2,074 MLB PLAYERS | 14,476 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
Create Account
Sign in Create Account
Tournaments  | Story  | 6/19/2018

18u WWBA Days 3-4 Scout Notes

Photo: Burrell Jones (Perfect Game)

18u WWBA Daily Leaders

Brandt Pancer (2020, Suwanee, Ga.) put together a solid outing on the mound in Monday’s championship game of the 16U Super25 Qualifier. Pancer was 83-86 on Monday, but was able to keep hitters off balance and chasing out of the zone with breaking balls all day. Pancer has a high arm slot, and has shown an advanced ability to work down in the zone. Pancer won the MV-Pitcher award during the 16u PG/EC Invitational, and has shown the ability to mix and match pitches in any count. Pancer only issued one walk on the afternoon, and continues to fill up the zone every time he takes the mound.

In the 18u WWBA National Championship, Chi Town Cream catcher Tyler McDonough (2018, Liberty Township, Ohio) showed off a great swing from both sides of the plate. McDonough drove a triple to dead center field in his last at-bat of the game. The liner was 90.7 mph off the bat, and McDonough showed an ability to run, flying around the bases to end up easily at third base. Behind the plate, McDonough is a very polished receiver, and displayed advanced feel for the game. McDonough was doing little things the right away, constantly backing up first base. The uncommitted senior is sure to make an impact wherever he ends up this fall.

In Tuesday’s game, McDonough was 3-for-3 with two singles and a hard-hit RBI double that came off the bat at 94 mph. McDonough continued to show his ability to grind out at-bats and make the pitcher continue to pitch. In the at-bat McDonough hit a double, he was able to spoil multiple pitches before crushing a mistake down the right field line.

There is a lot to like about East Cobb Astros righthanded pitcher Brandon Smith (2019, Woodstock, Ga.). Smith is a physical 6-foot-3, 197-pounds, and features a running fastball that was up to 90 on Tuesday. Smith sat anywhere from 88-90 during his outing, and paired the natural running fastball well with a high-70s slider. Smith showed an ability to work off his fastball, saving his off-speed pitches for put away counts. The Tennessee commit works well over his front side, and has extremely repeatable mechanics. In his second inning of work, Smith was able to flash a changeup at 79 to get a batter looking, and Smith can go from good to great if the pitch becomes a weapon.

On the defensive end, East Cobb’s Ryan Murphy (2019, Alpharetta, Ga.) continued a recent trend of playing the outfield at a high level. Murphy had a pair of fantastic catches in both of the corner outfield spots during Tuesday’s action, highlighted by a diving catch to save extra bases in the East Cobb Astros’ first game od the day. Murphy’s bat came alive in the second game of the day. Murphy came through with a bases clearing triple in his second at-bat, and finished 1-for-2 with RBI. Murphy is an uncommitted member of the 2019 class, but ranks as the 81st-best player in the state of Georgia.

In Tuesday’s next time slot, Chi Town Cream starter Burrell Jones (2018, Holt, Mich.) was solid in his six innings of work. Jones struck out nine and allowed just three hits. Jones worked from an over the top arm slot, and was able to consistently fill up the zone with all of his pitches. Jones was up to 91 with the fastball, but lived in the high-80s for most of the afternoon. Jones was in the low-70s with a tight breaking ball, and was able to keep the Team GA hitters off balance by mixing and matching the two. Jones has a solid 6-foot-5, 205-pound frame, and he knows how to use his body well. He has very repeatable mechanics, loose arm action, and will be a prospect to follow during his time at Wabash Valley College.

– Nate Schweers



Teague Conrad (2019, Schaumburg, Ill.) put forth a very dominant effort on the mound early Monday morning. Pitching from a three-quarters arm slot with an element of crossfire to his delivery, the Illinois-Chicago commit threw seven scoreless innings, punching out eight. Conrad sat around 85 mph with his fastball, occasionally touching up to 87 and showing good natural sink. He was effective at changing locations and was not afraid to attack hitters inside on his way to twirling the gem. The curveball was a big weapon, too, located well at 75 mph and showing good two-plane break. The 11th-ranked Illinois righty in the 2019 class, Conrad’s tall 6-foot-4 frame portends velocity gains as he continues to fill out.

With multiple scouts looking on, Isaiah Magwood (2018, Hazel Green, Ala.) made a relief appearance and showed good levels of velocity, topping out at 91 mph and averaging around 88. The 6-foot-5 righthander used a minimal amount of effort to register this heat, repeating his simple and clean mechanics through the outing. Magwood looked a bit wild in his first inning of work but did a complete 180 in his second inning, striking out the side on 13 pitches with masterful command. His curveball also improved as the game went along, showing better drop and drawing more whiffs. Magwood threw this pitch at a fairly wide range of velocities, often nearly 20 mph slower than his fastball, which disrupted hitter’s timings successfully. Another aspect of the game Magwood did well in was holding runners on. He didn’t lose much in the way of velocity with a quicker and shorter stride, allowing his catcher ample time to throw out runners in two instances. The Jacksonville State commit currently ranks as the 5th-best righthander in the state of Alabama for the 2018 class.

