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Tournaments  | Story  | 7/2/2017

17u WWBA Day 2 Scout Notes

Photo: Perfect Game



Daily Leaders | Player Stats | Day 1 Notes

Righthander David Luethje (2018, Vero Beach, Fla.) started things off for Day 2 of the 17u WWBA National Championship and looked just as impressive as he did a few weeks ago at PG National. The Florida commit stands tall at 6-foot-5, 190-pounds and worked with a compact delivery and a long arm stroke through the back. Luethje released from a high three-quarters arm slot which aided him in generating excellent downhill plane on the fastball.

The main weapon in Luethje’s arsenal on Saturday morning was his fastball that was very effective early on. The pitch worked 90-93 over the first two innings and he did a good job at getting the pitch to both sides and inducing swings and misses in the strike zone. He leveraged his delivery through the lower third of the strike zone which helped to create a difficult angle to square up the ball.

He mixed in a short breaking ball that worked in the mid-70s. It was a change of pace pitch for him but it flashed sharp break low in the zone and it was most effective at being used to induce swings and misses.




One of the more impressive showings at PG National was outfielder Nick Decker (2018, Southampton, N.J.) and he continued to show off his loud tools at the plate with a long home run on Saturday morning. The Maryland has tremendous bat speed and strength at the point of contact and he drove a missile 389 feet to the pull side that left the bat at 100 mph. Decker is a physical specimen, coming in at 6-foot and 200-pounds, and that strength is used well throughout the lower half as he drives with the rear leg and creates tremendous leverage throughout the lower half; he creates effective torque through his hips as they fired right on time on the swing of the home run. It’s quite a testament to Decker’s patience at the plate as in his first at-bat he worked a walk and got drilled on the first pitch of the second at-bat. He did not miss a fastball down the heart of the plate, and Decker’s continued combination of immense raw power and quick, fluid swing make him one of the most dangerous participating in this year’s event.

Decker’s teammate, and hitter just before him in the lineup, Colin Wetterau (2018, Medford, N.J.) also had a strong day at the plate with a hard hit ball and a couple of hits as well. The primary catcher has good size with a lean frame to indicate that there is more room to fill out at 6-foot, 165-pounds. The swing from the left side is very easy and has a naturally lofted swing plane to it. He launched a ball deep to the right centerfield gap in his first at-bat only to be robbed by a diving catch on the warning track by the opposing centerfielder. The swing mechanincs are very simple as there are little moving parts with a simple, direct trigger to initiate the swing. Wetterau did not catch on Saturday but the hitting tools are there to be successful and the St. John’s commit is one to monitor.

Part of a heavy-hitting FTB lineup on Saturday morning, outfielder Preston Hartsell (2018, Newport Coast, Calif.) had a couple of loud knocks on Saturday morning. The Southern California is a twitch athlete, coming in at a well-built 6-foot and 195-pound frame. Hartsell is an excellent runner but has tremendous tools with the bat as well as evidenced by his opposite field double in the first inning that left the bat at 98 mph. He did a good job at keeping his weight back and then shooting it forward and going with the pitch on the outer half of the plate. Hartsell stands with a high hand set and has a direct path to the ball; he is able to lift the ball well with a well-timed swing. The hands are very loose at the plate and he is able to adjust to most any pitches within the strike zone. He grinded out a few at bats yesterday and showed the requisite barrel control to be able to make adjustments depending on the pitch type as well.

Uncommitted righthander Joseph Sprake (2018, Lincroft, N.J.) came into the game for a relief appearance and showed some quality tools during his stint on the mound. Sprake came out firing in the first inning exclusively from the stretch and featured a fastball that worked 88-91 mph throughout the first inning. The arm speed was rather quick through the arm path and he released the ball from a high three-quarters arm slot. The arm circle itself was short and he got it through cleanly. The fastball was the go to pitch and he mixed in a softer curveball. The velocity dipped down as the outing wore on but Sprake showed some good stuff.




