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Tournaments  | Story  | 10/8/2018

World Underclass Day 4 Notes

David Rawnsley      Vincent Cervino      Greg Gerard      Taylor Weber     
Photo: Timothy Manning (Perfect Game)

2018 WWBA Underclass World Championship: Daily Leaders | Day 1 Notes | Day 2 Notes | Day 3 Notes

Premier Baseball Futures took a loss in their playoff matchup with the East Cobb Astros 17u on Sunday morning at the Lee County Player Development complex, but they still – as they have all weekend – showed some intriguing talent. Noah Smith (2020, Houston, Texas) came on in relief towards the end of the game, and while he struggled with command at times, he showed some serious arm talent. A lithely-built lefthander, Smith gets his arm way up to a high three-quarters slot release and creates significant plane to the plate, making the pitch extremely tough to lift when located down in the zone. It worked mostly in the 86-89 mph range, peaking at 91 mph, and he also mixed in a sharp curveball that, while still needing to develop in terms of command consistency, has sharp break on a 1-to-7 shape with plenty of power depth.

The 17u Astros won three games on Sunday to advance to the semifinals on Monday morning, and in their second game – an 8-0 decision over a very talented Nebraska Prospects club – Colin Ahearn (2020, Lakeville, Mass.) picked up the win in a run rule-shortened complete game shutout. The Tennessee commit scattered three hits and a pair of walks over five frames while picking up seven strikeouts, and was in complete control the whole time. He’s a very projectable lefthander with plenty of room to continue filling out his frame, and he’s got quality present stuff to go along with that projection. He ran his fastball up to 87 mph in this one, with steep plane to the plate and some arm side life, sitting more in the 83-86 mph range, and showing feel for moving the fastball around the zone. The front side mechanics in his lower half do lead to some inconsistencies in terms of command, but those are easily cleaned up with development, and he also showed very good ability to spin a curveball with 1-to-7 shape and quality depth, giving him a very projectable two-pitch mix at present that should play well in Knoxville immediately upon arriving on campus.

Though saddled with the loss, Nebraska Prospects starter Jaden Woolbright (2020, Benton, Ark.) showed a lot to like in his first appearance on the mound in a Perfect Game event. He’s a well-built righthander with lots of strength throughout his frame at present, and has some ease of operation on the mound in terms of his mechanical profile. He worked up to 88 mph in this game early on, showing the ability at times to pound the zone with the pitch with quality life. His breaking ball does blend a bit at times, showing more of a slurvy curveball look early on before showing more of the slider look later on, but there is feel to spin the baseball and he flashed a couple very solid sliders with late dive away from righthanded hitters.

Over at City of Palms Park, in what was an especially intriguing consolation game matchup, the Tri-State Arsenal Scout Team beat the East Coast Sox Select 6-2. Mason Nichols (2021, Jackson, Miss.) got the start for East Coast Sox and was utterly dominant in a brief three inning appearance, pounding the zone to the tune of 73 percent strikes and working in the 80-85 mph range for the most part with his fastball, generating very good arm side life with sink, getting the fastball in on the hands of righthanded hitters and breaking bats as well as getting whiffs. His body is extremely projectable and the arm works extremely well, and while he is a long ways from his peak, the upside is enticing to say the least. He worked in a curveball in the low-70s that, once he found the feel for it, showed solid 11-to-5 shape with depth, and he also threw something in the 77-78 mph range that could have either been a very firm changeup or more of a two-seam fastball, but either way had solid fading action to it. He’s definitely one to monitor in the deep south region moving forward.

Turner Thompson (2020, Tampa, Fla.) came on in relief of Nichols, and while he had some command issues, he still showed pretty significant arm strength in what was a bit of a velocity spike for him as far as PG events go, touching 90 mph a few times and working mostly in the 86-89 mph range. It’s a high-effort, somewhat violent delivery with mechanical restrictions in his lower half through his stride, but the arm strength is very real and he showed the ability to spin a quality breaking ball as well.

