2017 WWBA Underclass World Championship: Daily Leaders
On a rainy, windy day in Southwest Florida the 2017 WWBA Underclass World Championship got underway in front of scores of collegiate coaches. Longshots Baseball 2019 Teal, an Illinois-based club, won their opening round matchup over North Atlantic Select by a 5-2 decision, behind an impressive performance on the mound by Michael Prosecky (2019, Westchester, Ill.), a lefthander and Louisville commit.
Prosecky stood out and this same event a year ago, where he showed a very easy delivery and arm action to go along with highly-projectable velocity. It was much the same on this day, just fast-forwarded a year with some good strength added to his frame. His velocity worked 83-86 mph early on and settled in at 82-84 as he worked through his 82-pitch outing. He has some timing issues that can affect his command once in awhile, but for the most part the delivery is succinct and online with minimal wasted movement, clean and efficient, with balance and athleticism. The arm is quick and clean, slightly offline but he hides the ball well and is very fast through the back. The fastball features lots of arm-side life, so much that, when in conjunction with his raw velocity and deception, it allowed the fastball to be nearly overpowering in the zone. The profile is much the same as it was a year ago, with obvious jumps already made and the developmental trajectory is continues to be pointed upwards.
A little later on Thursday the Midland Redskins got their tournament rolling with a 5-3 victory. Jack Steibel (2020, Mason, Ohio) got two innings of work in relief and drew a significant crowd of coaches to watch him pitch effectively, striking out three over those two innings while not allowing a hit. Steibel is a very long, very lean 2020 prospect with long limbs and almost limitless physical projection remaining on his body. Like pretty much every other young pitcher of his build Steibel occasionally had trouble synching up his delivery and controlling the length of his body, which in turn led to some command issues, but the upside of this young righthander is indeed vast. He’s very compact through the back with his arm stroke, hooking a bit to generate leverage and doing a fair job of being on time at foot strike, generating significant downhill plane to the plate from a very high three-quarters arm slot. He worked 82-85 mph with his fastball, attacking hitters early and often with the pitch, showing the beginnings of north/south command in addition to quality fastball life. He also worked in a slurvy breaking ball in the mid-70s that is thrown with good intent and spin and should be a bat-missing pitch for him as he continues to hone it.
Later on Thursday night Knights Baseball and the Florida Pokers engaged in what was quite the slugfest, with the Knights inching ahead by a score of 9-7. Jared Dickey (2020, Mt. Juliet, Tenn.) woke everyone up in the first inning right away by absolutely punishing a baseball deep over the right-center field wall, a line shot that got out in a hurry and endangered the traffic cruising by. Dickey is a very physical, strong lefthanded hitter with excellent power already. The swing is uphill and geared for power, but Dickey isn’t just a power bat, as he shows an advanced approach with good present knowledge of the strike zone, more than willing to take walks if it means not expanding the strike zone, which he did a few times in this game. He also shows quality arm strength when playing right field, and while it was tough to gauge his overall defensive acumen in this look, the arm certainly plays from the position at this point in his development.
In the other dugout, Hunter Fitz-Gerald (2019, Margate, Fla.) did a lot of the damage for the Pokers when, in the bottom of the first inning, he lofted a long fly ball to the pull side gap in right-center, clearing the wall with ease for a grand slam that momentarily gave the Pokers the lead. He ended up 2-for-3 with that homer and four RBI on the evening, later adding a line drive single up the middle as well. A switch-hitter with a long, lean build, Fitz-Gerald is highly projectable physically, with lots of room to continue filling out, and he already shows quality power from the left side with a smooth, fluid stroke. He played first base in this game and looked relatively athletic in doing so, leading some to wonder if he can play other positions as well.
– Brian Sakowski
MLB Breakthrough Series made their first appearance at the WWBA Underclass World Championship in 2016 and made a respectable debut, impressing with a group of young athletes who played hard and played good baseball. If their 19-3 run-rule win Thursday afternoon is any indication, they mean to be more than just respectable this year.
