4/2/2016 10:01:16 AM
4/2/16
A trio of playoff games provided most of the excitement on Day 2 of the Rawlings Select Classic #3. The Championship game is now set as well with Valdosta taking on T.L. Hanna at 10:30 this morning.
In the first quarterfinal game of the day, Rock Bridge took on Greenville and a pair of offensive talents faced off. Rock Bridge senior outfielder Cole Evans played right-field and hit third with good present strength and power in his bat. He transferred his weight well to the ball and showed well above average bat speed, with one of his exit velocities checking in at 105 mph. He had some trouble matching plane and often chased pitches out of the zone, but he swung with intent to drive the ball. In the field, he had a bit of an off day bobbling a ball and taking a few less than ideal routes. He showed an average arm from the outfield, but I would like to get a look at him behind the plate. Clocked from home to first he ran a 4.33 from the right-side, showing an average run tool. He's committed to Missouri and should get a chance to further develop his bat and let his raw ability show.
The opposing first basemen for Greenville was Carson Spiers who is listed at shortstop, but played first. Spiers, a Clemson commit, showed a really athletic, projectable build at 6-foot-2, 180 pounds. Spiers showed some bat speed at the plate with a swing that generates extension to the outer third, but occasionally will get long.
Standing out in that game that wasn't previously on my watch list was Greenville centerfielder, Justin Bailey. Bailey stands at 6-foot-2, 175 pounds with an athletic build and lots of room to add strength moving forward. The uncommitted outfielder showed some feel for the barrel and timing its release with a pair of hard hits. With a line drive plane and some already surprising strength his hit tool was impressive. He showed a strong arm from centerfield and made good reads off the bat with playable range. In the future his run tool may force him to a corner outfield position, but he should have the bat and arm to play there. Power should come as he continues to fill out in his frame and when he gets to college.
Another Clemson commit, this time a 2018 grad, James Parker of T.L. Hanna. The young, athletic shortstop stands at 6-foot-1, 170 pounds with present strength and athleticism in his frame. His glove is far more advanced than his bat at this point, with soft, sure hands and plus levels of athleticism. He made a couple very nice diving plays to his right, one a sinking liner that he cough, and the other a hard hit grounder where he made the play and got the runner at first. At the plate, he showed a quick bat with some ability to match plane. His barrel feel was not as present as you'd like given the quality of competition, but he has several years to continue to develop it.
Jacob McMillan took the mound for Valdosta with a smaller build at 5-foot-9, 157 pounds and he tossed a gem. He just used a super easy, repeatable arm action from a three-quarter slot. He mixed his pitches exceptionally well and featured a 79-81 mph fastball that topped out at 83 mph on the last pitch of the game. His curveball showed 11-5 shape at 69 mph and he had very good ability to throw the pitch for strikes and was confident enough in the pitch to throw it in any count. Overall, McMillan just missed barrels. He threw a no-hitter on 70 pitches and lost his perfect game with two outs in the 7th on a hit by pitch. He only struck out two batters and got both of them in the last inning.
Oxnard put out a trio of impressive players, starting with two outfielders, junior Kaiser Weiss, and senior Stephen Kish. Weiss stands at a lean, 6-foot, 180 pounds with plus athleticism. He looked really good in centerfield with smooth routes and good ability to pick the ball up off the bat. He showed the ability to barrel up some balls with the ability to drive it, including a three-run home run he hit on Friday. Kish is the more physical of the two with lots of present strength already in his frame. He possess good bat speed with the ability to pick up spin and work the ball to all fields.
Lastly, freshman shortstop Andrew Tarazon had really smooth actions up the middle and projects to stay on the left side. He had a strong arm that will continue to develop with age. He had soft, sure hands lots of lateral quickness and range. He's absolutely one to keep an eye on moving forward.