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Tournaments  | Story  | 7/1/2017

17u WWBA Day 1 Scout Notes

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Day one of the 2017 17u WWBA National Championship was advertised to feature the best high school talent of the imminent graduating class, and it did not disappoint. High level pitchers and position players aplenty, hundreds of scouts and college coaches made their way to fields throughout the Atlanta metro to watch these athletes showcase their talent against the best.

From the first pitch recorded, several players took advantage of the spotlight; one in particular being Mooresville, N.C. native, Sam Zayicek (2018, Mooresville, N.C.). The lefthanded hitter is listed at 6-foot-1 and is a High Point University commit. He started the day in a sure manner to attract attention – racking up two home runs in his first at-bats of the tournament. The initial long ball traveled 344 feet with a 94.1 mph exit velocity, only to outdo himself an at-bat later with a 360-foot bomb, coming off the bat at 92 mph. Zayicek features a medium build coupled with a thinner frame, and room to continue to grow strength. A primary pull approach, he showed quick wrists, good bat speed, and that he can turn on a fastball with authority in his outing.




One of the more impressive pitchers to start the day was uncommitted lefthander, Franklin Parra (2018, Copiague, N.Y.). His delivery was easy, and featured a fastball that ranged from 87-89 mph, along with a curveball that sat around 78. Parra stands at 6-foot-1 with a slender, medium build. He utilized his lower half well, staying on top of the ball and creating a good downhill angle in his brief outing. As he continued to develop his breaking ball he showed good command and a solid mix of both pitches, working arm side and glove side with purpose. In his initial two innings, Parra carved hitters up striking out six of the seven batters that he battled.




As one of the higher PG-rated southpaws in the tournament, Julian Bosnic (2018, Lutz, Fla.) was slated to start for the Scorpions 2018 Prime Friday afternoon. Sporting an athletic 6-foot-3 frame with long legs, Bosnic features a three-pitch mix that were all weapons as he settled down in the contest. He commanded the lower part of the zone with his fastball, one that showed good movement cutting at times and clocked at 85-89 mph on the radar early. Mixing in a changeup that sinks at the plate, and a curveball with good shape and late break, he set hitters up for his strikeout pitch of the day: inside fastball located in a spot that became unhittable as the game rolled. He finished the game with six strikeouts in four innings played.

From Texas, home-schooled talent Micah Dallas (2018, Aubrey, Texas) from the Arlington A’s Action impressed in his outing logging nine strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings pitched. With a medium frame and athletic body, Dallas effectively pitched to both sides of the plate and kept hitters off balanced with a mix of a fastball, changeup and slider. The Texas Tech commit had his fastball logged at 87-89 mph with good downward tilt, attacking hitters consistently and finishing them off with his slider.




Another hurler with a quality outing Friday was Floridian righthander Chance Huff (2018, Niceville, Fla.) of Team Elite 17u Prime. The Vanderbilt commit has a projectable, extra-large frame that should continue to fill out with long limbs. He showed a dual pitch combination in his two-inning outing, highlighted by a fastball registered at 89-91 mph with good movement, set up with a 78 mph 10-to-4 slider that had quality shape. With his ability to work glove side with ease, and command the bottom of the zone, Huff kept held his opponent to nothing in his two innings of work, stiking out four in that time.

As Huff pitched excellent in his two frames of work, teammate Anthony Angelety (2018, Atlanta, Ga.) took center stage in the final at-bat of the game, hitting a walk off home run deep to left field to give Team Elite 17u Prime a tally in the win column. The outfielder is listed at 5-foot-10 and 165-pounds and Angelety has a number of tools, showcasing that ability for scouts and coaches Friday. Finishing the day with two hits, he had a single with two stolen bases and culminated his performance with his home run officially listed at 398.5 feet with a 97.5 mph exit velocity.

 – Travis Clark


Connor Norby (2018, Kernersville, N.C.) showed early on in his game that he is a fun player to watch. The East Carolina commit squared up pitches early and often in his game for NCBA Golden Spikes. Norby employs a sound hitting approach as he looks to hit the ball up the middle or to the opposite field. Norby stays back well and makes hard contact. He stands with an open stance, high hands with a bat waggle and leg kick trigger that could potentially have power. He also plays shortstop well with sure hands and a good first step.

