With 2013 marking the first year of the WWBA Freshman World Championship, this is the first time Perfect Game is laying eyes on some of these 2017 and 2018 graduates. Some of the players I have seen this summer, some I've either heard about or been told about, and the majority are being "found" for the first time. Walking between the six fields at JetBlue I've been able to see some good arms and solid bats scattered throughout every time slot.

All players are 2017 graduates unless denoted as a 2018


Malik Lissone Brown – RHP/Bronx Bombers (Brooklyn, N.Y.)
Brown is a lean, wiry-framed righthanded pitcher that I first saw at the Northeast Underclass Showcase where he was up to 79 mph with a loose, easy arm. Jump forward two months and Brown is now topping out at 82 mph with his fastball and filling up the strike zone. The more he throws the better he will become at repeating his mechanics and arm slot, which vary at times.

Malik Spratling – OF, Chain Stealth (Leesburg, Ga.)
Using his strong 5-foot-11, 170-pound frame, Malik Spratling showed very well with the bat in Chain Stealth's first game that I saw. A righthanded batter, Spratling has good present power, especially for a high school freshman, with more to come. He twice one-hopped the fence in left field, and once he gets going around the bases, he seems to glide around with ease.

Kevin Barham – LHP, Chain Gold (Conyers, Ga.)
Starting the game for Chain Gold in the first time slot was Barham who showed a quick arm from an over-the-top release. Like most of the players here, his mechanics need some refinement which will come with experience similar to with Brown above. His fastball was 80-82 mph coming out of his hand easy, and he flashed a mid-60s curveball with 1-to-7 shape.

Nick O'Day