Although
he may not show the big velocity yet, Jovani Moran (2015,
Sabana Grande, P.R.) showed plenty of things to like in his Game 1
start in Friday's action. Listed at 6-foot-1, 165-pounds, the South
Florida commit has very long, lean limbs with a high waist and
projects extremely well as he continue to add strength to his frame.
Topping
out at 88 mph with his fastball while sitting comfortably in the
mid-80s, Moran’s velocity was playing up as he creates very good
extension at release, seeming as if he is handing the ball to the
catcher. He shows a quick arm coming through the back side and
generates downhill plane, though he throws across his body at times
but makes it works as he is able to locate to his glove side and come
in on righthanded hitters. Throwing predominately fastballs, Moran
showed both a mid-70s changeup with fade to his arm side and an
1-to-7 curveball up to 76 mph.
Standing
at 6-foot-2, 195-pounds, righthander Thomas Romero (2015, Fort
Lauderdale, Fla.) has his fastball get on hitters quicker than even
the velocity would dictate. With long arms and an over-the-top
release, Romero generates severe downhill plane on his fastball, with
the ball jumping out of his hand.
Showing
a clean, quick arm action, Romero topped out at 92 mph, working in
the 87-91 mph range throughout with the ball coming out of his hand
cleanly and with limited effort. It’s a firm fastball and plays up
with the plane he is able to create, but he also shows a sharp, late
breaking 12-to-6 curveball with depth at 76 mph which he used to help
strike out seven batters in two-plus innings out of the bullpen.
Shortstop
Ramon Guzman (2016, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) showed interesting
tools on both sides of the ball, but particularly shined defensively.
With a long, lean build, Guzman looks closer to 6-foot-1 or 6-foot-2
rather than 5-foot-11 as listed in the program. His hands and
transfers are incredibly quick and his actions are smooth, moving
well to both sides. A righthanded hitter, Guzman showed quick hands
in the box as well, turning on an inside 92 mph fastball for a
standup double in his first at-bat. He stays balanced through his
swing well and showed a nice feel for the barrel, creating line drive
contact to his pull side and the middle of the field.
Kerby
Camacho (2015, Camuy, P.R.) showed light actions on his feet
behind the plate and did a nice job of receiving Moran. The loudest
tool that Camacho showed was his arm, as he made multiple, accurate
throws down to second base with sub-2.00 pop times. He wasn’t
afraid to show it off in game action either, throwing out two runners
at second base – one of which was from his knees – and attempting
back picks at all three bases as well.
Shortstop
Robert Montes (2015, Miami, Fla.) had a strong summer for
Elite Squad Prime and continued to swing a hot bat in their first
game of the tourney, leading the team with two base hits. The South
Florida commit made consistent contact with a strong feel for the
barrel, driving the ball twice to left field for two ground-rule
doubles, and in his final at-bat he lined out to deep left-center
field for a loud F-8. He moves well up the middle and shows above
average arm strength on his throws across the diamond.
A
University of Miami commit, Andrew Cabezas (2015, Miami
Gardens, Fla.) started the game for Elite Squad Prime. Standing at
5-foot-11, the righthander shows an advanced IQ on the mound with a
strong understanding of how to pitch and how to mix all three of his
pitches. In the early innings Cabezas was sitting 89-90 mph, showing
a loose, whippy arm action, generating nice arm-side run on the
pitch. His slider was the better of his two breaking balls, throwing
it in the low-80s with tight spin and short, late break. With his
curveball, Cabezas would add and subtract velocity to it with intent,
showing 11-to-5 break and was up to 73 mph with the pitch.
Throwing
in his first Perfect Game event as a member of IMG Academy, Anthony
Holubecki (2016, Elburn, Ill.) threw 4 2/3 innings, recording
nine strikeouts while issuing only one walk and scattered four hits.
A University of Notre Dame commit, Holubecki continues to make
strides on the mound and showed a developed feel for his changeup, a
pitch that shows very interesting potential. As he continues to throw
it and maintain his arm speed on the pitch, he will be able to add
velocity to the mid-70s offering and generate more deception to the
pitch, as it already comes out of his hand like a fastball with fade
to his arm side.
Standing
6-foot-4, 190-pounds, the righthander is able to create easy velocity
with his long, loose limbs and a fast arm. Early in the game
Holubecki showed 92 mph before settling into the upper-80s while
still touching 90 mph, both from the stretch and wind-up, with life
down in the zone. As eluded to earlier, his changeup showed nice
potential with very good life to his arm side at 75 mph and he also
showed an 11-to-5 curveball with some depth which he threw for
strikes.
South
Carolina commit Danny Blair (2015, Bel Air, Mary.) is a player
that Perfect Game has been able to watch grow over the last couple
years and it looks like he has begun to add strength to his frame
while still maintaining looseness and his speed on the bases. Batting
leadoff for IMG Academy Black, Blair has begun to show strength in
his lefthanded swing, driving the ball to his pull side during both
of IMG’s games yesterday, picking up a home run in the second game.
Debuting
at No. 55 in the initial class of 2017 rankings, righthander
Conor Grady (2017, Tampa, Fla.) was given the ball in Game 1
for Ostingers Baseball Academy 17u. Looking at Grady, he passes the
eye test physically as he stands at 6-foot-2, 185-pounds with very
long, loose limbs with a high waist and a projectable frame.
Throwing
from an extended three-quarters arm slot, Grady shows a full arm
action coming through the backside, working from a steady tempo’d
delivery before driving to the plate. Although he stays tall at
release, the young righthander was able to work downhill with his
fastball, which topped at 87 mph and worked comfortably in the
mid-80s throughout his outing, generating very good run to his arm
side. Grady’s changeup is presently his best off-speed offering as
he maintains his arm slot and shows similar fade to his arm side at
75 mph as his fastball. His feel for his curveball developed nicely
the more he threw it, with his best one coming across at 72 mph with
10-to-4 shape and late tilt away from the righthanded hitter for
strike three.
Righthanded
pitcher Francisco Arias (2015, Brandon, Fla.) came in to throw
the last two innings for SCORE International 18u and impressed in the
brief look. With a strong, physical 6-foot-4, 230-pound build, Arias
showed a live, electric arm that produced a fastball in the 90-93 mph
range with downhill plane and life when he gets on top of the ball.
His delivery is a bit raw as he uses mostly his arm and opens his
front side early, but as he continues to refine his mechanics and
incorporate his lower half Arias should be able to add another tick
or two to his fastball. He maintained the velocity well over the two
innings, including from the stretch, and did a nice job of staying
low in the zone. A pitch that showed above average life and solid
potential was his slider, a pitch he threw three times and shows
hard, late biting life up to 81 mph.
When
lefthanded pitcher Clayton Morell (2015, Boynton Beach, Fla.)
threw in the Florida Top Prospect Showcase in the middle of August,
he worked in the 85-88 mph range with his fastball. Jump forward to
the first day of the WWBA Florida Qualifier and Morell came in relief
for the Scorpions South Upperclass working 88-90 mph, touching 91
once. With a lean, quick-twitch 6-foot-2, 155-pound frame, Morell
showed a fast arm from a lower three-quarters slot. Though there is
effort at release, the uncommitted Morell was able to work downhill
with his fastball, showing simple mechanics, and projects for more
velocity as he continues to incorporate his lower half into his
delivery.