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Tournaments  | Story  | 7/22/2018

PG World Series Notes: Day 2

Photo: Jacob Miller (Perfect Game)

14u PG World Series: Event Page | Daily Leaders
15u PG World Series: Event Page | Daily Leaders

Day 1 Scout Notes




Lamar King (2022, Rosedale, Md.) is one of the more elite catchers in the 2022 class and it is evident both at the plate and behind the plate. While he had the day off from catching, he has already shown his ability to catch and throw as well as block at a high level during this event as well as on the summer circuit. What he did on Saturday was at the plate that made this scout as well as others take notice. King gets outstanding use of his lower half into his swing generating an immense amount of torque from his strong 6-foot-2 frame. King gets his hands to the baseball quickly and the bat head out in front in which he did on his double down the pull side line in this contest. King can get his front foot down late at times causing the bat to be late through the hitting zone, but when on time the contact is loud and hard.

Another catcher who shows skills both at the plate and behind the dish is righthanded hitting catcher for Baseball Northwest Colton Bower (2022, Poulsbo, Wash.). Bower showed his catch-and-throw ability in the game on Saturday as he had to go up high and inside to a righthanded hitter to receive a pitch and make a clean transfer and release. Bower did so as the runner took off to second catching the ball way away from the glove side of his body. Bower handled the pitch cleanly and released it quickly firing a strike to second to nab the runner with a clocked 2.01-second pop time. The in-game pop time was impressive in itself let alone on the pitch he had to handle. The rising freshman from Washington later ripped a double down the left field line as he got his hands inside the baseball and kept it fair.

Righthanded pitcher Trent Hodgdon (2021, Smiths Station, Ala.) took the ball for Dulins Dodgers and did as he has done all summer, perform at a high level. Hodgdon gets good use of his lower half to held create low- to mid-80s velocity on his fastball. The pitch peaked at 85 mph on this day and flashed occasional cutting action as well. The righthander pitches from a full arm action and a tight high three-quarters release as he stays tall on his backside in doing so. He also mixed in a curveball with 12-to-6 shape in the upper-60s that complemented his fastball well helping him tally seven strikeouts in three innings of work.

The next high level arm Dulins rolled out to the mound was righthander Cade McGarrh (2022, Frisco, Texas) who also showed a loose swing at the plate and fluid actions at third base in the game. On the mound, McGarrh showed a fastball that ranged from 79-83 mph with plenty more to project on in the future. Eleven of his twelve pitches in the game were fastballs as he flashed a sinking changeup at 74 mph on his last pitch to get a swing-and-miss for a strikeout. His arm is loose and his delivery is effortless as the velocity comes easy and should continue to climb as he continues to fill out his ultra-projectable 6-foot-3, 140-pound frame.



Tanner Chelette (2022, Spring, Texas) did not quite command his pitches as well as in past viewings but the overall stuff flashed and his fastball ranged from 80-84 mph. His arm is very loose and the projection is off the charts for what Chelette may ultimately be on the mound one day. His delivery is mostly clean for his lanky 6-foot-3 frame and he repeats it mostly well. The hips open up slightly earlier than the upper half causing the arm to drag, but when on time he creates plane and the fastball flashes life when down in the zone. The low-80s velocity comes easy for him and should continue to climb as he matures and fills out. Chelette may have not had his best outing, performance wise in this contest, he did, however, show big-time potential as a righthanded arm.

Drew Lafferty (2022, South Park, Pa.) surprised many coaches in attendance as well as hitters of the opposing team of the velocity he produced from his arm. The righthander already runs his fastball up to 86 mph and consistently sat in the 83-86 mph range while on the mound for his two inning stint. The righthander was pulled for pitch count purposes keeping him under 30, but while in the game he showed promising stuff. His fastball has angle when down in the zone and the curveball sat in the 69-71 mph range. He lands closed as he comes down the mound and filled up the strike zone to all quadrants during this quick viewing.




Brock Porter (2022, Milford, Mich.) stays online in his delivery and manages to run his fastball up to 85 mph while being as high as 86 mph at PG events in the past. The arm stroke is clean and there is plenty of effort involved at release but his command is good and makes Porter seem to be a pitcher to follow closely in the future. The fastball is mostly straight and he mixes in a breaking ball as well. The curveball is still developing spin as he does slow the arm down some when throwing the pitch. The pitch should improve when thrown with more conviction, but his fastball already shows above average velocity for his age and will likely climb with maturity.

