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Tournaments  | Story  | 10/20/2018

Freshman World Day 1 Notes

Jheremy Brown      Greg Gerard      Taylor Weber     
Photo: Dylan Lina (Perfect Game)

2018 WWBA Freshman World Championship: Daily Leaders

Getting the nod on the bump for BPA, righthander AJ Hurtado (San Clemente, Calif.) did what he had to do to help his team escape with a 6-5 win during the first game of pool play. Looking bigger and stronger than his listed 6-foot-1, 200-pound measurables in the program, Hurtado did an excellent job of maintaining his velocity throughout his start, living comfortably in the 80-83 mph range while generating steep plane from an over-the-top release. Staying short with his arm stroke allowed him to repeat well, showing quickness through the backside while creating subtle cut action on occasion. Hurtado scattered three hits over his three innings of working, allowing two earned while punching out eight, mostly on the stretch of his fastball as he worked heavily off that pitch, flashing a handful of curveballs in the mid-60s.

Lefthander Brandon Barriera (Coconut Creek, Fla.) impressed our scouts last weekend at the Sophomore World Championships and again strung together another nice outing, showing why he’s regarded as one of the top arms in the 2022 class at this current juncture. While he’s not overly physical yet, Barriera looks the part of a highly athletic middle infielder with square, angular shoulders, long limbs and a tapered waist, all of which only add intrigue given what comes out of his left hand.

Working on a pitch count the uncommitted Barriera logged 2 1/3 innings for Cannons Baseball Academy and was the most impressive of a talented quartet to throw, including teammate Evan Dobias who was up to 84 mph and 5 Star National’s Sullivan Brackin and William Joyner, both of whom topped out at 85 mph. With this age group you can point out subtle flaws in deliveries and note adjustments to be made, such as Barriera incorporating additional lower half drive into his release, but at the end of the day he still hasn’t begun his freshman season. He also shows a loose and tension free arm stroke that produced an 83-86 mph fastball with relative ease while pounding down at the knees with short sink to induce ground ball contact. The slurve came along throughout the outing for Barriera, showing some of his best ones later in his outing with tight rotation and short bite up to 74 mph.

The opening day of the tournament allowed me to get my first look at Louisville commit and 2022 outfielder Michael Lippe (Whitefish Bay, Wis.) and he certainly didn’t disappoint. Listed at 6-foot, 170-pounds, Lippe got the start out in center field for the Chicago Scouts Association and also occupied the middle of the order where he did his most damage and made his loudest impression. With some of the quickest hands I saw on day one of the tournament, Lippe does an excellent job of staying direct to the ball with little wasted movement in his mechanics and showed comfort working the opposite way. And that’s just what he did for both of his base hit, first getting just enough barrel on a curveball down and away to poke into right-center field before showing his speed to take second when nobody was covering. He was able to show off his speed again in his next trip, this time getting his arms fully extended while shooting a line drive down the right field line, ending up with a three-base hit while showing solid foot speed Wisconsin has had a nice run of prospects lately and after this look it appears as though Lippe may end up adding onto that list.




While he won’t be entering high school for another season, young lefthander Miller Green (2023, Nashville, Tenn.) showed enticing stuff on the mound during the Knights Baseball’s opening pool play game and had a collection of scouts jotting down notes in their program. The combination of his age and physical build at 6-foot-1, 155-pounds make it easy to project upon everything he already does on the mound, though his delivery is a rather easy and balanced one, especially given his age. Staying short through the back while working to an over-the-top release, Green ran his fastball up to 82 mph early in the game, sitting in the 79-82 mph range during the opening frame, and did a nice job of creating plane with short sinking life down in the zone. The feel for his curveball developed the more he threw it, and while he can work on maintaining his arm speed better at release, he was able to land the mid-60s pitch for strike with depth and 1-to-7 shape.

Termarr Johnson (Atlanta, Ga.) and Elijah Green (Windermere, Fla.) are both ranked within the top five nationally with Green checking in at No. 3 and Johnson at No. 5, and each showed well during my looks on opening day. While Johnson isn’t as physical as Green, the young second baseman showed the ability to impact the game on both sides of the baseball, exhibiting an innate feel with the glove you don’t typically find at this level. Tasked with completing a turn at the second base bag more than once, Johnson had the ball out of the glove quicker than he received it with enough arm on to first base and also showed his range as he went a long way to track down a foul ball along the right field fence. He just as impressive with his lefthanded swing, showing lots of present bat speed while looking to do damage on every swing, picking up a couple of hard-hit singles while also taking his walks.




