Some of the highest velocity of the tournament came from the dominant effort of righthander Brayden Sanders (2021, Olive Branch, Miss.) on Tuesday. He has present size and strength to the frame and that allows him to carry his velocity well into outings as he did on Tuesday. Sanders has a shorter arm action that travels quickly through his compact arm circle. The mechanics are a bit inconsistent, he lands open often, but he is able to effectively locate his fastball to either side of the plate with relative ease. The fastball was up to 84 mph early on and sat comfortably in the 79-82 mph range for the majority of the outing. Sanders only allowed two hits, zero runs, on the day and he attacked hitters with his fastball. He pounded the strike zone and the last pitch of his outing on the mound was clocked at 80 mph.
Florida International commit Kyle Tako (2021, Hollywood, Fla.) came in on relief during Elite Squad’s game on Tuesday and although he is not even listed as a secondary pitcher, he showed intriguing potential. Tako has an athletic and strong physicality to the build and is listed at 6-foot-3, 195-pounds. Both the arm strength and arm speed are what stands out as the ball comes out of the hand with an element[ of explosiveness although he does throw with some effort on the bump. Tako showed a strong mix of fastball and cueveball with the fastball working 80-83 mph for the majority of his short time on the mound. He worked the pitch predominantly to the glove side of the plate.
One of the stronger performances on Thursday came from outfielder Preston Wright (2021, Mascoutah, Ill.) as his home run in the middle innings helped put Extreme Elite ahead in an important pool play game. Hitting near the middle of the lineup, Wright has a solid and sturdy present frame with room to add strength and muscle as he continues to develop physically. The swing itself had natural loft to it and he showed off some bat speed through the swing as well. The bat speed helped him gain some extra exit velocity on his line drives and fly balls. Wright showed the ability to turn on the inside part of the plate and still get the barrel head out onto the ball. He had multiple hits in his game on Thursday and the home run to right field was huge as it gave Extreme Elite the lead heading into the late innings of the game.
Another lefthanded slugger, Bobby Marsh (2021, Bellefonte, Pa.), was impressive and showed a high ceiling for the GoWags. Marsh has a very wiry frame with a very lean build, listed at 6-foot-2 and 180-pounds, with tons of room left to add strength and physicality which should help in terms of power production. That being said, he certainly already has quality hand and bat speed for his age and that allows him to drive balls well, particularly to the pull side gap. In one of his earlier games, Marsh roped an 89 mph triple that traveled an estimated 325 feet in the air. The approach is to get the ball in the air and he leverages the swing to the pull side in an effort to generate that power. The frame and present hitting tools are all indicative of future power at the plate and the present approach allows for a very high ceiling as Marsh continues his development, especially as he continues to add strength.
Adding to the crop of talented catchers that Perfect Game has seen this week, Austin Bode (2021, Columbus, Ind.) of the Indiana Bulls is another very talented backstop. The big draw about Bode’s game is his present catch and throw skills are both advanced for the age and still impressive. The arm strength itself is still developing but the tools he has into his throwing mechanics from behind the plate are strong. The throws down to second get their accurately for the most part and that included a throw down earlier this week when he nailed a runner from his knees. He hits third for the Bulls and also shows quality hitting tools. Although the swing path will get muddled at times, he has very quick hands and is able to whip the barrel through the zone quickly. The swing is short to the ball most of the time and he has shown strong bat-to-ball skills as even his outs have been put in play this week, often hit hard.
Shortstop Christian Martin (2021, Amherst, Va.) of the Richmond Braves has had a strong tournament thus far and he has shown the tools to succeed in all facets of the game with twitchy actions throughout. Martin is normally starting at shortstop and hitting near the top of the order for the Braves. He shows quick instincts with an ability to get out of the box quickly in the box. The approach is heavily weighted towards contact and the ability to get the ball in play and, if necessary, allow his speed to get him on base. Martin stands slightly open with a high hand set and high back elbow. There is a slight arm bar but his direct path to the ball allows the swing to stay compact. He recognizes pitches at the plate well and is able to handle the barrel well; this allows him to go to all fields well and always strike the ball hard when putting it in play. The glove is pretty clean defensively as he has shown the ability to move well laterally and range to balls; the arm strength will continue to grow as he gains strength to the frame. Martin’s speed has also allowed him to swipe three bases thus far.
