2013 Perfect Game High School Baseball Preview Index
Mid-Atlantic
Region: Delaware, District of
Columbia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, West
Virginia
Two
Way Talents on Display
Every
year there is a strong group of players that excel at more than one
position, leaving scouts
to dream on a player even more once they settle into one position.
This year's high school crop in the Mid-Atlantic has more than its
fair share of promising two-way prospects including Bryce Harman,
Ryder Jones, Cory Thompson, Ryder Ryan, Taylor Widener and Jordan
Gore.
With
Harman’s frame, it is easy to envision him throwing much harder
than he currently does, but at the same time he has incredible power
potential, which leads most to think he will stick at first base.
Ryder
Jones is a primary shortstop, but made a big impression on the mound
for everybody that was in attendance during the 2012 WWBA World
Championship in Jupiter, Fla. A Stanford commit, Jones put all his
skills on display, particularly against the Yak squad, launching a
three-run home run and closing out the game, sitting at 91-92 with
his fastball. Ryan is a versatile player with the ability to play
several positions, but he still has another year and a half to decide
his ultimate position. Listed as a primary catcher, many see him
moving from behind the plate for either the mound or third base, his
main position in high school. There is no doubting his arm strength,
a reason why some think the mound is his most likely eventual and
permanent destination.
Three
of the six players above – Thompson, Widener and Gore – are
University of South Carolina commits. Both Thompson and Widener look
certain to have promising futures on the mound, while Gore is a
little tougher to determine where his future lies.
Widener
has a three-pitch mix with which he consistently pounds the strike
zone, and he should only get better as he continues to fill out, add
strength, and as a result of that, velocity.
Thompson
showed well at the World Showcase as a shortstop, displaying quick
actions in the field and one of the best infield arms of the 2013
class, throwing 90 mph across the diamond. In addition, when he takes
to the mound he shows off his electric, easy arm strength and has
topped out at 93 in the past. He also throws a hard, downward curve.
Like
Cory Thompson, Gore has a lot of arm strength from shortstop to go
along with his quick hands and smooth actions in the field. He is a
switch hitter at the plate, and on the mound delivers low-90s
fastballs from a high three-quarters delivery. Gore attends Conway
High School, where he teams up with Grant Holmes to make a formidable
1-2 punch.
Mid-Atlantic
High School Dream Team
Based
on present tools
C
- Nick Ciuffo, Sr., Lexington (SC)
Currently
ranked as the 16th best draft-eligible high school prospect in the
country and a Perfect Game All-American last summer, Nick Ciuffo is
one of the best catchers in an extremely deep 2013 class. Behind the
plate, Ciuffo is a leader on the field and knows how to control his
pitchers. Soft hands, good receiving skills, and a quick transfer are
only half his game, as he shows real potential at the plate as well.
From the left side, he has a powerful swing, bringing his hands
straight to the ball and through the zone. A South Carolina commit,
Ciuffo has all the tools one would look for in an elite talent.
1B
- Braxton Davidson, Jr., TC Roberson (NC)
Davidson
offers a young bat with some of the best power in the 2014 class.
Getting good extension in his swing and the ability to quickly get
his bat through the zone, he already shows power to all fields and
projects for more as he gets a little stronger. He is primarily a
first baseman with soft hands and good awareness and instincts around
the bag. It was hard to leave Bryce Harman off of the Dream Team for
the Mid-Atlantic Region, a testament to just how good Davidson is.
MIF
- Ryder Jones, Sr., Watauga (NC)
A
Stanford signee and a legit two-way player, Jones makes the list for
his skills at shortstop, although he would also be in consideration
for one of the five pitching spots, as well as the utility role. With
his frame, he may be forced to move over to third at some point, but
for now his skills work up the middle. He moves laterally well,
possesses quick, soft hands and has a strong arm to get the ball
across the infield. A left-handed batter, Jones has a high hand set
and a longer swing, but makes up for it with a quick bat, resulting
in hard contact and the ability to drive the ball long distances.
MIF
- Andy McGuire, Sr., James Madison (VA)
McGuire
has one of the strongest infield arms in the 2013 class, an obvious
attribute to his overall defensive package. Quick on his feet,
McGuire is able to get to balls in the 5-6 hole and make the throw
across the diamond with plenty of carry. He has simple swing
mechanics at the plate and the ability to turn on the ball and
produce solid contact. Cory Thompson deserves to be in the mix for
both the middle infield as well as a pitcher, as he has fluid actions
in the field and top of the line arm strength. Also keep an eye on
Weston Wilson and Eli White, a pair of shortstops who have both
signed with Clemson.
