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Tournaments  | Story  | 10/14/2018

Sophomore World Day 2 Notes

Taylor Weber      Jerry Miller     
Photo: Austin Grause (Perfect Game)

2018 WWBA Sophomore World Championship: Daily Leaders | Day 1 Notes

If the conclusion of pool play is any indication, the battle for the championship trophy during the playoffs, which begin on Sunday morning, is sure to exciting, emotional and highly entertaining. A number of the teams who will take part in the single-elimination playoff bracket were securing their berth in the championship round on Saturday at jetBlue Park.

The very deep and talented 5 Star Black 16U club used their relentless offense and smothering defense to finish pool play with a 3-0 record. Outscoring their opponents by a combined score of 27-3, the 5 Star Club is relentless in pressuring opponents with their unending offensive attack. Picking just a few players to highlight is an almost impossible task as there are many standouts on this talented ball club. A few that stood out on Saturday are most deserving.

Wyatt Campbell (2021, Ocala, Fla.), the 6-foot3, 190-pound third baseman for the 5 Star team, is a patient righthanded hitter who flashed raw power to the pull side with a slugger’s lift at contact. He has a solid lower half and is strong through his core which allows him to consistently drive the baseball. On the bases, he shows plus average speed and a great understanding of how to run the bases.

Florida State commit Brodie Chestnut (2021, Wray, Ga.), like Campbell, is a solidly built 6-foot-3, 195-pound first baseman who has an outstanding ability to regularly get his barrel on plane and through contact. He is more middle-of-the-field oriented with his swing path, but the ball jumps off his bat. On the bases he is an instinctive and aggressive runner who will press the action.

The 5 Star Black 16u club has a very talented left fielder in Auston Brewer (2021, Fort Wayne, Ind.). The righthanded swinging, powerfully built Hoosier doesn’t get cheated when he swings the bat. His solid lower half helps him create great torque in and with his swing. His swing path has a little bit of lift at contact, but the key to his success at the plate is his ultra-quick bat speed. His quick and powerful trigger helps him consistently drive the ball to the pull side.

The Scorpions 2021 Founders Club has yet to allow a run in the 2018 WWBA Sophomore World Championship Tournament in posting a perfect 3-0 pool play record. The club has a deep and talented pitching staff and takes great pride in their almost flawless team defense. The player who both handles the pitching staff, and acts as the field general for the Scorpions defense is their catcher Joshua Steidl (2021, Delray Beach, Fla.). The strong and agile 5-foot-11, 205-pound backstop shows advanced actions in every phase of his defensive game. He presents a low profile at the ready giving umpires a clear view of all pitches. He is smooth and easy in his movement to receive pitches. He has very soft and sure hands and is an exceptional framer of pitches. He calls a veteran’s game and keeps all his pitchers focused and attentive to detail. As toolsy as he is with the mechanics of catching, his ability to throw the baseball separates him from a lot of catchers in his age group. He shows solid footwork and has a quick trigger. His throws are on the mark and show consistent carry.

The Team Elite Prime 16u club is loaded and their offense is relentless. There are zero holes in their lineup as evidenced by the 32 runs they have put on the board in three games. They combine their powerful offense with sound defense and an almost unhittable pitching staff.

Leading the way on the mound Saturday was Mason Albright (2021, Thurmont, Md.). The 5-foot-11, 170-pound southpaw pitches off his lively 84-85 mph fastball that he throws with almost pinpoint control to both edges of the plate. His advanced ability to consistently throw his fastball for strikes allows him to pitch ahead and then use his sharp, 12-to-6 breaking curveball (67-68 mph) as his put-away out-pitch.

Benny Montgomery (2021, Lewisberry, Pa.) is a Virginia commit who sets the table out of the leadoff spot for Team Elite Prime. The 6-foot-4, 175-pound righthanded swinger can drive the baseball to both gaps with authority. He has outstanding pitch recognition ability and a very quick load. His flat path stays on plane for a long time and the ball jumps off his bat. Once on the bases, the agile Montgomery shows advanced speed and an instinctive ability to take the extra base.

Following Montgomery in the gifted Elite Prime lineup is Wake Forest commit Christopher Katz (2021, Raleigh, N.C.). The solidly built 6-foot, 200-pound Katz can drive the baseball with authority, especially to the opposite field. He sees the ball deep and gets his barrel to the ball consistently. He has a powerful core and strength through his shoulders and hands which allow him to regularly show his raw power.

