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PG Series  | PG Series Classic  | 8/1/2018

Sophomore Series Classic Notes

Photo: Brandon Fields (Perfect Game)

Warm and sunny skies greeted players and fans at JetBlue Park for the opening of the 2018 PG Sophomore Series Classic. Fans, and the many college and professional scouts on hand, were treated to quality baseball throughout the day. Everyone in attendance had to leave the complex impressed with the high level of quality baseball exhibited.

The South Florida squad is a talented group. Many on the club have projectable talent and they certainly played at a very high level all morning. Florida International commit Sebastian "Bazz" Jimenez (2020, Miami, Fla.) is a gifted catcher and a talented hitter. His catch-and-throw skills are as sound as any in Fort Myers and he can also swing the stick. The athletic Miami native uses a quick and flat path and a middle-of-the-field mentality to hit line drives from gap-to-gap.

Reynaldo Hernandez (2020, Miami, Fla.) is the slick-fielding second baseman and a middle-of-the-order switch-hitter for the South Florida team. Like his teammate Jimenez, Hernandez will play his college ball at Florida International. Defensively he is a natural at second and shows all the requisite skills to play at a high level. He has outstanding first-step quickness and can make all the plays on the right side. He has a powerful and accurate arm and can turn the double play with precision. He has a smooth and direct path to the ball when he is at the plate. He is patient and disciplined and gets his hands to and through the zone with a slight lift. He consistently gets his barrel to the ball and drives it especially well to the pull side regardless which side of the plate he swings from.

Ethan Hurst (2020, Port Richey, Fla.) is a hard-hitting outfielder. He has playable skills in left field. He understands positioning and gets good jumps on the ball. The athletically built Hurst also has a playable arm that is very accurate. His best, and most projectable tool is his hit tool as he has a great ability to power the baseball to the deepest parts of the field. He incorporates a strong lower half and stays on plane for a long time in getting his barrel to the ball.

FIU commit and righthanded pitcher Shawn Perez (2020, Cutler Bay, Fla.) was first on the hill for the South Florida bunch and he didn’t disappoint. He is not a big velo guy, but he sure knows how to pitch. His fastball was never thrown above 84-86 mph but it was also never thrown to the heart of the plate. He mixed in a quality 71-72 mph slurvy breaking ball that buckled knees. He also used a plus changeup (76-78 mph) that was very deceptive because it was thrown out of the same window and with the same arm action as his fastball.

The Gulf Coast squad is composed of players from several southern states and their abilities, individually and collectively, was evident.

Matthew Peak (2020, Auburn, Ala.) is a gifted center fielder and leadoff hitter. The speedy and athletic Peak can make all the plays in center and has a plus arm that showed both strength and accuracy. He is a patient hitter who obviously understands his role at the top of the order. He looks for pitches middle-away and uses an inside-out swing and a flat bat path to drive balls up the middle and to the off field. Once on the bases, Peak is an instinctive and aggressive runner.

Big Cajun Dylan Carmouche (2020, Denham Springs, La.), a Louisiana-Lafayette commit, is a very projectable talent. The 6-foot-5, 205-pound lefty toed the bump early for the Gulf Coast squad. He uses a number of different arm angles and deceptive mechanics to keep opposition hitters off balance and in emergency hack mode. His fastball has plus run and sink, especially when thrown with a low three-quarters arm angle. He can also throw a four-seamer with a high three-quarters slot that has explosive riding life at the dish. He has a solid breaking ball that is a hybrid, with break that is more sweeping and frisbee-like than over-the-top. That pitch is his out pitch to lefties. Carmouche can also swing the bat, and the switch-hitter flashed plus power with the ability to drive the ball, with authority, to either gap.

An athletic presence at first base is Mason Flinn (2020, Houston, Texas). The solidly built Texan shows plus ability with a glove on his hand and is not just another big guy playing first base. He has quick and nimble feet and is a plus fielder with soft hands. He also has a powerful arm that could certainly play well at third base. At the plate, Flinn shows a powerful cut that has a slight lift at contact. He has strong hands and forearms and incorporates that strength into his quality swing path.

There are a number of talented middle infielders in Fort Myers this week, but none are better than Colin Innes (2020, Acworth, Ga.). The lightening quick, sure-handed Innes is a heady and instinctive fielder who understands positioning and has a feel for getting into position to make all the plays. He has a very quick throwing motion and an arm that shows both strength and accuracy.

