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Tournaments  | Story  | 7/5/2018

17u WWBA Scout Notes: Day 6

Photo: Bobby Witt Jr. (Perfect Game)

17u WWBA National Championship: Event Page | Daily Leaders
Scout Notes: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5




Getting the start over at Cass High School, fresh off his dominant opening game performance, was Chandler Best (2019, Mobile, Ala.) and the southpaw earned a very important win that helped push the Louisiana Knights into bracket play. The Southern Miss commit put forth a strong performance as he struck out four batters while allowing only one hit over four strong innings. The southpaw was up to 93 mph earlier in the week, but in this look worked mostly in the 86-89 mph range while averaging around 88-89 mph with his fastball early on. The pitch didn’t have a significant amount of life, it flashed some run when he got around it, but he created angle from the arm slot especially at the knees where he lived for most of the game. The delivery allowed him to gather his weight well and drive down the mound while working his fastball to either side, though Best showed his top command to the arm side. The arm stroke is loose and whippy but a bit offline, and he would leave balls a bit out off the plate at times. The breaking ball was a solid pitch with shape and projection but the changeup was the out pitch. Best sold the changeup well with fastball arm speed and it created good life out of the hand. Best had another quality performance on Wednesday and if the command was as good as it was on Friday then he could be a real sleeper draft follow in the Gulf Coast.




Team Elite righthander Landon Sims (2019, Cumming, Ga.) has impressed over the past calendar year for his ability to generate high velocity on his fastball and attack hitters head on with the pitch. He showed more of the same during a short one-inning look on Wednesday, though this time he put forth the best velocity of his career to date. The Mississippi State commit worked 95-97 mph with the fastball while striking out two batters in a very quick inning. There is some effort to the delivery, though that doesn’t hinder Sims’ abiity to maintain and throw strikes, he dazzled earlier in the tournament with 5.2 hitless innings. The breaking ball also seemed to have made strikes with tighter shape at around 80 mph with spin rates around 2400-2500 rpm. Sims has a very interesting profile with a power fastball, high-spin slider for strikes, and he has flashed a changeup all while being able to maintain his stuff late into games and he is certainly worth following in the state of Georgia for next year’s draft.




Uncommitted, 6-foot-5 lefthanders heading into their senior season sitting 88-91 don’t often slip under the radar but that’s exactly what seems to be the case with Bodi Rascon (2019, Decatur, Texas) as Texas really does grow 90 mph power arms on trees, it seems. Rascon is a super lanky, long-limbed, and uber-projectable lefthander with a deceptive delivery that sees him stay closed off for the majority of the delivery before uncoiling and delivering toward the plate. The fastball has some serious life on the pitch with lots of sink and tailing action through the point of release. The breaking ball was only thrown a handful of times during this look in the low-70s, but the fastball was enough to disrupt hitters all day. There’s some fluidity to the delivery and his variance in arm slots was actually a benefit as it just made the at-bat for opposing hitters more uncomfortable when they didn’t know where the ball was coming from. There are a lot of things to like with Rascon: the life, projection, arm looseness, and generally the size all are positive indicators moving forward and after a strong performance in bracket play he might not be available for much longer.

In a first round playoff game that ended up being fairly close, Marucci Elite Texas outlasted the Canes Central and shortstop Armani Sanchez (2019, Houston, Texas) showed out very well. The quick-twitched Oklahoma commit has a pretty smooth swing that’s direct to contact and creates some whip to the barrel room the quickness of his hands and the ability to create separation. The swing path itself is mostly clean with few extraneous, moving parts, and in his first two-at-bats he hit a double that left the bat at 90 mph along with a dropped fly ball that left the bat at 90 mph. Sanchez certainly has the requisite arm strength and athleticism to stick at shortstop going forward and he had a very good offensive game on Wednesday.

Royals Scout team had a very impressive team win on Wednesday night and what really stood out was the defense, primarily that of the two middle infielders in Christian Cairo (2019, Clearwater, Fla.) and Robert Moore (2020, Leawood, Kan.).

