JUPITER,
Fla. – The player under the most scrutiny in Jupiter came to bat in
the biggest moment of the tournament thus far, and while he didn't
hit a walk-off grand slam,
Brendan Rodgers did send the
Orlando Scorpions back to the semifinals with a walk-off hit.
Rodgers
came into the tournament as the top ranked prospect in the high
school class and has been participating in an intense five day job
interview with the organizations holding the first five picks in the
2015 MLB Draft while also trying to help his teammates survive and
advance against elite competition. Four days into the process he's
acing it.
The
tools are extremely loud, that has been known for a long time. Those
tools have translated well in games against elite competition, which
he proved that at this event last year. But the question mark coming
in was how Rodgers would be able to handle the intense pressure that
comes with being the most hyped prospect in the country, and now he's
proving himself there as well.
This
author has watched Rodgers play well over a dozen times and finally
saw him make his first error in Sunday morning's pool play finale. He
moved past it instantly and resumed impacting the game in a very
obvious way. He's been pitched carefully, pitched inside aggressively
and been hit by three times as a result. He's shown up to the park in
a clean uniform every morning and left covered in dirt from head to
toe every night. Rodgers has dominated with the glove, put together
quality at-bats and contributed at the plate.
The
only thing that has been absent has been power production in the box
score. That doesn't entirely do Rodgers justice though, since he
smashed a foul ball that left the bat at 102 mph and was estimated to
have landed 70 feet behind the left field fence by a staff member who
walked it off, and he did that on an 0-2 count after being on the
wrong end of a pair of borderline strike calls to start the at-bat.
Predictably
there is plenty of nitpicking, and his detractors will point to
average straight line speed and moderate bat control as flaws that
limit Rodgers' likelihood of reaching his Tulowitzkian ceiling. And
while they are valid points, there is no other prospect in this high
school class, or any of the past couple for that matter, that offer
the type of impact tools that he does.
Rodgers
has present plus bat speed, present plus raw power, present plus arm
strength and a present plus glove at the most premium position. Even
if he doesn't reach that ceiling the profile obviously adds up to a
highly coveted asset. If the Diamondbacks choose to go another
direction with first overall pick next June he won't have to wait
long to hear his name called shortly thereafter.
The
quarterfinals playoff games that take place on the Marlins quad of
the Jupiter complex on Sunday's final time slot are the pinnacle of
travel ball. The combination of talent and intensity make for an
electric atmosphere. While the big name prospects who shine under the
bright lights are what make that stage so unforgettable, there was a
team of somewhat overlooked players who did the same in 2014.
Palm
Beach PAL doesn't have any PG All-Americans on their roster, a stark
contrast to the team they faced, the Cardinals Scout Team/FTB
Chandler, who boast six. But these games aren't played on paper, and
Palm Beach PAL executed all game long, took full advantage of the
opportunities presented to them and offered very few in return.
They
are certainly a team where the whole is greater than the sum of it's
parts. They employed dramatic infield shifts against both lefthanders
and righthanders and clearly had advance scouted their opponents,
approaching each hitter with sequences that neutralized their
weaknesses.
To
say that it's a roster bereft of talent, however, would be
inaccurate. Leadoff hitting center fielder
Pemron Burrows
(2015, Riviera Beach, Fla.) is a quick-twitch athlete who combines
bat speed and foot speed into an intriguing overall package that his
smaller stature belies.
They
got five shutout innings from an underclassman who topped out at 84
and worked in the upper-70s to low-80s before turning it over to
submarine righthander
Zach Schneider (2015, Boca Raton, Fla.).
Schneider is a 6-foot righthanded senior committed to Polk State who
topped out at 82 mph and would seem to be one of the most unlikely
players to be highlighted in this space. But he is a submariner who
showed plus feel for three pitches and carved up the loaded Cardinals
Scout Team lineup for a two inning save facing the minimum. He threw
18 of his 22 pitches for strikes, struck out the first two he faced
and induced soft ground balls from each of the final three batters he
faced in the seventh inning.