Green may not have filled up the box score for the MLB Breakthrough Series but he did connect for a couple of the more impressive barrels on the day. The lone hit to come off Green’s bat was a mightily impressive one as he got his hands extended and barrel out front, lining a pitch to the opposite field which one-hopped the wall, allowing the uncommitted outfielder to show off his above average speed. Throughout the two games Green continued to show the life in his barrel, flicking a hard line out to right field before driving a ball to the deepest part of the yard which went down as an F8. He’s ranked as one of the top players in the country for a reason and it’s scary to think he keeps improving every time we see him play.

There aren’t many players currently in eighth grade who look like Derrick Mitchell (2023, Tempe, Ariz.) physically as he’s listed at a very believable 6-foot-2, 170-pounds and exudes projection with the combination of his present build and overall athleticism. Though he’s a primary outfielder and switch-hitter with fluidity from both sides -he showed strength to his hands on a double down the left field line righthanded early in the day- this write up is about his impressive, albeit short, one inning stint on the mound. Following up Lina on the bump, Mitchell showed one of the best fastballs of the opening day as he working in the 83-85 mph range, bumping an 86, while showing a rather simple set of mechanics in which he does a nice job of finishing over his front side. The ball comes out of his hand with lower effort and though he was able to generate some running life to the pitch, it was his ability to work downhill that made him effective, punching out two while flashing a lone breaker at 69 mph with short shape. Mitchell just turned 14 years old and has all the makings of a player who needs to be followed very closely moving forward.

Dylan Lina (Carson, Calif.) had himself a game during his team’s second game of a doubleheader, doing a little bit of everything as he received the start on the mound and drove in the first run of the game which eventually led to a 10-run inning. A primary infielder, Lina impressed on the mound as he pounded the strike zone with a fastball that topped out at 85 mph, creating angle on the pitch while missing plenty of bats along the way. Over his three innings of work Lina punched out seven and showed comfort in landing his slider for a strike, a pitch that was up to 74 mph and was released from a mimicked slot which hitters appeared to have a hard time adjusting to. With the bat is where Lina has made his loudest impressions in the past and opening day of the tournament was no different, going 2-for-2 in the final game. He loads with intent and looks to do damage on each swing, generating plenty of quickness with his hands and fought hard during his second at-bat which resulted in a hard ground ball down the third base line to plate the first run of the game.

One of the best parts of tracking young players is being able to watch their development on the field, both physically and skill-wise, something we’ve been able to do with outfielder Calvert Clark (Charlotte, N.C.) as he played up despite being a then rising eighth grader. Now listed at 6-foot-4, 175-pounds with ample physical projection, Clark continues to come into his own in the batter’s box, making noticeable adjustments in not only recognizing spin, but tracking the pitch and making an adjustment mid swing. A PG Select Festival pick over Labor Day weekend, Clark picked up a double in his first at-bat where he provided us a look at his improvements as he spit on a couple curveballs down before getting another. And while he drifted slightly out front, he still was able to keep enough weight back to drive the ball on a line into center field, showing solid present bat speed and fluidity to his path, all of which will only continue to take the next step with added strength. During an at-bat later in the game which ultimately went for an F7, Clark showed some of the strength in his hands as he was jammed on the inner half and still managed to fly out deep to the warning track in left field.




Another player who has just started his eighth grade year of school, Aidan Miller (2023, Trinity, Fla.) has already been on the scene for a little while thanks to his prowess both with the bat as well as on the mound. The younger brother of PG Select Festival alum Jackson Miller, Aidan looks longer and stronger than his listed 5-foot-11, 160-pounds, though given his age the growth spurt comes as no surprise. While he didn’t toe the rubber in this look, he did impact the baseball as hard as anybody on the opening day of the tournament, creating lots of barrel whip through the zone with loose wrists and strength in his hands. The intent to do damage is present in every swing and after coming up empty in his first two at-bats, he got a liner drive to touch down in the right-center gap, showing his ability to accelerate well around the bases once underway. It’ll be another calendar year until Miller enters high school but the collection of college recruiters who were in attendance are certain to have his name circled in their programs as they come back for second looks.