The Hit Factory Pro club fought their way into the playoffs behind a great pitcher/catcher combo that willed their team to victory in a crucial pool play game at jetBlue. Starting righthanded pitcher Austin Grause (2021, Tampa, Fla.) was dynamic in pitching his club to victory. The 5-foot-11, 150-pound righty pitched off his well-commanded fastball (86-88 mph) that showed solid riding life, as he effectively pitched up in the zone. He mixed in a sharp, 11-to-5 breaking slider (72-74 mph) that was a great complement to his heater.

Handling the Hit Factory staff was Satchell Norman (2021, Sarasota, Fla.). The agile and athletically gifted Norman is a gamer who leads vocally and through his actions behind the plate. He shows consistent, easy and smooth actions in receiving pitches. He is also a strong and accurate thrower of the baseball.

In one of the final pool play games of the day, the Dirtbags Haynes battled the Northport Monarchs knowing that the victors would win the pool and advance to playoff action. In an old-school battle of pitching and defense, these well coached, fundamentally sound clubs locked horns for seven highly competitive, evenly matched innings. In the end, The Monarchs from Northport emerged with a hard fought and well earned, 2-1 win.

Tyler Burgess (2021, Myrtle Beach, N.C.) could not have pitched any better than he did in giving his Dirtbags teammates every opportunity to win the ball game. His outstanding command and control, especially with his fastball – which showed consistent arm-side run and sink – kept the Monarchs off-stride the entire contest. He complemented his 80-81 mph lively fastball with a sharp-breaking 12-to-6 curveball that he added and subtracted velocity on. He worked with great poise and pace for seven strong, highly commendable innings and shut down a very capable Monarchs offense.

Matching, and even exceeding, the effort Burgess showed for the Dirtbags was the Monarchs righthanded starter John Schroeder (2021, Lakewood Ranch, Fla.). The 6-foot, 170-pound Schroeder, who also catches for the Monarchs, was a picture of cool and calm for five very effective innings. Although he would never hang his hat on pure velocity, his efficiency and ability to consistently pound the strike zone with three quality pitches helped the composed Schroeder to pitch ahead, stay ahead, and consistently put hitters away. The moment never got too big for the Lakewood Ranch HS sophomore as he gutted out one of the more impressive pitching outings of the tournament.

– Jerry Miller



In what was one of the more fun games to watch thus far this weekend, the Tri-State Arsenal Scout Team and Gatorball 16u tied on Saturday morning over at the Lee County Player Development complex. Both teams, obviously, got good pitching throughout, and Tri-State’s Generoso Romano (2021, Roseland, N.J.) was no exception. The Duke commit was very good for his two innings of relief, striking out four and not allowing a baserunner. A slender, projectable righthander, Romano stands out right away for his arm speed and his feel for three pitches. His fastball works in the 83-86 mph range right now, with good plane to the plate and consistent ability to leverage the ball down in the strike zone, and he’s especially advanced at tunneling his breaking ball and changeup at a young age. His breaking ball is advanced, thrown firmly in relation to his fastball at 73-76 mph or so, with sharp, late break and good depth, consistently burying the pitch down and out of the zone and getting swings-and-misses over the top of it. His changeup is his third-best pitch right now but that doesn’t mean it’s not very advanced for a sophomore, because it is, thrown out of the same slot and arm speed as his fastball with late dive at the plate.

Following their aforementioned tie, both Gatorball 16u and the Tri-State Arsenal Scout Team won their second games of the weekend. Gatorball picked up a 3-1 decision to move to 2-0-1, getting a solid performance from righthander Jack Cebert (2021, Tampa, Fla.) in the game. Cebert is a projectable, slender-build sophomore who worked mostly in the 81-84 mph range in this game, with a loose, easy arm action that works pretty well and is mostly on time. He does a good job getting on top and generating plane to the plate when working down, and he showed the ability to both cut and run the fastball, depending on which side of the plate he was working to. The curveball is soft right now but shows good spin and depth on an 11-to-5 shape, and he can land it for a strike as well. He’s definitely worth monitoring as a projection righty moving forward.