MLB started righthander Antoine Harris (2019, Meraux, La.) and the recent University of New Orleans commit showed solid present stuff and huge projectability. Long and lean at 6-foot-3, 170-pounds, Harris has a very well controlled athletic delivery that emphasizes stay back over the rubber and working downhill. He was 86-88 consistently, touching 89 mph occasionally, and maintained his velocity through his pitch count and from the stretch very well and there is plenty more velocity in there as he gets stronger. Harris' curveball had good power and well-maintained arm speed at 73-74 but he didn't get out front with it as well as he's likely to in the future. Overall, it's very easy to see Harris adding more velocity as he physically matures.
With 19 runs, obviously there were plenty of offensive fireworks as three hitters stood out for their bat speed and potential, including a pair of 2020's. Outfielder Chase Davis (2020, Elk Grove, Calif.) is a strong-bodied lefthanded hitter with a direct and short swing with lots of present bat speed. He launched a no-doubt home run onto the warehouse roof beyond the right field fence in one at-bat.
First baseman Daylen Xavier Carter (2019, West Sacramento, Calif.) is a UCLA commit with a very projectable 6-foot-4, 180-pound build that scouts will dream on, especially when they see his bat speed and power potential. He wasn't able to stay back on some pitches this game and ended up hitting about 800 feet of foul home run distance balls on a pair of swings, but did pick up two hits and three RBI.
Infielder Alec Gonzalez (2020, Chicago Heights, Ill.) is a physically well-developed righthanded hitter with a strong swing that has plenty of power in it. He drove one ball easily deep up the left-center field gap on a two-strike swing that wasn't even full bat speed.
Righthander Dan Kennan (2020, Wilmington, Del.) of the Pennsylvania Playmakers threw 2 2/3 strong shutout innings Thursday, needing only 34 pitches and striking out four hitters. The 6-foot-3, 175-pounder worked in the 83-85 mph range with his fastball and touched 86 mph once from an easy delivery with very good extension out front. His best pitch was a 66-70 mph curveball that really changed hitter's eye levels well and that he threw effectively for strikes.
Third baseman Andrew Jenkins (2019, Atlanta, Ga.) is ranked 172nd in the PG class rankings based primarily on his strong righthanded bat, but the Georgia Tech commit showed why he could be a legit two-way player at the college level. Jenkins took the mound for a short 27-pitch relief outing for the 643 DP Cougars and worked at 86-89 mph with his fastball with a big-breaking upper-70s slider that is a very promising pitch. Jenkins had an uncharacteristically quiet day at the plate but his 643 teammates picked him up with 11 hits in a 7-2 victory.
One of those teammates was catcher Caden Smith (2019, Roswell, Ga.), who went 2-for-4 at the plate with a deep opposite field double that carried very well off the barrel. Smith is a 6-foot-4, 190-pound lefthanded hitter whose build and projection immediately jump out at you. He was plenty agile and quick enough at that size behind the plate, making one think he has a good chance of staying at that position, although his receiving skills were still developing on pitches low out of the strike zone. The one throw he made during the game was a laser to second base to get a runner. Smith is ranked 274th in the country and is a Mercer commit.
– David Rawnsley
From a physical standpoint it is harder to get more imposing than Gavin Moretski (2019, Harleysville, Pa.). The junior from Pennsylvania is listed at 6-foot-3, 190-pounds and every bit of that is believable. A primary pitcher whose future is probably swinging the lumber, Moretski smoked doubles in each of his first two at-bats. The strength in Moretski’s body and swing is very advanced. His bat speed is still developing, but the consistent barrel-to-ball skills and big-time power potential are evident. With a simple leg kick timing mechanism, Moretski, in his first two at-bats, got his foot down and barreled the baseball to the left-center gap. Each of his doubles recorded were tracked by TrackMan with impressive exit velocities. The first left his barrel at 94 mph and the second at 96 mph. The uncommitted prospect started the game at shortstop, but with his physicality he projects as a corner infielder in the future. Moretski is an interesting follow and could be a heavy hitter with maintained consistent contact.