Cairo, the son of former MLB-er Miguel Cairo, is a very impressive defensive shortstop with quickness in his feet and the requisite arm strength to make plays deep in the hole. He made one such play early on where he got to a ball in the hole, planted, and fired a strike to get a would be baserunner fairly easily. The Louisiana State commit has a short, compact swing too with very god bat-to-ball skills and battled in his second at-bat for a double-digit pitch at-bat that resulted in a run-scoring groundout. Moore is also the son of an MLB presence, Dayton Moore the GM of the Royals, and he might be the best defensive shortstop in the country regardless of age class. He made a number of smooth plays up the middle with softness to his hands and extremely fluid actions and also added an opposite field double. The play of the night, however, was made as Moore ranged hard up the middle, flipped the ball to Cairo covering second with his glove, and Cairo fired to complete one of the best 4-6-3 double plays you will see at the amateur level.

– Vincent Cervino



On the final day of pool play at the 17u WWBA National Championship, we whittled down from 392 teams to only 49, then eventually got down to 32 late on Wednesday night. 

The Northeast Baseball Rays tied with the 59 Prospects 2019’s on Wednesday morning, 2-2. Brett Baty (2019, Lake Travis, Texas) has had a very good few weeks both here and at Perfect Game National, and the physical lefthanded hitting third base prospect certainly looks the part of a solid MLB Draft follow heading into next year. He’s got good size and solid athleticism, fitting well at third base for right now, where his arm grades out as an above-average tool as well. Offensively, Baty has a quick stroke from the left side and gets the barrel moving on plane and on time, showing the ability to cover the plate well and use his advanced strength and bat speed to drive balls into the air to all fields. There is solid-average raw power in there and he shows good hit-ability as well, giving him a well-rounded toolset and overall profile. 

The South Charlotte Panthers moved to 6-1 in their pool via a very close final game, beating 3n2 Citius Prime by a score of 3-2. CJ Neese Jr. (2019, Greensboro, N.C.) came on in the seventh and locked down the save for the Panthers, preserving what had turned from a 3-0 lead into a 3-2 lead. Neese is a very long, lean, highly-projectable prospect who is a legitimate two-way talent at the college level, but most scouts seem to agree that his best professional upside is on the mound. He creates significant plane to the plate and powers downhill, and while his delivery is raw, his athleticism allows him to repeat enough for now to throw strikes. The fastball worked 90-91 mph in that quick outing, working to the bottom of the zone with steep plane and showing sharpness to his 11-to-5 shaped curveball. 

Luke Daniel (2020, Florence, Ala.) got the run-rule shortened win for the East Coast Sox Select on Wednesday afternoon, and the Auburn commit showed a lot of things to like. He’s got a strong, sturdy build already that is nearing physical maturity with good size, and worked his fastball up to 91 mph early on, getting downhill with good plane. The fastball is pretty straight but features plus spin per Trackman, giving him that little extra deception he needs to pitch at the top of the zone effectively with. He threw a ton of strikes and was content to just pound the zone with his fastball, mixing in the occasional solid curveball in the 75-77 mph range with good depth and shape. 

Bobby Witt Jr. (2019, Colleyville, Texas), the No. 1 player in the entire class, has had a loud week for the East Coast Sox. He went 2-3 in this one, with a double, triple, and four RBI in the process. It’s been written about frequently just how much there is to like about Witt’s game and overall profile, showing all five tools with remaining projection. He’s got plus bat speed and the hands work extremely well in the swing, and while he’s a bit drifty in his lower half right now, that can and will be cleaned up in short order. The bat speed and hands allow him to drive pitches with authority even when he’s onto his front side, and the athleticism/defensive actions at shortstop are both standout as well. There remains significant five tool upside here, and he’ll be extremely fun to continue following over the next 11 months or so leading to the draft.

