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Tournaments  | Story  | 7/21/2018

16u BCS Scout Notes: Day 5

Photo: Ethan Wood (Perfect Game)

16u BCS National Championship: Event Page | Daily Leaders
Scout Notes: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4

In the first round of the consolation bracket for the 16u BCS National Championship, the Ronin Baseball 16u – Black team was able to make a late comeback and grab a 6-5 win over Team Mizuno Northeast Runbirds. On the mound for Ronin was bulky righthander David Valoy Jr. (2020 Arlington, Texas). Valoy is a very physical 5-foot-11, 105-pounds on the mound. He has a clean arm action from a three-quarters slot that repeats very well. He is able to stay simple and throw a high amount of strikes with his fastball up to 81 mph. It generates good angle through the zone, able to work around the knees with little effort. He also flashed a sweeping curveball with good two-plane action that produced swings and misses.

The only player to collect multiple hits for Team Mizuno was left fielder Kyle Abbott (2019 Ashaway, R.I.). Abbott is a solid contact-oriented hitter at the plate, looking to sacrifice some quickness as well as jump for the ability to put the ball in play. He knows that it’ll be tough for him to generate much more than gap power so he levels out his swing and looks to make line drive contact to all parts of the field. Abbott was 2-for-3 in the game with a line drive double to the right field corner.

It was a close game that came down to the wire between Team DeMarini Intensity and Houston Athletics 16u Black, with the Athletics coming out on top 3-2. Ezra Caspi (2019 Holmdel, N.J.) ended his tournament on a good note, able to grab a hit in three plate appearances. Caspi really looks to get extended through contact of the baseball and meet it out front. He shows potential hitting to all fields with high bat speed, which allowed him to sit back some and shoot a ball into right field for a double.

A big reason that the Athletics are moving on from the consolation bracket is because of Jordan Morales (2020 Laporte, Texas). Morales isn’t going to drop jaws with his size, as he’s only 5-foot-8, but he checks in at 190-pounds, most of which is muscle giving him a strong frame to work with. He’s a straight pull hitter with a long path to contact and getting around the ball well. He swings the bat hard on an elevated trajectory looking to get some air under the ball. He grabbed two hits in the game in three trips.

Dawson Place (20019 Land O’ Lakes, Fla.) was the key factor in the Top Tier Roos American 2020’s big 10-6 victory to continue in the tournament. He went 2-for-2 in the game with three runs score and two RBI, adding a walk to his credit as well. Place is an overall well-rounded hitter that can make consistent contact as well as generate jump with good torque from the lower half. He shows excellent patient with a keen eye at the plate, not expanding the zone in any at-bat. He’s strong in his swing with present physicality throughout his build and is able to repeat his mechanics time and time again.

– Taylor Weber



The single elimination championship playoffs began Friday morning at the 5-Plex and the MWE Bombers leaned on some impressive talent to capture two big victories to advance to Saturday’s quarterfinal round.

Yanluis Ortiz (2020, Southlake, Texas) brought his considerable talent to the ballpark Saturday and led the way for MWE. In game one versus Five Star – Stephenson, the 5-foot-11, 210-pound physically imposing catcher handled the MWE staff with confidence and composure. He is an advanced receiver and keeps his staff in the moment and in the zone. He has plus catch-and-throw skills as the rising junior at Southlake Carroll HS in suburban Ft. Worth is also the three-hole hitter for MWE. The Miami (Fla.) commit is an accomplished pull-side power hitter who stands on top of the plate and looks middle-in. He turns with authority on pitches in the zone and can power the ball out of the deepest part of any park.

In game two against the Stix Baseball team from north Texas, Ortiz was once again an offensive force from the DH position and also made an impressive mid-innings appearance on the hill. The big righthander is a formidable power arm. His four-seam fastball touched 94 mph and sat consistently between 90-92 mph. He also mixed in a curveball (63 mph), slider (76-77 mph) and a changeup (83 mph). There is, however, little finesse to Ortiz’ plan when he is on the hill as he is all about the power fastball.

Grand Canyon commit, Daniel Garcia (2020, San Bernardino, Calif.) follows Ortiz in the MWE batting order and provides great protection to the Bombers three-hole hitter. Garcia, who be a junior at Grand Terrace HS, is a sweet-swinging lefty who has outstanding pitch recognition skills and a very quiet and easy approach. He has a whippy swing action and looks for pitches down and towards the inner half. He also has advanced bat-to-ball skills and can drive the ball to all parts of the field. On the bases, the 5-foot-11, 195-pound Californian has playable speed and a great grasp for running the bases. He played a very commendable first base and saved more than one errant throw.

Francisco Hernandez (2020, Laredo, Texas) is another imposing figure in the middle of the MWE lineup. The 6-foot-5, 190-pound athletically built slugger is an Oklahoma State commit who has gap-to-gap power and rarely misses his pitch. The junior-to-be at Alexander HS appears to hunt fastballs that are elevated and away so that he can extend his long arms and drive the ball to the power alleys. He is also an easy runner who has long strides and surprising speed.

The Go Pro-Daly baseball team from the Chicago area continued their march towards a possible tournament title with two impressive victories in the 16u BCS National Championship’s first playoff rounds. The gritty club got contributions from just about every player on the roster on Friday in moving towards Saturday’s quarterfinals. Steady and talented, Billy Gomez (2020, Bolingbrook, Ill.) caught every inning in the morning game for Go Pro. The 5-foot-9, 170-pound rising junior at IMG Academy was a steadying influence on his staff and called a veteran’s game behind the plate. He also handled a lot of tough chances in keeping his pitchers in the moment. At the dish, the lefthanded swinging backstop has a short and compact swing path and looks to drive the ball up the middle with authority.