– Brian Sakowski



Playoff action continued at JetBlue on Sunday and almost immediately Isaiah Williams-Rhem (2020, Greensboro, N.C.) woke up all the evaluators in attendance as he rocketed a double to the pull side to put the pressure on early for the opposing pitcher. The uncommitted infielder certainly stands out as he fills out the uniform nicely from a physical 6-foot-1, 175-pound frame and showed the jets while hustling around first on his double. The stance is both balanced and quiet, but Williams-Rhem shows easy bat speed while keeping the barrel through the hitting zone. The end result turned out loud for the most part this weekend as he anchored the top of the South Charlotte Panthers lineup nicely and should be monitored closely going forward.

One of the higher level uncommitted two-way prospects in attendance this weekend, Ty Floyd (2020, Rockmart, Ga.) did nothing short of set the world ablaze during his time in Fort Myers. The 6-foot-2, 180-pound infielder, and righthanded pitcher, hit a blistering .462 on the weekend which included only one single and three doubles with two triples as well. Floyd played multiple key roles in 643 DP Cougars Pralgo’s narrow defeat in the Round of 16. Floyd certainly looks the part in the batter’s box with solid hand-eye coordination and a fluid overall stroke. He was certainly imposing in the cleanup spot and his first inning at-bat really told the story of his weekend. Floyd saw 10 pitches while battling off numerous tough and borderline pitches before smoking a 91 mph fastball in the lower third of the zone that one-hopped the wall for a triple. And Floyd wasn’t done as he tossed two scoreless frames to keep the game close while working mostly in the upper-80s, he’s been up to 92mph in other looks including earlier this tournament. Floyd added another double after his first, and certainly put on an absolute show this weekend.

After joining his squad a bit late in the tournament Kc Swords (2020, Vero Beach, Fla.) immediately anchored the offense for the Canes Florida Prime team and showed off some intriguing tools along the way. The Louisville patrolled centerfield for the bracket play team, as he is fairly athletic with loose actions and movements in the outfield. Swords, in addition to having an 80-grade name, rally stands out with the offensive tools. The swing path is short and loose through the zone, as he does a good job at using the whole field with intent and work around the base paths. He came up with a number of big hits and has really good feel for working gap-to-gap and looks to be a nice piece in what is sure to be a talented Louisville class.




A native of the Dominican Republic, Cristhian Nunez (2020, Santiago) got the start in the quarterfinal matchup against Team Louisiana, and although he didn’t get the win he showed some things to like. The frame jumps out as that of a stereotypical pitching prospect at 6-foot-3, 190-pounds. Everything works from a fairly low effort perspective from the delivery, with a mostly clean arm stroke though his hips leak early and lands open when landing. The lower half rawness causes inconsistencies in terms of command at times for Nunez who did walk a few batters during his short time on the mound. Nunez worked in the 89-91 mph range with a lot of 91s in the first inning of the game. The fastball explodes out of the hand and looks incredibly easy at that. Nunez also showed a breaking ball that flashed some hard break to it, but Nunez is a raw prospect who has a ton of potential in that arm.

Team Louisiana broke out the bats in the quarterfinal victory over US Elite and prospects in the middle of the order who stood out which included Matthew Russo (2021, Madisonville, La.), Michael Fontenot (2020, Kinder, La.), and Brody Drost (2020, Sulphur, La).

Russo is a big, physical lefthanded hitter at 6-foot-3, 205-pounds and was a big force throughout the summer for the very successful Sheets Baseball. He creates a lot of leverage through the stroke and used the whole field on Sunday afternoon, with a stroked double down the right field line followed up by a single that he went with on the outer edge to the opposite field.

Fontenot, another uncommitted prospect, had a number of big extra base hits including a triple up the middle. He certainly looks the part with an athletic 6-foot-3, 190-pound build and a loose, quick stroke in the box. Fontenot has been barreling almost everything this weekend with a .563 batting average which included four extra base hits. Fontenot stays tall on the back with a very easy trigger into the stroke; the fluidity and loft of the swing as the hands work through the weight transfer show that there is some juice in the frame too for additional raw power.

