already generates premium velocity without exerting max effort.

Able to work around the zone the zone with his fastball and miss bats in the process, Malone already shows a solid feel for his changeup, especially for a young pitcher with a power fastball. Working mostly in the upper-70s and touching as high as 80 mph, Malone is able to generate nice fading life to the pitch which projects as another above average pitch in his arsenal down the road. His breaking ball was inconsistent in terms of life and sharp, though when he stayed on it and finished through the mid-70s pitch it offered tilting life with slider shape.

Malone checks more than one box and does so rather quickly while showing all the makings of a high-end arm. The strides he’s made since last summer are noted, as is his long-term potential though what he currently shows is already “wow” type stuff.




C.J. Abrams (2019, Alpharetta, Ga.) is far from a hidden secret at he entered the tournament as the No. 12 ranked player in the 2019 class and he’s more than lived up to the expectations, proving to be one of the more dynamic players in the nation at his age. In terms of physicality, the uncommitted Abrams isn’t going to jump off the page at 6-foot-1, 175-pounds but with a single barreled ball you come away with two things; “oh wow” and “how did a frame like Abrams’ produce contact like that?”.

With adjustments to his swing since last summer Abrams has done a nice job of staying direct to the ball with quick, strong hands and loose wrists while generating solid bat speed through the zone. Though he recorded outs in each of his first two at-bats in game one, Abrams was able to impact the baseball as hard as anybody with a liner (98 mph off the barrel towards the shortstop in which he clocked a 4.05 down the line (double-plus run time for a lefthanded hitter) before pulling another line drift to his pull side in right field, registering 100 mph off the bat. The loudest and perhaps hardest piece of them all came in his final trip of game one as he was able to miss the fielders and collected a triple, the first of two hits on the day. The other hit for Abrams came in his first at-bat of game one where he showed the same aggressive, “swing at the first pitch if you like it approach” and lined a single back up the middle at 94 mph off the bat.

Long story short, Abrams can hit and can do so with authority and doesn’t necessarily lean on his elite speed to make things happen. But when you do have speed like that people might think to put Abrams in center field at the next level though he let his athleticism take over at shortstop last night, making a play on the charge while remaining balanced or whether it was just a routine ground ball in which he showed soft hands.

A young Miami commit from New York, righthander Jason Diaz (2019, Franklin Square, NY) was handed the ball for the Long Island Titans and showed more than a couple of things to long moving forward. With a strongly built frame and long and loose arm action, Diaz ran his fastball up to 92 mph early in his start at Allatoona High School and worked comfortably within the 87-90 mph range. Though he’d get out of sync at times with his arm stroke and lower half, Diaz was able to generate the velocity with relative ease and did so while creating plane when times up. The velocity will continue to climb for Diaz given the physical strength he sports and as he continues to incorporate additional lower half. He also spun a slider in the 76-78 mph range with tighter rotation and short life through the zone.

Hank Bearden (2020, Rocky Face, Ga.), a member of last year’s 14u PG Select Baseball Festival, came in out of the bullpen for DRB Elite and punched out eight in 3 1/3 innings of work and didn’t issue a hit in that span. Listed at 5-foot-11, 156-pounds, though he appears much stronger out on the mound, Bearden came in and sat in the upper-80s with his heater, showing a full and quick stroke through the backside. With extension out front and an on line stride to the plate, Bearden was able to fill the zone with his fastball and even showed some of his better velocity from out of the stretch. Currently ranked No. 40 in the 2020 class rankings, the uncommitted Bearden also flashed a 72-74 mph curveball with 11-to-5 shape and short depth to the bottom of the zone.

– Jheremy Brown



Michael Harris (2019, Ellenwood, Ga.) is a talented lefthanded pitcher who threw 6 2/3 shutout innings en route to give OTC a 3-0 win. Harris is listed at 6-foot, 175-pounds and has a strong lower half and throws with an effortless, long arm action that comes from the over-the-top arm slot. He effectively throws hitters inside with an above average fastball that possesses some good arm-side run that ran from 85-88 in his first two innings and sat in from 82-85 the rest of the game. He pairs his fastball with a quality curve ball with late, sharp 1-to-7 break as it reaches the plate and has a lot of depth.  His curve sat from 68-71, and he does a great job of locating it low in the strike zone, as it starts off at the batters waist level, then drops as the hitter swings his bat. Harris is currently uncommitted, but that should change soon as he showed a great feel for both of his pitches and possesses quality knowledge of how to pitch as he gave up zero hits and struck out 11 in his Monday morning outing.

