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Tournaments  | Story | 9/16/2019

National Qualifier Scout Notes

Greg Gerard
Drew Wesolowski
Matthew Arietta
Photo: Andruw Jones (Perfect Game)

2019 WWBA National Qualifier: Daily Leaders

Derek (DJ) Radtke (2021, Marietta, Ga.) had a monster day at the plate on Saturday morning going 4-for-4 with a pair of doubles and a home run as well. The Auburn commit may be listed as a primary pitcher, but the way Radtke swings the bat for the East Cobb Astros he may have a bright future in the righthanded batter’s box as well. His swing has plenty of juice to it as he looks to impact the baseball with intent. He has strength to his swing and continues to project for more as he progresses his frame physically.

Chris Locurto (2020, Kennesaw, Ga.) really showcased his skillset in a big way over the weekend. His lefthanded swing is loose with strong wrists already and plenty of quick-twitch actions. The East Tennessee State commit has a skinny frame with room to continue to fill out and project physically for additional juice. On Friday night he started his event with a double to the pull-side gap jumping on an inner half fastball. His hands worked quickly and directly to the baseball getting the bat head out in front on time to square up the pitch. The three-hole hitter in the Nelson Baseball School lineup finished the National Qualifier on a strong note with a .625 batting average that included four runs scored.

Ethan Stamps (2020, Madison, Ga.) is a gifted righthanded hitter for the East Cobb Astros who continued to hit the baseball well during the WWBA National Qualifier. Stamps collected a pair of hits in each of his team’s games during the event. Stamps hits in the middle of the order with a stocky frame, strong swing and power potential each time he steps into the box. The Lipscomb commit connected on time to the baseball on multiple occasions as he produced a high exit velocity, pull-side line drive to open up the tournament.

Recent Vanderbilt commit Andruw Jones (2022, Suwanee, Ga.) had another strong performance at the plate over the course of this weekend’s event. Jones worked the ball to all parts of the field with a line drive approach at the plate and power potential. His swing generates lots of bat speed, and when on time the ball jumps. The swing is raw with a big stride into contact and fast hands. His barrel skills are impressive as he has a knack for getting the bat head to the ball on time. His hand-eye coordination bodes well for him both in the box as well as in the outfield where he is a superb defender for his age. He tracks the ball well with a clean first step and efficient routes taken to fly balls.

– Greg Gerard


The ultra-projectable and recent Vanderbilt commit Kenneth Mallory, Jr (2021, Lawrenceville, Ga.) went on to prove why he is one of the top prospects from his class. The smooth-swinging lefthanded hitter showed patience in the box with a next-level, top-of-the-lineup type approach. He consistently found the barrel while throwing hands at the baseball, showing no weakness in his swing. With his track record, opposing pitchers strayed away from giving him anything good to hit. When a pitcher made a mistake, he made sure to capitalize as he sprayed the baseball all over the park, including a missile up the middle for a single during Saturday’s action that got his team rolling. Look for him to make a power jump when his upper half fills out more with some of that mature strength he will gain over time. With his frame and skill set, look for him to continue to progress and become a corner outfield type guy with a big bat at the next level.

With Mallory Jr. getting it done at the dish, his teammate John Rizzo (2021, The Woodlands, Texas) got the start for Team Elite and proved to have lights out stuff. The righthanded pitcher went on to pound the strikezone as he looked to get ahead with the fastball and did so effectively. The Texas A&M commit flashed a very fluid, compact arm action with more in the tank as his fastball topped out at 89 mph. He went on to strike out five batters while only throwing two innings as he gears up for his trip down to Jupiter in October. Rizzo flashed signs of dominant, next-level stuff as he got plenty of swings and misses while missing barrels in a big way. He went on to mix up the tempo of his motion as well showing confidence on the mound with a gamer-type mentality. Keep a close eye on him this fall and into the following years as he has a tool set already in place to become a big righthanded arm before he even graduates from high school.