One of the better pitching performances on Saturday came from the right arm of North Carolina commit Austin Elliot (2018, Milton, Del.). He has a very durable and well-built frame that is indicative of a starting pitcher. The overall effort level is pretty low although there is a slight head whack but that looked to be less effort-related.

What stood out about Elliot was his explosive lower half mechanics. There is a multi-pieced leg lift that allows him to extend down the mound and generate the requisite drive off the mound and through the lower half. When his mechanics were on time, Elliot was dynamic in terms of pounding his fastball low in the strike zone and mixing in his hammer curveball.

The stuff flashed on Saturday but he showed that is clearly there. The fastball wasn’t too overpowering, coming in at 87-91 mph, but he generates good downhill plane on the pitch. His weapon on the afternoon was the curveball which flashed sharp, downward break and tight 12-to-6 shape. The pitch was excellent when Elliot got on top of it as he could throw it both for strikes and bury it low in the zone.

Elliot’s teammates Brandon Neeck (2018, Chappaqua, N.Y.) and Stephen Reid (2019, Mountainside, N.J.) both showed high level tools throughout Tri State’s game on Saturday as well.

Neeck has been to many PG events, including the National Showcase, and is one of the highest ranked pitchers in the class. The stuff and mechanics make it easy to see why as he has a three-pitch arsenal to go along with very loose and easy mechanics. The arm is long through the back with a slight tilt at the top of his gather. Neeck throws with almost no effort and it looks as if he is up there simply playing catch. The Virginia commit throws exclusively from the stretch and on Satuday’s abbreviated outing he featured primarily his 88-92 mph fastball to go along with a low-80s slider. The Virginia commit battled through some weather and command issues but the fastball showed good life when low in the zone. The slider was not thrown often but he threw a couple of very good ones that just dove down and to the glove side for swings and misses.

Reid is an underclassmen but that hasn’t phased him thus far as he is hitting in the four hole and absolutely producing. The Georgia Tech commit has three hits over two games thus far and of those three hits he has two extra-base hits. The first wa a very long home run that traveled out of field 12 on Friday and left the bat at 98 mph. Reid collected a double and a single on Saturday and showed off high level tools while doing so. He has very good bat speed throughout a short and compact swing throughout he zone. The bat speed allows to create very good jump off the bat and the raw power is noticeable. He is also a quick runner, timed at 4.5 seconds to first on a turn, with good instincts as he extended a single into a double.




Lefthander Joe Miller (2018, Hatboro, Pa.) was simply masterful for the Philly Whiz Kids as he twirled a complete game victory that saw him rack up 13 strikeouts while only allowing one run. The U. of Penn commit has broad shoulders on a very strong frame, and he goes out on the mound and competes well. The arm action was quick and clean throughout the path, although he would wrap a bit on his breaking ball. He released from a lower three-quarters arm slot and the fastball had good angle to the plate.

The most impressive aspect of Miller’s performance, besides the quality of the stuff for swings and misses, was his ability to command the fastball effectively to both sides. Miller was able to put the ball on either side of the plate with ease and hitters had no chance. He was 88-90 mph early on and settled into the 85-88 mph range and showed occasional run to the fastball. He also mixed in a breaking ball in the low-70s that had good depth to it.

Keeping the scouts focused at night thanks to his velocity was big righthander Angel Tiburcio (2018, Wellington, Fla.) and he was fantastic during the early portion of his start. Tiburcio comes in at a very physical and strong 6-foot-3, 210-pounds which allows him excellent raw strength in the batter’s box. However, the story on Saturday night was Tiburcio’s pitching.

The righthander has a very quick delivery with a shorter, deceptive arm action. Tiburcio gathers over the mound and stays tall while the hands go back over his head into the release. The fastball explodes out of the hand and sat 91-93 mph in the first inning before settling into the 88-92 mph range. The fastball got on hitters well as it showed good life, particularly diving and running on occasion. Other times it would be true in nature, but nonetheless it was effective and he pounded the arm side of the plate with the pitch.

