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Tournaments  | Story  | 6/21/2018

18u WWBA Days 5-6 Scout Notes

Photo: Mark McLaughlin (Perfect Game)

18u WWBA Daily Leaders | Days 3-4 Scout Notes

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Landon Sims (2019, Cumming, Ga.) is an arm from the state of Georgia for scouts to keep an eye on for the 2019 MLB Draft. Sims has tremdous lower half strength and plenty of arm strength to run his fastball continuously in to the low-90s. Sims sat 90-93 in this viewing and has been up to 95 mph in the past. The Mississippi State commit has an arm that works really nicely through the back and when throwing with low effort is repeatedly on time at the point of release. Sims tends to throw with effort, but when more controlled the command of all three of his offerings is very good.

Sims faced off this spring against a pair of top arms in the 2018 class and held his own nicely giving scouts an early look at what the 6-foot-2, 205-pound righthander has to offer. With his low-90s fastball, short-breaking slider in the 80-81 mph range and mid-80s fading changeup, Sims has three different pitches that can be used to get hitters of either handedness out. Sims is one of the top pitchers in the state of Georgia for the 2019 class and he pitched like it on Thursday going six innings of four-hit baseball while striking out four and being one pitch away from a shutout start.

 Nathan Hickey (2019, Jacksonville, Fla.) has seen his name put into scout notes recently and again he showed the raw power present in his swing by connecting on a first pitch fastball and parking it into the trees to his pull side. The ball jumped off of his bat at 96 mph and traveled 367 feet. The verbal commitment to Florida has done nothing but hit at LakePoint and while attending Perfect Game National this summer. Hickey has such a strong swing with natural leverage and the ability to repeatedly hit the baseball on the barrel.

 Alberto Osuna (2019, Mauldin, S.C.) ran into an 80 mph slider and drove it deep to the opposite field for a home run. Osuna is a very strong first baseman standing at 6-foot, 225-pounds. The strength to his swing is noticeable as it plays with the amount of bat speed he produces. Osuna generates plenty of extension through contact as he showed on the bomb he hit in the game. He showed the ability to put the ball out to the opposite field which was impressive in itself. The uncommitted righthanded hitting first baseman has a power approach and the ball jumps when squared.

 Josiah Miller (2019, Tallahassee, Fla.) returned to game action after attending the PG National showcase this past weekend. Miller put his quick lefthanded stroke to a baseball and drove it deep to the right-center field gap. The baseball left his bat at 99 mph as it soared to the power alley for a ground-rule double. Miller is a true switch-hitter that can truly swing the bat from both sides of the plate. The Florida State commit also plays a clean infield at the hot corner in this viewing. Miller has a clean glove and soft hands with plenty of arm strength across the diamond.

– Gregory Gerard



The Georgia Bombers 17u got the best of eXposure Louisville Slugger 18u in an exciting pitcher’s duel on Wednesday morning. For the Bombers, starter Noah Mendlinger (2018, Alpharetta, Ga.) was dominant in his six innings of work. Mendlinger didn't have an overpowering fastball, but was able to work to all four quadrants of the strike zone at 83-86. Mendlinger’s breaking ball was anywhere from 69-74 during Wednesday’s game, and he was able to show a great ability to flip it over for strikes in any count. The righthander is committed to playing his college ball at Georgia State & College, and will be someone to follow as he builds strength at the next level.

For eXposure Louisville Slugger, Matthew Pigg (2018, Cleveland, Tenn.) tossed 6 2/3 strong innings in what would be a losing effort. Pigg was able to get ahead of hitters with a mid-80’s fastball (up to 87), and similar to Mendlinger, he was able to work up, down, out, and in with his fastball for most of the day. Pigg was able to flash a high-60s breaking ball when he needed it, and was able to get a lot of soft contact with a good mix. Pigg has a lean 6-foot-5, 155-pound frame, and will be able to add velocity as his body fills out at the next level. Pigg has easy and loose arm action with very repeatable mechanics, and he will also be a player to watch as his career progresses at Lee University.