With Rizzo only going two innings, Camron Hill (2021, Fayetteville, Ga.) took the mound in relief. He had a bit of a rough start as he showed some command issues but then settled down and found a groove. Hill has made huge physical strides in the last few years as he went from a small, stocky type frame to a long, lanky type build. He is still figuring out his new frame that has turned out to be extremely projectable. He has always shown signs of an easy, fluid arm that will make big jumps as he fills out that frame. The lefthanded pitcher went on to show a fastball up to 87 mph and a sweeping slider showing in the video above. Did a good job of mixing up pitches, keeping hitters off balance as he gave up a couple hits that were not necessarily hit hard, just in the right spot. His projectable frame and tools have been noted as he recently committed to Georgia Tech. He will be a big prospect to keep an eye on; if he is to make the jump we all anticipate, he will be in talks for the draft.

Coming in for relief for the Homeplate Chilidogs on Saturday was Elijah Jones (2021, Peachtree City, Ga.). The righthanded pitcher only threw 2/3 of an inning but showed enough to prove his stuff to be next-level ready. The South Carolina commit flashed a fast arm with more in the tank. His whippy, three-quarter arm slot proved to be tricky to pick up for opposing hitters as he showed a great feel for a two-pitch mix. He ran his fastball up to 89 mph with ease as he sat in the upper-80s during his outing. With a simple delivery, he went on to carve up a hitter getting a strike out and some weak contact to end the game in a tie for his team. Jones showed a balanced, simple motion with repeatable mechanics driving with the lower half keeping stress off the arm. Simply put, he projects well at the next level and will gain physical strength in his college years. He will be an interesting follow as he does make that physical jump as he has the makeup to become a big-time arm in Columbia.

Another Georgia Tech commit, Xander Stephens (2020, Lilburn, Ga.) took the mound for his Team Elite squad Saturday afternoon as he went on to push them to victory. The big righthanded arm flashed some serious strength as he utilized a large frame with an already filled out build. Although his strength was an asset, he flashed a very smooth, easy arm action. He showed signs of command issues early but then went on to make sure those walks were kept under control as he gave up no runs and struck out three batters in two innings pitched. He liked to pitch off of his fastball as it showed heaviness to it topping out at 89 mph. He mixed in a nice slurvy-type curveball that showed depth, keeping hitters off balance. He will step on campus next fall with an already physically gifted frame and will begin to work more on the mechanical side of things as his shows big time potential with his tool set.

Out of the woodwork came an outstanding shortstop and top-of-the-lineup type bat in Zayd Brannigan (2020, Kennesaw, Ga). The fast-twitch ballplayer was head and shoulders above any other shortstops’ skill set wise in the event even though he was smaller in stature. He flashed signs of brilliance going both ways showcasing big time range in the middle infield. His glove skills were something to write home about as he made every play with ease. Brannigan is a Georgia Highlands commit and will step onto campus and make a huge impact for them. Not only did he show well on defense, but he proved he could get it done at the dish as well. He was patient at the plate and did a great job of working the count. He relied heavily on that great hand-eye coordination as he threw hands at the baseball finding the barrel often. He drove a low, off-speed pitch behind in the count to left-center and then went on to steal a base just a couple pitches later. His skill set and motor are off the charts as he will make a big impact at the next level for his ball club starting next fall.

With pitching being the determining factor in many of the outcomes this weekend, Carson Bell (2020, Woodstock, Ga.) showed that the bats were still alive as well. The recent Columbus State commit flashed a projectable, lean build with some room to fill in the future. The smooth-swinging righthanded hitter showcased plus bat speed while he hammered the baseball all over the park. During the playoff action on Sunday, he took a fastball and hit an absolute bomb over the left field fence that scared the light poles. Some of the loudest contact heard all weekend. Bell had ultimate confidence in the box as he felt comfortable in any count and had an approach every time he stepped up to the plate, getting quality at-bats again and again. He will be an interesting follow at the next level as he will only get stronger and continue to hammer baseball around the park and over the fence.

