FORT MYERS, Fla. – When Perfect Game showcase designers first came up with the idea of creating an event largely targeted at high school seniors who had not yet committed to a college that fits their specific needs, it was with a prospect like Noel Cheneau in mind.
Cheneau is a 6-foot, 160-pound shortstop and outfielder from New Orleans, a switch-hitting speed merchant who zipped in and out of the Jan. 3-4 PG World Uncommitted Showcase seemingly in a blur, but not before leaving his footprints all across Terry Park’s Clemente Field. He spent the weekend making lasting impressions while PG scouts filled their notebooks and Skillshow's video cameras whirred.
“You see him out there in a uniform and you know he’s a dude,” PG national scouting coordinator Justin Hlubek said after watching Cheneau play in his second World Uncommitted Showcase game Sunday morning. “He’s athletic, he handles himself well in the infield, he swings it well from both sides – he’s the type of kid you look and see and you know he won’t be uncommitted for long.”
An 18-year-old senior at Salmen High School in Slidell, La., Cheneau wasted little time opening eyes during Saturday morning’s workout session. His 6.53-second 60-yard dash clocking was nearly a 10th-of-a-second faster than anyone else at the World Uncommitted; his 87 mph throw across the infield was tied for the best effort at the event and his 88 mph throw from the outfield ranked third best.
“I think it was well worth it, most definitely,” Cheneau told PG Sunday morning. “Knowing this was my first time (at a PG showcase), I came out here (Saturday) and I was kind of nervous at first, but it kind of played out well, I think.
“In the beginning I didn’t really know what to expect yet, but then I kind of got into it, got with it, and it was on after that,” he said. “I’m hoping I can come back in the summertime and maybe do even better.”
Cheneau’s batting practice session Saturday afternoon – which preceded his first game action – also went well. PG’s scouting report noted that he has “quick hands and makes solid contact” and while he showed a little more consistency from the right side he “has the tools to keep switch-hitting.”
“He’s got a very sound approach from both sides,” PG’s Hlubek said. “He squares the ball up and puts it in play each time.”
One person in attendance who paid especially close attention to Cheneau’s performance was his father, Noel Cheneau Jr. The father might have been the only person at Terry Park over the weekend who wasn’t really all that surprised by the athleticism and high level of play his son showed.
“He puts such high expectations on himself; he’s trying to work so hard to be perfect, or come as close to that as possible,” Cheneau Jr. told PG. “This was the kind of experience he wanted to come to and he fared-out pretty well.
“He was a little nervous at first but he started seeing that he can really play the game and fit in with these guys, and now the sky’s the limit for him,” Cheneau’s dad continued. “All he has to do is keep working hard like he’s doing and stay humble, and I think he should be all right.”
On Tuesday, Cheneau was named the No. 1 guy on the World Uncommitted’s Top Prospect List. Florida right-hander Mark Moclair, South Carolina catcher Brandon Odachowski, Florida outfielder Christian Cabrera and New York middle-infielder Jose De La Cruz rounded out the top-five on the event’s Top Prospect List.
Cheneau spent his younger years concentrating on football and didn’t get serious about baseball after getting hurt playing football. He’s bounced back 100 percent from any injury he may have suffered on the football field and is now plowing full steam ahead with his baseball career.
The World Uncommitted Showcase was only his second PG event, having played with NOLA Monsters Baseball at last summer’s PG WWBA 18u National Championship in Emerson, Ga.
Using what appears to be his favorite expression, Cheneau said he is “most definitely” serious about playing baseball at the collegiate level next year; on his PG profile page, Cheneau lists Texas Tech, Arizona, Kansas, Miami and Michigan as colleges he’s interested in. He was determined to make an impression at the World Uncommitted Showcase and he obviously succeeded.
“Especially after an event like this – an opportunity like this is probably once in a lifetime, something I’ll probably never get again,” he said. “I’m seizing the moment right now. This is an experience, most definitely, getting to meet people from all over the world, seeing all the different talent, going up against different people, and seeing where you fit in at.”
The PG World Uncommitted Showcase ran simultaneously with the more high-profile PG World Showcase and the PG National Underclass East Showcase Saturday and Sunday, with more than 310 prospects performing in the three combined.
While the more than 140 prospects at the PG World Showcase were primarily competing for the attention of the dozens MLB scouts in attendance, the more than 170 players at the World Uncommitted and Underclass East were more interested in building a portfolio that college coaches and recruiters find appealing.
The PG scouting reports and Skillshow video are especially important at these events because this time of year is a “dead period” for college recruiting, meaning the coaches themselves cannot be in attendance. They will go to www.perfectgame.org and read all the reports and watch all the videos, however. For the players involved, it’s a win-win.
“This has been a very good experience for him to put himself out here and see what level of ballplayer that he’s at, knowing that he can compete with anybody in the world,” Cheneau Jr. said of his son. “Hopefully, if we put everything in God’s hands, we can see if we can get to the next level. He’ll just continue to work hard and play the game of baseball, which he so loves.”
“This is very much enjoyable; I enjoy every minute of it,” he continued, smiling broadly under the warm Southwest Florida sunshine. “Just seeing him out there relaxed, having fun, playing with guys he had never met before, and he just fit in. I really love the experience that we had down here at Perfect Game; it was intriguing. It was nice for him to come down and enjoy himself like that, just playing baseball.”
Cheneau plans to play for his Salmen High School team this spring and then hopes to hook on with a travel ball team and play in PG tournaments this summer. He feels like his upbringing, growing up in New Orleans, has him prepared for lies ahead despite his late emergence as a top prospect.
“There is a pretty strong baseball culture there, but like me, people get kind of overlooked,” he concluded. “There are plenty of people down in New Orleans that always get overlooked. I’m just one of the kids that is blessed and gifted enough to show my talents out here.”