Day 1 Recap
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| Day 5 Recap
| Day 6 Recap
2016
righthander Zach
Linginfelter
may not have had the most consistent outing on Thursday morning, but
the stuff that he flashed could certainly make him worthy of
first-round consideration next June. Sporting a 6-foot-4, 225-pound
workhorse frame and build, Lingenfelter worked at 92-94 and touched
95 mph with his fastball in the first two innings, painting it at the
knees to both sides of the plate with a little bit of sink, and just
dominated with the pitch. Complementing the fastball was a slider
that showed legitimate plus potential early on, but lacked overall
consistency and feel throughout the outing. At it's best, it’s a
hard pitch with two-plane break, deception and tight spin that can
either be thrown for a strike or buried down out of the zone as a
chase pitch. Using those two pitches, Linginfelter cruised through
the first two innings without a problem. He ran into a bit of an
issue in the third and beyond, noticeably struggling when pitching
from the stretch. However, he certainly flashed enough plus
stuff—both on Thursday and at the PG National—to warrant
potential first-round buzz.
Hugh
Fisher of the Dulin Dodgers 17u took the mound in relief on
Thursday and was impressive. Fisher is a long, lean and highly projectable 2017
lefthander with a very long and very easy arm action. He throws from
an extended high three-quarters slot with quality downhill plane,
working his fastball in the 86-88 range with plenty of projection for
more velocity as he continues to fill out his 6-foot-4, 175-pound
frame. His feel for the changeup stood out, and though it didn't have
a big velocity differential from his fastball, it still was quite
deceptive with action that mimicked the fastball well out of his hand
and some fade to the arm side. He’s certainly one to watch moving
forward.
2016
lefthander Cole Ragans of the Scorpions Prime has been talked
about before in these recaps, but he threw again in the playoffs on
Thursday and deserves to be mentioned again. Generating excellent
angle and plane, Ragans worked at 89-92 mph with his fastball and
missed 17 bats with that pitch alone. It’s a really tough pitch to
pick up out of his hand, and when combined with the extension and
plane he creates, makes it seem a legitimate amount faster to the
hitter. That led to 14 strikeouts in just five innings. With the
high-end physical projection he has, it’s easy to project him to
gain even more velocity moving into next spring and eventually the
2016 MLB Draft.
We
cannot possibly do a recap of Thursday’s action without mentioning
Rylan Thomas of Elite Squad Prime 17u. After hitting a home
run early in the day, Thomas then hit a walkoff three-run shot to
advance Elite Squad to the quarterfinals. Then, in the quarterfinal
game, he homered again early on, giving him three for the day, before
delivering yet another walkoff hit to send Elite Squad to the
semifinals against CBA Marucci, to be played on Friday morning.
Thomas is a big, physical third base prospect with plus raw power and
a swing geared to do damage all over the zone. Generating very good
bat speed with natural loft and good plate coverage, he’s a threat
to leave the yard whenever he steps into the box.
After
an impressive showing earlier in the week, 2016 lefthander Jesus
Luzardo delivered another outstanding performance for Elite Squad
Prime when it mattered most. After showing a solid fastball in the
89-92 range with a quality slider earlier this week, Luzardo took
another step forward on Thursday afternoon, ramping his heater all
the way up to 93-94 with above average command, and showing an even
better slider than before, rounding out his arsenal with a quality
changeup that projects to be a very good third pitch for him.
Pounding the zone consistently with all three pitches, Luzardo showed
the ability to miss bats all over the zone with those three pitches
as well. Perhaps most impressive, however, was his overall feel for
pitching, which allowed him the wherewithal to throw sliders in 3-1
counts and changeups in 3-2 counts. In those situations, he was able
to escape nearly any kind of danger he found himself in. It’s hard
to argue that any player has done more this week to raise their
national stock than Luzardo.
2017
shortstop Nick
Allen
of CBA Marucci is another name we at Perfect Game have known for
quite some time, and he hasn't disappointed this week. With a very
simple approach to hitting, Allen has a swing that is geared for
hard, line drive contact all over the zone and as a result, all over
the field. He’s patient with a very advanced understanding of the
strike zone and is more than willing to take a walk. Aside from
hitting, Allen is a highly athletic defender with instinctive
shortstop tools, making plays to both sides with good range and more
than enough arm to stick on that side of the field at the next level.