The catching tools of the day go to Austin Schmitt (2018, Valley Park, Mo.). Schmitt is committed to Missouri State and the Bears have a lot to like in terms of catching ability. His transfer is impressively quick with an accurate arm to go along with it. He threw out a runner in his game Friday with a 2.08 pop time. The online carry in his arm plays and his arm strength is good. There is a lot of room to fill in his 5-foot-10, 170-pound frame. With that added strength, the velocity in his throw downs will improve as well.

William Dennis (2018, Overland Park, Kan.) got the tournament going for the south quad of fields at LakePoint sitting 85-87 touching 88 in his 8:00 am game. Dennis has a loose arm that works pretty well. He has a projectable pitcher’s body at 6-foot-4, 200-pounds with a little more room to fill with added strength. He mixed in two other pitches to go along with his mid- to upper-80s fastball. First, and his best secondary pitch, is his fading changeup. He showed very good feel for the pitch, thrown in the upper-70s, and maintained his arm speed well. Second, his curveball was in the mid-70s with 1-to-7 late breaking action. Dennis is committed to play for the Sooners at the University of Oklahoma.

Micheal Limoncelli (2019, Horseheads, N.Y.) showed really impressive stuff on the mound for a primary shortstop. The 2019 graduate has a really quick arm and good back leg drive down the mound. His fastball sits 86-91 mph touching 92 with good downward plane. The arm really works with a good angle and a long arm action. He also mixed in a changeup and a curveball. The changeup is straight and deceptive in the low-80s making hitters off balance all game long. His 12-to-6 curveball was sharp and showed good depth. The University of Pittsburgh commit is also a switch hitter that shows potential at the plate, an excellent two-way prospect and high follow.

After the rain subsided for FTB Tucci 55, Jack Anderson (2018, Tampa, Fla.) came out pounding the zone with an explosive fastball and 2500 rpm spin rate curveball. Anderson lived at the knees in his four innings of relief, where his fastball sat at 87-90 mph with an additional mph of effective velocity that gets on hitters quick. His curveball is good in the mid-70s and showed excellent bite. He also flashed a changeup that showed potential in the upper-70s. The Florida State commit has a lot to like including his smooth balanced delivery with a good arm action and his projectable athletic frame with lots of room to fill.

Nik Pry (2018, Pinehurst, N.C.) has big-time power and it was on display Friday afternoon. Pry connected on a fastball to dead center field that did not leave much doubt that it was going to leave the park. The ball left his bat at 97 mph and traveled 392 feet. The University of North Carolina recruit has present strength and is a physical primary outfielder. Pry does still have room to add some strength and the power ceiling will continue to climb.

John Kelly (2018, Rutherford, N.J.) was impressive in his two innings on Friday allowing only one hit and striking out three. Kelly’s fastball sat 87-91 mph with occasional sink and a loose arm action. His arm works well with little effort, and his slider is long breaking and sharp, and is his out pitch. He used it often to create weak contact or swings and misses. His delivery is very clean with a good hip turn and coil on his back leg. Kelly does a good job of pounding the zone to both sides of the plate as the uncommitted arm showed all the signs of a next-level pitcher at the collegiate level.

Probably the most impressive bat speed of the day belongs to Bryce Bush (2018, Birmingham, Mich.). Bush showed big-time potential power and creates lots of torque with his big leg kick and stride. His swing plane has a slight lift and makes very hard contact most commonly to the pull side, including multiple instances on Friday with exit velocities greater than 100 mph. His first at-bat he laced a 100 mph exit velocity single to center. Later in the game he laced a ball towards third base that ended up hitting the base runner and left his bat at 107 mph. Bush is an athletic and strong corner infielder that also showed solid speed with a 4.55 home-to-first time with a turn.