The development of Tiburcio’s slider was what was most impressive on Saturday night. The pitch flashed above average at times and came in with hard, biting two-plane action. He could soften it up to throw across for strikes, but it was most effective in the 79-82 range when it dove down and away from righthanded hitters to get some silly swings. The pitch has incredibly tight spin, registering as high as 2800 rpm via TrackMan.

The Florida International commit’s two-way ability should play immediately if he makes it to campus, but his skills on the mound were on full display. The combination of fastball and slider was very effective and he is a pitcher that should continue to improve as the 2018 draft season rages on.

Ty Madden (2018, Cypress, Texas) showed high level pitching tools which included a strong fastball-changeup mix on Saturday night. The righthander stands tall at 6-foot-4, and a still projectable 180-pound frame. The Rice commit threw from an over the top arm slot, which allowed him to generate excellent plane on the fastball, and has a compact arm action in the back.

Madden started out pumping 89-91 mph with his fastball that showed late, heavy life to it. Early on the velocity was very consistent and he showed the ability to work the pitch to both sides. There are some moving parts in the delivery which can create some deception but the pitch that stood out the most was his changeup. The pitch came in around 80 and showed replicated arm speed and good, downward tumble. It was a go-to pitch on Saturday night and he got multiple swings and misses through it.

Madden’s teammate Alerick Soularie (2017, Humble, Texas) started off the scoring with a loud homerun to deep left field. The recent San Jac commit’s blast left the bat at 93 mph and traveled 342 feet into the good night. Soularie is a twitchy athlete with a short swing through the zone and connected to show off some raw power as well. The athleticism showed on the base paths and his hand speed at the plate allowed him to drive the barrel effectively through the zone.

Recently committing to Tennessee was northeast native Sean Guilbe (2018, Reading Pa.) and he put a charge into a pitch on Saturday night and launched it 375 feet and left the bat at 101 mph. Guilbe has shown tremendous strength and raw power in the past, and he is no stranger to home runs, so he knew he got all of it as soon as it left the bat and provided a righteous bat flip to boot. Guilbe has excellent bat speed throughout his incredibly strong 6-foot-2, 190-pound frame and is able to drive the ball in the air often. The 2018 class has shown a ton of raw power and pitching velocity, and Guilbe should certainly not be forgotten when looking at the top of the class.

– Vinnie Cervino





The East Coast Sox Select are undefeated thus far in the 17u WWBA National Championship with a record of 1-0-1, and then got that victory on Saturday at LakePoint. Connor Shamblin (2018, Lakeland, Tenn.) recorded the win on the mound, throwing 3 2/3 perfect innings with four strikeouts. Shamblin came out firing bullets, working 92-94 mph in the first inning and settling in around 91-93 mph for the duration of his time on the mound, showing impressive feel for working the ball downhill and to the bottom of the strike zone with consistency.

Shamblin does a good job generating plane from a higher three-quarters arm slot creating good angle to the plate as well as some natural heaviness to the fastball. His delivery is of the crossfire variety, landing a bit closed off with his hips but still possessing the torso flexibility and strength necessary to get over his front side consistently. He worked in a slider as his primary off-speed pitch, thrown in the mid- to upper-70s and being at its best the harder he threw it. It’ll show sharp, late tilt with good bite. It’s a bat-missing pitch for him that should only get better with time. Shamblin is committed to attend the University of Alabama.

You’d be hard-pressed to find a faster player in the entire class of 2018 than Josh Hall (2018, Huntsville, Ala.). The speedy leadoff hitter has set records for stolen bases in the state of Alabama, and it’s easy to see why after seeing him run down the line just once. He hits leadoff for the Sox Select, and a lot of his game is based around bunting for a hit or slapping the ball the other way, but given his elite, 80-grade (on the 20-80 scale) speed it would be silly not to employ it as often as possible. He recorded times down the line of 3.58 and 3.65 seconds on bunts during the Sox game on Saturday—truly absurd times, to be sure. He’s committed to Ole Miss and will likely wreak havoc there as well, both getting on base and then stealing a ton of bases.

