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2,631 MLB PLAYERS | 16,402 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
High School  | Blog | 5/30/2017

Memorial Day West Days 3-4 Notes

Several 2021’s stood out over the course of the weekend; which, when you consider that players of this grad year are just now finishing up middle school, it makes it all the more impressive that they stood out in such highly competitive events. 



Tyler Whitaker (2021, Nev.) has been highly-followed for a good while now, and currently ranks as the No. 10 overall prospect in the class of 2021; and for extremely good reason. We’ve written before about Whitaker’s prowess with the bat, where the primary righthanded pitcher and Arizona commit shows a loose, easy swing with solid pop and the ability to work to all fields. Whitaker, however, is a primary righthanded pitcher for a reason, and he showed that on Monday morning, closing out the semifinal win for LVR 16u. 

With a highly projectable, broad-shouldered frame, Whitaker currently checks in around 6-foot-3, 175-pounds or so; but it’s easy to see him becoming a physical monster at maturity. As it is right now, Whitaker worked 84-87 mph with his fastball, with an easy delivery and quick arm that all projects extremely well. The pitch features solid sinking life with a little two seam run as well; and he did a pretty solid job overall of filling up the strike zone with the pitch. Though only a quick, one-inning look; Whitaker still showed both his slider and changeup and without a doubt has the feel for both necessary to make them each bat-missing offerings long term. The slider was more 73-74 mph with solid tilting shape and spin; though it will need to sharpen up a bit. The changeup came in at 79 mph and faded well to the arm side with no noticeable deceleration of his arm stroke through release. The upside here for Whitaker is enormous, and he’s rightfully ranked near the top of the 2021 class as it sits. 

Another 2021 who stood out in this past weekend’s action was Josiah Chavez (2021, Calif.), who, at 6-foot-2, 174-pounds has the type of physical projection, present strength, and swing mechanics that all mix together to look like a big time power bat in the future. He’s pretty strong right now, especially for his age, but the body still has a good amount of room left to fill out with additional strength, and at maturity he could be one of the more physically strong players in his class. The swing is geared to drive the ball into the air, with consistently positive launches and good bat speed on a compact path, consistently getting the barrel out front with leverage and bat speed and making firm contact into the air as a result. He’s got very fast hands for a player of his age and the swing is nice and loose at this point; and he definitely looks like he’s going to be a serious power threat as he continues to mature. 



Joseph Acosta (2021, Calif.) looks like he’s going to pop pretty soon as a good 2021 pitching prospect, as the very long, very lean young righthander has the physical projection and type of arm speed that usually ends up producing pretty good velocity. At present, Acosta works in the 78-82 mph range with his fastball, generating natural cutting action to the glove side that occasionally even acts like a shorter slider within the strike zone. He’s understandably raw in terms of his delivery and offspeed stuff; but the physical projection and quality arm speed give him legitimate upside as a pitching prospect as he moves forward into high school. 



Yet another 2021 who stood out in this event was Thomas Dilandri, a primary outfielder who is getting several looks as a righthanded pitcher. He got the start in the 14u championship game for LVR vs. the Banditos; and was very solid. Dilandri checks in at roughly 6-foot-1, 170-pounds right now with solid build throughout as well as plenty of projection remaining. He worked in the 80-84 mph range with his fastball, creating steep plane to the plate from a high three quarters arm slot, powering downhill and doing a good job of finding the bottom of the strike zone with his fastball pretty consistently. He also has advanced feel for his curveball, thrown in the low 70’s at present with good depth and 11/5 shape; doing a good job spinning it down and out of the zone, getting swings and misses over the top of the pitch. 



Another repeat performer in these recap sections, Emilio Morales (2020, Calif.) deserves mention again, this time due to his pitching performance. A primary catcher who really impressed this evaluator earlier in the week with his defensive abilities, the recent USC commit started on the mound for LVR 16u in their semifinal game and was pretty good, especially when considering he’s not even a primary pitcher at this point. 

Morales worked in the low-mid 80’s with his fastball, touching 85 mph several times as his peak velocity, and though the arm stroke itself is a bit rigid, he has legitimate arm speed and is able to generate that velocity relatively easily and complements that velocity with quality sinking action on the fastball. He lands closed off and creates some crossfire to his delivery, but is athletic enough to repeat a relatively complex delivery like that and still throw strikes, which he did consistently. The slider feel came and went a bit; but Morales was especially successful at just throwing his sinker to the bottom of the strike zone and eliciting a good deal of both swings-and-misses and weak contact. 



