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High School  | General | 2/7/2017

Regional HS Preview: Florida

Vincent Cervino
Photo: Perfect Game



For all of Perfect Game's regional previews as part of the 2017 high school baseball preview content, the Dream Team is available for free. The region top tools can be viewed with an Insider subscription. To learn more about Perfect Game's subscription packages and to sign up today please visit this link.




2017 Perfect Game High School Preview Index

Florida is traditionally one of the most packed regions in terms of baseball talent. The region is very deep in Division I talent and is sure to see some first-round draft picks in the 2017 MLB Draft. The talent of infielders in particular is very deep for the 2017 season.

Due to the extreme levels of talent and depth of said talent there are several well-deserving players not found on the following list. These players make up our “just missed the cut” section:

• Jeter Downs (Pace HS, Miami): Downs is an incredible athlete, a 6.5 runner, with the skill set to stick at shortstop and excellent baserunning instincts.

• Cash Case (The First Academy, Mount Dora): The senior, and a 2016 PG All-American, has a very high ceiling offensively with sound mechanics and a power profile from the middle infield.

• Christian Robinson (Viera HS, Melbourne): Robinson reclassified from the 2018 class to 2017 and has become one of the elite power bats in the class. He has outstanding raw strength with a future power profile.

• Triston Casas (American Heritage HS, Pembroke Pines): Casas, who recently re-classified to the class of 2018, is an elite two-way prospect. He has elite bat speed with raw power in the bat and is in the low-90s off the mound.

• Hunter Barco (Bolles, Jacksonville): Arguably the best freshman in the nation last year, Barco is an outstanding lefthanded pitcher who went 12-0 with a 0.54 ERA last year. He also plays in the outfield with power potential in his bat.  


Florida High School Dream Team

C – Mervyl “M.J.” Melendez, Sr., Westminster Christian, Cutler Bay
Son of Florida International Head Coach Mervyl Melendez, M.J. is also committed to play baseball there and he has some of the highest tools on both sides of the ball. Melendez is extremely athletic behind the plate and arguably the most athletic catcher in the entire country; he ran a 6.8-second 60-yard dash at the Perfect Game National Showcase. The Perfect Game All-American has very good bat-to-ball skills and power from the left side. Melendez could be the first prep catcher off the board during the MLB Draft in June and he should put up another big year in high school.

1B – Alejandro Toral, Sr., Archbishop McCarthy HS, Davie
Appearing on this list for the second consecutive year, Toral has not done much to disprove the notion that he is one of the best hitting prospects in the entire class. Toral is a top-flight hitter with excellent plate coverage and bat speed with tremendous power in his bat. Despite his size, the Miami commit is a good runner and plays very solid defense at first base. Being a first base prospect, his bat is his most valuable asset and he has demonstrated over his high school career that he can crush any pitching. Toral is very advanced at the plate with excellent mechanics and a very polished approach. He is among the best hitters in the state both in terms of power and contact ability and last year he put up an impressive line of .310-4-19 for PG’s preseason No. 3 team in the country, Archbishop McCarthy.

MIF – Brady McConnell, Sr., Merritt Island HS, Merritt Island
There might not have been any other player who raised their draft stock as much as McConnell did at the Perfect Game National Showcase last June. He showed a five-tool skill-set and is impressive in nearly every facet of the game. McConnell is athletic, projectable and is a 6.4 runner with plus speed that plays well defensively and on the bases. The Perfect Game All-American makes a number of plays at shortstop with easy, fluid actions and has an advanced approach at the plate. The Florida commit truly brings it all to the table and he may have the highest ceiling of anyone in the class. McConnell will have one last run through the high school circuit where Merritt Island High School, who open the year ranked eighth in the nation, will be expecting big things from him and the team this season.

MIF – Mark Vientos, Sr., American Heritage HS, Pembroke Pines
Another player with a seemingly endless ceiling is Vientos. The Miami commit and Perfect Game All-American has the athleticism and defensive prowess to stay at short although he has been seeing time at third base and will likely stick at the hot corner at the next level. His presence at the plate has made consistent developments throughout his amateur career and he possesses all the offensive tools to be a consistent threat at the dish. The combination of raw strength with good bat speed and natural lift make Vientos a dangerous hitter who could lace a line drive in any at-bat. He also plays for one of the top high school programs in the nation as American Heritage is ranked sixth on the PG/Rawlings preseason Top 50.

3B – Tim Elko, Sr., Hillsborough HS, Lutz
The fifth Perfect Game All-American to complete the infield for the state of Florida, Elko is one of the top offensive threats in the state. The Ole Miss commit is a pure hitter with the ability to drive the ball, with authority, to all fields. He has excellent plate coverage and pitch recognition and has the raw power to knock the ball over the fence given the right pitch. Elko has an advanced approach with very good barrel control and can react to tough pitches and go the opposite way if need be. Listed as a third baseman, Elko can also play on the opposite side of the diamond at first base.

