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Tournaments  | Story  | 7/3/2017

17u WWBA Day 3 Scout Notes

Photo: Perfect Game

Daily Leaders | Player Stats | Day 1 Notes | Day 2 Notes

Christopher Willis (2018, Ruston, La.) is the No. 1 player in the state of Louisiana and it shows by the way he swings the bat and his physical presence. Willis, with his size and strength alone, are impressive to the eye and what he can do with the bat is even more impressive. He can flat out swing the bat to all fields with power and his stroke is fluid with a leg kick load and strong, quick hands. Willis belted a triple to the opposite field gap in his first at-bat Sunday that one-hopped the wall. He is the top ranked uncommitted player in his class and shows all signs to play big-time collegiate baseball. A primary catcher, he started in left field on Saturday so I did not get to see any reps behind the dish. Willis is extremely athletic with lots of potential.

Lyon Richardson (2018, Jensen Beach, Fla.) threw 1 2/3 innings of relief on Saturday. Richardson is committed to the National Champion Florida Gators. The University of Florida commit sat 90-93 touching 94 on the Perfect Game radar gun, but never touching it on TrackMan. He throws a heavy ball that gets on hitters quick without much solid contact. Richardson throws from a three-quarters arm slot with short arm action. He generates good backside drive with occasional arm-side life on his fastball. The arm works and he pounded the zone to all four quadrants of the strike zone. He also mixed a mid-70s curveball with good bite and 12-to-6 shape. There is a lot to like in Richardson’s ability on the mound as he continues to grow with room to fill with added strength and potentially even more velocity. He has a high ceiling in this year’s loaded 2018 pitching class.




Bay Witcher (2018, Loganville, Ga.) has a tall and lanky build with solid ability on the mound. Witcher is committed to Troy University where he will bring with him projectable abilities on the mound. The righthander has long arm action and a good fastball. He sits 88-90 touching 91 with lots of arm-side life. The fastball did, however, lose velocity from the stretch sitting 86-88. Witcher throws from a three-quarters slot and showed two different types of breaking balls. The first was a decent slider that was in the low-80s with short-breaking action. The second, the curveball, was good in the upper-70s with 10-to-4 breaking action. The Troy commit is projectable with his size and has lots of room to fill.

B.J. Carter (2017, Tampa, Fla.) got the ball against a loaded East Cobb Astros 16u team and pitched very well. The uncommitted righthander pounded the zone and made several big-time hitters swing-and-miss often. The fastball has plane sitting 87-91 mph. His delivery is slightly deceptive as he pauses in the middle of it throwing off hitters’ timing. Carter throws from a high three-quarters arm slot with a long arm action. His arm works and is really quick. He also showed feel for a sharp curveball with 12-to-6 shape mostly and occasionally 11-to-5 break. Carter is a high follow player and an interesting uncommitted righthanded pitcher.




Will Gambino (2018, Haddonfield, N.J.) is a fun righthanded pitcher to watch throw. He pounds the strike zone and locates both his fastball and curveball well at the knees. He threw six impressive innings striking out five. His fastball sat 90-93 touching 94 twice in his first two innings. After two innings, he settled in at 87-90. His arm works really well with good hip turn and great extension. Gambino’s delivery is clean with a good arm action. On top of throwing in the low-90s, his extension is really what stood out to me generating around 7.5 feet and adding two miles per hour of effective velocity. His peak effective velocity was 96 mph. He also mixed in a mid-70s curveball with slight bite. The pitch did show a solid spin rate at 2400 rpms. Gambino has a lot to like from his delivery to his velocity to his physicality, there is a lot to like in the uncommitted righty.




The top two-way player that I have seen this summer on both sides of the ball is shortstop and righthanded pitcher Seth Halvorsen (2018, Plymouth, Minn.). At the plate, Halvorsen can really swing the bat. His bat speed stands out to the eye starting with his big leg kick that generates torque. In his game Sunday he went 2-for-3 with two squared up line drive singles, one to center field and one to right field. His bat stays through the zone well and it showed in his first at-bat fighting off numerous pitches before finally lacing his single to center. Halvorsen has a high hand load and big leg kick trigger that shows serious power potential.  He also showed off solid speed with a 4.32 home to first time. Halvorsen has a high ceiling with his bat and his physical presence.




