-Michael Albee
Cole Tucholski (2028, Quakertown, Penn.) got the start for Canes American and showed a lot to like out of the young southpaw. At 6-foot-2, 180-pounds, he’s a lean and athletic arm that projects really nicely both physically and given the ease of effort. The fastball peaked at 85 mph and lived in the low-80s, showing the ability to move the pitch around. There’s healthy shape to the breaking ball too. There was some hard contact off Tucholski but the projection here is the real draw.
Banks Alexander (2028, Lexington, S.C.) had a good day at the plate in game one, collecting three hits including a triple. He’s a well-built prospect with really impressive bat-to-ball skills, manipulating the bat head around the zone. There are quick hands and he showed the speed on the base paths with his triple.
Santiago Fuenmayor (2028, Duluth, Ga.) had a couple of loud barrels during Ninth Inning’s first game, a hard liner and later a home run that was a laser beam off the barrel. He’s got really impressive size at 6-foot-2, 195-pounds and showed a real skill to use the lower half in order to drive and get to balls all over the zone. The home run in particular was very impressive as the ball exploded off the bat and got out in a hurry. Power-hitting catchers are always fun profiles and Fuenmayor certainly checks those boxes.
Evan Goodmon (2028, Winter Garden, Fla.) had a big day in the first game of the night, going 3-for-3 including an inside the park home run. He’s got great size at 6-foot-3 and there’s tons of athleticism in the batter’s box with a plethora of tools to like and project on. The bat speed is good and he can hit the ball hard to the opposite field, as he did on the inside the park home run. Hitting balls hard with frequency was Goodmon’s calling card on Friday and he certainly impressed.
-Vinnie Cervino
2028 RHP
Bennett Winkelfoos (Alexandria, Va.) got the ball for just 30 pitches but made the most of it as he got 5 outs, all via the strikeout, and showed things to project on. He’s a wiry 6’0/165, living in the mid-80s now with a loose and quick arm, while there’s feel for a legit slider that is both effective in getting swing-and-miss, and being an early count strike pitch.
2028 RHP
Owen Murphy (Villanova, Penn.) struggled a bit as a whole but showed a jump in stuff that makes him a must-follow in that regard. He’s big and physical with arm speed, living in the 87-90 MPH range for the most part in this look, and while the breaking ball has some room to develop, there’s good makings to it. He’ll have to refine the command, but there’s a real foundation here to be yet another interesting power arm out of the Northeast.
2028 RHP
Brody Racan (Swedesboro, N.J.) and 2028 RHP
Carson Steingall (Nazareth, Penn.) both got starts for Artilley on Day 2 and were excellent in terms of stuff, results and both carry good projection. Racan was 82-84, filling the zone with confidence and pitching with tempo, while it’s the life to the fastball and the arm speed that most stood out. Steingall was a bit firmer at 86-88 with similar carry/life and showed some more refined secondaries with a solid breaking ball and legit changeup that he kills spin on (1066 RPMs) in the upper-70s. Everything looks right and he’s one that’s certainly trending up right now.
2028 C
Logan Arnett (Acworth, Ga.), 2028 SS
Preston Hamelynck (Clearwater, Fla.), 2028 SS
Ian Tseng (San Diego, Calif.), 2028 SS
Alan Zimmerman (Winter Garden, Fla.) and 2028 C
Ryan Heerman (Bridgewater, Mass.) were some of the offensive standouts for that Artillery group on Day 2, all contributing and showing off things to like for their long-term upside.
Arnett got his weekend going literally right away as he hit a leadoff bomb in their first game, hanging back on off-speed and sending it out over a deep left-center wall. He’s gotten more physical and it shows in his ability to be simpler with the swing but generate a similar level of impact. Hamelynck made his presence felt with a couple extra-base hits, showing some of the better pure hand speed, which results in him creating some impact at just 5’10/155. Tseng has a really compact swing and really packs a punch with his quick hands, burning the left-fielder in both of his games for extra-bases. Zimmerman is the biggest of the group and looks the part of a guy that’ll grow into some serious power, already showing an ability to get separated and create leverage, which he did on a couple of his well-struck hits. Heerman went 4-for-5 on the day, including hitting a triple, and it’s a pretty fast bat too.
2028 OF
Keelan Zumwalt (Lees Summit, Mo.) is the top-ranked player here this weekend, and he showed why he’s so highly regarded on Day 2 with a couple of hits, and some really good swings. He looks more physical and it’s really adding to his game as he’s able to keep things simple offensively and have the strength to still hit balls hard. He found grass in right-center for a knock in his first at-bat on the day and then got his best swing off on a ball that was scorched foul that would’ve comfortably been a home run. After that swing, he kept things simple with two strikes and drove a single the other way, showing some really hitterish traits. It’s an exciting profile in terms of what’s he doing now and what the upside is.
2028 3B/RHP
Kaden Croft (Covington, La.) and 2028 RHP
Clayton Moore (Virginia Beach, Va.) went against each other on the mound and there’s definitely things to like with both. Croft was mostly 83-86 with a clean and easy release, while the feel for the breaking ball definitely stood out, a pitch that has all the makings of being a swing-and-miss go-to long term. Moore is a bit bigger physically with more length to the body, and while it’s not as clean or easy of a release as Croft, he’s up to 86 and can really ride the heater from a lower release height. He’s got more developing feel for the breaking ball with a solid foundation.
2028 C/RHP
Grant Arnold (Merritt Island, Fla.), 2028 SS
Bryan Mesa (Hialeah, Fla.) and 2028 C
Robert Mascia (Commack, N.Y.) were all awesome in their own regard on Day 2, contributing either offensively or on both sides. Arnold hit a bomb on the day, lifting it out to right-center showing the left-handed juice he has, and also got on the mound pumping 88-90 with big life and feel for a legit slider. Mesa just casually hit 4 doubles on the day, working good at-bats and using the whole field while the impact continues to stand out. Mascia had a few hits, showing a much more synced up swing due to the added physicality he’s got from last year. It’s a really talented middle of the order that all shined right away in Fort Myers.
2029 LHP
Garrett Harper (Viera, Fla.) got an inning of work on the mound and looked great as well, living mostly 85-87 with legit arm speed and a hammer breaking ball. He’s just a freshman now, playing up this week, and looks the part as one of the better arms with a ton of upside.
-Tyler Russo