Daily
Recaps: Day 1
CBA
Bulldogs third baseman and cleanup hitter Clay Owens,
a 2018 UNLV commit, showed some serious hitting tools and thunder
in his bat on Saturday morning. Owens is a big, strong prospect,
standing 6-foot-1 and weighing in around 185 pounds right now, and
he’s not done growing and could end up even bigger. He hits from a
traditional power hitter stance, crouched at the plate with weight
shifted back pre-load, then comes through the zone with excellent
natural loft (but without being an uppercut) and bat speed in his
swing. His strength plays well in the swing already, showing the
ability to muscle balls in on his hands out into the outfield, and he
also already shows the natural ability to backspin balls into the
gaps. Unlike most young power hitters, Owens’ approach is not that
of a free swinger with only home runs on his mind. He has a quality
overall approach already, not chasing out of the strike zone and for
the most part being content to wait for a pitch he can really drive,
something that is very advanced for a prospect his age.
The
Houston Banditos Black brought one of the more star-studded rosters
with them to Georgia for the 2015 15u WWBA National Championship, and
it certainly shows in every facet of the game.
2018
righthander Brandon
Broughton is
a large-framed, well-built prospect with advanced size and strength
for a prospect of his age. Despite potentially being close to his
physical peak, Broughton’s overall potential on the mound is far
from fully realized. With good arm speed and an overall loose, easy
arm action, Broughton is already up to 85 mph, sitting 82-84 pretty
consistently through his abbreviated outing on Saturday. The fastball
shows solid running action to the arm side, and though he struggled
to command the ball, he did show the ability to miss bats with the
fastball in all parts of the zone, especially up. His arm works well
with looseness and ease, and though there are some mechanical
inconsistencies to shore up (which will help his command), overall
Broughton is a very advanced pitching prospect for his age. With that
kind of fastball as well as the feel to spin a sharp, 12-to-6
curveball, he projects very well moving forward.
2019
righthander Nolan Crisp had an even shorter outing than
Broughton did on Saturday, thanks to the monstrous storm that rolled
through Northern Georgia, killing the power at LakePoint and pushing
this slot of games to later in the week. Crisp, despite being a 2019
prospect just getting ready to enter his freshman year of high
school, showed advanced arm speed and strike-throwing ability, as
well as climbing all the way to 87 with his fastball. That arm speed
and present velocity project very well moving forward, and he’ll
undoubtedly be one to keep an eye on in the next four years.
A
trio of Banditos position players made their marks early during
Saturday’s game, but that’s nothing new for prospects of their
caliber. 2017 outfielder Alerick Soularie is an impressive
athlete with excellent raw speed and on-base abilities to go along
with an excellent overall feel to the play the outfield with a
present above average arm. He’s a very quick-twitch athlete who
projects exceedingly well moving forward.
2018
Hunter Watson has some of the best power of anyone in this
event, not just in the 2018 class, from the left side with serious
remaining projection as well. His approach can get a little pull and
power-happy at times, but with that kind of thunder in his bat
generated by excellent raw bat speed, it’s hard to ignore his
potential.
2018
shortstop Jordan Groshans, a Texas recruit, has always shown
loud, impressive offensive tools and continues to do so in this
event. He has high-level bat speed to go along with strength and feel
for the barrel, and has no problem barreling up nearly any pitch
thrown within his general vicinity. With no-doubt infield tools, all
that remains is to see just how good he can be.
2017
lefthander Jack Aldrich is no stranger to Perfect Game events,
and we have seen him get incrementally better and better in every
event he’s participated in. With a good sized frame and build,
Alrich’s easy 80-83 mph fastball comes out of his hand clean and
gets on hitters pretty quickly, showing excellent life on the pitch,
though he did manipulate that movement. He showed the ability to cut
the fastball as well as run it, without really losing any velocity as
a result of the action. Commanded down in the zone well, the fastball
was a pretty good weapon for him, showing the ability to miss barrels
as well as get whiffs on the pitch. He flashed a quality breaking
ball as well, with good depth and sharpness, he certainly continues
to project well as a pitcher overall moving forward.
