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Tournaments  | Story  | 3/9/2018

PG HS Showdown Day 1 Notes

Vincent Cervino      Greg Gerard     
Photo: Perfect Game

2018 PG High School Showdown: Player Stats | Daily Leaders


 

Starting out day one of the PG HS Showdown was a highly anticipated matchup between Mountain View and Montverde that featured the Bears starter Gavin Collyer (2019, Buford, Ga.) showing off a lively right arm. The righthander stands at an extremely lean and projectable 6-foot-1, 155-pounds with long limbs and tons of room to fill out and add strength to the frame. The delivery is quick paced, and Collyer operated in attack-mode all afternoon as he worked with a very fast tempo and pounded the strike zone early on.

The Clemson commit worked his fastball in the 87-90 mph range for most of the early portion of the game, before sitting more 84-87 mph toward the end of the game. The pitch had very good life to it, showing some riding life up and in over the arm side while also flashing some cut over the glove side of the plate. The fastball was what Collyer used to attack hitters and miss bats, which he did a lot of to the tune of 11 strikeouts.

Collyer’s curveball was a very effective pitch, it was thrown with a bit of a lower slot, but showed good bite when thrown with conviction. The ingredients are there when you look at the frame along with the looseness and speed of the arm to project a lot upon Collyer. He was dealt a hard luck loss, as the Eagles walked him off in the bottom of the seventh inning.




One of the big names coming into this event was shortstop Nander De Sedas (2018, Montverde, Fla.) and the PG All-American did not disappoint on day one of the Showdown. De Sedas looked more agile and leaner than he has in the past as he was incredibly light on his feet and posted above-average run times during the afternoon, timed at 4.19 and 4.29 seconds from the left side.

The defensive skills shone early on for the Florida State commit, as the first batter of the game tested De Sedas over the middle. He broke on a hard ground ball to his left, gathered, spun and showed off the plus arm strength to nail a speedy runner. De Sedas showed off true shortstop talent and athleticism to make plays to both sides early on in the day.

De Sedas showed off his plus raw power during batting practice on Thursday morning, making PG Park look like a sand box with his power from both sides. The impact strength showed later on in the game as he registered exit velocities of 96 mph and 97 mph, respectively. He utilized the speed more in game one as he scored the first run of the game following an infield single and stolen base. De Sedas certainly looked the part of a top 10 pick on Thursday and will be monitored heavily by scouts as the weekend progresses.




Delivering a big victory in the opening game for Buford was starting pitcher Ramsey David (2019, Dacula, Ga.) and the righthander looks to have taken a few big steps forward in terms of both his delivery and command. The Auburn commit was very impressive on Thursday evening, as he garnered a lot of swing and miss on the breaking ball, especially in tough spots.

The breaking ball showed more of a slurve or tweener offering, however it showed late tilt and biting life, especially effective against batters of the same handedness. David wasn’t afraid to double or triple up on the breaker and the late two-plane snap proved effective at missing multiple bats, especially when you factor that the pitch was in the upper-70s.

The delivery itself was clean and easy with little wasted movement. David was on time very consistently with his arm stroke and this allowed him to paint the corners to both sides, showing particularly adept command to the glove side, and to create effective downhill plane on the fastball. David showed out very well for Buford overall, and the Wolves look to be in good hands the rest of the season with David on the bump.

The strongest pitching performance of the evening has to belong to Georgia Southern commit and Parkview ace Braden Hays (2018, Stone Mountain, Ga.). The southpaw did nothing but carve opposing hitters all night as he allowed only three hits and struck out twelve batters over five shutout innings to earn the win.

Hays is an extremely projectable lefthander, at a listed 6-foot-3 and 185-pounds, with long limbs and a young look, all that project for additional velocity moving forward. Hays was up to 87 mph at peak and worked 83-86 mph throughout the start and the pitch showed good life to both sides of the plate. The fastball played up too as Hays’ short, online arm stroke hides the ball through release and made it tough to square up.

What jumped out about Hays’ performance is that everything out of the hand had some sort of life to it, whether it be the fastball or the offspeed, including a breaking ball in the low-70s that he could bury for swings and misses. Hays was the star of the night for the Panthers and they look to be formidable moving into the weekend.