Uncommitted Bryan Padilla (2020, Brooklyn, N.Y.) had a solid crowd of college coaches looking on as he took the mound for Team Beast. Early in the contest the righthander sat 85-87 mph and touching 88 mph while featuring the best breaking ball of the day. The 5-foot-10 righthander throws with effort and maintains his arm speed on both his fastball and slider combination. The slider comes from a fast arm and has some hair on it when thrown with conviction. The pitch sat in the 72-75 mph range and was sharper when thrown at a higher velocity. He showed feel for the pitch as well getting hitters to swing through it and land it at the knees for get-me-over strikes. Padilla is an interesting arm to follow especially so for his lethal secondary offering he possesses.

One of the more projectable pitchers of the day was lefthander Cory Ronan (2021, Jacksonville, Ill.). A skinny 6-foot lefthander throws with a quick arm and a high three-quarters arm angle. Ronan already runs his fastball into the upper-80s while sitting 83-87 mph early on in the contest. The lefthander has an immensely projectable frame and will only throw harder as he continues to fill out physically and get stronger. He repeats his mechanics well and challenges hitters with the fastball. When needing to go to it, Ronan has a good curveball in his repertoire as well. The pitch shows 1-to-7 shape and solid depth in the low-70s. With some added strength to his frame, Ronan is going to be a pitcher to follow very closely moving forward.

After a strong display on the mound during the WWBA playoffs, Gerardo Cuevas (2020, Edinburg, Texas) made his second appearance of the summer on Day 1 of the 15U PG World Series and showed premier velocity for his age as well as a curveball that is beyond his years. Cuevas took a no-hitter deep into the game and was magnificent on the mound as he struck out 17 opposing hitters while not allowing a walk with a fastball and curveball combination. His fastball ranged from 87-90 mph and his curveball was sharp in the upper-70s. The Houston commit challenged hitters with the fastball over and over on the night and was not afraid to pitch inside as he would overpower them with the heater. The pitch is straight but repeatedly produced late swings and misses. His arm stroke is full and quick while getting through the arm circle and releasing out in front consistently.

Getting the start on the mound for US Elite in the late time slot was uncommitted lefthander Christian Williams (2020, Port Haywood, Va.). Williams is a deceptive lefthander that makes at-bats for lefthanded hitters very uncomfortable. In four innings of work, Williams retired a remarkable 12 hitters via the strikeout. His fastball touched 89 mph early on in the contest but settled in nicely in the 85-87 mph range. The pitch shows riding life to armside from his crossfire and low arm angled delivery. He worked off of his fastball for the majority of the outing but showed feel for his mid-70s breaking ball as well. He slows his delivery some on the pitch but can land the pitch for strikes as he did so late on Saturday night.

Bobby Marsh (2021, Bellefonte, Pa.) continued his high-level hitting from last week’s 15u WWBA on into Day 1 of the PG World Series. Marsh can manipulate the barrel of the baseball unlike many other hitters his age. His approach is confident looking to spray line drives to all parts of the field. He does so successfully seemingly each time up as he did on this day getting on top of a high 83 mph fastball and stroking it into the right-center field gap for a double. Marsh has such a fluid lefthanded stroke with feel for putting the barrel to the baseball.

Matthew Buchanan (2021, Lebanon, Va.) struck out the first eleven hitters he faced and was marvelous on the mound again as we have seen at PG time and time again. The pitchability of Buchanan is well beyond his years and his ability to pitch to the mitt in, out, up or down with his fastball and curveball are truly fun to watch. The lefthander landed 72 percent of his pitches for strikes in the 14 strikeout, five-inning effort. Buchanan has a low effort delivery with a clean arm action that continually gets through on time releasing out in front and working downhill. He works quickly from an online and clean delivery that projects for more moving forward. With the pitchability the verbal commitment to Virginia possesses, Buchanan is likely going to continue to improve in velocity and stuff making the recipe for a special pitcher on the mound in years to comes.

Brady House (2021, Winder, Ga.) pitched the final inning of the game for Team Elite and showed good velocity up to 91 mph in doing so. His command was a bit off, but when in the strike zone, hitters could not catch up to the advanced velocity at the 15 year old age group. House stands at 6-foot-3, 200-pounds and the velocity comes pretty easy as he stays online throughout the delivery. The look was a quick one late Saturday night, but the Tennessee commit has the makings of a big-time player as he swings the bat at a very high level as well.