Drost is a big name for the junior class, the No. 93 overall prospect and a Louisiana State commit, and he has shown out well this weekend taking professional, consistent at-bats and showing that no challenge is too big for him. Drost is hitting in the middle of the order with a very clean, easy swing as he oozes confidence in the box. More often than not he’s barreling baseballs with authority and carry to all fields, while also playing lights out defense in centerfield. That’s also not to mention his shutout performance on the mound in the Round of 16, as Drost can run his fastball up to the mid-80s and is one of the top two-way prospects for the class.

– Vinnie Cervino



Cayden Wallace (2020, Greenbrier, Ark.) has been on the national scene for a Rawlings Arkansas Prospects team that has performed well in various PG tournaments recently. Wallace is a physical third baseman with tremendous arm strength across the diamond that shows up on even the most routine of ground balls hit his way. The Arkansas commit is part of a loaded 2020 recruiting class and he is one of the headliners of the group. Wallace made a loud out in Sunday morning’s game by lining a first pitch fastball right to the right fielder. Wallace has such tremendous physical strength for his age and it shows up in his swing generating lots of barrel whip as well as high-level bat speed. He may have not collected a hit in this contest, but Wallace is a sure player to watch anytime he steps into the righthanded batter’s box.

One of the more exciting teams to watch at Lee County Player Development Complex this week has been the frequent offensive exploding Nebraska Prospects Southworth club. Headlining the group is middle fielder and Texas A&M commit Max Anderson (2020, Omaha, Neb.) who hit the ball well throughout the week’s event. Anderson finished the tournament with six hits including a home run in game one. The righthanded hitter has elite hand speed in his swing that produces hard contact when squared. The path to the ball is mostly direct getting downhill at times and showing the ability to square the ball up frequently. Sunday morning’s playoff matchup featured a double off of the bat of Anderson that just missed leaving the yard hitting the wall in left-center field. Anderson played well all week long and is an exciting player when he has the bat in his hands.




The next Nebraska Prospect player to make an impact especially on Sunday morning was uncommitted infielder Grant Hubka (2020, Omaha, Neb.). The Omaha native had a really impressive weekend with the bat altogether and on Sunday morning his two home runs opened the eyes of multiple scouts and college coaches in attendance. Hubka has a quick bat with plenty of power potential when squared. There’s a hitch at load, but Hubka gets his hands to the baseball well and is a threat at the plate each time up. The righthanded hitting primary shortstop who played third base in the Nebraska Prospect’s playoff run stands at a lean 6-foot- 2, 180-pounds. With lots of raw components to both his swing and in the field, Hubka is an interesting prospect to watch develop while attaining the proper refinement.




In one of the more noteworthy consolation games in recent memory an Arkansas commit Nate Wohlgemuth (2020, Owasso, Okla.) matched up against Florida commit Timothy Manning. Wohlgemuth last pitched in a PG event in June at the 17u WWBA where he struck out 14 batters in six innings in a completely dominant performance. Sunday’s start was not quite as overpowering as that one but still impressive nonetheless. The Arkansas’s commit fastball topped out at 94 mph while maintaining low-90s velocity throughout his 2 1/3 innings. His arm stroke is online and quick getting strong lower half usage to produce such high velocity for his stocky 5-foot-11 frame. He mixed a pair of secondary offerings in his mid-70s curveball that projects as a nice swing and miss pitch moving forward. The 15th-ranked player in the 2020 class also flashed a fading changeup that projects as a weapon to lefthanded hitters moving forward as well. Although not overly physical and he did not get the performance he was looking for, Wohlgemuth has velocity that is stellar for his age and commands the zone well enough to be a force on the mound.




