2017 WWBA Underclass World Championship: Daily Leaders | Day 1 Notes | Day 2 Notes | Day 3 Notes
Playoff day at Terry Park was highlighted by the velocity seen during the day, but there were plenty of offensive contributors who also stood out including L & M Baseball leadoff man Cristian Mercedes (2019, Providence, R.I.). The righthanded hitter has good twitch athleticism, at a listed 5-foot-11, 170-pounds, and speed which profiles nicely out of the leadoff hole. Mercedes notched three hits in total on Sunday and showed a short, crisp swing with an easy and direct path to contact. The swing gets through the zone quickly and the speed played well on the bases. He was able to steal three bases on Sunday afternoon and routinely got excellent jumps off opposing pitchers.
Lefthanded pitcher, and two-way commit to Florida, Timothy Manning (2020, Pompano Beach, Fla.) turned in a strong performance on the mound for Elite Squad en route to their victory over the East Cobb Astros 16u in the opening round of the playoffs.
Manning fought through some command issues early on in the game, with three walks on the day, but still was able to battle through and deliver four scoreless frames. The fastball was recorded up to 86 mph and the pitch had good life to it that would make it difficult to keep in the strike zone at times. The arm action was compact and quick through the zone with impressive arm speed.
He is a very consistent arm and is always someone who thrives in the big moments, such as in the playoffs at one of the biggest events of the year. Manning’s curveball is a very tight-spinning pitch, between around 2400-2600 rpm, and gets a number of foolish swings and misses. Manning’s frame and arm speed are all indicative of future velocity gains, but even now in the mid-80s he is a dynamic pitcher who is always looking for the ball in a big game.
A 2017 14u PG Select Festival participant, and the No. 3 prospect for the class of 2021, Alejandro Rosario (Miami, Fla.) came in to close out the victory for Elite Squad and showed some of the best velocity of the entire event. The Miami commit worked at 90-93 mph with his fastball and touched 94 mph a number of times in his first inning of work. Showing off perhaps the best arm speed of the class, Rosario is able to generate excellent natural life on his fastball in addition to it velocity. The pitch shows plus sinking life and dives out of the strike zone or straight into the lower third of the zone. Rosario mixed in a slider on Sunday morning, but the fastball was the go-to pitch, and even after getting hit a bit during the game there is no denying the talent or the ceiling on Rosario’s profile.
The strongest pitching performance of the day came from the left arm of East Cobb Astros ace Hunter Barco (2019, Jacksonville, Fla.). Barco continues to find new ways to improve his profile and impress in exciting ways. The Virginia commit stands at an extremely long and projectable 6-foot-4, 225-pounds with a very loose arm stroke and low effort overall delivery.
Perhaps the most impressive part of Barco’s performance on the mound was command of his entire repertoire. Early on Barco commanded his pitches seemingly anywhere he wanted to, highlighted by the fastball. The pitch sat at 91-93 mph through three innings, only dipping below the 91 mph mark once. It showed good life to the pitch and was commanded to either side of the plate with ease.
The advancement of the secondaries was a welcomed development and he showed extreme confidence in both the slider and changeup. Barco utilized the changeup early, which touched 87 mph, and simply, fell off and died off the edge of the plate. The pitch was devastating against righthanded hitters and the same goes for the slider against lefties. The slider worked in the mid-80s, hovering in the 82-85 mph range, and showed good two-plane action.
While Barco turned in a no-hitter in the Round of 64, he is a legitimate two-way prospect and showed why in the second round, turning on an inside pitch to absolutely pummel a no-doubt home run to deep right field. The raw power to the pull side is very impressive and the feel to hit is also very sound as the ball jumps off the bat.
Helping his squad advance to the Round of 16 was talented lefthander Chris Villaman (2019, Thomasville, N.C.) who was making his second appearance of the weekend. The 6-foot-2, 185-pound lefthander turned in another strong performance with his fastball, reaching as high as 92 mph with lots of angle to the pitch.