Gavin Kee (2019, Norwalk, Conn.) is a catcher with a strong, mature frame with solid speed and bats leadoff for the Clubhouse 16u baseball team. He hits with an open stance and has a quiet load as he takes a small step towards the plate as the pitcher begins to commit to the plate. Kee has a strong and quick, compact balanced swing and does an excellent job of getting the barrel of the bat quickly through the zone. Kee hit a solo shot in the third inning. The ball traveled 353 feet over the left field fence with an exit velocity of 98 mph. Kee also has good awareness on the basepaths and showcased his speed when he stole third base easily with no throw in the fourth. He is currently uncommitted, but has some top schools looking at him.

Drew McGowan (2019, Pembroke, Ky.) threw six innings and gave up one unearned run on two hits and two walks while striking out seven. McGowan throws with a solid, fast arm action and possesses an above average curve that generated many swings and misses with a spin rate in the 2400s. His arm works well as he throws with an over-the-top arm slot and shows great body control on the mound with his delivery. He take his front leg and curls back towards his second base and creates good torque for his delivery and allow him to get quickly whip his throwing arm towards home plate. His fastball ran in the mid-80s with good life and his curve sat from 74-78 with good depth and quality sharp break.

Chase Lummus (2019, Godley, Texas) and Austin King (2019, Argyle, Texas) both contributed to the Dallas Tigers Hernandez 16u 5-3 win on Monday afternoon.

Lummus, a University of Texas commit, has a large and mature frame with a strong lower half. He swings the bat with an upright stance and hands high by his head and does a good job of consistently dropping his hands below the baseball to create a consistent balanced swing on a line drive plane and barreled the baseball each time he made contact.

King, is a University Oklahoma commit who has a medium, athletic frame who possesses a big uppercut swing and is a pull hitter. He barreled a three-run single in the fifth to help take the lead for his team. He has to work on going the other way better, as he fouled off too many pitches on the outer half of the strike zone during his at-bats.

– Brandon Lowe



Steele Chambers (2019, Alpharetta, Ga.) is a very physical player. The primary outfielder swung the bat well and displayed his speed around the bases in Monday morning’s 12-0 win. The 6-foot-2, 217-pound strong athlete squared the ball up with his quick bat to the opposite field in each of his at-bats resulting in triples both time. On each of the triples, Chambers showed why he is a big-time prospect in both baseball and football with his long quick strides around the bases posting a 4.47 best home-to-first time with a turn. His name is an easy one to remember as well as his overall athleticism and bat-to-ball skills.

The Georgia Jackets 15u National team is a loaded squad full of 2019 and 2020 talent. Two players in their 6-3 victory Monday stood out especially with the bat. Both Josh Shuler and Preston Welchel show tools at the plate to hit for hard contact and power.

Josh Shuler (2020, Suwanee, Ga.) is the No. 1 player in the state of Georgia for the class of 2020. It is noticeable to the eye the first time you see him that he is a physical outfielder with athleticism in the frame. His swing is impressive and shows big power potential when on time. The first time Shuler even swung the bat while waiting to lead off the game I knew he was something special. Shuler did strikeout in his first at-bat, but his second at-bat he connected on a rope up the middle that left his bat at 90 mph. He later flew out and just missed a home run with an exit velocity of 98 mph. The rising sophomore out of North Gwinnett has a bent over stance with a big leg kick trigger that leads into his really good looking lofted swing. The outfielder’s ceiling is really high with the bat.

Shuler’s teammate, Preston Welchel (2019, Cartersville, Ga.) also showed power potential with the bat. An early triple that hit off of the wall in right field showed me that Welchel has power in his bat. Welchel’s swing is simple without much weight transfer, but excellent strength and leverage from the lefthanded swing. Listed at 5-foot-11, 162-pounds and physical bigger than that, Welchel showed that the power is potentially there when he hit a deep triple that he and I both thought were gone even though I could tell he did not get all of it. The ball left his bat at 91 mph with a high launch angle resulting from his slight uppercut swing. Welchel, uncommitted, can really swing the bat and can be a big-time hitter if the consistent barrel contact comes with added reps.

Jaden Brown (2019, Mississauga, Ontario) first stood out to me at shortstop for the Ontario Blue Jays Travers. His glove skills are really impressive as well as his actions. The range is pretty good and his hands are very smooth with a quick transfer. The arm is playable with the ability to throw from multiple arm angles. At the plate, Brown had a slow start, but made the most of his last at-bat showing big bat speed and power potential throughout the swing, Brown has an explosive swing that can be too aggressive at times. An uncommitted righthanded swinger from Canada, Brown has a lot of potential both in the infield and at the plate with good size and room to fill with added strength throughout the profile.