Lefthander James Hitt (2020, Magnolia, Tex.) pitched Wednesday in relief and showed high quality tools and indicators for future success while on the mound. He was only in for about one inning’s worth of pitching but the arm and the stuff were all very interesting. Hitt projects well, coming in at 6-foot and 160-pounds, with plenty of physical projection remaining on the frame with extremely long limbs and a high waist. The arm action is vey loose and easy throughout a full arm circle. He pitches from an exclusive stretch and the ball comes out of the hand very cleanly with late life to his fastball. The pitch worked mostly 79-82 mph and flashed hard, late cut to it. There is a head whack in the delivery but it is less a result of effort as it is a timing mechanic. The offspeed pitch that Hitt went to mostly on Wednesday afternoon was his hard changeup. The pitch came in around 74 mph consistently and it was thrown with the same amount of arm speed and intent as his fastball. Hitt turned over the changeup well and the pitch showed late tumble down and to the arm side.
One of the more physically advanced prospects at this age is righthander Drue Hackenberg (2021, Palmyra, Va.) of the Virginia Cardinals. The 6-foot, 175-pound listing might be underselling Hackenberg a bit as he has good size and strength present in the frame. He has broad shoulders and long limbs which should allow for continued added strength as he continues to grow. The delivery itself is very simple as Hackenberg throws exclusively from the stretch and allows him to limit the excessive moving parts that may be present in the windup. Hackenberg’s arm was mostly clean throughout with a soft stab in the back of the arm circle. He worked his fastball and curveball combination well as the fastball sat 79-82 mph and had quality sink. Hackenberg’s curveball was an effective offering as well as it flashed and had consistent 11/5 shape. There was advanced arm speed as well and he got on top of his pitches to generate plane on the fastball pretty consistently. The combination of size, effort level, make Hackenberg a very intriguing prospect to monitor as he advances throughout his high school career.
Two high caliber hitters playing for Tri-State Arsenal Grey in lefthander Luke Chenault (2020, Lake Hopatcong, N.J.) and righthander Saborn Campbell (2021, Bloomfield Hills, Mich.).
Chenault is a very polished hitter at this stage in his development. Following a strong showing at the Northeast Indoor Showcase earlier this year, Chenault has been able to show that he has the ability to hit at a high and consistent level. The swing is very easy with a simple, direct trigger to behind his swing. Chenault has shown a good feel for the barrel of the bat and that has been apparent in-game as his ten hits, including a hard hit triple on Wednesday to the pull side gap and a home run earlier in the tournament. The swing is leveraged well and he has shown good power to the pull side relative to his age. Chenault’s advanced barrel control has been on display during this week and makes him a very interesting hitter to follow.
Campbell is another hitter who hits near the top of the Tri-State Arsenal Grey lineup but has a vastly different skill set and approach than Chenault does. Campbell is an incredible athlete with quick twitch muscle throughout the frame that should only make the speed and athleticism more apparent as he continues to add strength. After being named to the Top Prospect List at the 2017 Rocky Mountain Showcase, Campbell has shown that his speed and hitting tools are of significant intrigue. The hand speed is very impressive and allows him to get the bat through the hitting zone quickly. He stands with a high hand set and high back elbow throughout a balanced stance. Campbell has posted average run times from the right side, around 4.3 seconds to first, and has shown very impressive instincts and the ability to read pitchers on the bases. He can get himself into scoring position in the blink of an eye when he gets good reads and already has three stolen bases on the tournament. While the hitting is a bit inconsistent, Campbell has high level tools across the board and can be an impact player.
– Vincent Cervino
At 6-foot-4, 180-pounds Westin Walls (2020, Terrell, Texas) will certainly grab your attention as he toes the rubber and will continue to harness your eyes within a couple of pitches. Despite being a rising sophomore with considerable length to his limbs, the young righthander exhibited plenty of balance and athleticism as he did a nice job of repeating his mechanics, which in turned allowed him to fill up the strike zone.