Ethan Haislip (2019, Monroe, N.C.) started on the bump Thursday for the On Deck O’s. Haislip was impressive as he tossed four innings,striking out six. His fastball sat in the 85-88 mph range and comes out very cleanly, but is mostly straight. The 5-foot-11, 170-pound righthander also hides the ball really well. Coming from a high three-quarters delivery he hides the ball well behind his back and backside. Haislip’s delivery is mostly clean and online with a loose arm action that is routinely on time through the circle. He did, however, lose a little velocity from the stretch. Haislip showed a good three-pitch mix and threw lots of strikes on Thursday. His arsenal included a good changeup and a curveball to complement his fastball. The changeup showed good fade and maintained arm speed in the 73-75 mph range. The 11-to-5 breaking curveball took multiple repetitions in game to show feel for the pitch, but it showed potential with late bite in the low-70s. Although not overly physical, Haislap has lots of room to fill and could have potential to add even more velocity in time as he did with a five mph velocity increase since his last Perfect Game event in 2016.
In a rain-shortened contest Ian Remalia (2019, Waldorf, Md.) showed his ability on the mound. The righthander stands at 5-foot-11 and 175-pounds with plenty more room to fill. Remalia’s fastball sat in the 84-86 mph range and touched 87 once. The pitch flashed various life as well. On occasion, the pitch would show cutting action and on other occasions would show late life to his arm side. He also flashed a pair of solid secondary pitches as well. A changeup in the upper-70s and an 11-to-5 curveball in the low-70s each showed potential. Remalia is interesting as he shows a full arm action but he does have an early arm through the circle which can have an effect on his command at times. His command on this day, however, was playable before the rain came and rained out his start. Remalia shows some upside as he continues to grow.
– Gregory Gerard
After a minor delay to the first time slot of the WWBA Underclass World Championship, games finally got underway at the Lee County Player Development Complex and multiple prospects stood out. Tall righthander Cody Carlton (2019, Tuttle, Okla.) got the tournament started off on the right foot as he began sitting 87-90 mph in the first two innings of play.
Carlton, a still-uncommitted prospect from Oklahoma, stands tall at 6-foot-5, 235-pounds with broad shoulders and room for strength on the already physical frame. The arm path is full through the back and with an over-the-top arm slot he is able to create consistent downhill plane to the fastball, which helped to make it difficult to hit being mostly true in life. Carlton’s delivery is simple, yet arm heavy as he lands slightly open to the plate and allows the arm strength to take the majority of the velocity.
He was very effective working from a strong two-pitch combination with a good amount of confidence in the breaking ball. The curveball was a true 12-to-6 breaker that flashed tilt and he did a good job at throwing the curveball on a similar plane to the fastball. The pitch was a bit inconsistent, but when he was on top the pitch was deadly.
Clemson commit J.D. Brock (2019, Davidson, N.C.) toed the rubber for the South Charlotte Panthers during the opening game at JetBlue Park and was outstanding. The southpaw showed excellent pitchability and lots of angle as there was nothing straight that came out of the hand.
The 6-foot-1, 185-pound lefthander has good athleticism on the mound and fields his position well. Despite the athleticism, he could shore up the repeatability of his mechanics a bit better as he would cut himself off at times especially when throwing the breaking ball. However, the breaking pitches were impressive when he got on top as he utilized both a curveball and a slider. The slider flashed two-plane life to it and showed short, sharp bite to it while the curveball had good 12-to-6 action and would fall off the table at times.
Even though the fastball only topped out at 87 mph, he showed the ability to hold his velocity in the mid-80s well throughout the outing and the fastball showed short life. Brock missed a ton of bats on Thursday afternoon and racked up 10 strikeouts in five innings while earning the victory.
A trio of hitters impressed during the action at JetBlue Park and helped their teams either end up victorious or remain competitive throughout.
