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Tournaments  | Story  | 7/7/2018

16u WWBA Scout Notes: Day 1

Photo: Carson Montgomery (Perfect Game)

16u WWBA National Championship: Event Page | Daily Leaders

The 16u WWBA National Championship got underway on Friday as the 17u edition closed out, and it started with lots of talented teams getting their first game action right away at 8am. The MWE 16u club out of Oklahoma is one of the more talented teams in the event, and they got off to a hot start via a 4-0 win on Friday morning. 




Trevor Martin (2020, Byars, Okla.) got the start and the win, striking out 11 over 6 2/3 shutout innings, allowing four hits and two walks in the process. Martin is extremely physical and strong for his age, looking very physically similar to what Kumar Rocker looked like at the same age. There will undoubtedly be some maintenance aspects to the physicality moving forward, but Martin looks nearly college ready from a physical standpoint right now. He worked in the 82-86 mph range with his fastball throughout his start, showing the ability to generate angle to the plate as well as sink the ball when on top, all with solid arm speed that does project. He got under his slider at times and turned it horizontal, but when on top the pitch showed sharp, late tilt that projects well as a bat-misser moving forward, especially considering that Martin is committed to Oklahoma State, where noted slider-whisperer Rob Walton is the pitching coach. 

Cameron Uselton (2020, Oklahoma City, Okla.), brother of former Perfect Game All-American Conner, paced the offense from the leadoff spot for MWE with a pair of hits. The younger Uselton isn’t as physical as his brother was yet, but still shows the same knack for the barrel, with quick wrists that produce a quick, line drive stroke that covers the plate well and leads to consistent barreled contact. Jace Bohrofen (2020, Oklahoma City, Okla.) is a name to know for the 2020 draft right now, as the Perfect Game Player of the Year in Oklahoma (as a sophomore!) absolutely looks the part of a future high draft choice. The swing is smooth and easy with plus bat speed and plenty of loft, and his body projects extremely well. It’s still very early to start analyzing the 2020 draft, obviously, but Bohrofen looks the part of a lefthanded power-hitting corner outfield prospect already. 




FTB-Tucci Berryhill got off to a hot start, opening up their tournament with a 9-0 victory on Friday morning as well. Demetrius Vizcarra (2020, Compton, Calif.) got the start and the win, throwing four shutout innings, striking out four and allowing three hits and two walks in the process. Vizcarra has solid size and strength right now with good remaining projection on his body, and looks like he could throw pretty hard one day given the looseness and quickness of his arm. It’s a lengthy stroke that gets well offline through the back and causes some timing issues through the back, but when he’s timed up at release, he creates a significant amount of angle from a very extended three quarters slot, creating a significant amount of run and sink on the fastball as well. He worked mostly in the 83-86 mph range, touched 87 a handful of times early on, and while the timing concerns did cause lapses in command, he did a good job throwing strikes for the most part. The slider shape was inconsistent at times, but when he spins it properly, it has the makings of a potentially plus pitch, generating sharp, late bite that got several empty swings over the top of it. 




Later on Friday night back at LakePoint, GBG Marucci 2020 got off to a hot start via an 8-0 victory in their opening game. Several college coaches gathered behind the plate when Joshua Swales (2020, Porter Ranch, Calif.), an uncommitted righthander, came into the game in relief. Swales is an ideally-bodied young pitcher, with long limbs and tapered shoulders on a lean frame, giving him a significant amount of physical projection moving forward. The arm speed is also significant, and while there are a fair amount of mechanical hiccups and inconsistencies to iron out at the next level, Swales possesses some of the higher upside in the class of 2020. He came out firing bullets, working in the 89-92 mph range for the majority of his outing, creating significant heavy life on his fastball with a very low spin rate per TrackMan, with the ability to both blow the fastball by hitters as well as create weak contact with the pitch. He shows the ability to spin a breaking ball as well, though the pitch was often casted and left up, the best ones showed solid tilt with some two-plane break that he could land for a strike. He also worked in a changeup in the 80-82 mph range, replicating his arm speed well enough and generating slight fade. 