On the other side of the ball as a pitcher, Halvorsen showed signs of big-time ability. He throws in the low-90s sitting 90-93 touching 95. When thrown to his armside his velocity had a little extra zip than when thrown to the other side of the plate. As a primary shortstop, you could expect him to have short arm action on the mound in which he does. His arm is extremely quick and his delivery is balanced with good plane. Halvorsen throws strikes and showed a projectable slider in the upper-70s with short breaking life and 2100 spin rate. The Missouri commit showed off his very good athleticism while pitching by bouncing of the mound on a push bunt attempt and making a fully extended diving catch in foul territory. Halvorsen is a five-tool player with a very high ceiling.

– Gregory Gerard



Marcus Eusebio (2018, Bloomingdale, N.J.) started on the mound for the East Coast Lumberjacks over at Aviation Sports Complex and showed good tools, especially as an uncommitted arm. Eusebio may not have the size of a prototypical pitcher, listed at 5-foot-10 and 170-pounds, but he was working his fastball in the 89-91 mph range to start the game off. He finished the game with five strikeouts in three innings while only allowing two unearned runs. Eusebio has a long arm action that is wrapped through the backside and whips it across his body to deliver from a three-quarters arm slot. While the delivery itself is very low effort, he is also able to work his fastball to both sides of the plate effectively. He mixed three pitches well which included a changeup and a short curveball in the upper-60s.

PG National participant, and Vanderbilt commit, Jacob Smith (2018, Calera, Ala.) got the start for the East Cobb Astros down the road over at Southern Poly. The lefthander was very effective on Sunday morning as he was a part of a combined no-hitter effort for the Astros.  Smith has an extra-large frame at 6-foot-7, 220-pounds and he shows good balance and rhythm to his delivery. He is able to change up looks and mix speeds during his delivery in an effort to disrupt the opposing batters timing. The arm itself moves well through the path and he is able to locate the fastball well to both sides as he releases from a high three-quarters arm slot. The fastball worked well off the curveball that he threw and he showed quality confidence in the pitch. The curveball had good shape and was able to be thrown for strikes as well as buried low in the zone.

Righthander Brady Devereux (2018, Glen Mills, Pa.) came on in relief for ASBA Futures West and helped close the game out over at Campbell High School on Sunday. The lean and physically projectable Wake Forest commit showed a loose and easy arm as well as tools that project well. Devereux delivered from a high three-quarters arm slot landed on an open front toe and online. He showed a deep repertoire with potentially four pitches that were highlighted by his high-80s fastball. The pitch worked 86-89 mph and topped out at 90 mph for the afternoon and the pitch showed occasional life to it. Devereux showed good confidence in all of his pitches but was also not afraid to run the fastball up in the strike zone to induce swings and misses. The breaking ball was primarily of a traditional curveball shape and was an effective secondary offering; he showed he could manipulate the spin and it would look more slider-like at times. He only threw one changeup and used mostly a strong fastball/curveball combination on Sunday.

Third baseman Antonio Lorenzo Gauthier (2018, Lake Charles, La.) and righthander Antoine Harris (2019, Meraux, La.) showed intrigue and tools during the La Banditos victory on Sunday night.

Gauthier fits the profile of a prototypical leadoff man: he’s fast, he makes a lot of contact, and has excellent baserunning instincts. Listed at only 5-foot-7, 170-pounds, the McNeese State commit showed a very short, quick swing with twitchy fast hands. The swing path is very abbreviated but Gauthier is still able to get the barrel onto the ball effectively with consistent line drive contact. The approach is contact-oriented as he is looking to create line drives to all fields or get the ball on the ground and beat it out. The approach as a whole was on display in the first inning as he knocked in a line drive single to get the game started. He then stole second base, advanced to third on a passed ball, and then came home to score; that illustrates how effective Gauthier can be at creating runs for the team.

Harris showed a quick and lively arm with definite raw pitching tools that make him interesting to follow. He stands at a very projectable 6-foot-3, 170-pound frame with a compact, repeatable delivery. Harris does throw with some effort but the arm speed is the standout factor here on the profile. The arm speed allows his fastball to reach the upper-80s, worked 87-89 mph during the outing, and the ball has good life to it as well. Harris’ arm action was full throughout the arm circle and he worked primarily to the arm side of the plate with the fastball. This was an abbreviated outing for the Louisiana native but there are certainly tools here to be successful.




