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Tournaments  | Story | 7/24/2019

Summer Showdown Scout Notes

Jacob Jordan
Jacob Martin
Matthew Arietta
Photo: Jaylen Paden (Perfect Game)

Jaylen Paden (2020, Lilburn, Ga.) showcased an electric arm with legitimate pitching skill while throwing for the PFA Cavs. The righthanded pitcher has a medium 5-foot-10, 165-pound frame with present athleticism in the build and additional room to fill out. Using his lower half exceptionally well, he worked downhill and online, resulting in extensions exceeding his height while repeating his mechanics throughout the start. With a strong lower half and quick arm action from a high three-quarters slot, he threw a fastball that averaged 87 mph and touched 90. The fastball had a natural tail that moved away from lefthanded hitters and his sharp slider had really late movement and deceived hitters, playing as a swing-and-miss pitch. He also featured an occasional changeup around 80 mph. Paden displayed confidence in all three pitches, throwing them in unpredictable counts and commanded the zone incredibly well. All told, the Georgia Southern commit threw five innings with nine strikeouts, allowing three hits, one run and no walks.

Louisville commit JT Benson (2020, Crestwood, Ky.) showcased legitimate ability on both sides of the ball, playing for the Vipers Baseball Club. The primary outfielder has a medium 5-foot-11, 190-pound frame with a lot of athleticism. His speed and athleticism played well defensively and on the bases. He displayed great range in center field after taking a good first step, transferred the ball from glove to hand efficiently and displayed an above average arm. The righthanded hitter creates a lot of bat speed resulting in frequent loud contact. After starting in an open stance and using a high leg lift, he swings on a naturally leveraged swing plane, showing the ability to lift the ball. During the second day of the tournament, Benson went 2-for-3 with two doubles and a walk. Both doubles were hit hard and in the air, one-hopping over the right-center field fence and the other hitting off the wall in dead center field. Benson is a really projectable all around player moving forward.



From one Louisville commit to another, Logan Beard (2020, Prospect, Ky.) is an athletic middle infielder with a projectable 6-foot, 185-pound frame. The shortstop made defense look easy, showing solid range, good instincts, a smooth glove, quick transfers and a really good throwing arm across the infield. The righthanded hitter starts in an open stance with a high back elbow while slightly leaning forward. He swings with intent on a level plane, gaining extension in the back-swing. Beard hits the ball with force and on a line, especially to the pull side. During the second day of the tournament he crushed a no-doubt home run over the left-center field fence.

Chris Vivenzio (2020, Setauket, N.Y.) is a righthanded pitcher with above average pitching skill and a good understanding of the strike zone. With a medium and filled out 5-foot-10, 195-pound frame, he strode downhill towards the righthanded batter’s box, throwing across his body. Using a low three-quarters arm slot, he generated arm whip that contributed to his velocity. Vivenzio’s fastball averaged 82 mph with some arm-side run and he touched 84 mph on multiple occasions. Additional extension is available in the lower half, which should generate more velocity. The deceptive slider came from the same arm slot as the fastball, creating swings-and-misses around 73 mph. He also featured an occasional changeup around 75 mph. He commanded the zone well, filling up all four quadrants and painting the edges frequently. All told, he threw an efficient and scoreless three innings across 39 pitches while racking up five strikeouts, allowing one hit and one walk.

Cole Bloomer (2020, Parker, Colo.) is a primary corner infielder with a large 6-foot-4, 220-pound frame and current strength in the build. The righthanded hitter starts in a really crouched and slightly open stance, using a toe tap trigger for timing. Keeping his weight back in his lower half, he stays balanced and transfers weight into a swing on a level plane. Quick hands and present strength create loud contact frequently. Power potential is certainly available, but he typically hit the ball on the ground or on a line. During the first day of the tournament, he went 2-for-3 with an RBI and two runs scored, showing athletic movements and good glove actions while playing first base for the Warriors/Arapahoe High School.

– Jake Martin


Nate Anderson (2020, Dunwoody, Ga.) showed his skill-set on Saturday against the Ninth Inning Royals 16u Radcliff. He went 1-for-3 with a triple and two RBIs. The uncommitted center fielder is wiry and athletic with very good speed that plays on the basepaths and in the outfield. His defense is quite impressive, as his incredible range pairs well with quick reads and good instincts. Offensively, Anderson is always a threat for infield hits but he also shows some pop with the bat. The lefthander sees the ball well in the box and hits to all fields as a leadoff hitter. His triple was a hard fly ball that burned the center fielder easily. Anderson stands in a 5-foot-8, 145-pounds and certainly holds his own out there.