Offensively, GBG Marucci is loaded, per usual. Eli Paton (2020, La Canada, Calif.), a UCLA commit, showed off his lefthanded juice in a big way, depositing a fastball left over the heart of the plate over the right field wall, clearing the fence by quite a ways. He’s got pretty significant present bat speed with plenty of loft to his stroke, creating good separation in his hands and hips before firing through the zone, keeping his barrel on plane throughout. There is a fair bit of physical projection remaining on his frame as well, giving him the upside of a significant lefthanded power hitter moving forward. 

Daylen Reyes (2020, Northridge, Calif.) didn’t pick up a hit in the box score, but the middle infield UCLA commit did show a lot of things to like at the plate. His hands are extremely fast and generate loose, whippy bat speed; something that already allows him to handle velocity and cover the plate and should result in pretty significant power moving forward as he continues to physically mature and grow into his body. 

– Brian Sakowski





Starting the morning out for the first slot of the 16u WWBA National Championship was the 643 Cougars Sterling, who thanks to the efforts of Collin Caldwell (2020, Powder Springs, Ga.) and the offense, started out 1-0 with a loud victory over at Aviation Sports Complex. Caldwell is an uncommitted lefthander, who has a fairly athletic, up-tempo delivery with a lot of present pitching tools to like. The delivery features some deception as he hides the ball through a more compact arm stroke with some whip through the point of release. Caldwell mostly attacked with the fastball, a pitch that sat 82-85 mph and topped out at 86 mph.. The ball would create some arm side, riding life out of the hand when working up, but he did a solid job at working to both sides and mixing in the breaking ball. He has good feel for the curveball in the low-70s with the ability to land the pitch for strikes well. He walked a few batters during this look on Friday, but still showed the ability to generate a lot of swing-and-miss, especially with the fastball which is a good indicator moving forward.


 

The second time slot at Aviation featured another blowout victory, this time for Elite Squad as the offense and righthander starter Ben Vespi (2020, Boynton Beach, Fla.) were both very impressive in the four-inning game. The UCF commit tossed three very strong innings while allowing just one earned run and striking out seven batters.

The 6-foot-3, 185-pound righthander recently impressed at the PG Jr. National Showcase and he carried that momentum into the summer. Vespi was sitting 85-88 mph early on and the delivery is extremely low effort with the ability to get on top of the fastball that he showed advanced command of. Whenever Vespi missed it was because he nibbled the corners a bit too finely, as he worked very well corner-to-corner and filled up all four quadrants of the strike zone nicely. The curveball was his go-to secondary pitch with good shape that he could manipulate effectively, and he has a good changeup that was not observed during this outing. The swing-and-miss within the strike zone and projection both stand out for Vespi as he could just be scratching the surface of his potential.




Florida commit Colby Halter (2020, Jacksonville, Fla.) got the start over at Sprayberry High School in the early afternoon slot, and Halter overpowered hitters with a potent fastball and mix that kept hitters off balance all afternoon. He went a little over six innings on the hill while allowing two early runs but striking out twelve batters in the process. Halter’s arm speed and repeatability stands out on the mound, with a fast, compact take back through an extended release which allows him to create some angle and plane on an otherwise straight fastball. The pitch worked in the 87-90 mph range consistently and most of the time, when located well, the fastball overpowered the hitters but would be hittable when left up and in the middle of the plate which led to the two early runs. Halter also featured a 10-to-4 shaped curveball that he could land and got some ugly swings and misses as it played well for a change-of-pace pitch off his fastball. Halter is also a talented hitter with a lefthanded swing that features plenty of bat speed and torwue.

Halter’s teammate and starting shortstop Malik Young (2020, Jacksonville, Fla.) had a good day and showed off some tools in the process. The 6-foot-1, 170-pound prospect has good present size with some athleticism and showed off his chops to both sides with a solid arm too. He made a couple of difficult plays, one displaying the balance on a charge to his right, and another from a play deep in the hole to showcase the arm strength. The swing itself is a bit long at times but has a smooth barrel plane with some loft through the finish. The allows him to meet the ball on it’s plane and drive it on a line to all fields. With added strength and size, Young has a nice ceiling and is already a solid player for a talented Florida Dodgers Scout Team.

