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Tournaments  | Story  | 10/9/2016

World Underclass Day 3 Notes

David Rawnsley      Matt Czechanski      Brandon Hohl      Vincent Cervino     
Photo: Perfect Game


Daily Leaders | Day 1 Notes | Day 2 Notes

The MLB Breakthrough Series team played twice at Terry Park Saturday afternoon and it was a distinct baseball joy for this veteran baseball scout to watch the two games, evaluate the players and interact with the individuals involved in this Major League Baseball sponsored initiative. For more on the MLB Breakthrough Series program, please read Jeff Dahn's feature story here.

The first level of enjoyment was simply meeting and talking to those individuals. There were five gentlemen dressed and in the dugout with the team: Marquis Grissom, Jerry Manuel, Luis Alicea, Bob Didier and Marvin Freeman. If you are unfamiliar with any of these former Major Leaguers and their perhaps 200 years of collective professional baseball experience, please look them up. It was an honor being in the same park as them.

In the stands watching and evaluating were former MLB executives Tony Reagins and Reggie Waller, plus Del Matthews, son of former MLB All-Star Gary and brother of MLB All-Star Gary Jr.

Reuniting with Waller was of special importance to this scout as we worked together for many years in the 1990's with the Houston Astros when he was the team's West Coast Scouting Supervisor. His love for the game and outgoing personality make him perfect for his role with Major League Baseball.

Equally exciting was watching the team play, as the MLB Breakthrough Series team went 3-0 in pool play, including winning a hard fought 1-0 game against a talented Mississippi Royals team late Saturday night, to qualify for the playoffs.

Two anecdotes, keeping in mind that the team is assembled from players from around the country and only had one week of practice in late August together, summarize how the team competes.

Late in the first game, I remarked to Waller and Reagins how hard every player ran to first base, as it was noticeable the effort level by every hitter after contact. They related "They were told that if they didn't hustle, Mr. Manuel would come to them on the bench afterwards and say 'son, it looks like you are tired. I'm going to give you the rest of the day off to rest up.’" When a former MLB Manager of the Year may do that, young men evidently listen.

The second impression was about how well and how consistently the team executed fundamentals, especially considering how little they had practiced together given all of their different backgrounds. In one instance in the final pool play game, they perfectly executed a bunt rotation defense that had the shortstop making a tag at third base to nail a baserunner trying to steal. It was a complex and mature rotation that one rarely sees in travel baseball. I – somewhat incredulously – asked Waller how they knew what to do. He answered "We put that in Thursday when we got together. These are big league guys in the dugout, remember?"

Some impressions of the top MLB Breakthrough Series players:

• Outfielder Basiel Williams (2018, Hammond, La.) is a 6-foot-3, 180-pound switch-hitter with bat speed from both sides of the plate, pitch awareness, barrel skills and plenty of running speed. He's a high-level D-I type athlete.

• Lefthander Yuji Sakane (2018, Temple City, Calif.) threw five shutout innings against the Mississippi Royals, featuring an 83-87 mph fastball he spotted impeccably to each lower half corner. He is going to keep improving as he adds strength and is already a Pepperdine commit.

• Catcher Jonoven Savage (2018, Chesapeake, Va.) is a very strong righthanded hitter and a Virginia Tech commit. He's recovering from knee surgery and not at full strength yet but showed his raw bat speed and throwing arm well.

• Corner infielder Taj Bradley (2018, Stone Mountain, Ga.) is a 15-year old junior who already shows big bat speed and the ability to drive the ball.

• Shortstop Kordell Brown (2019, Elk Grove, Calif.) is vertically challenged at 5-foot-6 but has outstanding actions on defense with a great internal baseball clock and lots of energy.

• Outfielder Nolan Brown (2018, Long Beach, Calif.) is another 6-foot-3 athlete with big projection. He beat out three infield hits in the first game Saturday with his speed and energy and made a diving catch in right field.

• Lefthander Brandon Mitchell (2018, Houston, Texas) surprised even the MLB staff when he went out and threw 86-88 to close out their first victory of the day.


East Coast Sox Select outfielder Eric Newsom (2019, Madison, Miss.) is one of the most impressive young lefthanded hitters this scout has seen in a while based on his hitting performance Saturday afternoon at the Terry Park Stadium field.  Newsom looks a bit bigger than his listed 6-foot-3, 185-pound roster size and is definitely both presently strong and very projectable, especially for a sophomore. He hit a pair of absolutely crushed triples, including one to straightaway center field that traveled 400 feet, both in distance and seemingly in height as well. It was impressive bat speed and strength coupled with outstanding launch angle. It was also notable that both triples were off mid- to upper-80s fastballs. Newsom also pitched in relief in East Coast's morning win, showing an 83-85 mph fastball from a mid three-quarters arm slot that had extreme running action.