The North Carolina State commit keeps his delivery very simple as he remains directional toward the plate throughout the entire delivery with a slight step into his leg lift. He is athletic enough to be able to throw a couple of hesitation steps into his delivery at times in order to throw off the hitter’s timing and give him the advantage. The arm works well and he sat mostly at 88-90 mph with the fastball on Sunday afternoon. He showed three pitches and was able to throw all for strikes while maintaining his velocity late into the outing and helped set his team up to come away with the victory.
Physical righthander Luke Boynton (2019, Marietta, Ga.) has a knack for being able to impact the ball with incredible strength and did so off the aforementioned Villaman. The 6-foot-5, 220-pound frame makes Boynton appear to look more like a football player, with incredible strength and advanced physicality to the build. There is a simple trigger into the swing and the jump off the barrel comes easily. The Nebraska commit showed the ability to take good cuts even with two strikes, as he roped an 87 mph fastball for a run-scoring double. The ball left the bat at 88 mph and the simple swing with the lofted path, along with his strength, allows for huge power potential.
Boasting a bevy of tools, Tyler Knierim (2019, Weston, Fla.) impressed on Sunday offensively and handled the bat well to rack up three hits on the day. The 6-foot-3, 187-pound Duke commit has good present bat speed to allow the ball to jump off the barrel, and it’s scary to think about his future offensive potential as he continues to add strength. He jumped all over a fastball during the first game of the day and the ball carried over the head of the center fielder. The bat path is loose and direct with a good feel to hit the ball out in front and Knierim is part of an offense that combined for 22 runs in three games.
Another bat who collected three hits for Elite Squad today was slugging first baseman Gavin Casas (2020, Pembroke Pines, Fla.). The young lefthanded hitter has shown very impressive power to the pull side during his young career and did so again in his team’s Round of 16 game. Casas recognized a breaking ball early out of the pitcher’s hand, sat back and promptly crushed a ball deep to right field. No one within the vicinity of Terry Park had a shadow of a doubt that the ball was gone and Casas’ strength showed itself again.
Taylor Clapp (2019, Lake Worth, Fla.) also added a home run earlier in the same game. Clapp has very quick hands at the plate and got the swing on plane with his hands in a good launch position to turn over the inner half of the plate.
– Vinnie Cervino
Caleb Cozart (2019, High Point, N.C.) helped pitch the South Charlotte Panthers to a 10-2 Round of 64 win. Cozart has an extra large build and a feel for pitching. The North Carolina commit lived down in the zone for most of the outing with his fastball peaking at 86 mph. He showed good feel for his breaking ball as well, as the curveball showed 10-to-4 shape and late sharpness. His fastball flashes occasional arm-side life and he accompanies that with the same type of life on his low-70s changeup. Cozart also can swing the big stick and projects as a hitter moving forward, as the 6-foot-4, 240-pound righthanded hitter connected on a 2-1 fastball and unleashed a no-doubt home run to his pull side in South Charlotte’s Round of 32 playoff matchup. Cozart displays big raw power with present strength throughout his frame and swing.
Ethan Anderson (2019, Woodstock, Ga.) showed his raw hit tool Sunday as he battled out a 10-pitch at-bat before roping a triple to the pull-side gap. He has a strong 6-foot-3, 185-pound frame as righthanded hitting catcher, and his squared up contact has a different sound off the bat that is very loud. Anderson projects as a catcher and also showed some ability on the mound on this day, as his fastball worked up to 87 mph. He certainly has the build of a pitcher and and as a catcher and it will be interesting to see where he winds up, first at River Ridge High School and then to Georgia Southern where he is committed.
Helping to lead South Charlotte Panthers into the Round of 16, Trey Tujetsch (2019, Charlotte, N.C.) showed multiple tools that he put on display in his team’s 8-0 run-rule win. The South Carolina commit is quick getting down the first base line posting a 4.29 home-to-first time with the ability to steal bases as well. He can swing the bat for line drive contact to all fields. Tujetsch also showed good stuff on the mound, as his fastball flashed sinking action in the 84-86 mph range and peaked at 87. He showed feel for three pitches with a good upper-70s straight changeup and a late-biting mid-70s curveball. His arm action is loose and clean, and while Tujetsch is a little undersized at 6-foot, 165-pounds, his mechanics are sound with a quick arm that projects for more.