OF – Reese Albert, Sr., Jupiter HS, Jupiter
Albert is a very talented and uber-athletic outfielder with the defensive tools and skill-set to stick in center field in the future. The future Florida State Seminole has a strong feel for hitting with quick hands and good bat speed. Albert is a 6.7 runner with a very high ceiling as he continues to develop as a ballplayer. The Jupiter product has a very bright future in front of him and should be one of the stars of a talented Jupiter High School team.

OF – Oraj Anu, Sr., TNXL Academy, Orlando
Anu is a Florida International commit and is an outstanding offensive prospect with immense power from both sides of the plate and tremendous bat speed to go along with it. Anu’s calling card is on offense but he is also extremely athletic. Listed at 6-foot-3, 210-pounds, Anu is a blazing 6.5 runner with his speed translating well on defense and on the bases. His impressive tools and overall skill-set make him one of the most coveted players at the next level and he has certainly shown the ability to generate excitement on a baseball field.

OF – Elijah Cabell, Jr., TNXL Academy, Winter Park
Cabell is still an underclassman but remains one of the top outfielders not only in the state but in the entire country. Cabell is remarkably athletic, a 6.6 runner, and uses his excellent speed as an advantage on the basepaths. He also has a very strong throwing arm from the outfield, however his calling card is his offensive potential. The Louisiana State commit is very fluid and loose at the plate with tremendous bat and hand speed culminating in not only a strong hit tool but plus power as well. Cabell should turn in another strong season for Winter Park High School.

UT – Mason Denaburg, Jr., Merritt Island HS, Merritt Island
The only other underclassman to make this list is the talented two-way star Denaburg, who is a teammate of Cabell during the summer for the Central Florida Gators and McConnell during the spring at Merritt Island. The extremely athletic multi-sport player has a very projectable build with long limbs and square shoulders. Denaburg is the kind of athlete who could play any sport he wanted but he truly excels on the baseball field. A very good catcher he can drive the ball with authority for good in-game power as he leverages through the point of contact well. He is an excellent pitching prospect as well. Denaburg has a strong two-ptch mix with a fastball in the low-90s that can bump up to 94 if need be and a tight, sharp slider. The most interesting part of his development will be to see what position he excels more at.

P – Jake Eder, Sr., Calvary Christian Academy, Ocean Ridge
Eder has long been a prospect on the radar of scouts and he put all his tools together in Jupiter last October where he put on one of the best performances of the entire event. The delivery is pretty effortless with a very smooth arm action and the fastball creates good angle down in the zone. He showed the fastball velocity up to 94 mph in Jupiter and his curveball has made a lot of improvement and flashes plus at times. The fastball velocity could climb even higher as he fills out with his frame being very projectable. Eder is one of the highest upside arms in the class and has an argument for the op lefthanded pitcher in the class as well.

P – Garrett “Hunter” Ruth, Sr., F.W. Buchholz HS, Gainesville
The Gainesville native and Florida commit continues to improve year-to-year and 2016 was no exception. He gained five mph on his fastball, to bring it to a sizzling 95 mph and his slider has also continued to improve. Ruth throws from a high three-quarters slot with a quick tempo on the mound. The windup and delivery is quick-paced but the delivery is pretty easy and he does an excellent job of getting batters to swing and miss. Ruth made leaps and bounds last season and he looks to improve in 2017 with a strong high school season with F.W. Buchholz.

P – Jack Leftwich, Sr., TNXL Academy, Maitland
Leftwich is another righthanded power pitcher in the region whose fastball can bump up to the mid-90s. The Florida commit has a loose, easy arm action with tremendous arm strength and he attacks hitters with his fastball. Leftwich has a three-pitch mix that includes a slider and changeup – the latter of which is a power change and more advanced at this point than the slider – that he can use to mix speeds and get hitters out. Similar to Ruth, Leftwich creates good plane on his fastball and gets downhill to make his pitches very difficult to square up. Leftwich is a physical specimen and will continue to get better.

P – Logan Allen, Sr., University HS, Deltona
One of the most polished pitchers in the entire class, with excellent command of four pitches, is Allen. For what Allen doesn’t have in velocity he makes up with sequencing and command. The Perfect Game All-American can use any of his four pitches during any count and does a very good job at keeping hitters off balance. He is a bit undersized but still is an extremely smart pitcher and is always a challenge against any lineup. After a successful 2016 high school season Allen looks to build on his success over the summer and be at the top of his game for the 2017 season.

P – Jordan Butler, Sr., Alonso HS, Odessa
Butler comes in as the second lefthanded pitcher on this list and another player who appeared on this list last season, making the team as a utility player. He is impressive from both the mound and at the plate and will surely be a two-way player if he gets to campus in Gainesville. Butler is a very deceptive pitcher as he hides the ball well, and, in combination with his tricky arm slot, his pitches are very difficult to hit. He mixes a fastball in the low-90s to go along with a wipeout slider for swings and misses. Butler is in store for an excellent senior campaign where he should shine both on the mound and at the plate. 

Florida Top Tools

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