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Tournaments  | Story  | 7/30/2017

PG World Series Day 6 Notes

Jheremy Brown      Vincent Cervino     
Photo: Perfect Game

Day 1 Notes | Day 2 Notes | Day 3 Notes | Day 4 Notes | Day 5 Notes
15u PG World Series: Daily Leaders | Player Stats
16u PG World Series: Daily Leaders | Player Stats

There were strong performances across the board that led the Scorpions to the championship game in the 15u PG World Series, and C.J. Kayfus (2019, Greenwood Village, Colo.) was a bat that has stood out for them. In addition to tossing a complete game shutout in the quarterfinals, and reaching as high as 81 mph with the fastball, Kayfus has been a steady force in the middle of the lineup. He has a lean and athletic build, with plenty of room to add strength to increase the future power. The swing is pretty smooth through the zone and he gets it through quickly and on plane. Kayfus is looking to drive the ball to both gaps and generated a lot of line drive contact throughout the week.

The hero for the eventual 15u PG World Series champion Team Elite, Austin Hendrick (2020, Oakdale, Pa.) yet again showed why he is one of the most dynamic prospects in the class. The display was impressive as he was a part of the team’s comeback in the semifinal game, 101 mph single to keep the two-out rally alive, along with starting the championship on the mound and having the biggest hit of the tournament. In the middle innings, Hendrick blasted a grand slam to make the lead insurmountable; the slam traveled over the scoreboard in right-center field and left the bat at 96 mph while traveling an estimated 381 feet. The stuff on the mound was also impressive with his fastball and changeup combination. The fastball worked up to 87 mph while sitting comfortably in the low- to mid-80s, however the changeup was a real weapon for him against batters of the opposite handedness. Hendrick earned the win with 4 2/3 innings pitched while limiting the opposition to only five hits.

One of the early playoff games for the 16u PG World Series had to go to extra innings, and that made the outing by Davis Rokose (2019, Johns Creek, Ga.) even more impressive than it already was. The Team GA/MBA lefthander was tremendous by firing eight innings while only allowing one-run and punching out nine batters. The 5-foot-11, 170-pound southpaw is a bit shorter on the mound but he is well proportioned throughout the build with still room to add strength to the frame. Rokose has a very simple and repeatable delivery with a clean arm path through the point of release. He creates good angle on his fastball and although the pitch is true in life, he commanded it well along with maintaining his velocity well throughout his time on the mound; Rokose worked 84-87 mph early on and settled in the 82-85 mph range throughout. He showed very good pitchability by mixing speeds and using his entire arsenal whenever he needed big outs. Rokose showed a short slider to go along with a changeup as well.

Brett Thomas (2019, Atlanta, Ga.) came on in relief for the 643 DP Cougars and showed very promising tools on the mound. Thomas has an extra large frame on the mound, listed at 6-foot-5 and 220-pounds, and was recently up to 91 mph a couple of days ago during this event. He was up to 88 mph on Saturday and showed an over-the-top release point with a crossfire element to his landing foot. The combination of his arm slot and his height allow him to create excellent downhill plane to both sides of the plate when leveraged to the lower third of the strike zone. Thomas’ confidence in the curveball stood out and the 12-to-6 breaker showed consistent shape and was a good weapon.

Another Team GA/MBA pitcher who turned in an excellent start was Blake Wehunt (2019, Carnesville, Ga.) as he turned in a complete game shutout during the quarterfinals late on Saturday afternoon. Wehunt is a very large and physical righthander, listed at 6-foot-5, 212-pounds and he uses that size and the length of his lower half to generate very impressive extension down the mound to help his stuff play up. The arm action is long through the back but when he gets on top of the ball he is able to create heavy plane that complements the haevy life on his fastball well. Wehunt looked to create weak groundball contact and he often did as the groundouts were his best wasy to get outs on Saturday. He would pick up strikeouts due to the nature of his stuff, racked up four, and he also showed off-speed pitches that flashed quality potential. The Team GA/MBA pitching staff has been nails through the early part of the playoffs and that looks to be the strength of the team heading into the semifinals.




Primary infielder Nasim Nunez (2019, Lawrenceville, Ga.) got an inning on the mound during Team Elite’s consolation game on Saturday afternoon and showed very interesting potential, especially considering that he did not throw at the PG Junior National Showcase. Nunez has a smaller frame at 5-foot-9, 145-pounds but is an outstanding athlete with twithy actions all across the diamond. The athleticism and overall build allowed him to create excellent arm speed which saw his fastball be run up to 92 mph. The Clemson commit attacked hitters primarily with the fastball that flashed life to the arm side on occasion and worked in the 88-92 mph range throughout his time on the mound. Nunez also showed a big breaking curveball that had quality depth and could be thrown for strikes.