Likewise, Tri-State moved to 2-0-1 on the weekend by picking up a win in their second game of the day on Saturday. Kruise Newman (2021, Richmond, Ky.) was very good in relief for the most part, striking out eight over 3 2/3 innings and allowing no runs, though he did walk four. Newman, who first popped onto the scene last summer at the Ohio Valley Showcase in Lexington, is committed to Tennessee and one look at his arm speed and physical projection is all one needs to see that he could eventually end up being a monster on the mound. The delivery is very restricted and inconsistent in terms of his lower half mechanics, and his command is inhibited as a result, but as mentioned above, the arm speed and physical projection — along with athleticism — give him tremendous upside. He worked up to 89 mph in this one, showing the ability to generate steep plane to the plate as well as some deception, and in general was able to throw his fastball right by people when commanding it in the zone. He also showed improved feel for his curveball, thrown in the 70-73 mph range with 11-to-5 shape and good depth.

The Florida Burn Platinum, like the teams mentioned before them in this space, moved to 2-0-1 on Saturday via a tie and then a win. They beat Team Elite Premier in the second game of their doubleheader, getting offensive contributions from up and down their lineup. Tommy White (2021, St. Pete Beach, Fla.) and Jake Mummau (2021, Palm Harbor, Fla.) paced the offense, with each picking up doubles and playing solid defense at third base and shortstop, respectively. Thanks to this win, we’ll see them in the playoffs early Sunday morning.

The Canes National lost a pair on Saturday and therefore will miss the playoffs, but still showed off a bevy of next-level talent. Philip Abner (2021, Charlotte, N.C.), a Florida commit, got the start in their matchup with Cannons Baseball Academy and was excellent, throwing three shutout innings and striking out five in the process. He’s a physical lefthander with good size and strength throughout, and he did a better job throwing strikes in this outing than we’d seen from him previously. He’s got deception to his delivery, hiding the ball well through the back of his arm stroke and getting downhill with authority, though there is some restriction in the front side of his delivery due to being very closed off at landing. He ran his fastball up to 88 mph and pitched at 85-88 mph throughout, creating plane and angle to the plate and mostly filling up the zone with the pitch. He has a firm breaking ball, thrown in the 76-79 mph range with sharp, late break and bat-missing action that will serve him well for the rest of his career, regardless of where that ends up, giving him an outstanding combination of physicality, arm talent, and stuff, part of the reason he’s ranked so highly in the class of 2021.

On the other side, Brandon Barriera (2022, Coconut Creek, Fla.) showed off perhaps the most upside this evaluator has seen thus far this weekend. A skinny, projectable, young lefthander, Barriera has an almost scary combination of projection and arm talent, and it’s easy to see why he’s ranked as the No. 50 overall player in the class of 2022. The arm speed is tremendous for his age, running his fastball up to 87 mph and working in the 83-87 mph range throughout, creating very good angle to the plate from an extended slot, and showing the ability to work the ball to both sides of the plate down in the zone. The length of the arm stroke may be problematic from a command projection standpoint, but it’s fast enough right now for him to still throw strikes. His curveball, while inconsistent, flashed hammer potential in the low-70s with 1-to-7 shape and power depth, and he also showed good feel for a changeup in this one.

Payton Green (2021, Cary, N.C.) has continually impressed this evaluator for the past several months, consistently mashing in PG events against pitching of all kinds and caliber. He continued his hot-swinging ways in this one, driving a triple up the left-center field gap, continuing to show big time gap-to-gap raw power from a 6-foot-1, 165-pound frame, with all kinds of projection as far as power goes. J.D. Saurez (2021, Charlotte, N.C.) has made his presence felt this weekend from a defensive standpoint in the middle infield, but there’s also some interesting offensive utility there as well, as he shows the ability to handle the bat and make solid contact, including a missile of a double on Saturday up the opposite field gap.

Speaking of impressive defenders, Rolando “Roli” Lujo (2021, Coconut Creek, Fla.) made his presence known on Saturday, flipping back and forth between shortstop and third base depending on the inning but standing out for very soft hands, good balance with some range to both sides, quality footwork, and an ultra-quick release across the diamond. He made several impressive plays on Saturday, mostly due to the quickness of that release, getting outs on plays where outs shouldn’t have been made and really opening some eyes in the stands.