Getting a start on the night slot over at LakePoint was Ostingers’ Ty Evans (2021, Auburndale, Fla.) who showed off a quick arm and some projectable tools on the mound. The 6-foot, 165-pound primary shortstop is young for the age, and the arm strength showed out in the form of a fastball that was 83-86 mph in the early portion of the game and featured some short run on the fastball. The delivery is very simple, oozing with athleticism and quick actions, with a loose arm that whips through a lower three-quarters arm slot. This creates some difficulty replicating the slot on the breaking ball, a mostly 10-to-4 shaped sweeping offering, but there are a lot of tools to like from the young starter on the mound going forward.

– Vincent Cervino



Standing at 6-foot-5, 178-pounds, Mario Doble (2020, Miami Lake, Fla.) is a super projectable righthander from southern Florida. His fastball tops out sits consistently in the 88-90 mph range as it stayed throughout his five innings of work. The fastball has a fair amount of angle while flashing arm-side life on what appeared to be a two-seam fastball at times. He mixed in a changeup that he pronated at release leading to lots of fade and/or tumble to the offering. The changeup stayed in the 82-85 mph range throughout the contest as well. He varied speeds throughout and was pretty dominant in doing so filling up the zone enough to get hitters out. His delivery is a bit tight at release with multiple checkpoints as his arm works through to the plate. The uncommitted righthander has a full arm action that can get offline at times, but when online he locates his pitches well.
Drew Romo (2020, The Woodlands, Texas) has top-of-the-class defensive skills behind the plate and they showed in between innings as well as in the game. Romo can catch-and-throw with ease showing outstanding arm strength as well as quickness out of his crouch. Romo was popping 2.00-second pop times in between innings with ease and nabbed a runner in game with a 2.08-second pop time getting the baseball released quickly. His flexibility behind the plate is noticeable as well. Romo can block well laterally with his strong lower half. He can also really swing the bat as well. The LSU commit bats in the three hole for the Banditos Scout Team and knocked a base hit in Friday’s game as well.

Albert Hernandez (2020, Davie, Fla.) had a short stint on the mound in the Banditos Scout Team’s 4-1 win Friday. His fastball sat in the 86-88 mph during the outing. His command was a bit inconsistent, but he showed good velocity and a sharp curveball that forced multiple swings and misses. His arm is very quick as it has been for multiple years since appearing on the hill in Perfect Game events. The Miami commit throws with some effort and lands closed off but gets some life on his fastball and can put hitters away with a sharp curveball in the mid-70s.

Robert Ready (2021, Cape May, N.J.) had not pitched in a PG event prior to Friday afternoon’s contest and the rising sophomore in high school showed the ability to run his fastball up to 89 mph on the radar gun. Ready has a sturdy frame and lands closed while keeping his arm tight and full through the arm stroke. He generates some plane when down and was at his best when working low in the strike zone. His fastball sat 85-87 mph mostly early before lessening in velocity as the game wore on. The ball comes from an over the top arm slot and it varies a bit at where he releases but when extended out in front and getting the arm through on time the fastball is well located mostly to his arm side. The uncommitted righthander also featured a developing slider that showed potential moving forward in his development.

Every so often a player appears in a PG tourney that is virtually an unknown and explodes on to the scene. That’s what Danny Ramirez (2018, Ralph, Ala.) did at LakePoint on Friday afternoon as he came in to earn a save for Score International. The signable 16-year-old stands at an ultra projectable 6-foot-7 and creates lots of plane as he comes downhill. Ramirez pounded the zone and missed barrels with his fastball that sat in the 87-90 mph range while touching 91 mph on one occasion. The stands filled quickly as Ramirez kept touching 90 mph on the scoreboard and LakePoint with his easy delivery and full arm action. The arm works through the back with a bit of a plunge at take back before coming to an extended high three-quarters arm slot. Ramirez is a unique talent as he is 16 and six months old and is J2 eligible.