Mason Ronan (2018, Ashville, Pa.) has been on the radar for a good while as a quality lefthanded pitching prospect and he took the mound on Saturday for US Elite in their game vs. Marucci Elite. He had some inconsistencies in terms of his command and dealt with an elevated pitch count as a result but managed to limit the damage and still show why he’s a legitimate prospect in the Midwest moving forward. Ronan touched 90 mph early on in the game before settling in at 85-88 for the duration of his 50-plus pitch outing, doing an outstanding job of creating angles to the plate which, when in the zone, made his fastball extremely tough to square up. He throws from an extremely crossfire delivery and high three-quarters arm slot adding some deception as well, but also making it a bit more difficult for him to consistently get over his front side.

Ronan’s feel for his breaking ball also stood out. Thrown right around 70 mph, it’s not quite a hammer swing-and-miss offering yet, but it has nearly every component to be projected as such in the future. It’s thrown with 1-to-7 shape and excellent depth along with tight spin and as he continues to get stronger and throw it harder it has all the makings of a potentially above average offering for him. He’s able to land it for strikes to both sides of the plate giving him a definite weapon to take with him to Michigan State, where he’s committed.

Late Night at LakePoint sounds more like a television talk show, but it was the reality on Saturday night (Sunday morning) as rain delays pushed games well into the wee hours. There was a whole bunch of talent on display as well, which kept the scouts and college coaches hopping as well.




Roberto Pena (2018, Pembroke Pines, Fla.) got the nod in Game 1 of Elite Squad 17u Prime’s tournament run, and delivered in a big way as Elite Squad won both of their games late Saturday night to move to a quick 2-0 in pool play. Pena is primarily a third baseman committed to Florida, but has some serious two-way upside, and we know Coach O’Sullivan is not afraid to play his players both ways in Gainesville.

Pena came out working 90-92 mph with his fastball frame a physical, well-built frame. He takes a long arm stroke through the back highlighted by a bit of a wrap but does a good job accelerating out cleanly and quickly to a three-quarters slot release. He’s able to generate good sinking action on the fastball, and when he was in command he dominated with the fastball. Perhaps most impressive was Pena’s ability to mess with the timing of the hitter, a la Marcus Stroman. He has a standard windup/delivery, but would vary that to more of a quick pitch and then also would add a pause in the standard version giving the hitter different looks and making him even tougher to time up.

Triston Casas (2018, Pembroke Pines, Fla.) got back from Tournament of Stars just in time to play for Elite Squad Prime, and made his presence immediately known (as he’s done for years). He went 3-for-3 in the game with a loud double to the opposite field and a pair of RBI, impacting the game offensively as per usual for him. He’s incredibly physical and stands out immediately just from a physical standpoint and then the lefthanded power and hitting ability he brings to the table make him even more intriguing.




The Central Florida Gators ran their record to 2-0 on Saturday night via a 12-0 victory behind a balanced offensive attack and dominant pitching. Chase Costello (2018, Pomapano Beach, Fla.) set the tone early on the mound for the Gators, earning the victory by striking out five over his two innings (the Gators secured the win in four innings). Costello is yet-uncommitted but that’s unlikely to last for long, as he’s got some serious upside on the mound.

Costello worked in the 87-91 mph range with his fastball throughout his outing, showing the ability to work down in the zone to both sides of the plate with his sinking fastball, all with a projectable body and very fast arm, making it easy to project future additional velocity from him. He also flashed a quality slider with two-plane bite, showing average on the pro scale and possessing upside of much better than that with increased consistency as well as good feel for a changeup.

