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Tournaments  | Story  | 9/17/2018

South Qualifier Notes: Days 3

Vincent Cervino     
Photo: Yohandy Morales (Perfect Game)

2018 WWBA South Qualifier Daily Leaders | Scout Notes Days 1-2



Day three of the South Qualifier has come and gone and there were loud performance from both position prospects and pitching prospects as well. One of the better known two-way players, and 2018 Perfect Game All-American, Sanson Faltine III (2019, Richmond, Texas) has enjoyed a strong weekend up to this point, showing off a quick stroke in the batter’s box and athleticism up the middle. He has split time between shortstop and third base this weekend and has made a number of plays that have impressed, whether it be the arm strength to nail runners on close plays or the twitch and balance to throw out runners while on the run or charge in.

Faltine is a talented two-way performer, he is deadly on the mound with his two pitch mix of lively low-90s fastball and high-spin breaking ball, but has exclusively performed as a position player this weekend. The swing is compact and quick through the zone and the looseness to the stroke allows him to make contact at a high clip. He didn’t swing and miss often, in fact he often fought off tough pitches and was able to get the ball in play, often hard. The athleticism, barrel skills, and potential two-way ability make him a high-level prospect and the next few months will determine whether he ends up at Texas or signing with a pro team next June.




After a scorching hot summer proved he was one of the class’ finest hitting prospects, Yohandy Morales (2020, Miami, Fla.) showed off what makes him such an appealing prospect, as the offensive tools are some of, if not, the best in the country. The 6-foot-4, 180-pound frame is going to retain a lot of strength at maturity, and it’s easy to see Morales filling out significantly and becoming a potent power threat at the next level. Morales is listed as a shortstop, though if he fills out significantly that size might push him over to third base, and his hands work really well over at the position. He and Faltine split duties at about a 50/50 clip this weekend and was solid at both positions.

The aforementioned hitting tools are the draw of the profile for the Miami commit, and while Morales looks the part of a big time power-hitting prospect, the ball acts as such off the barrel as well. Morales has a mostly quiet set up and load, save for a slight hand hitch that allows him to sync up his lower half as a timing mechanism, before he explodes onto the baseball at the point of contact. The swing is very loose with obvious bat speed and he does a pretty solid job at putting the ball in the air; his lower half and hips are downright explosive as they allow him to generate a significant amount of torque and power from the strength in his legs. He laced a couple of extra base hits over the weekend, most notably being a deep laser shot to straight away centerfield that he hustled around the bases for a triple. The tools and projection are all there to dream on Morales as a hitter, and it’s becoming clear quickly that he is a notable name to know for the 2020 draft class.

The Dallas Raiders Elite won three games on Sunday to advance to the semifinals and one of the big offensive contributors on the day was Grand Canyon commit Daniel Garcia (2020, Yucaipa, Calif.). The middle infielder has been playing almost a utility role defensively, but the smooth lefthanded stroke makes him a very intriguing prospect. Garcia woke up the crowd during the 8AM time slot with a loud, no-doubt home run to the pull side that exploded off the barrel. Garcia’s swing path is a bit long, but he has a very smooth barrel plane with a good deal of loft to the plane. This allows Garcia to create some barrel whip and launch balls into the air well, as he did with the bomb during game one. He has found the barrel a good deal over the course of the weekend and is another cog in what is a very talented Dallas Raiders team.

Possessing some of the best athleticism in the class, outfielder JT Mounce (2019, Cypress, Texas) had a solid weekend for Hunter Pence Danielson, and showed off his bevy of tools throughout the tournament. Mounce is an extremely fast-twitched, highly athletic outfielder who posted one of the best 60 times at PG National with a dash of 6.30 seconds. The Oklahoma State commit is an easy plus runner, he swiped five bags this weekend, with explosive burst out of the box and the swing itself aids in that department as it is compact, and very direct through the zone. Mounce’s hands guide his barrel path nicely as the directness of the path allows him to manipulate the barrel very effectively. This allows him to work the entire field well and go gap-to-gap seemingly at will. He smoked a number of line drives to every fields highlighted by his pull side, game-tying triple to the right center alley in their final pool play game. Mounce is an exciting package as a prospect with the run and hit tools leading the way, even though his slender frame might fool some he throws 88 mph from the outfield, and looks to be in store for a big fall.




