The best individual performances of the day at the Mariners and Padres complex in Peoria Friday was from the first game at 9:00 a.m., as Iowa Select Black and Impact Player Baseball played to a 0-0 tie. Both righthanded starting pitchers, 6-foot-4, 215 pound Cole Baker (2015, Grimes, Iowa) and 6-foot-4, 235-pound Gabe Armstrong (2015, Fullerton, Calif.) threw complete game four-hit shutouts.

Baker was extremely impressive, cruising through the first five innings using only 60 pitches, mostly with a fastball that sat steadily at 88-89 mph and touched 90. The Iowa commit showed a much better curveball than he had his last outing at the Midwest Top Prospect Showcase in late August, as well as a changeup that could become a real weapon for him. When Baker got in his only real jam of the morning, a bases loaded no out tangle in the top of the seventh inning, he pounded 88 mph fastballs to pick up two strikeouts and a weak ground ball to get out of it.

Armstrong, who has no college commitment, was no less impressive in striking out 13 hitters against only one walk. He topped out at 87 mph early but sat mostly 83-84 mph with a very heavy sinking fastball that he simply filled the bottom of the zone with. He threw both a slider and curveball effectively, picking up a number of his punch outs on those pitches, with the slider in particular being a pitch he could have used more often.

To emphasize how well both big righthanders threw, Iowa Select Black won their second game of the day 9-0 in five innings, while Impact picked up a 6-3 win.

The top team performance at Peoria on Friday was even easier to choose. Team Northwest, featuring eight players with Division I scholarships on their roster, looked strong in their morning game, taking a 5-1 decision from ABD Nevada behind 6-foot-6, 190-pound lefthander Mark Finkelnburg (2015, Portland, Ore.). They sent one of their aces, righthander McKinley Lefore (2015, Camas, Wash.), an Oregon commit, to the hill against GBG Orange County. But if GBG Orange County even knew they were the underdogs, they certainly didn't show it. They jumped on Lefore, who was throwing in the 86-88 mph range despite having trouble keeping the ball down, for nine runs in the first inning. That led to an early exit after GBG Orange County hit more three-run home runs (two) than Lefore got outs (one), although three errors were also committed in the inning.

Outfielder Ryan Carpenter (2015, Tustin, Calif.) hit the first of the aforementioned three-run home runs, a deep blast to left-center field that was gone the moment it left the barrel. The 5-foot-9, 175-pound Carpenter later spanked a double to left-center field to pick up two more RBI and made numerous nice catches in left field. He plays with the type of energy and hustle that one loves to see in a young player.

Righthanded pitcher and first baseman Aaron Lizziraga (2015, Buena Park, CA) hit the other three-run home run in what ended up as a 13-1 GBG Orange County win.

The most impressive Team Northwest players over the two games was shortstop Jack Johnson (2015, Seattle, Wash.). The Washington commit has a very nice righthanded swing that produced a hard line drive triple to right field and an RBI single up the middle in the first game, plus a long double to left field in the second game. The 6-foot-2, 175-pound Johnson has plenty of filling out to do to add even more power to his stroke, although he looks like he might eventually profile best at third base defensively.

CBA Marucci rolled to a 13-1 win over Team Avenue Aces behind three shutout innings from righthander Tim Holdgrafer (2015, San Diego, Calif.). The St. Mary's commit has a quick and easy right arm and a very projectable body. He sat at 85-87 mph for most of his outing and pounded the bottom of the strike zone with hard sinking action. The CBA Marucci starting lineup featured seven players with Division I scholarships in addition to Holdgrafer, including standouts such as third basemen Niko Navarro (2015, Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) and Tyler Nevin (2015, Poway, Calif.), as well as outfielder Luke Williams (Laguna Niguel, Calif.). The team should be a factor deep into the playoffs if they can get steady pitching like they received Friday.

Perfect Game's Jeff Dahn portrays Nevin, who hit a booming triple to left-center field to highlight his own game, along with the entire CBA team in this separate story posted on Friday.

Maverick Handley (Lakewood, Colo.) of Slammers Black-Holzmer is one of several talented 2016 prospects at this Upperclass event. Handley is a high energy catcher with an extremely quick release on his throws and an accurate arm. He threw out a pair of runners in the first three innings of the Slammers 3-2 loss to MAP Baseball and would have had a third at 1.87 on the stop watch had the infielder caught the throw cleanly. Handley also showed nice bat speed while batting third in the Slammers lineup, picking up a single and a walk in three trips to the plate.

SoCal NTT middle infielder Dylan Doherty (2015, Santa Ana, Calif.) packs a lot more power than one would expect from a 5-foot-10, 160-pound lefthanded hitter. He went 3-for-4 on Friday, including a pair of triples, one of which was a deep and high blast that went off the right-center field wall (the fields at Peoria are 340 feet down the lines and 410 feet to center field). There wasn't much of an opportunity to observe Doherty's defensive actions and tools, but it was hard not to see the potential in his bat.

The first time slot of the day in Goodyear featured one of the top 2015 draft prospects in the state of Arizona as shortstop Alejo Lopez (Glendale, Ariz.) and his Arizona Baseball Club teammates opened up pool play against the Colorado Travelers. While he lacks the big size that is typically found in top ten round draft prospects in the high school ranks, his smooth and well coordinated actions in the middle infield and surprising power at the plate profile very well up the middle. Those actions were on display at short in his team's first game and he will be watched closely throughout the tournament.