Josh Rivera (2019, Avon Park, Fla.) is a fluid third baseman that really stood out when he started a 5-4-3 double play with soft, sure hands and a very quick exchange from glove to hand. Rivera is a noticeably physical player as well standing at 6-foot-2, 198-pounds with twitchy actions. His size and glove skills prove that he will most likely stay at the hot corner, and he can swing the bat as well with big power potential and plus bat speed. Rivera can also hit the ball to all parts of the field as the Florida commit stands out in all phases of the game when on the field for the Florida Burn Platinum.
Rivera’s Florida Burn teammate, primary catcher and righthanded hitting Charlie Vari (2019, Wesley Chapel, Fla.), can make hard line drive contact and it is apparent from the plane of path the bat takes through the hitting zone. His swing has some present bat speed, and when on time the ball comes off the barrel loudly. Vari had a trio of singles in Sunday’s playoff action that resulted in hard-hit baseballs to both left and center field.
Logan Tanner (2019, Lucedale, Miss.) has made his presence felt on both sides of the ball for Team GA/MBA 17u Gold over the summer and into the fall. That trend continued on Saturday at the plate, behind the plate and on the mound. Tanner pitched his team to the Round of 16 with a dominant seven-inning shutout, striking out 12 while allowing just two base hits. Tanner’s velocity was down from his usual 90-92 mph range, but sat at 86-89 early, reaching back for 90 mph once. Tanner has present arm strength and obvious pitchability for a primary catcher, and while he currently doesn’t repeats his delivery, he does a great job of mixing multiple side steps, different leg kicks and various quick-pitch tactics that really throw off hitters’ timing. Tanner also mixes a tight upper-70s curveball that registered a maximum spin rate of 2800 rpm.
Tanner helped himself out in the game with a loud double to the pull-side gap. Big power and strength are present on the profile with solid bat speed, and what makes Tanner so special is that he is an excellent pitcher and catcher. His framing skills are excellent, as his durability, as Tanner tossed seven innings in game one of the playoffs then followed that up by catching 10 innings over two separate five inning games.
Kamren James (2019, Southaven, Miss.) smoked baseballs all day in the 17 innings of Team GA/MBA 17u Gold’s three games. James went 4-for-7 on the day with consistent, hard contact that included a double to right field. The lean 6-foot-2, 175-pound middle infielder has a very projectable frame with bat speed present in his swing and a noticeable high baseball IQ with good instincts on the bases.
– Gregory Gerard
Righthander Kendall Williams (2019, Olive Branch, Miss.) of 5 Star Prospects Dobbs was written up earlier in the event for his overall athleticism on a long 6-foot-6 build. He took the mound in the Prospects’ first playoff game and showed his talent on the mound, throwing four shutout innings and picking up the win in his team's 4-0 victory. Williams touched 91-92 mph a few times in the first inning from an extended high three-quarters arm slot that creates outstanding angle to the plate when he's able to work down in the zone. He settled down into the 88-90 mph range for the rest of his outing and started mixing in more and more mid-70s curveballs, which TrackMan registered at a 2,500-plus spin rate frequently and passed the eye test for tight spin and bite as well. Williams has done lots of positive things in getting his delivery online to the plate from this summer and his next delivery piece is working to get down in the zone more consistently, although the opposing hitters struggled to lay off his high heat the entire outing.
Williams’ teammate, speedy young outfielder Jonathan Ponder (2020, Lawrenceville, Ga.), had another outstanding game for 5 Star. Ponder went 2-for-3 from his leadoff spot, scoring and driving in a run each and stealing three bases. Ponder's game-impacting speed was obvious, as he stole second twice easily despite being in obvious steal situations and also stole third base when the third baseman strayed too far off the bag to protect against a potential bunt.
