There was quite a bit of talent on display at the Cleveland Indians and Cincinnati Reds’ spring training complexes on Friday, as the first day of the Perfect Game National Championships kicked off.

In the first time slot at the complexes in Goodyear, George Arias of the Tucson Champs really impressed. The 2018 righthanded pitcher struck out 16 over his seven innings of work. At 5-foot-10, 165-pounds, Arias has a nice athletic build and frame for his age, and he projects to add more muscle and physicality as he continues to mature as he has broad shoulders, long legs and a high, tapered waist. The righty showed an easy build-up and measured tempo out of the windup and he repeated his delivery pretty well. In the early going he was working in the mid-80s with his fastball, topping out at 86 mph. With an extended, loose arm action and above average arm speed, he projects to add velocity in the coming years, and he showed the ability to get extended over his front side.

The heater had slight arm-side run and solid downhill plane from his high three-quarters arm slot. Arias impressively showed feel for two distinct breaking balls, a low-70s curveball with 11-to-5 shape and solid depth, and a 76-78 mph slider with late two-plane depth and tilt. He was able to locate both pitches for called strikes and adeptly use them to get chases out of the strike zone. He struggled a bit to repeat his mechanics when working from the stretch, but he rarely had to do so and the overall arsenal and command were very impressive.

A number of other young arms stood out over the course of the afternoon and evening. The Southern California Bombers Black 2017 team seemed to keep running out quality pitcher after quality pitcher.

Zach Pettway, a UCLA commit, threw two quick, effective innings. The 2017 righthander has a nice 6-foot, 190-pound frame and he pounded the strike zone early and often with his 84-88 mph fastball. Pettway features an up-tempo delivery with a leg lift above the belt, and showed off a loose, long arm-action. He works to a high three-quarters arm slot and generates solid downhill plane on the heater, which has some late life when located down in the zone. He also showed an ability to work in his mid-70s curveball effectively.

Quinton Potter was another interesting 2017 righthander. The 6-foot-5, 195-pound righty has the long limbs and lean frame that one would expect given the listed measurements. He has some deception in his delivery and his long limbs make it difficult for hitters to pick up the ball quickly and cleanly. Potter worked in the 83-85 mph range with his fastball and showed solid control of the offering, working in the strike zone often enough to get weak swings and softer contact. His breaking ball, a low-70s curveball, is still developing, but he was able to change eye levels and hitters’ timing with the pitch and it shows potential. With his size and loose arm-action, Potter will be an interesting player to watch develop.

Carlos Lomeli showed off some of the best velocity in the tournament’s first day. The 6-foot-2, 175-pound righthander is also in the class of 2017, and he’s currently committed to St. Mary’s. Lomeli came out of the gates hot, hitting 90 mph a few times in the first inning, before topping out at 91 mph with his fastball an inning later. He consistently worked in the 88-90 mph range with the offering, which flashed some slight arm-side run and late life down in the zone. Lomeli has a lean, athletic build with broad shoulders and the frame to carry additional weight down the road. He stays balanced well throughout his delivery and works to a tighter high three-quarters release point while still maintaining some looseness and getting extended over his frontside. Lomeli predominately used his fastball, but he showed comfort in using his 74-76 mph curveball and was able to locate the offering well. At its best the pitch showed 12-to-6 shape and solid depth, and while the break could be a bit early and loose, he has the arm speed and athleticism to tighten the rotation more consistently.

Players from Alaska are often overlooked because they are rarely seen outside of the state so it was great to get to see the Gamers Baseball Alaska take to the fields on Friday. A handful of players showed solid fundamentals and baseball skills, but pitcher Bryce Swofford particularly stood out for his size, arm strength, and overall potential.

Swofford, a 2017 righthander, is listed at 6-feet-6, 185-pounds and he has very long limbs and a lean, angular build. As with many young pitchers with such a large frame, Swofford can have some issues consistently repeating his delivery, but for the most part he was able to harness the moving parts rather well and he threw a lot of strikes. He works from a three-quarters to slightly below three-quarters arm slot, which, along with his long limbs and deep release, adds to his overall deception and funk. Swofford’s fastball touched 88 mph a couple of times in the first inning and he consistently sat in the 84-85 mph range, although there were some fluctuations and dips over the course of his six innings. Such variations are to be expected with a young pitcher, especially one from a state such as Alaska, but he impressively showed the ability to reach back and hit 86 or 87 mph late in the ball game whenever he needed to.

Aside from the velocity, the pitch flashed slight arm-side run and was heavy with solid sinking life down in the strike zone. Additionally, Swofford had solid overall command of the pitch and flashed feel for locating to all four quadrants over the course of his outing. His off-speed pitches are still a work in progress with the breaking ball varying in shape and effectiveness, but towards the end of his outing he began to develop a more consistent feel for locating the offering down and to the glove side.

At present, the feel for his changeup surpasses the breaking ball, as he did a better job of maintaining his arm speed. Although it wasn’t used often, the 73-77 mph changeup showed the makings of a pitch that could be effective at the next level. There’s still a ways to go and he’s far from a finished product, but Swofford’s size, arm strength and background as a pitcher from Alaska make him an interesting player to keep an eye on in the coming years. The upside and potential is intriguing, particularly if he continues to add strength to his large, lean frame.