Another big and highly projectable young outfielder to keep an eye on is The Clubhouse Elite's Bobby Zmarziak (2019, Stanford, Conn.). The 6-foot-4, 175-pound righthanded hitter had no trouble turning around a 92 mph fastball for a clean single into left field and took a number of other good swings during the game against high octane stuff as well.

The irony of the East Coast Sox Select and The Clubhouse Elite matchup that featured Newsom and Zmarziak is that the game ended up with East Coast winning 10-4 but also featured four different pitchers throwing in the 90s.  The overriding issue was both walks (14 total in the game) and lots of mid-plate fastballs to good hitters.

East Coast righthander Chance Huff (2018, Niceville, Fla.) has an outstanding arm and a very bright future if he can learn to command his 90-93 mph fastball and his low- to mid-80s power slider. He has an outstanding young pitcher's build a very fast arm and loose arm action for a high three-quarters to over-the-top release point. When Huff was down in the zone he was virtually unhittable with the angle he created and the velocity but he struggled with his vertical command and missed up consistently.

Righthanders John Macdonald (2018, Stanford, Conn.) and Spencer Oliver (2018, Madison, Conn.) of The Clubhouse Elite both topped out at 91 mph but also had issues harnessing the location of their top-shelf stuff.

Not surprisingly, in a way, the most effective pitcher by far was 5-foot-10 primary shortstop Jerry Couch (2018, Bossier City, La.) who threw three one-run innings for East Coast to pick up the win. Couch filled up the strike zone with a 86-90 mph fastball and had an impressive 12-to-6 downer curveball that he threw in the mid-70s with sharp biting action.  He definitely has the tools and skills to be a pitcher at a strong Division I program despite his height.

St. Louis Gamers shortstop/righthanded pitcher Shay Schanaman (2018, Hastings, Neb.) was impressive at the PG Underclass All-American Games in August in San Diego and has continued to stand out on both sides of the ball in Fort Myers. Schanaman went 2-for-3 with two runs scored and a solo home run in Saturday morning's 4-2 Gamers win over MVP Beast. He also came in to pitch the seventh inning, picking up two strikeouts and the save with an 87-90 mph fastball and a nice upper-70s slider.

Shortstop Austin Knight (2018, Jacksonville, Fla.) is a Tennessee commit and the 354th-ranked player in the 2018 class.  He has a lean, athletic and very projectable body but lots of present skills and bat speed as well.  Knight has been outstanding in the Jacksonville Warriors three pool play victories, going a combined 5-for-8 with three doubles, a home run and five RBI. Two of those doubles came in Saturday morning's 8-4 Warrior win over the SBA Canes.

Lids Indiana Bulls were mentioned in the scouting recap yesterday after running out three high-level young pitchers, including two promising 2019 hurlers. They were at it again Saturday morning with 2020 righthander Brandon Dodson (Martinsville, Ind.) and 2019 righthander Parker Maddox (Columbus, Ind.). Dodson started and threw four no-hit innings, striking out four while only needing 47 pitches to do so.  He worked in the 81-83 mph range with his fastball – good velocity for a freshman – but his big downer curveball and his changeup were actually his two best pitches. Maddox picked up the save in a 4-3 win over the Rawlings MD Prospects, striking out three of the final four hitters and topping out at 88 mph.

– David Rawnsley


Shortstop Josh Haney (2018, Stanley, N.C.) found the barrel early in the Dirtbags 17’s Falcon to help capture their second pool play win. Haney showed a smooth line drive swing plane with good hand speed through the zone connecting on a pulled triple down the right field line. He showed good athleticism with a 4.61 turn around first base on his way around the bases. He showed a clean hand path through the zone and repeated it well, getting back to the same launch position. Haney was a bit of a utility star defensively, getting time at third, second, and shortstop in the game with sounds actions at all positions.