5 Star ran into a pitcher they couldn't hit in the Round of 32 in Elite Squad lefthander Ryan Cabarcas (2019, Pembroke Pines, Fla.), who threw a five-inning no-hitter in a 1-0 Elite Squad win. Cabarcas is listed at a very believable 5-foot-10, 155-pounds and looks a couple of years younger than his 16 years. The young southpaw has a Tom Glavine-style approach to pitching in that he's not going to throw anything down the middle of the plate and is going to battle for the corners on every pitch. He worked at 85-87 mph on a lively fastball, touching 88, with his upper-70s changeup being his best secondary pitch this outing. Cabarcas' curveball had good power at 73-74 mph and downer shape but he didn't have his ideal feel for the pitch in this outing. Cabarcas is a Florida commit.
Righthanded pitcher and outfielder Isaiah Bennett (2019, Fayetteville, N.C.) was the hard-luck loser opposite Cabarcas, allowing only two hits in four innings. Bennett, who is the 22nd-ranked player in the 2019 class and a North Carolina commit, is an outstanding overall athlete with plus running speed and tons of physical projection. He worked downhill with an 88-92 mph fastball early before starting to mix in a mid-70s curveball and upper-70s changeup over the second half of his outing. There is plenty more velocity in Bennett's arm as he gets stronger and adds heft to his very slender yet square-shouldered 6-foot, 170-pound build, but there is also a chance he develops into a better position prospect.
The East Cobb Astros advanced into the quarterfinals and one of the reasons is infielder Pierce Gallo (2019, Marietta, Ga.). The 6-foot-3, 185-pound righthanded hitter was hitting .467 (7-for-15) through six games with five RBI and five stolen bases from his leadoff spot. In one game Sunday, Gallo laced a pair of doubles over the center fielder's head along with a single to left-center field, showing a very calm and balanced short swing with plenty of bat speed at impact. He is a 4.0-plus student in the classroom and doesn't have a college commitment yet.
– David Rawnsley
MLB Breakthrough Series has been an exciting team to watch in this tournament as they have plenty of talent and guys that have a bright future in this game. Michael Harris (2019, Ellenwood, Ga.) dazzled in his start on Sunday for the MLB team as he threw five shutout innings, allowing just one hit and one walk while striking out 11. He showed great balance and the ability to repeat his mechanics and delivery on the mound. His fast ball was up to 88 but sat mostly at 82-85 mph with good life up in the zone. He paired it with an above average curveball that had fast, late 12-to-6 break and good depth and produced many swings and misses. Harris remains uncommitted, but has plenty of interest from some top schools.
Anthony Tomczak (2019, Boca Raton, Fla.) followed Harris’ start with another quality start as he threw four shutout innings, allowing just one hit and one walk while striking out seven. Tomczak still has some room to grow and put on muscle and has a fast arm action with a full arm circle. As he grows, his velocity should increase as well. He throws a quality slider with slurve-type break that touches both planes with some big break. He does a good job of locating the ball low in the zone and works both sides of the plate very well. Tomczak will be a great asset in Stetson’s rotation when he arrives in 2019.
Sanson Faltine (2019, Richmond, Tex.), Nasim Nunez (2019,Lawrenceville, Ga.), Christian Webb (2019, Decatur, Ga.) and Chase Davis (2020, Elk Grove, Calif.) all were big contributors on Sunday as MLB Breakthrough advanced to Monday’s quarterfinals.
Faltine showed that he is not only impressive on the mound but also at the plate. Faltine has a long and strong frame with plenty of athleticism in his swing and flashed some quality bat speed as he went 4-for-6 on the day with three singles, a double, three RBI and a stolen base. He consistently produced hard contact to his pull side and uses his long arms to get excellent plate coverage. Faltine also has a patient approach with an idea of what pitch he wants to hit, and when he gets that pitch he does not miss.
Nunez and Webb both produce quality, big swings for guys with their frames. Nunez started off Breakthrough’s final game against the Giants Scout team with a leadoff triple to set the tone of the game and shows he can repeat his swing, as well get that bat quickly through the zone, to produce quality, consistent hard contact to both sides of the field for extra-base hits. Webb is listed at 5-foot-10, 165-pounds and also flashes some pretty solid bat speed, as he does a great job producing a very quick and direct swing path to the baseball that produces consistent line drive contact to his pull side.
