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Tournaments  | Story | 6/29/2019

15U BCS: Day 3 Scout Notes

Tyler Russo
Parker Fronk
Photo: Ashton Crowther (Perfect Game)
2019 15U BCS National Championship: Day 1 Notes | Day 2 Notes

Elite Squad National’s Mel Rubiera (2022, Miami, Fla.) set the tone well on Day 3 of the 15U BCS. The lefthanded leadoff hitter put forth a very simple and compact swing as he stayed short to the ball, going with it to whichever half of the plate the pitch came to. He showed a mature level of discipline at the plate as he took advantage early in at-bats while also working a deep count at times. Rubiera is undersized at the moment, but he is an athletic outfielder with a sound set of tools that will play well as he proceeds to develop.

Rubiera’s teammate hitting directly behind him in the order is physical shortstop Bryant Zayas (2023, Hialeah, Fla.). Zayas also has a good set of tools, but is much more physical on both sides of the ball. At the plate, he showed a bit of violence in the swing as he rotates the lower half very well, but just gets off-time with the barrel at times. Defensively, he is very smooth and plays with a high level of confidence given his ability to range to both sides and the strong arm. He’s an interesting prospect to watch given how developed the tools are, as he is just now heading into high school.



Stepping out from the opposing dugout of the previous two prospects was righthanded hitting Brant Baughcum (2022, Snellville, Ga.) of Team Elite Scout Team. Coming in at No. 92 overall in the most recent class rankings, Baughcum is one of the best middle infielders in the class and he put that on display on Friday. His lone hit of the game would come in the form of a line drive into the pull-side gap where he would coast into third for a stand-up triple. The swing is free and easy and projects to a high level of power as he fills a little more into his frame. The actions are smooth and athletic in the infield, but the current body profiles more at a corner than up the middle, so it will be interesting to see how he develops and where he fits at a higher level.

Teammate Jaden Anderson (2022, Duluth, Ga.) was the undersized prospect of the two, but showed once again that the right tools will prove success. Anderson displayed a short, compact swing that allowed him to stay quick to the ball and hit from any part of the zone. He has a very smooth stroke and showed a good ability to pull his hands through the zone and drive the baseball out of a smaller, but athletic 5-foot-9, 170-pound body.

University of Florida commit Michael McAloose (2022, Fort Myers, Fla.) showed a pure ability to play in the short look that this scout had. As a primary shortstop listed at 5-foot-10, 155 pounds, he is developed athletically and in his ability to handle his tools. At the plate, he showed a quick, smooth swing as he got the barrel to the ball and got a good first step out of the box. On the bases, McAloose is very confident in his athletic abilities and he showed it as he stole home while the lefthanded pitcher was focused on another runner with runners on the corners. McAloose will be a lot of fun to watch as he continues to develop and clean up his tools as he has the makings of a pure gamer.



Allowing only a single hit (to McAloose) in his five innings of work was 5 Star National’s Ashton Crowther (2022, New Port Richey, Fla.). The projectable lefthander was very good on Friday as he filled the zone early and often as he used a solid mix of a lively fastball at 82-84 mph, while mixing in a very good curveball at 73 mph. The fastball showed a bit of arm-side run as he moved it around the zone effectively. The curveball was his go-to pitch as it showed great depth and late, hard break out of 1-to-7 shape. Crowther’s delivery is clean and balanced as he works to create a deceptive three-quarters slot that is difficult to recognize the pitch out of. His pitchability, mixed with his pure size and projectability, makes Crowther a very intriguing prospect to watch as he moves forward.



The recently re-ranked No. 112 overall prospect in the class Blaydon Plain (2022, Greenville, Fla.) was very sound on both sides of the ball throughout his lone game of the day. Defensively, he is very athletic at first base in his ability to range to both sides and make smooth plays. At the plate, he shows a high level of discipline and a good ability to adjust his body to pitches around the zone and get on plane. The arms are a bit stiff as he goes through the swing so the natural lift is a bit lacking, but as he becomes more comfortable against high-level pitching, he should loosen up a bit. The speed and athleticism are very good on the bases out of a 6-foot-3 frame as he stole and took the extra base rather easily. Plain is a good prospect to watch as he continues to develop the swing as the strength and tools are there.



A prospect with a bright future on the mound if he can improve the command and tighten up the stuff is current 6-foot righthander Brenner Cox (2022, Prosper, Texas). His athletic body allows him to work a very balanced delivery that repeats the mechanics well and gets on line to the plate. The release point changes a bit causing a lack of command, but as that improves, the stuff will be good. Cox worked a good fastball with arm-side run at 82-83 mph consistently, and flashed a very good slider that presented late, hard bite that had hitters struggling to make any good contact. There is projectability in the body and with the arm talent in how smooth the arm action is, Cox is an intriguing prospect to watch as he fills into his frame and continues to develop his ability to pitch.

-Tyler Russo

Starting pitcher for Team Elite of PR was Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz (2021, Trujillo Alto, P.R.). Standing on the mound at 6-foot-2, 140 pounds he has a three-quarters delivery that gives his fastball a lot of arm-side run. Rodriguez-Cruz had his fastball up to 87 mph and was commanding it very well. He was able to start fastballs outside to righthanded hitters and have it run back into the zone for strikes, which was really effective ahead in counts locking up hitters. Rodriguez-Cruz has a lot of room to fill out and he will want to continue to dominate on the mound.

Gustavo Mendez (2022, Orlando, Fla.) sits behind the dish for Power Baseball 2022. Mendez stands at 6-foot, 190 pounds and is a wall behind the plate. He also has a great arm as he threw two runners out in the first inning and they learned quickly to not run on him anymore. Mendez has a strong stance in the box and has good pull-side pop. Mendez has good build to himself and will keep getting stronger over the next couple of years.

Baseball University 2022 Maruszak’s starting pitcher was lefty Jamie Arnold (2022, Tampa, Fla.). Arnold’s fastball was 80-82 mph and hit 84 a couple of times. He commanded the zone throughout his outing throwing strikes to both sides of the plate. Arnold has a slow windup and he controls the pace of the game and looks very confident on the mound. Arnold is 6-foot, 157 pounds and once he puts on weight and gets much stronger his fastball will gain more velocity.

-Parker Fronk
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