One of the more anticipated pitching performances of the weekend was UNC commit Brennan Malone (2019, Matthews, N.C.). Malone has an immensely projectable frame, listed at 6-foot-3, 190-pounds with tremendous athleticism and long limbs allowing for continued physical development. Malone showed all of the traits that have made him the #10 ranked player in his class. He started with a leg raise to his belt and threw easily over his front side with a slight crossfire element. He showed a full arm action through the back with easy arm speed through release. He landed on a stiff front leg with recoil in his follow through. His fastball showed good arm-side life at times at 86-89 mph while topping out at 90 mph. He didn’t always stay on top of the pitch, causing it to flatten out up in the zone. His curveball offered a strong swing and miss pitch with good depth and 11-to-5 shape. The pitch showed above average spin and he showed better ability to command his breaking ball than his fastball at times. He also showed a changeup that showed good fade, though thrown selectively, up to 79 mph. He slowed his arm for both pitches, but the velocity change off of his fastball kept hitters very uncomfortable in the box. The biggest thing for Malone to improve on is replicating his release point. Though effectively wild holding his opponents to no hits over five shutout innings, he had trouble with command.

Pitching against Malone’s On Deck O’s was Grant Leader (2019, La Grange Park, Illi.) of Top Tier American 17u. Malone did not have the stature of Malone, but pitched effectively over four innings allowing just one unearned run and striking out three batters. He showed a slightly awkward, but deceptive leg lift swinging his front knee before striding down the mound. He showed a very quick, compact arm action, but cut his extension off down the mound. He threw from a three-quarters arm slot with slight effort at release, but a very quick arm. His fastball worked 83-86 mph and topped out at 88 mph in the first inning with short arm side life. He also showed good replicated arm speed on his curveball that showed big 11-to-5 shape. The pitch broke up out of the hand, but showed as a deceptive secondary pitch. He got it over for strikes with average spin and showed good feel for the pitch. Leader is currently uncommitted.

Continuing his run of flashing a well above average glove up the middle was shortstop Alex Freeland (2020, Hoschton, Ga.). Freeland has incredibly soft hands and feel for making the flashy play whether it be ranging deep in the hole and firing it over to first base or charging and making an accurate throw on the run. His transfer is very clean with a quick release and strong arm. He has a very lean, slender frame and will continue to add strength with age as he approaches physical maturity. His swing is loose and fluid from the left side with ability to drive the ball to the gaps.




Continuing the impressive run of high end division one commit arms taking the mound, Florida commit, Kristofer Armstrong (2018, Jupiter, Fla.) did so as well. Armstrong has a very physical 6-foot-3, 200-pound frame with broad shoulders, present strength, and room to even add further. He utilized a slight hip turn and larger leg raise past his belt with a full hand raise over his head into his delivery. Armstrong showed a full, long arm action that was mostly loose through the back. He landed online and worked over his front side with slight recoil after his landing. He threw from an extended three-quarters arm slot, that moved to a higher three-quarters arm slot at times with good extension through the ball. His arm worked quickly with a fastball that sat 88-90 mph and topped out at 91 mph in his relief appearance. He showed good feel for his changeup as well that showed slight sink and the ability to replicate his arm speed. He also showed a 12-to-6 curveball with softer spin in the low-70s and below average depth. In his 1 1/3 innings pitched he struck out three batters.

Backing up Armstrong up the middle was highly touted shortstop Tyler McKenzie (2019, Loxahacthee, Fla.). McKenzie is committed to Vanderbilt in part due to his advanced defensive actions up the middle. He has a quick first step to the ball and gets in an exceptional position to throw while on the move. When he shifted over to third base later on in the game, he ranged well into foul territory and almost made a sensational diving play down the left field line before seeing it fall just out of reach. His athleticism is hard to top in the 2019 class and will continue to improve as he adds strength. His swing works quickly to the ball with a compact hand path and an approach that sprays the opposite field. He generates good carry off the barrel for his frame and will eventually develop good gap-to-gap power.




Georgia Tech commit Cort Roedig (2018, Orlando, Fla.) pitched for Power Baseball showing big time arm strength from a very projectable frame. Roedig stands at a very lean 6-foot-3, 175-pounds with long limbs, a high waist, and lots of room to continue to fill out physically. He used a bigger leg lift from the windup with a deep hip turn. He had a longer arm action that showed a soft stab through the back, but came through well. He threw from an extended three-quarters arm slot with good arm speed through release. He worked over his front side and landed slightly open down the mound. His fastball worked 85-89 mph after the first inning where he topped out at 90 mph with very impressive riding life as shown in the video. His breaking ball was a 10-to-4 shaped sweeping slider at 77 mph. The pitched showed big depth and flashed two plane break. The slider gave him a legitimate swing and miss offering on the mound which helped him generate a handful of his 12 swings and misses. There was effort at release, but Roedig did a good job of filling up the strike zone and attacking hitters. He tossed four scoreless innings on the mound and struck out four batters.

