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Tournaments  | Story | 9/11/2017

Fall Champ. Day 3 Scout Notes

Jheremy Brown
Vincent Cervino
Photo: Perfect Game

2017 PG Fall Underclass National Championship Protected by G-Form: Day 1 Notes | Day 2 Notes | Daily Leaders

Sunday proved to be a good day at the yard for 2019 outfielder Jarrett Pille (2019, Chandler, Ariz.) and his AZ T-Rex teammates as they managed to sweep through the first round of the playoffs and advanced to Monday’s semifinals. Pille was at the forefront of the attack, especially in game one where he performed both with the bat and on the mound. Facing the Slammers Bote team out of Colorado, Pille managed to throw five innings of quality baseball to pick up the victory, scattering five base hits while punching out three. He worked into the low-80s with his fastball from an extended three-quarters release, generating steady short life while mixing in a low-70s changeup as well. His bat was arguably his biggest asset on the day though as he collected a single, a double, and two triples, one of which cleared the bases. In fact, both of his triples went to the opposite field before turning on an inner half fastball with a short stroke for a ground rule double in his team’s second game.

Ranked No. 300 in the class of 2019, outfielder Sean Rimmer (2019, Mesa, Ariz.), who was detailed in the Day 2 recap, showed his assets on the mound and delivered the exact performance that T-Rex needed with a complete game victory. Rimmer, who stands at a physically impressive 6-foot-3, 210-pounds on the mound, came out in attack mode with his fastball, running the pitch up to 86 mph early while working within the 82-85 mph range. He did a nice job of honing in on his release point over his seven ininngs and began to fill the zone, able to induce ground ball contact with the life he’s able to generate on his fastball. The difference maker for the uncommitted Arizona product however was his curveball, a pitch he went to regardless the count as evidenced by the one he dropped in 2-0 on the three-hole hitter after falling behind with fastballs. Flashing occasional 12-6 shape, Rimmer’s feel for the curveball was consistent as he kept the ball down in the zone and was able to induce more than a couple of uncomfortable swings en route to punching out eight on the day.

Rylan Nigro (2019, Poway, Calif.) may not be the biggest player listed on the West Coast Clippers Underclass SD roster at 5-foot-6, 135-pounds but he showed the defensive skill to stand out up the middle and finished the tournament hitting .357 from the top of the lineup. A primary second baseman according to his perfect Game profile, Nigro showed some of the softer, surer hands of the day and made his actions look routine. He moves well laterally with quick footwork and showed well while turning a double play with second baseman Matt Starr early in the contest.

Similar to Nigro above, Jordan Donahue (2020, Mililani, Hawaii) continued to stand out for his defensive actions up the middle for GBG Northwest despite being one of the younger players on the roster. Travelling in from Hawaii, Donahue completed his first Perfect Game event by hitting .308 while playing near flawless defense whenever we peaked in. An average runner already down the line with 4.2s to first base, Donahue showed that type of quickness in his feet at shortstop well, attacking the ball while working through it with plenty of balance and athleticism. His hands are sure and his actions were consistent, all elements that bode well for the young prospect as he continues to add strength to his frame moving forward.

Hitting at the top of the order for the Canyon Thunder, center fielder Cade Verdusco (2020, Gildert, Ariz.) has the type of speed to impact a game and that’s just what he showed as he picked up more than a couple of infield singles in the opening round, including a bunt single in which he ran a 3.97 to first base. It’s a contact oriented approach for Verdusco but it suits him well as his loose swing and overall footspeed allows him to execute his plan at the plate. He also showed off his arm strength out in center with a perfect throw to the cutoff man who then turned to nail the runner at home plate before Verdusco delivered another strike to home though the runner at third correctly held up.

Peyton McGregor (2019, Cave Creek, Ariz.) was detailed in the Day 2 recap for his abilities with the bat from the right side and they are worth mentioned again quickly as he continued to drive the ball to the opposite field with authority. In his first at-bat of the day McGregor did a nice job of getting his arms extended and going with an outer half pitch, driving the ball hard into right field for a loud line drive triple. Later in the ay McGregor showed his opposite strength once again, bouncing a ground rule double off the warning track, the fifth extra-base hit for the No. 371 ranked player in the class of 2019.