Nunez also routinely showcases above average defensive tools and instincts at short, as he will make the hard plays in the field look routine. He has extremely soft hands, with an excellent ability to correctly read hops while making consistent, accurate throws to first each and every time the ball is hit to him.
Davis also flashed a pretty strong arm on Sunday in right field as he misplayed a routine single, but easily threw a one-hop seed to third to get the hitter trying to advance to the base. He also doubled up a runner at second in the second playoff game, and flashed his solid hitting talents throughout the tournament, as he came up clutch in the first playoff game for Breakthrough, with a hard line drive bases-clearing triple to the fence.
Langston Taylor (2019, Jackson, Ga.) of Team Elite displayed some solid skills defensively in center field as he made a tremendous diving catch in his morning contest and also displayed a pretty good arm.
SBA Canes Marucci/Mendez went deep into the tournament playoffs before losing to the SF Giants Scout Team-Christman by a score of 3-2, but they definitely are a team you need to follow as their roster was full of talented players from the class of 2020 that know how to swing the bat and play some good baseball.
Cole Williams (2020, Charlotte, N.C.) is a young outfielder with a big swing for his size that projects to produce some solid pop as he gets stronger and betters his timing and contact skills. Williams struggled a little in Fort Myers this weekend but had a productive showing in the 15u WWBA National Championship earlier this year, and from his swing he seems to understand the importance of creating leverage as he likes to try and get his top hand under the baseball. While that led to a lot of popups he showed when the swing connects the ball will go far as he hit a leadoff triple to right field in SBA’s win against KBC.
Lefthanded hitters Preston Hall (2020, Gastonia, N.C.) and Paul Winland Jr. (2020, Beaufort, S.C.) are two players with projectable frames and room to still grow and develop. Hall is 6-foot, 180-pounds and flashed some solid bat speed and great torque in his swing. His bat whips through the zone as he showed a great ability to utilize his hips to produce a quality, quick swing that produces good strength at the point of contact.
Winland possesses gap-to-gap power and high contact ability with his swing as he blasted a hard fly ball double to left field on a low and away fastball in the seventh inning of his first playoff game against KBC. He went 5-for-13 overall and displayed a great ability to consistently be on time with his swing and hit to both sides of the field.
Matthew Corlew (2019, Lake Worth, Fla.) is an athletic shortstop with a lean frame and projects well physically. He also fields well at short, making all the plays and fielding out front very well, with a short arm action to first on his throws. He made some acrobatic plays on line drives in the field as he used his athleticism and size to jump and catch would-be singles from the opposing hitters in his afternoon game. He has a very patient approach, which can lead to watching too many hittable pitches, but that approach led to a bases-loaded walk in his second game of the day. Corlew has a pretty solid swing that has fluidity and good balance that creates solid line drives to both sides of the field. He is currently uncommitted but has some top schools interested in him.
Tyler Fogarty (2019, St. Louis, Mo.) is a talented Notre Dame commit with a very solid swing from the right side of the plate and helped Elite Baseball Training-2019 make It pretty far in the tournament. He has a medium, compact frame with a powerful, compact swing that barrels the baseball with authority with a short finish after making contact. He had a great game against the Northeast Pride Select team going 2-for-3 with a double and three RBI.
Jack Brannigan (2019, Orland Park, Ill.) went 4-for-7 on the day for the Cangelosi Sparks and helped lead his team to the Round of 32 with a great performance at the plate. He has a slender frame with strong hands that he does a great job of keeping inside the baseball to consistently square it up. He has a very simple approach and does a great job of just taking his hands to where the ball is pitched and using a balanced swing to consistently connect with the ball and create solid contact. Brannigan repeats his swing well and still has some room to grow stronger which could produce some gap-to-gap power as he continues to get older.
– Brandon Lowe
Righthander Joseph Charles (2019, Celebration, Fla.) was already a well-known commodity in the prospect world, currently ranked eighth in his class, and he did nothing but solidify himself as one of the top arms in the country. At 6-foot-3, 190-pounds, Charles has added noticeable strength to his frame since even this summer, allowing for the velocity to come even easier while showing subtle refinements in his mechanics. With such mechanics, Charles display confidence in nibbling the corners, seeing exactly how far he could get from the umpire to either side of the plate.
