Looking
at lefthander Jordan Butler (2017, Tampa, Fla.) it’s easy to
project his frame physically as he stands 6-foot-1, 180-pounds with a
young face and will continue to develop physically over the next two
years. The Burn handed the ball to Butler in their first of three
playoff games on Monday, and though only beginning his sophomore year
of high school he handled it as though he has been in that spot many
times before.
Throwing
from a lower, extended three-quarters arm slot, Butler shows a quick
arm that produced a fastball in the 85-87 mph range, topping 88 and
filled up the strike zone throughout his outing. The University of
Florida commit is able to create momentum through his delivery with
an up-tempo pace, and as he continues to incorporate his lower half
into his delivery, the young lefthander will continue to add
velocity. He showed a nice feel for his curveball, which shows
sweeping life at times due his slot in the low-70s from the same arm
slot as his fastball.
The
last time that Perfect Game saw Tobias Myers (2016, Winter
Haven, Fla.) – who is listed as a primary shortstop – take the
mound last summer, he was topping out at 80 mph. Now standing
6-foot-2, 180-pounds, the athletic Myers has the ball come out of his
hand easily, working 85-89 mph, touching 90 once in his first inning
of work. He works down in the zone, and though the feel for his
11-to-5 curveball is a bit inconsistent presently, it does shows
promise in the low-70s.
Righthanded
pitcher Austin Bergner
(2016, Windermere, Fla.) is no stranger to taking the mound at
a Perfect Game event, but every time he does, he shows something that
he has improved upon since the last time we saw him.
The
last time I saw Bergner throw was in his last Perfect Game
tournament, the 16u PG World Series where he showed his best velocity
at our events, topping 95 mph. He didn’t quite get the fastball up
that high, sitting at 90-92 and topping out at 93 mph, but what the
uncommitted Bergner did do was show very good command of it,
harnessing the run of his fastball and pounding down in the zone.
Whether it was a righthanded or lefthanded hitter, Bergner repeatedly
pounded the outside corner to either side with hard, late run to his
arm side. Along with that life, he showed the ability to start the
ball off the plate and bring it back over the outside corner to
freeze righthanded hitters, a pitch that’s hard to hit at any
level.
The
go-to off-speed pitch in this outing for Bergner was his curveball, a
pitch that already shows plus-life and is unhittable when he gets on
top of the pitch. Maintaining his arm action and speed on the pitch,
the curveball shows sharp 11-to-5 life with late depth up to 78 mph.
Though he would get across his body at his release occasionally,
hitters were having a hard time picking it up out of his hand due to
how well he maintains everything on the pitch.
Playing
all over the field for the Florida Burn 2016 Pennant team, Shane
Shifflett (2017, Venice, Fla.) looked right at home playing
shortstop in the championship game. At a lean 5-foot-10, 165-pounds,
the University of Central Florida commit showed light, athletic
actions with a quick first step and range to either side, evidenced
by the above average 6.77 60-yard dash time he posted last December
at the National Underclass-Main Event showcase. In the first couple
of innings Shifflett made similar plays on chopped ground balls,
charging in well while staying in control of his body as he delivered
an off-balance strike with strength and carry despite his weight
taking him away from the first base bag.
There
is no denying the strength and power that Alejandro Toral
(2017, Davie, Fla.) posses in his lefthanded swing and he continues
to put it on display in Perfect Game tournaments. Having seen Toral
swing the bat all summer, it was interesting to see him start with a
wider base, which helped to simplify his load without taking away
from his ability to generate big bat speed.
Now
on to what Toral did with the bat. In the video below you can see how
he gets his weight out front just a bit early but he is able to get
his arms extended and use his strength to drive the ball, which
continued to carry once in flight, getting over the head of the
center fielder for a standup double. In the next at-bat he was able
to truly show his strength, driving the ball over the right field
fence for a line drive home run. What was impressive about the home
run wasn’t the distance, as it cleared by about 10-15 feet, but the
fact that the ball had topspin and he was still able to clear the
fence.
It’s
hard to miss Chase Haney (2015, Winter Garden, Fla.) when
looking into the Burn dugout, as he stands at an imposing 6-foot-6,
220-pounds. When the Florida State commit jumps on the mound, he
becomes even more intimidating, especially when he delivers the first
pitch from his sidearm slot. Working in the 85-87 mph range, Haney is
able to generate late sinking life on the pitch due to his slot and
kept hitters off balance by mixing in a mid-70s slider with 10-to-4
frisbee shape.
Playing
in what appears to be his first tournament since last October in
Jupiter, Justin Cohen (2015, Sarasota, Fla.) made a loud
statement with his bat en route to winning the MVP award of the 2014
WWBA Florida Qualifier. A righthanded hitter, Cohen shows a short,
compact swing with leverage and strength coming off the barrel. His
two-run blast in the second inning proved to be the winning hit in
the championship and he made consistent, hard contact throughout the
weekend.
A
University of Florida commit, Nick Long (2016, Sarasota, Fla.)
did a little bit of everything this weekend, playing all over the
infield, showing a nice feel for the barrel from the right side while
also serving as the team's closer. Closing it out is just what Long
did Monday afternoon, facing the minimum amount in his one inning,
striking out the side, all of which were swinging. Standing 6-foot-1,
Long shows a shoulder tilt in his delivery which he uses to generate
downhill plane on his fastball, which sat 88-89 mph and touched 90
once in his one inning, attacking hitters while locating to both
sides of the plate. Along with his fastball, Long showed a strong
feel for his curveball in the mid-70s, up to 76 mph, with late
breaking life and depth away from righthanded hitters and mixed it in
frequently.
Righthander
Matthew Sellers (2015, Vero Beach, Fla.) continued the trend
of impressive commits by University of South Florida, joining
lefthanders Jovani Moran and Garrett Bye, both of whom threw
exceptionally well this weekend.
Working
exclusively from the stretch, Sellers cruised through his time on the
mound, pounding the strike zone and recording ten strikeouts over
five innings of work. He threw 48 of his 68 pitches for strikes,
working downhill with late life on his fastball which he worked 88-90
mph, touching 91 throughout. With a short arm action coming through
the backside, Sellers stays compact and repeats his delivery well,
allowing him to work knee high to both sides of the plate. To keep
hitters off balance, the South Florida commit showed a sharp 11-to-5
curveball with tight spin and late, downward bite up to 81 mph that
served as a true out-pitch.
It
was a limited look of sophomore shortstop Freddie Zamora
(2017, Miami, Fla.), but the loose, quick-twitch actions he showed on
both sides of the ball correlate to the lofty ranking in the 2017
class and his commitment to the University of Miami. A righthanded
hitter, Zamora shows a balanced approach at the plate with a high leg
lift trigger, but gets his front foot down in time, showing a short
and compact stroke to the ball with nice projectable strength as he
continues to fill out.