One of the stars of the weekend from both a prospect and performance standpoint was Wesley Scott (2019, Calif.); a rising junior righthander who is committed to Vanderbilt. Scott throws from an extremely tough extended low three quarters arm slot and as a result creates tremendous movement on his fastball; so much so, in fact, that it’s a tougher task for him to command the fastball than for a traditional pitcher. The pitch worked consistently in the 88-92 mph range throughout his 6+ inning start, with what was at times a ridiculous amount of arm side life. When he’s throwing strikes with the pitch; it’s one of the most dominating single pitches in the class of 2019, thanks to a combination of pure velocity, the aforementioned movement, and the deceptiveness of where he throws from. In addition to the fastball, Scott worked in a slider that flashed legitimate biting snap and depth; with two-plane shape that fits perfectly with his release point and arm slot. He’s got extremely high levels of ability and is ranked highly in the class of 2019 for very good reason. 

Fellow Vanderbilt 2019 commit and Phenom Signature player Spencer Jones (2019, Calif.) is one of the more intriguing two-way prospects in the country at this point; as the extremely long-framed (6-7/195) lefthanded hitter and pitcher has drawn some comparisons to AJ Puk at a similar age. Normally it’s difficult for hitters of Jones’ limb length to consistently get the barrel through the zone on time, given how long their arms are therefore creating a naturally longer swing, but Jones has extremely fast hands and as a result is able to cover the inside part of the plate with no problems at this juncture of his development. He can work to all fields and has quality pop as well; and certainly looks at this point like a legitimate two-way talent. 



When we talked about Wesley Scott above, it was mentioned how his low three quarters arm slot benefits him in terms of deception from the right side. Well, Campbell Holt (2019, Nev.) may have him beat in terms of low slot deception, seeing as the young lefthander throws from pretty much a direct sidearm angle from the left side. The arm is very loose and quick and as such it’s easy to imagine him working in the upper-80’s or higher at physical maturity. He currently works in the 82-85 mph range with his fastball, which plays up several ticks in terms of effectiveness simply due to the deception and uncommon look he provides. He has a quality Frisbee slider at his disposal as well as a good changeup that fades even further away from righthanded hitters. Generally speaking, these types of pitchers are usually seen as lefty specialists because they’re almost impossible for lefthanded hitters to hit; but Holt has the entire arsenal and looks like he’ll be able to handle hitters of either handedness as he continues to work up the ladder. Either way, I’m sure Southern California is ecstatic to have him in the fold for 2019. 



Zachary Martinez (2019, Ariz.) got the start in the championship game for Phenom Signature 16u and did not disappoint, throwing a 6 inning no hitter, allowing only a single walk while striking out 10. Martinez reminds this scout in terms of his delivery of a righthanded version of 2016 PG All-American Logan Allen from Florida. They’re both crossfire with good deception, but have the athleticism and flexibility to not only repeat their deliveries, but to do so with command. Martinez worked 85-89 mph with his fastball throughout his start with impeccable command to both sides of the plate along with excellent arm side life to the pitch; though it would get a bit flat at times. He doesn’t create much in the way of plane but does create good angles consistently from an extended three quarters slot; allowing the pitch to play up in effectiveness more than the raw velocity would indicate. He flashed a good changeup as well; thrown with consistently 8-10 mph difference from his fastball but with no noticeable change in arm action or arm speed; generating solid fading life on the pitch and doing a good job working it away from lefthanded hitters. He’s committed to the University of Arizona, and looks like he’ll be a good one there for several years. 

 

High School | General | 8/17/2026

Scott Wins MVP Two Ways

Jim Salisbury
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PHILADELPHIA – When the folks at Perfect Game reached out to invite him to pitch in the 2026 PG All-Star Game for rising sophomores and juniors, Cullen Scott had one request. “You mind if I get a couple of at-bats, too?” Along with his dad, Scott traveled from the family’s home in Texas to Citizens Bank Park. The trip proved to be a huge success as he starred on the mound and at the plate and was named the game’s Most Valuable Player. Scott, 16, pitched a scoreless first inning and struck out two. In the fourth inning, he belted a grand slam six rows up into the left-field seats to lead the National team’s 6-1 win over the American team. “He showed us why he’s here as a pitcher and a hitter,” said Greg Sabers, PG’s vice president of scouting and showcases. "He’s one of the top pitchers here, but he’s too good a...
Draft | Prospect Scouting Reports | 10/15/2026