Gustavo Sosa (2019, Staton Island, N.Y.) is a young 2019 graduate who is eligible to play in the 16- year-old age group tournament. Sosa plays catcher at a high level as he showed at PG National a few weeks ago. His level of play in this game was outstanding as his first pop time in between innings clocked in at 1.94 seconds. Sosa is very agile behind the plate with outstanding footwork and lateral agility to block baseball to either side of his set position. He gets the baseball out quickly as he releases down to second base and also displayed his hit tool in Friday’s game. Sosa’s barrel control is advanced and when squared the ball jumps on a line. During Friday’s game in particular the Rutgers commit went the other way with an outer half fastball and hit the ball hard through the 3-4 hole for a single.

– Greg Gerard



Reid Fagerstrom (2020, Sharpsburg, Ga.) opened up the scoring in the top of the first with a towering three-run shot to the pull side. The home run was tomahawked off of a high pitch and left the bat at 93 mph. Fagerstrom hits with an open stance and a front-foot trigger that he stays on time well with. He is direct to the ball and does a good job getting the barrel to the ball. With his strong and compact frame, he should be able to hit for steady power. Fagerstrom’s contributions did not end in the batter’s box, as he took the hill in a start for the Upstate Mavericks Maldonado squad. Pitching with relatively low effort and a clean arm path, he was up to 91 mph with the fastball, although he was usually around 86-87. His curveball, thrown from the same arm slot, was in the low-70s, and he got some whiffs on it as it showed decent drop. He ended up punching out five over 3 2/3 innings, yielding a lone run. Fagerstrom is the 10th-ranked Georgia righthander in his class and his physicality on both sides of the ball makes him an intriguing talent to monitor.

There is a lot to like about the game of high-energy infielder AJ Fiechter (2021, Cumming, Ga.). He showed great defensive actions at shortstop, with soft hands and a quick transfer from the glove. The rising sophomore is very coordinated, displaying nice footwork on groundballs, and possesses a good internal clock and awareness for the game. Fiechter reached twice on two singles, showing a short swing and good bat speed. He also showed a good eye at the plate, and the combination of discipline and contact skills that he possesses tends to put him on the basepaths quite often, where he showed good speed in stealing second without a throw. Fiechter, a very athletic player, is playing up an age level, and with three years remaining in high school still, it will be intriguing to see him develop and possibly add the potential to hit for some power down the line.

Augustus Gray Harrison (2020, Austin, Texas) had an impressive showing on the mound Friday morning. He tossed 4 2/3 scoreless innings in a victory while allowing just one hit. Harrison filled the zone with strikes and maintained 85-87 mph velocity on the fastball throughout the start, locating it down in the zone consistently. The fastball has seen a nice little uptick in velocity since last summer, when it was 82. Throwing from an over-the-top arm slot, he shows 12-to-6 shape on the curveball, which was a slower one at 70-72. He showed nice feel for this pitch, throwing it both for called strikeouts and first-pitch strikes. The Texas righty fielded his position well, making a heads-up play on a comebacker to catch a runner caught between second and third. He was also able to pick off a runner at first with a quick move. Harrison has some physical projection left in him and possessed a confident mound presence today in his successful outing.

Batters had a difficult time mustering any sort of offensive attack against Patrick Straub (2020, Naperville, Ill.). The 6-foot-2 righty boasts an effective three-pitch mix that prevented the opposition from really sitting on any one pitch. The fastball was anywhere from 83-87 mph, thrown with short and quick arm action and featuring natural sink and some slight arm-side run. Straub’s curveball, which had 11-to-5 shape, occasionally showed sharp break and got some hitters to whiff, although he tends to bury it a bit too far in front of the hitter at times. And while he slightly slowed the arm speed on the changeup, it proved to be an effective off-speed pitch on the day, dropping around 10 mph off the fastball while showing good fade to the arm side. Straub displayed the ability to throw each of these pitches for strikes multiple times and kept hitters guessing regarding sequencing, as he used each pitch at least once to punch out a batter. The eighth-ranked Illinois righty in his class, Straub really knows how to pitch, and it will be interesting to watch his continued development. He ended up throwing 3 1/3 no-hit innings in a blowout win.