– Gregory Gerard



In a tournament full of young players, outfielder Dean West (2023, Woodland Hills, Calif.) is among the youngest as he won’t turn 14 for another month and isn’t going to begin his freshman year of high school for another two years. Yet West already finds himself hitting atop the San Diego Show lineup and has been a table setter over the first two games with a .500 batting average, including a two-hit day in game two. While not overly physical yet at 5-foot-5, 135-pounds though he appears bigger, West does a nice job of utilizing a contact oriented approach with quickness to his hands, getting the barrel to the ball regulalry. The swing itself is a loose one for West and he’s able to generate some whip to his barrel while showing comfort in working all parts of the field. He’s also a solid defender out in left field and quickly made his presence felt on a fly ball that appeared destined for extra-bases off the bat until West covered lots of ground and ranged well into the gap.

It was a quick two inning look at young righthander Jacob Miller (2022, Baltimore, Ohio) but just as he showed during the 14u WWBA National Championship, he’s a high-end arm who needs to be followed closely out of this 2022 class. With a lean and highly projectable 6-foot, 145-pound build, Miller is built like a middle infielder with square shoulders and a higher waist, and sports a quick right arm which helped produce one of the top fastballs on the day.

With a fuller arm stroke in the back which he hides well behind his back hip, Miller lived in the 82-85 mph range with his fastball throughout and with his ability to hide the ball, he was able to elicit some uncomfortable swings and break two bats in his two innings of work. The ball comes out of Miller’s hand cleanly and without much effort, which when coupled with his physical projection, helps envision plenty more velocity left in the tank. Miller also did a nice job of generating plane to his fastball and held his velocity out of the stretch, a pitch he worked almost exclusively off of as he couldn’t establish a feel for his tight 12-6 curveball. The low-70s pitch has been a weapon in the past for Miller and though he only worked his couple of frames, he still impressed with his present stuff and what it projects to become.

Sticking with big fastballs, righthander Billy Barlow (2021, North Myrtle Beach, S.C.) came out of the Canes’ bullpen and worked the final 1 2/3 innings, helping preserve the tie despite Baseball Northwest’s attempts to take the lead late in the game. Barlow, who’s listed at 6-foot-1, 185-pounds, came out pumping the zone with his fastball, running the pitch up to 88 mph while living comfortable in the mid-80s with the pitch. Barlow does a nice job of incorporating his lower half into and though he lands somewhat closed with his strike foot, it helps him generate some angle at release while working across his body and creating some life down in the zone. He rarely showed his breaking ball in the low-70s but truly didn’t need to as he attacked with the fastball and filled the strike zone while punching out two.

Carson Applegate (2022, Columbus, N.J.) put together a nice day at the plate for himself on day two, showing a handle for the barrel from the right side while impacting the baseball regularly. Strongly built at 5-foot-11, 172-pounds, Applegate went 2-for-4 at the plate with a single and a triple after picking up a knock on day one, good for a .429 average over the first two days of pool play. The physical strength is an asset Applegate put on display early in the game as he got a fastball up in the zone he could handle and turned on the pitch for a triple to his pull side gap, rounding first base at 4.57 seconds while producing an exit velocity of 92 mph. He shows looseness and present bat speed while staying direct to the ball and found the barrel two additional times in the game, once picking up a single through the 6-hole while lining out hard to the shortstop with a 90 mph exit velocity in the middle frames.

Cian Sahler (2021, Olney, Md.) may only be listed at 5-foot-9, 155-pounds but he showed the ability to impact the baseball yesterday and did so without much lower half. Despite getting caught out on his front foot, Sahler still showed the strength to his hands to pull the ball with something behind it, sending the ball deep to his pull side gap for a triple. That three-base hit also accounted for all of the scoring as Sahler drove in the first run of the game for Dig In before coming into score the eventual game winner two batters later.

Both Derek Bermudez (2022, Hollywood, Fla.) and Adrian Dominguez (2022, Miami, Fla.) have been highlighted in recaps throughout the summer and though this is a different tournament, the results have very much been the same. Hitting from atop the order for Elite Squad, Bermudez shows a knack for finding the barrel and did just that on the very first pitch of the game as he took an outer half fastball and lined the pitch into the right-center field gap for the first of two singles. Utilizing a shorter stroke, Bermudez is able to handle the barrel and did a nice job of adjusting to a curveball later in the game, keeping his weight back and shooting the pitch back up the middle.

Dominguez has the type of frame you can project upon to add some serious strength with a long and lean 6-foot-2, 160-pound frame though he’s already able to impact the baseball and shows a fluid stroke from the left side. After picking up a double day one with a smooth, leveraged path, Dominguez again showed the same swing with a line drive single down the right field line, his first of two hits on the game to give him a .600 average over the first two days.