Isaiah Horton (Windsor Hills, Calif.) is nowhere near as big as Swofford, but the 2018 lefthander is still long and lean. Listed at 5-foot-11, 130-pounds, Horton is extremely projectable and he should be able to comfortably carry an additional 30-40 pounds before he graduates high school. He is a good athlete and is extremely loose with his movements and shows advanced body control and balance in his delivery. While he currently works in the 76-78 mph range with his fastball, it is easy to see him being in the mid- to upper-80s by the time he’s a high school senior given his quality arm speed, clean arm action and room for additional strength. Impressively, Horton knows how to pitch at present, showing an ability to move his fastball around the strike zone with comfort and work in a mid-60s curveball and upper-60s changeup that both show solid potential.

– Andrew Krause


Cole Turney (2017, Richmond, Texas) may not have filled up the box score for the SACSN National Team but the newly minted No. 7 prospect in the updated 2017 class rankings made an impression nonetheless. At a physical and strongly built 6-foot-1, 195-pounds, Turney wasted no time putting his big lefthanded bat speed on display as he just missed a bat in his first at-bat of the tournament, skying a fly ball to centerfield with a 6.04 hang time. Turney continued to put his bat speed and strength combination on display with three consecutive swings, each resulting in long foul balls which if straightened out would have cleared the right field fence. He shows a sound approach in the box and wasn’t afraid to take his walks in his first two at-bats in game two, displaying a knowledge of the strike zone while staying in on each pitch.

Shane Roberts (2017; Jupiter, Fla.), a righthanded pitcher committed to the University of South Carolina and Brendan Bean (2017, West Wildwood, N.J.), a lefthander committed to Pennsylvania, went the first handful of innings for SACSN in game one and each impressed.

Up to 90 mph this summer with the Evoshield Canes, Roberts didn’t quite get that high as he topped out at 88 mph yesterday afternoon while sitting comfortably in the 85-88 mph range. Roberts did a nice job of remaining balanced throughout his delivery with a short and quick arm action through the back and attacked hitters with his fastball which jumped on hitters quickly and induced some uncomfortable swings. When he stayed on top of the ball he showed nice downhill plane with running and limited effort at release. Though he pitched mostly off his heater, Roberts did flash a breaking ball up to 70 mph with 11-5 shape and some sharper break when on top of the pitch.

With a strong and broad shouldered 6-foot-1, 210-pound frame Bean showed an easy arm action of his own while topping out at 87 mph with his fastball. Bean worked comfortably in the 83-87 mph range and did so with some deception as he hides the ball well through the back before coming to a higher slot, creating solid angle towards the plate. He exerts little effort at release and the ball comes out cleanly while projecting for more as he continues to incorporate more lower half into his drive towards the plate. Like Roberts, Bean pitched off his fastball for a majority of his pitches but also showed a 1-to-7 curveball and nice fading life to his changeup at 73 mph.

Chase Sanguinetti (2018, Tampa, Fla.) has been on the showcase circuit throughout the summer and he may have switched jerseys from his summer team of FTB Pride to SACSN National for this event, the results were the same with his left-handed swing. Committed to Florida State University already, Sanguinetti was able to get an inner half fastball he could handle and deposited it halfway up the trees just beyond the right field wall for a no-doubt grand slam, pacing SACSN to their second victory of the day.

In a tournament as large as this one with four quads going on at two different sight locations you’re constantly roaming around in an attempt to see as many guys as possible and in doing so you’re able to see a plethora of bats, several of which you mark down “see again” at a later point in the tournament.

Donta Williams (2017, Las Vegas, Nev.) is a lean left-left outfielder who patrolled right field for CBA Marucci yesterday morning and showed off his fast-twitch muscle and overall looseness throughout. Williams wasted little time during his first at-bat as he squared up the first pitch he saw of the game and bounced it back up the middle for a leadoff single, showing quick hands and a short, direct barrel path to the ball. He moves well both down the line and on the bases with rather long strides, looking as though he almost gliding when moving. Williams is currently listed at 5-foot-10, 150-pounds and with his high waist and lean build it’s easy to envision the University of Arizona commit adding more muscle mass over the next two years.

Tyler Hardman (2017, Lake Elsinore, Calif.) was hitting a few spots behind Williams in the CBA lineup but was equally as impressionable with his first base hit of the game. Currently uncommitted according to his Perfect Game profile, the 6-foot-1, 170-pound third baseman connected for one of the harder hit balls I saw all of day one as he was able to get extended and drove an outer half fastball to the opposite field gap with intent for a standup double, jumping off the barrel with loud contact. As it turns out Hardman was just getting started as he continued to barrel baseballs throughout the game and is certainly a bat to keep an eye on throughout the tournament.