Texas A&M commit Wyatt Tucker (2020, Douglass, Texas) had a strong summer and turned in one of the stronger performances on playoff day with an extremely efficient four perfect innings on the mound while running his fastball up to 92 mph on the day. The physicality jumps off the frame for the 6-foot-3, 190-pounds with broad shoulders and room for significant physical projection. Tucker throws from a shorter, quick arm stroke and the high arm slot allows him to create some plane and sink when working to the arm side, though he showed he could work to either side seemingly at will. It was clear from the onset that Tucker had a plan of attack and execute said plan remarkably well. He would set up hitters with the fastball, which worked mostly 86-91 mph and topped out once at 92 mph on the afternoon, and would put them away with a tight spinning breaking ball. The breaker fluctuated in terms of shape at times, but was best when he threw it with conviction in the upper-70s to act as a slider that racked up the swings and misses. He could also locate the pitch within the strike zone on the, admittedly rare, occasion that he couldn’t throw the fastball for a strike. Tucker looks like a solid piece in the Aggies 2020 class at present and he is certainly a prospect on the upswing.

Uncommitted senior Addison Sells (2019, Helotes, Texas) turned in a stellar effort for Premier Baseball of Texas in what would ultimately be in a losing effort for Premier, however Sells showed a number of things to like out of an uncommitted lefthanded pitcher. The 6-foot-4, 216-pound listing seems a bit liberal but he does have good size, strength to the build, and athleticism to boot. The arm works very well with a loose stroke and a higher arm slot that could create some life, though that higher release. Sells throws with a bit of effort and falls off toward third base, but he does a fair job at repeating and maintaining his mechanics well. His fastball worked mostly in the 85-88 mph range while bumping 89 mph whenever he needed it. The maintainence of the fastball velocity wsa solid and the pitch showed some late life to it. Sells has a very good feel for both secondary pitches and showed both early and often against the opposition. The changeup is very firm, in the low-80s, with extremely late dive and sink that he would mix in often against righthanders, and a hard breaking ball that flashed some bite when thrown hard. Sells is a rarity amongst uncommitted seniors and looks to be one of the best currently available on the market.

There were a couple of interesting, potential international prospects that showed out during bracket play on Sunday as Estharlin Jose Castillo Damaso (2019, Southlake, Texas) and Alexander Ayala (2020, Miami Lakes, Fla.) bot showed off some interesting potential.

Castillo, initially from the Dominican Republic, is a long, lanky righthander with long arms and impressive velocity. The delivery is a bit inconsistent at times but the arm stroke is fast and the release is fairly low effort for someone who can ramp it up. Castillo touched 93 mph in an abbreviated appearance on Friday night and worked 88-92 mph with his fastball during his start on Sunday. The fastball flashed some very hard, arm side running life on the pitch as he delivered the fastball to the hitters. There is athleticism to the delivery, but there are some kinks that could be ironed out in terms of being able to repeat as he struggled at times to consistently worked the strike zone. Although he didn’t show any secondary pitches the low effort fastball velocity coupled with projection and athleticism on the frame is extremely intriguing and deserving of being monitored closely moving forward.

Ayala was fantastic during the Banditos win in the quarterfinals as he tossed a little over five innings while allowing no hits and striking out nine batters. The lean lefthander worked mostly with a strong two-pitch mix and did a good job at consistently working the strike zone from pitch one. Ayala lived in the upper-80s, sitting mostly 86-89 mph, and maintained that velocity very nicely with a good amount of life upon entering the strike zone as well. The delivery is very loose and clean, with a whippy arm that is in sync nicely with his lower half upon foot strike and is a good position to delivery strikes upon release. The breaking ball was a tight spinning pitch and flashed some very god potential when he threw it hard. Ayala could add and subtract with the pitch and locate it too and got a good amount of ugly swings against his stuff.
 
– Vincent Cervino
Long-time Perfect Game participants, the South Texas Sliders, once again fielded a solid club. They were led by their dynamic leadoff hitter, Chase Cloud (2021, Rosenberg, Texas). The scrappy lefthanded hitter, who is a sophomore at Foster High School in suburban Houston, set the table consistently for the powerful Sliders lineup. Cloud is a patient hitter who always sees a lot of pitches and gives his teammates a great look at the opposition pitcher. He uses the entire field to spray line drives. He has a short, quick, and direct swing and a flat bat path that allows him to keep his bat on plane and in the zone a long time. Once on base, Cloud is an aggressive and instinctive runner who can and will take the extra base.

