Many players and scouts, including this one, go directly from the Perfect Game National Showcase to the USA Baseball Tournament of Stars every year. The size and purposes of the two events are very different but serve to educate the scout community very well on what the next year's high school draft class will look like.
The goal of the TOS is to narrow down a 108-player event to 40 players who will come together again in August to compete for a spot on the 20-player roster that will compete internationally in September. The games are the most important part of the evaluation process for the USA coaching staff, headed by Barbe (La.) High School coach Glenn Cecchini.
Following are some of the strongest scouting impressions left by individual players over the last five days of games and workouts. They are not meant as a predicator of the eventual roster of the USA National 18u team.
Position Players
Jordon Adell, OF/RHP (Prospect, Ky): Adell is the most tooled-up player in the 2017 class and showed it here. He throws 95 off the mound and 97 from the outfield, takes the most impressive BP in the class and has top-of-the-charts speed. The big question is his hit tool and that question remained unanswered in Cary.
Nick Allen, SS (San Diego, Calif.): Allen's talent is best shown in games, especially on defense, and he shined here in all aspects. His baseball IQ is off the charts and it was especially enjoyable to watch him punch hit and run and infield-in singles in different situational at-bats and knock a couple of RBI doubles at other times.
Luis Campusano, C (Augusta, Ga.): Campusano has pretty much established himself as the top catcher in the 2017 class after not being a known commodity a couple of weeks ago. He fits tightly into the Molina catching mold in his build and tools and is an intense competitor.
Quentin Holmes, OF (East Elmhurst, N.Y.): Holmes ran a eye-opening 6.15 60-yard dash in Fort Myers and his world-class speed plays especially well in center field. He showed a lot more bat speed and barrel skills here in Cary and has a very high ceiling athletically. If one is looking for a comparison, Texas Rangers top prospect Lewis Brinson is a good starting point.
Kyle Jacobson, OF (Acworth, Ga.): One of the most beneficial things about this type of event for scouts is the opportunity to see top hitters face off against the best pitchers. Jacobson has had quality at-bats against pitchers such as Shane Baz and Blayne Enlow when other hitters were over-matched. He has one of the top hit tools in the class.
Royce Lewis, IF/OF (Aliso Viejo, Calif.): Lewis stood out for his steady play, versatility and strong overall tool-set. He showed more power, especially to right-center field, than this scout had previously seen.
Brady McConnell, SS (Merritt Island, Fla.): McConnell continued to show the big tools he showed in Fort Myers, lashing a couple of extra-base hits, showing his plus speed,but probably most importantly, standing out at shortstop on defense. His diving stab in the hole, throw the ball from his back to start a double play, was highlight reel material athletically.
Kier Meredith, OF (Winston Salem, N.C.): Meredith had the USA coaching staff excited all week with his blazing speed, aggressiveness and ability to get on base. He ran a 3.58 second home-to-first time on a perfectly executed bunt from the left side and then stole second at 3.22 on this scout's watch. That's close to Billy Hamilton speed.
Calvin Mitchell, OF (San Diego, Calif.): Mitchell was one of the top bats at the event and made consistent hard contact from gap-to-gap. He is a very different athlete from fellow Southern Californian Garrett Mitchell (listed next) but is also a national level prospect.
Garrett Mitchell, OF (Anaheim, Calif.): Mitchell is another tools monster with plus raw power and arm strength, but what really stood out was his running speed. He hit four ground balls during the first two games and ran between 3.94 and 4.00 on all of them, beating two of them out.
Jacob Pearson, OF (Downsville, La.): Pearson unquestionably lead the event in hits and picked them up in every variety of ways; from triples over outfielder's heads to a three-hit game that was made up entirely of infield singles that he beat out running a consistent 4.1 from the left side. Aside from his barrel skills, his motor might be his most valuable tool.
Mike Siani (Glenside, Pa.) and Jarred Kelenic (Waskesha, Wis.): These two 2018 lefthanded sluggers are fundamentally the same prospect and will rank among the top position players in the 2018 class. They are compactly built athletes with plus bat speed and plus athleticism.
Brice Turang, IF (2018, Corona, Calif.): Turang is Nick Allen's twin in the Baseball IQ department and has an uncanny physical and tool resemblance to the first pick in the 2016 draft, center fielder Mickey Moniak. The difference, of course, is that Turang is a middle infielder, but everything else from speed to barrel skills to the build match up.
Pitchers
Shane Baz, RHP (Cypress, Texas): Baz was not at his best in Fort Myers but he was absolutely at his best in Cary, working at 92-95 mph and unveiling a newly learned 87-89 mph cutter that was a beast of a pitch. He also opened some eyes by knocking a 430-450 foot home run in a token pitcher's at-bat, forcing the USA Baseball staff to take a closer look at him as a two-way player.
Tanner Burns, RHP (Decatur, Ala.): Burns didn't quite have the power curveball he had at the PG National but his mid-90s velocity comes easily and the ability to spin the ball is there. He is a very tight comparison to 2013 PG All-American Grant Holmes, now a top prospect in the Dodgers system.
Hans Crouse, RHP (Dana Point, Calif.): Crouse is a unique young man on the mound, with seemingly a dozen different deliveries and not a small dose of showmanship to go with it. His stuff is also flat nasty at times, with a 94-97 mph fastball and a knee-buckling hard curveball.
Jake Eder, LHP (Ocean Ridge, Fla.): Eder showed a much better curveball in Cary than he has previously thrown, picking up multiple strikeouts with the pitch in a solid outing. His 89-92 mph fastball is deceptive and very projectable, so developing the secondary pitches is key to his future.
Blayne Enlow, RHP (Sorrento, La.): Enlow was the revelation of the TOS on the mound, as he didn't pitch at the PG National and has had limited national scouting exposure. The 6-foot-4, 170-pound righthander was 90-93 with command and projection and throws what might be the best curveball in the 2017 class.
Hunter Greene, RHP/SS (Stevenson Ranch, Calif.): Scouts will have 11 months before the 2017 draft to debate whether Greene is a primary pitcher or player. He was evaluated higher as a player in Fort Myers. Here, he stood out more as a pitcher. He's the top prospect in the class right now regardless of his future role.
D.L. Hall, LHP (Warner Robbins, Ga.): I've seen Hall throw numerous times and this is the best I've seen him. He was a steady 90-93 mph and his curveball was a plus pitch, both in action and in command. It looks like he's really learning to trust his stuff in the strike zone.
Alex Scherff, RHP (Colleyville,Texas): Scherff has jumped to the front of the 2017 pitching list with a mid-90s fastball and a very advanced changeup that won't leave scouts guessing as to his future role at the next level.