Gavin
Bloodworth (Forsyth, Ga.) – Standing at 6-foot-2, the young
righthander projects well as he continues to gain more strength to
his frame. Showing a short and easy arm action, Bloodworth topped out
at 87 mph with his fastball in the first inning, working comfortably
in the 84-86 mph range. He did a nice job of locating his fastball to
both sides of the plate and showed a nice feel for a 12-to-6
curveball with downward depth at 70 mph.
Cameron
Gray (Cottondale, Fla.) – Gray has a lean, projectable frame
with long limbs and showed his athleticism on both sides of the ball
this tournament. Listed as a primary lefthanded pitcher, Gray showed
a balanced, repeatable delivery with a quick arm and consistent
downhill plane on his fastball that topped out at 78 mph. His swing
from the left side shows fluidity with carry off the barrel to his
pull side.
Beau
Walters (Clermont, Fla.) – Walters made his presence felt in a
big way with the bat in his team’s first game. Batting in the heart
of the order, Walters, who showed a short path with solid bat speed
from the right side, hit not one, but two home runs, both of which
easily cleared the left field fence.
Michael
Burrows (Wilson, Conn.) – Burrows started the game for CTN
Prodigy 2K18 and allowed just two hits in his four inning on the
mound. With a strong 6-foot, 165-pound frame Burrows showed a compact
and easy delivery and projects for more on his fastball that topped
at 81 mph. The righthander showed a feel for both a short 10-to-4
slider with some tilt at 72 mph and a 12-to-6 curveball that he threw
in the mid-60s.
Jacob
Steinberg (Germantown, Mary.) – A physical 6-foot-1, 180-pound
outfielder/righthanded pitcher, Steinberg came out firing on the
mound, bumping his fastball to 84 mph from an easy arm action and
simple delivery. Having already been named to an All-Tournament Team
in three previous Perfect Game events, the righthanded hitting
Steinberg showed interesting bat speed and moves well around the
bases.
Timmy
Borden (Sellersburg, Ind.) – For the first time in the two-year
history of the Freshman WWBA Championship, a player came into the
tournament with his decision of college already made. A future
Louisville Cardinal, the 5-foot-11 Borden projects well as he
continues to fill out his lean, athletic frame. He already shows the
ability to back spin the ball deep to left field generating very good
bat speed with a fast, fluid stroke. His actions up the middle are
also advanced and he shows a short arm action with strength on throws
across the diamond.
Gabe
Bierman (Jeffersonville, Ind.) – In a must-win game for Miner
League National, Bierman was handed the ball and helped advance his
team to the quarterfinals. With a loose and fluid arm action, the
righthander maintained his velocity for six-plus innings, working in
the 78-81 mph range, touching 82 mph frequently. He did a really nice
job of getting on top of his fastball, living low in the zone with
advanced command to his glove side. Like his fastball, Bierman got on
top of his upper-60s curveball and created consistent 11-to-5 life.
Brooks
Coetzee (Mahomet, Ill.) – With a strong 6-foot build, Coetzee
creates nice natural lift in his righthanded swing and shows the
ability to handle the barrel well, going with the pitch wherever it
is thrown. With a short and quick bat path, Coetzee went with an
outside fastball and drove it to right field, stretching it into a
double. Already showing present strength in his swing, Coetzee’s
pop will continue to increase as he incorporates his lower half into
his swing.
Treet
Williams (Tomball, Texas) – Williams may not be the biggest
player on the field but he makes you notice him with his actions
behind the plate and abilities with the bat from the left side. He
shows quick actions behind the plate with a strong, accurate arm that
projects well with added strength, and receives well, sticking
off-speed pitches well on the corners. With a still start in the
batters box, Williams showed no problem handling velocity as he
squared up 82 mph for a line drive single and shows a sound approach
with two strikes.
Nick
O’Day (Coatesville, Penn.) – O’Day is participating in the
WWBA Freshman World Championship for the second year in a row, making
a name for himself last year as an eighth grader. With a year of
growth, the physical O’Day sat 86-88 mph early on with his fastball
this year, pounding the strike zone and showing downhill plane on the
pitch. He commanded his curveball in any count, throwing it in the
mid-60s with 11-to-5 shape. O’Day is a two-way threat though,
playing a solid third base and shows a fast, short swing with
consistent hard contact to the opposite field.