Raymond Torres (2019, Charlotte, N.C.) did the catching for the Gators and showed off the same loud tools that he put on display at the PG Jr. National a few weeks ago. He’s an extremely athletic catching prospect with next level tools up and down his scouting report not the least of which is his already-plus arm strength for the position. He’s very athletic behind the plate with easy lateral movements and the twitch needed to block easily and that throwing arm gives him a run-stopping weapon. The receiving skills are advanced as well, receiving and framing sinkers from Costello with seemingly no issue. Offensively, he combines extremely fast hands with good strength to make excellent bat speed giving him the ability to create impressive exit velocities off the barrel when he’s timed up—which he is, often.




One field over, the Canes 17u National club ran their record to 2-0 as they look like one of the better teams in the event, per usual. They started Kolby Kubichek (2018, Bryan, Texas), a University of Texas commit, and he was very good for the most part. Kubichek ran into a bit of an elevated pitch count due to a few command inconsistencies but still showed legitimate upside and stuff. He worked in the 89-92 mph for the most part, doing a good job locating the fastball down in the zone with good sink. He walked three, but wasn’t even close to wild, as nearly every miss was seemingly a borderline call. He worked in a curveball in the mid-70s that flashed good 11-to-5 shape as well as good feel for his changeup, thrown in the low-80s with fade and good deception out of the hand.

– Brian Sakowski



There is a lot to like in lefthanded pitcher Ben Cruikshank (2018, Fairview Heights, Ill.), like the ways he attacks hitters with his fastball. Cruikshank gets ahead with a fastball and continued to use his fastball until the opposing hitters showed they could hit it. The Missouri State commit seemed to always miss barrels. Cruikshank has long limbs and a long arm action with a projectable build. His tempo on the mound is good and he likes to work fast. His fastball sits 85-87 touching 88 with late life that he maintained well.  He did not use his breaking ball much, but did flash a 1-to-7 curveball in the mid-70s. The southpaw has a quick delivery with a three-quarters slot that is tough on lefthanded bats. He pounds the zone to both sides of the plate and likes to pitch inside. The future Bear is very projectable with lots of room to fill and a high follow as he has been up to 90 mph in the past.

Alex Otero (2018, Apopka, Fla.) can really swing the bat. The big, strong catcher showed big power potential to pull side and good bat speed. Otero hit a double down the left field line that registered a 98 mph exit velocity. He squared up the ball with hard contact in each at-bat on Saturday morning. His approach is a little patient waiting for a pitch on the inner third of the plate. Otero is uncommitted and worth a follow especially when at the dish.

Jack Billings (2018, Voorhees, N.J.) showed Saturday that he might have the biggest increase in terms of Perfect Game rankings and velocity of any pitcher in his class. Coming into the 17u WWBA National Championship, Billings was unranked in his class and his fastball topped at 83. Saturday, the uncommitted righthander’s fastball touched 93 and sat 89-92. Billings is a good pitcher on top of the velocity increase. He pounds the zone to both sides of the plate and has a very good curveball. Billings generates excellent extension from his 5-foot-11 215-pound frame. The extension adds two mph of effective velocity making his peak 93 look like 95 to hitters. His 12-to-6 curveball is sharp with bite in the mid-70s. The pitch has a 2600-rpm spin rate and makes hitters swing and miss. Billings struck out two of the three batters he faced for East Coast Royals Scout Team 17u. The righthander has a high ceiling in the 2018 class.

Jack Wolgast (2018, Niceveille, Fla.) is a righthanded pitcher committed to the University of New Orleans. Wolgast went five innings striking out eight and earning the win. The UNO commit showed good command from his over-the-top arm angle, but the accuracy did lack some when the arm was late through the circle. The delivery is balanced with tilt and he repeated it well. He mixed his fastball with two different breaking balls. He showed good feel for his sharp curveball with depth in the low- to mid-70s. What he called his slider had action like a good sinking changeup. The slider appeared to be the better of the two although he used his curveball more often. The ball dove down during its plane and fooled several hitters.