The young North Carolina commit remains shorter, online and fast with his arm stroke through the backside, and after scattering around the plate in the first inning, he settled in well and gave the opposing batters little chance of squaring the ball up. In the second inning Charles went to work locating down to the knees with subtle but late life and continued to power low-90s fastballs, topping out as high as 94 mph. In his four innings of work Charles allowed just a base hit, an infield single, punching out 10 in the process.
It truly was a dominating effort for Charles and one of the best that he has thrown at a Perfect Game event, although the scariest part is that he may not be done in terms of growth on the mound. His curveball already shows above average bite and life and has the potential to develop into a true swing-and-miss pitch at the next level with plus potential. Thrown as hard as 81 mph, Charles went mostly to his curveball in this look as opposed to his slider, showing tight and vicious life on the pitch which he landed for strikes more often than not.
To add to his performance, Charles continued to swing a hot stick from the right side with a long, no-doubt home run in the Round of 16.
Jakob Berger (2019, Grapevine, Texas) continued the impressive trend of arms at the Twins Complex in Fort Myers and he too continued to show an uptick in the arsenal while providing a dominant effort all his own. In a run shortened four-inning outing, Berger allowed just a single base hit in his final inning of work and impressed from the opening pitch to the final out.
Though not overly physical in terms of height at 5-foot-11, the Dallas Baptist commit is strongly built and incorporates that strength his delivery, working exclusively out of the stretch while delivering fastballs consistently in the upper-80s, peaking at 90 mph. The velocity is impressive, especially given that Berger topped out at 88 mph two months ago in San Diego, but that’s far from the only thing that makes him highly intriguing on the mound. Working on top of the ball while showing plenty of quickness to his arm, Berger was able to generate hard running life down in the zone with some sinking action, which left the pitch virtually unhittable for opposing righthanded hitters.
With his team scoring runs in bunches, Berger experienced a long layoff or two in between innings but his stuff never seems to falter, still coming back out and showing 89 mph after the first frame. Maintaining his attack mode mentality, Berger continued to fill the zone with a firm fastball but also mixed in a sharp curveball with plenty of depth up to 76 mph, landing the pitch time and time again.
On the field next to Berger in the second time slot of the day was ultra-physical lefthander Kellan Tulio (2019, Emmaus, Pa.), who at 6-foot-3, 205-pounds offered some of the easier velocity of the afternoon and still looks as though he can add onto his present arsenal. In Tulio’s first inning he did nothing but fill up the strike zone, and though he wasn’t as crisp in his second inning of work, there are still plenty of factors to like with Tulio, especially when you consider his future projection.
Up to 91 mph in his first inning of work, Tulio is able to generate big angle to his fastball when everything is in sync, from his bigger hip turn to his full arm action through the backside. When everything lined up the Louisville commit was able to work either side of the plate while sitting easily in the upper-80s, seemingly reaching back for a little extra whenever it was needed. His curveball is a pitch that continues to improve as well with virtually every look, showing maintained arm speed and consistent depth on the offering. A mid-70s pitch up to 77 mph, Tulio’s curveball was especially effective against lefthanded hitters with solid shape and depth through the zone.
Though he was held hitless against the Scorpions, young Michael Bello (2021, Oak Ridge, N.J.) wasn’t afraid to dig in against Charles and his 90-plus mph fastball, taking hacks while showing sound bat speed through the zone with looseness to his hands. Currently ranked 82nd in the expanded rankings of the 2021 class, Bello then proceeded to go with a low-80s fastball on the outer half later in the game for a barreled L7, showing comfort in getting extended and going with the pitch.
Already committed to Vanderbilt University, second baseman/righthanded pitcher Chris McElvain (2019, Thompson Station, Tenn.) continued to make strides on the mound, and although he’s listed as a primary shortstop, it’s very intriguing as to what he could become on the mound moving forward. Working out of the bullpen of the Royals Scout Team consolation game, the 102nd-ranked player in the class of 2019 tossed three innings of hitless baseball, striking out six along the way.