As mentioned, opposing Wohlgemuth on the mound was lefthanded Florida commit Timothy Manning (2020, Pompano Beach, Fla.) and he was special. The southpaw was masterful working the corners primarily down in the zone with a fastball, curveball combination of pitches that helped him tally six strikeouts in four no-hit innings of work. Manning repeats his mechanics extremely well for his age and is able to produce an easy upper-80s fastball. Manning’s fastball topped out at 89 mph on this day and was as well located as any heater at this event. He also featured a big 1-to-7 curveball that was located just as well to the lower half of the zone as his fastball was. The pitch was used both ahead in counts as well as early in counts to get early swings and misses or soft roll over contact. Manning’s performance was an outstanding one to watch and his projection is intriguing on top of his already good velocity and command.

– Greg Gerard



Gatorball 17u, with a 6-0 victory over Louisiana Knights Black, advanced to the next round of the playoffs at the WWBA Underclass World Championship. Gatorball’s Tyler Shelnut (2020 Lake City, Fla.) did it all in this game as he took the mound to start. He throws with a clean arm action in back into a three-quarters arm slot with quickness to his delivery. He has a mostly straight fastball but is able to locate well and throw quality strikes. His go-to secondary pitch was a curveball with late downward bite and would also go to an occasional changeup. In six innings pitched the 6-foot-2, 170-pound righthander threw a shutout with 11 strikeouts.

The most exciting thing about the game Shelnut had is the fact he is a primary position player who handles the bat as well, or better, than he pitches. Batting fourth for Gatorball, Shelnut reached base twice in three trips to the plate including a walk and an RBI double down the line. He was able to turn on a higher velocity fastball on the inner half with his quick hands and get around the ball. The Florida Gators commit took over this game with exceptional two-way abilities.

Gatorball’s No. 2 hitter, Sterlin Thompson (2020 Ocala, Fla.), also had a game at the plate. Thompson, at 6-foot-2, 175-pounds, has good size and should continue to add to his frame. He has an easy swing through the zone generating some whip with the barrel to contact. He’s able to keep his approach simple and work to the middle of the field well making a lot of line drive contact. In three at-bats, the Stetson commit snagged three singles and drove in a couple of runs.

Suffering the unfortunate loss for the Knights on the mound was righthander Drake Varnado (2021 Port Neches, Texas). Varnado had a tough day on the mound only able to go 2 2/3 innings and allowed three earned runs. That doesn’t take away from the potential he displayed on the mound. As a 2021 graduate, his 89 mph fastball was impressive. He locates well and works the edges with relative ease. He’s still developing the shape and feel of the breaking ball but when it’s on the 12-to-6 curve is a solid pitch for him. The South Carolina commit has much better days ahead of him.

Grabbing a couple of wins on Sunday was the US Elite 17u National team to advance into the quarterfinal matchup. The US Elite team handed the ball to Pennsylvania commit Nate Beal (2020 Reisterstown, Md.) and he was spectacular. The 6-foot, 195-pound righthander tossed 6 and 2/3 innings allowing just one run on a single hit and striking out four batters. Beal has an easy delivery from a three-quarters slot and a lot of whip in his arm. He runs the fastball up to 89 mph and is able to maintain that velocity throughout an outing as his final pitch of the day was 88. His secondary pitch was a sharp 11-to-5 curveball that he was able to keep in the lower quadrants of the zone. His only blemish on the day were the five walks he issued.

Carter Brady (2020 Parkland, Fla.) had a loud double in the first game of the day for US Elite that went halfway up the large fence in left field at the stadium at the JetBlue complex that replicates the Green Monster at Fenway Park. He has a leveraged swing creating some power from his strong lower half. He utilizes an elevated path through the zone and can adjust well to where the ball is pitched.

The US Elite got a big spark from the lower half of their order in their two first games of the day in the form of 6-foot-1, 185-pound righty Billy Gerlott (2020 Auburn, Pa.). He enjoyed a combined 2-for-6 day at the plate with a single and a double, scoring three times. Gerlott has some present strength throughout his build and if he continues to add he could become a solid power threat in a lineup. His swing is short to the ball but can really square it up at times.




