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Tournaments  | Story  | 6/15/2018

18u World Series Days 3-5 Notes


Days 1-2 Scout Notes

Appalachian State University signee Tyler Tuthill (2018, Clayton, N.C.) and Yavapai (Ariz.) College signee Mitcheal Dyer (2018, Glendale, Ariz.) both tossed three innings in leading North East Baseball over Chandler World in pool play by a 3-1 score.

Tuthill, a 6-foot-3, 200-pound lefty, pounded the strike zone with a four-seam fastball that was consistently in the 85-87 mph range. His heater showed impressive late life, especially up in the zone. His sharp-breaking 12-to-6 curveball that he threw to both sides of the plate was clocked between 63 and 65 mph. The Clayton HS grad used a consistent tempo and an advanced ability to get ahead, stay ahead, and put hitters away. He got his club back in the dugout in short order each inning.

At 6-foor-4 and 170-pounds, Dyer was a great complement to Tuthill and gave the SWFL hitters a completely different and very difficult look. The Mountain Ridge HS grad has only been seriously pitching for a few months, but appeared to be in total control for his three-inning stint. He showed two professionally projectable pitches and filled up the strike zone with both. His whippy arm action added more deception to his arsenal. Dyer’s three-quarters arm slot and repeatable action appear to be highly effective for the tall, lanky pitcher from Arizona. His two-seam running fastball was consistently clocked in the 87-to-89 mph range and his wipeout slider was clocked at 76-77 mph.

Handling both of these two outstanding pitchers for North East was catcher Tucker Horsley (2018, Leesburg, Fla.). The University of North Florida signee was a model of poise and polish in handling two completely different pitchers with confidence and ease. The recent Tavares HS graduate calls a very mature game and has excellent catch-and-throw skills. His pop times (1.87 to 1.91) are well above average and on the one steal attempted by the opposition, Horsley threw out the runner with an impressive 1.89-second pop.

The SWFL Canes have shown well in early pool play backed by some talented players who possess skills that project well at the next level.

Jestin Jones (2018, Fort Myers, Fla.) is a gifted outfielder bound for Frontier Community College in Illinois. Jones, who just completed his high school career at Cypress Lake HS, flashed advanced skills and a quiet confidence. He showed a great first step that allowed him to play behind and through the ball. His arm projects to the professional level and shows carry and accuracy. Offensively, Jones swings the bat with assuredness, has a slight lift at contact and some pop that should allow him to hit for consistent power as he moves to the collegiate level.

JanMikell Bastardo (2019, Fort Myers, Fla.) is a rising senior who was Jones’ teammate at Cypress Lake. He is currently uncommitted, but certainly has the skills to play and play well at the next level. At 6-foot-3, and 205-pounds, the rising senior is a take-charge center fielder who has the speed, glove and arm to stay at that position at the collegiate level. Offensively, the righthanded swinging Bastardo, has gap-to-gap power and the speed to take the extra base. He is an instinctive player with a gritty and tough persona.

Mason Walker (2018, Lehigh Acres, Fla.) is a middle infielder bound for Bergen (N.J.) Community College in the fall. The graceful 6-foot-1, 160-pound Walker has quick feet and soft, sure hands that probably project better to second base. He does, however, have the arm strength and accuracy to play either middle infield position. Offensively, the recent Cypress Lake HS grad, uses the entire field and a flat bat path to consistently spray line drives to all parts of the diamond. He has plus speed and is very instinctive on the basepaths.

Chandler World has two 2018 high school grads who are currently uncommitted. Their skills, however, project to the college level and they should gain recognition from college coaches before the summer is over.

Ricardo Vargas (2018, Lakeland Fla.) is a recent grad from Lakeland Senior HS. The 6-foot-2, 180-pound gazelle is a gifted outfielder who is a true talent. He has outfield skills that are as good as any in the tournament. He has above average range and gets to many fly balls that others would not approach. He has a plus arm that is highly accurate and is a true right fielder. Offensively, the righthanded hitting Vargas can drive the ball to all parts of the field as evidenced by a ringing double down the right field line and a towering, bases-clearing double to left-center field. He hits from a balanced stance and has quick hands to and through contact.