-Drew Wesolowski

Wofford commit Reid Fagerstrom (2020, Sharpsburg, Ga.) is a 6-foot-1, 200-pound righthanded pitcher from Northgate High School in Newnan, Ga. Fagerstrom received the start for Sox Baseball 17u at East Cobb on Saturday afternoon, and was impressive pitching five full while scattering four hits, a run, and punching out seven. Reid sets up from the first base side of the rubber and uses a stretch-only delivery that has nice tempo and flexibility through release. He displayed the ability to really get over his front side and released his repertoire from a low three-quarters slot with nice extension out front, adding to his effectiveness. Reid used a three-pitch mix of a fastball, (84-87 mph), with some ride and life through the zone, a curveball, (69-71 mph) with depth and proper shape, and a changeup (73-75 mph) with fade and nice sell. Reid moved quickly through his five-inning assignment, filling up the zone on the way to almost a 60 percent strike percentage, and really got on hitters and ahead in the count often tipping things in his favor all start long. A good athlete, Reid is quick off the mound and has feel for his glove with ability to make all plays back to the mound and pair them with strong throws to bases. Very projectable, righthanded pitching talent who will be fun to watch pitch the remainder of the fall and into his senior season next spring.

Parker Lester (2021, Calhoun, Ga.) is a Miami University commit from Calhoun High School near his hometown. The highly rated third baseman swung a hot bat this weekend for his club, 643 DP Cougars 17u, ending the tournament with a .556 average after three games, going (5-for-9) with three extra base hits and four RBI. At the plate the lefthanded hitting Lester has a clean stroke with barrel control and bat speed. He shows a keen eye at the plate and advanced hand-eye coordination that leads to advanced hitability for someone in his class. Power is to the gap currently yet has patience and isn’t afraid to take pitches to the opposite field. A true utility player, Lester plays all over the field with sound defensive actions and carry on his throws with accuracy. A confident ballplayer, Lester draws your attention with his confidence and clean play. Very high upside talent that still has time to develop.

Fresh off a performance a week ago that earned him Most Valuable Pitcher honors at the WWBA Southeast Qualifier #1, Will Robbins (2021, Cumming, Ga.) went right back to work on Saturday, picking up where he left off a week ago. The 5-foot-11, 170-pound lefthanded pitcher from Forsyth Central High School in his hometown took the mound for East Cobb Baseball and was dominant as he went four innings before departing with a six-run lead. Unhittable is an understatement for the performance Will turned in for those in attendance at East Cobb Saturday afternoon as he used his two-pitch mix of a low-80s fastball and a mid-60s curveball, to mix in all counts to both dexterities and keep hitters off balance. When Robbins left the game, he had a final stat line that read 10 strikeouts, no hits or runs, and a walk, needing only 62 pitches to complete his assignment. With good size and strength to his current frame, Robbins has plenty of upside heading into his junior season in the spring. It’s apparent Robbins is confident on the mound and demonstrates nice pitchability for someone heading into his junior year.

Noah Sweatman (2020, Gay, Ga.), a 5-foot-11, 195-pound righthanded pitcher, took the mound twice this weekend for his club, Sox Baseball 17u, and was pretty effective in relief, especially on Saturday against East Cobb Astros 18u relieving the aforementioned Fagerstorm. On Saturday Noah pitched the final two innings for his club and earned the win, as Sox Baseball 17u took a sixth-inning lead, eventually winning the game 2-1. Sweatman displays nice, clean, and well-rhythmed mechanics on the mound which helps him fill up the zone with his three-pitch mix of a fastball that runs as high as 83 mph, a curveball in the high-60s, and a changeup in the high-70s. Nothing Sweatman throws is straight, which adds to his effectiveness. His fastball has bore, curveball shows some depth, and his changeup backs up most of the time, with nice arm speed to complete an arsenal that produces a lot of swing and miss. Sweatman’s keen pitchability has shown to carry over from the summer, making him a solid prospect to monitor this fall.

-Matt Arietta

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