3B
- Charlie Cody, 3B, Jr., Great Bridge (VA)
The
second junior on the list, Cody has one of the best pure bats in his
class. He has a high hand set and simple swing mechanics, but his bat
speed allows him to drive the ball to all fields. At third base, he
is quick on his feet with soft hands, and his throws have been
clocked at 84 mph across the diamond showing plenty of carry and
online delivery. Cody is a University of Virginia commit and is
primed for big spring and summer seasons.
OF
- Matt McPhearson, Sr., Riverdale Baptist (MD)
Speed.
That is what Matt McPhearson is known for. His summer circuit began
with a bang, running a 6.22 60-yard dash at the National Showcase,
bested by only Carlos Williams of Covington, Tenn. (6.18).
McPhearson's speed plays in both center field and on the bases,
evident by his six stolen bases in Jupiter en route to being named to
the All-Tournament Team. But McPhearson isn’t only a speed guy, he
was a natural table setter for Riverdale Baptist last spring and for
Marucci this past summer, with a knack for getting on base.
OF
- Jake Fraley, Sr., Red Lion Christian (DE)
Fraley
could make it back-to-back years for Delaware to have a top prospect
eligible for the draft, following Jamie Jarmon last year. Fraley is a
fleet-footed outfielder that can cover a lot of ground and gets good
reads off the bat. Using his speed, Fraley got things going this
summer for the EvoShield Canes, getting on base and scoring runs from
atop the batting order. He's a prototypical leadoff hitter from the
left side, with a quick bat and some pop in his swing.
OF
- KJ Woods, Sr., Fort Mill (SC)
Woods
came on strong at the end of the summer, with his coming out party
being the East Coast Professional Showcase. With his big, muscular
frame, left-handed bat, raw power and the ability to run, one could
see why people liken him to PG All-American Home Run Challenge
champion Justin Williams. Although the difference in power between
the two may not be very close now, Woods knows how to hit and can
drive the ball to all fields. All his tools play well in-game,
including his defensive actions and strong arm.
UT
- Bryce Harman, Sr., Lloyd C. Bird (VA)
6-foot-6
lefties with a great deal of power in the box and high-80s to low-90s
with a feel for off-speed on the mound always cause a debate amongst
inner scouting circles and Bryce Harman is no exception. At this
point though the consensus points towards first base as his power is
unmistakable. His long limbs allow him to create leverage in his
swing and drive the ball to all fields. Ryder Ryan may be the
ultimate utility player as he's versatile and plays every position
well.
P
- Connor Jones, RHP, Sr., Great Bridge (VA)
P
- Hunter Harvey, RHP, Sr., Bandys (NC)
P
- Derek Casey, RHP, Jr., Hanover (VA)
P
- Akeem Bostik, RHP, Sr., West Florence (SC)
P
- Grant Holmes, RHP, Jr., Conway (SC)
Connor
Jones leads this impressive group of pitchers for the Mid-Atlantic,
all of whom are right-handed. Jones has an ideal frame and is able to
generate a lot of movement on all of his pitches. Already equipped
with the traditional University of Virginia starting “squat” at
the beginning of his delivery, Jones stays loose throughout and
should be able to pick up a couple of ticks on his fastball come
spring. Hunter Harvey has taken a different route to gain prospect
status than most do. Rather than pitch on the summer circuit, Harvey
stayed local in North Carolina and played legion ball. Fast forward
to the East Coast Profesional Showcase in Syracuse, N.Y. and Harvey
blew up, touching 94. With his frame it is easy to see him throwing
harder with added strength. Derek Casey is a younger arm that already
touches low-90s with a sharp breaking ball and a developing change.
The game of his that stood out to me was at the 16u WWBA National
Championship in Marietta, Ga. Last July where he shut down the
Marucci Elite 16’s in complete game fashion. There he showed good
command of the strike zone, inside and out, with all of his pitches.
Akeem Bostick is a big-bodied right-hander that sees his velocity
gradually increase at each Perfect Game event he attends. He is able
to get downhill and also shows a changeup and a curveball. There is
more in there once he fills out more and cleans up his mechanics a
bit. Grant Holmes is a high ceiling player that seems to get better
each time out. With a strong lower half and a quick arm, Holmes will
improve his stuff on the mound as he focuses on just pitching at the
next level.
Mid-Atlantic
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