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Tournaments  | Story  | 3/11/2017

Showdown Day 2 Scout Notes

Photo: Perfect Game



IMG Academy squared off against James Clemens during the first time slot of Friday's action and lefthander Brian Gursky (2017, Granger, Ind.) was impressive for the Ascenders. He threw from a high three-quarter arm slot with an arm action that was pretty loose throughout and filled up the arm circle. Gursky throws with some effort on the mound and his hips fired effectively and the lower half overall worked well. What was working best on Friday afternoon was Gursky's advanced feel for the fastball and his command of the pitch. He created good angle on the pitch that was difficult to square up upon entry to the hitting zone. The fastball sat from 89-91 mph for most of the outing and he maintained that velocity for around five innings or so. The pitch had some heaviness and he wore out the lower third of the strike zone with it; this helped induce weak contact and a lot of ground balls as well. The Southern California commit mixed in two secondary pitches: a curveball and a changeup. The curveball was a bit inconsistent but flashed occasional depth and spin; the changeup was the more effective of the two and it featured similar arm speed to the fastball with some downward tilt and fade. The changeup was effective late in the game at eliciting swings and misses, especially with two strikes. Gursky finished with a complete game victory while only allowing two earned runs.

Facing off against Gursky was Perfect Game All-American Jordan Anderson (2017, Madison, Ala.) who started in centerfield for the Jets. The Mississippi State commit is listed at 6-foot-2, 190-pounds and is full of quick-twitch athleticism with room to fill out as he continues to add strength. He showed off his impressive arm strength early on as a throw to third base stopped a baserunner from trying to advance on a deep fly ball. Anderson is very intriguing at the plate. He stands from a wide base with a small toe tap for a timing mechanism; his hand set is high with a high back elbow as well. He has a direct path to the ball and there is some bat speed and juice in the swing. The barrel was deliberate through the zone, but all the hitting tools are there for Anderson. He went hitless in his first game of the doubleheader but finished the second game 2-for-4 with a double to his credit. 

Toeing the rubber in Second Baptist's third game of the tournament was highly-touted righthander Zach Heaton (2017, Houston, Tex.). The 6-foot-4, 190-pound Texan was very tall and lanky with broad shoulders and room to add a ton of strength to his frame. Heaton threw with a long arm action that had a hook in the back of the delivery. He had a quick tempo on the mound, working very quickly and he did a consistent job at getting downhill off the mound. Heaton started off pitching in the mid- to upper-80s, topping out at around 87 mph through the first four innings. He showed a competitive fire on the mound, consistently attacking hitters and working around runners on base. The Dallas Baptist commit got stronger as the game wore on as around the fifth inning he started living in the upper-80s. The fifth inning saw his last five fastballs come in at 88, 88, 89, 89, and 88 to end the frame. Another testament to that was after finishing off the complete game, the final pitch he threw was recorded at 88.2 mph. The fastball had some heaviness and short arm side wiggle to the pitch. The curveball was inconsistent but he threw some really good ones that kept hitters off balance. 

Bryce Brock (2018, Hernando, Miss.) received the start for Lewisburg during their first game and showed some interesting pitching tools during his outing. The lefthander has a smaller frame on the mound, sub 6-foot, but had a deceptive delivery and was able to work past his height. The delivery was pretty easy with little effort and a medium arm action. Brock did a very good job at mixing speeds and changing looks to let his stuff play up during his outing. The Mississippi State commit had a three pitch mix of fastball, curveball, and changeup. The fastball snuck up on hitters thanks to the deception and sat pretty comfortably in the 82-85 mph range, touching 87 mph at times, for the majority of the outing. He threw a curveball that he had a good feel for but one of the takeaways was that his changeup was pretty impressive. The arm speed was a bit slower on the pitch but he showed confidence in the pitch with some downward tilt and should consider mixing it more into his arsenal going forward. 

One of the more competitive games of the day was between Cartersville and Providence in one of the first playoff games of Friday afternoon. You can read Jeff Dahn's feature on the epic showdown here for more in-depth detail on the two teams. Lefthander Elijah Gill (2017, Jacksonville, Fla.) was given the ball to start on the mound and he put forth an inspiring effort for the Stallions. The Florida International commit had a pretty loose arm throughout a full arm circle and threw from an extended three-quarter slot. He utilized his front lever with a glove point toward the plate. Gill landed online and kept his hands close for a long time throughout the delivery before a quick separation into the release. He threw with some effort but his slight deception combined with good fastball command was able to keep hitters off-balance. Gill attacked hitters with the fastball and the pitch had short arm side life to it. He worked it well to both sides of the plate and was able to spot the pitch well on the corners. The curveball is still developing but flashed potential. The changeup was a bit inconsistent, the arm speed varied on the pitch, but the good ones showed similar arm speed to the fastball with some arm side fade. Gill provided 5 1/3 strong innings while only allowing two earned runs and struck out six batters en route to the victory. 