The Southeast club received a solid outing from righthander Charles (CJ) Harrison (2020, Winder, Ga.). Harrison showed an impressive four-pitch mix and displayed a poise and presence usually reserved for players with much more experience. His four-seamer touched 86 mph and he sat comfortably at 82-84 mph. His two-seamer, that shows both run and sink and is a touch pitch to righthanded hitters, was in the 80-82 mph range. He also throws a sharp-breaking slider (74-75 mph) that shows late action at the dish and a quality changeup that he uses almost exclusively against lefthanded hitters.

The Mid-Atlantic team was led on the field by their starting pitcher, and Tennessee commit, Blade Tidwell (2020, Loretto, Tenn.). The long and lean righthander, used three quality pitches, for three very efficient innings, to help pace his club to a victory in morning action. His riding four-seamer was consistently clocked in the mid- to upper-80s and was always around the strike zone. He complimented his plus heater with a sweeping, 78-80 mph breaking ball. He also mixed in a mature 73-74 mph changeup that he used effectively against lefthanded hitters. Rocky Top is getting a quality individual and pitcher who will only get better with experience.

Another standout athlete to take to the Jet Blue Fields today was Chayce Meade (2020, Staffordsville, Ky.). The righthanded hitter is a contact first swinger who uses a flat bat path and very quick hands to drive the ball to the middle of the diamond. He is also a gifted base runner who is always a threat to take the extra bag.

Jonathan Wall (2020, Virginia Beach, Va.) showed shutdown stuff pitching in relief of Mid-Atlantic’s second ball game this morning. The strike-throwing righthander pounded the zone with a well-commanded fastball that he kept off the heart of the dish and away from the barrel of his opponent’s bats. He worked quickly and with great poise and faced the minimum over two innings of work.

The Deep South team is a talented bunch of Southwest Floridians who play with a noticeable passion and a keen understanding of the fundamentals. Leading the club on the field is shortstop Alex Freeland (2020, Cape Coral, Fla.). The gifted switch-hitter is a powerfully built athlete who can drive the ball out of the park or bunt for a base hit. He is poised and patient at the plate and has outstanding pitch recognition skills. On the bases, he is a heady plus-runner who is both instinctive and aggressive. He is a polished infielder who shows great footwork, soft hands and a plus arm that is highly accurate.

McFaddin (Mac) Moise (2020, Cape Coral, Fla.), a Florida Gulf Coast commit, is one of the top catch-and-throw receivers in Fort Myers this week. He shows outstanding leadership skills from behind the plate. He understands pitch sequencing and helps his pitchers control the tempo of the game. He also keeps his infielders active, involved, and in the moment. He shows plus transition and transfer abilities and has a quick trigger that allows his plus arm to get his throws to any base quickly and accurately. He is also an accomplished hitter who uses a flatter bat path to drive the ball to the gaps.

Crafty lefty Kyle Flynn (2020, Dunedin, Fla.) comes out of traditional powerhouse Calvary Christian in the Tampa area. He uses solid, repeatable mechanics and a plus feel for pitching to get ahead, stay ahead and put hitters away. The velo on his fastball is not overpowering but his ability to pitch with his fastball is. He works the edges like a veteran. He adds and subtracts on his fastball and changes eye levels consistently. He also mixes in a tight spinning slurve and a quality changeup. His poise on the hill is commendable and the pace at which he pitches helps keep his defenders on their toes and ready to make plays behind him.

Making an impressive appearance on the hill after Flynn had worked his three-plus innings was Justin Clark (2020, Fort Myers, Fla.). The long and lean righthander was a perfect compliment to the precision throwing starter. Clark uses a longer arm action and throws down the hill and primarily pitches off his heavy, sinking fastball (82-83 mph). Hitters had a tough time squaring up anything he threw around the plate because of the late downward life on his heater. He also mixed in just enough 11-to-5 sweeping breaking balls to keep hitters guessing.

The Mid-South club team is composed primarily of players from the Carolinas and Georgia. Their talent was obvious to all in attendance. Manning the hot corner for the Mid-South team was Braison Bourne (2020, Lexington, S.C.). The tall and agile Bourne showed outstanding footwork and a great understanding of positioning. He can also throw the ball with authority and accuracy and is especially good at throwing on the run. He can swing the stick, too. He is a contact-first offensive player who looks to drive the ball to the middle of the diamond using a flatter swing path that is quick and compact.

