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Listed
at 6-foot-7, 230-pounds, Forrest Whitley (2016, San Antonio,
Texas) strikes an imposing figure on the mound. The Florida State
commit embodies the Texan archetype as a physical righthanded pitcher
with a crisp fastball. Whitley had been clocked as high as 96 mph
just a few weeks ago at the Tournament of Stars, and on Monday he
took to the mound in front of a number of evaluators.
With
broad shoulders and an extra-large frame, Whitley still has room to
add more good weight and get stronger, especially in his upper body.
For someone of his size, Whitley does a pretty good job of repeating
his delivery, using an easy build up and deliberate pace out of the
windup with a leg lift above his belt and slight hip turn and coil at
the apex of the lift. After loading off of the backside and
collapsing his back leg a bit, Whitley bursts forward and drives to
the plate, releasing from his high three-quarters arm slot with some
late energy and slight recoil. He was able to create some downhill
plane and angle from his higher arm slot, and his fastball, which sat
in the 89-92 mph range early on played well down in the strike zone.
Whitley was cruising pretty easily in the low-90s throughout his
start, but as he went deeper in the outing he started to ramp it up a
bit more, emptying the tank in his last two innings and running his
fastball more consistently in the 92-93 mph range and touching 94
once. Whitley’s ability to hold velocity well is encouraging and
typical of successful players that own the same workhorse,
innings-eating type of frame.
Aside
from the notable size, impressive stamina and quality fastball,
Whitley showed an adept feel for three secondary offerings. His
primary off-speed offering of choice on Monday was a short
slider/cutter that typically registered between 84-86 mph on the
radar gun. The offering had some occasional late, slight depth, but
typically it showed more lateral movement with short slice that
carried the ball away off of barrels and resulted in a handful of
swings and misses. Whitley also worked in a 78-81 mph curveball. The
breaker had varied tilt and shape, with some showing more downer
action and 12-to-6 shape and others displaying slight gloveside
finish and 11-to-5 break. Both varieties had solid depth.
Finally,
Whitley also flashed a changeup in the 83-85 mph range. While he
didn’t use it quite as much as his breaking balls, Whitley showed
an ability to keep the pitch down and at times the offering played
well off of the fastball and had solid, late diving action.
One
of the only players that was able to consistently give Whitley
trouble on Monday was Tyler Lasch (2017, Lake Forest, Calif.).
Even though he’ll just be a junior in high school come this autumn,
Lasch displayed some serious juice and strength from his compact
5-foot-9 frame as the lefthanded hitter turned on an elevated 90-mph
fastball and deposited it over the right field fence for a solo home
run. Later in the game, the Mississippi State commit again showed off
his strong, quick hands by singling through the right side.
Additionally, the catcher plays with enormous energy and showed good
flexibility, agility and movement behind the plate.
Jaxon
Williams (2016, Rosenborg, Texas) makes it look extremely easy at
shortstop. At 5-foot-9, 160-pounds, Williams is tightly wound and
oozes with quick-twitch athleticism. He displayed great range to
both his left and right and has soft hands and smooth actions. The
Arkansas commit also has some feel for the barrel and solid bat
speed, as he showed off by ripping a triple to right field on an 88
mph fastball.
North
Carolina State commit Davis Daniel (2016, Montgomery, Ala.)
threw well at the National Showcase. The 6-foot-2, 175-pound righty
has some broad shoulders, a lean build and a projectable frame that
should be able to carry additional strength as he continues to
mature. Daniel is deceptive as he lands slightly closed and can work
crossfire and show some tough angle on his fastball. As he did at PG
National, Daniel ran his fastball up to 92 mph, sitting consistently
in the 88-91 mph range and showing good arm-side life and sink at the
knees. While he predominately works from a high three-quarters arm
slot, Daniel will occasionally drop down and use a lower sidearm or
submarine arm slot, and although the velocity dips significantly, the
pitch shows intriguing movement and serves to change hitters’ eye
levels and timing. Daniel didn’t have the most consistent feel for
his breaking ball on Monday, but when he’s on the sweeping, mid-70s
breaking ball shows good glove-side finish and some late depth.
