No stranger to PG events and owner of an electric right arm is Nolan Crisp (2019, McDonough, Ga.) of Team Elite Prime. Crisp came out of the gate firing as the first three pitches he recorded were all 92 mph. The Florida commit has an explosive delivery that does have a bit of a violent finish. The explosiveness, however, allows him to get push with the lower half and drive down the mound. The standout factor about Crisp is his plus arm speed. The arm travels very quickly throughout the arm circle and is extremely loose. Crisp showed all three pitches on Sunday afternoon which included his fastball, slider, and changeup. The fastball was what he used to attack hitters with and the pitch sat 88-92 mph in the first inning. It showed occasional life to the arm side and he blew it past hitters when he ramped up the velocity. The changeup was very impressive as he showed good feel for the pitch and it showed fade and occasional arm side tumble. The slider was a hard offering as it came in the low-80s, topped out at 83 mph, and had short, late bit to it.
Crisp's teammate Zane Denton (2019, Brentwood, Tenn.) had recently impressed at the Sunshine Southeast Showcase and has taken that momentum into the start of the summer season. Denton launched a solo HR to left-center that left the bat at an estimated 98 mph and traveled an estimated 328 feet. The swing is very fluid and he does a good job at incorporating his weight through the point of contact. Denton has solid strength presently and should only get stronger as he continues to develop physically. The switch-hitter has a very direct path to the ball and generates good bat speed upon contact. Denton is one of the top uncommitted bats in the class of 2019 and should he continue the start to the summer he's already had, it shouldn't remain that way for long.
One of the top uncommitted righthanders in the state toed the rubber on Sunday night and Mason Barnett (2019, Cartersville, Ga.) put together a strong outing. Barnett has a very fluid and easy delivery with a longer, loose arm action that whips through the arm circle. The delivery is extremely low effort, so much so that it looks like he's playing catch on the mound. Barnett mixed his three pitches very well and they included his fastball, curveball, and changeup. The command of the fastball was extraordinary early on in the outing. The pitch was 89-91 mph early on and he could spot the pitch wherever he liked, which included excellent command to the arm side of the plate. The pitch was mostly true in terms of life but he located it to be very effective, and induce swings and misses up in the zone. The curveball was of the slow-breaking variety but showed good depth. The pitch had a spin rate up to 2600 rpm although the location and execution of the pitch were a bit inconsistent. The changeup flashed impressive potential. He will slow his arm speed a bit on it but he located the pitch very well to the arm side and it showed good tumble and fading action.
Two of the highest ranked players in the class of 2018 showed off their tools as to why they've earned their high rankings. Kendall Simmons (2018, Macon, Ga.) and Devin Warner (2018, Euharlee, Ga.) both had big home runs that contributed to the East Cobb Yankees' quarterfinals victory.
Simmons may have the highest ceiling of any player in the class and he oozes tools and potential. The Georgia Tech commit has explosive bat speed with huge raw power as well. That power was on display as he launched a deep home run off a 93 mph pitch over the inside part of the plate. Simmons showed immense strength to keep his hands in to get the barrel of the bat through to contact. The raw power allowed the ball to fly over the fence with easy home run distance and the home run was a big one as it tied the game in the fifth inning.
The hero of the semifinal game was Warner as his walk-off shot gave the Yankees the victory. Warner is a switch-hitter who had gone hitless in his first few at-bats of the game from the right side. In his first swing from the left he sent the baseball an approximate 327 feet that left the bat at 95 mph. The Auburn commit has huge raw power and that plays well to both sides of the plate, especially from the left side. He shifts his weight through the ball and that combined with his good bat speed allows the ball to travel a long way.
-Vincent Cervino
Freshman Miles Garrett (2020, Stone Mountain, GA) threw four innings for the Rawlings Southeast 16U National team, giving up one run, three hits and striking out five. Garrett fastball sat in the mid 80s, reaching up to as high as 87. Garrett has excellent mound presence and throws each pitch with the same arm motion, which helps generate swings and misses with his hard, breaking curveball which ran from 68-71 and a good change up with decent fade in the mid 70s.
Colby Williams (2019, LaGrange, Ga) threw a complete game for the Homeplate Chili Dogs, allowing one run on five hits while striking eight. Williams fastball consistently ran from 84-87 and he did a great job of changing arm angles when throwing his curveball.
Thomas Farr (2017, Tyrone, GA) pitched well today, showcasing his upper 80s fastball, which got up to 91 in his two innings of work. Farr likes to work quick and throws his fastball with a solid, tight arm action that helps add life to his fastball. He throws a nice tight slider, that has the ability to break both planes and sits from 72-74.