More than looking the part on the mound with broad shoulders and a build that appears bigger and stronger than his listed 6-foot-1, 175-pounds, McElvain worked with a steady tempo and balance throughout his release. Staying short and quick with his arm action through the back, McElvain ran his fastball up to 91 mph repeatedly with occasional cut action when locating to his glove side. He did a nice job of living down the in zone from a high three-quarters release and maintained out of the stretch well in terms of velocity. His slider was a quality second offering up to 81 mph with late bite while also flashing a changeup at 82 mph.
Blake Adams (2019, Springdale, Ark.) is hard to miss out on the mound, standing at a strong and well-proportioned 6-foot-2, 205-pounds and he brought with him an arsenal that’s also hard to miss. Currently the 42nd-ranked prospect in the class of 2019, Adams worked comfortably in the low-90s with his heater and looks as though there’s still plenty more left in the tank moving forward.
As the innings progressed for Adams, he began working down in the zone well with his heater from a higher three-quarters slot, showing the same fast arm action he did at the start of his outing as he did at the end. The plane was consistent for Adams both out of the windup and stretch and he was able to sequence his pitches, locating a couple breaking balls down and in on a lefthanded hitter before painting a 91 mph fastball down and away to his arm side for a called third strike.
He did a nice job of maintaining his velocity, still showing 92 mph late in the contest, thanks in part to the physicality of his frame, which helps project him as a starter at the next level. His curveball continued to progress throughout as well, showing more bite and 12-to-6 shape as he continued to throw the pitch. A steady mid- to upper-70s hook, Adams has a potential swing-and-miss offering in this pitch and it’s one he does a nice job of replicating his arm action on.
Nathan Chester (2020, Liberty, Mo.) made a strong impression on Sunday with present strength to his frame, as the uncommitted Chester is able to generate solid bat speed through the zone with a short, direct swing from the right side of the plate. In his first at-bat of the day, Chester put all of those elements on display as he was able to leverage a double to the pull-side gap before picking up his second hit of the day with a line drive single to the middle of the field.
Already committed to Auburn, catcher Ryan Dyal (2019, Senoia, Ga.) is currently ranked 89th in the class of 2019 and showed well on both sides of the ball Sunday afternoon. A lefthanded hitter, Dyal showed the quickness to his hands with a linear path as he turned on a double down the line while showing barrel skills through the zone. Another part of the reason for Dyal’s commitment are his catch-and-throw skills, something he put on display with a 1.95 pop time down to second base to get a would-be basestealer, showing a quick release with accuracy down to second base.
Michael Baruch (2019, Cranston, R.I.) and Ryan Cervone (2019, Lexington, Mass.) are two physical hitters on the North East Baseball roster and both connected for hard hit contact early in their game against the Scorpions. Already a Boston College commit, Baruch did a nice job of keeping his weight back on a curveball and lined the pitch back up the middle for a hard line drive single, registering 93 mph off the barrel while showing looseness to his swing path. Cervone did a nice job of generating lift on a fastball higher in the zone and connected for a hard double to the pull-side gap.
Judson Fabian (2019, Ocala, Fla.) and C.J. Kayfus (2020, Lake Worth, Fla.) are two position players who continued to show well with their bats throughout the Scorpions run at the top of the order.
Fabian, one of the top prospects in the 2019 class and already committed to the University of Florida, is able to generate bat speed that jumps out almost immediately while showing a solid approach at the plate, reacting to pitches he can get the barrel to. Such was the case with his double to the pull=side gap, that registered 92 mph off the barrel, and with the line drive single he put back up the middle.
A year younger, Kayfus continues to impress with his lefthanded swing and it’s one that college coaches have already taken notice of. Ranked 178th in the class, Kayfus picked up four hits on the day with a simple and loose swing, finding the barrel well while controlling it through the zone.
– Jheremy Brown
Early on playoff day at the WWBA Underclass World Championship the East Coast Sox Select advanced through the Round of 64 with a 4-2 victory over the On Deck O’s. Dylan Carmouche (2020, Denham Springs, La.) got the start and was utterly dominant, twirling a six-inning no hitter, allowing only two walks while striking out nine.
