Makenzie
Stills (2018,
Fayetteville, Ga.) got the 2015 15u WWBA World Championships off to a
hot start as he toed the rubber in the 12:30 p.m. game for the Game
On Spartans and began warming up at 88 mph before the first inning.
Currently ranked No. 18 in the 2018 class rankings, the uncommitted
Stills showed he was just in fact warming up as he took it to the
next level once the ump said “play ball.”
Listed
at 5-foot-11, 175-pounds, Stills may not strike you as a hard thrower
immediately, and watching how loose and effortless his arm action is
may not suggest it either, but he came out in the first inning and
sat 90-92 mph with his fastball and looked like he was just playing
catch. Stills showed a fast and fluid arm circle through the back,
remaining balanced through his delivery while remaining online
towards the plate. The velocity has continued to progress for the
Georgia native over the last year or two and there’s no reason to
think there isn’t another jump in there. And while the radar gun
readings are highly impressive, the hard and late running life to his
arm side he’s able to generate is equally as impressive and often
induced weak ground ball contact.
The
overall feel for pitching that Stills displayed was also some of the
more advanced stuff that you’ll see at this age as he showed three
pitches, all of which have the potential to be swing-and-miss
offerings. Though he didn’t show his changeup through the first
three innings against a hitter, he did throw it in warmups at 80-81
mph with some diving life down while maintaining his arm action and
arm speed. Stills did show his slider in game and it featured
two-plane life at 76-77 mph and has the potential to become a power
offering with 10-to-4 shape.
Tony
Jacob (2019,
Acton, Calif.) took the mound in the late night slot for the
California-based BPA DeMarini Elite and didn't seem to mind the start
time as he came out pounding the strike zone early and often. Listed
at 5-foot-10, 155-pounds, the lefthanded Jacob showed a high level of
pitchability for a player his age as he mixed a full three-pitch
arsenal, showing an equal feel for each, especially for a pitcher who
is just heading into his freshman year of high school.
Along
with the pitchability, Jacob’s balance and ability to repeat his
mechanics and arm slot stood out as he’s able to get on top of the
ball and generate downhill plane on his fastball. After opening the
game in the 77-80 mph range, Jacob was just getting warmed up as he
sat 80-83 mph in the second inning, striking out the side while
showing a fast and rather loose left arm. All three of the strikeouts
came on fastball, two swinging, but he was able to set up hitters
with mostly his curveball, though he did flash a quality changeup a
time or two. A pitch in the low-60s, Jacob’s curveball showed depth
to it along with feel as he was consistently down in the zone with
the pitch and showed fading life to his arm side on the changeup he
showed at 71 mph.
Last
year in the WWBA Freshman World Championship righthander Jalon
Long (2018,
Millbrook, Ala.) came out with a fastball that peaked at 84 mph,
impressive arm strength for a player who hadn’t played a game of
high school baseball yet. Jump to yesterday and Long first showed off
his athleticism and arm strength from right field as he came in
charging a ball hard before unleashing a one-hop strike to home
plate, narrowly missing the runner.
Taking
the mount the next inning, although he's listed in the program at
5-foot-8, Long appeared to be closer to 5-foot-10, and he produced
some of the better velocity of the day. Showing a quick arm and a
high three-quarters release, Long ran his fastball up to 88 and 89
mph once before settling into the 84-87 mph range, though more
velocity is on the way. The son of former Oakland Athletics
outfielder Terrence Long, Long’s fastball showed occasional running
life when he was able to get on top of the ball and work down in the
zone. He does a nice job of remaining balanced though his delivery
and showed the ability to locate to either side of the plate as he
picked up one of a few strikeouts by bringing an 85 mph back over the
glove side black to a righthanded hitter.
As
he continues to develop physically and incorporate more lower half
into his delivery Long will certainly continue to take the next step
forward, though the present product is already very impressive. He
showed an excellent feel for his curveball in the 69-72 mph range, a
pitch that featured big 12-to-6 life and depth and was consistently
thrown for strikes at any time.