While the bats were at the forefront of the Canyon Thunder’s success, they also had some interesting arms take on the mound, one of who was lefthander Eli Ankeney (2019, Phoenix, Ariz.). Currently uncommitted, the physically built, broad shouldered lefty picked up the win by going 3.1 innings of work, a span in which he topped out at 84 mph while showing a quick arm and a high three-quarters release. His delivery is rather simple and though he can continue to incorporate additional lower half into his drive, Ankeney was still able to create angle on his fastball and filled the zone early one to either side of the plate. His changeup was the better of his two off speed in this look and the pitch he went to early in the game while maintaining his arm action well to create deception with short fading life at 75 mph.

Ildefenso Ruiz (2020, Tijuana, Mexico) is one of the more physically impressive players in the entire tournament and he suited up with CBA Wave Gold in his first ever Perfect Game event. The righthanded hitting Ruiz made an immediate impression, hitting .444 with a couple singles and doubles, one of which was of the booming variety as he was able to get extended on a pitch up in the zone for a ground rule double to deep center field. That type of carry off the barrel gives a quick reference to his physical strength, as does his arm strength down to second base as he stays compact with his arm action yet he’s able to generate solid carry on throws regularly.

Though listed as a primary first baseman, righthander Julian Tellez (2019, Whittier, Calif.) delivered an impressive performance for the SoCal Tribe as he went six innings and managed to punch out eight in the process. Living comfortably in the 80-83 mph range early in the contest, Tellez showed strong pitchability for a secondary arm as he mixed three pitches at will and kept hitters off balance throughout. He works with a full and quick arm stroke through the back and worked on top of his fastball well, generating plane with extension out front, all components which he repeats well pitch-to-pitch. Thrown as hard as 72 mph, Tellez’s curveball offered short life through the zone with occasional tilt while his changeup flashed fading life from a slightly lower release point at 72 mph as well. Tellez showed his ability to pitch and work out of jams as well, just as he showed with a two on, no out situation early in the game where he struck out back-to-back batters before inducing an F8 to escape the trouble.

– Jheremy Brown

Playoffs started over at Camelback Ranch on Sunday as the top sixteen seeds fought to move on to the final four. In the opening game, SACSN advanced on a run rule as starting pitcher Damon Fountain (2019, Lake Charles, La.) turned in a strong start going four innings while only allowing one hit and no runs. Fountain stands at a very athletic 6-foot-2, 175-pounds with tons of room and physical projection remaining. He took advantage of his excellent command on Sunday and used all three pitches to his advantage.

Fountain attacked with his low- to mid 80s fastball that topped out at 85 mph. The quality arm speed and arm angle created occasional plane on the pitch and he spotted it up on either side of the plate with relative ease. The curveball was a strong pitch for Fountain on Sunday as the 12/6 offering was effective at being thrown for strikes and also for getting ugly swings due to good depth. He mixed in a changeup as well to provide one of the stronger starts of the day.

CBA Nevada advanced to the final four on Monday and one of the more interesting bats in their lineup is that of Maxwell Luega (2020, Las Vegas, Nev.). The righthanded hitter has impressive strength and physicality for only a high school sophomore at 6-foot, 180-pounds and that translates well into hard contact. Luega has raw bat speed through the hitting zone and keeps his hands very close to his body before the load. He showed quick and strong wrists with an inside path to contact but still is able to extend and create hard hit line drives to all fields. Behind the plate he showed quality arm strength as well as good instincts with the ability to block the plate well.

SACSN finished the day by clinching a seed in the final four of the tournament and by putting up 17 runs in two games they had some offensive standouts:

Joe McLaughlin (2019, Chandler, Ariz.) is already committed to Oregon State and showed exactly why with his powerful, fluid swing. He drops his back shoulder and is looking to elevate the ball on most swings, but also showed a much shorter and direct swing with two strikes in order to try to make contact. McLaughlin leverages well and the 6-foot-3, 195-pound slugger has a very high power ceiling.  He ended up with multiple hits and also two stolen bases to showcase his athleticism.

Dylan Crews (2020, Longwood, Fla.) was mentioned in Saturday’s recap and he took one of the more impressive at-bats of the day. The bat speed and strength are well known at this point but his approach and plate coverage stood out during game one. Crews worked the count well to spoil three straight foul balls on an 0-2 count, then he crushed a fastball about six inches off the outside corner to drive the ball to the right centerfield gap and still one-hop the wall for a double.