Alexander Vanlandingham (2020, Sandy Springs, Ga.) was impressive against the Ninth Inning Royals 16u Radcliff team on Saturday. He went 2-for-3 with a home run as the top 500 player shows a lot of upside and is uncommitted. The catcher is an all around good player with a strong arm from behind the plate with good defense and a good bat on the offensive end. Soft hands, a strong framing ability and the ability to keep the ball in front of him makes Vanlandingham a solid defensive backstop. At the plate the righthanded hitter showed pull-side power with a big home run to left field and a hard line drive single over the third baseman’s head. A compact swing generates lift with strength that translates to good bat speed.

Peyton Irvin (2019, Cornelia, Ga.) was solid on Saturday for Warriors Baseball Powered by Rawlings 17u. The nationally recognized pitcher played shortstop and he went 1-for-2 with a walk. Defensively, Irvin was smooth with soft hands, a strong accurate arm and he flashed an ability to throw on the run. Offensively, the righthander showed his ability to hit to the opposite field with a base hit to right field. The Piedmont College commit’s quick hands and smooth swing benefit him in the box. Irvin is a pure athlete with potential for success at the next level.

Joe Morgan (2020, Albany, Ga.) showed some potential in his start for the East Cobb Patriots 17u on Saturday. The tall lanky righthander worked off of a mid-80s fastball that was up to 88 and was commanded with impressive accuracy. A sharp mid-70s slider with depth and low-80s changeup to lefthanded hitters paired with the fastball nicely as he showed feel for all three pitches. The 6-foot-5, 218-pounder’s long, whippy arm action works fluidly with a high arm slot while he gets good extension down the mound. The Tennessee Tech commit shows a lot of potential within his easy arm and frame that leaves him plenty of room for added muscle.

Max Eichenberger (2022, Canton, Ga.) showed a lot of upside in his start for 643 DP Jaguars 16u Mang. The 15-year old commanded a low- to mid-80s fastball that topped out at 87 mph and paired it with a tight-spinning low-70s slider. He also flashed a fading changeup. The righthander’s quick, compact arm action works easily with good extension down the mound. A lean 6-foot-1, 185-pound frame projects well with the plenty of room to fill out. Eichenberger will also probably get taller in the next three years. He is a good young talent that is recognized nationally as a catcher.

– Jacob Jordan


Bret Buursema (2020, Woodstock, Ga.) is a 5-foot-9, 165-pound, second baseman from Blessed Trinity Catholic High School in nearby Roswell, Georgia. Buursema was stellar at the plate this week for his club, Team Elite 17u National hitting .538, with four doubles, two runs scored, and eight runs batted in. He reached base in every game except his team’s last, as his club ran into Jake Garner and a red-hot Home Plate Chilidogs 16u Argila team who went on to finish second in the tournament overall. Buursema has a medium frame, paired with a lean and athletic build. At the plate, the righthanded hitter, sets up with an open stance and hands outside his chest. He deploys a leg lift to square to start his swing as he simultaneously loads his hands and weight on his back-side. Hand-eye coordination and vision were evident as he also seemed to have a good approach at the plate all tournament keeping things simple and consistently matching plane, connecting with hard, barreled contact with line drive results to the gaps. Power seems to be to the alleys right now, yet bat speed and leverage in swings indicate increased raw power in time. Obviously showed us he can handle wood, and drives the ball to all fields, with some carry. In the field, Buursema showcased soft hands and a strong arm that can make all throws from the right side, moving in both directions from first. He has arm strength on his throws with carry through the bag and accuracy. Buursema has deft footwork at second and around the bag displaying consistent athletic actions in the field. He’s not a clogger on the bases by any means and plays the game hard and overall he’s a solid ballplayer who plays the game the right way doing everything he can to help his team win.

Marco Gutierrez (2021, Manvel, Texas) is a 5-foot-11, 175-pound, strong and athletically built righthanded pitcher from Episcopal High School in the Houston area. Gutierrez turned in a masterful performance on Saturday at Brook Run as he and his counterpart, Austin Bunn, matched up to what turned out to be one of the best games of the tournament. At the end of seven innings, Gutierrez and Bunn both, found themselves receiving no-decisions as the game ended in a 0-0 tie. Gutierrez was masterful as he scattered three hits over the seven full, punching out eight and surrendered a walk on the afternoon. Marco deploys a stretch-only delivery from the first base side of the rubber. He has a steady, slow tempo to his balanced mechanics, and really does a good job getting down the mound with his leg quick, then really over his front knee with good extension out front and finish. He displays a quick arm action as well with a quick show in back. He attacked his opponents all game long as he rode his fastball deep into counts, often getting ahead, and if he was hit, it was for weak contact that his defense showed time and again they could handle. Marco’s fastball stat in the upper-80s (85-88 mph) with life and arm-side run. He used his 71-74 mph curveball to keep hitters off balance as the pitch worked well to complement his fastball with good rotation and bite down in the zone. Gutierrez filled up the zone with good control and the development of average command, impressive for only being 16-years old. A good athlete, Gutierrez showed the ability to make all plays hit back to him with soft hands and accurate throws to bases as he stays under control and never seems to rush on the mound. A very high upside talent, Gutierrez continues to show us his swing-and-miss stuff at events dating back to 2017.