The ultimate line for young lefthander Eddie Rivera (Vega Alta, Puerto Rico) wasn’t the cleanest as he lost his command and went just 1 1/3 innings but the young faced, 6-foot-5, 202-pound Rivera showed off a fastball that needs to be monitored moving forward. Any time a player is as big as Rivera at his age it become difficult to repeat one’s mechanics pitch-to-pitch but when everything was in sync and balanced he showed an easy arm stroke with a fastball that topped out at 87 mph with occasional angle and a low effort release. His delivery overall is a clean and tempo’d one, staying short with his arm stroke while generating plane when on top, though his timing wasn’t always there but will continue to develop as he grows into his frame. There’s no denying the arm strength and he’s already made nice improvements since earlier this fall to his delivery while spinning a curveball in the low-70s with tighter rotation and 1-to-7 shape.

– Jheremy Brown



In the first time slot of the, Donovan Zsak (2022, Scotch Plains, N.J.) of New Jersey took the mound for Diamond Jacks against a loaded Dirtbags lineup and pitched a dominant game that resulted in a shutout win. Zsak is a tall and projectable pitcher who is still young and going to continue to throw harder as he fills out physically. Already working his fastball into the 78-82 mph range, Zsak throws with minimal effort and an arm stroke that really works. Staying loose to the plate and online with his lower half, the southpaw is able to repeat is delivery leading to plenty of strikes and good command overall of both of his pitches. The fastball can get to either side of the plate and he do so well throughout his 10-strikeout, five-inning performance. He complemented his fastball with a breaking ball that was mostly in the low-70s coming from a similar tunnel as the heater. Zsak is certainly a pitcher to follow closely moving forward as he progresses through his high school years.

Josh Pearson (2022, West Monroe, La.) hit the farthest ball of the day that resulted in a no-doubter home run to his pull side. The ball hit the netting at the Ballpark of the Palm Beaches that protects the highway from fly balls and showcased his top of the class-type pop. There is plenty of juice in his swing and strength to his frame that allows him to make very hard contact when hit on the barrel of the bat. The lefthanded hitting outfielder has a closed off stance and loose hands that work directly and quickly to the baseball. He crushed the home run in his second at-bat of his team’s first game of the day and just missed a separate home run in his first at-bat hooking it just foul. The game comes easy for Pearson at the plate and he put that raw pop and barrel skills on display Friday.

McClain Ray (2022, Belden, Miss.) started the second game for the Louisiana Knights on the day and projects well on the mound with a fastball that already reaches 84 mph from an extended three-quarters arm slot. The pitch has natural sinking action as it travels to the plate and he does a nice job of locating the pitch to the lower third of the zone. Ray did not throw for very long as his team put up big numbers on the offensive side of the ball, but while he was he did a nice job of throwing strikes and giving a glimpse of his potential as a righthanded pitcher. He mixed in a curveball as well with lots of depth in the low-70s and was able to land it in the lower part of the strike zone as well. The righthander has plenty of room to continue to fill into his 6-foot, 150-pound frame and will only continue to get better with maturity on the bump.

Two-way talent Tanner Chelette (2022, Spring, Texas) was able to show his ability with the bat and behind the plate on Friday afternoon for his team. Chelette, an uncommitted righthanded hitter, has as projectable of a frame as anyone in his class was able to barrel the baseball consistently in his game including a loud double deep into the right-center field gap. There is plenty of fluidity to his swing with hands that work well into his swing. Chelette also moves well behind the plate for having such a long and lean frame. There is plenty of flexibility to his actions behind the dish and his arm strength, like on the mound, is impressive.

An offensive outburst by a very talented lineup in Bo Jackson Elite featured a trio of home runs over on the Washington Nationals quad of fields. The second hitter in the lineup Payton Ebbing (2022, Hamilton, Ohio) hit the first one of the day in the top of the first putting his team ahead early. Ebbing is not an overly physical presence standing at 5-foot-7, 140-pounds, but the strength he puts to the point of contact is impressive. Ebbing has an open stance that begins with a leg kick creating plenty of bat speed. The righthanded hitter got his hands inside of the baseball well on this particular swing catching up to an inner half 83 mph fastball.

Devin Taylor (2022, Cincinnati, Ohio) hit the next bomb for the club and probably the most impressive of the three. Taylor is an athletic lefthanded hitting outfielder who projects extremely well physically with a loose swing that can obviously hit for power and spray the ball to all fields as well. Taylor creates extension through contact with good bat speed that will make the ball jump when squared. The outfielder is a good runner as well with speed that shows up in game on the bases as well as in the outfield.

