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Tournaments  | Story | 9/17/2018

Midwest Under Notes: Days 3-4

Kevin Schuver
Taylor Weber

2018 Midwest Underclass Qualifier Daily Leaders | Scout Notes Days 1-2

Round 2 of the playoffs continued Sunday morning at Perfect Game Field with the 10th-seeded Nebraska Prospects Blue and the second-seeded Minnesota Blizzard Blue. Jarrett Novak (2020, Gretna, Neb.) got the start for the Nebraska Prospects and received the win in a 4-1 victory.

Novak displayed good presence on the mound with his 6-foot-4, 210-pound frame. The 2020 prospect utilized a clean, smooth-paced delivery and created heavy downhill plane in the low-80s from a high three-quarters arms lot. The righthander was able to induce weak ground ball contact and only allowed three hits with no earned runs over his five innings of work. Novak consistently worked to each edge of the plate with his fastball and would change speeds with a shorter 11-to-5 breaking ball once ahead. Novak’s frame and arm action project for continued development of velocity as he continues to mature.

Joe Komor (2020, Gretna, Neb.) relieved Novak in the bottom of the sixth and supplied the Nebraska Prospects Blue with two no-hit innings to earn the save. The No. 2 2020 righthanded pitcher in the state of Nebraska aggressively attacked the strike zone with a fastball in the low- to mid-80s that generate late run to his arm side with occasional sink. The 5-foot-11, 175-pound uncommitted prospect displayed very good feel for the bottom quadrants of the strike zone and consistently missed barrels throughout his two innings of work. Komor displayed a very deceptive arm action with the ability to match his arm speed with both his fastball and breaking ball offerings. Consistently landed curveball within the zone in both positive and negative counts keeping hitters very off balance.

29er’s Black dropped their Round 2 bracket game to Cangelosi Sparks 2021 Black, but received a solid pitching performance from Rj Nowicki (2020, Hoffman Estates, Ill.). The 6-foot-3, 175-pound lefthander utilized a simple, repeatable delivery while releasing from a high three-quarters slot. The uncommitted prospect was able to effectively move the baseball to each edge of the plate with his fastball in the low-80s. Nowicki also displayed good feel for his off-speed pitches and consistently landed them for strikes to the bottom of the zone in both positive and negative counts. The 2020 grad picked up the loss but tossed an impressive six innings in which he only allowed two hits and struck out seven batters.

Jose Mendoza Nieves (2020, Elkhart, Ind.) worked one inning in relief displayed an electric fastball that generated very good life topping at 86 mph. Nieves created good downhill angle through the hitting zone that induced weak ground ball contact. The 11th-ranked 2020 righthanded pitcher from the state of Indiana aggressively attacks the zone early and often in counts. He showed good arm speed with his breaking ball but still displayed developing feel to land it within the strike zone. The uncommitted pitching prospect currently has the fastball velocity and movement to be an impact pitcher at the next level, but will need to develop his secondary pitches as he matures.

Alberto Lamas (2020, Joliet, Ill.) turned in a great performance on the mound for Cangelosi Sparks 2020 Black in their quarterfinal matchup. The 6-foot-3, 183-pound righthander tossed five scoreless innings, allowing just three hits while striking out seven batters and did not walk a single batter. The 2020 grad shows has a very athletic frame with a clean, fundamentally sound delivery. Lamas released from a three-quarters arm slot generating good downhill plane with the zone with run to his arm side in the low- to mid-80s. The uncommitted prospect showed compact sweep with his breaking ball and was able to consistently keep hitters off balance and generate swings and misses due to the tight spin of the offering.

– Kevin Schuver



Hunter Scruggs (2020 Papillion, Neb.) is a 6-foot-1, 215-pound catcher who shows solid ability both offensively and defensively. He caught a solid game with sharp receiving skills and an easy catch and release. At the plate Scruggs went 1-for-2 with a couple of walks. His hit was a sharp line drive that travelled deep into the left-center field gap. The righthander has present strength in his build and keeps his swing short and direct to the ball.

Scruggs’ teammate and the leadoff hitter for Nebraska Prospects Blue, Grant Hubka (2020 Omaha, Neb.), did most of the damage in their 4-1 playoff victory. Going 2-for-3 and driving in two of the runs, Hubka has the ability to put the ball in play with authority. He doubled early in the game and drove in his two RBI on a line drive back up the middle. His projectable frame at 6-foot-2, 180-pounds and smooth work at shortstop should allow him to stay in the middle of the field for the foreseeable future.

