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Tournaments  | Story | 7/14/2017

17u BCS Day 4 Scout Notes

Perfect Game Tournament Staff

Daily Leaders | Player Stats | Day 1 Notes | Day 2 Notes | Day 3 Notes

A number of vitally important games took place at Century Link Park on day four of the 2017, 17u BCS National Championship. For most the teams playing, playoff seeding stood in the balance.

Rodrigo Montenegro (2018, Lutz, Fla.) helped lead the Tampa based Patriots Baseball Club against the Scorpions North Purple in early play. The 5-foot-10, 180-pound catcher, who also hit in the leadoff position for the Patriots, had a big day offensively and defensively. Hitting out of slightly open stance, Montenegro used a patient approach, working the count and seeing a lot of pitches from the Scorps staff. His inside-out bat path allowed him to see the ball deep and hit line drives to all parts of the field. Defensively, he is an advanced receiver whose calm presence, disposition, and smooth receiving style allowed his staff to work with confidence. He is an excellent thrower of the baseball. He has a quick set-up and release, he gains ground like a professional catcher, and his throws have carry and accuracy.

Patriots second baseman Leandro Alvarez (2018, Tampa, Fla.) is a slick fielding middle infielder who has the ready skills to excel at the collegiate level. He has very quick feet and his lateral movement shows outstanding coordination and athleticism. He has very soft hands and transitions well to throw. He has an exceptional arm that is both strong and true. Offensively, the switch-hitting 5-foot-10, 170-pound Alvarez, has a simple approach. He hits out of slightly open stance. He has a flat bat path that is geared for middle-of-the-field line drives. He is a plus runner and is very instinctive on the basepaths.

Dillon Baker (2019, Tampa, Fla.) makes up the second half of the Patriots dynamic middle infield. The lightning quick, 5-foot-10, 150-pound Baker, is gifted with all his baseball movements and brings a solid set of fundamental skills to the diamond. His first step quickness in either direction is as good as any shortstop in this tournament. He is a fast setup, quick throw guy. His throws have outstanding carry and accuracy.

Completing the Patriots strength in the middle of the field is their center fielder, Kyle Benedict (2019, Lutz, Fla.). The 5-foot-10, 160-pound Benedict is a blur in the outfield. His speed and agility allow his corner outfield mates to play close to the lines, as Benedict has the ability to cover the outfield gaps with ease. Offensively, he has a middle-of-the-field mentality and uses his ultra-quick hands and consistently level bat path to get his barrel to the ball.

Gabe Partridge (2018, Miami, Fla.) was the starter on the hill for the Patriots and was rock solid for six strong innings. His ability to pitch to both sides of the plate and work effectively down in the zone with both his well commanded fastball and his deceptive curveball, kept the Scorpions off-balance for his entire stint. His lively fastball, which he kept on the edges, was clocked in the low-80s, and his curveball, which had a sharp, late 11-to-5 break, stayed at 67-68 mph for six innings. Very few Scorpions made solid contact the entire morning. Throwing only 81 pitches, Partridge only allowed four hits. He struck out four and only walked two.

The Scorpions North Purple battled for seven innings and staged a late rally against the Patriots in the top of the seventh inning. Jeremy Gunter (2018, Bryceville, Fla.) had a solid day for the Scorps at second base and at the plate. At 5-foot-9 and 155-pounds, Gunter brings a very athletic presence to the field. He is the prototypical college second baseman. He has very quick feet, which allow him to constantly be in a solid fielding position. His arm is very playable and his throws are true and firm. Gunter is a tough top-of-the-order hitter. He swings from the left side and makes each pitcher work. He sees a lot of pitches and competes his way through each at-bat. He has a short, quick and level swing path and consistently gets his barrel to the ball. He is a very instinctive base runner with above average speed.

Josh Haygood (2018, MacClenny, Fla.) is the very athletic center fielder for the Scorpions. His solidly built frame and quick-twitch movements, make Haygood an above average center fielder. At 5-foot-11 and 187-pounds, he has a college ready baseball body. His top-end speed is easily at the top of the outfielders in his age group. He has a simple, yet effective approach at the plate. He hits with a slightly open stance. His strong hands allow his bat to get quickly to the hitting zone, generating plus bat speed. He has slight lift at contact, which should translate to power as he continues with his career.

Turner Shultz (2018, Jacksonville, Fla.) is the very capable right fielder for the Scorps. He is solidly built and uses his athleticism at the plate and in the field. He is a power guy. His strength is in his throwing arm that is very strong and true. He also uses his core to create a great deal of torque in and with his swing. He doesn’t have too much length to his swing, but his short bat path is quick and true. He makes consistent contact and has gap-to-gap power.