One of the most exciting teams in the field of the EvoShield Upperclass National Championship is BPA DeMarini Elite, which has a core made up of high ceiling 2017 graduates. Eligible for the 15u age division, BPA captured the 16u WWBA National Championship in Georgia and feature several of the top ranked players in the PG Class of 2017 rankings, including two in the top 10.

In their opening victory they gave the ball to 2017 lefthander Jack Owen (Coto de Caza, Calif.). Owen is immature physically and looks a bit out of place walking out to the mound at a high level upperclass event initially, but that changes as soon as he throws his first pitch. While the velocity doesn't jump off of the page, topping out at 83 mph, Owen's arm action is smooth and tension free, he hides the baseball well through his clean, well balanced delivery and pounds the strike zone. It is easy to dream on what the next three years of physical development will do to his present arsenal which features a frequently used low-70s changeup and upper-60s 1-to-7 curveball with good spin. The young Mississippi State commit threw five shutout innings on two hits, striking out two and not issuing a walk to pick up the win.

2015 shorstop Dallas Tessar (Simi Valley, Calif.) nearly blasted a home run down the left field line, hooking just foul to the pull side before crushing a double and also standing out with the leather at short. The duo of big 2017 arms in lefty Nick Pratto and righty Hagen Danner also showed well as position players, with Danner showing high level catching ability.

One of the biggest benefits from an evaluation standpoint of watching prospects at a young age is getting a chance to watch their development over the course of their prep careers. Not all players develop at the same rate, and while some develop early in their careers and then slow down, others take longer before they finally put it together.

One such on the rise player is 2015 outfielder Tyler Williams (Peoria, Ariz.). Williams certainly looks the part at a chiseled 6-foot-3 and 210-pounds, and has plus straight line speed, frequently running the 60-yard dash in the 6.5 second range. He has shown flashes of power at times over the past few years, though the translation of the power into game at-bats was infrequent during his underclass career. However, over the past couple of months that has begun to change. His approach at the plate has made tremendous strides this summer, and while there is still a ways to go, his body language at the plate has changed in a positive way and he seems to acknowledge the minor "mistakes" he still makes without allowing them to affect him on subsequent pitches.

He started off his first game with an opposite field single followed by a laser line drive past the third baseman that he stretched into a triple with his speed. He flew out to left-center in his final at-bat, but showed an improved idea of how to adjust to a two-strike situation. The progress he's been showing of late is promising and combined with his raw physical tools make him an interesting prospect.

There were a pair of blue chip, PG All-American shortstop prospects in the 2015 on display on the Reds quad during the afternoon and night time slots that drew significant looks from four corners area scouts. Nick Shumpert (Lone Tree, Colo.) and Cadyn Grenier (Las Vegas, Nev.) each had quiet days at the plate in their opener, but both got a few opportunities to show off the defensive tools that will put them into early round consideration for the upcoming draft. Their showing this weekend will likely be chronicled in depth in this space over the next couple of days.

One of the most talented teams in the field is the defending champions GBG Marucci Navy. And they lived up to expectations on day one, cruising to a 14-2 victory. While a constant performer on this squad, 2015 outfielder Matt Lautz (Agoura Hills, Calif.) tends to take second billing to some of his highly talented teammates with commitments to major Division I powerhouses. He doesn't have the same high-end strength-to-athleticism quotient of the top prospects in the class, but his long, lanky frame and underlying athleticism portend for physical development that could eventually see him get to that point.

And the consistent bat-to-ball skills he's continually displayed give him some upside should that potential development come to fruition. He started off his run at the EvoShield National Upperclass Championship with a bang, crushing a deep fly ball to left-center that one-hopped the fence for a triple. In his second trip to the plate he repeated it with a nearly identical swing and a second triple, and rounded first base in 4.44 seconds with a turn from the right side. While his highly touted GBG teammates got involved in the hit parade, Lautz was arguably the biggest catalyst in the run-rule victory that allowed them to save their bullpen for later in the tournament. It also put the defending champs in a very good position after Day 1 as they head into a buzzsaw matchup against Stanford bound 2016 righthander Jack Little in their second game.

On the mound for GBG 2015 righthander David Appleby (Westlake Village, Calif.) made his second PG appearance, and the first in a year. He showed a six mph jump since last year and is an interesting uncommitted player on the rise. He generates big sinking action on his 82-86 mph fastball and pairs it with a sweeping low-70s slider that also shows potential. He added some in-and-out feel to that sinker for an effective arsenal that will become very interesting if he continues to develop.

Appleby wasn't the only SoCal righthander to show significant development on opening day in Goodyear. Marshall Peak (2016, Norco, Calif.) also ran his fastball up to 86 mph in his second career outing at a PG event. In his PG debut Peak worked 76-78 at the 2014 WWBA West Memorial Day Classic in late May. He worked 80-84 for the most part for JG Baseball, topping out at 86 and threw a shutout against a talented San Diego Show lineup. He has a loose arm, and while he lacks present strength, his long, lean build can handle significant muscle mass gains without diminishing his range of motion or tightening his loose present arm action. He showed good feel for his fastball location and controlled his 68-71 mph curveball well.

There was a "new" player – at least new to the PG scouting staff – who made a big impression in the nightcap of day one; 2017 third baseman Casey Schmitt (Chula Vista, Calif.). He got the start at third base for the San Diego Show and displayed easy arm strength from the position with a loose arm action that projects well. He's a well proportioned 5-foot-10 and 160-pounds right now and projects well. His hands are quick and loose at the plate, and while he has some adjustments to make to be able utilize his offensive tools to their full potential, there is a whole lot to like and we will be following his progress closely over the next three years.