 


The playoffs started in earnest during the 7:00 p.m. slot at LakePoint and East Cobb, and the CBA Cavs fell in the first round to Next Level Baseball 16u. Mahki Backstrom (2019, Los Angeles, Calif.) put on an absolute show at Perfect Game National a couple of weeks ago, and while the results haven’t quite been there this week, there’s still a significant amount to like about the extremely young-for-grade first baseman. Backstrom is extremely physical already, despite being just 16 years old yet, and has tremendous physical projection remaining as well. The raw power is plus, as we saw when he made Tropicana look small, and while there are some inconsistencies to his approach and swing, the upside remains vast. There is significant bat speed and the hands work well in the swing, showing the ability to square the ball up to all fields with authority and jump, and once he irons out the timing inconsistencies of his launch, he has a chance to hit for both high average and tremendous power. 




Late night at LakePoint saw the Motor City Hit Dogs fall to Premier Baseball Futures 4-0, as Premier’s Josh Wolf (2019, Bellaire, Texas) put on a pitching display that rivaled most any of the tournament. Wolf threw the complete game shutout, allowing five hits and two walks while striking out 13, without very many balls leaving the infield. Wolf is a lean, projectable righthander with an excellent combination of present stuff, projection, and feel for pitching. The fastball worked in the 86-91 mph range, still showing high-80s late in the game, working up and down with it to great effect, aided by the fact that his fastball spin rate was well above average, per Trackman. He tunnels his slider extremely well out of the hand, and while the pitch grades out as average on the pro scale, the deception of the pitch is excellent.




On the other side, Ryan Zimmer (2020, St. Clair, Mich.) got the start for the Hit Dogs. In his second outing of the day, Zimmer was a bit ineffective, struggling to command his arsenal but still showing prodigious upside. He’s very long and lanky with long limbs and limitless physical projection, and the arm is whippy and quick. He gets offline through the back with length and turns the hand over through the back, and can get mistimed through release as a result, but all of these are typical inefficiencies of young arms that aren’t problematic and will be ironed out quickly at the collegiate level. The fastball worked up to 88 mph with heavy life, showing the ability to create good angle to the plate and work down in the zone at times. He throws a firm splitter in the 80-82 mph range with late deception and good, late tumble; as well as a shorter slider that he has some feel for. His ultimate ceiling is vast, and he should be followed closely over the next few years.

– Brian Sakowski
 
Wesley Scott (2019, Riverside, Calif.), who already impressed a few days ago, repeated his dominance on the hill for Blackhawks National, tossing three scoreless innings. The Vanderbilt commit was 88-92 mph with his fastball, which had significant arm-side movement on it that made it nearly impossible for hitters to get the barrel to it. When he wasn’t striking batters out left and right he was jamming them for very weak contact. Scott’s slider was possibly even more impressive than the heater. With sweeping, two-plane break, it made life torturous for those in the batter box, as Scott liked to start it way in to righties and let it bend in the zone for called front-door strikes. He is able to spin the ball better than most, recording individual spin rates upwards of 2500 and 2800 on the fastball and slider, respectively. Scott pitches with very quick arm speed and a mostly clean path. Ranked fourth among all California players in his class, the confident Scott is proving that these kind of stellar outings are the norm.

Scott’s teammate Fritz Genther (2019, Kingston, N.Y.) provided the spark for the Blackhawks atop the lineup. Showing a very discerning eye at the plate, he is capable of giving his team competitive at bats each time up and is more than content to draw walks should he not get his pitch. When on base in the first, he displayed great instincts as he advanced to third from first on a passed ball, taking advantage of both his speed and a lack of effort on the catcher’s part. Genther demonstrated these baserunning skills again as he advanced from first to third on a shallow single, and it looks like he can be a true difference-maker on the basepaths, which he figures to occupy quite often. He has a simple, short swing and shows good bat-to-ball skills that suit a leadoff hitter of his type. Virginia Tech will surely be happy to have the energetic, third-ranked New York player when he arrives there next year.