Although Hays got the best of his team, Xavier Edwards (2018, Wellington, Fla.) still showed what makes him such a coveted draft pick come this June as the tools practically oozed out of his performance. The Vanderbilt signee fits a leadoff profile, but his speed and dynamic play-making ability make him such an exciting prospect.

The speed is obvious from the get go as he has been recorded as a plus, to even double-plus, runner in the past from both sides of the plate. The PG All-American only got one run time off on a bunt single and it was a blazing 3.65 seconds to first from the right side. Edwards will let the speed take hold of his at-bats perhaps a little too often, but when you are that kind of runner it still functions as an asset.

Edwards is notably the top defender in the prep class, with tremendous hands and a very quick release in the infield that allow his arm strength to play up. The North Broward shortstop notched two hits from the right side during Thursday’s game and promises for much more excitement into the weekend.

In a matchup between two Georgia schools that have impressed early on, Blessed Trinity and Brookwood did not disappoint in a closely contested game. Two offensive contributors stood out as the Broncos’ Trace Twardoski (2018, Lawrenceville, Ga.) and the Titans’ Griffin McClure (2018, Woodstock, Ga.) both stood out.

Twardoski, a Georgia Highlands commit, stood out offensively with three hits on the day and looked to do damage early in counts. The righthanded hitter starts from a pretty relaxed stance and lets his hands flow through the point of extension with pretty good bat speed. He handles the barrel well with a fluid stroke through the zone and wore out the pull side of the field with hard hit contact but showed the ability to lift the ball the other way with authority as he launched a double that one hopped the right centerfield fence as well.

McClure proved to be the difference in the game as he launched a home run to give the Titans a three-run lead early in the game. The righthanded hitter is a long and projectable 6-foot-4, with power in the frame that he may just be scratching the surface of. McClure got a fastball over the inner half that he could handle and showed the ability to drop the barrel head out in front of the plate to connect for a two-run shot.




If Hays had the start of the night for Parkview, than Loganville’s Bay Witcher (2018, Loganville, Ga.) had to have been at least 1B in terms of performance. The 6-foot-5 righthander took a no-hitter into the fifth inning and dominated his outing against Troup to help Loganville advance to the second round of the Red Bracket.

The Troy commit was up to 89 mph with his fastball early in the game and settled in the 84-87 mph range for most of his performance, though he had the 88 mph and 89 mph bullets in his back pocket when he needed it. The velocity doesn’t jump off the page but what does is the incredible life he had on his fastball. Witcher looked like he was throwing bowling balls at hitters as the fastball showed above-average sinking arm-side life that allowed him to generate a lot of weak ground ball contact.

Witcher showed a full repertoire including a sinking changeup in the upper-70s that he wasn’t afraid to throw to righthanded hitters as well as a softer curveball in the low-70s with 11/5 shape for strikes. He fits the profile of a traditional sinker-baller, however it would be interesting to see if he would develop a slider as most sinker-ballers have in their arsenal. The Red Devils entered this tournament as one of the top teams in the country and Witcher showed why he is one of the top pitchers in the state on a cold Georgia night for six shutout innings with four strikeouts.

PG All-American and Grayson outfielder Parker Meadows (2018, Grayson, Ga.) had a big day both at the plate and on the mound as the Rams downed a tough College Station team during the late time slot. Meadows found some barrels to induce hard hit contact early and often, as during his first at-bat he laced a 2-0 fastball that one hopped the right-center field fence for a triple. The Clemson commit registered a turn time at 4.29 seconds from the left side, showcasing his plus run tool. Meadows also laced a hard hit lineout to the opposite field later on. Meadows then hopped on the mound to close out the victory. He featured a power fastball that worked 87-91 mph and also showed a 12-to-6 curveball in the 73-76 mph range that could be thrown for strikes and flashed power tilt to it.

Arkansas signee and righthanded pitcher Travis Hester (2018, College Station, Tex.) showed off some tools against Grayson and was dealt with the hard luck loss. Hester was cruising through four innings before allowing two runs and ultimately exiting the game. Hester is an extremely broad and physical 6-foot-2, 190-pounds with lots of room on the frame for additional strength and size. He featured a shorter arm stroke that allowed him to sync up and get on top of the fastball well. Hester worked up to 88 mph and sat comfortably in the mid- to upper 80s for most of the night. He racked up six strikeouts and also showed a breaking ball that he had confidence in.