29ers shortstop Brody Harding (2019, Moline, Ill.) took some competitive at-bats and showed off quality tools. The Illinois commit has pretty solid arm strength across with a strong lower half and quickness to his hands, all of which profile nicely at third base at the next level if he can’t remain at short. The lefthanded hitter is short to the ball with quickness to his hands and took very good at-bats against the aforementioned tough lefty, J.D. Brock. Harding did a good job at staying closed in the box and spoiled tough breaking balls. He was able to drive a mid-80s fastball over the inner half to the opposite field for a smoked double to show he can handle tough lefties.
Former 14u PG Select participant Tim McHugh (2019, Commack, N.Y.) had a strong summer at the dish and showed off the offensive tools once again during MVP Beast’s victory. The 6-foot-3, 205-pound righthanded hitter has some loud tools to go along with advanced strength and physicality as well. This all adds up to create very impressive bat speed and he has shown good juice from the right side in the past as well. The Texas Christian commit geared up for a fastball early in the count and smoked it down the pull-side line for a run-scoring triple.
PG Iowa Select shortstop Sam Link (2019, Dubuque, Iowa) showed some juice and started the scoring early on for the team. With no one on in the bottom of the first, the two-hole hitter got an elevated fastball over the inner third of the plate that he was able to extend his hands to and pull over the fence in left field for a loud home run. The swing path is simple and one would not look at Link and think power hitter, however, Link kept his hands inside well while still getting extended and got the barrel out in front to put a mid-80s fastball out of the yard.
Another very talented uncommitted arm closed out the victory for the Minnesota Blizzard as Benjamin Pedersen (2019, Duluth, Minn.) showed impressive tools on the hill. Pedersen was dominant and allowed minimal hard-hit contact as he struck out four over the final three-plus innings while only allowing one hit.
Pederson has a good size and frame for a starting pitching prospect at 6-foot-5, 225-pounds with broad shoulders and still room left for physical projection. The delivery is simple with a slight turn step to start but utilizes it to get good extension down the mound, albeit a bit drifty of an initial separation. The arm path is full through a higher three-quarter release point to create good downhill plane on the fastball. The pitch worked well in the 86-89 mph range and he followed through on the pitch well as he got downhill.
Pederson showed two breaking balls and flashed a changeup during his time on the mound. The curveball was in the low-70s and showed consistent 11-to-5 shape with the ability to be thrown for strikes and late bit to it while the slider was a harder offering at 79 mph and showed sharp, late horizontal bite to the pitch. Perdersen showed an impressive arsenal and the 376th ranked player in the class shouldn’t be uncommitted for much longer.
Closing out the day at City of Palms was Stetson commit Nick Durgin (2019, Melbourne, Fla.) and the righthander showed off good present tools as well as a very high ceiling. The 6-foot-3, 190-pound arm has a young look and a lean, athletic frame with tons of room to fill and add strength. The arm stroke was clean and fluid and what stood out about the profile was with how little effort threw while on the mound. He touched 88 mph early on and was consistently in the 85-87 mph range with the fastball. The pitch comes out of Durgin’s hand cleanly, and although he battled through some command issues, the late life made the pitch hard to square up.
Durgin showed an impressive feel to spin the ball highlighted by multiple breaking balls. He threw a slider at 74 mph with 10-to-4 shape and late break; the slider functioned well as it looked like a fastball out of the hand. The curveball worked more in the upper-60s and showed good depth to the pitch that would often induce swings over the pitch due to the late break.
Alabama commit and infielder Logan Keller (2019, Longwood, Fla.) had a good day at the dish and showed off why he is so highly ranked. The 6-foot-2, 180-pound righthanded hitter has good size and physicality and is able to retain his athleticism too. He stood out at the Junior National Showcase this summer with his impressive defensive ability, however, his offense took the stage on Thursday night. Keller had hard hit contact in nearly every at-bat which included a couple of smoked line drives to the opposite field gap. The swing is short and direct into contact and he showed good hand quickness throughout the swing.