Beyond the Board: C/UTL Gavin Kelly

Tyler Henninger
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Beyond the Board: SS Dylan Seward As the 2027 draft cycle moves through the fall and into the offseason, we kick off a new series called Beyond The Board. With each installment, we will provide an in-depth scouting report for some of the top players in the class, breaking down their tools, strengths, question marks, and overall projection. This week we are diving in West Virginia’s Gavin Kelly. The Mountaineer backstop posted a .382/.477/.725 slash line with 19 home runs, 44 extra-base hits, and helped lead WVU to Omaha in ‘26. Let’s dive in.  Player: Gavin Kelly  Position: C/UTL B/T: R/R Height: 6-foot-0 Weight: 175-pounds School: West Virginia Hometown: Pittsburgh, Pen. Physical Description: 6-0/175. Lean, athletic build. Sneaky strength throughout. Frame has room to fill out and get stronger.    Slo-mo look at the HR by Gavin Kelly (@WVUBaseball)....
Tournaments | Story | 10/15/2026

Big Offense Propels TBT/FTB to Title

Hannah Jo Groves
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Big Offense Wins TBT/FTB Phillies Scout WWBA Freshman Title Runs scoring in every inning led to the TBT/FTB Phillies Scout Team taking home the 2026 PG WWBA Freshman World Championship - winning over Canes National 15U 10-5. It had been a long week in West Palm Beach for the freshmen coming in from around the country to go up against the best of the best. While they had gotten to play on the backfields during the whole tournament, the players who made it to the championship game got to play it in the CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches Stadium. TBT/FTB showed their defensive strength right away - executing quickly to retire each of the first three batters. With the bats in their hands, they also showed speed to deliver - with Luca Briggs batting Trey Vandergriff in for the first run of the game and Kingston George quickly plating Briggs with a double in the next at-bat. In the first at-bat of...
Tournaments | Story | 10/14/2026

Beast of the East Scout Notes

Perfect Game Staff
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‘31 Ryan Spann (GA) obliterates this ball for a solo HR 💣. Ball jumps off barrel & shows the juice and & PS impact. 3x @PGSelectFest alum. #BeastOfTheEast @PG_Georgia https://t.co/TgVGPfDRYc — Perfect Game Youth (@PGYouthBB) October 10, 2026 Ryan Spann (2031, Warner Robins, Ga.) took home MVP honors after a standout weekend and finishing as the number one player on the top performers list. The top player from Georgia and number two player in the country led all performers in home runs (2) and tallied 7 RBIs on his way to a .400 average. The overall profile on Spann is super advanced for the age with electric offensive upside and one of if not the prettiest swing in the class. This will be a fun follow for years to come and I am all in. Carlo Rivero (2031, Apopka, Fla.) checks in as the number one overall player in the class and it’s easy to see why at...
Press Release | Press Release | 10/14/2026

Perfect Game Extends Turtlebox Deal

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  667 Progress Way | Sanford, FL 32771 | 319-298-2923 www.perfectgame.org | facebook.com/perfectgameusa | @PerfectGameUSA     FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   PERFECT GAME EXTENDS PARTNERSHIP WITH TURTLEBOX AS OFFICIAL BLUETOOTH SPEAKER AND AUDIO PROVIDER   Sanford, Florida (Wednesday, October 14, 2026) - Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, today announced that Turtlebox has extended its partnership as the Official Bluetooth Speaker and Audio Provider of Perfect Game. The relationship, which began in 2023, expands to include original content, player recognition and a larger presence at Perfect Game's marquee events. At the center of the extension is "Turtlebox Cage Sessions," a new series produced and distributed by Perfect Game across all its social media platforms. The 12 short-form episodes will feature...
Tournaments | Story | 10/13/2026

East Cobb/Padres Explode Late for Jupiter Win

Hannah Jo Groves
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East Cobb/SD Padres ST Explode Late for WWBA Worlds Win A hard-fought, crazy ending resulted in the East Cobb/SD Padres scout team coming back and winning the 2026 PG WWBA World Championship over the SBA/Marlins Scout Team 2028. The score was 8-7 after the championship was won with a walk-off balk. After going against some of the most talented, highly-ranked players in the country for the past couple days, it was finally time for the championship game at Roger Dean Complex Stadium in Jupiter, FL. The WWBA World Championship, or, as it’s more commonly and lovingly referred to as, “Jupiter,” has become a favorite for all who have been part of its iconic, golf-cart infested, electric atmosphere. This championship game was sure to entertain. The first two innings were scoreless for both teams as they got settled. Both defenses were making plays - SBA/Marlins executed a...
Tournaments | Story | 10/12/2026