The Stallions had the bats working for both games of their doubleheaders. Some standout performances from Friday's action included third baseman/shortstop Tyler Callihan (2019, Neptune Beach, Fla.), Max Holmes (2017, Jacksonville, Fla.), and second baseman Alec Sanchez (2018, Jacksonville, Fla.)

Callihan started out the game at third base and moved over to shortstop during the second half of game two. He is extremely athletic with good quick twitch throughout his projectable frame. The South Carolina commit has pretty solid hand speed from the left side of the plate with a high hand set, high back elbow, and quick leg lift trigger. The swing is very fluid and easy with natural lift added to the swing as well. He stung a couple of hard line drives and showed the ability to drive the ball hard to all fields. The hand path is directly to the ball and he has a simple approach at the plate. He showed good plate coverage and can take any pitch to any part of the field with line drive contact. He made clean plays at shrotstop with quick gathers, a strong arm across the diamond, and fundamentally sound footwork. 

The South Florida commit Holmes showed off sound tools both at the plate and on the mound. He stands sightly open and balanced at the plate with an even plane swing path. He takes a small stride toward the pitcher with an elastic hand set and is in a good launch position upon delivery of the pitch. Holmes roped in a double during their second game against Etowah. Holmes came in to close out the first game on the mound for the Stallions. He showed a full, sweeping arm action that is long through the back. The fastball was consistently in the high-80s with a number of heaters registering at 89 mph. The curveball showed good depth and sharp downward action. It had 11-to-5 shape and although he only threw two of the curveballs, both were pretty nasty and made the hitter uncomfortable at the plate. 

Sanchez, the No. 67 ranked player in the 2018 class, showed big power at the plate during the Stallions second game of the day against Etowah. In his second at-bat he absolutely unloaded on a pitch and pulled it well over the right field wall. The shot was majestic and traveled well over the fence and onto the top of the batting cages of the other quad. The Florida State commit has very good bat speed with present power to all fields. He generates excellent carry on his balls hit in play and is looking to drive the ball for fly balls, mainly home runs. There is a very high leg lift trigger in the beginning of the swing but he gets good weight shift through the point of contact. There were times when his timing was a bit early and he transferred too much weight over to his front side too early. The resulting fly balls lacked much carry but overall when Sanchez was on time he was very impressive. He has very good barrel feel with solid bat-to-ball skills to add to a strong overall hitting profile. 

Blessed Trinity routed Denham Springs in the quarterfinals on Friday night by a score of 11-1. There were a ton of contributors on offense and one of those was outfielder Colin Davis (2017, Roswell, Ga.). The Wofford commit finished 3-for-4 with four RBI and three runs scored including an opposite field triple and a home run. He has a medium frame with decent size on the build but is very athletic with room to fill out. Davis has a compact swing that travels quickly through the zone and creates loud contact when squared up with the barrel. The first at-bat was impressive as he sat back on a hanging curveball and drove a triple to the right centerfield gap. The triple also highlighted his advanced speed which is a weapon on the basepaths; he has recorded a low of 6.9 seconds on a 60-yard dash at past PG events. He also showed some pop with the home run that came later in the game to extend the lead. Davis showcased a sound overall skill set with impressive traits in every facet of the game.

Parkview dropped a highly contested game against Cullman in the quarterfinals on Friday night. Although they lost, shortstop Isaiah Byars (2018, Stone Mountain, Ga.) showed off impressive tools both on offense and defense. Offensively, he stands with a wide base at the plate with a high hand set and high back elbow. The swing was a bit stiff at times, but the path was clean and the approach was a contact-oriented approach looking to spray line drives across the field. The bat was pretty quick through the hitting zone and although he didn't record a hit on Friday night he hit a couple of balls hard. Defensively, Byars is pretty smooth at shortstop. He made a nice play to his backhand that was very smooth with a clean transfer and quick release. The arm strength is still developing for the Alabama commit but as he continues to add strength and size the arm strength should come as well.