Taj Bradley (2018, Stone Mountain, Ga.) is another player who has been detailed in the past, however he showed good velocity in earning the save for East Cobb in the quarterfinals. The physical prospect stands at 6-foot-2, 195-pounds with present physicality and strength as well as the room to add more as he continues to develop. The arm was quick and the arm strength played extremely well. He only threw around ten pitches during his outing but he sat 90-92 mph throughout. The velocity was enough to blow by hitters and he wasn’t afraid to work up in the zone to get opposing hitters to chase.

One of the top prospects in the country, no. 39 overall for the class, Dylan Simmons (2019, Jacksonville, Fla.) had a big day at the plate and was a big reason why the Scorpions advanced to championship day. The Florida State commit stands at a very physical 6-foot-3, 210-pounds with well-proportioned strength and physicality throughout. He is certainly an imposing figure in the batter's box and he showed exactly why with a long home run during the quarterfinals. The ball was blasted 363 feet and left the bat at 94 mph. Simmons has excellent bat speed at the plate with the ability to leverage well throughout his lower half. The approach is geared exactly for hitting home runs and the home run also showed the jump he can create off the bat with tremendous strength through the point of contact. Simmons showed all the makings of a dangerous power hitter at the next level and has performed well all summer. 

The D Las Vegas advanced to the semifinals and Reese Trahey (2018, West Bloomfield, Mich.) had a lot to do with that. He tossed five shutout innings on the mound working very quickly with a fastball that sat in the low-80s, however the offensive profile is very interesting. The 6-foot-3, 190-pound outfielder looks like a Major Leaguer out there and the frame is indicative of power as he continues to fill out. The swing itself is short and simple, with an easy trigger to the ball with little separation. The plane of the swing is naturally lofted and he shows good bat speed through the hitting zone. Trahey has been hitting throughout the tournament, batting around .400, and the no. 3 hitter in the lineup has shown why he has earned that position in the lineup. Trahey is young for the 2018 class and is a quality uncommitted outfielder, with two-way potential, still available on the market.

– Vinnie Cervino



Landon Sims (2019, Cumming, Ga.) has made his presence known on the mound while being up to 94 mph in Perfect Game events, but he is continuing to impress me more and more with the bat. The Mississppi State commit has impressing strength and solid bat speed. Sims hit a high home run to left field in his first at-bat Saturday that left his barrel at 93 mph and traveled 334 feet. Sims is an interesting two-way player who goes about his business with high energy.

Clayton Weatherly (2019, Phenix City, Ala.) started for the Home Plate Chili Dogs and showed potential as he continues to grow. Listed at 6-foot-4, 190-pounds and realistically smaller than that, Weatherly is very projectable and already shows solid velocity on the mound. The Alabama native sat 87-88 mph and touched 89 from the windup, while the velocity dropped to the 84-85 mph range from the stretch. Weatherly throws from a high three-quarters delivery with short arm action and a slight crossfire delivery. He creates plane although the fastball is mostly straight. He mixed a curveball that showed potential as well in the low-to mid-70s. Weatherly is uncommitted, but projects to be able to play at the next level especially if he matures the way I believe he will.

Jackson Arnold (2019, Auburn, Ala.) is not overly physical at 5-foot-11, 170-pounds, but his arm is impressively quick. The ball seems to explode out of his hand with his loose arm action. He came in in relief of Weatherly and tossed one inning and sat 88-91 with his fastball. He only threw fastballs in his one inning of work, but the fastball did show occasional riding life from a high three-quarters slot. Arnold gets solid extension for his size and threw to all quadrants of the strike zone without too much effort.

Getting the start for the East Cobb Astros in their quarterfinal matchup was Clemson commit Mack Anglin (2019, Marengo, Ohio). The 6-foot-5, 180-pound righthander has a tall athletic frame with long arm action and an online delivery. His arm action is relatively loose, but does wrap slightly behind his body that makes it hard to repeat his mechanics. Anglin does have sinking action on his fastball and when thrown at the lower half of the zone, Anglin is very effective. His fastball sat between 88-90 mph early in the outing with sink from his three-quarters arm angle. He also mixed a changeup in the upper-70s and a good slider in the mid-70s that showed late bite.

– Gregory Gerard
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