Holding down the hot corner for Go Pro was Cooper Herold (2020, Shorewood, Ill.). The athletic, 5-foot-11, 175-pound junior-to-be at Minooka Community HS is a smooth operator at third base. He has very quick feet and outstanding lateral movement. He also shows a consistent glove and a strong and sure arm. At the plate, the righthanded hitter shows promising bat-to-ball skills and uses a flatter bat path to drive the ball from foul line to foul line.

Pitching the Elite Squad American club to a first round victory was Maverick Medina (2020, Pembroke Pines, Fla.). The 5-foot-9, 190-pound, Medina, who will be a junior next year at Pembroke Pines Charter School, is a solidly built righty who continually pounded the zone, pitching to contact and staying off the middle part of the plate. He used a well-commanded three-pitch mix and worked with a veteran’s pace. His fastball was consistently clocked from 80-82 mph and showed riding life in the upper half of the zone. He also mixed in a tight spinning 12-to-6 curveball and a very deceptive 72 mph changeup.

The RBI Tri-City Reds continued their impressive run through the 16u Nationals with two victories in the tournament’s first two rounds. Playing a big part in the Reds’ victories on Friday was their fine catcher Matthew Levi (2020, Johnson City, Tenn.). The solidly built rising junior at Science Hill HS shows a number of projectable traits behind the plate. Most noticeable is his ability to manage the game and his staff. He has excellent catch-and-throw skills and uses quick feet and a quick trigger in getting his throws off. He is obviously his club’s vocal leader. The 6-foot-2, 190-pound Levi is also an accomplished hitter. He has a middle-of-the-field mentality and uses a flatter bat path to consistently drive the baseball from gap-to-gap.

– Jerry Miller



Leading off for the Georgia Bombers on Friday was third baseman Bryce Troutt (2020, Alpharetta, Ga.). The infielder looks good at the plate with a balanced stance and small stride. Troutt is a lefthanded hitter that has a small rock back into his load before he releases on the pitch. The uncommitted junior from Alpharetta High School excels at keeping his hands back until ready to swing. His patience allows him to drive the ball the other way and use his speed to run out groundballs to the left side.

Starting with the ball in his hand today for 5 Star Gilbert was righthanded pitcher, Nick Guzzi (2020, Point Pleasant Borough, N.J.). Standing tall at 6-foot-4, 180-pounds, Guzzi looked good in his start on Friday giving up only one hit in five innings of work. The uncommitted junior uses his long frame to stride far down the mound. His motion is quick and simple with long arm action. The fastball was up to 88 mph with a good curveball and changeup to keep hitters off balance.

Doing the starting pitching for the Michigan Select on Friday was Swan Valley High School junior Brian Ross (2020, Saginaw, Mich.). The 6-foot-7, 200-pound pitcher looks very intimidating on the mound. The righthander uses a long arm action and reaches back behind his body to begin his motion. Ross then cocks his wrist to help whip the baseball high over his shoulder to create a lot of backspin on the ball, a process that produces a lot of run on his fastball. His long arms help him extend on the breaking ball generating a lot of action on the slider like breaking ball.

Pitching on Friday for East Cobb was Kentucky native Ethan Wood (2021, Lebanon, Ky.). Wood is a University of Louisville commit and is heading into his sophomore season at Danville High School. The 6-foot-5, 215-pound hurler is a big-time arm with a fastball in the high-80s, topping out at 90 mph. His fastball and size are very projectable for being a hopeful starting pitcher in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Wood has an effortless and repeatable motion and a clean delivery. The breaking ball is thrown extremely hard and the righthander drops his arm slot to create more side spin and action on the pitch.

Leading off and playing center field for the South Florida Select was Archbishop McCarthy junior Lucas Serra (2020 Miami Lakes, Fla.). The righthanded throwing and hitting utility player has a lot of tools to work with. Serra sports a solid 5-foot-11, 170-pound frame and he flies all over the outfield tracking down balls from gap to gap. At the plate is where the uncommitted junior shines. His stance and approach are simple and quiet, but he tucks his front side to help create a lot of torque. The leadoff hitter takes strong hacks while keeping his hands inside the ball, staying compact and driving the baseball to both gaps.

In the lineup as only a hitter on Friday afternoon, Saint Leo University commit Joaquin Monque (2020, Weston, Fla.) did just that with a 2-for-3 performance that also included a double and an RBI. The righthanded hitter stands at a solid 6-foot, 185-pounds. The Cypress Bay High School junior looks good at the plate with a balanced stance and a big leg kick to provide timing and power. The swing sweeps through the zone with a lot of power and the infielder does a great job of extending his hands through the ball.

Hitting well and doing all the catching on Friday for South Florida Select was Chistopher Dorta, (2020. Sunrise, Fla.). The Mater Academy Lakes junior has a plus arm behind the plate and uses his 5-foot-11, 170-pound body to get below pitches to receive balls at the bottom of the zone well. His approach at the plate is very patient and disciplined. The uncommitted junior focuses his vision towards the middle of the field when hitting, a goal good hitters also aim for. The catcher helped his team defensively and offensively by throwing out runners and driving in a run himself in the playoff victory.

– Carter Sibley
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