Daniel’s
Triton Rays Scout Team teammate, Taylor Trammell (2016, Powder
Springs, Ga.), is a super-athletic outfielder that is committed to
another ACC school, Georgia Tech. The 6-foot-2, 195-pound lefthanded
hitter as a well-proportioned frame with present strength in both
halves, and strong lean legs to go along with a high torso and
tapered waist. At the plate Trammell showed off some bat speed and
some feel for the barrel, serving a single into right-center field in
his first at-bat and ripping triple into right field and rounding
first base with a 4.41 second time on the turn.
Tobias
Myers (2016, Winter Haven, Fla.) is a talented two-way player
that recently participated in the National Showcase last month. The
South Florida commit took the mound for the Scorpions Prime 17u team
on Monday afternoon. At 6-foot-2, 175-pounds, Myers has a
projectable frame with broad shoulders, a wide back and tapered
waist. With a lean, well-proportioned build Myers has solid
athleticism and as such is able to repeat his delivery pretty well.
Using a well-paced, simple delivery out of the windup, Myers employs
a small hip turn at the apex of his leg lift and gets online to the
plate pretty well. His fastball sat in the 88-91 mph range and
showed some occasional arm-side run and late riding action when
located up in the zone. Myers also flashed a breaking ball in the
mid-70s. He varied the tilt and shape of the offering, as at times
it showed more darting two-plane action and others it offered tighter
downer action.
Mark
Potter (2016, Melbourne, Fla.) came on in relief of Myers and the
6-foot-7, 245-pound righthander has the long limbs that one would of
expect of someone with such a large frame. The Jacksonville
University commit has a very compact arm action that can provide some
deception to hitters seeing it for the first time. Potter shows good
balance in his delivery, sitting on his backside early in his
delivery and getting online to the plate at release. Working to his
tight three-quarters release point, Potter shows some downhill plane
and angle on his 88-90 mph fastball, which can be an effective pitch
when it is located down in the strike zone.
Carlos
Cortes (2016, Oviedo, Fla.) has made some noise for the fact that
he throws from both the right and left side (playing the outfield as
a lefthander, second base as a righthander, and pitching from both
sides a la Pat Venditte), but those who get to see him on a regular
basis know that it is truly the bat that helps separate Cortes from
many other players his age. The lefthanded hitter has a slightly open
setup at the plate and he uses the considerable strength from his
5-foot-8, 185-pound frame well. The South Carolina commit has above
average bat speed and he’s able to whip the barrel through the zone
with controlled violence. He showed the ability to stay balanced and
keep his hands back, stroking a double to left-center field, and his
high level hitting tools project well at the next level.
Another
compactly-built middle infield prospect that participated in the
National Showcase and should be a high-average hitter at the next
level is Morgan McCullough (2016, Seattle, Wash.). The
University of Oregon commit has an advanced approach and an astute
feel for both the strike zone and using the barrel. He performed
very well in both the workout portion and game action of the PG
National, and on Monday McCullough again displayed quick hands and an
efficient, line-drive oriented swing path in driving a single up the
middle. He also has smooth actions in the infield with soft hands and
a quick transfer, release and confidence in charging the ball and
working through his throws.
Antonio
Velez (2016, Brandon, Fla.) threw well in a quick, efficient
two-inning appearance for FTB Tucci. The South Florida commit has a
lean build and medium 6-foot-1, 185-pound frame. The southpaw has
some deception in his delivery with a small pause at the apex of his
leg lift and later hand separation. Velez has solid arm speed and his
86-88 mph fastball looked faster than listed on the radar gun,
showing mild running action to the arm side. Velez showcased a
quality curveball with 12-to-6 shape, and when it was at its best the
73-75 mph breaker had late break, tight rotation and was located down
in the zone. While it was a brief outing, Velez still was able to
break out his changeup, and he did a solid job of maintaining
fastball arm speed and arm action on the pitch, which combined with
the slight fading action makes it a promising pitch for future
development.