Chance Denson (2018, Collinsville, Miss.) created lots of swings and misses Friday striking out 12 in 4 and 2/3 innings. One of the top uncommitted players in the 2018 class, Denson showed big-time, next-level ability with the fastball running up to 95 with riding arm-side life. His arm really works with a long arm action and a quick arm circle. He also showed a sharp curveball in the mid-70s. He throws from a high three-quarters arm slot and a balanced delivery. Denson also flashed a changeup in the low-80s with sinking action as he has a special arm with a very high ceiling.

– Gregory Gerard





West Coast native Easton McMurray (2018, Bakersfield, Calif.) kicked off the first game of the 17u WWBA National Championship for eXposure 17u and delivered a strong two-inning start in the process. The lefthander is incredibly tall and lean with extremely long limbs and plenty of room on the frame to add strength. The San Diego commit’s arm action is pretty loose and quick through the back of a shorter arm circle, although the back elbow does creep up upon foot strike.

McMurray’s go to pitch on Friday morning was his fastball which was electric to start out. The pitch sat 86-90 mph and touched 91 mph early on and it had occasional run to the arm side. He creates good angle to the pitch due to his replicated release point from an extended three-quarters arm slot. McMurray attacked hitters with the pitch and did a nice job at working it to both sides of the plate and generating a solid amount of swing and miss with it.

He flashed a breaking ball that he only threw a handful of times. The pitch was an effective offspeed coming in at 75 mph, however his bread and butter was absolutely his fastball during this abbreviated outing for southpaw.

It’s hard to single out one performer from an eleven run offensive explosion, but McMurray’s teammate Paul Komistek (2018, Knoxville, Tenn.) was a good part of that scoring following a run-scoring triple to left centerfield. The Tennessee commit has enjoyed a hot start to the summer circuit and that momentum carried through into the opening game of the event. Komistek has a strong and athletic frame at 6-foot-3, 192-pounds with ample strength that helps at the plate. He is able to generate good bat speed through the hitting zone off a lofted swing plane. Komistek generates leverage throughout the swing and is able to drive the ball into the air as he did on Friday morning. There is a hitch in the swing, but Komistek is often on time and allows him to impact the ball out in front; his triple left the bat at 85 mph and traveled an estimated 319 feet.

Certainly no stranger to long and majestic home runs, Aaron Sabato (2018, Rye Brook, N.Y.) launched one during 5 Star National Dobbs’ opening game and he knew it as soon as the ball left the bat. The recent North Carolina commit got a hold of a fastball up in the zone and immediately deposited it high past the left field wall and almost onto a storage unit. Sabato’s tremendous bat speed and strength were on display as he torques through his hips well to get his lower half involved into his swing well. The timing was perfect as he connected with the ball out in front of the plate to get his arms extended and the tools came together perfectly to allow Sabato’s enormous strength take over and moments later the 93 mph and 342 foot blast left the yard.




Sam Knowlton (2018, Warrior, Ala.) is a prospect with tremendous upside and has one of the highest ceilings of any pitcher in the class. The 6-foot-7, 225-pound Mississippi State commit has incredibly long legs that allow him to generate excellent extension toward the plate. The frot leg extension almost looks cut off but size of the frame allows for easily plus extension, registered around 8 feet toward the plate, and helped the velocity of his fastball play up.

The delivery features the front leg dropping before shooting forward and opening up which helps him to maintain his lower half down the mound and he follows through on his pitches well. Knowlton came out firing fastballs in the 90-94 mph range in the first inning and the ball was jumping on hitters. He released from a high three-quarters arm slot that occasionally creeped upward but added tremendous downhill plane to the fastball. The pitch was very tough to square up and he recorded some silly swings and misses at times.

It’s easy to see the upside on Knowlton with the combination of size, projection, and arm talent all playing big factors in the overall product. He showed a deadly fastball and will be on the forefront of a very talented 2018 pitching class.




After showing off excellent stuff during his time at PG National, lefthander Keyshawn Askew (2018, Powder Springs, Ga.) battled through the rain to still show off his high ceiling. The Clemson commit is extremely lanky with a lot of physical projection remaining on the frame at 6-foot-3 and 175-pounds. Askew’s arm action is extremely loose and whip-like as it travels through a full arm circle to come out from a lower three-quarters arm slot. The slot and release point add a very difficult entry angle to the equation as it is hard to square up his pitches. Askew worked a fastball that sat in the 85-88 mph range that showed quality arm side run and was worked to both sides of the plate. He showed three pitches in total and the secondary pitches were highlighted by a changeup at 79 mph that showed quality fade to the arm side and had similar arm speed to the delivery of the fastball.