JR Strickland (2018, Dunedin, Fla.) is another young player who has yet to find a college home. He plays in the middle of diamond defensively but appears to possess the baseball acumen and workmanlike disposition to help any collegiate program in a super-utility role. Strickland, who just graduated from Countryside HS, is a heady player who has a motor that never stops. Offensively, he uses a short, quick and flat bat path approach to hit line drives to every part of the field. Strickland is a gamer who certainly has shown the skills and ability to play college ball.

In the playoffs of the 18u PG World Series not much separated the top three teams - North East Baseball – National, Chi-Town Cream, and the eventual champions, the Slammers from Greater Denver, Colorado. All three squads were well managed, displayed solid defensive fundamentals, swung the bats well, and had outstanding pitching.

Wofford College bound, Jaydan Martinez (2018, San Antonio, Texas) was outstanding in his appearance for North East Baseball in the semifinals of the 18u World Series. The lanky Texan showed four highly projectible pitches in tossing 5 2/3 shutout innings at the hard-hitting Slammers club. Martinez uses a repeatable high three-quarters arm slot to command his four-seam (85-88 mph) and two-seam (83-85 mph) fastballs. His four-seamer has riding life, especially late, and in the upper half of the zone. His two-seamer is a heavy pitch that has outstanding arm-side run and sink.

The Johnson HS grad also throws a 12-to-6 tight spinning curveball (63-68 mph) to both sides of the plate. His curveball, that he ably adds and subtracts on, is his “out pitch”. He also throws a solid changeup (72-74 mph) out of the same window he throws his fastball. He likes to pitch backwards, and when he misses the strike zone he does so with purpose. Martinez is a very accomplished pitcher whose ability not only projects well to the college level, but with continued development, to professional baseball.

The 18u runners-up, the Chi-Town Cream, had a roster that was loaded with college-bound players. The club breezed through pool play and won their semifinal game via the PG run rule. They were paced by solid pitching and almost air-tight defense. Pacing the Cream offensively were their three and four-hole hitters.

Hitting in the three-spot for the Greater Chicago-based club was Andrew Tenison (2018, Chicago, Ill.), a veteran Perfect Game participant who just completed his prep career at Carl Sandburg High School in Chicago. The solidly built, 6-foot-2, 205-pound Tenison is bound for Lewis University in Romeoville, Ill. He hits from an open, lefthanded stance, and has power to all fields. Although it may be unfair to compare an up-and-coming player to a Hall of Famer, it would not be too much of a stretch to comp Tenison in stature and style to a young Jim Thome. He is an accomplished third baseman who has the range and arm to carry those abilities, not only to the collegiate level, but eventually to professional ball.

The most valuable position player of the 18u PG World Series was the Chi-Town Cream’s first baseman and cleanup hitter, Anthony Herron (2018, Chicago, Ill.). The Mt. Carmel HS grad is heading to Springfield, Missouri in the fall where he will continue his promising career at Missouri State. The solidly built, 6-foot-2, 235-pound Herron has a pro body right now. He is flawless around the bag and displays quick feet and agility at the very important first base position. He has soft hands and an above average throwing arm. Offensively, the righthanded swinging Herron separates himself from many in his age group. He hits from a balanced stance and stands imposingly close to the plate. He has a very quick trigger, which allows him to see pitches deep in the zone. He has projectable raw power and a swing path that has lift at contact. He rarely misses his pitch.

The Slammers (Martin) from Englewood, Colo., were the 2018 18u PG World Series Champions. The club out of Greater Denver had a team full of hard-playing, fundamentally sound baseball players. Anyone who appreciates playing the game the right way would have enjoyed watching this club.

The Slammers leadoff hitter for the entire tournament was University of San Francisco bound, lefthanded swinging, Harris Williams (2018, Denver, Colo.). The Denver North HS grad is a defensive standout in center field and is an on-base machine out of the leadoff spot. His patient approach and flat, middle-of-the field bat path, enables Williams to be the ignitor for the Slammers’ offense. He has above average speed and is extremely instinctive on the bases. The 5-foot-10, 175-pound dynamo brings the energy and baseball IQ to the park every game and certainly projects well to the next level and beyond.