The Prospects National Club was paced by a solid starting pitching staff and a couple of outstanding hitters. Standing out for the Prospects on the hill was lefty Dash Albus (2021, Abilene, Texas). The crafty lefty, who is a sophomore at Wylie HS, mixed and matched all day for his club and worked quickly, keeping his defense engaged and on their toes. His out pitch was a heavy sinking and running two-seam fastball that he worked to both sides of the plate. He also showed a sharp 12-to-6 breaking ball that he ably added and subtracted on. He pitched to contact and consistently stayed ahead of hitters, inducing a lot of weak swings. The West Texas southpaw has a very mature presence and a bright future.

Easton "Bo" Willis (2019, Magnolia, Texas) has been a standout in Perfect Game events for quite some time and certainly did not disappoint this weekend. He flashed his ever-present power stroke at the plate and his great ability to consistently get his barrel to the ball. The burly 6-foot-2, 200-pound senior at Magnolia HS is also a plus behind the plate. His mature disposition in handling the Prospects staff helped lead his club’s hurlers through some very tough competition. Willis sets up well and gives umpires a great look at each pitch. He has soft hands and presents the ball like a veteran backstop. He gains ground and transitions to throw at an advanced level. His quick trigger and accurate arm make him a solid prospect.

Zachary Davis (2019, Denton, Texas) is a sweet swinging switch hitter from North Texas. A senior at Flower Mound Marcus HS, the 6-foot-2, 180-pound center fielder is also a gifted basketball player and uses his advanced speed and easy running style to command the challenging middle outfield position. He possesses plus arm strength and is a highly accurate thrower. His offensive skills are exceptional. He is smooth to and through contact and the ball jumps off his bat. He can turn on inside pitches and drive the ball to the opposite field on pitches away.

Pacing the Performance Baseball Club on the hill in action at the University of Houston on Saturday was righthanded pitcher Reid Taylor (2020, Woden, Texas). Cut from the “Texas righthanded pitcher” mold, the 6-foot-2, 210-pound power pitcher is just scratching the surface and is on course to be a solid prospect. His mechanics are very sound and the junior at Woden HS will certainly start turning heads as he progresses through his last two years at the prep level. His long arm action and high three-quarters arm slot are both smooth and deceptive. He doesn’t appear to put any strain on his arm and the ball jumps out of his hand. He used two solid pitches to get through his outing and they were impressive. His four-seam fastball sat in the 86-88 mph range and was thrown to both sides of the plate and to all four quadrants. His slider (69-70) was a sharp and quick breaker that missed bats. Taylor has the build and presence to make a big jump the next two years.

The Banditos-Robinson team ran a very impressive righthanded pitcher out to the mound on Sunday morning and his outing was as good as anyone’s in the tournament. Theron Brown (2019, Lindale, Texas) was one play shy of a perfect five innings. The 6-foor-3, 187-pound senior at Lindale HS was masterful. He used a solid three-pitch mix to punch out 11 hitters in five innings and only allowed one baserunner, on a strike three passed ball. The lanky righty has a fastball that was consistently clocked in the 86-87 mph range and it appears that that velocity will only keep increasing as his career continues. He also showed two very solid complimentary pitches that locked up a lot of hitters and missed a number of bats. His cutter, which is a wipeout swing-and-miss pitch, was clocked at 75-77 mph and his 12-to-6 curveball (70-71 mph) just froze hitters and either saw no swings or very feeble attempts. What impresses most, however, is the young man’s poise and mound presence. His five-inning outing only saw him throw 70 pitches to produce 15 outs. Brown has the frame and makeup to continue development and the disposition and pitch-ability to be a solid prospect as his career continues.

Listed at 6-foot-5 and 200-pounds, lefthanded pitcher, Bodi Rascon (2019, Bridgeport, Texas) is an impressive looking hurler with big upside. The Oklahoma State commit has a classic lefthanded style. He has a long takeaway and an extended finish and is very smooth and consistent with his mechanics and three-quarters arm slot. He looks like he is just playing catch and the radar lights up at between 88 and 91 mph. He also mixes in a sharp 12-to-6 curveball and a wipeout 11-to-5 slider. He shows the ability to use any pitch in any count and pitches effectively to both sides of the plate. Make no mistake, however, his calling card is an explosive fastball that is especially impressive down in the zone. Rascon has a big upside and a very bright future and should continue to develop as he matures.

– Jerry Miller
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