The third and ultimate run-rule ending walkoff home run belonged to big first baseman Lucas Day (2022, Dayton, Ohio). Day had the long home run to end the game but also had a double to center field in the game as well. Day drove the ball multiple times in the game creating leverage in his swing and pure strenght from his strong frame. The ball jumps off of the bat of the lefthanded hitter’s bat and it showed on this day along with his fellow teammates who really showed they could swing the bat as well as any team in the event.




Another projectable lefthanded pitcher throwing on the Houston Astros quad Friday and specifically on Field 6 was Austin Cantrell (2022, Sugar Hill, Ga.) for the Dirtbags 2022 Black. The lefthander consistently sat in the low-80s with his fastball topping out at 84 mph early in the contest. The first seven outs of the game for Cantrell were via the strikeout who featured overpowering stuff on the mound with his fastball and sweeping curveball. He spotted the ball up well to either side of the plate early in the contest before running into some more command issues later in the outing. The Georgia native is able to get out over his front side while cutting his lower half towards the first base side at his landing point. His arm works well with looseness through the back and when on time at the point of proper release, his command was consistently around the strike zone.

Gavin Woodland (2022, Valier, Ill.) is a righthander who certainly has arm strength while also not needing the use of a breaking ball in his quick two-inning start on the mound. Woodland topped out at 85 mph from his right arm with a full arm action and a heater that jumps out of his hand. The first two batters of the game walked as his command got away from him, but after a quick mound visit Woodland got into a nice rhythm on the mound and was able to throw the fastball in the strike zone. In the first inning the fastball ranged from 82-85 mph and was best when released out in front locating to the glove side of the plate. There are multiple checkpoints to the delivery making his mechanics hard to repeat, but when he maintains the same rhythm working to the plate his fastball blows by most hitters at his age group and 2022 class.

Manuel Beltre (2022, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) put together a 12-pitch at-bat in the 5:20 p.m. game inside the stadium at the Ballpark at the Palm Beaches that made multiple people in the stands give a loud cheer when he eventually walked. The at-bat was so impressive as he, at one point, fouled off seven well-located pitches in a row showing off his plate coverage as well as his talented eye at the plate. Beltre is an athletic player and it shows at the plate as he was the extra hitter in contest. He has smooth actions in the infield as well although not shown in this game the FIU commit has sure hands that play well up the middle. Beltre also had a hard ground ball single earlier in the contest before his epic battle at the plate showing off his strong and loose-handed swing.

– Greg Gerard



The 2018 WWBA Freshman World Championships got underway at Santaluces Complex with an early pitching dual between the 5 Star National PR Black and the Chicago Scout Association. On the mound for 5 Star was righthanded pitcher Adrian Colon (2022, Coamo, Puerto Rico). Colon is a solid projectable player on the mound standing at 6-foot-2, 160-pounds. He has some athleticism to him and utilizes it some when throwing. He has a clean arm action and his fastball easily sits in the low 80’s while touching 84 miles per hour. He appears to have more in the tank and when he begins to incorporate his lower half more he could really make some strides and add to his already nice fastball. He releases from a higher slot which allows him to get on top of his curveball and show some sharp downward action on the pitch. Colon was a bit wild early on but he was able to settle in and throw four innings, allowing one run on three hits with a couple of strikeouts.

Facing off against Colon was lefthander Drew Duckhorn (2022, Darien, Ill.). Duckhorn has a lot of funkiness to an unorthodox delivery. He lands very closed off out front and pitches with some hard crossfire actions to the plate. He keeps the ball behind his head for as long as possible and uses his quick arm to catch up. Its difficult, as a hitter, to pick up on the pitch and this was apparent in his seven strikeouts over four innings. Duckhorn puts a sharp run on his fastball that sat in the mid-70s. He was able to work the pitch both out as well as to the glove side, which can be difficult with his crossfire stride. The one downfall that became more and more of an issue was the lack of a secondary pitch. If he was able to add some sort of off-speed pitch, Duckhorn would make great improvements.

Logan Wagner (2022, Aurora, Ill.) of Chicago Scout Association was a big reason this team was able to get out with a tie. Wagner finished the day reaching base three times in three trips to the plate. Wagner has an easy swing from the right side and works through contact well on a line drive plane. He’s able to keep his approach to the middle of the field as well as work the gaps. Wagner hit a long double into the right centerfield gap showing his strength in the barrel. He would also single on a loud line drive up the middle that would drive in a run.