With a long and loose arm action through the back Walls was able to work comfortably within the 82-85 mph range with his fastball, showing steady tempo while working to the lower quadrants of the strike zone. There’s undoubtedly more velocity on its way as he continues to fill out, especially given the relative low effort he uses to generate his present fastball. He generates solid extension out front and as a result is able to create consistent 2-seam life to his fastball, though he also shows quality hand speed as he spun a tight breaking ball at 72 mph that offered depth to the bottom part of the zone.
Carter Holton (2021, Guyton, Ga.) got the start for the Dirtbags 2021 Black squad and didn’t disappoint, both with his present arsenal and long term potential. Listed at 5-foot-9, 130-pounds in the program which appears to be outdated, Holton sport long limbs which he uses to generate rather easy velocity on his fastball which he ran up to 84 mph from the left side early in the game. Showing a clean arm stroke, Holton was able to also show short running life to his arm side and though he’d occasionally get across his body at release, the ball still came out cleanly and with angle. He flashed a curveball in the upper-60s and managed to punch out seven in 6.1 innings while issuing just one walk.
Christian Little (2021, St. Louis, Mo.) had been detailed earlier in the tournament as he threw a tune up inning in what essentially served as a live bullpen with the coaching staff closely monitoring his pitch count. In a game that pitted him up against a tough offense in the East Cobb Astros, Little rose to the occasion and delivered seven innings of one-hit baseball, struck out nine and walked just one.
Early in the contest Little ran his fastball up to 86 mph more than once, including in the third inning, as he lived in the 82-85 mph range and was still working 81-84 in the final frame. And while the present velocity is impressive given he won’t turn 14 for another month, Little’s long term projection is as high as any player in the tournament.
Already standing at 6-foot-2 Little continued to pound the ball downhill with plenty of angle for strikes and did so while exhibiting an advanced feel for his changeup which he threw in the 76-78 mph range. He did a nice job of replicating his release point on the pitch and generated consistent fading life to his arm side, a pitch hitters didn’t seem to recognize. He also showed his sharp curveball again, giving him a viable three-pitch mix, all of which he threw for strikes and readily mixed in.
Burke Berry (2021, Peachtree City, Ga.) and Andrew Armstrong (2020, Flowery Branch, Ga.) combined to help shutout the Midwest Prospects, providing one of the best pitched games as they faced off against Little, above. Berry got the start for the Astros and worked very well within his pitch out, punching out eight batters in four innings and seemed to induce contact within a couple of pitches for his other outs. From an extended release, Berry was able to run his fastball up to 82 mph early in the contest with short sinking life while mixing in a short, downer curveball in the mid- to upper-60s.
Armstrong offers plenty of physical projection at 6-foot-2, 140-pounds and made for an uncomfortable at-bat as the rising sophomore attacked hitters from a near sidearm release, creating tough angle while filling up the strike zone. He was up to 82 mph in his three innings of no-hit relief and filled the strike zone, showing short life to his heater while also locating his 63-65 mph curveball for strikes.
Listed as a primary third baseman in the program, Juhlien Gonzalez (2021, Southwest Ranches, Fla.) is a young Florida International commit who shows solid athleticism with sound footwork over at the hot corner. Gonzalez also brought that athleticism with him behind the plate in a pool play game which was on full display as he made a diving snag on a throw in to home then delivered a strike to third base to nail the runner. Throughout the tournament Gonzalez has shown nice tools in all facets of the game with solid bat speed, soft hands, and a strong arm, both across the diamond and on the bump.
Speaking of talented players committed to Florida International, Justin Quintana (2021, Miramar, Fla.) is Elite Squad’s starting center fielder and has shown interesting tools that need to be followed. He moves well defensively out in center field and has shown a strong arm as well. He hits in the top-third of the lineup and shows solid bat speed with quick hands along with the ability to impact the baseball when squared up off the barrel.