Jared Jones (2022, Marietta, Ga.) is a primary catcher who got the start at first base for Elite Squad, though it’s his abilities with the bat that have already made the 6-foot-3, 220-pound rising freshman a known commodity in his age group. After hitting .455 at the 14u WWBA National Championships and .435 at the 14u BCS National Championships, Jones continued to swing a hot bat during his first game of the World Series going 3-for-3 while picking up a couple of RBI. In his first trip to the plate Jones got caught out on his front foot but his handle for the barrel and just his overall physical strength allowed him to still drill the ball past the second shortstop. That base knock served as a precursor of what was to come as he went back up the middle in his next at-bat, staying back better while producing a 93 mph exit velocity on his second hit of the day.

While the final stat line may not have been what young righthander Andrew Dutkanych (2022, Indianapolis, Ind.) wanted, there are still plenty of things to like from the Indiana native and he only projects for more moving forward. Standing on the rubber with a broad shouldered 6-foot-2, 170-pound frame, Dutkanych opened the game with a fastball that bumped as high as 84 mph and was able to induce weak contact thanks to a tight arm action and release which helped hide the baseball and generate short cutting life. His fastball lived in the low-80s over his first couple of innings, a pitch he threw exclusively in the first inning before mixing in both a curveball and cut changeup later in the game. His best curveball was thrown at 62 mph with 11-to-5 shape though it was the changeup he went to most often in the 72-75 mph which paired well of his fastball when in the zone.

Murphy Brooks (2022, Cypress, Texas) worked a quick 18 pitches out of the bullpen for the Banditos which means we’ll likely see him later this tournament, though what he was able to produce in those few pitches was pretty impressive. Physically imposing on the mound with his 6-foot-2, 195-pound frame, Brooks lived in the 83-85 mph range with his fastball and once touched 86 mph while showing a short and quick arm action, generating solid plane to his heater with on line mechanics. He worked heavily off of his fastball and induced weak contact off the barrel, mixing in a short slider with a similar arm stoke up to 73 mph which he tunneled nicely out of the hand.

– Jheremy Brown



The son of former Major League outfielder, Matt Holliday, Jackson Holliday (2022, Jupiter, Fla.) has some quality hitting tools at the dish with a smooth lefthanded swing, loose hands, and a good present feel for the barrel of the bat. The 5-foot-9, 145-pound frame has tons of room present for additional physical projection and growth, and while there isn’t a significant amount of present strength, he can create some hard line drive contact when getting extended. Holliday notched two hits on the day, one where he drove a high fastball to the pull side and another where he fought off a couple of tough pitches with two strikes and drove a ball up the middle for a run-scoring single. The swing projects nicely, especially as a lefthanded hitting shortstop, and the present hit tool along with the projection make Holliday an intriguing follow.

The GoWags Jays exploded for a big 14-3 victory on Saturday night and two of the big offensive performances of the day came off the bats of Braedon Karpathios (2021, Willow Street, Pa.) and Mason Morris (2022, Felton, Del.).

Karpathios, a primay lefthanded pitcher, impressed back at the 14u WWBA National Championship on the mound while working in the low-80s and showing a good curveball. The offensive game showed out on Saturday with a whippy, fast swing that generated some hard hit contact to the pull side. Karpathios generated a lot of strength through the point of extension and notched a smoked triple down the pull line while also adding an 89 mph line drive single to the pull side. Morris had two well-struck doubles on the afternoon that brought in three runs. He handled a fastball up in the strike zone that he drove hard to the pull side gap and added another double later on in the game. Morris has a strength-oriented swing and covers the palte nicely and can impact the ball with strength to either side of the field.

A big offensive contributor in FTB’s victory on Saturday night, Kyle Larsen (2022, Sanford, Fla.) had a big day offensively including a loud, tie-breaking home run in the fifth inning. The 6-foot-2, 240-pound righthanded hitter has some loud pop, especially to the pull side with a fairly low effort swing and the home run left the barrel at 92 mph and traveled 353 feet per TrackMan. Larsen’s swing features a fairly easy trigger into it with a simple swing path and some loft to the plane in general. Larsen’s power is a high-ceiling asset for the 14u age group and his ability to drive the ball hard and far with wood is impressive all the more.

