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Tournaments  | Story  | 6/9/2017

PG/EC Days 7-8 Scout Notes

Photo: Perfect Game



One of the top ranked prospects for the 2018 class is righthander Ethan Hankins (Cumming, Ga.) and the Vanderbilt commit made his summer debut on Wednesday night and did not disappoint. Through three no-hit innings, Hankins struck out seven batters and got many more swings and misses with his explosive fastball. The pitch sat 94-96 mph for the duration of the outing with only a couple of pitches touching 93 mph. Besides the top-level velocity on Hankins' fastball, what stood out was the outstanding life the pitch had to it. The fastball was around 2300-2400 rpm consistently and had riding life inside and up to righthanded hitters that flashed plus throughout the evening. He also showed a curveball and a changeup to complete the three-pitch mix. The changeup was hard in the 80-82 mph range and he only went to it rarely towards the end of the outing, whereas the curveball he went to a bit more often, however he mostly attacked with the fastball. Hankins has a lot of prime qualities going for him: his immensely projectable 6-foot-6 & 200-pound frame, a very clean and easy arm action, extraordinarily low effort level, and excellent extension down the mound, just to name a few. Thus far in his amateur career, Hankins has done a remarkable job at establishing himself as one of the premier talents in his class, if his start to the summer is any indication Hankins might not be done improving yet.

– Vincent Cervino


An early start on Wednesday morning meant runs early and often for Team Elite 15U Prime. Brandon Lawrence (2020, Conyers, Ga.) and Jack Bulger (2020, Bowie, Md.) led the way at the plate along with Kellum Clark (2020, Brandon, Miss.) at the back end of the bullpen. Lawrence is a scrappy, quick twitch player that really impressed me handling the bat and on the base paths. He has a quiet hitting approach with quick hands. The rising sophomore squared up each ball he hit including a double down the left field line with a home to first time of 4.79 with a turn. Bulger also has quick hands. He is a very strong kid that is filled out and advanced for his age. His day at the plate included a double to center field that he squared up with a 97.5 mph exit velocity. His stance at the plate is simple with his base around shoulder width with an open stance, a slight bat waggle prior to hand placement and his quick hands create hard contact. Clark moved from third base to the mound and threw pretty well. His fastball ranged from 84-86 and topped at 88 with possibly more in the tank. He threw, what looked like, a good two seam at times if it was not just heavy armside run, however he should look to throw it more. Clark showed a good AA and stays tall on his back leg, but is a little slow to the plate with runners on first which allowed them to steal regularly. He also mixed in a 1-to-7 curveball in the low-70s that kept hitters guessing at the plate.

Ethan Wood (2021, Lebanon, Ky.) is a big-time rising freshman both in size and playing ability. The 6-foot-5 205-pound standout from Kentucky can really swing the bat. He starts with a narrow base and a very open stance. His hands are set low with a leg kick load that has a tendency to be early. This leg kick creates good bat speed that results in common barreled contact including his single to center on Wednesday that had an exit velocity of 89.5 mph. He also added a long home run on Monday that traveled an estimated 348 ft with an exit velocity of 98.4 mph off the bat.

Clayton Gray (2020, Cabot, Ark.) and Cayden Wallace (2020, Greenbrier, Ark.) did everything they could to help clinch a playoff spot for Rawlings Arkansas Prospects Menard; and they did just that. Gray is an excellent player at the top of the lineup with good speed and contact hitting ability. The speedy leadoff hitter can hit to all fields and has a simple approach which includes hitting from gap to gap. Wallace is a middle of the order type bat and excellent defender at the hot corner. The number one player in the state of Arkansas for the class of 2020 was nothing short of outstanding in the pool clinching game going 2-4 with a home run and a double to deep center field. Wallace is a strong, filled out kid with a big build. At third base, his arm is outstanding to go along with a solid glove and the ability to read hops really well. At the plate, his bat speed is very advanced. His two hits both left his bat with exit velocities greater than 90 mph including the double to center that left at 95.9 mph. Overall, Wallace is a very good looking young prospect.

Patrick Holloman (2020, McDonough, Ga.) led Roadrunners Baseball to an 8-1 win Wednesday with not one, but two home runs to right field. The Ola High School lefthander has an open, crouched stance with a toe tap trigger. His bat speed comes naturally with his extremely quick hands. His first home run had an exit velocity of 93 mph per Trackman. Trackman did not pick up the exit velocity of the second, but I believe it was hit even harder than the first.