Louisville commit Shane Harris (2019, New Harmony, Ind.) went the distance for the Indiana Bulls Black squad, firing seven innings of one-run ball. He gets heavy sinking action on his fastball, which was around 87-89 early. This allowed him to generate several quick groundball outs, but he wasn’t solely reliant on these as he got hitters to swing over the fastball for whiffs throughout his outing. Harris appeared to feature both a slider and curveball, both of which showed decent break and were located well. However, the usage of these pitches was relatively minimal as he preferred to rely on the sinker. While his arm action is a little tight and he has an occasional tendency to throw across his body, his command remained respectable with only a couple of walks. Additionally, he does a good job of keeping the ball hidden for a while which makes him very hard to read and square up. The tenth-ranked Indiana player in the class, Harris shows nice potential as an arm who can remain effective deep into games.

The Bulls also featured an intriguing double play combo with Michael Doolin (2019, Schererville, Ind.) and Xavier Haendiges (2019, Salem, Ind.).

Doolin, a Vanderbilt commit, played short, where he showed soft hands and an unsurprisingly strong arm, given that he is the top Indiana pitcher in his class. He is definitely a bigger-bodied shortstop but moved well and looked as if it can be a legitimate second option for him when not pitching. At the plate, Doolin, a lefthanded batter, hit with a relaxed stance and kept his hands low and in a position to swing. He displayed great patience in drawing two walks on the day.

Meanwhile, Haendiges manned second, where he showed great defensive actions. In one particular play, he ranged far to his right and threw strongly across his body to save a hit and impressively retire the runner in time. He has a quick transfer from the glove and can also play short, as he is ranked as the second-best Indiana shortstop in his class. Haendiges hits with a slightly open stance and has a bat path that is direct to the ball. With a good two-strike approach and a nice eye, he makes for an ideal leadoff hitter. There is a lot to like in the Ohio commit’s well-rounded game.

Andre Tarver (2019, Ringgold, Ga.) had a productive day at the dish Wednesday, spraying the ball to both fields. The powerful centerfielder started his day by ripping an opposite field triple to left that one-hopped the fence and brought in two runs. In his next trip to the plate, he got the barrel out front and pulled a single to right that left the bat at 96 mph. The Mississippi State commit is a noticeably physical presence and gets good extension on his swing, which definitely has some natural loft to it. Ranked seventh among all Georgia players in the class, Tarver clearly has explosive power potential and it will be interesting to see him continue to refine his game.

– Cameron Hines



Over the last few years Myles Austin (2019, Smyrna, Ga.) has went from a projection player into the player scouts have thought that he would become. He has developed good muscle definition onto his lithe frame and still maintains his lean and athletic body with newly-added quick-twitch muscle strength. He has a whippy bat action that always seems to square up the ball. He is sure and confident on the field, and seems to always be in control of his actions. At shortstop, he has good reads on bad bounces in the infield and his arm is plenty strong enough to stay at the position. He has good foot speed as well, recording a 4.47-second time to first while pulling up before the base. Most impressive was his second at-bat in Thursday’s playoff game where he took a hard foul ball off his leg. Wasting no time getting back into the batter’s box, he squared up a firm fastball and pulled the pitch hard into the 5-6 hole for a single. This gave scouts a glimpse of the toughness that Austin has which should be an attractive attribute for teams at the next level.

Ricky Tibbett (2019, Chula Vista, Calif.) was the starter in San Diego Show’s first round playoff game. Tibbett did not disappoint has he pitched a complete game shutout against a very potent offense on a good FTB Tucci team. Ricky started the game sitting in the 87 mph range with a big 12-to-6 overhand curve at 71-73 mph and had good feel for it throughout the entire game. He also threw a very good 73-78 mph changeup that flashes as a 50 pitch. He maintained his velocity well, sitting at 85-86, and touched 88 mph in the fourth. Tibbetts is ultra-competitive and threw all his pitches for strikes at any time in the count and his pitches are hard to square up as they all come from the same tunnel. Throughout the game he pounded the lower half of the strike zone, often inducing groundball outs to his infielders. Tibbett has a short and deceptive arm action, maintains a still head that stays focused on the target and has a very clean arm action. His arm is fast, and at 6-foot-2, 165 pounds, he still offers future projection.