The Smartense Angels Black brought some hot bats to the ballpark on Wednesday, highlighted by a big day at the plate from Jake Phillips (2018, Milton, Ga.). Phillips went 2-for-3 in the game, blasting a grand slam over the wall in left, and smoking a line drive up the middle for a single that had an exit velocity of 96 mph. Phillips is physical guy, coming in at 6-foot, 200-pounds. He starts with an open stance in the box, and really tracks the ball well. This ability to track the ball lead to some long at-bats and good takes to wait for a pitch to drive in Wednesday’s action. Phillips will be playing his college ball at Gardner-Webb this fall.

– Nate Schweers



Essentially untouchable on the day, Michael Caldwell (2018, Marietta, Ga.) tossed three no-hit innings in a mercy-rule-shortened affair. Nothing was hit out of the infield as Caldwell generated four weak groundball outs to go along with five punchouts. Caldwell pitches from a high arm slot and gets good downward plane on his 84-86 mph fastball to make himself more prone to getting groundball outs. His breaking ball, tricky to pick up, showed good depth and got several whiffs as he went to it more as the game progressed. The Young Harris commit has a very large, 6-foot-2, 235-pound frame which should allow him to be a more durable type of pitcher. Caldwell, the 51st-ranked Georgia righty in his class, also flashed a changeup around 80 mph, and if he is able to add a little velocity on his heater to increase the differential between the two, it can be an effective third weapon.

Bringing his New England moxie down South, CJ McKennitt (2018, Concord, Mass.) fired three no-hit innings of his own, touching 90 on the radar gun at times. The strong, muscular righthander brings a good physicality to the hill and settled to around 87 with the fastball that he challenged hitters with. He only struck out one, but this hardly mattered as his somewhat violent delivery made the heat even harder to read and square up. McKennitt pitches with swagger and also profiles as a two-way player, ranked seventh in his class among Massachusetts third baseman. A Holy Cross commit, McKennitt is one to watch at both positions.

Hunter Goodman (2018, Arlington, Tenn.) caught my eye when he launched an opposite field tank on Tuesday that left the bat at 96 mph and traveled 360 feet. He followed this up with a nice performance Wednesday, knocking two singles in three trips with an RBI and a run scored. The Memphis commit has a big and strong, 6-foot-2 frame and gets his hands through the zone quickly, able to easily pull fastballs for hard hits. Goodman utilizes a left-foot trigger and shows good balance and weight transfer with a swing built for power. While he showed versatility playing first base and left field, he is a primary catcher, ranked as the number one overall Tennessee backstop in his class.

Noticeably stronger and more filled out than his current listing would suggest, Kanin Dodge (2018, Carencro, La.) looks like a legitimate threat at the plate. His swing, short, fluid, and straight to the ball, does not have any noticeable hitches, and he controls the barrel well, getting it through the zone very efficiently. Dodge shows the ability to spray to all fields, going to the opposite field on an outside pitch for a two-RBI triple in the gap rather than trying to pull it. In fact, the triple was his third in two days, suggesting gap power may be something repeatable in his skill-set. At second base, he looked mechanically sound and helped turn a double play with a quick catch-and-release. He also showed a good internal clock, knowing he had time to gun out a runner on a slow roller and making a solid throw without rushing. While currently uncommitted, Dodge appears that he has the ability to play at the next level.

Evan Waterbor (2018, Trinity, Fla.) was nails on the hill Wednesday afternoon as he shut down a talented Next Level Baseball squad. The southpaw, who is committed to St. John’s River, relied heavily on an 83-86 mph fastball that occasionally hit 87 as he attacked hitters in the zone. After some trouble early, where he walked the first two batters of the game, he showed grit and mental toughness as he shook off jeers from the opposing dugout to emerge from the inning unscathed and unrattled. From there on, it was smooth sailing, as he recorded eight strikeouts while allowing just three hits over 5 2/3 scoreless frames while the chatter died down. Waterbor, the 42nd-ranked Florida lefty in his class, has a clean, repeatable delivery, uses little effort in his motion, and was effective in varying his fastball location throughout the day on his way to earning a victory in a tightly-contested affair.

– Cameron Hines
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