– Andrew
Krause
For
a long time now, Elite Squad Prime’s 2016 righthander Anthony
Molina has figured prominently in the discussion of the “who’s
who” as far as the top 2016 pitchers are concerned. Being ranked
highly by Perfect Game early on, Molina has been high on the list of
must-see pitchers wherever he throws and has consistently impressed
with his physicality, athleticism and arm strength. After a quality
PG National appearance, Molina took another step forward in his
development on Monday morning.
Standing
6-foot-4 and possessing the near-ideal level of physical athleticism
and overall looseness of his arm, Molina is an imposing presence on
the mound, but mechanical inconsistencies as well as off-speed
inconsistencies have kept him from taking that next step into the top
tier of 2016 arms. On Monday, he may have taken that step.
Working
91-93 early on and 89-92 throughout the duration of his start, Molina
showed the same loose and easy arm action we’ve seen in the past,
but with a more consistent and in-sync lower half, which enabled him
to pound his fastball down in the zone to both sides of the plate
with more consistency. His curveball flashed legitimate potential,
really getting on top of the pitch and getting excellent snap and
depth on the offering. He still got to the side of a few at times,
but overall it was the most consistent breaking ball we had witnessed
from him.
Molina’s
teammate, fellow Elite Squad Prime member Greg Veliz,
is widely known for his exploits on the mound, where he regularly
sits in the mid-90s from the right side. With that being said, Veliz
is still the starting shortstop and regularly hits in the Nos. 3 or 4
spots for Elite Squad, and he showed off those hitting chops on
Monday by launching a moonshot home run over the right field wall at
North Cobb Christian High School. Displaying above average bat speed
with quick wrists and tons of strength, Veliz is a legitimate two-way
prospect, both collegiately and professionally speaking. We should
get a look at him on the mound a little later on in the tournament as
well.
2016
shortstop David Hamilton displayed some really loud tools at
PG National a few weeks ago, and put those tools on display on Monday
afternoon. Hamilton ran a 6.43 60-yard dash at National, and threw 91
mph across the infield, putting him near the top of the class in both
categories. On Monday, he showed off legitimate defensive tools at
shortstop with quick feet and range to both sides, pretty smooth
fielding actions with soft hands and good footwork and that excellent
arm. He has no issue fielding balls hit either way, and does a great
job around the bag turning the double play. At the plate, the
lefthanded hitter shows surprising pop, as he lofted a long triple
deep over the center fielder's head, and cruised easily into third
base after making the turn at a scalding 4.33 seconds. There are very
few questions, if any, with the bat, and if he continues to show more
and more power moving forward, his stock will continue to skyrocket.
The
Team Elite Roadrunners are consistently a high-end talent team in the
Georgia area, and this year is no exception. With high-end talent
both on the mound and throughout their lineup, they are one of the
most heavily scouted teams in the entire event.
2016
righthander Griffin Jolliff started for the Roadrunners and
certainly did not disappoint. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound righty is a
well-built, broad-shouldered prospect with excellent present strength
throughout his body. He uses that strong lower half well in his
delivery, driving downhill to the plate and creating good angle from
a high three-quarters slot. He worked primarily 87-89 throughout his
outing, touching 90-91 several times early on. The fastball has some
natural heaviness to it, and he sinks it well to the arm side,
generating whiffs as well as weak contact on the pitch when located
down in the zone. The arm has a bit of hook in the back of the arm
circle, but works well for the most part. His primary off-speed pitch
on this day was the curveball, with 11-to-5 shape and excellent
depth, the pitch flashed hammer potential. His command of the
offering wavered a bit, but for the most part it was a swing-and-miss
quality pitch for him.
Relieving
Jolliff was 2016 lefthander Justin
Glover,
who came on to throw the final two innings of the game and did so in
dominant fashion. Working consistently at 86-87 mph and touching 88
with his fastball, Glover painted the corners at the knees with good
arm-side run, and made it look easy. The arm works very well, and
generates good plane and angle from an extended high three-quarters
slot. A bit of crossfire adds some deception, making him very tough
to pick up for both righties and lefties alike. He added an excellent
curveball at 74-75 with 1-to-7 shape and hammer depth, a true weapon
pitch.