The Canes Midwest club fell to 2-1 later on Saturday afternoon, losing to the FL Dodgers Scout Team by a score of 5-4. Cory Ronan (2021, Jacksonville, Ill.) was solid for the most part, allowing a pair of runs in 4 1/3 innings to go along with six strikeouts. Ronan, a lefthanded pitcher, has a lean, projectable build to go along with a loose, quick arm, and showed off some intriguing upside. He ran his fastball up to 85 mph in this one, showing the ability to generate plane from a high three quarters slot and pitch downhill when on time coming through, and he also did a fair job of landing his curveball for strikes, giving him an intriguing mix of pitches to go along with athleticism and projection from the left side.

– Brian Sakowski





Day two of the 2018 WWBA Sophomore World Championship kicked off with Elite Squad grabbing a 4-0 victory at the Minnesota Twins spring training complex, CenturyLink. Taking the mound for Elite Squad was College of Charleston commit Asa Runge (2021 Chester, N.H.). Runge, who is ranked among the top 25 lefties in the class, gave his team four innings and allowed no runs on two hits while striking out four hitters. The young southpaw has an exceptionally quick arm from a compact action and can really get himself down the mound. In this outing Runge was up to 83 miles per hour, however, in the past he’s reached as high as 86 and should continue to creep up the velocity chart with his clean delivery and fast arm speed. He showed an attackers mentality with the fastball and worked to get hitters out with a 2-to-8 curveball.

Elite Squad brought a lot of talent to the tournament and it showed up and down the lineup. A couple hitters in particular stood out during this game. Four and five hitters Marcus Franco (2021 Miramar, Fla.) and Juhlien Gonzalez (2021 Southwest Ranches, Fla.) each drove in one of the four runs their team scored.

Franco is a very physical 6-foot-3, 220-pounds who holds his own at first base. With the bat, Franco is a pure power threat from the right side. The Florida International commit displays an easy swing with just as easy jump off the barrel. He’s able to keep his mechanics compact with an inside path to the ball which enables him to drive it the other way while maintaining the jump off the bat. Franco had probably the best game offensively, finishing 3-for-4 with two doubles down the right field line and a line drive single back up the middle.

Hitting in the No. 5 slot was Juhlien Gonzalez. Gonzalez has a bit more of an athletic stature than his fellow Florida International commit at 6-foot, 185-pounds. Gonzalez starts in a very spread stance and utilizes a big leg kick to generate torque from the hips. He is an aggressive hitter in the box and wants to do damage early in counts. However, when he gets to two strikes he makes an easy adjustment and shortens his stride and works more towards contact than power. He has quick hands to the ball with a short line drive path to contact. Gonzalez finished the game 1-for-3 with an RBI single and a walk.

Scorpions 2021 Founders Club moved to 3-0 during pool play with an easy 7-0 victory. On the mound and turning in a terrific performance for Scorpions was righthander Kyle Barnowski (2021 Wellington, Fla.). As a secondary 2021 pitcher, Barnowski is still pretty raw on the mound and there are glimpses of his lack of time spent on the mound. However, what he has is near pinpoint accuracy with the fastball and he knows it. Barnowski is very good at working the edges of the plate, especially working away from batters. He’s got a clean arm action with easily and repeatable mechanics that help him stay consistent as well as get his fastball up to 87 miles per hour. His development of the curveball isn’t quite where it needs to be yet but when he’s able to be consistent with his release it’s a solid secondary pitch. Over six innings, Barnowski allowed just a single hit while striking out 14 batters.

In the final game of the day Mid-Atlantic Select was able to hang on after a late innings rally to win their first game of the tournament by a score of 12-6. Danilo Perdomo (2021 Hamilton, N.J.) was a tough out to get as he was able to go 2-for-3 in the game and drive in two runs. Perdomo is solid in the box and does a lot of things well mechanically. He has a nice shift into contact with some strength in his hands when connecting with the baseball. He’s an athletic player with a bit of drive from the lower half that allows him to really create jump off the bat when he squares it up. That, paired with his ability to use the whole field, makes him one of the better hitting outfielders in the class.

Also driving in a couple of runs for Mid-Atlantic was 6-foot-1, 215-pound first baseman Gavin Martin (2021 Bordentown, N.J.). Martin is another strong righthanded hitter with a lot of physicality, especially in his lower half. He incorporates it well along with creating some separation in his swing to work a power approach to the pull side of the field. The uncommitted Martin really turned some heads on a loud line drive down the line for a 2-run double.

– Taylor Weber



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