Chase
Wilkerson (Headland, Ala.) – Wilkerson started the night game
for So Cal NTT and topped his best velocity that he showed this
summer. A primary shortstop, Wilkerson hit 85 mph multiple times in
the early going, settling into to the 81-83 mph range with heavy life
down in the zone. He stayed balanced through his delivery and lands
on line with his lower half, attacking hitters with his fastball.
Riley
Watkins (Sterrett, Ala.) – Standing at 6-foot-3, 180-pounds,
Watkins has long, lean limbs with a high waist and room to continue
to fill out. Showing a short and quick arm action, Watkins creates
some whip in his arm action coming over the top to produce a fastball
that top at 84 mph. He has a short stride to the mound but is able to
create extension out front and work downhill with the pitch.
Ethan
Hankins (Cumming, Ga.) – Hankins is one of the more projectable
arms in the tournament, standing at 6-foot-2, 180-pounds. Throwing
from a sidearm slot, Hankins shows a long, loose, and easy arm action
with the ball coming out of his hand cleanly. Working in the 80-83
mph range, the righthander pounded the strike zone with his fastball
and projects for more velocity with the incorporation of his lower
half.
Ashton
Shepard (Buford, Ga.) – With a lean 5-foot-10 frame, Shepard
showed a short and quick arm action coming through the backside to
produce a fastball in the 78-82 mph range, topping at 83 mph. He
collapses on his back leg a bit but repeats his arm action well on
his curveball which he varied in shape, throwing one with 1-to-7 life
and the other shows more horizontal, slurvy break, both of which were
for strikes.
Luke
Bartnicki (Marietta, Ga.) – Over the first couple innings the
6-foot-1 Bartnicki showed a fastball in the 80-82 mph range, leaving
his left hand from an extended three-quarter release. His arm action
is loose and he generates both arm-side run and angle on his fastball
while mixing in a solid changeup in the mid-70s. His frame projects
well and as he continues to lengthen out his stride and incorporate
his lower half, the stuff will continue to improve as well.
Andrew
Benefield (Murfeesboro, Tenn.) – Listed as a primary shortstop,
Benefield showed all the actions to stay up the middle currently and
in the future. He moves well on feet, especially to his left with
fluid glove work and a strong arm across the diamond. Batting in the
three hole for Team Elite Prime, Benefield showed off his strength
with the bat too, turning on an inside fastball for a ground-rule
double to left field that nearly got over the wall in the air.
Jack
Carey (Summit, N.J.) – The young righthander made a name for
himself last week at the WWBA Underclass World Championship in Fort
Myers, Fla., topping out at 89 mph. Although he didn’t quite show
that velocity this weekend, Carey came out at 85-87 mph before
settling into the mid-80s throughout the rest of his one-hit,
complete game shutout. Showing a fast arm coming through the back
side, Carey consistently pounded the lower quadrants of the strike
zone, showing life to his arm side. The feel for his off-speed is
still developing though he did flash a changeup at 75 mph with fading
life early in the game.
Charles
Mack (Williamsville, N.J.) – Batting in the three-hole, Mack
swung a hot bat through pool play, batting over .700 while showing
quick hands and a fast bat from the lefthanded batter’s box. As
impressive as his feel for getting the barrel to the ball is, his
approach at the plate and knowledge of the strike zone are just as
strong. Recognizing spin, Mack kept his weight back on a 1-2 count
and turned on it for a ground ball down the right field line.
Nic
Kent (Gordonsville, Va.) – Kent showed quick-twitch actions at
shortstop all weekend for USA Elite Baseball 2018’s National,
showing solid range to either side with athleticism and arm strength.
His best play however came in the 8:00 a.m. consolation game in which
Kent dove up the middle for a ground ball, got to his feet and
delivered a strike to first base to get the runner by a step.
Troy
LaNeve (2019, Gibsonia, Penn.) – Another player that hasn’t
entered high school yet, LaNeve shows interesting tools that have
plenty of time to develop. His bat speed stood out, even in a
tournament full of players that are a year older than him as did his
feel and handle of the bat head. His swing is short and quick to the
ball and shows a strong, loose arm from right field with good
footwork coming through the ball.
Tyler
Casagrande (Leesburg, Va.) – Casagrande consistently got the
barrel to the ball all weekend, showing a quick and compact swing
with projectable strength off the barrel. He starts with a still set
up in the box and shifts his weight well into his swing, keeping both
halves in sync while getting the barrel through the zone from the
left side.