Matheu Nelson (2018, Largo, Fla.) is another PG National participant who stood out during Friday’s action as he laced three hard hits to help boost the Florida Burn Platinum to victory. Nelson has an incredibly physical and strong frame and although he was not behind the plate on Friday, his bat is too valuable to keep out of the lineup and was slotted in as the designated hitter. The Florida State commit has very polished mechanics and has a direct path to the ball where his impressive strength allows for him to impact the ball with authority. Nelson racked up two doubles and single which included a screamer down the left field line to bring home a couple of runs. The power potential is very high for Nelson and he should continue to be one of the more intriguing righthanded power bats of the class.

A pair of Team Elite stars aided in the walkoff win as righthander Ethan Smith (2018, Mount Juliet, Tenn.) and shortstop Isaiah Byars (2018, Stone Mountain, Ga.) both showed off their tools.

Smith has a very interesting delivery on the mound, one that features a double pump leg lift in an effort to both disrupt the opposing batters timing and to help keep his delivery in sync. It was effective on Friday as Smith tossed three sparkling innings that featured no hits allowed and four strikeouts. The Vanderbilt commit has a very long and loose arm stroke that travels throughout a full arm path. The arm is long but he is able to be on time consistently and pounded the strike zone, hitting corners on either side of the plate and keeping the ball low. The frame is strong and durable of that of a starting pitcher and the fastball worked 89-92 mph while topping out at 93 mph in the first. The arm slot helped to create some plane and Smith got downhill effectively while showing the ability to cut the fastball as well.

Byars is a toolsy player with the ability to impact the game both on the offensive and defensive side. His time at PG National showed his smooth fielding ability with incredibly soft hands and the ability to remain balanced while making plays to either side. The Clemson commit tallied up two hits to the box score and showed the ability to hit line drives to the opposite field. The swing itself is short and compact while the path allows for him to hit line drives to all fields. The first hit was an opposite field double that his speed could not extend into a triple, followed by a single to right field towards the end of the game.

Uncommitted righthander Ryan Miller (2018, Blandon, Pa.) was impressive during his start against Team Elite as he had the talented club to only one run over six innings. Miller’s fastball reached as high as 90 mph in the first inning before settling in to the 84-88 mph range for the duration of the outing. He has a shorter arm action through the back with some arm speed as it travels through the arm path as well. The fastball was mostly true in life but showed occasional heavy plane while in the lower third of the strike zone. Miller showed three pitches which included a short curveball and a changeup that flashed down action. Miller also collected a single up the middle to break up the combined no-hitter for the opposition.




One of the strongest performances of the day came from the right arm of Tyler Ras (2018, Middletown, N.J.). The talented righthander is extremely lanky with room for added strength and is listed at a lean 6-foot-4, 195-pounds. The delivery on a whole is pretty easy although there is some effort and to the finish of the motion. The arm is full through the back and Ras delivers from a high three-quarters arm slot.

The Alabama commit’s command was impeccable on Friday as he showed the ability to work to both sides with ease and commanded all of his pitches effectively. The fastball was the pitch that jumped off the page, because of the nature of the velocity, as it sat 90-93 mph and topped out at 94 mph. The pitch was effective on both sides of the plate and showed occasional life to it.

He featured two breaking balls during the outing but the most impressive was the slider which was hard in the low-80s with sharp, late bite to it. The pitch varied in terms of two-plane break, however the movement was very late and often had opposing hitters swinging right through it. Ras made very quick work of the opposition, three scoreless and hitting innings while collecting three strikeouts in only 26 pitches, and the command of both the fastball and off-speed was outstanding on Friday.

A pair of hitters for Tri State Arsenal Prime added Ras in the winning effort as Danny Serretti (2018, Berkeley Heights, N.J.) and Charles Mack (2018, Williamsville, N.Y.) were both contributors to a big 12-0 opening victory.