– Brian
Sakowski
We
at Perfect Game were first able to lay eyes on Tim
Borden
(2018, Sellersburg, Ind.) last fall at the WWBA Freshman World
Championship last October playing for Miner League National. Just
prior to the tournament Borden gave his verbal commitment to the
Louisville Cardinals and his high-end tools have been on display ever
since and most recently at the Perfect Game Junior National Showcase.
Borden
has continued to physically develop, now listed at 6-foot, 155-pounds
– as you’d expect from a player heading into his sophomore year
of high school – but he continues to play the game at a high level
and consistently perform. This week Borden is playing for Ironmen
Baseball where he’s their starting shortstop and leadoff hitter,
setting the tone for the rest of the lineup. He did just that as he
reached base three times Saturday morning, first by drawing a walk
before hitting the ball hard to his pull side twice. He does a nice
job of staying short to the ball and finishing through his swing, and
though he already shows solid present bat speed, he's going to get
stronger as he continues to fill out his lean frame. Borden’s
second hit of the game was his loudest, a hard line drive single into
left field that plated two, again remaining short and quick to the
ball.
They
may be called the Central Florida Gators but Nolan
Gorman
(2018, Glendale, Ariz.) comes to the team via Arizona where he
attends Sandra Day O’Connor High School. A lefthanded hitter,
Gorman consistently found the barrel throughout day two and did so
with authority driving the ball hard up the middle. Staying balanced
throughout his swing the 5-foot-11, 180-pound shortstop twice lined
the ball hard up the middle in the first game without getting the end
result he wanted as they were hit on the screws right at a defender.
In he Gators second game of the night however Gorman went from
hitting the ball up the middle to hitting it to the right-center
field gap where he picked up a well-struck double, driving in a run.
Gorman started both games at shortstop for the Gators where he showed
plenty of athleticism and fluidity in his actions, especially when
charging in on a slow chopper and with his footwork around the second
base bag.
Connor Ollio (Photo: Luke Liberatore)
Connor
Ollio
(2018, Renfrew, Pa.) is another player who travels south for his
travel ball during the summer for the Central Florida Gators, and
throughout their two games Saturday showed interesting two-way
potential. With a strongly built 6-foot-1, 180-pound frame the
uncommitted Ollio continuously squared the ball up in the Gators
early morning game, showing nice balance and big strength coming off
the barrel. The righthanded hitting Ollio’s loudest contact on the
day came on a ground-rule double that he hit to deep center field
that continued to carry off the barrel, plating a key run for the
Gators. During the nightcap Ollio jumped on the mound and during the
early portion of his outing worked in the 82-85 mph range and bumped
his fastball as high as 86 mph. The ball comes out of his hand
cleanly and when he stayed on top he was able to generate solid
running life to his arm side. He showed a curveball in the low-70s,
that he had a feel for with solid depth, and also flashed a changeup
at 72 mph.
Batting
in the middle of the Gators lineup, center fielder Elijah
Cabell
(2018, Winter Park, Fla.) has as loud of tools as any player in the
tournament. Though he drew a couple of walks in the second game
Cabell was able to show off his very impressive bat speed, whipping
the barrel through the zone, doing so with relative ease. A high-end
athlete, Cabell is listed at 6-foot, 185-pounds and showed the tools
to impact a game on both sides of the ball. With quick feet and good
instincts off the bat Cabell was able to cover ground and track down
a sinking line drive before delivery a strike to home plate, showing
above average arm strength and carry.
Mason
Denaburg
(2018, Merritt Island, Fla.) is another high-end player in the middle
of the Gators lineup who shows loose, fluid defensive actions behind
the plate despite his longer 6-foot-3, 170-pound frame. Denaburg is a
two-way player as he can run his fastball into the upper-80s on the
mound, so it’s of little surprise that he has game-changing arm
strength from behind the plate. With a quick transfer and short arm
action Denaburg threw out the lone attempted theft in the morning
game and showed the same type of fluidity with the bat. A righthanded
hitter, Denaburg remains balanced and stays short to the ball with
loose hands and a solid approach. The balance was on display during
the second game as he didn’t try to do too much with an outer half
curveball as he just threw his hands and flicked it into right field
for a single.