Garrett Frechette (2019, Vista, Calif.) has shown one of the most advanced hit tool in the entire tournament. Frechette stayed long through the zone allowing him to hit to all fields as the San Diego Show advanced past the opening round of the playoffs. In his first at-bat, he hit an opposite field soft double down the left field line. He was slightly behind the pitch, but his exceptional balance and hands helped compensate for his timing mistake. In his next at-bat he timed up the ball better and used his explosive bat speed to hit a hard pulled double on an 84 mph fastball. His swing stays short and his hands stay quiet. Therefore, he should have no problem hitting for a high average at the next level.

Michael Campagna (2019, La Jolla, Calif.) catches for the San Diego Show. In their playoff game he hit a hard groundball single on upper-80s velocity in the first inning, driving in two runs that allowed the Show to take an early lead in the game. There is at times some drift in his swing, but he has a fluid stroke with good bat speed. Complementing his offense, Campagna is an extremely solid defensive catcher as he has soft hands and is an exceptional framer. He has the agility and quickness to block any type of pitch, and while his arm strength doesn’t necessarily grade out as plus, his feet and transfers help make up for that shortcoming. Campagna still has not decided on a school and should have plenty of options to choose from.

Bradley Wilson (2019, Lillington, N.C.) came out of the gate firing 87-89 mph fastballs, and even touched 91 once. He has good arm-side run on his fastball and at times the pitch comes out of his hand very heavy. He has true plus command of his fastball and seems to always throw it to where the catcher sets up his glove. Wilson throws easy and was still sitting 85-88 and touching 89 in the third. He has an excellent baseball IQ and picked up quickly the fact that the umpire was giving him extra inches off the plate. He used that to his advantage pounding strike after strike away from the hitter. In his first three innings he threw 75 percent of his pitches for strikes and putaway hitters with his outstanding command.

Thomas Keehn (2019, Highland, Md.) plays shortstop for the Dirtbags Skrap-Pak, and he’s the type of player that looks as though he can do anything on a baseball field. On defense, he is sure-handed and has good mobility with a strong and loose arm. These attributes should allow him to continue to play shortstop at the next level, which could be for the Duke Blue Devils should he make it to campus. Keehn is just as good on offense as he is on defense, with a fluid swing and good separation. He comes from a wide base with a low hand-set where he makes consistent hard contact due to his elite bat speed. On Wednesday, Keehn had the most impressive at-bat of the day where he stayed back on a breaking ball away and hit it over the right-center field fence for a home run. He didn’t stop there and followed up the home run with a hard single later in the game.

– Matt Arvin



In Wednesday morning’s first time slot, the game between Canes American 17u and Farrah Scout featured two solid starting pitchers.

For Canes American, Leonard "Trey" Valka III  (2019, Spring, Texas) was much improved from his outing earlier in the week. Valka tossed four strong innings in their win, striking out six and allowing just two hits. Valka was 86-89 with a running fastball, and he was able to command the zone and work it to both sides of the plate. The quick and compact arm stroke plays well with his three-quarters delivery, and he was able to create plane with his fastball throughout the outing. Valka also showed a great feel for spin on Wednesday with a breaking ball in the mid-70s. Valka is committed Arkansas, and it will be interesting to see how Dave Van Horn and his staff develops this talented arm.

From the other dugout, Edinson Rafael Sanchez (2019, Passaic, N.J.) showed signs of having a very good arm. Sanchez was up to 90 with an electric fastball before settling in from 87-90. Sanchez has an athletic 6-foot-4, 180-pound frame that projects well to add velocity. He showcased a very repeatable lower half, and the smooth arm stroke allowed Sanchez to create good downward plane. Sanchez also showed good feel for a mid-70s slider, and flashed a high-70s changeup as a work-in-progress third pitch. Sanchez should continue to become a polished pitcher as the uncommitted righty will be an interesting arm to follow moving forward.