– Gregory Gerard



Riley Cornelio (2019, Monument, Colo.) got the start for the Slammers-Cronican on Monday afternoon at Lake Point and was, in a word, dominant. He allowed a scant three hits over his seven complete innings striking out five and getting a great deal of weak contact on the ground.




Cornelio is committed to TCU and looks like he might be next in a long line of star pitchers for the Horned Frogs and he continues the Colorado-to-Fort Worth pipeline that the TCU coaches have created in recent years. Cornelio is a highly projectable, still-slender righthander with a good combination of present stuff and future potential on the mound. He’s got a clean delivery that does an excellent job of getting online to the plate with a relatively fluid arm stroke through the back, though his back elbow will roll up into a bit of a flat arm at foot strike.

He worked 84-87 mph for the majority of his start peaking at 88 mph early on a few times, and showing the type of arm speed and projectable body that should equate to consistent 90+ mph velocity as he continues to add good strength to his frame. The fastball is pretty heavy, consistently eliciting weak contact on the ground and he showed the ability to work to both sides of the plate with the offering. He showed a curveball in the low-70s that flashes good spin and depth with 11-to-5 shape.




Later on Monday afternoon, Tri-State Arsenal Prime ran their record to 4-0 by way of a 10-2 victory at Marietta High School. Kellan Tulio (2019, Emmaus, Penn.) got the start and the win for Tri-State, throwing three no-hit innings while allowing three walks and striking out seven. Tulio is a large-framed lefthander with very good present strength and physicality throughout his body though he is likely nearing physical maturity. He generates significant plane from a high three-quarters arm slot and for the most part does a good job being on time with his elongated arm stroke coming through.

He lands closed off and has to really tilt his spine horizontally to get the arm up that high but when timed up properly he does create big time angle to the plate. His fastball peaked at 91 mph early on according to one coaches’ gun settling into the 85-88 mph range throughout his time on the mound. He flashed some feel for his changeup but felt better with the breaking ball this day, which, when spun and released correctly, showed good 1-to-7 shape with quality depth and the ability to land the pitch for a strike to either side of the plate.

Marty Higgins (2019, Nutley, N.J.) immediately stood out with the bat for Tri-State blasting a line drive home run to the pull field and then barely missing a second homer later in the game hooking it just foul. There is some legitimate bat speed there and though most of his power comes to the pull side at present, he’s got projection remaining on his body and should come into some more in time.




The Motor City Hit Dogs won their second game of the day later on Monday evening up in Cartersville taking the W in their continuation of a suspended game from earlier in the week. Spencer Schwellenbach (2018, Saginaw, Mich.) got the nod to close out a win, and did so in exemplary fashion, striking out four in three innings while allowing just two hits.

Schwellenbach came into the summer circuit season with a good deal of hype but a broken wrist on his non-throwing arm kept him from participating in Tournament of Stars so this is really our first look at him since last year. He’s a legitimate two-way talent committed to Nebraska who should absolutely be able to play both ways in Lincoln. He’s got a very simple, low maintenance delivery that loads well onto the back hip before driving downhill and online, consistently on time and as such able to work with well above-average control.

His fastball worked 90-93 mph for the majority of the 41 pitches peaking as high as 94 mph with excellent downhill plane and command to the bottom of the zone. It’s at least above average arm speed and he’s done a very good job of getting stronger over the past year, which has in turn allowed for him to not only throw harder but also maintain that velocity deeper into games. He features advanced feel for both his breaking ball and changeup both thrown in the upper-70s. The changeup was a bit inconsistent on this day but when he threw it with fastball-replicating arm speed and clean pronation at release it showed as an average pitch with good fade and deception. His breaking ball gets in between a curveball and a slider at times but the spin is legitimate, as is the sharpness of the break usually with 10-to-4 slurvy shape. He tunnels it well out of his hand and is very capable of burying it out of the strike zone to elicit whiffs.

Jase Bowen (2019, Toledo, Ohio) is committed to Notre Dame, but may very well end up playing football for the Irish as well that’s just the type of athlete he is. He hits atop the Hit Dogs lineup and is an ideal table-setter while displaying the potential to be a legitimate plus defender in center field. His speed is plus, and it plays extremely well in the outfield, where he displays refined routes with excellent, one-beat jumps on his reads to balls. The swing is ideally lofted consistently generating positive launch angles with good strength as well, able to drive the ball to all parts of the ballpark on a rising line. With his speed, those traditional doubles become triples pretty easily, and as he continues to get stronger and more physical those extra base hits will turn into more home runs. He’s an impact piece in the 2019 recruiting class for Notre Dame.