Will Banfield (2018, Lawrenceville, Ga.) has always shown the ability to drive the ball with consistent, loud contact off the barrel and today was no different. Banfield has above average bat speed on the professional scale with a consistent line drive swing plane and the ability to generate consistent leverage out in front. He has strength throughout his frame to drive the ball and did so on a loud double to the left-centerfield gap. Banfield swings with tremendous intent through the ball and torques very well through his lower half. The Vanderbilt commit is also known for having a tremendously strong arm behind the plate, but was not playing the field in their game this afternoon.

Pitching for Team Elite in that game was Nolan Crisp (2019, McDonough, Ga.). The recent Florida commit showed similar arm strength as he has in past events with a fastball that sat in the upper-80s and touched 91 mph. Crisp used a full arm action through the back with effort at release and worked over his front side. He threw from a three-quarters arm slot and showed quality athleticism to repeat his delivery over the course of his five shutout innings. He allowed only a handful of hits and struck out three batters while filling the strike zone. His slider showed similar bite with good shape up to 79 mph. The pitch helped him generate swings and misses out of the zone as he set it up with his fastball. Crisp also flashed a changeup in the low-80s with short fade, but did not use it often.




On an absolutely loaded Orlando Scorpions 2019 Prime team, starter Dylan Simmons (2019, Jacksonville, Fla.) looked the part. Already ranked 29th overall in the class and committed to Florida State, Simmons certainly looks the part of an ACC starter already listed at a physically impressive 6-foot-3, 200-pounds. His arm worked into a deeper plunge before a hook at the top of his arm action. He landed online with a quick leg raise into his delivery and fell off towards first base. There was effort at release and Simmons did struggle with his command at times, but his arm strength was overwhelming to opposing hitters. His fastball worked 86-88 mph with occasional life and cut when working glove side and topped out at 89 mph in the first inning. Simmons compensated for his lack of fastball command by using his slider frequently. The pitch showed varying shape ranging from 10-to-4 to 11-to-5 when staying on top of the pitch. It topped out at 77 mph with very tight spin and showed the ability to throw it for a swing and miss. He also mixed in a curveball from a raised arm slot that showed 12-to-6 shape. He slowed his arm and the pitch got over at 71 mph with bigger depth and inconsistent spin. He struck out seven batters in his four shutout innings on the mound.

Committing to play at Florida State just hours after this game was shortstop Tyrell Brewer (2019, Maitland, Fla.). Brewer thoroughly impressed through this afternoon’s game as he has all weekend with smooth defensive actions up the middle. He has some twitch to his actions with a quick transfer and release for the ball helping to compensate for a slightly below average arm. Despite his listed weight, Brewer has the ability to drive the ball with a quick swing and clean hand path through the zone. He drove a ball that nearly snuck over the left field wall for a triple and showed prowess on the base paths as a well. He was quick out of the box with long strides and moves easily in the field as well. He is a very high level athlete with impressive bat speed that will continue to improve adding some strength to his very slender frame.

The EvoShield Canes 17 Black took part in a highly contested game against FTB Tucci/Webgemz and had big help offensively from Jonjon Conahan (2018, Millbrook, N.Y.). Conahan had a very active barrel in the box with almost exaggerated movements into his swing. He generated impressive bat speed while tipping his barrel knob back towards the catcher. His load was slightly stiff with a leg lift timing mechanism. There is some swing and miss in his game, but has the bat speed and strength to handle velocity. Conahan showed a line drive swing plane and got his hands to a consistent spot at the point of contact, hunting fastballs. He drove a pair of loud doubles including one to the wall in the second inning of the game. He has strength in his 6-foot, 185-pound frame and uses it very well in his swing.

Ending the activity at JetBlue for the day was shortstop Blaze Alexander (2018, Cape Coral, Fla.) with a very loud home run to left field. The home run helped extend the lead and secure the win in route to securing their pool victory. Alexander is a tremendous athlete in the field with a near plus arm with easy carry out of the hand. He’s sure handed up the middle with good footwork and sound lateral range to both sides. What he’s being noted for here though was his leveraged swing that showed very impressive bat speed. He showed a line drive swing plane that generated good carry off the barrel and drive ability to the pull side. The pitch he turned on was in the mid-80s showing off his very quick hands behind able to get around on the ball.