Lefthander
Michael Zimmerman (2015, Naples, Fla.) pitched a good game and
took an undeserved loss. He made the ball dance, showing sharp late
movement on all three pitches with advanced pitchability from a low
three-quarters slot. He topped out at 89 mph, which may not make him
a premium prospect out of high school, but if the MLB Draft doesn't
curb his plans to pitch for the Florida Gators then Zimmerman has the
makings of an elite pitcher in the SEC.
It
was a disappointing start to Jupiter for
Corey Zangari (2015,
Oklahoma City, Okla.) when he struggled to find the strike zone on
the mound on Thursday, but he's recovered with a torrid showing with
the bat this week. In Sandlot Scout Team's final pool play game he
followed up a 100 mph off-the-bat missle to right center by smashing
a line drive that left the bat at 104 mph and ricocheted off of the
shin of the third baseman.
–
Todd Gold
Tristin
English (2015, Williamson, Ga.) was
not at his absolute sharpest on Sunday, and it showed as he walked
the first batter of the game on four high and wide fastballs. He did
settle down somewhat, and did that once he was able to find his
slider. Throwing that slider appeared to get his command back on
track, as he spotted it over the inside corner to righty batters at
81-84 mph with late, very hard biting action. He mixed a changeup and
showed solid feel for it. His arm action is still a repeatable one,
despite it being shorter and showing the lingering signs of his roots
behind the plate. The stuff is still there, and he still managed to
show some impressive signs despite this not being his best day on the
hill.
In
what was a marquee matchup in the mid-morning time slot, the
EvoShield Canes countered English with a power arm of their own in
righthander Nolan Watson (2015, Indianapolis, Ind.) who topped
at 92 mph with his fastball. He worked consistently at 89-91 mph, but
most impressively showed command in the lower quadrants and lived
mostly on the edges of the plate. He also used a power changeup at
83-85 mph and showed solid command of his 75-77 mph curveball.
It’s
no secret that when Josh Naylor (2015, Mississauga, Ontario)
hits the ball he tends to hit it with emphasis. And he’s been doing
that pretty consistently here throughout the week in Jupiter. But,
sometimes you have to look beyond the box score. There’s no greater
example of that then Naylor’s Sunday afternoon game. Although he
took an 0-2, he hit two absolute rocket line drives the resulted in
outs, one at 104 mph and one at a tournament best 108 mph. There’s
just not disguising the type of bat speed Naylor generates.
Desmond
Lindsay (2015, Bradenton, Fla.) had one of the big swings in the
mid-morning time slots, and there are certain swings that mean more
than others in the scouting world. Lindsay took an elevated 91 mph
fastball from English and took a direct hand path to the ball. He
connected, smoking a long double to right field that short-hopped the
fence. The swing was low effort and without a lot of moving parts,
but the result was a very loud, highly impressive extra-base hit to
the opposite field.
Cornelius
Randolph (2015, Griffin, Ga.) has developed a reputation as one
of the most consistent pure hitters in the 2015 class, and he’s
earned that reputation for good reason. Randolph gave us an example
of that on Sunday morning, ripping a line drive single over the
second baseman’s head on a pitch that wasn’t necessarily a big
mistake. Randolph took a changeup on the outer third of the plate,
and while it was slightly elevated it could have easily left him way
out in front of the pitch. Randolph has outstanding hand speed and is
known for his ability to use the opposite field. But, what that also
lends itself to is staying back on off-speed pitches. And Randolph
does that as well as any hitter in the country.
Kyle
Ostrowski (2015, Tinley Park, Ill.) may not completely blow
hitters or scouts away with “now” stuff, but with a little
imagination on the projection side of things, he’s going to make a
highly intriguing professional someday. He worked at 88-90 mph in the
early part of his Sunday outing before settling around 86-89. The
important thing is how the baseball comes out of his hands, however.
Ostrowski looks like he’s playing a leisurely game of catch on the
mound and the fastballs hops on hitters with late two-seam action.
