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Tournaments  | Story  | 6/21/2018

Southeast Championship Notes


16u PG Southeast Championship

Jacknier Martinez (2020, Davenport, Fla.) stood out in early pool play for the SBO – Florida JV squad. The young middle infielder showed promising skills defensively and a quick, consistent bat on offense. The rising junior at Montverde Academy displayed a very quick first step, sure hands, and a strong average throwing arm that was very accurate. At the plate, Martinez has a great understanding of the strike zone and uses a flat path and quick pass to hit line drives to all parts of the field.

The West Coast 9 Devils’ three- and four-hole hitters flashed some skills for the Palmetto, Florida-based club. Eli Thurmond (2020, Bradenton, Fla.) is a 6-foot-1, 195-pound junior-to-be at Bradenton Christian HS. The solidly built Thurmond is a developing righthanded swinging power hitter who flashed consistent pop with gap-to-gap carry. Behind the plate, he showed very polished catch-and-throw skills.

Matthew Snyder (2020, Wesley Chapel, Fla.) is a 6-foot, 190-pound middle infielder who hits in the cleanup spot for the Devils. He has a very confident approach at the dish and swings with a slightly open stance. His middle-of-the-field plan allows him to see pitches a little longer and aggressively attack with a slightly elevated bat plane. Defensively, Snyder has instinctive ability in covering the middle of the diamond. He brings his aggressive style to fielding and throws with power and purpose.

SWFL-Nation 2020 out of the local Fort Myers area had a strong showing early in pool play. Josh Brooks (2020, Auburndale, Fla.) is the SWFL club’s slick-fielding shortstop. The 5-foot-8, 150-pound rising junior at Auburndale HS, can make all the routine plays at short and many of the difficult ones. He has outstanding anticipatory skills, quick feet, sure hands, and a very strong and accurate arm.  Offensively he carries a contact mentality to the plate. He hits out of a slightly open stance and is highly selective. He works counts and uses a flat path to hit line drives to all parts of the field.

Cole Cothren (2020, Plant City, Fla.) is SWFL-Nation’s imposing first baseman. At 6-foot-5, and 185-pounds, Cothren is a free swinging, gap-to-gap power hitter. He doesn’t get cheated and shows plus carry and impressive pop, especially to the off field. Around the first base bag he displays a sure hands and instinctive abilities.

Another big guy for the SWFL-Nation club is their 6-foot-5, 185-pound left fielder, Drew Brutcher (2020, Lakeland, Fla.). The Lakeland HS junior-to-be is a long-limbed sweet swinger who rarely missed his barrel. He showed plus power to all fields and a solid understanding of the strike zone. A very projectable tool for Brutcher is his speed. He has an easy, long stride that makes him appear to glide while running. It doesn’t take him long to get to top end speed. Defensively, he can cover ground and has a playable and accurate arm.

SWFL Nations’ very capable catcher is McFadden “Mac” Moise (2020, Cape Coral, Fla.). The local product, who will be a junior at Ida Baker HS next year, is a ruggedly built 5-foot-11, 185-pound backstop who showed advanced skills behind the plate. He has sure, soft hands and a consistently quick release. He also is a very capable hitter. He hits from a slightly open stance and looks for pitches middle-in. He showed some pull side pop that should continue to develop for the Florida Gulf Coast University commit.

Sehjin Daley (2020, Tampa, Fla.) was recognized as the tournament’s Most Valuable Pitcher. The junior-to-be at Alonso HS tossed a gem during the championship contest. He is an aggressive, powerfully built, strike thrower. The 6-foot, 195-pound righty varied his arms slots throughout the contest from high three-quarters to almost side-arm, never giving the opponents the same look too many pitches in a row. His four-seam fastball, which showed late riding life up in the zone, was clocked consistently in the 83-85 mph range. His two-seamer (79-82) is a bat-breaking, heavy pitch that had run and sink. He threw his sinker from various arm slots. The movement and changes in release points on his two-seam fastball was especially tough on righthanded hitters. His go-to out-pitch was a sharp-breaking slider that was clocked between 69-73 mph.