– Cameron Hines





There is a lot to like about Dulin’s Dodgers 15u Prime arm Nick Bitsko (2021, Doylestown, Pa.) during this week’s 16u WWBA National Championship. Bitsko was able to run his lively fastball up to 95 on Friday before settling in anywhere from 90-93. Bitsko also showed great feel for a breaking ball on Friday, and the rising sophomore has a number of qualities on the mound that are advanced for a rising sophomore. Bitsko stays loose and fluid throughout his motion, and the repeatable lower half works well with a quick and effortless arm stroke. He does a great job of getting over his front side and creating plane with an extended over-the-top release. Bitsko is an athletic righty that stands at 6-foot-3, 210-pounds. He is a Virginia recruit in the class of 2021, and as he continues to add strength he should also continue to add velocity. It is early, but this arm is definitely one to keep an eye on in the future.

– Nate Schweers


Liam Norris (2020, Cary, N.C.) is far from a hidden secret at this point in his career, firming establishing himself as not only one of the top lefthanders in the 2020 class, but as one of the best arms among his grade. More than looking the part at 6-foot-4, 215-pounds, Norris is currently the No. 2-ranked prospect after his showing at the Junior National Showcase and continues to show refinements to his game every time he takes the mound.

It was a quicker look at the future North Carolina Tar Heel as he threw four innings but still managed to punch out seven and though he was scattered some around the zone, he showed the ability to battle and make his pitches when he needed them the most. Already physically imposing on the mound, factor in Norris’s higher three-quarters slot and you’re looking as some severe plane on his fastball which opened up at 90-92 mph, bumping a 93 once in the first. There are still some refinements to be made mechanically with his lower half but given that he’s essentially two years away from graduating and already showing premium stuff from the left side, it’s hard an issue.

The fastball itself shows some hard angle when working to his glove side, something he did more than once to freeze righthanded hitters and offered late running life when getting to his arm side. There’s some serious arm speed as you’d expect given the velocity his able to produce, as well as solid extension out front, both factors that make it more than plausible that additional velocity is on its way.

The biggest takeaway for me personally was the off-speed for Norris as he showed both a curveball and slider, landing every curveball for strikes he threw early on. Last summer Norris showed a curveball that worked in the low-70s but it was the type of pitch you could project on easier than most in becoming a potential power pitch. Jump to present day and it has developed into just that as it now works in the upper-70s with late bite to the back foot of righthanded hitters from a similar release point. The slider is a newer pitch to the arsenal which has been on display throughout the summer, offering hard and late tilt in the mid-80s, giving him a distinct three-pitch mix.

Another top 10 prospect who suits up for Team Elite, outfielder Trejyn Fletcher (2020, Portland, Maine) looks even more physical than he did last summer and is one of the premier athletes in the 2020 class. Listed as a strong yet loose 6-foot-2, 195-pounds, you’d be hard pressed to find somebody with more bat speed than what the future Vanderbilt Commodore is capable of producing and showed during his first couple at-bats of the 16u WWBA. Simplifying his overall mechanics in the box with a more upright stance, Fletcher still possesses explosive hands which in turn results in that aforementioned bat speed, impact the ball as hard any bat on day one. He ended the game with a couple of knocks, the loudest of which came in his first at-bat as he turned around a pitch for a hard line drive single into left field. You can see Fletcher's single here on Twitter.

In a tournament that features predominately rising juniors, lefthander Tristan Smith (2022, Chesnee, S.C.) is set to enter his freshman season this upcoming fall though you wouldn’t guess his age given his 6-foot-1, 180-pound frame nor his fastball which topped out at 89 mph in the first inning. Limited to just two innings to keep his pitch count down and come back later in the tournament, Smith was dominant to open the game as he showed a loose and fast arm stroke, filling the zone with his fastball while punching out the side in the first. Come the next inning, Smith didn’t have his sharpest command working out of the stretch but still showed impressive velocity for a rising freshman and his arm stroke is one that will keep college recruiters enamored for the upcoming years.