Winder-Barrow and outfielder Pat DeMarco (2017, Winder, Ga.) saved some of the fireworks for the very last time slot of the night. The Vanderbilt commit registered the first hit of the game for the Bulldogs with an absolute laser over the left field fence and deep into the night sky. DeMarco is well built with present physicality throughout the frame. He swings with a lot of intent and is out there at the plate looking to punish baseballs. There is an element of swing-and-miss in his game and he is often looking to drive the ball with hard backspin. The swing is a bit downward in the beginning, he utilizes the path to create backspin, and his hands are in a good launch position by the time he is making contact with the ball. The power is legitimate with a good weight shift forward through the point of contact. The toe tap varies on pitches and could be a timing issue with higher velocity. Overall, DeMarco has incredible barrel skills and a very advanced feel for hitting with power. He is a legitimate power hitter who is a threat to take any pitcher deep.

- Vincent Cervino


To begin Friday’s showdown we opened with the IMG Academy Ascenders versus James Clemens Jets. Both teams displayed talent but Austin Bates (2017, Ossining, N.Y.) of the Ascenders and Jared Barnes (2017, Madison, Ala.) of the Jets were two standouts that made significant contributions to their teams.

Bates has a small frame standing at 5-foot-10, 165-pounds behind the plate but is a small case of dynamite. Bates displayed quick hands and good bat speed to belt a massive grand slam to left field giving the Ascenders the lead in the top of the fifth inning. He hunted a fastball on the inner half of the plate and took full advantage of the pitch. Bates also showed good instincts behind the plate with his catching ability and lateral movement. His footwork and ability to work with pitcher, Brian Gursky, was key in assisting him to throw a complete game. Jared Barnes caught eyes of scouts with his athleticism at shortstop and good first hand movements. He has an athletic build with room to grow physically and mentally. Barnes is a scrappy player but showed passion for the game. Barnes went 1-for-3 with an RBI on a hard line drive to the opposite field and he showed the ability to keep his hands inside the baseball while still maintaining a short/compact swing.

Hill McCrory (2017, Hazel Green, Ala.) went 2-for-3 and Tommy Crider (2018, Madison, Ala.) contributed with a pair of RBI.

The Cartersville Hurricanes were defeated by the Providence Stallions 6-4 but Anthony Seigler (2018, Cartersville, Ga.) and Devin Warner (2018, Euharlee, Ga.) displayed skills of two young prospects to watch. Seigler has a strong build with tremendous talent. He is a switch-hitting machine who shows true strength on both sides of the plate. He has good hitting mechanics with also good bat speed. His swing is very direct and it stays in the zone for a while.

Warner is also a switch hitter who has a strong athletic build. His strength and aggressive approach can potentially make him a power hitting game changer at the next level. Warner has a simple approach, drive the ball. His swing is short and line drive oriented but because he maintains his lower half he creates leverage in his swing. Both of these players will definitely continue to advance at the plate with more experience. You can expect great things from these young players as they continue to grow and mature with another year to develop.

The Blessed Trinity Titans are loaded with a roster of talented young players who truly express their love for the game. Today we will highlight Cole McNamee (2017, Milton, Ga.), a Wake Forest commit who possesses the tangible skills to compete on the mound, in the field and at the plate. McNamee pitched five innings on Friday only allowing two hits and striking out seven at the plate. His balanced, solid delivery allows him to stay around the zone with his 85-88 mph fastball. He has a high three-quarters release with an athletic arm. As he continues to develop on the mound his off-speed pitches will become more effective. McNamee not only had a great day on the mound but also at the plate. He contributed greatly in the team’s 11-1 win against the Denham Springs Yellowjackets with a 2-for-3 performance. McNamee is a righthanded hitter who has raw power, which was displayed by his RBI triple to the right-center gap. The versatility this player obtains allows him to be a big component to the success of the team.

An impressive arm to look out for is Taj Bradley (2018, Stone Mountain, Ga.) of the Redan Raiders. Bradley is young player who is also a versatile player and a competitor in all aspects of the game. He pitches, plays infield and outfield and exhibits great competency at the plate. This tall, lean player demonstrated great poise on the mound in the loss to the Brookwood Broncos. Bradley displayed an aligned delivery, great arm action and a high release point. His fast fastball ran up to 87 mph and showed signs of a decent off-speed pitch. In six innings he collected six strikeouts with only two walks. At the plate Bradley showed good bat speed with a line drive approach. Bradley has many tools that he can develop into becoming a great player.

– David F. Richards IV
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