Day 1 Notes
Uncommitted
2017 righthanded pitcher and catcher Morgan Copeland (Loganville,
Ga.) helped earn the Game on Red Devils a spot in the playoffs
due in large part to his performance in Saturday night’s action.
Morgan features a thicker frame at 6-foot-1, 190-pounds, but still
has room to add muscle and strength. At the plate he showed off a
swing with linear plane and some lift to go with present raw power to
launch a grand slam into the parking lot. He keeps his hands back and
displays good balance throughout his swing. Copeland also impressed
on the mound, using a three-quarters slot to produce a 88-91 mph
fastball. He didn’t show a breaking ball in his one inning of
relief, but was able to overpower opposing hitters. He located well
and with its slight arm-side run it proved to be an effective
offering.
Righthander
John Flowers from Orange Park, Fla. also opened eyes in his
start for Dynasty Baseball on Saturday. Flowers has an extremely
athletic and projectable frame of 6-foot-3, 175-pounds. He uses a low
three-quarters slot from the right side and generated good sinking
action on his fastball that topped out at 89 mph. He sat more
comfortably in the 84-88 mph range, but did well to keep it low in
the zone. Flowers also mixed in a tight, sweeping low-70s slider that
he went to with two strikes. Throughout his delivery, Flowers
remained very balanced and online. He landed in a good position to
throw and showed off his athleticism with a couple of nice plays in
the field.
Team
Elite Prime 17u in their second pool play game on Saturday came in
with a stacked roster and started Vanderbilt commit, righthander
Weston Bizzle, from Memphis, Tenn. Bizzle stands at 5-foot-11,
195-pounds and uses every inch of it in his delivery. He comes
sharply downhill with a high three-quarters slot and uses a heavy
fastball that sat between 85-87 mph and topped out at 88. Bizzle’s
best pitch he threw was his power 12-to-6 breaking ball that showed
good late bite and generated lots of weak contact. Early in the count
he pounded the bottom of the zone and then showed the ability to
elevate his fastball or burry his curve for a swinging strike. For
all of the movement in Bizzle’s delivery he remained online and was
able to repeat his delivery well. The Vandy commit continues to
impress following a dominant summer.
Playing
behind Bizzle and leading off for Team Elite Prime 17u was 2017
shortstop Ivan Johnson from Atlanta, GA. Johnson, a Georgia
commit, really impressed at the plate and in the field. He possesses
a highly athletic shortstop frame at 6-foot-1, 185-pounds and moves
well. He laced a triple to left-center showing a good, line drive
swing and the ability to generate backspin. Johnson showed impressive
barrel control and bat speed as he routinely made hard contact. On
the bases, Johnson showed off quick twitch instincts that allowed him
to take the extra base at ease. In the field, Johnson made every play
at short, including a nice play on a slow roller. He showed good arm
strength and solid footwork with an easy throwing motion. Johnson
should be another part to a strong recruiting class for the Bulldogs.
Ole
Miss commit, Golston Gillespie, a 2017 grad from Hull, Ga. was
another member of the loaded 17u Prime team. Gillespie hit not one,
but two homers for Team Elite including a walkoff grand slam. Johnson
is listed at 6-foot-4, 210-pounds and looks every bit of it. With his
present size and strength,he showed off impressive raw power at the
plate as well as the ability to drive the ball the other way. He
easily generates back spin off the barrel and has good bat speed. He
has a smooth and level swing with some natural uppercut that allows
him to crush pitcher’s mistakes.
In
Sunday’s action, Team Elite Prime 18u threw righthander Christian
Ryder, a 2016 grad from Acworth, Ga. Ryder has a verbal
commitment to Georgia and has a tall, athletic build at 6-foot-4,
185-pounds with plenty of room to fill and add muscle. He uses a high
three-quarters slot and gets downhill easily with his long limbs. His
fastball sat between 87-89 mph with good arm-side movement and given
his current build and projection going forward, it’s easy to see
him add a couple of ticks to his fastball. He also featured a tight,
two-plane breaking ball that served as a good secondary offering and
set-up pitch to his fastball. His mechanics were clean and he stayed
online with little fall off through his delivery.
First
baseman and lefthanded pitcher Vinnie Pasquantino of the Old
Dominion Hitters 17u impressed at the plate Sunday as well.
Pasquantino, an Old Dominion University commit, from Moseley, Va. has
a good, strong frame at 6-foot-4, 200-pounds. He used a leg kick
trigger and an open stance and showed a strong ability to barrel up
the baseball and drive it. At the plate, Pasquantino showed a good
feel for hitting and quick hands through the zone. He showed a linear
swing at the plate, but his strength and balance allowed him to drive
the ball out to all fields.
For
the Stars Baseball Marucci Prime, righthander Owen Griffith
from Aiken, S.C. shined on the mound in their Quarterfinal matchup.
Griffith stands 6-foot-1, 180-pounds with a lean, athletic frame that
should fill out a little bit more. On the mound, he showed a loose,
effortless arm action and a high three-quarters slot. He threw his
fastball between 85-89 mph and hit 90 mph on several different
pitches. He got downhill well and saw good sinking action on his
fastball. He paired that pitch with a power breaking ball that showed
good depth and late 11-to-5 break. He also mixed in an 80 mph
changeup that had good fade and completed his true, three-pitch mix.
He was very balanced through his delivery and landed in a good
position to field. Griffith is verbally committed to Clemson.