Zach McManus (2018, Woodstock, GA) struck out nine today in his start against his playoff battle against the Home Plate Chili Dogs. McManus shows a lot of confidence on the mound, especially when throwing his breaking pitch which he fearlessly throws in any count even when he had trouble getting on top of the pitch. His fastball ran from 85-88, while his curveball sat in the low 70s.
Malik Spratling (2017, Leesburg, GA) went 2-3 with a double, two runs and a walk. Spratling has a Sheffield like load, with a bat wave before committing to his swing, which generates exceptionally quick bat speed. Spratling also displays a great deal of plate coverage and pitch recognition, he should be a key asset to the Kennesaw State Owls once he arrives the fall of 2017.
Jack Friedman (2018, Decatur, GA) received a win today, while throwing one inning and striking out three and allowing zero runs. Friedman shows tremendous balance as he puts a lot of weight on his back leg and explodes off the mound to produce a fastball with good run that sits from 88-90. Friedman has a very violent finish which helps add deception to a very sharp curve that he throws in the low 70s.
Camden Sewell (2018, Cleveland, TN) has a high ceiling, as he uses his long, lanky frame to produce a quality fastball with good run and tight slider that he likes to run in on righties which helps him back them off the plate then run his fastball on the outter half for strikeouts. The baseball explodes out of his hand and he does a great job of getting on top of the ball and throwing downhill.
-Brandon Lowe
John French (2019, Lilburn, Ga.) has a medium, athletic build with room to fill. His first at-bat of the day consisted of an opposite field double to right-center field that left his bat at 92.4 mph. He keeps his hands back well when thrown off speed pitches and makes hard, loud contact. As a catcher, he has a good arm with online carry and threw out multiple runners trying to steal. French is a high ceiling player committed to Clemson.
Jacob Smith (2018, Calera, Ala.) has a tall, athletic frame and throws with intent. The Vanderbilt University commit sat 86-88 on the mound mixing in a curveball in the low-70s. He had a tendency to lose velocity from the stretch and occasionally did not release his curveball out in front which left it up in the zone. He does like to throw his curveball in any count consistently threw it often. He pitched well against a good hitting Academy Baseball Canada 17U team.
Kevin Dowdell (2018, Calera, Ala.) shows an advanced hitting approach with pull side power. The University of Alabama commit has a medium, athletic build with a slightly open stance. He starts with his hands low, then gets his hands into a good hitting position. He loads with a leg kick trigger. Dowdell had an impressive day that resulted in three hits and a home run away from the cycle. The triple was hit off the right field wall with a hit speed of 92.9 mph.
Brooks Brophy (2017, Helena, Ala.) is a University of Alabama-Huntsville commit that showed good command of a fastball and slider on the mound. His fastball had a range of 83-85 and his slider was in the upper-70s. His fastball had slight arm side run and his slider had tight spin and was short breaking. His tendency was to get ahead early with a well located fastball and then throw his slider when ahead in the count to produce outs.
Brandon Trammell (2017, Knoxville, Tenn.) seems to do it all for Exposure 18U Prime. He came out of the bullpen firing on all cylinders sitting 89-90 with his fastball. He showed good arm speed and likes to throw inside. Trammell also flashed a slider in his short outing that was sharp at 79 mph. Trammell is a very impressive Tennessee commit both on the mound and at the dish.
Malik Spratling (2017, Leesburg, Ga.) showed raw power and bat speed to pull side. At the plate, he doubled and homered to left field. The home run was hit 101 mph off the bat. He loads with a leg kick trigger that generates his power and bat speed.
Cesar Valero (2019, Calgary, Alberta) makes very hard contact with a fluid stroke and good bat speed. Valero has an advanced approach and swing for his age. The 15 year old from Calgary has an open stance and high back elbow with a leg kick trigger that helps generate bat speed. The 2019 grad squared up an 81 mph fastball and turned it around right up the middle for a single. The ball left his bat at 99.1 mph.The Oregon State University commit is a high follow with lots of upside.
David Thigpen (2017, Roswell, Ga.) had a very impressive day on the bump against a loaded Exposure 18U Prime team going seven complete innings allowing just three hits. The uncommitted righthander dealt upper-80s fastballs with slight arm side run to hitters and touching 90. Thigpen showed a good change up in the low-80s that was deceptive with sink. He also flashed a 1-7 curveball that had good depth at 73 mph. The lineup he faced was full of Division I commits and he dealt throwing seven complete innings, allowing just three hits.
-Gregory Gerard