Kevin Martin (2019, Miami, Fla.) has had a strong summer and committed to Florida recently as one of the more advanced two-way players in the class. He has not pitched as of this writing, but his offense was a dominant factor during the playoffs on Sunday. Martin racked up four RBI and three total hits including doubles to both sides of the field. He has tremendous strength and both of those doubles seemed to come during key moments of the game, including a one-run victory over the San Diego Show.

Starting the quarterfinal game against the Show was the No. 11 overall player in his class, Ethan Long (2020, Gilbert, Ariz.). The 6-foot-2, 199-pound has immense strength and athleticism on the frame with excellent projection remaining. Long was mentioned during Saturday’s write-up as well but he got the start on the mound on Sunday where he showed off the highest fastball velocity of the event. Working exclusively 90-91 mph in the first inning, Long has electric arm speed that travels throughout a shorter arm path. The delivery is up-tempo and athletic, however there are some extraneous moving parts particularly with the lower half. Regardless the stuff was very impressive as the fastball had short, downward life to it and commanded the pitch well early on. The curveball showed quality depth and shape to it in the low-70s and it worked well as a pitch that he could mix in for a change of pace. He attacked hitters with the fastball early and often, and in an abbreviated look he has serious two-way potential once he gets to Arizona, where he is verbally committed.

Opposing Long on the mound was righthander Justin Campos (2019, San Diego, Calif.) who has shown promising tools at the plate all tournament and turned in a strong start on the hill as well. Campos has a very lean and projectable build at 6-foot-1, 165-pounds with plenty of room to add strength and size. The arm speed plays nicely on the mound with an online and clean arm action. He was up to 86 mph early on and attacked both sides of the plate. He mixed in a softer curveball but primarily went to the fastball to get hitters out and his command allowed him to do so. Offensively, he has a nice compact swing path and utilizes his lower half well to create torque and leverage. The tools for a power profile are there and will continue to be thanks to his bat speed and room to add more size.

One of the reasons that the Show advanced to the quarterfinal round was thanks to the offensive prowess of Jake Connelly (2019, San Diego, Calif.). The athletic middle infielder knocked in three hits, including two extra base hits on the day. His double in the round of sixteen game showcased his excellent pitch recognition as he showed the ability to adapt on an at bat-to-at bat basis. Connelly swung through a first pitch curveball that he was way ahead of from a pitcher of the same handedness. The next curveball he saw, he immediately recognized, sat back and drove the pitch down the left field line for an opposite field single. The swing is loose through the zone and he can spray line drives all over.

Two extremely projectable righthanded pitchers turned in strong performances as Jacob Wilson (2019, Menifee, Calif.) and Jacob Howie (2019, Phoenix, Ariz.) impressed for the West Coast Clippers and Twin Cities Baseball, respectively.

Wilson was downright dominant in his start on the mound as the 6-foot-2, 175-pound righthander took a no-hitter late into the game. Wilson has extremely long limbs and legs which helped him get good extension downhill. The arm action itself was compact and clean through the back and he repeated his mechanics very well. The fastball is not overpowering but he mixed speeds well and hit his spots effectively, specifically to the glove side of the plate, to induce a lot of weak, ground ball contact. The fastball was ran up to 82 mph in certain situations but he was comfortable for most of the game. Wilson showed a willingness to go to his changeup and curveball often as well. The curveball showed consistent 12-to-6 shape and he threw the changeup with confidence. This all culminated in a complete game victory for Wilson and the Clippers.

Howie had pitched earlier in the event but was on his A-game as Twin Cities were in win-or-go-home mode now. The lanky and lean 6-foot-5 righthander has a methodical delivery that allows him to gather well at the balance point and get downhill from a crossfire landing leg. He delivers from a higher three-quarter arm slot to create easy, downhill plane on his fastball which sat 80-84 mph for the majority of the afternoon. The delivery incorporates a longer front lever and arm action which can lead to some timing concerns, however he repeated well on Sunday afternoon. Howie gets good push from the lower half and mixed in a breaking ball that flashed late tilt to it when he got on top. Howie competed on the mound on Sunday and despite being dealt the hard luck loss, pitched very well into the seventh inning and racked up five strikeouts in the process. 

– Vinnie Cervino
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