Kevin
Dowdell (2018,
Montevallo, Ala.) first caught my attention with his play in center
field yesterday as he moves very well to the ball with a good first
step and possesses the type of speed that allows him to cover ground
from gap-to-gap. With a strong, yet projectable 6-foot, 180-pound
build, Dowdell showed nice rhythm with balance in his swing while
shifting his weight well through his lower half. He has some hidden
strength to his overall profile given how live and loose his actions
are and it shows with how the ball comes off the barrel and the ball
leaves his hand from the outfield.
Chase
Wilkerson (2018,
Headland, Ala.) got the start for Chain National and he was given
plenty of offensive support while he did his thing on the mound.
Listed at 5-foot-11, 165-pounds, Wilkerson came out sitting in the
84-86 mph range with his fastball, showing a loose arm action and a
rather balanced, repeatable delivery for a player his age. As the
first inning continued his ability to generate downhill plane
sharpened while showing solid running life to his arm side with a low
effort release. The athleticism (he's listed as a primary shortstop)
and frame suggest more velocity is on the way and he already shows a
nice feel for a breaking ball in the 68-70 mph range, featuring both
depth and shape to it.
With
a loose and projectable frame Stephen
Szucs (2018,
Marietta, Ga.) came out of the gate sitting in the mid-80s with his
fastball and continued to show that type of velocity until his last
batter of the game. Throwing from a low three-quarters arm slot Szucs
is able to generate solid running life to his arm side on his
fastball, peaking at 86 mph while showing the ability to locate down
to his glove side. Given the whippiness of his arm action Szucs
continues to project for more velocity on the mound as he continues
to incorporate his lower half, though he already holds well out of
the stretch and over an outing.
The
ball comes out rather easily and at times he’d get across his body
at release which actually created solid angle on his fastball. Szucs’
feel for his upper-60s to low-70s curveball developed throughout the
game and soon became his out pitch, mixing effectively and freezing
hitters with the pitch that showed some depth and 11-to-5 shape. The
6-foot-2, 168-pound righthander also featured a splitter which served
as his changeup in the 73-75 mph range, showing tumbling life down in
the zone.
Michael
Guldberg (2017,
Marietta, Ga.) came out swinging in the middle of a very impressive,
physically built East Cobb Braves 15u lineup. Guldberg started hot
and finished hot as he twice went with an outer half fastball, got
extended, and drove the ball into the right field corner for
extra-base hits. His first hit ended up as a three-base hit, turning
around first in 4.51 seconds and didn’t seem to lose any momentum
as he cruised into third base.
Tyler
McKenzie (2019,
Loxahatchee, Fla.) resembles his older brother and 2015 Perfect Game
All-American righthanded pitcher Triston McKenzie with a long and
wiry quick-twitch frame with long limbs and full of projectability.
Though Tyler isn’t a pitcher like his older brother he did show off
his athleticism at shortstop for the Easton Rockets despite being one
of the youngest players on the field. His glove work and actions
remained consistent throughout the game, showing the ability to pick
the ball cleanly while moving well to his backhand before delivering
a solid throw across the diamond. McKenzie also showed off an
advanced approach at the plate serving as the Rockets leadoff man.
Facing the mid-80s sidearmer Szucs, McKenzie dug in his first at-bat
and showed off a solid two-strike approach as he fouled off a handful
of pitches before successfully working a walk.
Already
committed to Cal, righthander Chris
Joaquim (2017,
Petalum, Calif.) was given the ball in game one for a talent-laden
Phenom Signature team. Standing at 6-foot-2, 205-pounds, it comes
with little surprise that Joaquim was able to carry hit mid-80s
fastball throughout his seven inning, complete game one-hit shutout.
Joaquim
ran his fastball up to 88 mph in the first and comfortably sat at
83-87 mph while showing a short and quick arm action through the back
with some whippiness to it at release. The ball comes out of his hand
cleanly and as he began getting loose he worked on top of the ball
better and filled up the lower quadrants of the strike zone with
occasional cutting life to his glove side. Joaquim did a nice job of
staying online with his lower half which helps him drive towards the
plate, and in turn played a part in the effectiveness of his
curveball. Thrown consistently in the 68-69 mph band Joaquim did a
nice job of repeating his arm action on the pitch, hiding is well
before dropping the 11-to-5 offering in on the hitter with nice depth
and comfort.