On a night loaded with talent at LakePoint, lefthander Nate Lamb (2018, Chesnee, S.C.) dazzled in front of scouts during his strong start. The southpaw worked with two pitches and showed an electric arm while remaining in control for the majority of the game.

The Clemson commit showed a whippy arm on the mound and is listed at a very projectable 6-foot-5, 196-pounds with extremely long limbs. He is able to generate good extension down the mound and has a crossfire element to his landing foot which adds deception. Despite the crossfire, he moves effortlessly over his front side and is able to work both sides without significant changes to his delivery.

The fastball exploded out of the hand and worked 88-90 mph in the first inning before settling in the 86-89 mph range. The pitch showed good life and the release point was pretty consistent on the evening. Lamb’s curveball was also very impressive with good shape and coming in around 70 mph. The depth was tremendous for the pitch and he worked the curveball near the bottom of the strike zone or in the dirt for chases with two strikes. Lamb showed polish and pitchability as well as an arm that projects very well and indicative of future velocity gains.




Righthander Matt Rudis (2018, Madisonville, Texas) was excellent and was another low-90s arm that impressed on Sunday night and showed an excellent two-pitch mix in the process. The physical TCU commit was lights out and showed an extremely high ceiling in the process.

Rudis’ physicality is clear on the frame with a very strong 6-foot-3, 195-pounds. The strength doesn’t take away from the athleticism, however, as the Madisonville, Texas native is still very athletic on the mound and repeats his delivery very well. The arm action is clean and compact with electric arm speed through the point of release. Rudis’ delivery allows for push off the mound through the lower half and that helps him translate to more velocity. The arm whips across on release and that in conjunction with a slot that is a bit lower helps him add good run to his fastball.

He worked the fastball well to both sides and commanded the pitch as it never really sat in the middle of the plate during the outing. The slider was sharp with late, biting break and two-plane action. The pitch was thrown for strikes but it was nearly unhittable when it broke down and to the glove side particularly to righthanded hitters. Rudis turned in a fanstastic outing and is another piece of the puzzle in a loaded ’18 class for righthanders.

The Indiana Bulls took a no-hitter late into the night and starting pitcher Zach Messinger (2018, Chandler, Ind.) was a big part of that with outfielder Nicholas Schnell (2018, Indianapolis, Ind.) providing some of the offense.




Messinger was outstanding as he took a no-hitter late into the game and finished allowing only two hits while striking out seven. The 6-foot-6, 195-pound Indianan has a dream frame in terms of physical projection with long limbs, a high waist, and tons of room to add strength. The arm projects well as it is long through the back with looseness as well. The Virginia commit delivery from a high three-quarters slot and gets downhill very well to create excellent plane on the fastball. The pitch sat mostly 86-88 mph on the evening but the pitch was almost impossible to square up with the plane that was created. The curveball was an effective pitch as well with sharp break and tight 12-to-6 shape to it. He mixed pitches well and was able to keep hitters consistently off balance. The projection and ceiling is nearly limitless on Messinger as a prospect and it wouldn’t be surprising at all to see him come out in the low- to mid 90s here in the near future.

Schnell added two hits and two RBI on the evening to help give the Indiana Bulls the lead and, eventually, the victory. Schnell has excellent bat speed at the plate with very big power potential. He has a ton of wiry strength in the 6-foot-2, 180-pound frame and showed the ability to use that strength to hit the ball well to the opposite field. The Louisville commit laced a double off the wall in left field that left the bat at 94 mph and traveled 321 feet. Schnell has very good barrel control and can hit the ball with authority to all fields, reminiscent of him knocking an opposite field double off the wall at PG National. The swing is short and fluid and the power potential makes Schnell an excellent prospect to continue to monitor throughout his senior season.