He’s a very heady player overall, and one who is certainly in the
conversation for early round potential in the 2017 MLB Draft.
– Brian
Sakowski
Mason
Studstill (2016, Titusville, Fla.) showed off some big natural
raw power at last month’s National Showcase and on Thursday he
displayed some strong potential off of the mound. The 6-foot-2,
205-pound righthander ran his
fastball up to 91 mph on Thursday. The Miami commit has strength in
his body with some definition and thickness to his lower half.
Studsill sits back and gathers on the back side of his delivery and
uses his lower half pretty well to drive out to the plate. He has a
longer arm action and it works just fine up to a high three-quarters
arm slot. He consistently sat in the 89-91 mph range with his heater
in the early going before settling more into the 86-89 mph range as
the game progressed, and he showed some ability to command the
offering to the glove side with some natural slight arm-side run and
life down in the strike zone.
Studstill
also flashed a breaking ball in the 73-78 mph range that had
two-plane depth with late glove-side finish. At times the breaker
would show more slider tilt and have late break, while at others the
offering would show more 11-to-5 break with bigger depth. He did well
to utilize the breaking ball to keep hitters off balance and showed
the ability to locate in the offering to generate some called
strikes, while also using it to garner swings and misses.
Grant
Gambrell (2016, Clovis, Calif) shows big arm strength and
potential. The 6-foot-4, 220-pound Oregon State commit has a sturdy,
strong build and physique on his larger frame and the righty has some
present strength and mass in his torso and lower half. Gambrell
works to a high three-quarters arm slot and has solid arm speed a
clean break and loose, long arm stroke that work well. He came on in
relief and flashed the ability to pound the strike zone with his
fastball. At the PG National Gambrell ran his fastball up to 92 and
on Thursday he consistently lived in the 91-93 mph range. The heater
was pretty true, but at times the offering showed solid arm-side run
when located to that side of the plate, and he generated solid
downhill plane and angle. While Gambrell landed slightly closed at
foot strike, he showed a solid ability to repeat his delivery and
throw strikes.
His
most effective secondary pitch was his 77-80 mph changeup, and he
generally had solid arm speed on the offering which showed solid
fading action and played well off of his fastball. He showed good
confidence in his changeup and was generally able to keep the pitch
down in the zone and use the offering to garner some weaker swings.
Additionally, Gambrell worked in some breaking balls in the mid-70s
that showed varied 10-to-4 to 11-to-5 shape and solid depth. While
he’s still developing feel for the offering, Gambrell has the hand
speed and athleticism for the breaking ball to be a more consistent
part of his repertoire in the future.
Like
his CBA Marucci teammate, Blake Sabol (2016, Aliso Niguel,
Calif.) also was a PG National participant. The 6-foot-4, 190-pound
Southern California commit has a leaner, well-proportioned build on a
large yet lean and projectable frame. At the National Showcase, Sabol
displayed solid defensive tools and a strong, accurate arm. Where he
makes his mark is at the plate, as the lefthanded hitter starts from
a high hand set and uses an easy, fluid and level swing to get the
barrel to the ball quickly and efficiently. Sabol has quick, strong
hands and flashes the ability to generate solid extension and
backspin the baseball. As he continues to mature and add strength to
his frame, Sabol should project for additional power. Additionally,
he’s a good athlete for his size, as he turned in a 6.77 60-yard
dash at the National Showcase and has regularly been timed at 4.25
seconds on his home-to-first splits.
Khalil
Lee (2016, Centreville, Va.) really turned some heads at the
National Showcase. The Liberty University commit showed off easy bat
speed and an advanced feel for the barrel at the event last month,
and as a member of the Richmond Braves National Harrison 17u team,
Lee continued to impress onlookers with his overall skill-set. Lee
possesses very good strength from his compact and athletic 5-foot-10,
180-pound frame. In the batter’s box the lefthanded hitter starts
with a slightly open stance and generates above average bat speed
from a deeper load and is able to whip the barrel through the zone
with authority. He ripped a triple to right-center field and showed
off of his average foot speed, turning in a 4.41 time on the turn. He
has a strong arm from the outfield, which translates to the mound,
where he consistently works in the 88-91 mph range with his heater.
