Daily Recaps: Day 1

It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that Elijah Cabell (2018, Winter Park, Fla.) has some of the most impressive bat speed in the 2018 prep class. The outfielder carries a well-proportioned 6-foot, 175-pound frame with broad shoulders, a high waist and quick-twitch athleticism. The righthanded hitter is currently uncommitted, but he had many college coaches buzzing after a very strong showing at the plate on Sunday. In his first game, Cabell singled up the middle on a hard ground ball that deflected off of the pitcher, rounding the base with an easy pace at 4.78 seconds. After a solidly-struck fly out to center field in his second at bat, Cabell stroked a double directly over the center fielder’s head.

In his second game for Central Florida Gators 15u team, Cabell turned a lot of heads with a home run to left-center field that rivaled that of 2017 outfielder Jordon Adell’s blast mentioned in Saturday’s recap. Simply put, Cabell has easy bat speed and a solid feel for the barrel. The double and home run were perfect examples of how much strength, carry and backspin Cabell is able to generate with said bat speed when he maintains solid balance and is able to square balls up.

Chase Hacker (2017, Farmersville, Texas) had a solid day at the plate on Saturday for the Academy Select Sun Devils Ingram but was not mentioned in the recap. After showing solid strength, athleticism and barrel utilization in Saturday's win over Team California, Hacker again flashed with the bat on Sunday. The 6-foot, 180-pound catcher turned some heads of his own with a well-struck home run to left-center field. Hacker also generated loud contact in a later at-bat, striking a single into the left-center field gap to drive in two runs. The uncommitted prospect shows solid physicality and explosion in all aspects of his game, and while his swing is a bit rotational, his strength has repeatedly shown up in game action. Furthermore, Hacker shows good agility and lateral quickness behind home plate, and he has the requisite athleticism to profile at other positions on the diamond as well.




Mason Denaburg (2018, Merritt Island, Fla.) toed the rubber for the aforementioned Central Florida Gators 15u team in their first game of the day. Denaburg, who is uncommitted, is a highly regarded catching prospect and was recently ranked as the 35th overall player in the class of 2018. On Sunday Denaburg showcased some solid stuff from the mound and showed that he may very well profile as a two-way player at the collegiate level in years to come. The 6-foot-3, 170-pound righty is still a bit raw but he has some deception in his delivery with a hunch over his front side and slightly crossfire release. With all of the funk, Denaburg’s 83-87 mph fastball tends to jump on hitters, and the offering showed solid late life from his three-quarters arm slot. He didn’t allow a hit until the fifth inning, and while his command wavered a bit, and he had tendency to fall off to the first base side, Denaburg showed a solid enough feel for his delivery for a player of his age that is a primary position player. With a fast arm and an athletic projectable frame, there is certainly reason to believe that Denaburg has a good chance of pitching effectively at the next level.




Nolan Crisp (2019, McDonough, Ga.) also showcased a very fast arm on Sunday. Despite not yet being a high school student, Crisp ran his fastball up to 87 mph and sat comfortably in the 84-85 mph. While he looks a bit shorter than his listed 6-foot frame, Crisp’s stuff measures up just fine. While there is certainly some effort to his delivery with a notable head whack and recoil at release, Crisp did not show any ill effects and he maintained his velocity well. Additionally, Crisp has a loose and clean arm action in working to his high three-quarters arm slot. He also is a good overall athlete with advanced body control for someone his age, showing an adept feel for repeating his delivery and the ability to hop off of the mound quickly and field at an impressive level.

Davis Sharpe (2018, Dacula, Ga.) pitched opposite of Crisp for much of the Houston Banditos/East Cobb Braves 15u matchup and he also impressed. The uncommitted righty has a different look than Crisp, as Sharpe is long and lean at 6-foot-2, 170-pounds, but he also displayed good fastball velocity, working his heater up to 86 mph and sitting in the 84-85 range in the early going, before settling in more in the 82-84 range in the later innings on a hot day. Sharpe has some funk and deception in his delivery with a slightly closed landing and crossfire release, and his fastball not only missed some bats but also induced weak contact, as he showed the ability to run and cut his fastball. Additionally, Sharpe flashed solid feel for a mid-70s slider.




Griffin McLarty (2016, Buckner, Ky.) is young for his grade and may be a late bloomer, as the College of Charleston commit ran his fastball up to 88 mph on Sunday. McLarty has a slender, athletic build and is listed at 6-foot-2, 175-pounds. His fastball flashed late cutting action and proved to be a difficult pitch to hit when it was located down in the strike zone. The righty also broke out two distinct breaking balls; an upper-70s slider with short depth and late glove-side slice and a true curveball thrown in the 73 mph range. The slider had decent late tilt and played well off of the fastball, as the offering came out of the same arm slot while the curveball showed more depth and was used to change hitters’ eye levels and timing.