Damone Hale (2019, Inglewood, Calif.) continued a strong showing at Perfect Game events with a 2-for-3 day for the CBA Cavs on Wednesday. Hale is a physical outfielder standing at 6-foot-3, 185-pounds. He is a strong player and is able to use his quick hands and bat speed to spray the ball to all fields. Hale has a very athletic and slightly open stance in the box with the ability to play center field at a high leel. Hale is uncommitted, but his recent success and overall improvement should change that soon.

In the first round of Wednesday’s playoff matchups, the Georgia Roadrunners and USA Prime-Gowins played an exciting game that featured excellent starting pitching.

For USA Prime, Triston Smith (2019, Nacogdoches, Texas) turned in a complete game effort in the win. Smith struck out six batters and allowed just five hits. He was up to 89 with a good fastball before settling in around the mid-80s. Smith has a very repeatable lower half, and the quick arm action is always in sync with the rest of the body. With a strong and athletic build, he is able to repeat his delivery enough to stay in the zone and keep hitters off balance. Smith was able to use a slider in the mid-70s Wednesday night, and while it would flatten out at times, he was able to put it in the zone when he wanted to. Smith is committed to Houston and it will be interesting to see how he develops in the future.

In the other dugout, Dylan Dickert (2020, Knoxville, Tenn.) turned in a good start for the Georgia Roadrunners. The 6-foot-2, 180-pound righty was using a mid-80s fastball and a plus changeup to keep hitters off balance. The changeup was excellent on Wednesday night, and Dickert was able to throw it in any and all counts. A plus changeup is sometimes an anomaly at the prep level, and Dickert’s level of confidence in the pitch was encouraging to see. He was able to throw three pitches for strikes on Wednesday, and the plane he created with his fastball was something to be impressed with. Dickert is uncommitted in the class of 2020.

– Nate Schweers





Mack Anglin (2019, Marengo, Ohio) is a righthanded pitcher to keep an eye on for next year’s MLB Draft. The righthander from Ohio has the ability to run his fastball up to 93 mph and consistently sit in the low-90s. The Clemson commit got the start for Team Elite Prime and lots of heat was in attendance behind the backstop to watch the righty throw. His arm stroke is long and wrapped through the back-side, but was consistently on time through the throwing process on this day. Anglin was unhittable in this viewing and aside from a walk and a hit batter was perfect throughout his three-inning start. He kept hitters off balance by overpowering them with a heavy diet of low-90s fastballs and mixing in a 10-to-4 curveball when ahead in counts to put hitters away. The fastball is straight while the curveball has some sharpness and flashed tight spin. The spin rate of the pitch peaked at 2500 rpms as he was able to get plenty of swings-and-misses with it. Anglin totaled five strikeouts in three innings and put his name in the mix of top 2019 prep arms for the 2019 draft.

Nathaniel LaRue (2019, Mobile, Ala.) is a physical catcher who played today as the extra hitter for TPL National and hit the baseball with lots of impact at the point of contact. When squared up with his bat, the ball really jumps off of his bat. LaRue also shows an advanced approach by cutting down his powerful swing when two strikes are against him while also having an aggressive approach when in a hitter’s count. He uses that strength that he has present throughout his frame and uses it to drive the baseball to all fields. One instance in particular during the July 4th contest LaRue was way ahead in a 3-0 count. The Auburn commit struck the ball well and sent it to right field for a line drive single.