In a down day for the East Cobb Astros offense as a whole, Makenzie Pate (2019, Lilburn, Ga.) still offered a glimpse at his skills. He roped a single to left-center in the first, displaying a swing with a bit of natural leverage. This should allow him to hit power as gets stronger, as he shows good bat speed as well. His speed was a factor in the game as he blazed down the line, forcing an errant throw for an error. This speed plays well in centerfield, where Pate looked rangy and displayed nice instincts. The 22nd-ranked Georgia outfielder in his class, Pate probably still has work to do in building strength in order to maximize his very high potential. However, the tools are present, and he is already an impact player on both sides of the ball.

Tucker Talbott (2019, Atlantic Beach, Fla.) is a player I’ve liked in the past for his offensive prowess. However, I got to watch him toe the rubber for the first time Monday, and the 28th-ranked Florida righty in the 2019 class lived up to his ranking, and then some. He set down the first nine hitters in order before allowing a single to center, and then proceeded to retire the next nine, the lone single being the only thing standing between him and a six-inning perfect game. Over his six scoreless frames, he fanned eight and only threw 69 pitches. There aren’t many moving parts in his delivery and he was sitting around 85 mph with his fastball, which he commanded particularly well to the glove side, outside on righties. Talbott works up-tempo and attacks the zone get ahead of hitters, constantly putting himself in advantageous counts. He also commanded the curveball well with a lot of feel, throwing it from the same slot and with similar arm action to mask it from hitters. Talbott is a noticeably athletic presence on the mound, not surprising given his status as a two-way player. This athleticism was loud and clear as he made a sensational play, bare-handing a soft roller to his right and throwing off-balance to nail the runner just in time. Considering both this strong pitching performance and his ability as a position player, Talbott is a tantalizing player to keep tabs on.

Uncommitted outfielder Justin Kirby (2018, Alpharetta, Ga.) was a sparkplug atop the Georgia Bombers’ lineup on Tuesday morning. He began the game with a hard-hit single to center and quickly put his excellent speed on display as he stole second and eventually scored. Later, he launched a long sacrifice fly to easily score the runner at third. Kirby uses a front leg trigger as a timing mechanism and has an uncomplicated swing that he gets some loft off the bat with. He also shows good barrel control, as he was consistently able to get the barrel to the ball. He didn’t get many opportunities defensively in centerfield but the speed he showed on the basepaths undoubtedly plays well there, too. In a short cameo on the mound, he hit 88 mph to showcase a strong arm. Kirby, currently the 26th-ranked Georgia outfielder in his class, has a medium but strong, athletic frame that should allow him to hit for more power as he fills out.

A late-round selection by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Hueston Morrill (2018, Live Oak, Fla.) showed why he was drafted as he produced right away with the bat on Tuesday. The Oklahoma State commit recorded hard hits in each of his two at-bats, a single and a two-run double, before being rested in a blowout win. Very confident and selective at the plate, Morrill doesn’t mind taking a strike until he gets a better pitch to do damage with. With a strong, well-filled out frame, he shows very good bat speed and gets good extension, making him a candidate to hit for big time pop. Morrill, a very athletic player, roamed centerfield today, but is listed as a primary shortstop, ranked eighth at the position in Florida for the 2018 class. In fact, Morrill’s versatility is such that he is listed at every position, including pitcher where he has thrown 93 mph in the past. While he didn’t toe the rubber today, the toolsy all-around player demands attention whenever he does in the future.

Dalton Fowler (2018, Arlington, Tenn.) was a strikeout artist on the mound Tuesday afternoon, whiffing six in his first three innings of work. The southpaw went 5 2/3 innings total, allowing one run and looking in control the entire time as he did a good job limiting baserunners. A Northwest Mississippi commit, Fowler pitches with a simple arm path and shows good arm speed while living around 84-85 mph with his fastball. He is ultra-projectable with his lanky 6-foot-6 frame, displaying the potential to throw harder in time. The curveball, which averaged around 71 mph, was thrown with the same good arm speed and had nice bite, especially when thrown down in the zone. Fowler, the third-ranked Tennessee lefty in the 2018 class, also threw a changeup but struggled locating it at times. With improvement, it is a pitch that will make his repertoire deeper and help him neutralize righties in the future.

David Burke (2019, Roswell, Ga.) impressed at the dish and proved to be a power bat that should be taken note of. He catapulted a ball deep to center that one-hopped the wall and had a chance to leave the park had it been hit elsewhere. He has very nice bat speed and strikes the ball at angle tailored for flies, suggesting continued power hitting on the horizon. He later displayed an advanced plate approach, patient and selective while showing discipline not to swing outside himself. Burke starts with his bat angled downwards but moves it into a position to hit with enough time to catch up. Defensively, he is solid at the hot corner and made an athletic on-the-run play on a slow roller, showing a strong and accurate arm. The impressive third baseman from Roswell currently ranks tenth at the position in his class.

– Cameron Hines
PG Special Events
Travel, Lodging, Entertainment
PG Partners
Recommended
About Perfect Game :: Contact us :: Terms of Use :: Privacy Policy :: Testimonials :: Job Opportunities
Copyright 1994-2024 by Perfect Game. All rights reserved. No portion of this information may be reprinted or reproduced without the written consent of Perfect Game.