2016
shortstop Cam Shepherd, another PG National participant, had
quite a day at the plate for the Roadrunners. He hit a monster home
run to the pull field complete with a plus-plus bat flip,
highlighting the bat speed and leverage that we saw at National. He
followed that up with a line drive single the opposite way, showing
an innate feel for the barrel and the ability to use the whole field
with authority. He’s a smooth, clean defender at shortstop with
quality actions throughout and more than enough arm to play the
position at the next level as well.
Yet
another team with an absolutely stacked lineup, the Houston Banditos
Black are having an excellent tournament, as expected. 2016
righthander Carter Henry started for the Banditos on Monday
evening, and didn't disappoint. With a slight hip coil delivery,
pinching his front knee and front elbow together some, he loads well
on the back side and drives forward with longer arm action up to a
high three-quarters slot and excellent arm speed. Working 88-89 early
(mostly 85-88 throughout) with heavy, sinking life, Henry was able to
get both whiffs and weak contact on his fastball and did a good job
working down in the zone with it for the most part. A primary
shortstop, Henry also shows his plus athleticism on the mound, with
an outstanding pickoff move highlighted by dancer-quick footwork.
Complementing his heavy fastball with a sharp-breaking curveball with
excellent depth, Henry was able to keep hitters off balance all
night.
Coming
on in relief for Henry was Richard
Gilbert,
a deceptive 2016 lefthander with easy arm action and a crossfire
delivery that gave opposing hitters fits. He worked 86-88 with his
fastball, spotting it on the black to both sides with no problem at
all, racking up just as many strikeouts looking as he did strikeouts
swinging. He’s very balanced throughout his delivery despite the
crossfire action, and complemented the power fastball with an
excellent curveball, showing 1-to-7 shape and the ability to throw it
for strikes as well as bury it down and out of the zone when needed.
He commanded the curveball just as well as he did the fastball, and
with the overall quality of the pitch combined with the deception he
creates out of the hand, it was nearly impossible for opposing
hitters to even come close to it.
Banditos
2016 shortstop Andres Sosa, showed off all five tools in
different ways on Monday night. Hitting with a very advanced, patient
approach, Sosa is more than willing to wait for his pitch and take
walks if the opportunity presents itself. Once on base, he’s always
a threat to run with excellent speed and base-running instincts. He
also has excellent feel for hitting to go with developing power,
driving a ground-rule double to left field, showing good backspin and
great carry from his naturally lofted swing. That present gap power
promises to turn into more home run power as he continues to
physically mature moving forward. In the infield, he shows off smooth
actions at shortstop with soft hands and easy, quick footwork to both
sides. Overall, he’s an excellent prospect who will contribute on
the field in every way possible.
One
of the best Midwestern teams around, Elite Baseball Training Chicago
took the field for the nightcap at LakePoint. One of the perennial
stars of the team, 2016 catcher Sam Ferri,
has always impressed when in PG events, and looked the part again on
Monday night. A no-doubt excellent defender behind the plate, Ferri
has the kind of quick-twitch athleticism that isn’t easily found in
catchers, and he uses that quickness and agility to his advantage. He
blocks easily side-to-side and receives well, also showing off a very
good arm on throws down to second base, popping consistently in the
1.95-2.10 range during warmup throws. He’s also noticeably stronger
than he was even as recently as October, and is using that strength
at the plate, hitting the ball harder and driving it better than he
has in the past, making him a high-potential two-way catcher moving
forward.
2016
uncommitted righthander Dylan Mulhivill started for Elite, and
certainly looks the part of a workhorse, standing 6-foot-5 and
weighing in at a well-proportioned 220 pounds, Mulhivill’s arm is
very loose and easy, leading to the conclusion that there is even
more velocity in the tank than the 88-89 mph that he sat at early in
his start. Generating excellent plane and angle from a medium
three-quarters slot, he has whippy arm speed and some deception,
making the fastball very hard to square up. Flashing life on the
fastball to the arm side when located down, Mulhivill did a good job
of commanding the fastball for the most part and had no issues
getting weak contact on the offering. His best off-speed pitch is a
power slider, which shows legitimate tilt and is a bat-missing pitch
when commanded, even if it's a bit shorter than traditionally
sliders. He may be uncommitted now, but that certainly shouldn't last
very long.
– Brian
Sakowski