WWBA Freshman Scout Notes: Day 4

Marcus Thomas
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WWBA Freshman Scout Notes: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 James Watson (2030, Canton, Ga.) showed the two-way upside to start bracket play for East Cobb Astros 15u. On the mound the right-handed pitcher went three innings and with three strikeouts and spread five hits and two walks for three runs. Watson works from a hybrid windup from the middle-of-the-rubber into a small heel-turn and an around-the-belt leg lift before using drop-and-drive back leg mechanics into a longer, in-line stride down the mound. Showed some feel to get extension down the mound. The hands separate into a moderate arm action before accelerating through from an over-the-top arm angle. The fastball ran up to 86 with arm-side run and life. Paired it with a curveball with 11-5 shape and solid two-plane break. Mixed in a change-up in the upper- 70s with some vertical depth. Competed at the top of the zone well. Athletic...
Tournaments | Story | 10/12/2026

WWBA World Champ. Scout Notes: Day 4

AJ Denny
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WWBA World Championship Notes: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 ‘27 Mark Susa (WI) picked up 3 Ks thru 2 inn of work. 4SFB topped at 90 mph early on; 2S lived 85-86 w/ good run & sink down in the zone. Spun a 2600 rpm SLV w/ sharp traits (clip). Got up to 7’1” of extension. 6’4/200lb frame w/ more to come. #IUBase #WWBAWorlds @PG_WiscMinn https://t.co/uXfjVSSSZF — Perfect Game Scout (@PG_Scouting) October 11, 2026 Mark Susa (2027, Hudson, Wisc.) put together a quality outing on Sunday, striking out three batters over 2.1 innings of work. The 6-foot-4 200-pound left-hander ran his fastball up to 90 mph, pairing it with a two-seamer that lived in the 85-86 mph range with heavy sink and arm-side run. He also showed great feel for spinning and locating his slurvy breaking ball, which read spin up to 2600 rpm. Susa utilizes his length to his advantage, creating...
Tournaments | Story | 10/11/2026

WWBA World Champ. Scout Notes: Day 3

Kyler Peterson
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WWBA World Championship Notes: Day 1 | Day 2 ‘28 Alan Zimmerman (FL) racked up 5 Ks w/ just 1 H allowed thru 3 shutout frames. Lived 89-90 T91 w/ lots of life thru the zone & some ASR. Dropped in a 12/6 breaker for Ks (clip). Projectable 6’3” mold. #Uncommitted @PG_Uncommitted #WWBAWorlds @Florida_PG https://t.co/KTDFpGK49y — Perfect Game Scout (@PG_Scouting) October 10, 2026 Alan Zimmerman (2028, Winter Garden, Fla.) was dominant in his start on Saturday, collecting five strikeouts through three shutout innings while allowing just one hit. The uncommitted 6-foot-3 right-hander showed out in front of a lot of scouts, running his fastball up to 91 mph. The heater plays up with lots of life through the zone and short arm-side run. Zimmerman sat comfortably in the 88-90 mph range, pairing his fastball with a late-acting 12/6 curveball that was landed...
Tournaments | Story | 10/11/2026

WWBA Freshman Scout Notes: Day 3

Jheremy Brown
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WWBA Freshman Scout Notes: Day 1 | Day 2 Carson Garzaniti (2029, Jupiter, Fla.) showed the barrel feel all game for West Boynton Cobras. The right-handed hitter starts from a spread stance with his weight shifted forward and in-line feet with a high handset and an even back elbow, utilizes a heel lift weight transfer trigger. Creates some separation in the back shoulder and uncoils the lower half with a short, direct hand path and extension out front from a slightly uphill bat plane. Good bat speed in the swing with some feel to impact. The catcher has shown the barrel accuracy all event with three hits, including a double and triple, to drive in four RBI and has come around to score five runs. Lean, athletic 5-foot-11, 170-pound frame with feel to generate power working ground up from the back leg. Exciting player that has been swinging a hot stick through pool play.  ...
Tournaments | Story | 10/10/2026

WWBA World Champ. Scout Notes: Day 2

Perfect Game Staff
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WWBA World Championship Notes: Day 1 ‘27 C Joshua Digulio (TX) opened the morning in Cacti Park with a bang. In his first at-bat of the morning, Digulio crushed an 0-2 fastball. The right-handed hitter powered a fly-ball through the Florida morning humidity off the back wall of the left field bullpen for a no-doubt solo shot. Everybody in the stadium knew it was gone as soon as he made contact. The catcher also worked a walk in his only other plate appearance. His home run was the only hit in the game, providing Texas Brigade 2027 a 1-0 win.  ‘27 MIF Xavier Martin (IL) woke up the stadium with an electric swing. The right-handed hitter was sitting dead-red on a 2-0 heater, got it, and torched it. Martin scorched a line drive all the way over the left field bullpen, as the ball cleared a near 20-foot wall and bounced onto the concourse. It was a two-run shot for the...
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