The SWFL-Elite 2020 squad has a solid squad lead by their two-way player, Christian Boyles (2020, Lehigh Acres, Fla.). The long and lean Boyles is a rangy, left side of the infield, very capable defender. He has quick feet, sure hands and a very strong and accurate arm. Offensively, he flashed some surprising raw power and advanced plate discipline. He has a quick trigger and a bat path that is more gap-to-gap oriented. He also helped pitch his club into the tournament semifinals with a sterling relief stint. His high three-quarters arm slot and repeatable mechanics, while not flashy, allowed him to pound the strike zone with his fastball that was clocked between 79 and 81 mph. That pitched showed consistent arm side run and sink. His slurvy 11-to-5 breaking ball (61 to 64 mph) missed a lot of bats.

Another solid player for SWFL-Elite is Carson McNeely (2020, Cape Coral, Fla.). The rising junior at Ida Baker HS played various positions for the SWFL Elite squad and brought a solid bat to the dish every AB. The solidly built, 5-foot-10, 160-pound righthanded swinger is a contact first, line drive approach offensive player. He has outstanding pitch recognition skills and appears in control every at-bat. Defensively, he is a smooth fielder anywhere he plays and has the quickness and arm strength to play the left side of the infield and the athletic ability to play anywhere else.

McNeely’s teammate on SWFL Elite and at Ida Baker HS is Liam Perry (2019, Cape Coral, Fla.). All the 6-foot-5, 195-pound Perry did was pitch his SWFL club into the finals with seven impressive innings of shutout work against The Broward Baseball Academy in the semifinals. He has a solid four-pitch mix that is consistent and reliable. His high three-quarters arm slot and repeatable, classic drop-and-drive delivery enabled Perry to stay ahead of hitters throughout the contest. His two-seam fastball (74-75 mph) was a darting runner that he used exclusively to tie up righthanded hitters. His riding four-seamer (78-80 mph) showed impressive late life, especially up in the zone. He combined these two fastballs with a curveball in the 60-61 mph range and a deadly straight change that is a mature and highly developed pitch. The change (67-69 mph) was a plus out pitch to both righthanded and lefthanded hitters. He would throw it in any count and would often throw it two to three times in a row.

The Broward Baseball Academy 16u Gold team was led on the field by their polished catcher, Ryan Cala (2020, Davie, Fla.). The 6-foot, 180-pound rising junior at Western HS showed advanced skills behind the plate. He has excellent quickness, soft hands and frames pitches like far more experienced players. He impressively gains ground, has a quick arm action and solid throwing mechanics. Offensively, Cala is a developing power hitter who swings from a slightly open stance. He showed some flashes of raw power and the ability to make solid, consistent contact.

The Puerto Rico Eagles 2020 out of Corozal, PR, was an exciting club to watch during early tournament play. They were lead by their steady and confident shortstop, Luis Colon (2021, Comerio, Puerto Rico). The capable middle infielder displayed exceptional anticipatory skills, quick feet, sure hands and a strong and accurate throwing arm. His short, middle-of-the-field swing path allowed him to hit the ball on a line consistently.

Another solid club out of Puerto Rico, TSD Elite, also had a number of young and promising players on display during pool play. Angel Silva (2021, Cayey, Puerto Rico) is the TSD lead-off hitter who played both second base and third base for the PR based club. He is a very steady hand defensively and shows range, a sure glove and an arm, that while capable at third base, is probably best suited for second. Offensively is where Silva stood out. He is a slasher and dasher. He is in attack mode coming out of the dugout and uses a flat path to spray pitches all over the park. His plus speed and base running ability puts a great deal of pressure on defenses.

Gilberto Torres (2021, Salinas, Puerto Rico) is a very promising shortstop for TSD. The 6-foot-1, 155-pound Torres, is a quick footed, sure-handed defender who has a plus arm and certain accuracy.  The sophomore-to-be at Stella Marquez HS is also a force with a bat in his hands. He has a line-drive mentality and displays above average speed on the bases.

Anthony Garcia is a very capable two-way player for TSD. The 5-foot-10, 180-pound lefthander threw a gem on the mound in early pool play. His high three-quarters arm slot was consistent and repeatable and allowed him to routinely throw his fastball between 82 and 85 mph. He coupled his above average fastball with a slurvy and deceptive 11-to-5 breaking pitch (68 to 70 mph). During the second day of competition, Garcia moved to first base where he showed capable skills around the bag. He is sure- handed, and saved his team more than once with some steady and confident glove work. Offensively, he can swing the stick. He has a very smooth and even swing. His balanced approach and ability to recognize pitches early, allows him to see pitches deep and hit to all parts of the field.