– Vinnie Cervino




After being scratched from starting day one of the tournament due to weather, highly touted lefthanded pitcher Steve Hajjar (2018, North Andover, Mass.) finally had his opportunity to battle. Hajjar stands every bit of 6-foot-4 and posses a solid frame, long limbed, repeatable mechanics, and projectable. In two innings thrown, he showed a fastball that ranged from 89-93 mph that gets some arm side run at times, and flashed a slider with good, late breaking shape that sat 77-78 mph. Hajjar’s fastball gets on you in a hurry – a combination of both velocity and his ability to get solid extension. He uses this to his advantage, as even when his command is off a bit, he still finds ways to get outs via swings and misses on pitches in and out of the zone. The Michigan commit finished the day with four strikeouts and zero runs over the course of two innings.

On the same summer team as the aforementioned Hajjar, Rob Sarmanian (2018, North Andover, Mass.) showcased his strength and feel for the barrel throughout the contest Saturday afternoon. The catcher has a medium frame and is listed at 5-foot-10 and 180-pounds. He showed his strength, turning on a pitch to induce a loud home run to the left-center gap. He finished the day with two hits in his campaign.

Kyle Hall (2018, Henderson, Nev.) was also slotted for a brief outing Saturday, in order to save his arm for a potential playoff run later in the tournament. Hall possesses an athletic, medium frame with an apparent strong lower half, and pitches with a shorter arm action. In his brief outing, Hall owned the bottom the strike zone with a dual pitch mix: a lively fastball that ranged from 86-89 mph, sitting in the upper part, and worked off of a curveball that flashed good shape and projectable.

Later in the evening, lefthanded pitcher Brandon Mitchell (2018, Houston, Texas) impressed on the mound, pounding hitters with a mix of a fastball and curveball. Working from a three-quarters arm slot, with an arm action that is quick and long around back, he commanded the lower part of the zone, missing rarely in spots that were advantageous to the opponent. His heater sat at 89-90 mph early, with his curveball in the 77 mph range with good, late break. The New Orleans commit finished the day allowing no runs, over the course of 4 1/3 innings pitches, and struck out five.




University of Florida commit, Nick Pogue (2018, Melbourne, Fla.) turned heads from spectators and scouts alike, as he had one of the more impressive performances from any player on Saturday evening. Standing at 6-foot-5, and clocking in at 215 pounds, Pogue has an extra large frame with a long lower half. He works from a high three-quarters arm slot, showed good extension – utilizing this attribute to get on a solid downhill plane and ultimately on top of the ball. His arm is very clean, and one of the more projectable arms showcased in the initial stages of the tournament. The fastball sat at 89-92 with good late sink at times, and others showed arm-side run. He mixed in a changeup at times, logged at 80 mph, and a sharp, late breaking 78-80 mph curveball that registered at 2400 RPM spin rate. Working both glove side and arm side, Pogue commanded all parts of the zone, finishing the game with 12 strikeouts in five innings pitches, including 9 of his first 10 hitters faced.




Closing out the night was yet another quality lefthanded arm, Will Shirah (2018, Blue Ridge, Ga.). Listed at 6-foot-2, he stands with a solid frame and looks like an athlete. Shirah showcased a fastball early, sitting in the 89-92 mph range, as well as two different breaking pitches: a curve that was up to 73 mph, and a slider that ranged from 78-80 mph. A projectable arm, he utilizes his excellent extension (7.2–7.5 feet) to get on top of the ball and generate a good downhill plane. His fastball has cutting action at times, and effectively worked both glove side and arm side. Shirah flashed a very good breaking ball at times in his outing, with his curveball showing tight spin, with an 11-to-5 shape and very good depth, with his slider coming in at more of a horizontal plane. The Georgia Tech commit finished the day with three innings under his belt, allowing no runs in that time and punching out seven.

– Travis Clark





Following a very good performance at our inaugural Great Lakes Indoor Showcase back in February, lefthanded pitcher Drew Rom (2018, Fort Thomas, Ky.) was someone we for sure wanted to get another look at this week. He came on in relief for the Cincy Spikes and did so with great effect in a brief appearance.

