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PG Series  | PG Series Classic  | 7/29/2019

Freshman PG Series Quick Hits

Parker Fronk     
Photo: Riley Stanford (Perfect Game)

Gilbert Saunders III (2022, Gilbertsville, Pa.) started on the mound for Northeast and showed some overpowering stuff. Saunders had a short outing, only throwing one inning, but he struck out the side. His fastball was up to 87 mph and had some arm-side run. When he was ahead of the count he liked to go to his 11-to-5 breaking curveball at 73 mph. His curveball was his strikeout pitch and hitters were swinging and missing at it during his outing. Saunders has a big frame at 6-foot-3, 220-pounds and has good strength in his lower half. Saunders was able to throw a lot of strikes and keep hitters off balance going with his off-speed for his strikeouts.



Starting on the mound for Central on Monday was righthander Gabriel Rodriguez (2022, Thornton, Colo.). Rodriguez threw a lot of strikes as he pitched to contact and let his defense work behind him. His fastball was 83-84 mph and pounded the zone with it. He also has a curveball at 75 mph and elicited a lot of weak contact when he threw it. He was able to throw both of his pitches to both sides of the plate, which kept hitters off balance. He controlled the pace of the game as he threw 3 1/3 innings while not giving up a run and striking out two.



Coming out of the ‘pen and reliving Rodriguez was Nicolas Yard (2022, Erie, Colo.). He threw strikes right out of the gate and went right at hitters. His fastball was overpowering at 88 mph as he threw it all over the zone. Yard has a very fluid arm action and makes 88 look easy. Yard is 6-feet, 170-pounds and has plenty of room to fill into his body. Yard threw two innings allowing only one hit and striking out four. Also at the plate he went 2-for-3 with a triple and a run scored.

Lefthanded pitcher Shane Thorson (2022, Zebulon, N.C.) started on the mound for Coastal on Monday. Thorson was dominant as he had his fastball up to 84 mph which had good natural lefty movement to it. He also has a tight-breaking curveball that made hitters look silly. He pounded the zone throwing a lot of strikes and going right at hitters. Thorson is 5-foot-11, 170-pounds and has plenty of room to continue to grow and get stronger. Thorson threw 1 1/3 innings not allowing a hit and striking out three.



The biggest standout on Monday was righthander for Southeast, Riley Stanford (2022, Gainesville, Ga.). Stanford did it both offensively and on the mound on Monday, but heads really turned once he stepped on the mound. He had his fastball up to 95 mph and was sitting 91-93. His fastball was very heavy as every pitch resulted in weak contact when it was put in play. His fastball was absolutely overpowering as hitters looked scared when they stepped in the box. His slider has sharp break when he keeps it down in the zone at 77 mph. His changeup was also very effective at 84 mph as it had very good movement to it. At 6-foot-4, Stanford is very long and lengthy and shows very good athleticism on the field. He threw two innings and struck out six while not allowing an earned run. Also at the plate he went 2-for-5 with a double and some loud outs.

First baseman for South on Monday was Jalen Seward (2022, Albuquerque, N.M.). He looked very good at the plate finding consistent barrels in every at-bat. He has very quick hands through the zone and has good extension through the baseball which allows him to elevate balls into the gaps. Seward has an open stance with calm hands as he looks for pitches early in counts to hit hard. Seward handled velocity very well and let his hands work through the zone. Seward, at 6-foot-4, 210-pounds, showed good athleticism at both first base and third base. Seward went 3-for-4 on the day with two towering doubles, two RBI and one run scored.



Starting on the mound for Northeast was righthander Matthew Grabmann (2022, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada). Grabmann ran his fastball up to 90 mph and it had some great life to it. His fastball had good run to it as he would throw it in to hitters jamming them and then throw it away also getting called strikes as it would run back over the plate to righties. He also has a tight 12-to-6 curveball that elicited a lot of swing and misses. Grabmann worked very fast and he controlled the pace of the game. He has a high leg kick and loads well onto his back hip and explodes down the mound. Grabmann threw four innings allowing only two hits and striking out seven.



On the bump for Deep South was starting pitcher Yoel Tejeda Jr (2022, Davie Fla.). Tejada threw 2 1/3 innings not allowing and earned run and striking out three. Tejeda has a long and lengthy frame at 6-foot-6, 195-pounds and he also shows good athleticism. His fastball, which had very good arm-side run, was up to 87 mph while he was sitting 83-84. Tejeda, who is committed to the University of Florida, works quick and also works on both sides of the plate keeping hitters off balance. He also showed a curveball at 71 mph and a changeup that he liked to throw in any count at 77 mph. Tejeda will be a player to keep your eyes on over the next couple of years.

– Parker Fronk
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