Kyle
Johnson (2016, Jackson, N.J.) showed well over the course of the
tournament. The 5-foot-10, 175-pound Johnson has a compact, athletic
frame with present strength, and he was a big reason as to why the
9ers Baseball Club Prime 17u team advanced to the quarterfinals in
the playoffs. The uncommitted righthanded hitter has a
well-proportioned, sturdy physique and has solid athleticism and feel
for the game. Johnson uses a slightly crouched stance in the batter’s
box and employs a toe-tap and wrapped load, and he’s able to
generate some bat speed and keep a decent rhythm at the plate that
allows him to impact the ball when his timing is in sync, as he did
in his first plate appearance in a game against Chain National with a
booming triple.
Josh
Stephen (2016, Newport Beach, Calif.) was yet another position
player that participated at the National Showcase that performed
exceptionally well on Thursday. The athletic 6-foot, 180-pound
lefthanded hitting outfielder displayed some power potential and the
ability to backspin the baseball while at the National. He put that
talent to good use in the knockout rounds on Thursday, as the
Southern California commit homered twice in CBA Marucci’s win 8-7
win over the East Cobb Astros Scout Team.
Alfredo
Villarreal (2016, Brownsville, Texas) pitched extremely well in
the Houston Banditos’ playoff loss to Elite Squad Prime.
Villarreal, a University of Houston commit, is an undersized bulldog
listed at 5-foot-10, 180-pounds. The righthander has a compact frame
with some present strength in his build, especially in his lower
half. Villarreal uses a strong back-side load to generate some burst
and power in his delivery, and he uses his lower-half well. He works
pretty cleanly to a high three-quarters arm slot and he consistently
held his velocity in the 88-91 mph range over the course of his 6 1/3
innings pitched.
Villarreal
obviously has good arm speed, and he was able to generate some solid
arm-side run and sinking action on his heater when the offering was
located down in the strike zone. Over the course of his strong outing
against a loaded Elite Squad Prime lineup he showed no fear in
working to both sides of the plate and changing eye levels.
Villarreal also worked in a mid-70s breaking ball which showed decent
potential. He had developing feel for the offering, but was able to
mix in 11-to-5 breaking pitch effectively enough to keep hitters off
balance, and the curveball flashed solid depth at times.
Villarreal’s
Houston Banditos teammate, Alerick Soularie (2017, Humble,
Texas), is also committed to the University of Houston. Soularie will
be a junior in the fall, but the athletic 6-foot, 175-pound
outfielder has solid present strength and a solid, athletic build.
The righthanded hitter generates solid bat speed in his swing and he
has strong, quick hands. At times, Soularie can get off balance and
drift a bit, but he possesses the solid raw hitting tools that could
allow him to be a force at the next level. He was able to utilize
his impressive tools in game action in striking a well-hit double on
an elevated 89 mph fastball into the left-center field gap in his
first at-bat against talented 2016 lefthander Jesus Lazardo.
At
6-foot-4, 195-pounds, Nick Silber (2016, New York, N.Y.)
possesses the long, lean frame that college coaches and professional
scouts covet. The righty has some present looseness and strength in
his extra-large frame with long limbs, a higher waist, wide hips, and
sloped shoulders. And while he may not project to add to much more
weight at maturity, he should be able to comfortably add strength
onto his frame and tighten up his present physique.
Silber
participated at the National Showcase and displayed upper-80s heat.
On Thursday, Silber competeted well and did not back down, as he came
on to close off Team Citius’ second playoff game and then went on
to earn a win in a complete game victory over Ostingers Baseball
Academy in the quarterfinal round. Silber predominately sat in the
85-88 mph range with his fastball, but he displayed natural cutting
action and some late life down in the zone with the offering. Using
an up-tempo delivery with rocking hands (a la David Cone), Silber
works to a three-quarters arm slot and has a clean break with a
compact arm action that allows his fastball to get on hitters
quickly.
While
his fastball was a quality offering on the night on its own, Silber
also mixed in an upper-70s offering with sharp, late break and good
tilt and depth that plays well off of the natural cutting action on
the fastball. While there is some late energy and effort in his
delivery with a head snap at release, Silber is able to repeat his
mechanics pretty well, and he was able to live within the strike zone
on Thursday night, striking out nine and allowing just one hit over
seven innings.
– Andrew
Krause