2/19/2017 12:36:15 AM
Rhett Daniel (2018, Carrollton, Ga.) started off the first high school time slot of the day for the Carrollton Trojans. Daniel is listed at a very tall and lean 6-foot-5, 178-pounds with a lot of room on the frame for physical projection. He threw from a longer arm action with a full arm circle through the back and showed early that he planned to attack hitters with his fastball. For the majority of the game the pitch sat from 83-86 mph and topped out at 87 mph on occasion. The fastball was mostly straight and it was at its most effective when he pounded the lower third of the strike zone with it. Daniel found trouble when the fastball was up, but for the majority of the afternoon the pitch was very hard to lift off the ground. He also mixed in a changeup and curveball that were both developing secondaries that registered in the mid-70s. Daniel finished the day with four strong innings allowing only three hits and one unearned run while striking out three.
Daniel's teammate and Carrollton's centerfielder and leadoff hitter Michael Wright (2017, Douglasville, Ga.) showed off an interesting skill set highlighted by his speed. The Southern University signee has a tall, projectable frame at a listed 6-foot-2, 185-pounds. Wright oozes athleticism and his high-end speed allows him to cover a lot of ground in centerfield; he can range to both sides in order to make tough catches. At the plate, he has a compact swing path with a contact-oriented approach. The stance is a bit stiff with a high hand set and closed, narrow stance, however his swing is very quick through the hitting zone and allows the barrel of the bat to impact the ball at a high velocity. He uses his speed to beat out ground balls and even reach base via bunt; Wright was clocked at 4.05 seconds to first base on a bunt from the right side.
One of the more impressive feats of strength was a no-doubt home run that came off the bat of shortstop Tristan Capocci (2017, Villa Rica, Ga.) for the Alexander Cougars. Capocci has strength throughout his physical build, registering at 6-foot and 200-pounds, and it showed with his majestic shot to left that just missed the scoreboard. The Navy commit got a high fastball and drove the ball well out of the park, and he knew as soon as he hit it. Capocci has a very quick, compact swing from the right side with a short leg lift trigger and a wide base. He showed some separation in his swing with good bat speed and a line drive plane to his swing. He also showed off clean defensive actions at short with sound footwork and average-to-above average arm strength from the position. Capocci has a personal best of 6.92 in the 60-yard dash and is overall an impressive athlete on the baseball field with the ability to impact a game near the top of the lineup.
Closing out the win for North Paulding and earning the save was talented righthander Chandler Wood (2019, Dallas, Ga.). Wood has an ideal pitchers frame as he is listed at 6-foot-3, 215-pounds with physicality present throughout his build. There is some effort throughout the delivery but overall it is pretty textbook with quick arm speed and a hook through the back of his arm action. He attacked hitters early and often with a heavy fastball that sat from 83-86 mph with downward life to the pitch. Wood's misses were rare but when he did they were often low and out of the zone. He showed a curveball that showed advanced spin to the pitch despite its short break. The pitch sat in the high-60s and was extremely difficult to read out of his hand, due to the deception in his delivery with his high leg lift. Wood showed all the makings of, and looked the part of, a very effective pitcher and with his velocity as high as 90 mph in the past, it will be fun to monitor his development throughout his sophomore campaign.
Blessed Trinity is a baseball program known for consistently being one of the top high schools in the state of Georgia. A pair of Titans showed off impressive tools in their 8-1 victory over Alexander as lefthander Patrick McNamara (2017, Roswell, Ga.) and first baseman Cole McNamee (2017, Milton, Ga.) led the way.
McNamara was awarded the start and immediately made his presence felt. The Presbyterian commit has a very compact, deceptive delivery and that combined with his good extension allowed his stuff to play exceptionally well against opposing hitters. He worked very quickly with an upbeat tempo and his high three-quarter arm slot added yet another tool in his arsenal to make his pitches more difficult to square up. The fastball sat in the mid-80s, topping out at 85 mph on the day and was mostly straight with occasional heavy life to it. The pitch was extremely difficult in the lower third of the strike zone with a difficult angle to it. The curveball flashed tight spin and was a bit inconsistent, but when the pitch was on, opposing hitters had no chance and it was utilized as a swing-and-miss pitch. McNamara had some control issues, at times his mechanics were out of sync which led to four walks, but his stuff was very impressive and he was able to record three hitless innings while striking out four.
One of the hardest hit balls that this scout saw all Saturday came off the bat of McNamee. He laced a line drive on a trajectory slightly over the head of the shortstop and the liner almost took the shortstop with it. The Wake Forest commit is a very physical 6-foot-4, 230-pounds and that present strength and build plays well into a righthanded power profile. McNamee has quick hands and a swing on a line drive plane with some leverage and life in the swing. He showed a good feel for controlling the barrel head of the bat and was able to square up most pitches he swung at on the afternoon. McNamee shifted his weight into contact on occasion and has the raw power to be a consistent threat to leave the ball park.
Allatoona High School's opening season tournament was moved to Perfect Game Park at Lakepoint late in the afternoon on Saturday so Allatoona HS, Chapel Hill HS, McEachern HS, and South Paulding HS all played doubleheaders late into Saturday evening.
Perfect Game All-American and potential high draft pick Kyle Jacobsen (2017, Acworth, Ga.) showed off the tools and skill set that makes him so sought after. The defense, speed, and athleticism is as good as it has ever been with good speed on the base paths and the tools to stick in centerfield at the next level. Jacobsen made loud contact on a number of at-bats including a triple to the right-center gap and a very loud fly out to deep centerfield. The South Carolina commit starts slightly open with a high hand set and his extremely quick hands allow him to generate good bat speed throughout the zone. He gets good separation with a long stride toward the pitcher and showed fluidity in his swing. Jacobsen has long shown the ability to generate loud contact both in the past and present, and he will look to show off his hit tool consistently during his senior campaign with the Buccaneers.
Closing out the busy Saturday at Lakepoint was a matchup between McEachern and Chapel Hill where senior lefthander Marlin Willis (2017, Powder Springs, Ga.) showed why scouts are tantalized by his present abilities and what he projects to become. Willis's frame is very tall and lean with plus projection throughout his 6-foot-4, 195-pound build and leaves to the imagination what velocity could await once he reaches physical maturity. The arm action is very long with looseness throughout and he releases from an extended three-quarter arm slot. The Georgia commit has some shoulder tilt and gets plus extension down the pitching rubber. Willis' fastball sat in the 85-88 mph range with some short, late arm side wiggle. The velocity varied at times and he was able to bump up the pitch to hit 90 mph twice. He showed an awareness for the running game with an excellent pickoff move. Willis throws with effort at times, and the delivery is pretty simple and compact. The length of the arm action may cause some timing issues, he did struggle with control at times, but when he is in sync the combination of extension, angle, and release made his fastball deadly. The curveball was not thrown often but it sat in the mid- to upper 70s with 1/7 shape, tight spin, and very good depth. Willis remains one of the highest upside arms in the class and could be in store for a huge draft boost with a big high school season.