Academy Baseball Canada has been a big part of Perfect Game for a number of years. The Montreal, Quebec-based Academy brought another strong ballclub to Southwest Florida this year for the 17u BCS Championship. That club was on full display in a very competitive game against the Florida Pokers on Field 6 at Century Link on day four.

Felix Antoine Chenier Rondeau (2017, Bainville, Sel.) is a tremendously gifted center fielder for the Canadians. His 6-foot-2, 195-pound frame is ready for college baseball and beyond. He swings out of a slightly open stance and generates a great deal of bat speed with his short and direct bat path. He has a slight lift in each pass and his gap power, especially to the opposite side, is evident. He is a gazelle in the outfield. He reads each ball off the bat like a seasoned veteran and has a plus, accurate throwing arm.

Capably holding down the catcher’s position for The Academy is Zachary Gagnon (2018, Ste-Julie, Quebec). Gagnon, simply put, is a baseball player. The gritty, tough, intelligent receiver has all the tools. Gagnon has very easy and confident movements behind the plate and it was obvious that the Canadian pitching staff had full confidence in throwing to him. He has a strong and true arm and his throwing ability is highlighted by his mechanics from behind the plate. He is quick to set. He is quick to transition and he gains ground like a professional catcher. Best of all, he gets his throws consistently to second base with a 2.0-second pop time or better. He swings his bat from the left side and does so with confidence. He looks to hit the ball up the middle or the other way and uses an inside-out swing path to do so. He sees pitches deep and uses his flat bat path to pepper left and left-center field.

Simon Menier (2019, Chicoutimi, Quebec) hit out of the two-hole for the Canadian based Baseball Academy and was in the middle of their offense the entire game. His best tool is his plus speed and his intelligence on the basepaths. He sees a lot of pitches each at-bat. He bunts for hits. He steals bases. He disrupts defenses. His patient style and ability to consistently get on base helped his club get to the middle of their order with runners always in scoring position.

Six-foot-4, 210-pound, righthanded pitcher, Olivier Morin Larocque (2017, Quebec), started on the bump and went five solid innings for ABC. Larocque used a classic, Tom Seaver-like, drop-and-drive style and almost pinpoint command to hold down a very capable Florida Pokers offense. His best fastball was clocked at 87 mph and he pitched in the 85-86 mph range for his entire outing. His curveball had a sharp 12-to-6 late break and is very deceptive changeup was thrown at 72 mph. His calm and cool presence was noteworthy as the noise of this highly competitive game never appeared to phase the sturdy Canadian.

The Brenham, Texas based Batter’s Box-Black Baseball Club and Team Elite Select played a highly entertaining and very competitive game in an afternoon contest at Century Link.

Ethan Blinka (2018, Somerville, Texas) took the bump first for Batter’s Box and was sharp from the get-go. The burly, 5-foot-11, 240-pound Blinka used a solid three-pitch mix to keep a very good Team Elite Select squad at arm’s length. His pinpoint command was impressive. His sinking, running two-seamer was clocked in the 82-84 mph range. His used a cut fastball as his breaking pitch. He added and subtracted with his cutter like a pro and kept hitter’s off balance. His out-pitch was his changeup which had late sinking action at the plate. He kept his change on the glove-side edge all day.

Mitchell Parks (2019, Caldwell, Texas), a rising junior at Caldwell High School, leads off and plays centerfield for the central Texas based club. He is a very gifted outfielder who has exceptional speed and the ability to play from gap-to-gap. At the plate, he is a consummate lead-off hitter. He looks at a lot of pitches. He works counts. He fights off good pitches and he puts balls in play. He uses a short, quick swing and consistently gets his barrel to pitches. Once on the base paths, he is a disrupter.

A rising senior at Giddings High School is Shelby Becker (2018, Giddings, Texas). Becker is a 6-foot-1, 160-pound athletically gifted player. Hitting out of a slightly open stance, Becker is short to the ball and his strong hands helps him generate great bat speed. He uses a middle-of-the-field swing path and has a slight lift at contact. Defensively, Becker is a rock solid third baseman. He has excellent lateral movement and a strong, accurate arm.

Will Faust (2018, Caldwell, Texas) is the scrappy, tough, and talented second baseman for the Batter’s Box team. The quarterback for the Caldwell High School football team, Faust doesn’t back away from any challenge. He has exceptionally quick feet and gets to some ground balls that look to be heading to the outfield. He has a quarterback quick right arm that is very accurate. Offensively, he just competes. He always gets his barrel to the ball and his short, quick swing produces line drives to all parts of the field.