Serretti got the scoring started with a long home run to right field. The switch-hitter’s blast came from the left side of the plate and left the bat at 91 mph while traveling an estimated 357 feet. The St. John’s commit is very athletic with twitchy actions and on his home run Serretti got extended throught the point of contact and got good drive from the rear leg to add some power to the swing. His hands are incredibly loose at the plate and allow him to extend plate coverage well. Serretti finished the afternoon going 2-2 and looks to be a solid all-around contributor who should help Tri State throughout the duration of the tournament.

Listed as a primary shortstop and third baseman, Mack showed positional versatility by gearing up and catching for the first three innings. He handles velocity well, see: Ras’ 90-93 mph fastball, and his arm strength excelled as he was posting warm up pop times in the 1.95-2.05 second range. There are absolutely tools there to succeed behind the plate and it will be interesting to see how he develops, particularly with the nuances of the position. Offensively, Mack turned in another ho-hum performance by lacing a single to right field and showing off his impressive bat speed. The Clemson commit looks stronger at the plate and that strength should allow him to tap into more power in-game. Mack has a crisp swing fro the left side and his run-scoring single left the bat at 96 mph. There is a hitch in the swing, but Mack showed that he is able to get the bat through the zone quickly and was consistently on time with his swings.

– Vincent Cervino





Franco Aleman (2018, Tampa, Fla.) made quite an impression on scouts at the Perfect Game National a few weeks ago, and showed more of the same on Friday morning at LakePoint. Aleman, aside from his size and stuff, is also a big draw for scouts in that he’s a pretty young prospect for his class, seeing as he just turned 17 years old.

Aleman stands 6-foot-6, weighing in somewhere in the neighborhood of 215 pounds and looking every bit of it, with an athletic, well-proportioned build. His arm stroke is seemingly effortless, extremely long and full through the back with whippy arm speed. The length of the arm can cause him timing problems, however, which in turn can lead to command concerns but the ease of operation here is something to behold. Aleman’s velocity ranged from 88-93 mph during his rain-shortened outing, consistently in the 89-91 mph range early in counts and then dialing it up to 92-93 mph to put hitters away. There are some inconsistencies here to be sure, but Aleman’s combination of size, youth, ease of operation and present stuff certainly make for an enticing upside.

Aleman’s FTB Tucci 55 teammate Nander De Sedas (2018, Montverde, Fla.) was an on-base machine for FTB through their opening day doubleheader, as he was often pitched around, resulting in several walks for the switch-hitting shortstop. He has impressive hitting tools from both sides of the plate and has shown them consistently for quite awhile now, to go along with his exemplary defensive skills. He’s a prospect that we’ll be keeping close tabs on, not only through the rest of this week but leading up until the draft next year.




The Upstate Mavericks sent Garrett McDaniels (2018, Nichols, S.C.) to the mound in their opening game of the weekend, what ended up an 8-0 run-rule victory. McDaniels was nothing short of spectacular, throwing a complete game (five innings) shutout, allowing a scant two hits and one walk to go along with 11 strikeouts. McDaniels’ body is undoubtedly still projectable, and that combined with his athleticism and plus arm speed lead to scouts being very excited about his future. He worked 86-90 mph in a steady rain, and it’s well within reason to expect him to throw harder, probably in the near future. He creates significant angle to the plate as well allowing for his raw fastball velocity to play up that much more. He worked in a quality curveball as well, one with a potentially above average future, thrown in the 74-76 mph range with 1-to-7 shape and very good depth.

It should come as no surprise to anyone that the Canes 17u club is once again loaded top-to-bottom with talent. That talent was put on display frequently in their 13-1 opening game victory on Friday. Shortstop and leadoff hitter Xavier Edwards (2018, Wellington, Fla.) has consistently made his mark as one of, if not the best leadoff hitters in the class (in addition to being one of the best defenders as well). A switch-hitter with an impressive knack for line drive contact from both sides of the plate, Edwards handles the bat as well as most anyone in the class and does so in the optimal way to maximize his impact atop a lineup. He works to all fields on a line from both sides of the plate and barrels up the baseball seemingly effortlessly, and then turns on his plus speed to turn singles into doubles seemingly at will.