– Vinnie Cervino
The Dulin Dodgers Henson won their game on Thursday by a score of 5-0 with the help of Memphis commit Dalton Freeman (2019, Coldwater, Miss.). Freeman was solid in the field and displayed good reads on hops in in the infield, showing soft hands and the ability to make routine plays consistently. At the plate he went 2-for-4 with an RBI. He has a slender, athletic build and long arms and possesses a long, hard balanced swing with a solid finish and good extension at the plate.
Mason Kelly (2019, Mattituck, N.Y.) was a bright spot for the North Atlantic Select team in their afternoon game. Kelly has a medium frame and a strong, thick build with broad shoulders. He showcased a very strong, compact uppercut swing that produces hard contact. He also does a great job of getting solid torque in his hips to produce quality strength at the point of contact and displayed an ability to easily hit the ball to the opposite field with solid pop as he blasted a two-hopper over the right fielder’s head for a double in the fourth inning. Kelly is an excellent student and has present physicality as he’s definitely a player college coaches need to keep an eye on as he will continue to get stronger which will lead to more power potential.
William Kelley (2019, Newnan, Ga.) and Jacob Berger (2019, Canton, Ga.) were impressive at the plate for the East Cobb Colt 45s 17u team.Kelley went 2-for-3 and an RBI while Berger went 1-for-3 with a line drive single.
Kelley has a large frame with a slighter physical presence but still has room to grow. He has a simple, high contact swing and flashes some quality bat speed making consistent, hard contact from the right side.
Berger has an aggressive approach at the plate with a great recognition of off-speed stuff and does a good job of keeping his hands back and squaring up the baseball on breaking pitches. He has good body control at the plate and does a great job of shifting his weight forward into his swing to create good pop at the plate with a good ability to stay on time with his swing.
Tommy O’Rourke (2020, Morristown, N.J.) was up to 88 on the mound on Thursday and throws with a long, full arm action. He has a projectible frame as he has long limbs and is big up top, which should fill out and turn into muscle as he gets older which should lead to an increase in velo. He paired his fastball with a curveball that flashes potential with good depth but slow 12-to-6 break. O’Rourke does a great job of bending back on his backside and creating solid plane for his fastball and finishes very well, getting great extension and reaching out far to home plate as part of his delivery. He’s definitely a talented arm to follow as he progresses in his career.
– Brandon Lowe
Chris Villaman (2019, Thomasville, N.C.) quickly set the tone for what was to come over his 3 1/3 innings of work by quickly striking out the side in his opening frame as he went on to strike out nine total batters out of his 11 possible outs. Already committed to North Carolina State and ranked No. 23 in the class of 2019, there’s no mistaking Villaman’s talent and scarier than what he currently shows is the fact that he’s nowhere closed to being finished.
At 6-foot-2, 185-pounds with broad shoulders and long, loose limbs, Villaman shows plenty of things to like in terms of physicality and he brings high-end athleticism with him to the mound. In terms of delivery the young lefthander keeps things simple, utilizing an abbreviated windup while creating tough angle on his heater, which induced several swings-and-misses around the zone. He showed no problem maintaining his velocity on his heater, living comfortably between 88-91 mph and more than once bumped a 92. On top of the consistent angle, Villaman showed he was able to produce the velocity with relative easy with subtle life through the zone.
He’ll have to continue to refine his secondary offerings as he slows his release on both his changeup and curveball, showing both in the upper-60s, though he did throw both for strikes. Replicating his arm speed and overall release will be key for Villaman, and as he does, watch out as he’s already able to dominate opposing hitters with a noteworthy fastball.
Jackson Minor (2019, Hazel Green, Ala.) got the start for Vipers Baseball and immediately went to work as he pounded the strike zone for four innings, missing several bats along the way. Though not overly physical at 5-foot-11, 150-pounds, the lefthanded Mississippi State commit showed why he’s already committed to an SEC program with a very quick arm stroke and a high level of pitchability as he mixed three pitches for strike and varies his slots to create deception.