Carmouche is the picture of projection, with a long-limbed 6-foot-5 frame and plenty of room to continue filling out. He’s also perhaps the 2020 class’s best example of a funky lefthander on the mound, in the sense that nothing he does when pitching is of the traditional variety, and that allows him to have great success. He has a fair amount of herky/jerky to his delivery, and he does this by not really maintaining a singular momentum through the delivery. There are stops and starts, not entirely unlike Clayton Kershaw’s delivery, and this works to aid deception from the perspective of the hitter. Carmouche also throws from several arm slots, mixing and matching arm slots almost nearly as often as he mixes his pitches.
He worked up to 84 mph with his fastball, generating good plane from the higher slot, and settled into the 80-82 mph range. He’ll also show more of a sinker look from the near-sidearm slot, thrown more in the upper-70s. He demonstrates good feel for both his breaking ball and changeup, both of which offer variations depending on the slot they are thrown from. It’s not often that a prospect who just turned 16 offers this level of pitchability, so Carmouche is an especially interesting prospect to follow in the coming years.
In the next time slot, the Florida Burn 2019 Platinum won their Round of 64 matchup, en route to three total victories on Sunday, earning them a slot in the quarterfinals Monday morning. They dispatched of the Canes Gold 17u by a score of 9-1. Orion Kerkering (2019, Nokomis, Fla.) got the start and was dominant, as the uncommitted junior allowed only a single hit and single walk over his four frames, striking out nine. He’s a large-framed righthander with solid projection remaining, The delivery and arm action are not without violence but he does do a good job of repeating the delivery and was around the zone the entire time he was on the mound.
His fastball peaked at 88 mph but held at 84-87 for the entirety of his outing, showing solid arm-side life to the pitch and also generating a significant amount of plane to the plate from a high three-quarters slot. He also demonstrated the ability to manipulate the shape of his breaking ball. Thrown in the mid-70s with good sharpness and bite, Kerkering threw it more like a slider against righthanded hitters, breaking down and out of the zone, whereas against lefthanders he preferred to back off of it a bit and land it for strikes with more of a curveball shape.
Bobby Zmarzlak (2019, Stamford, Conn.) really put on a hitting display all weekend long for The Clubhouse Elite 2019’s, and that continued into the Round of 32 where they eventually fell. He’s a significantly projectable outfield prospect who looks to have some of the better power in the class at this juncture, consistently getting his above average bat speed moving the barrel uphill, launching the ball into the air with good carry. He’s got legitimate present power, and given that he still projects physically, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him hitting a good number of home runs at Maryland once he gets to campus.
Team GA/MBA 17u Gold has gone on quite a run thus far in this tournament, and won their right to the quarterfinals in a hotly-contested 1-0 victory over the Midland Redskins on Sunday afternoon. Davis Rokose (2019, John’s Creek, Ga.) was absolutely untouchable on the mound, going the complete game five innings, striking out 10 and not allowing a baserunner. He’s an athletic lefthander with an advanced understanding of his delivery and how it all works together, repeating very well and giving nothing away to the hitters. He hides the ball well and doesn’t give hitters a good look at the ball, then creates excellent angle to the plate with a fastball that peaked at 88 mph before settling into the mid-80s consistently. He generates good life to the pitch and could probably just dominate with the fastball on a given day, but he also showed a high-quality breaking ball that he lands for strikes at will and can also bury down in the zone for swings-and-misses over the top of it. He’s very adept and varying the timing of his delivery while still retaining command, something that in it of itself is very representative of his athleticism on the mound.
An uncommitted 2019 at this moment, that’s unlikely to last very long as a great deal of college coaches saw Rokose throw in one of his two outings over the course of the event.
Kamren James (2019, Southaven, Miss.) was the only player to collect two hits in the ballgame that was dominated by pitching, and this comes as no surprise as James has long been lauded as a high-quality hitting prospect who should fit quite well into the Mississippi State batting order once he gets to Starkville. He handles the barrel very well and is able to spray the ball to all fields on a line, giving him a high-contact, high-on base approach that should fit well atop a lineup, though as he’s gotten stronger he has shown the ability to drive the ball with more authority as well.
– Brian Sakowski