With added strength on his 6-foot-4, long-limbed frame, he’s going
to continue to add velocity. He has a feel for his 68-71 mph
curveball, and although he will need to tighten it, the ability to
spin it consistently is there and he’s comfortable spotting it.
Amongst
a day of surprise or breakout performances, the stuff that Nick
Sprengel (2015, Placentia, Calif.) put on display ranks among the
most eye opening. He came out of the gate pounding the lower
quadrants of the zone with a 90-92 mph fastball. For the most part,
he carried that velocity deep into his outing and showed significant
arm-side running action. The previous high we had seen from Sprengel
was 89 mph in August. The biggest difference in his game, however,
was his hard, late biting 81-83 mph slider. It was a swing-and-miss
offering and he showed confidence in his ability to spot it against
righty and lefty batters.
Opposing
Sprengel for the East Cobb Astros was Braxton Garrett (2016,
Florence, Ala.) who has has no shortage of impressive performances of
late. Once again he dotted his mostly 88-89 mph fastball with sinking
action to both sides of the plate and showed complete command of his
above average 76-78 mph curveball.
Malcolm
Grady (2015, Homewood, Ill.) made a name for himself on the
Cardinals’ quad on Sunday morning, taking the mound for the Reds
Midwest Scout team and showing off an easy, powerful fastball. There
are refinements to be made in his delivery and command, but it’s a
powerful 6-foot-4 frame and clean arm to keep close tabs on. He
worked at 88-90 mph with his fastball and carried that velocity well
deep into his outing. His fastball showed late two-seam action and he
flashes an 11-to-5 curveball with solid shape at 74-75 mph.
There
are always “new” players popping up in Jupiter, players that
either weren’t known commodities before or simply took their games
to another level. Pablo Salazar (2015, Pearland, Texas) had
never pitched in a Perfect Game event until Sunday afternoon. But, in
his first event, he routinely touched 93 mph with his fastball,
living consistently at 90-92 in the first inning before settling at
88-91 mph. His fastball shows natural cut at times, and he also
flashed a sharp, two -plane slider. The consensus among scouts
watching was that while this young may be raw, he also has the
potential to one day throwing in the mid- to upper-90s because of his
loose arm action and athletic frame.
It’s
hard to go more than a day anymore without talking about Carlos
Cortes (2016, Oviedo, Fla.). He
simply has a habit of announcing his presence with authority with the
bat. After launching another no-doubt home run to right field in an
earlier game, Cortes chipped in a rocket single on a high fastball in
the Scorpions late night playoff matchup on Sunday. We are watching
his status grow as one of the most feared hitters in the country
right before our eyes.
– Frankie
Piliere
After
a brief two inning start on the opening night of the WWBA World
Championship in which he absolutely dominated, lefthanded pitcher
Juan Hillman (2015, Haines City, Fla.) was back on the mound
for the Cardinals Scout Team/FTB Chandler in their quarterfinal game.
Just as he did Thursday, Hillman pounded the strike zone and shutdown
the offense, allowing just two hits while striking out seven more
batters, walking none.
Hillman’s
delivery is easy and fluid, repeating it well while staying on line
with his lower half with extension and downhill plane. The University
of Central Florida commit showed off the high level of pitchability
that he has become known for over the last few years, showing a
three-pitch mix, all thrown for strikes. In the early going Hillman
was showing a fastball in the upper-80s, frequently touching 90 mph
with nice angle from the first base side. He worked predominately to
his arm side with fastball, though he showed the ability to bring it
in to his glove side when he needed to. His changeup is an advanced
offering with an equally advanced feel, throwing it in the mid-70s
with late fading life. The feel for his big curveball developed
through the game showing big life in the low-70s.