Williams’ outfield mate, J.D. Wadleigh (2018, Peoria, Ariz.) hits out of the two-hole for the Slammers, and like Harris Williams, helps set the table for the Slammers’ offense. Williams and Wadleigh provide a tough 1-2 punch at the top of the Salmmers’ order. What the 6-foot, 176-pound Wadleigh brings to the dish, however, is some punch. Hitting out of a slightly open stance, the right fielder from Arizona has excellent bat-to-ball ability and squares up pitches with a bat path that has slight lift at contact. He has projectible gap-to-gap power and is a threat to stretch hits for extra bases with his plus speed and daring approach to running the bases. He has a center fielder’s range in right field and a plus throwing arm that is highly accurate. Although he is in the final stages of deciding on his collegiate home, it is evident that he will certainly impact a college program for the next few years.

The champs’ backstop was, quite possibly, the key to the Slammers’ run through the tournament. The Colorado club’s tough, gritty, hard-nosed catcher, Brodie Marino (2018, Castle Rock, Colo.) was the unsung hero for the Denver-based team this entire week. The South Mountain (Ariz.) Community College-bound Marino (Regis Jesuit HS) is mature beyond his years. He has a great understanding of how to call a game and his catch-and-throw skills may have been the best in the tournament. His pop times, a consistent 1.95 to 2.0, were not eye-popping, but his quick release and deadly accuracy were certainly worth noting. The 5-foot-11, 205-pound Marino, is also a very capable lefthanded hitter. He has a flat bat, middle-of-the-field approach and consistently hits line drives out of a slightly open stance. His skills certainly project to the college level, if not beyond.

The most valuable pitcher of the 18u PG World Series was the Slammers’ Kasey Koppelmaa (2018, Littleton, Colo.). The 6-foot-1, 185-pound lefty was dominant in pitching his club to a two-hit, complete game shutout in the quarterfinals against a tough Langley Blaze team out of Canada. The University of San Francisco-bound southpaw limited one of the top offenses in the tournament to two scratch hits, while striking out six in going the distance. His highly repeatable, high three-quarters arm slot allows Koppelmaa to throw a variety of pitches with a veteran’s poise and confidence. The Chatfield HS grad effectively used his four-seam fastball (86-88 mph) to both sides of the plate. His four-seamer has late riding life, especially up in the zone. He also shows the ability to cut that four-seam pitch, and he does so against lefthanded hitters, especially.

His darting, sinking, heavy two-seamer showed arm-side run and was clocked between 84 and 86 mph. His slurvy breaking ball (75-79 mph) was his out-pitch and was deadly to all hitters. He throws it to the back foot of righthanded hitters and to the front hip of lefthanded hitters. This advanced skill is unquestionably a difference maker. He never gives any hitter the same look two pitches in a row. His presence and ability certainly project very well to college ball and quite probably, to a pro career.

– Jerry Miller



Collecting multiple hits in games against North East and the SWFL Canes was Brennen Dorighi (2018, Cherry Hills Village, Colo.). The 6-foot-2, 205-pound catcher also received playing time at first base. Athletic and flexible behind the plate, Dorighi showed solid pitch-blocking skills and has soft hands when receiving. A lefthanded hitter, he has a natural inside-out swing. Against North East, he smacked a line drive into left-center. Hustling out of the box, he was rewarded with a double. He picked up a few more hits against SWFL Canes, as well.

Dorighi’s teammate, Justin Briggs (2018, Colorado Springs, Colo.) also showed the ability to shoot the gaps, hitting a double against North East. Briggs is the No. 1-ranked third baseman in Colorado in the 2018 class. He has a compact body that will allow him to play third base in college. His swing is short, and he takes a direct swing path to the baseball.

Harris Williams (2018, Denver, Colo.) led off for Slammers. He is a disciplined hitter, showing knowledge of the strike zone and takes his walks. Williams stands upright in the box and takes a direct swing path to the baseball. He doesn’t use a ton of movement pre-pitch and is a solid runner.

– Jacob Frisaro
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