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Tournaments  | Story  | 3/8/2020

HS Showdown: Day 3 Scout Notes

Vincent Cervino      Greg Gerard      Jered Goodwin     
Photo: Robert Mac Sims (Perfect Game)
2020 Perfect Game High School Showdown: Day 1 Notes | Day 2 Notes

North Broward Prep’s Sawyer Feller (2021, Boca Raton, Fla.) looked great during his three days in Hoover. In his final game on Saturday he went 3-for-3 with a double. The Harvard signee is a physical backstop who has a toughness to him that is noticeable any time you watch him play. He receives well and has no problem with velocity. His throws showed good carry, with accuracy, and a consistent exchange. The power bat-power arm combination will standout big in the Ivy League for years to come.



One of the top players in the 2023 class is Houston County’s Drew Burress (2023, Perry, Ga.). Strong for his age with easy plus bat speed for the grade as well. His eye-hand coordination is excellent with advanced pitch recognition as well. The impressive thing for Burress is his ability to hit velocity without selling out to do it. He can create space in a tight window and still get plenty of drive off the bat. He hit two doubles in his last game to finish off a strong performance at the Perfect Game High School Showdown against stiff competition who are much older. The uncommitted youngster is going to be fun to watch the next four years.

The MVP of the Red Championship was Loganville’s Jackson Daniel (2021, Loganville, Ga.) who had a big weekend at the dish. He came into the championship game hitting well over .300 and came up in the biggest spot of the championship game. The bases were loaded, against one of the best teams in the country, and he turned on a fastball for a hard bases-clearing double. He has a quiet approach and grinds out at bats consistently. There is a lot of strength in his frame and should easily add in game power as he develops.

The uncommitted righthanded pitcher for IMG Academy was impressive early in his outing during the championship game. Brandon Llewellyn (2020, Colleyville, Texas) came in relief and ran his fastball up to 90 while displaying a four-pitch arsenal for strikes. He used his curveball early in counts in the low-70s that helped the heater play up. He flashed a changeup to lefties that has some fade and should be a quality future offering. His real weapon is his slider that topped at 80 mph. Llewellyn has extreme confidence in the pitch, as he should, getting good extension and locating it well to his glove side. He got bad swing and miss and awkward takes frequently. The ultra-projectable righty should not be uncommitted much longer.

James Wood (2021, Olney, Md.) is a massive human being, in the best terms of the description. He is 6-foot-6 with long limbs and extremely good coordination for his size. There’s a tons of whip to his bat and he backspins balls hard, that get big time carry to all fields. The Mississippi State commit hit a line drive down the right field line on Saturday. The swing has lots of length through contact and easy plus bat speed. He jumped on the mound as well showing good raw stuff sitting in the upper-80s with his fastball and a big breaking curveball.

Mountain View has an impressive top of the order, highlighted by power hitting Garrett Spikes (2020, Lawrenceville, Ga.). The physical lefthanded hitter has noticeably strong forearms that help him create explosive barrel speed with no extra movement to create it. He has a patient approach with no fear hitting with two strikes, which helps to only attack hitter’s pitches. The University of Georgia commit had a 4-for-4 including a home run. His ability to recognize pitches and consistently get off his “A” swing stand out most and will make him an annoyance for all opposing pitchers.

-Jered Goodwin

The championship game in the Blue Bracket featured great pitching performances from both Mountain Brook’s Porter Phelan (2020, Mountain Brook, Ala.) and Buford’s Jackson Gaspard (2022, Flowery Branch, Ga.).

Phelan was absolutely dominant and earned co-MVPitcher honors for his performance as he threw a complete game shutout with seven strikeouts. The uncommitted righthander pounded the strike zone and set hitters up nicely with his fastball that peaked at 84 mph and sat mostly in the 80-82 mph range throughout the majority of his start. He’s a well-built prospect with a 6-foot-3, 200-pound frame with a loose arm stroke and he holds velocity well. The breaking ball shows good shape and projection and Phelan had full command of his arsenal in a dominant start.

Gaspard was similarly impressive on the other side with a short, quick arm stroke and a fastball that worked in the mid-80s. The sophomore is an impressive two-way prospect with a very impressive feel to spin the ball with very good shape and spin on the pitch. Gaspard’s breaking ball was his go-to out pitch and he tunnels it well off the fastball. He worked quickly throughout the start and the arm stroke and athleticism both project as Gaspard will be an important piece throughout the year for the Wolves.

South Alabama commit Harrison Ware (2020, Birmingham, Ala.) had a strong tournament in the middle of the lineup for Mountain Brook as that middle of the lineup was responsible for a lot of runs this weekend. The lefthanded-hitting catcher was responsible for the only run of the afternoon as his infield single allowed the runner from second base to advance after a throwing error from the shortstop. He’s got a short, quick stroke from the left side with some hitterish tendencies and feel for getting the barrel out in front of the plate. The swing is loose and quick and projects nicely and he fits the part of an impact lefthanded bat from a backstop that could make an immediate impact in Mobile.