Rom is a highly athletic prospect with a large frame that projects to add good strength moving forward, which should allow him to continue to add some velocity (though he’s already shown a sizable velocity jump in the last 4-5 months). He starts his delivery from the extreme third base side of the rubber and does a good job getting his hips and landing spot online through the delivery, while also working to create significant angle from a three quarters slot release. His fastball worked 87-90 mph with the aforementioned angle and some arm-side life, and he showed feel for working the pitch down in the zone to both sides of the plate. It’s very tough to square up now when he’s in command, especially vs. lefthanded hitters. His slider has the potential to be a plus pitch in the future, thrown in the low-80s with tight spin and late, sharp break, giving him the weapon necessary to potentially be an immediate impact performer at the next level (he’s committed to Michigan).




The Royals Scout Team and La Banditos (NOLA/TPL) locked in a heavyweight brawl on Sunday evening, with the Banditos coming on the winning side of a hard-fought 6-5 victory. Liam Henry (2018, Kansas City, Mo.) ended up taking the loss for the Royals but still showed why—as he did at Perfect Game National—he’s a high follow candidate for the rest of the summer and into the spring. Is extremely projectable, with a large, slenderly-built frame right now with lots of athleticism throughout and the potential to pack on a good amount of weight/strength to his current frame. It’s this projection that is really drawing scouts to see the Arkansas commit.

Henry worked in the 84-87 mph range with his fastball from the left side, pounding the zone with it but working up in the zone a bit too much, and he found a few too many barrels as a result. His delivery is extremely crossfire with a good amount of spine tilt at foot strike, allowing him to get his arm up closer to a high three-quarters slot release and generate big angle to the plate. He generates good arm speed and it’s easy to see him throwing consistently in the 90s as he fills out his frame, whether that be at Arkansas or in professional baseball. He shows good feel for his curveball, thrown in the low-70s with excellent 1-to-7 shape, a pitch that has the potential to be a bat-misser for him as he continues to sharpen it up and throw it with more conviction.

An uncommitted corner infielder who loudly made his presence known was Jake Lufft (2018, Independence, Mo.), the third baseman for the KC Royals Scout Team. Lufft showed off some big-time righthanded pop, launching a home run to left field that left his bat at 101 mph and traveled over 400 feet, according to TrackMan. There is significant strength and bat speed in his swing, geared for power as he does intend to hit the ball into air, but there are some barrel skills there as well. He shows the ability to manipulate the barrel all over the zone to make hard contact.




Late Sunday night, the Banditos Black ballclub ran their record to 3-0 via a dominant 9-1 victory. Jonathan Childress (2018, Forney, Texas) earned the win and was entirely in control, throwing 3.2 innings and requiring only 40 pitches to do so, striking out 6 in the process and allowing only a single hit and walk. Childress was extremely impressive at Perfect Game National a couple of weeks ago and continued to make that impression here at 17u WWBA.

Childress’ arm stroke is very long through the back but is clean and online throughout, working up to a high three quarters slot release, generating significant plane and angle to the plate. He does a good job rotating out of a coiled balance position and getting online to the plate for the most part, though he does land a bit crossfire. He worked up to 94 mph with his fastball early on, settling in more 88-92 mph for the duration of his 40 pitches, and the vast majority of those 40 pitches were of the fastball variety. He also generates plus-plus extension to the plate, checking in between 7-foot-1 and 7-foot-6, along with plus fastball spin.

He shows an above average breaking ball already as well, a pitch that’s easy to project to plus with continued reps and refinement. It’s thrown with 1-to-7 shape and big time depth, with good sharpness to the break and no discernible hump out of his hand. He’s able to land it for a strike as well as bury it down out of the zone, but didn’t really need it on this night—that’s how dominant he was with his fastball.

Fellow standout Texan and Banditos teammate Jordan Groshans (2018, Magnolia, Texas) had one the louder days of the tournament from an offensive perspective, hitting for the cycle and showing the same plus bat speed and plus raw power that really stood out at Perfect Game National a few weeks ago. He opened the scoring by loudly tripling up the gap in left center, a ball that was hit maybe 5 feet above the shortstops head but still carried a good way and got all the way to the wall—giving you a good idea of how hard it was hit. He then homered in his next at bat, reading a breaking ball, waiting back a little bit in his hands before attacking it out front and drilling it over the wall in left field.

The offensive tools are outstanding here, and he’s a quality defender at shortstop as well. He’s been awfully fun to watch this summer and will continue to be.

– Brian Sakowski
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