– Vincent Cervino


Mason Barnett (2019, White, Ga.) got the nod for the Purple Hurricanes of Cartersville HighSchool on a frigid first night of the PG High School Showdown and he did not disappoint. Barnett has some of the best pitchability in the entire class and that ability was on display Thursday night. The Auburn commit tossed six impressive innings striking eight and earning the win. His fastball peaked at 90 mph andl ived in the 87-90 mph range consistently throughout the night. The aspect ofBarnett’s pitchability that stands out the most is his ability to locate all three of his pitches in any count he desires. His fastball, curveball andc hangeup are all good pitches and each are thrown for strikes continually. He went to his curveball first out of the gate that shows true 12-to-6 shape and tight spin. Barnett then went to his changeup that showed lots of fade and added deception due to maintained arm speed. Barnett is an interesting righthanded arm and a key piece to the Auburn Tigers’ 2019 recruiting class.




Brady House (2021, Winder, Ga.) is a young two-way prospect that turned heads early and often during Winder-Barrow’s double header Thursday. At the plate, House bats leadoff for the Bulldogs and shows feel for the barrel. On the mound, the arm projects as well as his size. Being only a freshman, House still has growing left to do as he already stands at 6-foot-3, 200-pounds. The righthanded pitcher topped out on the mound at 88 mph, but lived mostly 83-85 mph. The amount of life House produces on his fastball is the standout factor to his pitching. His arm works full through the backside up to an extended three-quarters slot. The uncommitted righthander has an advanced feel for the strike zone with the ability to locate the fastball to either side of the plate.




Cabera Weaver (2018, Decatur, Ga.) had possibly the best day he and the South Gwinnett Comets could have asked for to open up the PG High School Showdown. Weaver finished off the day 4-6 with all of hits being singles. The University of Georgia signee made consistent contact hitting the ball out in front. Weaver’s hit tool, however, is commonly overlooked by his elite speed. The outfielder has some of the best speed in the 2018 class and it was on display frequentlyThursday. Weaver beat out an infield single running a 4.37-second home to first time then later advancing to third base after an error by the right fielder.Weaver showcased his ability to spray line drives to all fields Thursday and one at-bat in particular really stood out. Weaver fell in the hole 0-2 in the second game of the Comets’ double header before fouling off a pair of pitches and really battling well. He then got extended well and laced a line drive to right field. The Georgia signee is a really special player and fun to watch all around.

Hunter Marsh (2020, Hoschton, Ga.) was the lone reliever in game one for Winder-Barrow. Marsh topped out on the mound at 86 mph with plenty of movement. With a short arm action and a bigger build at 6-foot-1, 185-pounds, the sophomore righthander has even more room to grow and likely more velocity in the tank. Not only did he pitch well and have projectable stuff, but he also has lots of potential at the plate as well. In the sixth inning of the contest, Marsh showed off his power as he squared up and elevated a fastball to pull side for a long home run to left field. He also squared up a double in the game as well.

Marc Davis (2018, Lilburn, Ga.) is a junior college commit to Florida Southwestern who made extremely loud contact multiple times in South Gwinnett’s first game of their double header. The first hard hit ball Davis put into play was a squared-up line drive single to pull side through the 5-6 hole. He, then, followed that up with a deep line drive over the center fielder’s head for a triple that may have been even louder than the stung single. Davis swings in the three hole for theComets and started the PG High School Showdown swinging a very hot bat.

Francisco Mateo (2018, Carolina, Puerto Rico) stood out at the PG World Showcase in January and his work on the mound late Thursday night was impressive as well. Mateo may only stand at 5-foot-10 175-pounds, but his arm strength is something that is worth noting. Mateo’s fastball worked in the 87-89 mph range early then slowly dipped as the game wore on. He did also touch 90 mph and 91 mph on single occasions to the first batter of the game. His day concluded with possibly the best pitching performance so far of the event going the distance on 107 pitches and striking out a batter per inning in route to a 7-2 win for Montverde Academy. The uncommitted righthander has some interesting ability on the mound and it is also worth noting that he can swing the bat as well. Mateo is the leadoff hitter for the Montverde Eagles and went 1-3 in this contest with a line drive single to right field.

– Gregory Gerard
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