The South Charlotte Panthers 2022 had a solid game up and down the lineup in an easy 11-0 victory in their first game of the tournament. Parker Byrd (2022, Laurinburg, N.C), who hit in the three-hole, is an athletic player in the order and holds his own in a power position in the lineup. He only had one hit in two at-bats but he also drove in four runs. With the bases load, the righthanded Byrd was able to get his hands around a fastball and drive it down the left field line for a bases-clearing triple. Byrd has quickness in his barrel and paired with some hidden pop from his 5-foot-9 frame he’s able to drive the ball well when working to the pull side of the field.

Hitting right behind Byrd was broad shouldered righthander Matt Heavner (2022, Lincolnton, N.C.). Like Byrd, Heavner stands at just 5-foot-9, and weighs in at 140-pounds. However, he too has some hidden power in his bat for his size. Heavner would triple in two trips to the plate and drive in a run, adding a walk as well. His good day at the plate may have outshined the steadiness of his play on the defensive side of the ball. He was able to hold his own up the middle, playing shortstop in the game for South Charlotte. He has athletic actions and moves well to the ball. He releases the ball quickly with a strong arm across the infield, making several talented plays in the game. His ability to read the ball off the bat is impressive and he showed it on a slow roller that he was charging almost off the barrel.

Providing some spark in the bottom of the order was Aidan Evans (2022, Cornelius, N.C.). Evans ended the day with two hits, a double and a single, with a run scored and a run driven in. He’s got a simpler, contact oriented approach at the bottom of the order and looks to work to all fields. He’s compact to the baseball and shows some speed in his hands which allows him to make adjustments on the fly. He can get around a pitch or let it travel deeper and drive it to the opposite field with relative ease. As he adds strength to his athletic frame one can assume Evans will continue to hit well struck line drives all over the baseball field.

On the mound for South Charlotte was 6-foot-2 righthander Cameron Padgett(2022, Salisbury, N.C.). Padgett only worked the first two innings for his squad but they were quick and painless innings, as he allowed no hits and no walks with three strikeouts. One can only assume Padgett was pulled to keep his pitch count low so his team could lean on him more as the tournament progresses. With that said he didn’t need to throw many pitches for onlookers to see his potential on the mound. The tall righthanded hurler has a good amount of projectability in his stature and as just a freshman it’s reasonable to believe he will continue to grow and add to his already nice frame. He stays tall in his delivery and works from a higher three-quarters slot which enables him to create some nice plane on his fastball through the zone, sitting in the upper-70s. He’s able to work the fastball to all quadrants well while keeping the ball away from barrels. He pairs his fastball with an 11-to-5 curveball with pretty sharp depth to it.

It was a one-sided affair for the Canes Florida Prime 14u team with an easy 15-2 victory to end Day 1. Working 3 2/3 of the four-inning game for the Canes was righty Oscar Hernandez (2023, Kissimmee, Fla.). Hernandez is another projectable pitcher at 6-foot-2 with a bit more a strong build at 190-pounds. As a 2023 graduate he’s already very mature physically and his presence is felt on the mound as he was shutting down the opposition. Hernandez has a clean action and works to extension well from a simple three-quarters slot. He works his fastball in and out well while applying some short running movement on the pitch when working to the arm side. He was able to get up to 78 miles per hour with more to come in the future. His curveball already shows pretty advanced feel with a diving 12-to-6 shape to it. Hernandez struck out a batter an inning while allowing two hits as well as two walks. Hernandez also handled the bat fairly well with a 1-for-1 day with a walk and helping his cause with a couple of runs scored.

It was an up and down the lineup day as the Canes would finish with 12 hits spread out among 10 different hitters. There were a few that stood out including No. 3 hitter Jake Kulikowski (2023, Trinity, Fla.). He had just one hit in the game, but reached base all three times he walked to the plate. Kulikowski scored twice and his hit was a big one in a two-run line drive double down the left field line. He’s got a lot of present strength and swings the bat with intent, generating from his lower half. He should be considered a power threat in the order and should prove why as he continues to mature in his approach.

Bradley Link (2023, Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.) also had a good day at the plate for the Canes, as he was one of two players with multiple hits. Link still has some size to put on but he already handles the barrel very well. He works the ball to all fields and stays with a line drive approach looking to make hard contact each and every plate appearance. He drove a single to the opposite field that scored two runs and Link would drive in two more on his second single of the day, bringing his total to four.

– Taylor Weber



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