Michael Doolin (2019, Schereville, Ind.) turned in perhaps the most dominating performance of the event thus far late Monday night at LakePoint throwing a complete game (five innings) shutout, allowing only a single base runner (a single) while striking out ten. He possesses as ideal a delivery as a 16 year old can have balanced and on time with tremendous ease and consistency, throwing maybe 7-8 balls total in his five innings. He was in complete control from the very beginning, just pumping fastballs for strikes to all four quadrants of the strike zone, getting a seemingly inordinate amount of called strike threes.

His fastball peaked at 91 mph early and then settled into the 86-89 mph range for the duration of his start. He showed good feel for his breaking ball, thrown in the 74-75 mph range with good spin and sharpness more of a slurve at this point but with the potential to become a real bat-misser with continued repetitions. He’s as accomplished of a strike-thrower as there is in the 2019 class and the upside is tremendous.




Skylar Brooks (2019, Wilkesboro, N.C.) caught some eyes very late on Monday night, as he came on in relief for the Carolina Rockies and threw four no-hit innings allowing only a pair of walks while striking out six. He does a very good job hiding the ball through the back and causing it to jump at hitters once he releases, working 86-89 mph throughout what amounted to a four-inning save and touching 90 mph for his peak. There is breaking ball feel there as well, with semi-inconsistent shape but good spin and it showed legitimate potential when he did throw it. He did a very good job commanding his fastball to the glove side corner, which got him a good deal of swings and misses. Brooks is committed to East Carolina.

– Brian Sakowski


A prospect who showed off solid barrel skills throughout his game on Monday was outfielder Nicholas Biddison (2018, Glen Allen, Va.) for Old Dominion. The righthanded hitter had a couple of loud at-bats including a double that was launched over the head of the left fielder for a double. The North Carolina commit creates solid backspin off fly balls that he hits with a naturally lofted swing plane and feel for the barrel that allows him to connect and flash some pop to the pull side of the field. The swing comes from a still stance with an easy trigger to initiate the short stroke and drive the ball with authority. Biddison has certainly shown his ability to hit and that in combination with his ability to play multiple positions on the diamond should definitely be an asset to the Tar Heels should he make it to campus.

Newly minted PG All-American Christopher Willis (2018, Ruston, La.) has shown some serious juice in the past and has all the hitting tools to be one of the top catchers in next June’s draft. The top uncommitted player in the class has serious bat speed to go along with an easy, lofted swing and is looking to drive balls into the air. Willis launched two home runs a day prior and that power has been on display at PG events in the past. He didn’t have his best day at the plate, but still showed some barrel and situational awareness to drive a ball to the opposite field to score a runner early in the game. Willis has one of the highest ceilings of any player in the class offensively and it will be exciting to see him at Petco Park in August.

Willis’ teammate Willie Joe Garry Jr. (2018, Pascagoula, Miss.) showed off some tools for East Coast Sox Select as well. Garry Jr. has a very lean, projectable, and wiry frame with solid defense out in centerfield. He reads balls well and gets a quick first step on fly balls to make the plays with ease. Garry Jr. also moves well out there and is able to track down fly balls in both alleys. At the plate, he showed some interesting bat speed with a lower hand set and keeps the barrel of the bat in the hitting zone for a long time. He finished the day with one hit for the game and the potential there is very intriguing.

Reed Smith (2019, Cypress, Texas) started in a big win for Hunter Pence baseball and showed off solid tools and pitches on the mound. Smith stands at 5-foot-10 and 140-pounds, and although he is a bit shorter he still has quality arm speed which allows him to ramp up the velocity. The arm speed is the draw but the arm action itself is long through the back with a slight wrap around the back.

Smith repeats his delivery well and the ball comes out of the hand very cleanly as it is delivered to the plate. The fastball worked in the 84-87 mph range and he did a good job spotting his true fastball well to either side of the plate. He also showed a power curveball in the low-70s that flashed sharp shape and was a quality offering as a secondary pitch.

One of the more impressive feats during the game was when he and his third baseman pulled off the hidden ball trick to end the inning. After a single with runners on first and third, Smith sold the play very well as the runner didn’t realize that the third baseman still had the ball and tagged him out. Smith is one of the top righthanders left uncommitted and he turned in a strong performance on Monday.