Young
lefthander Jason Groome (2016, Barnegat, N.J.) did
yesterday what he has done all summer; pound downhill strikes with an
effortless arm action. The big 6-foot-6 Groome showed a fastball that
peaked at 90 mph, sitting mid- to upper-80s to both sides of the
plate. If you were watching the swings that were being taken against
Groome you would think he was throwing in the upper-90s as the ball
comes out clean and really jumps on hitters at the last second. The
uncommitted Groome shows some of the best command in the 2016 class
and it was evidenced again yesterday as he struck out thirteen
batters and walked none. The other thing that made Groome so
effective was the sequencing of his fastball command. Not only would
he work knee high, but he would locate side-to-side, and after
getting two strikes on the batter he would change their eye level and
throw a fastball upstairs for a swinging third strike. Along with the
fastball, Groome showed a nice feel for a low-70s curveball with
depth and 1-to-7 life and a feel for his changeup which he continues
to make strides with each outing, showing some at 72 mph.
Brody
Wofford (2015, Rome, Ga.) is a player that has been making some
noise of late and had a good first at-bat yesterday afternoon. A
lefthanded hitter, the Louisiana State commit jumped on a hanging
curveball and drove it to the gap, one-hopping the fence, showing a
nice combination of bat speed and strength.
The
other lefthanded pitcher that tossed a complete game in the Tri-State
Arsenal/Marucci Elite matchup was Will Heflin (2016, Talbott,
Tenn.), another uncommitted arm that showed a strong feel for three
pitches and mixed them all effectively. With a short and compact arm
action, Heflin was a tough arm to make contact off of, let alone
square up, as he hides the ball extremely well in the back and throws
all three pitches from the same arm slot. Heflin shows a fast arm and
produced a fastball in the 83-86 mph range, locating it down in the
zone. Though the velocity might not jump out off the radar gun, it
certainly plays up with the deception he creates and the pitchability
he shows on the mound. His changeup is a very advanced pitch and he
has the feel to match it, coming from the same arm slot as his
fastball, just 10-12 mph slower than his fastball with fade to the
arm side. Heflin also showed a 12-to-6 curveball with depth in the
low-70s en route to his complete game shutout, walking only one with
eight stikeouts.
Mentioned
in an earlier edition on the WWBA World Championship daily recaps for
his loud home run, Tyrone Perry (2015, Avon Park, Fla.) did it
again with the bat Sunday evening. Though he didn’t put the ball
out of the park in this particular at-bat, Perry did show the ability
to drive the ball to the opposite field with intent and strength. On
a pitch that was on the outer half of the plate, Perry got his arms
extended and barreled up the ball deep to the left-center gap, again
coming off the barrel at 105 mph. With that hit, Perry now has two of
the top ten hardest hit balls of the weekend per TrackMan.
With
a large crowd gathered behind the backstop, Perfect Game All-American
Beau Burrows (2016, Weatherford, Texas) didn’t disappoint in
his four-inning stint. Showing the same fast arm that he has
throughout the summer circuit, Burrows came out and sat in the 93-95
mph range in the first inning, pounding downhill strikes to both
sides of the plate, particularly well to his glove side. The Texas
A&M commit held his velocity throughout his innings, pretty much
sitting at 94 mph in the third. As the game moved along, so did the
feel for his curveball. When he stays on top of the pitch, Burrows
was showing a potential plus pitch with hard, late bite and depth at
80 mph.
Starting
the game for the Orland Scorpions/Mets Scout Team during the 8:00
a.m. time slot was uncommitted righthander D.J. Roberts (2016,
Jacksonville, Fla.). With a strongly built, 6-foot-1 frame with broad
shoulders and a strong lower half, Roberts showed an upper-80s
fastball that topped out at 89 mph over the first two innings.
Throwing four innings in total, Roberts scattered four hits while
striking out six, showing a quick arm and a nice feel for a mid-70s
slider from a three-quarters arm slot.
Closing
out the game for the Scorpions was another junior righthander, Tyler
Baum (2016, Ococee, Fla.) who is a University of North Carolina
commit. Throwing three perfect innings, Baum came in pounding the
strike zone with a 88-90 mph fastball and projects for more as he
adds strength to his lean and athletic 6-foot, 160-pound frame.