Edwards also plays shortstop at an extremely high level, and the left side of the Canes infield with Nicholas Northcut playing third base and Edwards at shortstop may be unrivaled in terms of defense in this event.

Brandon Birdsell (2018, Willis, Texas) continues to be one of the storylines of the summer as he continues to work his way back from Tommy John surgery. He’s a tremendous amount of time ahead of schedule in his recovery, and looked to be just as dominant as ever on Friday. He worked 91-93 mph consistently with his fastball, spotting it down in the zone to both sides of the plate with explosion out of the hand and tremendous arm speed. He lands closed off a bit but still does an excellent job of getting over his front side extending through release and creating excellent angle. His breaking ball feel was a bit inconsistent on this day, but at it’s best showed sharp, two-plane break in the low-80s with depth to the bottom of the strike zone.




The Central Florida Gators opened the tournament down several players who are currently at the Tournament of Stars in North Carolina, but that didn’t stop them from winning in convincing fashion on Friday. Tony Bullard (2018, Riverside, Calif.) got the start and was dominant in his three innings, striking out seven and allowing only a pair of base hits with no walks. He pounded the zone throwing exclusively cut fastballs in the 85-87 mph range, mixing in a sharp, bat-missing slider in the upper-70s that he tunnels well. He worked to both sides of the plate and was successful at both getting swings-and-misses along with generating weak contact, as the cutter does a very good job of slicing off of the barrels of opposing hitters. He’s a well-built, physical prospect who has quality arm speed and is primarily a power-hitting corner infield prospect but his ability on the mound certainly makes him an intriguing two-way prospect at the next level.

Often undersold when a pitcher is throwing with excellent fastball movement is the job of the catcher to consistently receive those fastballs and frame them for strikes, and Hunter Corbett (2018, Deland, Fla.) did a fantastic job with it when receiving Bullard. He’s a very good defensive catcher overall, blocking well to both sides and showing athleticism behind the plate. He also stroked a loud double into the opposite field gap showing off bat speed with a leveraged, strong swing that is capable of hitting for power at the next level. He is uncommitted as of this writing, but shouldn’t be for very long.




One of the most dominating performances of the day belonged to 2018 UNC-Wilmington commit Justin Jarvis (Mooresville, N.C.), who got the start for the Canes American club on Friday. He went three no-hit innings in a run-rule victory, collecting seven strikeouts and allowing a single baserunner via walk. Jarvis is very long and lean with long limbs and excellent projection remaining. His delivery features a good deal of deception, as he stabs his front arm out and up as he loads back, and then fires downhill while hiding the ball through the back well, creating the illusion of his limbs coming towards the plate, rather than the ball itself.

Combine that with the fact that he fires 90-93 mph bullets to the bottom of the strike zone with significant plane to both sides of the plate with nearly impeccable command and it’s easy to see how he was so dominant. He didn’t really need his breaking ball, but still showed off a curveball that flashed above average with sharp biting shape with no discernible hump out of the hand. He’ll be followed very closely over the summer.

Late on Friday night, Sticks Baseball Academy tied with Nokona Baseball by a score of 3-3. Sticks did bring in one of the highlights of the day in righthanded pitcher Jaden Hill (2018, Ashdown, Ark.) and he looked like a potential future first rounder in his brief appearance. Hill is incredibly physical, standing at least 6-foot-4 or 6-foot-5 with plus-plus physicality and athleticism looking every bit like the D-I football prospect that he is.

He has some inconsistencies in terms of command and allowed baserunners as a result but the raw profile here has some of the highest upside in the country. His arm works well and he came out firing 92-95 mph bullets with at least plus arm speed showing the ability to throw strikes out of the windup. He also worked in a slider that flashed average, and while there is undoubtedly a great deal of rawness to his profile his upside is undeniable. He’ll be followed with intense scrutiny over the next year as, again, his upside is among the top in the class of 2018.

– Brian Sakowski
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