Zachary Leischner (2020, Brooks, Ga.) is a 6-foot-2, 165-pound shortstop from Whitewater High School. A senior in the fall, Leischner, stroked the baseball this week hitting in the top of the Home Plate Chilidogs 17u West’s lineup, hitting a cumulative .444 by tournament’s end. Over the three games, Leischner racked up two singles, two doubles, five runs scored, two runs batted in and two steals. At the plate, Leischner uses a simple, quick approach where he continually showcased quick hands and wrists and keen hand-eye coordination making hard contact to the gaps. A tough out all tournament long, Zachary looks very confident at the plate, and has a short, balanced swing that generated a lot of barreled, hard-hit contact. With an athletic frame and middle infielder skill-set, Leischner displayed a lot of acumen for the game, played the game with confidence and hustled in all phases which made him a fun player to watch. In the field, Leischner covered a lot of ground in the six-hole and showed to be a sure-handed fielder with sound defensive actions and a strong arm consistently throwing balls across the diamond with carry and accuracy. Leischner moved well laterally at short, as well as on the bases making him a reliable fielder and a handful for the defense when he was on the bases.

Frankie Maloof (2021, Atlanta, Ga.) is a 5-foot-10, 170-pound outfielder from St. Pius X High School. The righthanded hitting Maloof was on a tear this week hitting a scorching .417 for his club, Ninth Inning Royals 16u Radcliff, hitting his team into bracket play. At the plate, he starts with an open stance and hands high near his ear. He steps to square to start his swing as he loads his weight well on his back-side. As he loads his hands drop down near his chest he then showed consistent, quick swings with a level swing path he used to barrel up baseballs into the gap with consistency. A patient hitter, Maloof also walked four times as he ended with over a .500 on-base percentage. Maloof has plenty of athleticism that he used in all phases and showed the ability to move very well on the bases with long strides and the ability to get out of the box staying light on his feet. He hit a bases-clearing triple during the first game of the tournament for three RBIs, where he showcased his above average foot speed and ability to make the defense rush. Maloof also showed good actions in the outfield, with the ability to make all plays with range to the gap.

Noah Sweatman (2020, Gay, Ga.) is a 5-foot-11, 195-pound righthanded pitcher who is currently homeschooled. Ranked among the top 60 righthanded pitchers in Georgia in his class, Sweatman turned in a masterful performance on Friday in his team’s tournament opener at Brook Run earning the win. When all was said and done, Sweatman went the distance, logging seven innings, scattering four hits, two runs and two walks while also recording 11 punchouts. Those in attendance would agree that Sweatman was masterful as he kept his opponents off balance all game long with his solid two-pitch mix. Noah showcased a 81-85 mph fastball with life and arm-side run and a 70-72 mph curveball with depth and good shape recording a lot of swings-and-misses. Sweatman displayed good pitchability, mixing his pitches in all counts and using an upbeat tempo all game long, keeping his foot on the gas and overwhelming his opponent. He has already added some velocity to both his fastball and curveball from an outing earlier in the spring and can turn into a dangerous prospect with continued growth and development. His control is better than his command to this point yet continues to add to his 4-to-1 strikeout-to-walk rate he’s accumulated over 31 innings at Perfect Game events this year. Sweatman is a high upside talent, with a demonstrated feel for pitching, confidence and determination that makes him an exciting player to watch as he heads into his senior campaign.

Wayne Wilkerson (2021, Hampton, Ga.) is a 6-foot-1, 145-pound lanky and uber-athletic outfielder from Eagle’s Landing High School in McDonough, Georgia. A junior in the fall, Wilkerson had an impressive tournament at the plate as he hit his team, Ninth Inning Royals 16u Radcliff, into bracket play with a .357 average, two-singles, a double and two home runs. He also scored four times, walked twice, recorded six RBIs and stole two bases, rounding out an impressive week. Wilkerson is strong with plenty of room to fill on his current frame. He uses more of an upright setup in the box, with high hands and a square stance. He has keen hand-eye coordination and vision that helps him make a lot of strong, barreled contact with current run producing type power. Already with the ability to handle wood, the ball really carries off of Wilkerson’s bat as he generates backspin for carry, and already produces plus power results rather consistently. He has a great frame to add strength and projects to add more power down the road. An exciting player to watch compete, Wilkerson not only has hit and power tools, but his speed and glove are present as well. He moves well out of the box and in the outfield as he continually displayed range and reliable fielding actions. He has good arm strength as well that he displays with proper throwing mechanics and online deliveries from loose easy actions. A solid competitor, Wilkerson knows he’s good and plays with confidence, which his team seems to feed off of. A high-upside talent, Wilkerson’s coming out party this week might be the spark he needed heading into the fall season.

– Matt Arietta
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