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Tournaments  | Story  | 7/9/2016

17u WWBA Day 8 Scout Notes

Matt Czechanski     
Photo: Perfect Game



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FTB Tucci was crowned champions on Friday afternoon, and deservedly so after the week-long event saw them go 12-0, winning games convincingly, winning nail-biters, and winning hard-fought struggles all the same.

After throwing earlier in the week, righthanded pitcher Garrett “Hunter” Ruth (2017, Fla.) came on in relief of Altoon Coleman in the semifinal game, and quite frankly looked like he might be a first-rounder next season. The delivery itself is not necessarily mechanically ideal, as the front hip flies open some and he has some head violence at release, but the raw stuff is amongst the best in the nation and he does an excellent job throwing strikes. He worked 95-96 MPH in his first inning before settling in around 92-95, getting on top of the ball from a high 3/4 arm slot and driving downhill with authority and plane. The slider, always a solid pitch, flashed plus pretty consistently on Friday; with increased spin, sharpness, and depth on the pitch; generating several empty, half-cocked swings against it.

There were several main pieces for FTB throughout their playoff run, but none came up as big in all facets as shortstop Matthew Golda (2017, Fla.). The FIU commit is often lauded for his glove, with sure, soft hands and a very quick release. On Friday he showed plus range at the position getting to balls that were thought to be easy base hits; just getting to them was impressive. His strong arm plays on the left side of the infield with carry to first. Golda has shown much more at the plate since his showing at the PG National, often being more aggressive on mistakes left up in the zone. He drove the ball very well with a short, compact swing and very quick hands through the zone. It’s a line drive plane with surprising strength that came up in big spots for FTB. In their semifinal game against Home Plate, he laced a double over the left fielders head with a 4.47 turn around first base. He delivered a big RBI later in the game as well. The swing coming alive should help Golda’s overall ceiling beyond a glove-first shortstop.

The other key cog for FTB was outfielder Jordan Anderson (2017, Ala.). Anderson is a particularly toolsy outfield prospect and highly athletic listed at 6-foot-1, 190-pounds with lots of room to add strength to his frame. He showed yet again the ability to track down balls in the gap with very quick reads and plus range moving to both sides. At the plate, he works with well above average bat speeds with good flick off the barrel. As he adds strength he’ll begin to pull the ball more beyond his approach that currently peppers the right-center field gap. He laced a triple to the wall in the championship game and made it to third base standing. He’s a plus runner and that shows in games with the ability to turn two bases into three and a single into a double.