It was a fight until the last out as Cangelosi Sparks 2021 Black grabbed a 2-1 victory over the 29ers Black and Julian Jimenez (2021 Romeoville, Ill.) had a huge two-out double down the left field line that drove in the eventual game-winning run. It was only a matter of time for Jimenez as he keeps his approach very simple and looks for contact. He keeps the hands in tight with a high amount of bat speed through the zone, which allowed him to get around a fastball and pull it past the third baseman.

The offense for the 29ers came in the form of five-hole hitter Jack Dupuis (2020 Wheaton, Ill.) who went 2-for-3 in the game with a single and a double. The 6-foot, 180-pound shortstop has quickness in his barrel and has a contact-oriented approach looking to put the ball in play. He utilizes a line drive path, which limits his power potential at times, but he gets the job done with hard contact. He also shows some speed on the basepaths that keeps the defense honest.

After going down a run in the first inning the Chicago White Sox ACE 2020 answered with a five-run second and sped through to a 9-1 victory. Tre Hondras (2020 South Holland, Ill.) led off for the White Sox and performed well offensively going 2-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI. The 6-foot, 175-pound righthanded hitter put on a display of both a high contact ability as well as some power potential as he launched a long double to the warning track in left field.

Hitting one spot behind Hondras was shortstop Jeremy Figueroa (2020 Chicago, Ill.). Figueroa isn’t a huge player and doesn’t show too much current power in his bat. However, that doesn’t takeaway from his ability to make consistent solid contact. He’s quick to the ball and can hit to all fields as well. His bases-clearing double down the left field line put the game away for the Sox.

The final day of the tournament was filled with players that shined from both the Cangelosi Sparks 2021 Black as well as the Cangelosi Sparks 2020 Black teams. In the first game of the day the Sparks 2021 downed the Nebraska Prospects Blue by a score of 6-1.

Leading the way on the mound was lefthanded pitcher Michael Bernas (2021 Orland Park, Ill.) who tossed five innings of no-hit ball. Bernas has a clean delivery with an extended action from a three-quarters slot. He works the fastball in and out and sits on the corners extremely well as he topped out at 77 mph. He pairs his strong command of the fastball with a sharp curveball with late break through the zone.

Doing the damage offensively for the Sparks was catcher Noah Jouras (2021 Western Springs, Ill.). Jouras had just one hit in the game, and also took a walk, but his hit was a big one. He drove in three runs on an opposite field double to the right-center field gap. Jouras has a lot of hand speed through his swing and stays compact which allows him to take the outside pitch the other way. He’s a smart hitter and was able to work the count all day with high-end control of the barrel.

During the championship game the Sparks 2021 was able to take down the 2020 Sparks by a score of 10-2. Bobby Atkinson (2021 Darien Ill.) provided some of the offense on the day, and while he had just one hit in two plate appearances, he would go on to score twice and drive in two more. His two RBI came on a hard double into the right field corner for a ground-rule double. Throughout the tournament Anderson displayed a big hit tool with a solid amount of jump off the barrel and was named the event MVP as a result.

Batting one spot behind Anderson was Matt Maloney (2021 Mokena, Ill.) who finished with a 2-for-3 day at the plate. Maloney is a player who puts the ball in play with authority. He makes consistent contact and more times than not will generate hard line drive jump when he squares up the ball. He doubled into the gap and also added a single, driving in two runs and scoring another.

Tommy Jurack (2020 Hinsdale, Ill.) was the big factor in Cangelosi Sparks 2020 Black making it to the championship game with four RBI in their 8-0 win. Jurack displayed a power approach throughout the entire tournament and it really revealed itself in a big way. With the bases loaded the 6-foot-3, 190-pound righty smoked a ball into the left field gap that would drive in three for a bases-clearing triple. He would also grab a double in the game.

Dane Thomas (2020 Palos Park, Ill.) was a run scoring machine for the 2020’s as he collected four of their 10 runs scored in the final two games. Thomas is a guy that finds ways to get on base. He has an excellent eye at the plate and will take his walks when needed. However, he can also handle the stick well as he keeps his approach simple and has good fluidity throughout. He makes hard contact and can work the ball to all parts of the field well.

– Taylor Weber



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