The other half of the Smith twin duo, Ashton Smith (2022, Chesnee, S.C.) worked a quick inning of his own at the backend of the game, running his fastball up to 84 mph from the left side. More physical of the Smith’s standing at a long and broad 6-foot-2, 202-pound build, Ashton works with a simple set of mechanics in which he pumps his hands in unison with his leg lift before hiding the ball well behind his back hip and ultimately working to a high three-quarters release. The ball comes out of his hand cleanly and easily, leaving plenty of optimism that he’ll throw harder than the 81-84 mph range he showed opening day, and that jump will certainly come sooner rather than later.

Throwing in between the Tristan and Ashton Smith was yet another lefthander in Rocco Reid (2020, Greenville, S.C.), a talented southpaw who has already made his verbal commitment to in-state Clemson. While not as big as either Smith standing at 5-foot-11, 160-pounds, the ease of operation is more than noteworthy as Reid bumped an 87 early with his fastball and lived within the 84-86 mph range throughout with the fastball, still showing 86 on his 55th and final pitch of the outing. While his delivery with up-tempo and he’ll occasionally get disjointed between his halves in timing coming down the mound, Reid’s arm stroke is quick and creates nice angle out of the hand with occasional sink when down in the zone. The ball comes out cleanly without much effort, allowing for more projection, though he already knows how to pound the zone as evidenced by his eight strike outs in just three innings of work.

The Beaumont Gladiators, like many other teams, brought out some of their big arms during game one of pool play, throwing both Peyton Havard (2020, Orange, Texas) and Logan Hamm (2020, Orange, Texas), both of whom play together in the spring at Bridge City High School.

Strongly built at 5-foot-11, 210-pounds, Havard came out attacking with a fastball that sat in the upper-80s (peak 89 mph) a range the uncommitted righthanded didn’t deter from throughout his five innings of work. More impressive than his ability to hold the velocity was the way in which he pounded the strike zone and attacked hitters with his fastball, ending his outing with 10 strikeouts to zero walks and just two hits. And while he strides open with his front side down the mound, he shows plenty of arm quickness to remain on time, consistently generating plane and working down in the zone with his fastball. Havard also mixed in a 12-to-6 shaped curveball and showed comfort in landing the pitch for strike with some depth to it in the 71-74 mph range.

Listed as a primary outfielder, Hamm did a little bit of everything for the Gladiators, showing both bat speed and strength in the box with a double and a homer while also punching out two in two innings. Hamm – like Havard – is uncommitted, though the 6-foot, 200-pound two-way prospect certainly opened some eyes with his performance as he also bumped a 91 with his fastball early in his first inning of work. There’s still refinements to be made to his delivery, particularly in his lower half finish which could unlock additional velocity, though he’s already able to generate 88-90 mph fastballs pretty easily thanks to the quickness of his right arm, showing short life down in the zone. And while he’ll tend to slow on operation on the off speed, Hamm showed both a slider and curveball, adding to the potential of two-way possibilities at the next level.




Righthander Carson Montgomery (2020, Windermere, Fla) continued to impress this summer on the mound, maintaining the jump in velocity he showed while refining his mechanics and becoming comfortable on the mound. Highly athletic and still plenty projectable at 6-foot-2, 190-pounds, the future Florida State Seminole worked two quick innings for Power Baseball who monitored the pitch count in order to bring back the power armed righthander later in the tournament.

It didn’t take the former 14u PG Select Festival member long to make his mark, running his fastball up to 93 mph against the first batter, ultimately bumping 94 while living very comfortably in the 89-92 mph range both out of the wind up and stretch. Despite his longer limbs Montgomery utilizes a shorter stride, something that he can lengthen out over the next couple of years, but the arm speed more than stands out as he produces that premium velocity with relative ease showing a full and quick stroke through the zone. Over his two innings of work Montgomery punched out two and showed more running life to his heater than I’ve seen in viewings past.

His slider, like it was at Junior National, is an advanced secondary offering which he landed in the 82-84 mph range with tight rotation and later tilt through the zone, getting righthanded hitters to swing over the top or connect for end of the barrel type contact. He also flashed a changeup at 82 mph, a pitch he doesn’t show often but will continue to develop the more he throws it.

– Jheremy Brown
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