Smith’s shortstop Peyton Chatagnier (2019, Cypress, Texas) also showed off impressive actions both on defense and at shortstop. Chatagnier is pretty athletic and moves well with lateral agility and a good motor at shortstop. He made a very good play early in the game that showed him make a sliding stop to his right and get up and use his momentum into the throw extraordinarily quickly and nailed the runner at first base with ease. The swing moves through the hitting zone quickly with quality hand speed and he is able to get the bat head extended out in front of the hitting zone. Chatagnier ripped a 92 mph double to the left-center gap later on in the game and has a good line drive approach at the plate with the requisite swing path for the approach.

One of the top ranked players for the class, catcher Corey Collins (2020, Suwanee, Ga.) has continued to impress and Monday night was no exception. The 6-foot-2, 205-pound lefthanded hitter has an impressively strong frame with requisite strength built in throughout the body as that aids him both at the plate and behind it. Collins has good bat speed through the hitting zone with good barrel whip that allows him to generate carry on fly balls. The Alabama commit will go to all fields and has a knack for striking balls hard through the point of contact. Collins has shown big power in the past and although he didn’t hit any home runs during the game he still showed a lot of hard hit contact. Despite Collins’ size, he is still athletic behind the plate with the advanced arm strength being the carrying tool. The arm strength alone helps to maintain the running game as he is capable of posting sub-2.00 second pop times on a consistent basis.

Shortstop Keithron Moss (2019, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) showed off some impressive actions at shortstop for the Midland Tribe to close out the night and keep the Tribe’s undefeated record thus far intact. The frame is very lean and projectable with tons of room on the body to add strength. There isn’t much power right now at the plate, however he does flash hand quickness to be very direct to the ball with a contact-oriented, line drive approach. The defense is the draw for Moss as his actions at shortstop are very smooth and impressive. He moves well with clean and quick hands to make clean transfers and showed solid footwork as well.

– Vinnie Cervino



Coming off of an excellent 17u WWBA National Championship in which he pitched eight innings and struck out 16, Hunter Barco (2019, Jacksonville, Fla.) is dominating his competition yet again in the 16u tournament. However, this week he is doing so utilizing the opposite tool set. While last week the University of Virginia commit showed scouts his abilities on the rubber, this week he is showing his explosiveness in the batter’s box.

Barco commands attention immediately from all in attendance wherever he is at on the diamond solely from his build. He stands 6-foot-4 and weighs in at 200 pounds; he just looks like an athlete. He stands in the box with an open stance and simply lifts the bat off of his shoulder when he is set with very little hand movement and finds the barrel consistently. With a big leg kick, he closes and generates torque through his lower half, generating explosiveness and very good bat speed. He showcased this swing Monday afternoon with a long, loud home run over the right-center wall. Without a doubt, this kid has all of the developing tools to be successful at the next level in possibly multiple capacities.




Jackson Miller (2020, Trinity, Fla.) continued his excellent work in the tournament Monday afternoon with two base hits, and impressed with his strength and bat speed. The rising sophomore shows maturity at the plate, hands still at during his load, and a swing conducive for consistent barrel. His frame will continue to build muscles, and the explosiveness he generates should develop into a swing that generates power.

Connor Monroe (2020, Pfafftown, N.C.) is yet another rising sophomore impressively playing a year up in this week’s tournament. Standing at 6-foot-2, he has an athletic, projectable frame and pitches from a high ¾ arm slot. Pitching to contact, he has an aggressive mentality and not afraid to pound in inner part of the plate – generating a lot of weak contact and a number of pop ups. His fastball sat at 86-87 mph and has a good downhill plane when he keeps the ball down. As he develops and utilizes his lower half more, his angle and velocity should continue to mature. Monore also features a developing feel for 11-to-5 curveball that projects to be a weapon for him down the road.




Andre Duplantier (2019, Houston, Texas) turned heads Monday evening as he toed the rubber for a two-inning performance. He stands at 6-foot-2 and has a projectable, athletic frame. He pounded the zone with a number of moving fastballs, all of which had good movement. His cutter was nasty, garnering weak contact and breaking a bat and sat 84-88 MPH range. His breaking ball shows 11-to-5 shape at times, but he drops to a lower angle at times for a more traditional slider tilt. Regardless which breaker he throws, it is a plus pitch for him, tight spinning and has a late break. His combination of aggressiveness, movement, and velocity made the Texas commit’s outing one of the more impressive I have seen in the tournament, and a player who will be fun to watch as he continues to develop.

– Travis Clark
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