Levi McAllister (2021, Bow, N.H.) is a young catcher who made the trip down to Georgia by way of New Hampshire with the New England Ruffnecks and he’s shown well defensively behind the plate. Strongly built at 5-foot-9, 165-pounds, McAllister exhibited solid receiving skills behind the plate as he was able to stick pitches on the outer half and presented the ball well out front. Both his arm strength and athleticism also played and he displayed both at once as he popped out from behind the plate, spun, and delivered a strike to get the runner at first base.
Another Ruffneck who has done some catching this tournament is Raul Diaz (2021, Springfield, Mass.) who’s the younger brother of shortstop Isan Diaz, a top prospect in the Milwaukee Brewers organization. Strongly built at 5-foot-7, 175-pounds, Diaz is able to impact the baseball while swinging wood from the right side as he does a nice job of incorporating his physical strength while generating extension out front and showing strength off the barrel.
Ryan Rumsey (2021, Sewell, N.J.) is an interesting arm to follow out of New Jersey and he got the start for the All Out Pack yesterday afternoon. Utilizing an over-the-top slot and a full, quick arm action, Rumsey was able to ramp his fastball up to 82 mph early in the game and worked within the 78-81 mph range well. He shows steady tempo to his delivery with clean mechanics and generates solid extension out front, allowing for plane on his fastball and projects well as he continues to fill out and grow. In a six inning performance against East Coast Sox Prime, Rumsey punched out five and didn’t allow an earned run.
It was a rather quick night on the mound for lefthander Jayden Walker (2021, Irwin, Pa.) as he threw two clean innings of quality relief for Beaver Valley, striking out four along the way. One of the more physically impressive prospects in attendance at 6-foot-3, 195-pounds Walker came in and ran his fastball up to 83 mph with a short arm stroke and a higher release point. When he was on top of the ball, which he was more often than not, Walker was able to create steady plane to his year with short life to his fastball and did a nice job of mixing in a short curveball up to 72 mph for strikes.
On the field next to Rumsey was Alberto Lara (2021, Plano, Texas) and his Citius Elite team who were taking on Team Halo and ultimately prevailed with a big victory. Lara enjoyed a nice day at the plate as he went 2-for-3 with a single and double in his first two plate appearances. He did a nice job of incorporating his physical strength, showing a leveraged path through the zone with big strength off the barrel, even on regular contact. He’s now hitting .412 on the season and is a middle of the order bat to follow the rest of the tournament.
Matthew Buchanan (2021, Lebanon, Va.) took the ball in relief for Team Elite in their victory over Beaver Valley in a pivotal pool play game and showed lots of interesting things on the mound. Already listed at 6-foot, 165-pounds, the young lefthander was up to 83 mph in his 3.2 innings of work but more impressive was his ability to pitch and mix three pitches for strikes. He works with a compact arm action and shows plenty of balance to his delivery, something that allowed Buchanan to sequence both his curveball and changeup for strikes as both showed nice life through the zone. In total Buchanan struck out six, allowed just one hit, and picked up his fair share of swings-and-misses.
Another player detailed earlier in the tournament for his abilities both on defense as well as on the mound, Daniel Corona (2021, Brooklyn, NY) took to the mound again for Team Elite after a brief tune-up appearance earlier in the tournament. Though his primary position is listed as shortstop in the program, Corona shows immense upside on the mound given his loose, whippy arm action, present velocity, and long term projectability in terms of physicality. The New York native is already listed at 6-foot-1, 165-pounds and in his most recent outing he ran his fastball up to 86 mph and worked rather comfortably in the 82-85 mph range. With the amount of whip and extension Corona is able to generate with his arm action the ball appears to get on hitters quickly, especially when he’s on top of the ball and creating angle to his glove side with late running life.
We’ll keep it brief as Brody Drost (2020, Sulphur, La.) has already been highlighted for both his pitching and his bat, but he put both on display against yesterday for Sheets Baseball. On the mound the uncommitted Drost twirled 4.2 innings of three-hit, shout out baseball against Team Elite and struck out 11 while running his fastball up to 85 mph from the left side. On top of his pitching performance, Drost also connected for one of the harder pieces of contact in the game which resulted in an inside the park home run as he smoked a line drive to center field which cleared the fielder’s head.
– Jheremy Brown