Antoine Harris (2019, Meraux, La.) has a live arm and is one of the more projectable pitchers in the 2019 class. Harris is unique in that his velocity continued to climb throughout the game as he reached his peak velocity of 94 mph in his fifth frame of pitching. Harris lived in the 89-92 mph range early on and throughout the contest, but in his later innings start to hit a handful of 93 mph pitches on the radar gun and the lone 94 mph pitch to end his fifth inning. Harris throws with some effort and has a very quick arm. There is plenty of balance to his delivery and a bit misdirected while his front side plays as a lower lever for the quick arm to get through on time and online. Harris’s fastball is straight and he complements it well with a curveball that he struggles to land at times, but when he does it is a swing and miss pitch. The pitch had a top spin rate of 2300 rpms. As his fastball continues to climb in velocity, and it likely will with how lively his arm is, Harris will continue to be followed by scouts in the state of Louisiana.

When Gunnar Henderson (2019, Selma, Ala.) makes barreled contact with the baseball the exit velocities are consistently high and they were on Wednesday. Henderson turned on an inside fastball an drove it off the base of the right field wall for a double. Henderson has plenty of quickness to his hands and is able to make loud contact when hitting the baseball on time. Henderson looks to pull the baseball and is able to drive it due to his outstanding bat speed and raw hit tool. The Auburn commit has a ton of upside and will likely be a high follow prospect for professional scouts throughout the year leading up to the 2019 MLB Draft.

The final game of pool play would be the deciding one for the Scorpions Founders Club and the Scorps sent Jake Garland (2019, Jupiter, Fla.) to the hill for the start. Garland pitched the Scorpions into the playoffs going 5 1/3 innings of two-hit baseball while striking out five. The Miami commit is a large framed righthanded pitcher who throws with effortless arm action and can reach 90 mph with his fastball. Garland sat 88-90 mph with his fastball for the first two innings while the velocity did dip as the game wore on. He pitches from a full arm action and short striding lower half. The 6-foot-4 righty showed some feel to spin with his curveball as well. There is likely more in the tank with Garland due to the low amount of effort that he pitches with.

If you are a lefthanded hitter, AJ Wilson (2019, Pilot Mountain, N.C.) is not the pitcher that you want to be facing. The East Carolina commit has lots of deception to his delivery and throws from a low three-quarters arm slot. It is a slight crossfire delivery, but Wilson showed that he is able to spot the ball up well to either side of the plate. His fastball ranged from 88-90 mph early before declining a few notches on the radar gun as the game progressed. Wilson coils at the balance point of his windup before coming to the plate and working his arm through a full stroke. His fastball has plenty of life and he offered a high level slider as well. His slider is one of the top in the class and the best secondary pitch that this scout has seen thus far in the tournament. Having outstandingly late bite and a nice amount of depth, the pitch registered with a best spin rate of 2800 rpms and to a fair number of scouts can be labeled as a plus pitch.




Having seen Kale Davis (2019, Oklahoma City, Okla.) earlier in the event, it would be wrong not to mention his noteworthy performance in the first round of the playoffs on Wednesday evening. Davis pitched seven innings to perfection tossing just 85 pitches and striking out 14 hitters in the contest. His command was pinpoint from start to finish with all three of his pitches. His fastball is straight but there is a heavy amount of plane to the pitch when down in the zone as it was early and often in this outing. His curveball showed varying shape while mostly 12-to-6 but also 11-to-5 as well and could very well be a plus pitch moving forward. His curveball velocity topped out at 80 mph on one occasion with that one occasion being the best breaker he threw in the perfect game. The changeup he throws is firm at 85-86 mph and is a solid pitch for varying speeds. He has lots of confidence in the pitch showing the ability to throw the changeup while behind in counts the few times he was actually behind in counts in the game.

The Oklahoma State commit hides the baseball well through the back-side and is very balanced throughout his delivery. The command is the key component that sets Davis apart from other pitchers his age. He showed that in a one inning stint earlier in the week and did so again Wednesday night. He keeps the ball down in the strike zone and works both sides of the plate well. His arm really works through the back up to a high three-quarters arm slot. He strides closed, but the arm is continually on time and he repeats it well. There is plenty to like in Davis’s pitchability and no reason to believe that he is not among the best arms in the 2019 prep class at this point and his performance Wednesday night showed that.

– Greg Gerard
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