Showing off one of the prettier swings on the evening for the 15u World Series was Banditos outfielder Kobe Andrade (2020, Corpus Christi, Texas). The one hit he had on the evening was an absolute laser down the pull line that one-hopped the right field wall for a loud triple that saw him round the bag in 4.53 seconds from the point of contact. Andrade is a highly athletic, centerfield-type prospect with lots of quick twitch muscle and can fly around the bases. Andrade hits a higher gear when working around the base paths as he really hits his max acceleration when he’s rounding the bag. The swing has plenty of bat speed with significant loft and looseness to the path. The barrel creates lots of hard contact and the swing gives him a chance to do so at a consistent level; Andrade’s skills make him one of the more intriguing uncommitted 2020s in the state at this juncture.

After impressing a week ago at the 15u WWBA National Championship, Brandon Neely (2021, Seville, Fla.) showed no signs of slowing down during his outing to open the 15u World Series. Neely, a Florida commit, worked his fastball up to 89 mph in the early portion of the game and with a quick, loose, and compact arm stroke showed that there is still a lot of velocity in the tank. The arm is very fast through the arm circle and though he releases with some effort he showed the ability to get to both sides of the plate with intent with the fastball. The pitch worked up to 89 mph and sat mostly in the 83-87 mph range and the velocity of the pitch was enough to overwhelm some hitters on the evening. The breaking ball was a solid pitch for Neely, working in the low-70s with good spin, and showed that he has a pretty good starting point of pitching tools for a rising sophomore as the frame and delivery are both indicative of future velocity gains.

Neely’s teammate and fellow Florida commit Deric Fabian (2021, Ocala, Fla.) had one of the hardest hit balls of the night with a loud triple to straightaway centerfield. The brother of PG All-American Jud Fabian, Deric has very impressive hitting tools with a very lanky, projectable 6-foot-2, 155-pound frame that creates lots of natural leverage through the point of extension. Fabian still has a lot of room left to grow into his frame and that should only make the power more prodigious, though he took a fastball at about neck-level and drove it 330 feet over the head of the centerfielder that left the bat at 88 mph for a triple. The athleticism will continue to improve as he fills out into his frame but the impressiveness of the pure hitting tools shouldn’t be ignored.

Though he didn’t record a hit in the game, Ryan McCrystal (2021, Fuquay Varina, N.C.) showed off the arm strength from behind the dish as he threw out two runners in his game and popped times of 2.08 seconds and 2.00 seconds in the process. The arm strength is loud and the fact that he had such low pop times is even more impressive when considering that the take back is a bit longer through the back than most catchers. He still creates easy accuracy and carry out of the hand and releases very quickly and showed that the arm strength is a weapon. The lefthanded swing creates some loft through extension and is geared toward the opposite field as well by creating well-struck contact to all fields.




Closing out the victory for the Ironmen on the opening night of the 15u World Series was righthander Will Koger (2021, Bardstown, Ky.) and the uncommitted arm showed a lot of things to like on the bump. The listing is at 6-foot, 165-pounds but that seems a bit conservative as Koger appears a hair taller and is already fairly physical. The arm stroke is quick and online through the back and his over the top slot allows him to create lots of sink on the fastball wherever it’s located. Koger created some swing-and-miss with the late sink on the fastball and is currently geared towards a ground ball approach with the pitch. Koger sat in the 84-87 mph range with the fastball in his under-two-inning appearance, though he struck out four batters in that span as he has a very good curveball too. The pitch showed 11-to-5 shape primarily with sharpness to the break as he buried a couple curveballs on the back foot of lefthanded hitters, an impressive command feat for a young prospect. The real breaking ball combined with the sink and arm speed make Koger a very interesting arm and he should be monitored closely.

The CBA Bulldogs opened with a 10-1 victory in the 15u World Series and the middle of the lineup got it done as both Luke Davis (2022, Garden Grove, Calif.) and Caden Aoki (2021, Edison, Calif.) had big hits while showing off impressive hitting tools as well.

Davis, a rising freshman and young for the 15u World Series, showed off an extended swing path that kept the barrel in the hitting zone for a long time and allows the swing to drive the ball well to the opposite field. The length of the swing allows for some loft and strength to the opposite field alley which is exactly what Davis did in the second at-bat of the game as he drove a triple to the opposite field gap. The switch hitter roped the triple from the right side and has impressive overall physicality to the frame. Aoki showed off some of the better bat speed on the night with a very loud righthanded swing. The generation of positive impact momentum is presently an asset for Aoki, who manned second base to start out for CBA, and the trigger into the swing is very simple and repeatable. The bat speed alone gives him a chance every time he steps into the box and he roped an opposite triple as well that left the bat at 92 mph.

-Vincent Cervino
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