The FTB-Gulf Coast 16u team based in Lakewood Ranch, Fla., is a fundamentally sound bunch who plays the game well. They were paced by two very capable seniors-to-be. Michael Murphy (2019, Bradenton, Fla.) is a 5-foot-11, 165-pound lefthanded pitcher from Manatee HS. The pure throwing lefty showed advanced mechanics and a very repeatable high three-quarters arm slot. He was in and around the strike zone all day and showed an advanced understanding of how to pitch. His fastball, which showed consistent arm side run and sink, was consistently in the 80 to 83 mph range and was never thrown to the heart of the plate. His tight spinning, 12-to-6 curveball, was a great complement to his fastball. He was also a very capable hitter. He swings from the right side and was as smooth with the bat as he was he was on the mound. His quick and short swing path gets his barrel to the ball consistently. He has plus speed and is a very capable and instinctive base runner.

Zachary Graham (2019, Bradenton, Fla.) will be entering his senior campaign next fall at Braden River HS.  The 6-foot-2, 215-pound Graham is a powerfully built, sure-handed third baseman who has quick feet and a strong, sure throwing arm. At the plate, Graham is an imposing threat with a power hitter’s approach. He has a slightly open stance and a definitive lift at contact. His power will certainly continue to develop as his career progresses.

– Jerry Miller



17u PG Southeast Championship

Leading off for the Deltona Renegades against Cigar City Baseball was Tyler Cioffi (2020, Deltona, Fla.), who continuously found a way to get on base. Going 3-for-4 with a double and two runs scored, Cioffi helped set the tone for his ball club. Standing 5-foot-9, 135-pounds, the second baseman profiles well up the middle and will fill out as he matures.

Cioffi’s teammate Alexander Suarez (2019, Deltona, Fla.) also had success at the plate in a 10-4 victory over Cigar City. Suarez, who stands 6-foot-3, 225-pounds provided a middle-of-the-order threat, driving home four runs. With a powerful swing and chance for continued power at the next level, Suarez can shoot the gaps and his swing makes way for easy pull power.

Another Renegades hitter contributed to the victory, as Tyler Shaw (2020, Deltona, Fla.) went 3-for-4 at the plate and threw a complete game. Shaw has a projectable 6-foot-3, 155-pound frame and is up to 83 mph on the mound. He went seven strong innings, showing feel for both a curveball and slider. His velocity should increase as he puts on more weight.

Third baseman Garrett Wilt (2019, Lakeland, Fla.) provided production at the bottom of the order for SWFL Nation 2019 in their win over SWFL Red. Going 2-for-2 with two runs scored, Wilt showed a quick bat and solid barrel awareness.

Collecting a hit in both the semifinals and championship game was Taylor Buffington (2019, Lakeland, Fla.). The center fielder has a speed element to his game – running a 3.76 time to first on a bunt hit – that translates well at his outfield position. In the championship game against SWFL Nation, Buffington stole home. He is a toolsy player who has the speed and defensive ability to make an impact.

SWFL Nation teammate Jorel Ortega (2019, Lake Worth, Fla.) was a big part of his team’s championship run. The 6-foot-1, 190-pound lean, athletic shortstop has good baseball instincts and solid defensive actions. Ortega has good bat speed and gets solid extension on his swing with a line drive approach.

Jimmy Meredith (2019, Cape Coral, Fla.) found ways to get on base and scored a lot of runs for SWFL Nation, going 1-for-3 with two runs scored in the semifinals and 2-for-3 with three runs scored in the championship game. He has a compact swing and shows the ability to pull his hands inside and driving the baseball. Meredith was out in front on one swing but did a good job of keeping his hands back and barrel in the zone long enough to be able to poke a single into right field.

Thunder Baseball had solid production from Hayden Carpenter (2019, Clearwater, Fla.). Playing right field, Carpenter has a tall frame at 6-foot-2 and will continue to fill out into his body. He has solid bat speed and turned on a quick one hopper into left field for a single. Due to the velocity off his bat, there wasn’t a chance at a play on a ball hit a few feet to the right of the shortstop.

– Jacob Frisaro
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