Another uncommitted pitcher, Brian Morrell (2017, Wading River, N.Y.), turned some heads on Sunday. Morrell, who was a Junior National Showcase participant last month has been clocked as high as 91 mph by Perfect Game, touching 89 on Sunday while turning in a gritty complete game, six-inning effort. Morrell has an athletic build and solid present strength in his 6-foot-1, 180-pound frame. With a high waist and broad shoulders Morrell looks like he could easy carry more weight and continue to get bigger over the next few years. He settled in to more of the 85-86 mph range with his fastball, dipping down lower at times, but when he needed it the pitch was always there for him and he was particularly effective with the offering when he was able to locate the pitch down in the zone. At times that can be an issue as he labored a bit with his delivery, not always incorporating his lower half enough, but the pitch gets on hitters quickly and is the solid foundation of his arsenal. Morrell also featured a slider in the mid-70s, which he showed solid feel for, and a curveball with more depth in the 69-72 mph range that showed flashes, and an occasional low-70s changeup.

– Andrew Krause




The last time I saw righthander Boyd Vander Kooi (2017, Mesa, Ariz.) the University of Oregon commit threw a complete game no-hitter at the Coach Bob Invitational earlier this spring while pitching for Skyline High School. While he didn’t throw another no-no he still impressed and it wasn’t until the fifth inning that opposing bats were finally able to figure him out and pick up a base hit. A strongly built 6-foot-5, 200-pound rising junior, Vander Kooi has not only continued to grow and add physicality to his frame since we first saw him at a regional showcase a few years back, but he’s also continued to become more fluid with his mechanics while still pitching at a high level.

Even as most recent as last summer Vander Kooi, whose pure stuff has continued to increase, would land very closed with his front foot which cut off extension but allowed for some hard angle on his fastball. This spring there was a noticeable difference in his landing spot and yesterday it appeared as though he was landing online and driving towards the plate while still creating some heavy angle to his fastball. Vander Kooi remains very balanced through his delivery, especially for somebody who’s 6-foot-5 at his age, and in turn was able to pound the strike zone over the course of his complete game. He sat comfortably in the 85-88 mph range throughout but more impressive was the downhill plane he’s able to generate due to his length, and it looks as though he’s just dropping the ball on hitters as he gathered a healthy amount of uncomfortable swings.

Vander Kooi continued to show a low effort, steady tempo’d delivery on the mound well into his final frame and his command never wavered. Facing a lefthanded hitter Vander Kooi worked his fastball away until he got two strikes on the batter and then busted him in with an 87 mph fastball with heavy and late running life. His fastball induces consistent ground ball contact when located down in the zone thanks to the life, and though he didn’t really need it, he showed both a curveball in the low-70s and a changeup at 79 mph.




It’s not often you write about a young player from the state of Idaho, though good players most certainly come through, and it looks as though Jacob Pfennigs (2018, Post Falls, Idaho) could be the next in line. Pfennigs is physically what you’re looking for in a young pitching prospect regardless of the state he’s from as he stands 6-foot-6, 180-pounds with long and loose limbs and a sense of athleticism in what in he does. Once he takes to the mound he continues to show attributes that evaluators look for as he shows a short and quick arm action coming through the back that produced a fastball that topped out at 89 mph early and sat in the 84-88 mph range throughout the first couple. There would be times where he would pull out his front side early and cause him to miss up and out to his arm side but there were also other times where he’d show hard cutting life to his fastball while still producing his velocity rather easily. Pfennigs showed both a changeup in the mid-70s and a slider in the upper-70s and as he continue to fill out physically it’s easy to envision his fastball getting into the 90’s rather easily.

Austin Mihlbauer (2017, Mukwonago, Wis.) impressed during his time on the mound at the Junior National and last night was no different as the Texas Christian University commit was handed the ball for a key pool play game against FTB Pride. Throughout the early and middle innings of the game Mihlbauer sat in the 85-88 mph range, bumping some 89’s and did so from a difficult and extended arm slot which helped create angle and some sink to his heater. He shows some whip to his arm action and also exhibited the ability to locate his fastball to either side of the plate, coming out of his hand cleanly while inducing several uncomfortable swings.