He
may not have played a high school game yet but Jordan
Keller (2019,
Moreno Valley, Calif.) has the tools to make a long-term impression
at Woodcrest High School. On a roster composed of mostly rising
sophomores, it was a bit surprising to see Keller would just be
beginning his freshman year in the fall after watching him play and
double checking in the program. Already 6-foot-2, 175-pounds Keller
showed off a quick barrel through the zone with loose hands and
interesting strength. After a hard line out to left field in his
first at-bat, Keller strode back up to the plate and collected a hard
and loud line drive single to left field, one of the louder hit balls
of the game.
Ricky
Martinez (2018,
Morgan Hill, Calif.) already possesses quick-twitch muscle at
shortstop and has the instincts of the game to effectively put them
to use. His actions up the middle are smooth and easy and his hands
are extremely soft and quick, getting rid of the ball as quickly as
anybody in the tournament. At 6-foot, 175-pounds, Martinez showed
some ability with the bat too as he went with an outer half pitch
into right field and alertly took second base as the throw came
sailing in towards home plate.
Kumar
Rocker (2018,
Watkinsville, Ga.) may not have showed the 90 mph fastball that he
did last week but the 6-foot-4, 220-pound righthander didn’t have
to as he appeared to be playing catch from the first pitch of the
game to the last.
Showing
the same loose and whippy arm action with big extension out front
Rocker sat in the 84-88 mph range with his fastball, generating solid
sinking life down in the zone to either side of the plate. While he
did miss bats he was able to induce weak ground ball contact when put
in play, only once giving up a barreled hit into the outfield. The
athleticism is evident as he remains very balanced and repeats his
delivery extremely well for a player of his size and age. Rocker
showed no problem in locating his fastball low to his glove side as
he did so several times over his complete game shutout.
The
physicality and the ease of which he throws makes is very easy to
project more velocity on its way, something that’s scary to think
about given the heavy bat-breaking life the pitch already possesses.
Picking up his fair share of strikeouts yesterday afternoon, Rocker
again showed a feel for both his changeup and slider, each showing
interesting potential. He picked up at least three of his strikeouts
with his 74-76 mph slider, a pitch with sweeping life and some tilt
away from righthanded hitters. The young righthander didn’t show
his changeup as often as he did his slider, though he could have
pitched exclusively off his fastball and been successful. The change
did show some diving life down in the zone in the upper-70s, peaking
at 81 mph.
– Jheremy
Brown
Game
On Stealth won their game late Friday night by a score of 15-0 in
three innings, and did so with some seriously impressive performances
on the mound from a pair of uncommitted 2017 prospects.
Starting
the game was 2017 righthander Emerson Hancock (Cairo, Ga.),
and the 6-foot-3, 175-pound righty was undeniably impressive in his
short two-inning outing. With a large, projectable frame featuring
athleticism and plenty of room to fill out, Hancock did a good job
repeating his delivery and maintaining command of his entire arsenal
over those two innings. He worked 85-87 with his fastball for the
most part, with very heavy sinking/running action to the arm side,
topping at 89 mph and commanding the ball very well down and to the
glove side. He was able to climb the ladder with the fastball as
well, getting swings and misses up in the zone in addition to lots of
weak contact when down.
With
a longer arm action highlighted by a small stab at the bottom of the
arm circle, Hancock’s arm is still very fast and pretty easy. He
uses his legs well, and although there is a bit of crossfire in the
delivery, he’s able to command all three of his pitches and
otherwise stay balanced. He throws a curveball and a slider as well
as the fastball, with the curveball showing power depth and excellent
spin in the 67-69 range, and the slider being a bit shorter but still
very hard (74-76) with tight spin and tilt. He pounded the zone with
all three pitches over his two inning start, and will be someone we
keep an eye on later in this tournament to see if he throws again.