If nothing else the 6-foot-4, 185-pound Zach Hogueisson (2017, El Cajon, Calif.) will catch your attentions with his outward appearance but after just one at-bat you’ll hone in on what he’s able to do in the left-handed batters box. Already committed to Arizona State, Hogueisson shows a balanced and rhythmic approach at the plate, shifting his weight on time while staying in on each pitch that’s thrown. The whole package was on display during his second at-bat of the game as he squared a ball up that would rival any ball hit to this point of the tournament and looked as though it continued to rise up past the right fielder’s head but never getting more than 20-25 feet off the ground. With the ball getting past the field Hogueisson showed sound balance as he came all the way around for an inside the park homerun, looking as though he was getting stronger from base to base. And though I didn’t see any balls hit to him it speaks to his athleticism as Hogueisson is the West Coast Clippers starting center fielder.

Something you don’t often see is a catcher making two of the three outs in the first inning with his arm but that’s exactly was CBA Marucci’s Chris Jimenez (2017, Fontana, Calif.) did to help his team thwart any scoring chance the opposing team had. With runners on first and second the 5-foot-8, 170-pound Jimenez put his catch-and-throw skills and solid arm strength on display by back-picking the runner on first base before proceeding to throw out the attempted theft of third base just a few pitches later and subsequently ending the inning.

Charlie “Bubba” Horton (2017, Corcoran, Minn.) is currently uncommitted but the strongly built 6-foot-3, 185-pound left-hander made an impression during the Minnesota Blizzard’s second game of the tournament. Remaining balanced with a deliberate tempo to his delivery Horton showed a full and loose arm action with quickness through the back while generating some extension out front on his fastball that he ran up to 88 mph. Horton worked rather comfortably in the 84-87 mph range throughout the first couple of innings and along with the quickness of his arm the other consistency of his game was locating down in the zone with his fastball. With subtle running life to his arm side on his fastball, you can see Horton adding a couple of more ticks as he continues to incorporate more lower half into his delivery, especially given how the ball comes out of his hand cleanly at present. He only flashed a handful of off-speed which included a curveball at 71 mph and a changeup in the 70-72 mph range, showing proper fade and rotation on the pitch.

Dylan Criquet-Danielson (2017, Marshall, Minn.) had quite the first day as his team played a double-header and he performed well in each. Criquet-Danielson looks the part with square shoulders and an athletic 6-foot-2, 180-pound build and he can also swing it from the right side hitting a home run in game one and a line shot in game two that burned the center fielder and resulted in a three base hit. Currently uncommitted, Criquet-Danielson showed off both his strength and barrel skills offensively and also moved well defensively showing sound actions and footwork at shortstop with a very short and compact arm action that showed enough strength and carry across the diamond.

Alexander Williams (2018, Castro Valley, Calif.) may only be beginning his sophomore year of high school but he’s already looking like a two-way prospect as he showed off both on the mound and with his left-handed swing late last night. With a long and projectable 6-foot-3, 190-pound frame Williams showed a fast arm action that produced a fastball that touched 88 mph in the second inning and lived comfortably in the mid-80s throughout his complete game effort working in that 84-87 mph range. His fastball comes out well and he showed the ability to get on top, locating down in the zone effectively while mixing in both a breaking ball and a changeup. The breaker came across in the low-70s and flashed some depth while his changeup was a mid-70s offering and showed fading life with the ability to spot low to his glove side just as he did to ring up the last batter of the first inning. As impressive as a 2018 up to 88 mph is, Williams showed just as well with his bat showing big bat speed with a relatively short swing path, squaring the ball up hard to center field each of his first two at-bats. He didn’t get anything to show for the contact in the stats column but the bat speed and end result were noteworthy and something to keep an eye on moving forward.

He may not be listed as a primary left-handed pitcher in the program yet but Andrew Walling (2018, Castle Rock, Wash.) showed comfort on the mound and a full repertoire that had a slew of college coaches from the West Coast looking on. Listed at a strong 6-foot-1, 190-pounds Walling employed an over-the-top arm action and used his long limbs to get on top of the ball and generate downhill plane on his fastball that sat 84-87 mph with a quick arm and varying degrees of life on the pitch. With a slight hip turn at the top of his delivery and a shorter, online stride down the mound Walling was able to generate both plane and running life on his fastball when he located to his arm side, something he did rather frequently while pounding the strike zone. His curveball flashed depth with some bite to it in the 73-75 mph range while showing 1-7 shape. The changeup he showed at 78 mph was a quality offering as he maintained his arm action, showing solid differential and late fading life down in the zone. To round out the repertoire, the uncommitted Walling flashed an 82 mph cutter with late life in on right-handed hitters, giving him four pitches, each of which he showed he could throw for strikes.

Kyle Hurt (2017, Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.) is currently one of the top ranked players in the 2017 class at this event as he sits No. 10 overall for his prowess on the mound and fastball that’s been up to 92 mph. Though he may not have taken the mound last night for the San Diego Show he did impress with the bat as he uses his 6-foot-4, 205-pound frame to drive balls to the right-center field gap each of his first two plate appearances, showing solid extension and plenty of carry off the barrel. Both balls made it to the wall and each time Hurt made it to third base putting quality swings on the ball despite being a primary pitcher.

– Jheremy Brown