Bob Jones had one of the toughest top of the lineups in the entire tournament and one player who stood out over the course of the weekend was middle infielder Mitchell Daly (2020, Huntsville, Ala.). The Texas signee split time up the middle with Caden Rose this weekend, but Daly has all the tools to succeed as an athletic prospect with impressive defensive skills too. He’s a quick twitch athlete with good size and twitch over from the left side with more than enough arm strength to stick on the left side at the next level. The swing is a short stroke from the right side with plenty of bat speed to impact the ball on a line. The raw power itself projects as he fills out and adds strength but for now the gap power is more than present as he collected three doubles over the weekend. He added another hit during the Bob Jones consolation game today and Daly’s total skillset as a shortstop with a good bet to stick there and some offensive upside bodes well for him the rest of the spring.



In what was his debut in his new home state of Alabama, Walter Ford (2023, Hoover, Ala.) toed the rubber for Hoover High School for the first time and showed some impressive stuff over a two-inning performance. The Alabama commit looks great, physically as it looks like he’s grown in height and added a good deal of physicality. The arm stroke is very fast and he worked in the 86-88 mph range while topping out at 89 mph. Ford sinks the ball very well in the lower part of the strike zone and mixed in a power slider that’s also improved from the summer in the 77-79 mph range with biting, two-plane action. Ford does it pretty easily in terms of effort and though the delivery is a shorter, crossfired stride the arm talent and projection make him one of the best prospects in the country for his age.

-Vinnie Cervino

Drew Cartee (2021, Trinity, Ala.) is an uncommitted left-handed pitcher and outfielder who is not going to stay uncommitted for too much longer. Cartee hopped on the mound in the title game of the White Bracket for Hartselle High School and gave a strong glimpse of what is to come for the southpaw on the mound. Cartee filled up the strike zone with three pitches that included a fastball up to 88 mph, a curveball with lots of depth and a changeup that is his best secondary offering. The lefthander dominated throughout his outing and gave Hartselle a very strong chance of taking home the title. The delivery is deceptive with pure arm strength, an over-the-top arm slot to create a steep downhill plane and a slightly closed off finish as he shows the ability to repeat and get over his front side well. The uncommitted prospect has the physicality to be a powerful arm with continued refinement to his mechanics, but the ability to mix speeds and throw three different pitches for strikes consistently gives Cartee a high ceiling on the bump.

Robert Mac Sims (2020, Southaven, Miss.) was the hero for DeSoto Central in the championship game of the White Bracket as he knocked a single through the left side to bring home the winning run in walkoff fashion for the Jaguars. Sims stood out manning shortstop for the Jaguars with active feet and a clean glove making plays to his left and right. The commit to Northwest Mississippi CC has a strong arm as well backed up by his 87 mph best fastball velocity at the High School Showdown a year ago. Sims’ swing is compact and easy with plenty of feel for the barrel and a line drive swing plane.

The third place game of the White Bracket did not disappoint, going nine innings to ultimately decide Winder-Barrow the winners. A pair of bats stood out for the Bulldogs in Andreaus Lewis II (2021, Winder, Ga.) and the leading offensive threat of the entire event in No. 1 player in the class of 2021, Brady House (2021, Winder, Ga.).

An Eastern Kentucky commit, Andreaus Lewis II has a swing and strength that is going to hit a lot of balls very hard and very far. In Saturday’s action, Lewis walked away with a pair of singles in the scorebook but his best two swings resulted in a flyout to deep center field that went nearly 400 feet and a laced single down the right field line. He swings intent to drive the baseball while having the hand-eye to be able to hit the ball to all parts of the field. It’s an impactful swing and when the barrel meets the ball on time, the exit velocities are going to be high. Also catching in the game, Lewis II has really promising ability with the way he moves laterally to block. His framing is the aspect of his catching skillset that stands out the most.

House was mentioned in the Day 1 recap but when you go 10-for-16 at the plate with a home run in four games as well as top out at 94 mph on the bump, it is hard to argue a second mention among scout notes. House is a special player and as physically gifted as anyone in the 2021 class. Given the production in the first three games, House had a relatively quiet day Saturday barreling a triple deep to the pull side and knocking a seeing-eye single as well. The 6-foot-3 infielder played both middle infield positions in the game and did so at a high level. His strong arm stands out even on the most routine plays while his mobility and athleticism when playing the baseball is advanced beyond his years. House led the Bulldogs to a 3-1 weekend at the PG HS Showdown and a third place finish.

Camden Hill (2020, Madison, Ala.) knocked a home run in the bottom of the seventh inning Saturday morning. Hill is a physical two-way talent batting in the middle of the Bob Jones lineup. His power at the plate stands out in his swing producing raw bat speed and obvious strength from his 6-foot-3, 210-pound frame. Hill looks every bit of the part of a power left-handed hitter while he also can run his fastball up near 90 mph on the mound as well. Hill did not pitch in the event this weekend, but the bat stands out when on time. The approach is always looking to drive the ball with intent while the swing has a lift and a mostly pull-side oriented barrel plane.

Justin Thomas (2022, Ludowici, Ga.) is a sophomore for the Cadets of Benedictine Military who is extremely athletic in the outfield. The range and jumps he gets on baseballs was impressive in a consolation game Saturday while the speed is only going to continue to improve as he matures and fills out. He was able to show off that speed in his fourth at-bat of the day as he lined a triple to the opposite field. Thomas has a shorter swing with a line drive swing plane and is going to swing the bat at a high level in the future.

-Greg Gerard

 
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