– Matt Czechanski



On Friday righthander Stephen Restuccio (2019, Hammonton, N.J.) came in relief on the mound for Tri-State Arsenal 2019 Prime and showed off some intriguing tools on the hill. Restuccio has a physical frame at 6-foot-2, 195-pounds. He is a bit physically mature for his age but the build has some strength and muscularity to it. Restuccio has stiff arm action with a longer arm circle and pitches from a higher three-quarters arm slot. He has good arm speed and a high leg lift into his delivery. Early on in the outing, Restuccio located his fastball well and attacked hitters with the pitch on both sides of the plate. With a quick tempo on the mound and getting downhill, he relied heavily on his fastball which was 87-89 mph early on with some arm-side wiggle to it. Restuccio also threw a softer slider with 10-to-4 shape that came in at the mid-70s with some sharpness to the break. The Wake Forest commit struggled with his command later in his outing as he would miss to the glove side. A two-way player, Restuccio showed off some tools at the plate as well. He stands with a slightly open stance with active hands and a big leg lift. His swing is very timing-dependent and he has solid bat speed with some raw power. One of the premier two-way players in the 2019 class, Restuccio looks like a player who could be lethal on the mound and at the plate at the college level.

To start off the early afternoon on Saturday at 5-Plex Player Development Complexs, Next Level Baseball took the field with their talented roster and big lefthander Mitchell Parker (2018, Albuquerque, N.M.) took the ball for the start. Parker has an extra large frame with physical maturity, and although he is listed at 6-foot-3 and 190-pounds, those measurements might undersell his dominant presence on the mound. He has a violent delivery with a lot of intent and delivers the baseball from a high three-quarters arm slot with a longer arm action. Parker has a soft stab in the back of his arm action and drives forward with good extension to deliver the baseball. The fastball sat from 87-89 mph early on and topped out at 90 mph on the day. The heater was Parker’s pitch of choice and it had occasional cut action to it that made it difficult to square up on the inside part of the plate to righthanded batters. He did show a curveball with 1-to-7 shape in the mid-70s, but the pitch was inconsistent and he did not throw it often. Parker’s biggest challenge on the mound will be finding comfortable mechanics that are repeatable and finding a consistent release point. There were times when his fastball command was spot-on but others where his arm fell behind the rest of his body and the pitch was left up. As he continues to develop as a pitcher and tweaks his mechanics Parker showed that he is an intriguing, potential impact prospect from the Midwest.




Batting against Parker and playing in the subsequent game as well was powerful third baseman Rece Hinds (2019, Niceville, Fla.). The middle-of-the-order bat for Chain 16u Burress is listed at 6-foot-1 and 185-pounds but his presence at the plate suggests those listings are conservative. He has a lot of strength in his frame but he has not hit the peak of his physical maturity yet as he still has room to grow. At the dish, Hinds stands in a narrow, closed stance with a high hand-set and high back elbow. He has a very simple load and a small step forward for a timing mechanism that assists with his weight transfer. He has very quick hands and plus bat speed with a lifted swing plane designed to hit fly balls. The swing path is compact and his bat speed and his ability to throw his hands directly to the ball allow the ball to explode off his bat. Hinds’ strength, bat speed, and approach at the plate allow for an impressive power profile. He launched an estimated 365-foot home run that came off the bat at 91 mph for a no-doubt shot late in the game. Hinds continues to improve and he has a collection of impressive tools that make him a top power prospect for the 2019 class.

To finish off the afternoon slate of games at 5-Plex righthander Clayton Hromidko (2019, Ely, Iowa) was given the ball in relief for Iowa Select Royal and showed off his impressive arm strength. Hromidko has a smaller build for a pitcher at 6-foot, 175-pounds and a very lean frame. He threw from a long arm circle with rigid arm action and a three-quarters arm slot. Hromidko throws online and he has a lot of arm strength and pitches with a lot of intent on the mound. He attacked with his fastball and the pitch sat in the mid-80s and topped out at 87 mph. The Iowa product struggled mechanically as he had a difficult time consistently finding his release point and getting downhill. When he was able to get downhill the pitch had some heaviness to it and made it hard to hit. Hromidka has clear arm strength showing considerable promise on Saturday as he continues to develop.

