Righthanded pitcher Altoon Coleman (2017, Sanford, Fla.) did not have his best pure stuff on Monday afternoon, but he showed solid command of three pitches and competed well. The Florida State commit has been clocked as high as 93 mph in the past, but after missing some of the spring, and the Junior National Showcase with some minor injuries, he has been working his way back into top form. On the first day of the tournament, Coleman came on in relief and threw two scoreless innings and showed a fastball in the 86-91 mph range. On Monday, Coleman started in FTB Pride’s first-round playoff win over the Lakeside Legends and threw four scoreless innings.

The 6-foot-2, 215-pound righty ran his fastball up to 90 mph on one occasion, but he mainly worked in the 85-87 mph range with his heater. While he didn’t have his best velocity, the offering had significant late life and arm-side run, making it a difficult pitch for opposing hitters to track and time up. As he did in his first appearance of the tournament on Thursday, Coleman displayed advanced feel for his low-70s breaking ball which flashed good depth and late bite with 10-to-4 shape. He also did a good job of working in a changeup. He threw the pitch with very good arm speed and arm action, so while the pitch was rarely used it still generated a few whiffs and was a quality, deceptive offering that kept hitters off balance.

Coleman’s FTB Pride teammate, Kobe Lopez (2016, Orlando, Fla.) was extremely impressive at the plate on Monday. He went 6-for-7 over the course of FTB’s two games. The Alabama State commit is the kind of player that one needs to see multiple times to truly appreciate. Listed at 5-foot-7, 134-pounds, Lopez is a compact, tightly-wound athlete with smooth actions in the infield, and he has manned shortstop sharply for FTB over the course of the tournament. He has good foot speed and has a good feel for how and when to use his speed. Two of his six hits were well-placed bunts, and he gets out of the righthanded batter’s box very well. His speed plays up even more when he’s on the basepaths because of his instincts and overall feel for the game.

At the plate, Lopez has a confident approach and was tracking the ball very well, taking a number of close pitches and working the count well. When a pitch was to his liking Lopez displayed very good balance, quick hands and some wiry strength. All of the balls that he put into play (non-bunts) were hit on the barrel and struck very well, with four line drive singles sprayed between the left-center field and right-center field gaps and a hard-hit lineout to center field for his lone out of the day.




Alec Sanchez (2018, Jacksonville, Fla.) performed well at the Junior National Showcase event two weeks ago and he also had a solid day at the plate, going 5-for-6 in FTB’s two games. The infielder is committed to Florida State and he made a couple of nice plays while playing second base, showing soft hands, smooth actions, a quick release and the ability to make accurate throws from a variety of arm slots. For as good as he is defensively, Sanchez really stands out at the plate, as the left handedhitter uses a high leg kick but is still able to maintain good balance and timing. He showed good pull-side power at the Junior National, but on Monday he also displayed the ability to work the opposite field, as four of his five hits were to the left side and the other was a single to center field. Sanchez did a very good job of keeping his hands back, staying within himself and taking what the pitcher gave him, an attribute that is rather uncommon for players of his age group and grade.




Yet another FTB Pride player, Wilberto Rivera (2017, Naranjito, Puerto Rico), showed some intriguing tools on Monday. While he’s still a bit raw, Rivera showed some armstrength off of the mound. The 6-foot-5, 200-pound righthander hit 88 mph with his fastball, and generally worked in the 84-86 mph range over the course of his start. With an extra-large frame and broad shoulders, Rivera still has room to get stronger and fill out as he matures. For someone his size, Rivera did a solid job of repeating his delivery and flashed the ability to locate his fastball to his glove side. He only worked in a handful of breaking balls, a slower mid-60s curveball, and it is clear that he’s still developing feel for the offering. Although he’s more of a project at present, Rivera will still only be entering his junior year of high school this fall, and he has a high ceiling, so his size and arm strength certainly merit attention.

Alec Aleywine (2016, Panama City, Fla.) is an imposing presence in the batter’s box. The Next Level 16u product hit some balls sharply on Sunday, with one coming off the bat at over 90 mph (per TrackMan), and he displayed some of that impressive strength and bat speed on Monday as well. The 6-foot-2, 235-pound lefthanded hitting first baseman has an open stance and slightly crouched setup at the plate, and he’s able to whip his hands through the zone quickly. He tracked the ball well, and while he didn’t have a hit in Monday’s game action against Orlando Baseball Academy, Aleywine just missed a couple of balls and showed some serious impact contact on balls that he ripped foul down the right field line.

A number of other Next Level 16u hitters stood out as well. Lefthanded pitcher, first baseman and outfielder Jordan Murray (2016, Lynn Haven, Fla.) had three hits on Sunday, and also hit a couple of balls that had exit velocities north of 90 (91 on a double and 99 on a triple). The lean, well-proportioned righthanded hitter has present strength in his frame and has solid bat speed.

Outfielder Elijah Gill (2017, Jacksonville, Fla.) is a high-energy, competitive player that performed very well at the plate. The athletic looking lefthanded hitter also showed good bat speed and some present strength and coordination in his 6-foot-1, 185-pound frame. Gill looked very confident at the plate and displayed a good feel for the barrel, going 2-for-3 with a double to the left-center field gap and a triple to right-center field.

Another soon-to-be junior, righthanded pitcher/outfielder Michael Cullen (2017, Panama City, Fla.) has a lean, well-proportioned 6-foot-1, 175-pound frame. Cullen has some present strength and displayed quick hands, a fluid, line-drive swing path and solid balance in the batter’s box. The righthanded hitter went 3-for-4 with two doubles and a triple in Next Level’s victory over Orlando Baseball Academy.

Next Level’s starting pitcher, righty Peyton Millirons (2017, Panama City, Fla.), threw five solid innings to pick up the win. Millirons builds up momentum in his delivery and has a deceptive, whippy arm action that works to a three-quarters arm slot. He lands slightly closed and throws a bit crossfire, which combined with a later hand separation and energetic release makes for a deceptive, difficult at-bat for opposing hitters.

Millirons’ fastball was predominately in the 83-85 mph range, and while there is some effort in his delivery, he did a good job of maintaining his stuff on what was a hot afternoon in Fort Myers. He also flashed the ability to extend, work over his front side and locate to the glove side. Furthermore, he flashed some feel for his breaking ball, which while inconsistent at times, showed good, late break and true slider tilt. Millirons was able to get a handful of swings and misses on the offering, and he seemed to get a better feel for it later in the game. Finally, Millirons also worked in a mid-70s changeup that had some solid dive in the bottom of the strike zone.