From his more conventional three-quarters slot Minor ran his fastball up to 88 mph early in the contest and despite his frame he did a nice job of getting on top of the baseball to generate plane to the bottom of the zone. The comfort and overall feel is there to drop down to low three-quarters, providing a different look while keeping opposing hitters on their toes with sinking life up to 83 mph. Minor showed more than just his heater though en route to punching out nine as he landed his 1-to-7 shaped curveball for strikes, showing depth on the pitch with a maintained arm slot. He also landed his changeup for strikes, though he does drop his slot slightly at release while showing a present feel for the mid-70s offering. Overall it appears Mississippi State landed a quality pitcher with an understanding of how to mix and isn’t done yet in terms of physical growth.
It wasn’t the longest of looks at uncommitted righthander Chad Rogers (2020, Painesville, Ohio) as he worked just two quick innings for Team Ohio Pro Select, but he was certainly able to intrigue the collection of college recruiters behind the backstop. Making his Perfect Game debut, the athletic 6-foot-4, 195-pound Rogers came out and filled up the strike zone while offering a clean arm action and plenty as much projection as the imagination will allow as he gets close to physical maturation in the future.
His overall mechanics are simple with limited moving parts and he did a nice job of working on top of the baseball while generating subtle running life to either side of the plate. Over his two innings on the bump Rogers sat comfortably in the 84-87 mph range and showed nothing other than a heater, though he didn’t have to given his command of the fastball on this particular day. There are still components of his delivery that he’ll continue to refine, like getting more drive off his backside, but Rogers already shows plenty of quickness to his arm in addition to a long and loose frame, leaving all in attendance circling his name to check back in on later in the tournament.
Though a year apart and from different parts of the country, outfielders Terris Meeks (2019, Olive Branch, Miss.) and Mackenzie Wainwright (2020, Aurora, Ohio) are similar in that they offer plenty of projection to complement their current skills, a combination that college coaches have already taken notice of.
Of the two it’s Wainwright who checks in with the highest current ranking at No. 259 in his respective class and showed and an easy swing from the right side while being able to impact the baseball despite his longer 6-foot-1, 183-pound build. As he continues to incorporate some lower half into his swing there’s no reason to think he won’t continue to unlock additional strength and drive off the barrel as well.
At 6-foot, 160-pounds Meeks isn’t as physical as Wainwright but shows just as much looseness to his hands, creating leverage in his first at-bat of the tournament on a deep fly out to left field, showing interesting jump off the barrel. Loose is the best word to describe Meeks’ overall swing as there are elements that make it easy to project upon the young righthanded bat out of Mississippi.
The son of former big leaguer Jarrod Washburn, righthander Jack Washburn (2019, Webster, Wis.) got the start for the GRB Rays and with the game coming as the first of the tournament, nearly every coach was in attendance and taking notes. Listed at a long 6-foot-2, 175-pounds, Washburn came out and ran his fastball up to 86 mph with a fuller arm stroke, showing occasional cut action from his release point. Over his four innings Washburn did a nice job of maintaining his velocity, both out of the windup and stretch, though the real difference maker proved to be his curveball. Thrown upwards of 77 mph, Washburn snapped off his first hook of the day with conviction and rolled with the pitch from there showing late biting life down in the zone which he used to help rack up eight strikeouts on the day. It’s a short stride with his lower half right now for Washburn, which, as he continues to add length and generate additional drive off his back side, he should see his fastball continue to pick up with more plane to the bottom of the zone.
The Midland Redskins are a club who got off to a 1-0 start with a 5-3 victory and look to have a couple different impact pieces in their lineup who can do a variety of things at the plate. Shortstop Kiethron Moss (2019, Nassau, Bahamas) is an exciting player to watch on both sides of the ball with looseness to his overall actions, showing soft hands and bouncy movements up the middle while handling the barrel well from both sides of the plate, showing strength despite his 5-foot-9, 145-pound frame. Kyle Westfall (2019, Mason, Ohio) is a fast-twitch Texas Tech commit who leads things off and showed a simple, easy swing on a line drive single up the middle while catcher Colin Burgess (2019, Lexington, Ky.) picked up two hits on the day, including a line drive of his own up the middle which registered 92 mph off the barrel.
– Jheremy Brown