For the night slate of games, FTB Webgemz/Tucci lit it up offensively at City of Palms and outfielder Riley Greene (2019, Oviedo, Fla.) led the way. Greene smoked a couple of baseballs and finished the night 2-for-3 with a triple and a double that missed being a home run by inches. Greene is very projectable with a solid frame at 6-foot-2, 180-pounds. His build is also very athletic and he shows that during his play. The Florida commit stands with a wide base and has a small step forward with very good bat speed. The swing is almost violent and coming from a high hand-set and high back elbow he is able to generate carry on balls that he hits. Greene’s hips rotate well and he has lift in his swing that allows the ball to explode off his bat from a deep hand load. He has a very strong arm from the outfield and has been recorded in the upper-80s from the mound. Greene has an impressive skill-set with outstanding tools and should continue to be one of the top prospects for the 2019 class.

Starting on the mound for FTB was lefthander Hunter Cooley (2018, Vero Beach, Fla.) and he showed a solid two-pitch combination to hold the opposition at bay. Cooley is tall and lean checking in at 6-foot-2, 180-pounds. His weight might be a bit overstated but he has a solid frame for a pitcher with room left to fill out and add strength. Cooley has a long arm action and delivers from an extended three-quarters arm slot. His delivery was very easy and smooth and he consistently repeated his mechanics. He mixed his pitches very well throughout the night but he especially did an outstanding job commanding his fastball. The pitch sat from 78-80 mph and topped out at 81 mph. Cooley was able to fill up the strike zone with the pitch and he was able to throw it so the pitch entered the strike zone at a tough angle on the hitter. The curveball from Cooley came in the upper-60s and had 1-to-7 shape with good depth. He showed a legitimate feel to spin the curveball and the pitch was his put-away offering with two strikes. Presently, Cooley doesn’t have a ton of velocity or lower half involvement with his delivery, but he is a smart pitcher and can mix speeds and locate extremely well.

– Vincent Cervino



Per usual, the EvoShield Canes feature a loaded roster in this event and have worked their way through pool play with relative ease, holding a 3-0 record as we head into playoff action on Sunday morning after a 13-0 victory on Saturday afternoon.




Relatively recent Alabama commit and 2018 lefthanded pitcher Christopher Holcomb (2018, Mass.) took the ball and delivered a no-hitter in the run rule shortened, four inning victory. He threw only 54 pitches, allowing a single walk and striking out five, eliciting five groundball outs as well. Holcomb was clocked up as high as 92 mph in the first inning per GameChanger, settling in at 85-88 mph for the majority of his outing. He features a very funky, very deceptive delivery, which, while potentially inhibiting his command and repeatability, absolutely impacts the ability of the hitter to pick up the baseball and to otherwise have a comfortable at-bat. He lands extremely closed off and creates a significant amount of crossfire as a result, throwing from a relatively traditional three-quarters arm slot with spine tilt at foot strike in order to allow his arm to reach such a slot, given that the directionality of his arm stroke is more lateral than horizontal. It’s a pretty loose arm with good arm speed, and in combination his physical projection and arm speed should allow him to project for continued increases in velocity moving forward. He showed a sharp slider in the mid- to upper-70s and a curveball in the low-70s, but for the most part just pitched off his fastball, which was undoubtedly effective for him.

The Canes scored 13 runs on only four hits, thanks in part to a few errors and nine walks, but they certainly made those few hits count. Xavier Edwards (2018, Fla.) has been on the radar for some time now as an excellent defensive shortstop with lots of twitch, but the strides he’s made offensively over the past few years make it all the more likely that he reaches his seemingly sky-high ceiling. He’s gotten bigger and stronger while retaining his athleticism, and he tripled in this game, plating three EvoShield runs, and adding a walk to his stat sheet as well. He’s always had innate contact skills, with the feel for the barrel and hand-eye coordination necessary to put the barrel of the bat on the ball on pitches all over the zone, but the added strength (which should continue to come, as well) give him some power, which seriously adds to his already impressive profile.

Yet uncommitted, Gray Betts (2018, N.C.) shows a quality offensive game as well. His barrel stays in the hitting zone for a long time, and he stays on the ball well even when facing same-side pitching, with an ideally-lofted swing plane that should allow for him to hit for some pretty significant power, given his physical projection for more strength and present bat speed.

