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Tournaments  | Story  | 10/15/2019

Jupiter Day 5 Scout Notes

Vincent Cervino      Jered Goodwin     
Photo: Vince Smith (Perfect Game)

2019 WWBA World Championship: Event Page | Daily Leaders
Scout Notes: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4


There is not much more Dirtbags center fielder Jake Deleo (2020, Norwalk, Conn.) could have done to try and win his team a championship on Monday. In his seven at-bats he reached base all seven times, going 3-for-3 with a home run and four walks. He recorded two RBIs and also scored a pair of runs. The tightly wound athlete with elite bat speed showed it by ripping every ball he put in play at least 98 mph off the barrel. Hitting from his leadoff position in the lineup he got extended on an elevated fastball and backspun a line drive over the left field wall for a home run that left the yard in a hurry. The exit velocity was 101 off the bat and it did not look like he cheated at all to get that type of thump. The Georgia Tech commit would single later giving him both of the Dirtbags’ RBIs in the championship game. There are very few people in the class that possess the type of overall tools to match Deleo.

The Florida Burn Platinum have officially gone back-to-back in Jupiter. As highlighted in the pool previews before the event, “The Florida Burn Platinum roster just knows how win.” Mac Guscette (2020, Nokomis, Fla.)and Tommy White (2021, St Pete Beach, Fla.) raked the entire weekend for the Burn and it was no different on Championship Monday.


Guscette, who garnered MVP honors, hit a whopping .500 in bracket play. He is no stranger to high-level events, as he was a key part of the WWBA World Championship lineup last fall and competed in the Perfect Game All-American Classic at the end of summer. The veteran presence was felt by 2020 Burn roster. After falling down 1-0 in the championship game, Guscette turned on a pitch and drove the ball off the left field wall for an RBI double. The swing changed the course of the game as there was a calmness after that and the lineup responded by putting up 11 unanswered runs before their opponent would score again. The Florida commit may have an even larger impact on the pitching staff. He is tough and savvy, getting the best out of his pitchers all weekend. His leadership skills are unmatched and it’s no wonder the Burn got through the gauntlet with Guscette steering the ship.

White hit from start to finish down in Jupiter. He filled up the final box score going 8-for-16 (.500) with a double, five runs and five RBIs. He had three hits and a walk on championship Monday and his three RBIs in the championship game would lead the Burn team. The North Carolina State commit did an excellent job staying to the middle of the field and taking what the opposing pitchers gave him. He owns some of the biggest raw power in the 2021 class but showed an extremely mature approach to not sell out. He did exactly what his team needed Monday and created runs any way he could. If White continues this approach he will put himself into elite prospect status heading into his senior summer.

Coming out at the end of the semifinals with a tough luck loss, Andrew Armstrong (2020, Buford, Ga.) was remarkably efficient just as he was to open the tournament. The Florida State commit is a traditional pitchability lefthander with the command and ability to mix speeds to get outs and generate weak contact. Armstrong worked up to 87 mph and absolutely pounded the strike zone while showing good life on the heater on either side of the plate. Armstrong has both a solid breaking ball and changeup that he’ll mix in often as he’s not afraid to throw any pitch in any count. Armstrong kept the pitch count very low as he went the distance in a game that ended in the bottom of the ninth, needing 102 pitches to make it to the end of the game.

Samuel Gordon (2020, Dunedin, Fla.) had some big hits over the course of the weekend for the champion Florida Burn and that included a big blast to the pull side in the quarterfinals round to help the Burn advance to Monday. Gordon has had a good weekend and shows good feel for the entirety of the game as he runs, throws, hits and defends well on a fairly consistent basis. The State College of Florida commit has fast hands at the dish and the looseness and quickness of his hands allow him to whip the barrel effectively in order to create juice and jump, especially to the pull side. Gordon was part of the hit barrage during the championship game and it’s fair to say that he was an integral part of the Burn’s core this weekend.


The hit of the day came off the barrel of Vince Smith (2020, Clearwater, Fla.) as with one swing he sent the Florida Burn to their second straight championship appearance in Jupiter. Leading off the bottom of the ninth inning, the last inning before tiebreakers would be instituted, the Florida State commit got an elevated fastball that he did not miss. Smith broke a 1-1 tie with a big blast to the pull side that sent the Marlins quad into a frenzy on Monday morning. He’s a very athletic and twitchy player who can run and handle the barrel effectively. Here offers versatility as while Smith played second base this weekend he’s athletic enough to potentially play center field as well. The bat speed and offensive tools are obvious and Smith had himself a very good weekend.
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