His go-to secondary early on was his 73-76 mph slider which as you could imagine with an arm slot like Mihlbauer’s would be difficult for a hitter to square up especially as he holds his slot on the pitch. A pitch that may go undetected some or looked at as a potential two-seamer due to the low-80s velocity is his changeup, an offering that looks like his fastball in almost every way out of his hand until the last few feet as it begins to fade away from the hitter.

I’ve spoken about the high level of pitchability Landon Marceaux (2018, Destrehan, La.) shows on the mound despite heading into just his sophomore year of high school. Working out of the ‘pen last night on a team that’s made up exclusively of 2017 graduates the uncommitted Marceaux delivered perhaps the most impressive pitch of the night and possibly the tournament as he executed a 3-2 80 mph changeup in the top of the seventh with FTB threatening. The arm action remained the same as on his 87-89 mph fastball which come out cleanly and with downhill plane and though he didn’t have to show it Marceaux possesses the same type of feel for his curveball as he does the two previously mentioned pitches.

Every time I see Matthew Cooper (2017, Virginia Beach, Va.) play he hits the ball hard and with authority, regardless of which part of the fields it’s barreled to. A recent Clemson University commit, the strongly built 6-foot-3, 210-pound Cooper got his arms fully extended on an outer half fastball and drove the ball hard into the right center field gap for a standup triple. Not only did Cooper show off his impressive strength but also put his run tool on display which stands out for somebody with Cooper’s physicality.

In yesterday’s recap we touched on how Weston Bizzle is able to produce very consistent results every time he take the mound and left-hander Jordan Butler (2017, Tampa, Fla.) is very similar. A University of Florida commit with true two-way potential at the next level the 6-foot-1, 190-pound Butler again turned in a solid complete game performance in which he punched out eleven and walked just one.

Working with an up-tempo pace to his delivery Butlers able to create solid deception on his already difficult to his 86-89 mph fastball due to the near side arm release point and his ability to work either side of the plate. Incorporating his lower half into his delivery well, Butler shows a loose and whippy arm action coming out clean and with late life to his arm side. The sink he generates on his fastball is enough to stay off barrels and induce ground ball contact but the young left-hander also shows a full array of off-speed, each coming fro the same slot with equally as impressive amounts of life.

His changeup shows similar life to that of his fastball with fading life down and away from right-handed hitters in the low-70s and like his other two pitches he fills up the zone more often than not. Butler’s slider is the off speed pitch that appeared most frequently in the low-70s and proved to be more than effective, especially against lefthanded hitters as he is able to locate the pitch to either side of the plate. The pitchability was on display throughout the game as Butler continued to mix and after just missing off the arm side black to end the game with his fastball the future Gator came back and back doored a 3-2 slider to a righthanded hitter for a called third strike.

Though they don’t play on the same summer travel team as Matheu Nelson (2018, Largo, Fla.) plays for the Florida Burn and Alec Sanchez (2018, Jacksonville, Fla.) plays for FTB Pride, both are rising sophomore who are committed to Florida State University. Each also showed they known how to hit the ball hard though that comes as little surprise after what they’ve done in the past.

Nelson, a 5-foot-11, 180-pound catcher, shows nice balanced with solid timing in swing and similar to the result of Matthew Cooper from above Nelson showed a short and quick path to the ball which resulted in a hard line drive double to the right field gap, without any tail, and came off the bat at 96 mph.

Sanchez has one of the more advanced hit tools in his class and possibly the tournament as he time and time again finds the barrel and hits the ball hard. Last night was no different as Sanchez jumped all over the first pitch of the game from Mihlbauer for a line drive single into right field, showing no hesitation or discomfort facing he lower slotted left-handed. Showing the same quick hands and barrel skills later in the game Sanchez turned on another fastball and ripped it into right field, jumping off the bat at 100 mph.



A strongly built 6-foot-3, 195-pound righthander, Bayden Root (2018, Kokomo, Ind.) made his way to the Orlando Scorpions via the Hoosier State and impressed during his two innings of relief out of the bullpen. Already committed to the University of Miami, Root came out sitting in the 86-89 mph range and did so from the first to last pitch of his outing. Showing a full and fluid arm action through the back Root is able to generate his velocity rather easily as his arm remains quick and the ball comes out cleanly. Though he’s already showing solid velocity for a player heading into his sophomore year of high school it’s easy to project more en route for Root who already showed the ability to miss bats and challenge hitters based on the strength of his fastball. Root’s fastball shows some short running and sinking life to it due to his release point and to complement his fastball he also showed a mid-70s curveball which featured short depth.

– Jheremy Brown