Daniel Ouderkirk (2018, Penn Laid, Va.) is a very tall righthander with really long arms and broad shoulders. In terms of stuff, Ouderkick has a lot to like although the command struggles at times. The West Virginia commit has an extra-large frame that helps him get great extension of up to eight feet and make his best fastball at 90 mph look like 92 mph. His fastball sat 83-88 touching 90 with occasional sinking action. There were no signs of off-speed in his outing, however. Ouderkirk’s delivery has a good long arm action with a limited lower half and releases out in front with the ball getting on hitters quickly.

The outing of the day on Saturday two belonged to Hunter Dreves (2018, Fort Thomas, Ky.). The uncommitted righthander threw a seven inning complete game no-hitter for the Midland Braves, striking out nine. Dreves throws from a three-quarters arm slot with long arm action. He also has a strong lower half, staying tall on his back leg. He gets excellent extension up to seven-and-a-half feet with effective velocity two mph greater than the actual velocity. The less he extended, however, the more arm-side life he showed. His fastball sat in the 87-89 range touching 90 early on although the velocity lowered slightly after a couple of innings of work. Dreves throws a mid-70s curveball that is still developing even though he did not have to use it often in Saturday’s outing. His frame is tall and athletic at 6-foot-4, 195-pounds and has room to fill with added strength. There is more, potentially, in the tank for Dreves who has a high ceiling as the No. 2 righthanded pitcher in the state of Kentucky.

– Gregory Gerard



Day two of the 2017 17U WWBA National Championship proved to continue the precedent set the day prior – standout performances from a number of pitchers. Will Pudik (2018, Peoria, Ill.) did not get that memo. Listed at 6-feet tall and weighing 195-pounds, he possesses a strong, athletic frame that allows him to have quick wrists, and ultimately place quality barrel on the ball with consistency. In his initial at-bat, Pudik went yard, bringing home two additional teammates with his shot. He continued his clutch hitting throughout the contest, singling twice in as many appearances while knocking in an additional run. This brought his day’s total runs batted in to four, all of which proved necessary as his team edged their opponent by only one run.




Transitioning back to the tournament’s early pitching trend, Hunter Barco (2019, Jacksonville, Fla.) proved to be a must-see in Saturday’s rotation. As the Perfect Game No. 1-rated lefthanded pitcher in the class, scouts prepared themselves to see a special talent as he toed the rubber, and Barco did not disappoint. Before even tossing a warmup pitch, Barco’s presence is known – standing 6-foot-4 with long limbs and clocking in at 200 pounds – the southpaw commands attention from hitters and scouts alike, and possesses an extremely projectable frame. He throws from a lower three-quarters arm slot, effortlessly clocking 88-91, touching 92 mph, with his fastball. He worked off an occasional 84 mph slider, owning all quadrants of the plate with both pitches, and garnering swings and misses at pitches both in and out of the zone.

Mitchel Megias (2018, New Albany, Ohio) looked solid early in his outing as well. Standing tall with a slender frame, Megias has long legs and utilizing them to generate solid a downward on his fastball. Pitching today in the 87-93 mph range on his fastball early in the contest, his sinking tilt made it hard for hitters to get on a solid plane, initiating a number of swings and misses, and easy ground balls when contact was made.




Another imposing figure on the mound, William Duncan (2018, Richardson, Texas) stands at 6-foot-5 and a lean 190-pounds with some room to continue to add strength. His two-pitch arsenal consists of a fastball that sits in the 88-90 range, as well as a higher spin rate curveball with an 11-to-5 break that was up to 76, but most effective, and essentially unhittable, when it spun in around 70-71. Duncan throws a lot at you, with a sped-up delivery, the ball appears to be on the hitter as soon as he starts his windup. Utilizing his lower half effectively, he pounded the strike zone at all quadrants, dropping the hammer on hitters as his strikeout pitch consistently throughout the contest. Combining all his elements, Duncan had one of the most impressive performances of the tournament so far, racking up 16 punchouts over the course of six innings, allowing zero hits and only one walk in that frame.

– Travis Clark
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