Hancock’s
teammate, 2017 outfielder/righthanded pitcher Malik Spratling
(Leesburg, Ga.) may end up being one of the preeminent two-way
players in his class, and has the upside both positionally and on the
mound to be a legitimate two-way talent at the next level. Spratling
is a potential elite-level center fielder, with 6.5 speed and
already-plus arm strength, Spratling can covers tons of ground with
ease and is a threat to throw out baserunners at any base, at any
time. He’s a legitimate prospect as a hitter as well, with very
projectable hitting tools throughout his offensive game, showing the
quick hands/wrists needed to drive the ball all over the field with a
short, simple swing and very good bat speed. He’s very strong
already and still could fill out some, and though the swing may be a
bit linear right now, he’s certainly a no-doubt Division I prospect
as a leadoff-hitting center fielder.
Spratling
may be the most raw 2017 pitching prospect at this event, simply
because he doesn't pitch often at all. He’s just not a 'pitcher,'
but the raw arm strength and easy arm action he displayed late Friday
night might just change the opinion of some. He was up to 93 mph on
his fastball, with a very easy arm action, with the ball exploding
out of his hand and downhill from an elevated slot. His mechanics are
very raw and weren’t repeated at all, and the command was very
loose overall, but when a prospect who doesn't pitch steps on the
mound and throws 93, we have to pay attention. If he can actually
learn how to harness that raw, easy arm strength and develop on the
mound, the sky is truly the limit in terms of his two-way potential.
2018
catcher Connor Pavolony (Woodstock, Ga.) was perhaps the
fastest rising prospect of the day on Friday. With an athletically
built frame with already solid size, Pavolony projects to continue to
add strength to his 6-foot-1, 180-pound physicality as he continues
to mature. As far as his game goes, it was very impressive overall.
The first thing that stands out is his flexibility behind the dish,
with a very low set creating a low target for his pitcher, Pavolony’s
flex is excellent and he still has the athleticism and strength to
explode out of that low crouch when throwing and/or blocking. He’s
a quality receiver already, catching the ball out in front of his
body and 'sticking' it for the umpire, regardless of where it’s
thrown. He popped 1.87, 1.92, and 1.94 in between innings on his
warmup pop times, with varying levels of accuracy and footwork, but
the overall arm strength is very good and very advanced for a
prospect of his age. He’s a stalwart defender overall, moving well
side-to-side with athleticism and lateral agility, deadening balls in
front of him and doing an outstanding job eliminating the running
game.
At
the plate, the smoothness of his swing is highlighted early and
often, as he drilled two doubles in his first two at-bats, one over
the center fielder's head and one off the wall in dead left field,
both of them showing impressive exit velocities and backspin carry as
a result of the natural loft he creates in his swing. There’s
little to no wasted movement or effort in his swing at all, with
advanced hand-eye coordination and strength. He generates great bat
speed and has good feel for the barrel, making him a consistent extra
base threat right now who should grow into even more home run power
moving forward. He did an outstanding job making a name for himself
in front of Perfect Game as well as several college coaches, and
stood out as potentially one of the top catching prospects in the
2018 class.
2018
righthander Davis Sharpe (Dacula, Ga.) came on in relief of
the starter on Friday, and immediately drew attention when his first
fastball was clocked at 87 mph. At 6-foot-2, 170-pounds, Sharpe is
highly projectable and highly athletic, repeating his delivery like
most 2018s cannot do yet, and showing good command of his overall
arsenal. There is some effort in his delivery highlighted by a head
whack at release, but overall the mechanics are clean and fluid. His
fastball worked 84-86, downhill from a medium three-quarters slot,
pounding down in the zone with sinking/running action to the arm
side. He throws a harder, shorter slider right now, and while he can
get to the side of (or underneath) the pitch and turn it flat, it
shows legitimate potential to be a wipeout pitch for him, given the
velocity at which he throws it and the tight spin he’s able to
create out of the hand. He also has advanced feel for the changeup,
turning it over well and showing fading action on the pitch to go
along with very good velocity differential from the fastball.
– Brian
Sakowski