Baum’s arm comes through the backside fast with some whip which
allows him to create the velocity that he showed. Of the nine outs he
recorded, five came by way of strikeout as Baum gets late life on his
fastball, pounding the lower parts of the strike zone. To keep
hitters off balance, Baum would flash an 11-to-5 curveball at 74-75
mph with some depth and late break.
Closing
out the Dallas Tigers first round playoff victory was righthanded
pitcher M.D. Johnson (2016, Red Oak, Texas), a long and lean
6-foot-5, 165-pound Dallas Baptist commit. With broad shoulder and
long limbs, Johnson has plenty of room to fill out with additional
strength but is already able to create big velocity due to the
quickness of his right arm. Throwing in the 88-91 mph range, Johnson
creates some deception in his delivery with moving parts, but his
athleticism shows as he is able to repeat the mechanics fairly well.
Johnson’s go-to pitch yesterday was his short, late breaking
10-to-4 slider which he threw 81-83 mph, inducing weak, ground ball
contact to the left side of the infield.
Pitching
in only his third ever Perfect Game event, righthander Nic Enright
(Richmond, Va.) continued the trend of big-time performances by
EvoShield pitchers, who have now surrendered only four runs through
six games. A Virginia Tech commit, Enright went the distance,
scattering only two hits while striking out 14 and throwing 70
percent strikes en route to a complete game shutout.
With
a strong and broad frame, Enright worked from a full, up-tempo
delivery and did a nice job of using his 6-foot-3 frame to get on top
of the baseball and generate downhill plane on his fastball. He was
able to repeat his arm action well coming through the backside,
keeping it short and compact while maintaining a fast arm. Enright
mixed a hard 12-to-6 curveball in the mid-70s very effectively, an
above average pitch that featured 2850 spin rate according to
TrackMan, to complement his fastball which he continuously located to
the lower quadrant glove side. What was also impressive of Enright’s
performance was his ability to maintain his fastball velocity.
Working in the 90-92 mph range in the first inning, Enright sat in
the upper-80s throughout all seven inning, still bumping 90s and an
occasional 91.
Each
time Perfect Game sees young righthander Kevin Gowdy (2016,
Santa Barbara, Calif.) he seems to make another jump in some portion
of his game. Last night, the UCLA commit was handed the ball in the
quarterfinals for GBG Marucci and dominated throughout his five
innings of work, allowing only one base hit while striking out four
and issuing one walk.
Standing
at 6-foot-4, 170-pounds, Gowdy shows plenty of projection with long,
loose limbs and room to fill out with added strength. On the mound he
shows a smooth, balanced delivery which he repeats extremely well,
especially given his size and age, and is able to create big time
extension at the point of release – according to TrackMan it was
7-feet, 9-inches. When you add the extension in with the advanced
pitchability Gowdy showed working on downward plane, and spotting his
88-90 mph fastball to both sides, it becomes very difficult to square
him up.
Gowdy
also showed advanced feel for the late run to his fastball, bringing
it back over the outside corner to righthanded hitters for a called
third strike or after working away to righthanded hitters, coming
back in on their hands, leading to four broken bats in four innings.
Along with the fastball Gowdy also showed an outstanding changeup at
81 mph with late fading life, leaving his hand looking like a
fastball. Though his feel for his curveball last night was a bit
inconsistent, getting around the pitch at times, it too showed big
potential when he stayed on top of the pitch, generating 11-to-5
shape with big depth and tight rotation.
Throwing
the final two innings for GBG Marucci, righthanded pitcher Austin
Rubick (2015, Ventura, Calif.) made
the most of his time on the mound and left a strong impression in the
minds of the scouts who saw him. With a broad, physical 6-foot-4
build, Rubick came in and attacked the opposition with his fastball
which sat in the 91-93 mph range. The second inning was more of the
same as the University of Arizona commit continued to pound the
strike zone with a fastball that sat in the low-90s, featuring late
life to his arm side. Rubick worked exclusively with his fastball
that simply overpowered the batters, getting quite a few swings and
misses with the pitch.
– Jheremy
Brown