Myles Hedgecock (2020, Columbia, S.C.) was first up on the hill for the Mid-South club. The lanky righthander used noticeably deceptive mechanics and a four-pitch mix to keep his opponents on the defensive at the plate. He pitches with a low three-quarters arm slot and a whippy arm action and hides the ball well. His pitches appear to jump out of his hand and hitters look to have difficulty tracking what he throws. Pitch recognition, or lack thereof, is one of Hedgecock’s primary weapons. His fastball was always around the 80-mph range and showed consistent arm-side run and sink. He could throw that pitch capably to both edges. He also threw a frisbee-like slider as his second pitch that was especially tough on righthanded hitters. He liked to throw lefties his changeup that had late depth at the dish. He even raised his arm angle a couple of times showed hitters a curveball, if, for no other reason, than to give them one more pitch to worry about. His pitchability is the righthander’s calling card and he used his stuff quite well.

The West team’s long and lean Ethan Campos (2020, Houston, Texas) is out of the mold of a lot of power righthanders from the Lone Star State. He pitches off his well-commanded riding four-seamer (85-87 mph) with a clean arm action and highly repeatable mechanics. He complements his fastball with a tight-spinning 12-to-6 curveball that shows late break at the plate. He also showed a solid changeup at 61 mph. Make no mistake, however, the righthander from Texas pumps the fastball with a purpose.

The club from the Bahamas is fun to watch as they obviously love playing baseball and they have talent in abundance. Everett Cooper (2021, Nassau, Bahamas) is a blur of a center fielder, as to say he can run would be an understatement. There aren’t too many balls that he can’t get to and he also has a playable arm that is highly accurate. His No. 1 tool however is his ability to hit the baseball. He has an easy swing that produces an explosive result. The ball sounds a little different coming off his bat. He has plus strength and the ball jumps off his barrel. He can drive the ball to the gaps with authority. His plus speed on the bases just makes him more of a threat.

Dax Stubbs (2021, Nassau, Bahamas) is also a burner who can swing the bat. The righthanded hitter uses a slightly different hitting style, however. He is more of a slasher and a runner and uses more of a flat, line drive swing path. He sprays the ball to all parts of the field. His triple down the right field line was made even more impressive by the fact the he was standing up when he got to third base.

Evan Sweeting (2020, Delray Beach, Fla.) turned in a solid job on the hill for Team Bahamas. The command-and-control righthander used a high three-quarters arm action to consistently pound the strike zone with three quality pitches. His fastball was consistently clocked between 81-83 mph and was always thrown to the edges. His 12-to-6 breaking curveball showed tight spin and was especially effective against righthanded hitters. His out-pitch to lefties was a tumbling 73-74 mph changeup that he started at the middle of the plate and had it move away from the lefthanded hitters.

Playing for the Coastal club this week is South Carolina commit Brandon Fields (2020, Orlando, Fla.). Simply put, Fields is a baseball player. He has several tools that project, and project well, to the next level. The future SEC player is a gifted athlete with a solid frame that will allow him to gain additional size and strength. He is a powerful runner who chews up ground. He has a quick, compact swing that is more line drive oriented but he appears to have the strength to hit a mistake out of the ballpark. He is a tremendously gifted center fielder who can run down any ball hit to the gaps and has a plus, playable arm that is highly accurate.

The North team is talented. They are a tough and gritty bunch that plays hard and plays together. Chayton Beck (2020, Liberty, Mo.) is a solid righthanded hitter who appears to have a plan every time he goes to the plate. He is a patient hitter who has obvious pitch recognition abilities. He uses a middle-of-the-field mentality and a flat bat path to drive the ball consistently to the gaps. He is also an advanced runner who will take the extra base.

Jacob Waleszonia (2020, Jonesboro, Ark.) is also a contact-first swinger who hunts fastballs and has a keen ability to not chase off the plate. He is more of an inside-out swinger and lets the ball travel deeper in the zone. He likes the ball away but he can also turn on an inside pitch.

Jared Novak (2020, Oswego, Ill.) took to the hill first for the North squad and was solid from the get-go. The command-and-control righty pitched with great pace, working the edges and using an economy of pitches. He pitched off his fastball that he never threw to the heart of the plate and mixed in a commendable breaking ball that he often got hitters to chase.

Although the Puerto Rico – Red squad had their second contest of the day halted in the second inning, they did run a righthanded pitcher out to the bump who showed solid command and control abilities. Alex Burgos Negron (2018, Gurabo, Puerto Rico) didn’t get to throw many pitches, but the ones he did throw were impressive. His well-commanded fastball at 85-86 mph was never thrown to the heart of the plate and was always on the black on both sides of the dish. His curveball showed tight spin and depth and was a quality second pitch. The composed and mature righthander showed a clean arm action and highly polished mechanics.

– Jerry Miller
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