The Central Florida Gators won convincingly over a quality Elite Squad Underclass White team on Saturday afternoon, securing a 3-0 pool play record and a playoff berth. Tyler Callihan (2019, Fla.), lauded in these recaps for months now due to his hitting prowess, took the mound to start the game for seemingly the first time ever and was pretty solid. Topping at 88 mph in the first inning, he settled into the 82-86 mph velocity range for the majority of his five-inning start, with solid sinking life and good control of the fastball. His delivery and arm action are simple, given that he never pitches, and his natural athleticism allowed for him to repeat the delivery for the most part. He showed a pretty sharp slider at 74-76 mph, with good tilting shape, and also brought out a legitimate changeup, with no noticeable arm deceleration and some fading action at the plate, giving him a well-rounded arsenal that is sure to at least intrigue South Carolina, where he’s committed to play at the next level. Oh, and he went 2-for-2 at the plate with a walk, triple and three RBI, but that’s just par for the course for him at this point.




Opposing Callihan for Elite Squad was Brendan Bell (2018, Fla.), an uncommitted righthander who showed some serious stuff in this outing. His command, especially of his secondary pitches, lagged a little bit and caused him to get into some negative counts against an extremely talented group of hitters, but the stuff, in it of itself, was very good and warrants a follow moving forward. He touched 88 mph early, working consistently in the 84-87 mph range with his fastball, and showed the ability to miss bats with both his slider and changeup. His changeup, thrown around 73-75 mph, had screwball-like action at times, with heavy fade and sink with no letup in arm speed, fooling some very good Gators’ hitters and eliciting some empty swings. His slider flashed sharp tilt, and he struck out six over 3 2/3 innings despite taking the loss.

Later Saturday evening, Tri State Arsenal 2018 Prime moved to 3-0 via a win over the BigStix Gamers 17u by a score of 6-3.




Matthew Semon (2018, N.Y.) got the start for the Arsenal, and was solid over his 2 2/3 inning, 47-pitch outing. He’s a physical, projectable uncommitted prospect at 6-foot-3, 185-pounds, and has the physical projection and arm speed to eventually throw pretty hard. He worked mostly 83-87 mph in this outing, showing some good sinking life when the fastball was commanded to the bottom of the strike zone, and missing down when he did miss. The arm stroke is long and has some looseness to hit, and his delivery is pretty explosive out of the balance point down the rubber. He extends well when he’s on time, and while the length of the arm stroke did cause some timing issues at times, it was on the whole a mostly eye-opening 47 pitches for him, and he did it in front of more than a dozen D-I collegiate coaches. His spun a solid curveball in the low- to mid-70s, with good depth, though the pitch was a bit inconsistent and he pitched mostly with his fastball as a result.




Opposing Semon on the mound from the other dugout was Andrew Moore (2018, Ga.), an uncommitted righthander who, at 6-foot-4, 200-pounds with the ability to continue to add strength, absolutely looks the part of a future flame-thrower (who has plenty of velocity now). He worked 88-89 mph consistently early on in his outing, with good sinking life when he was on top of the ball, a pretty explosive pitch when commanded down in the zone. Moore’s issue on this day was his command, walking six in only 1 2/3 innings, but the explosiveness of his arm, the present and future velocity, and his size all point to a legitimately high-end righthanded pitcher once he finds more and more control. He features an extremely long arm stroke, one highlighted by an exaggerated stab through the back that crosses the axis of his body back behind himself, and one that certainly led to his arm not being able to catch up at times, which in turn could help explain the issues throwing strikes. He showed a full complement of off-speed pitches as well, with a sharp slider in the mid-70s that had good tilt, a slower curveball in the low-70s with some depth, and a pretty quality changeup around 80 mph that had slight fade but good deception in his arm speed. The raw tools are certainly all there for Moore to come together as a big-time starting pitcher.




Tri State leadoff hitter and third baseman Max Dineen (2018, N.J.) showed some serious offensive ability on Saturday night, leading off the game for Tri State with a roped double to left field. He turned around a lively 89 mph fastball with relative ease, getting the barrel out and hitting a missile towards the left field corner. The stroke is pretty smooth once it gets started, and it’s highlighted by advanced bat speed with quality strength and good leverage off the front side. He’ll tend to leak his torso a bit in the swing, which can cause some barrel drag, but on the whole, from a brief look, Dineen looks to be a legitimate — and yet uncommitted — offensive prospect at the next level.

– Brian Sakowski



Day 3 of the wWBA Underclass World Championship opened up with impressive offensive strength at CenturyLink Sports Complex. Two Vanderbilt commits, Isaiah Thomas (2018, Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.) and Troy LaNeve (2019, Gibsonia, Pa.) were playing simultaneously on fields 1 and 2.