Taking the ball in game two for the US Elite was righthander Juan Lozano (2020 Cartagena, Fla.). Lozano is a highly projectable arm from the right side standing at 6-foot-2, 189-pounds. He is very smooth in the delivery with a full arm action in the back. His release is clean from a higher three-quarters slot, which allows him to get on top of the ball well. Lozano pitched a complete game, two-hit shutout with six strikeouts in the game. He has advanced feel for a big breaking ball and will mix in a short cutter on occasion as well.

– Taylor Weber



Richmond Braves righthander Trey Gibson (2020, Yorktown, Va.) threw a masterful five-inning no-hitter, with nine strikeouts in the Richmond Braves first playoff game Sunday morning and only threw 56 pitches doing it. Gibson is a big and strong 6-foot-4, 225-pound athlete with a simple and sound delivery that indicates he's likely a strike thrower all the time. He topped out at only 84 mph this outing after hitting 88-89 on a couple of occasions this summer but the key was that most of his fastballs had late big cutter life to them. If Gibson can maintain that type of life on his fastball in the mid to upper-80s, that's a huge weapon for him moving forward.

When one sees a very good team play four games in a 24-hour stretch one gets to know the players pretty well, as was the case with this scout and the Orlando Scorpions Founders Club between Saturday night and Sunday. No player, not surprisingly, stands out as much as outfielder Dylan Crews (2020, Longwood, Fla.), the second-ranked player in the PG 2020 class rankings.

Crews went 7-for-10 with two walks in those four games and is now hitting .563 for the championship. Perhaps the most impressive part of his offensive approach is his combination of raw righthanded bat speed and the ability to cut down his swing deep in counts and hit line drives to the middle of the field. After five of those type of singles, plus a crushed double over the right fielder's head, this scout was anxious in the final game to see him dominate a ball to the pull side and Crews obliged, driving a 370-foot line drive up the left-center field gap for double. It is notable that despite only average running speed on the big league scale, Crews is an outstanding baserunner with plus instincts.

Crews’ two hits, including the RBI double to right field, were key in beating Ostinger's righthander Cole Stallings (2020, Lithia, Fla.) in the second game on Sunday. Stallings allowed only four hits and two runs in five innings of what would end up a 2-0 Scorpions victory and had the raw stuff that outing to beat anyone in the tournament. The Stetson commit worked in the 87-89 mph range with his fastball and kept hitters off balance with a well-commanded mid- to upper-70s power curveball.

The Scorpions excellent defense is keyed by shortstop Richie Morales (2020, Bradenton, Fla.), a Tulane commit. Morales is very generously listed at 5-foot-10 and has very good quickness, with the ability to play low and behind the ball. His best defensive tool may be his arm strength, which is outstanding, with accurate, online throws from anywhere on the field. Morales has some pop in his righthanded bat for his size that showed when he lift a ball off the Terry Park Stadium left field wall about 10-15 feet foul, then proceeded to line the ball up the middle for a single.

The Scorpions cleanup hitter is first baseman CJ Kayfus (2020, Wellington, Fla.), a Miami commit. The lefthanded hitting and throwing Kayfus doesn't look like a prototype first baseman, with a young 5-foot-11, 160-pound build but he hits like one, putting together quality at-bat after quality at-bat and always seeming to square up the baseball. Kayfus is also a superior defensive first baseman and picked up the win in the final game of the day with 4 1/3 innings of shutout relief, topping out at 86 mph.

Another very interesting lefthanded hitter for the Scorpions is outfielder Zac Veen (2020, Port Orange, Fla.), a Central Florida commit. Veen is a 6-foot-3, 175-pound left handed hitter who is about 20 pounds away from really being strong but has a very smooth and well timed swing and one can easily imagine the bat speed and power potential that is there when he does fill out and mature physically.

– David Rawnsley



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