Brody Westbrooks (2019, Cumming, Ga.) led the way on the mound in round one of the playoffs for the Georgia Jackets National 15U. Westbrooks showed a three pitch mix that kept a good hitting Yalobusha Giants 2020 team off balance. His fastball ranged from 85-87 and showed occasional cutting action. The Cumming, Georgia native also showed a 1-7 curveball that had good depth and a straight changeup at 77 mph. Westbrooks' delivery is very quick with good tempo and balance as he has an obvious presence on the mound standing 6-foot-3 and 195-pounds.

The two standout heavy hitters for the Georgia Jackets National 15U were Cameron Fisher (2019, Knoxville, Tenn.) and Reuben Church (2020, Maryville, Tenn.). Fisher is a big left handed bat in the middle of the order with righthanded Church to follow in the cleanup spot. Fisher roped a double to deep right field in his first at-bat of the playoff matchup. Fisher has a wide base with a toe tap load that was occasionally late. His double to right exited his bat at 89.6 mph. Church has outstanding bat speed that first caught my eye on a swing and miss. His stance is simple with a low hand set and very little hand movement. He has a crouched, bent over stance and a leg lift load. His swing is rotational with pull-side power.

Nick Hoffmann (2019, Centerville, Ohio) is a future Clemson Tiger with plenty of upside. The 6-foot-2 190-pound right-handed pitcher had an excellent outing in the first round of the playoffs. His delivery is deceptive with a good AA and full of quick twitch muscles. The fastball ranged from 83-85 and touched 86 with occasional run and more in the tank. The fastball is hard to pick up as Hoffmann hides the ball very well. The rising junior from Ohio has a projectable build, but does lose a little velocity from the stretch.

To top off my day of scouting, I had the pleasure of getting to watch a special arm in Kumar Rocker (2018, Watkinsville, Ga.) of Team Elite 17U Prime. The number one player in the class of 2018 lived up to the hype consistently living in the mid-90s. Not only did Rocker's fastball top at 96, but it has frequent riding life. The fastball is explosive and his delivery is effortless. The arm works very well with incredible arm speed. He also mixed a 2-8 curveball that has a lot of bite and a sinking changeup at 85 mph. The stuff is definitely there for the North Oconee High School righthander, but the command is even more impressive. He can command all three pitches and knows how to pitch. Rocker sets up hitters by getting ahead with a well located fastball and mixes speeds to keep hitters guessing. He could locate his fastball both inside and out and he likes to elevate the fastball to put hitters away with two strikes. Rocker is a big-time pitcher with tremendous upside.

– Gregory Gerard


Tyler McDonough (2018, Liberty Township, Ohio) is a talented and athletic shortstop for the Cincinnati Spikes. He has nice, short and balanced swing and does an excellent job of keeping his hands inside the baseball. McDonough is quick on defense and on the base paths and possess good arm strength at short. McDonough is a Missouri commit. He went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs in his contest against the top ranked Team Elite 17u Prime.

Trae Harmon (2018, Somerset, Ky.) is a must watch and follow player, as well as be a topic of conversation when the 2018 draft comes around. Harmon has a large, strong frame and moves very well for his size. Harmon has exceptionally strong hands and wrist and possesses strong upper body strength that allows him to consistently hit the ball with consistent hard and solid contact. Harmon has great plate coverage and is a tough candidate to strike out. Harmon is headed to the University of Kentucky in the fall of 2018.

Jalon Long (2018, Millbrook, Ala.) threw five shutout innings, while only allowing one hit and four walks, while striking out 8. Long had some command issues in the first inning, but made the necessary adjustments as the game progressed. Long has a slow, balanced delivery with a solid over the top arm action that produces a quality fastball with good movement that sits from 87-92 mph and stayed mostly at 88 and 89 mph. Long’s fastball spin rate was mostly in the 2300s and throw a hard, sharp curve that ran from 74-76 mph. He does an excellent job of maintaining the same arm action on his change up, which compliments his fastball well with a velocity range in the low-80s.

Makenzie Stills (2018, Fayetteville, Ga.) started the Quarterfinals game for Team Elite 17U Prime and threw three innings allowing three runs on two hits and two walks while striking out three. Stills has an effortless throwing motion and possesses two quality pitches with his fastball and slider. His slider sat between 82-84 mph with tight break and good depth and great ability to generate swings and misses. His fastball sat between 90-93 mph.

Nathan Hickey (2019, Jacksonville, Fla.) came in to shut the door and help the East Cobb Astros 16U advance to the semifinals. Hickey has good mound presence and throws a solid fastball that produces great run and sits from 87-91 mph. Hickey pounds the strike zone and showed great ability to work both sides of the place. He compliments his fastball with a great power curve with small depth, but good sharp break that sits between 76-78 mph.

– Brandon Lowe
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