Thomas began the morning with an impressive display of strength at the plate when he homered to deep left field on field two, giving the FTB Rockets Underclass White an early 2-0 lead. Thomas is gifted with size and athleticism while also showing strength. He has raw mechanics at the plate with a hinge stance and looks comfortable in the batter’s box with rhythm. He uses simple mechanics at the plate and begins with a short gather to his rear hip, his stride separates to launch position and he has easy bat speed. HBe can be a bit too rotational at times but has a great bat path that matches plane and works up to the ball. Thomas finished the game 1-for-3.

LaNeve was on field 1 with the US Elite Baseball 2018’s and impressed at the plate from the left side. The Vanderbilt commit has high, loose hands and stands with his weight distributed 60/40 in the rear leg and the back knee pinched slightly in. With a short gather to his rear hip, his stride separates landing torqued and with the barrel tipped in a strong launch position. LaNeve keeps his torso over that plate with good posture, lets his lower half lead the swing and the barrel path works on plane with bat speed. It is really easy to see what Vanderbilt likes in this prospect. LaNeve finished the game 1-for-2 with a hard single to right field.

Coming in a relief appearance for US Elite Baseball 2018’s was lefthanded pitcher and Michigan State commit Mason Ronan (2018, Ashville, Pa.). Ronan starts with a high smooth leg lift and fluid delivery to the plate with good direction. His upper and lower half work really well together and are in sync. The arm action is clean and repeatable with an easy effort level. Ronan’s fastball was up to 88 mph with arm-side run showing the ability to command it low in the zone and to both corners. He made it a point to command the inside part of the plate to both righthanded and lefthanded hitters and did it effectively, resulting in broken bats and missed barrels. Ronan would also elevate with two strikes allowing him to set up his big 12-to-6 curveball at 73 mph. Ronan finished his outing with two innings, no hits and three strikeouts.

Nick Hoffmann (2019, Centerville, Ohio) is a righthanded pitcher with a tall and long frame with room to fill and add strength. Hoffmann starts his delivery with a high leg lift that coils the front side of his body putting him a strong position to use his lower half to generate arm strength. His long arm swing bounces out of his back pocket to a quick three-quarters release point and finishes with a smooth and repeatable delivery to the plate. His fastball has life sitting at 85-86 mph while touching 87 and 89 once each. He commanded the bottom of the zone with the fastball which allowed him to keep the ball out of the air. His curveball has sharp, tight break at 73 mph and stays on plane with his fastball. The uncommitted prospect had a short appearance of 2 2/3 innings allowing only one hit, one strikeout and no runs.

The third slot of games at CenturyLink was one of those where you wish you could be at each field simultaneously. It was full of impressive talent and name brand teams but the game to watch was a showdown of two 2019 uncommitted righthanded pitchers, on field 6.

Chandler Wood (2019, Dallas, Ga.) has an athletic build, medium height and a strong frame. Beginning his motion with a high leg lift and fluid delivery to the plate, Wood’s am action is compact and loose. His release point is repeatable at a three-quarters slot and does not exert too much effort pitch to pitch. He has a firm fastball that touched 90 and ranged 86-87 mph. His ability to command his fastball allowing him to get ahead of hitters gave him the ability to utilize his curveball effectively. The curveball has tight spin and short depth at 72 mph and he did not allow himself to leave it up in the zone for hitters to do damage. Chandler’s line was five innings with five strikeouts while allowing three hits and no runs allowed.

Facing off against Wood was Triple Crown Royals righthanded pitcher Mack Anglin (2019, Marengo, Ohio). Compared to wood, Anglin is tall and lean with room to fill on his frame. His actions are not as fluid as Wood’s but he makes them work and they are repeatable. He starts with a high and loose leg lift that coils his front side. His arm action is a bit stiff but consistently gets to a high three-quarters release point. Also, Anglin will vary the speed and pace of his leg lift to keep hitters from getting too comfortable with their timing in the box. For example, he will go quick and high or slow and pause at the top. Anglin has a long arm swing that gains speed to his release point and the arm action is long and loose in the back and he releases with extension. Anglin’s fastball also touched 90 mph but sat 87-88 while working away and using it to get ahead in the count. He commanded both the fastball and his curveball, which he showed a lot of confidence in throwing. It reached an effective 73 mph and had slurve action with sharp, late bite. He showed comfort in doubling and tripling up on the curveball to keep hitters guessing. Anglin finished with three innings, three hits, and three strikeouts while allowing only one earned run.

– Brandon Hohl
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