In
a 17u WWBA World Championship setting Adam
Kloffenstein
(2018, Magnolia, Texas) would stand out physically with his 6-foot-4,
210-pounds, let alone a 15u setting. Once he toes the rubber
Kloffenstein again looks like he belongs in an older tournament as he
comes out attacking hitters with a fastball/slider combo and a solid
overall feel on the mound.
Showing
a fast and short arm action through the back, Kloffenstein came out
living in the mid-80s, peaking upwards of 87 mph with occasional
cutting life to his arm side. Given his size and age Kloffenstein
shows solid balance and the ability to repeat his delivery well on
the mound, and when the quickness of his arm is taken into the
equation it’s easier to project more velocity on its way.
Kloffenstein stays balanced on his back side with steady steps
through his delivery while showing three different pitches for
strikes.
He
showed the best feel for his slider, a pitch that he maintains his
arm action on well generating some depth in the 74-76 mph range.
Kloffenstein would occasionally get around the ball and work across
his body but more often than not he remained on top of the ball and
was able to create late life away from righthanded batters. He also
showed a nice feel for his 79-80 mph changeup, giving him a full
three-pitch mix.
Hunter
Townsend (2018,
Carthage, Texas) made an immediate impact with his righthanded swing
and continued to do throughout the game. A well built 5-foot-11,
185-pound outfielder who plays the game hard, Townsend is currently
ranked No. 32 in the 2018 high school class rankings. In his first
at-bat Townsend went with an outer half fastball that carried very
well off his bat, eventually banging off the right field wall for a
two-base hit. Remaining short and quick to the ball Townsend
continued to show off his strength as he nearly put a ball out to
left field in his final trip to the plate, again banging the ball off
the wall for another double.
'Righthanded pitcher' isn’t even listed amongst the three positions beside Gavin
Williams' (2017,
Fayetteville, N.C.) name, proving just how new he is to the position.
After watching a single warmup pitch you’re able to identify the
high level of athleticism as the 6-foot-5 Williams remains extremely
balanced and coordinated through his delivery.
Staying
tall on his backside, Williams uses his length to his advantage as he
employs a short and fast right arm while generating solid downhill
plane to the lower quadrants of the zone. Sitting in the 88-90 mph
range in the first inning, Williams eventually settled into the 86-88
mph range but continued to show the hard sinking life throughout as
well as the ability to locate to his glove side. With the life,
velocity and the extension he generates, Williams’ fastball jumps
on hitters and plays up more than the velocity suggests, especially
with the plane he consistently generates.
Continuously
missing bats with his heater, Williams showed an advanced feel for
his changeup at 77-78 mph as everything in his delivery mimics his
fastball including the late life down in the zone. Williams also
flashed a curveball in the upper-60s that will continue to develop
with reps on the mound but worked primarily off his fastball
throughout his innings and found consistent success doing so.
It
was a quick look before Mother Nature came through LakePoint but
righthander Triston Casas
(2019, Pembroke Pines, Fla.) began the game for Elite Squad Prime and
more than impressed for somebody who has yet to take a high school
class. Already 6-foot-4, 238-pounds and committed to the University
of Miami, Casas is listed as a primary third baseman in the program
but is a legitimate two-way prospect with equally as high upside on
the mound as with his lefthanded stick. Through the one inning Casas
was able to throw on the mound he sat in the 86-88 mph with his
fastball, impressing with how balanced and in control he is of his
long levers given how young he is. With a quick arm and solid
extension out front Casas did a solid job of living down in the zone,
rarely missing up with his cutting fastball from a high
three-quarters arm slot. Generating solid downhill plane on his
fastball the young righthander also showed a strong feel for his 75
mph curveball which featured 12-to-6 shape and sharp depth.
– Jheremy
Brown