One of the more impressive players on the day was 5-fot-11, 200-pound first baseman, Colton Buro (2019, Brenham, Texas). A junior-to-be at Brenham High School, the lefthanded hitting Buro was in the middle of each Batter’s Box scoring opportunity. He has a very mature hitting approach. He is balanced and relaxed at the dish and uses a short stride and quick hands to get his barrel to and through the hitting plane consistently. Around the bag, Buro is very agile and sure handed. He fielded some very tough chances with confidence.

Ty King Richards (2018, Snellville, Ga.) is the speedy and athletically gifted center fielder for the Team Elite Select squad. The leadoff hitter for TES, the 5-foot-3, 150-pound Richards, is one of the faster players in Ft. Myers this week. He works counts like a veteran and gets the ball in play with a very short, quick, smooth swing. Once on first base, it takes very little time for the speedster to reach second. He is a heady and instinctive runner. Defensively, he takes his superior running ability to the outfield. Because he can cover so much ground, he takes a lot of pressure off his corner outfield mates.

Will Arnold (2018, Tucker, Ga.) is a very capable right fielder for Team Elite Select. He has quick confident movements in the outfield and has a plus arm. He has the speed and agility to play all of the outfield positions. Offensively, the lefthanded swinger is the perfect complement to the speedy Richards, who leads off. Arnold, who hits in the two-hole, can work the count, can take pitches allowing Richards running opportunities and he can confidently handle the bat.

Matthew McDade (2018, Cape Coral, Fla.) hits in the three spot for TES and holds down the shortstop position. The 5-foot-11, 170-pound McDade is a natural at shortstop. He is light on his feet and has great first step quickness. His arm is strong and true. McDade is also a very capable hitter. He is very balanced at the plate and uses a short, quick, middle-of-the filed swing path to routinely get his barrel to the ball.

Nation Elite Goodrich brought a talented club to the 17u BCS National Championship this week. Hunter Fornari (2018, Ponce Inlet, Fla.), Nation Elite’s leadoff hitter is also the very capable shortstop. He is unquestionably the NE leader and his play backs up that responsibility. He has very quick feet and his lateral movement allows him to always be in a sound fielding position. He has a quick and accurate arm. Offensively, the rising senior at Spruce Creek High School, is a solid leadoff man. He understands how to work counts, he looks at a lot of pitches, and he uses the whole field to hit. His short, quick swing path is very disciplined and he consistently gets his barrel to the ball with each pass.

Cody Duke (2018, Port Orange, Fla.) holds down the catcher’s spot for Nation Elite. He is quite skilled behind the plate and calls a very sound game. He is a smooth and confident receiver and is the field general for his club. He gains ground coming out of the chute and delivers a true and sound throw to second base routinely.

Jackson Spiller (2018, Palm Coast, Fla.) toed the rubber for Nation Elite and was exceptional. The 6-foot-2, 170-pound senior-to-be at Flagler-Palm Coast High School, Spiller used a three-pitch mix and a cool, calm presence to pitch give his club a chance at victory. His mechanics were flawless. His high three-quarters arm slot was routinely repeated and his delivery was sound and consistent. His fastball, which had late life down in the zone, touched 86 mph and stayed in the 83-85 mph range throughout the game. His tight spinning and sharp breaking curveball was clocked in the 72-74 mph range and his deceptive changeup sat at 75-77 mph.

Chandler World Baseball’s Trevor Candelaria (2018, Durango, Colo.) had a stellar ball game in the late afternoon contest on Field 6 at Century Link. The 6-foot-1, 175-pound right fielder and leadoff hitter is solid for the Chandler squad in the one hole. He has the ability to take pitches, work counts, and use a smooth, quick trigger to hit line drives to all parts of the field. He is a disrupter on the base paths and is an instinctive, aggressive runner. He is a very sound outfielder with an above average arm.

Blake Buckley (2018, Clermont, Fla.), the Chandler World third baseman, is a middle-of-the-order bopper. The 6-foot, 190-pound, solidly built Buckley can drive the baseball. He swings from a slightly open stance and his swing has a power hitter’s lift at contact. He is also a very capable third baseman. He has very good lateral movement and has a strong and accurate arm.

Matthew Byars (2018, Plant City, Fla.) turned in quite the performance for Chandler World. The burly lefthanded swinging first baseman can power the baseball, especially to the pull side. His last at-bat saw him drive a ball off the top of the right field wall. To his credit, the big man motored into third base with a stand-up triple. That big knock gave him three for the day. Byars is also a very talented first baseman. He is very agile around the bag and handles tough chances like a gold glover.

– Jerry Miller



The Elite Squad 17u North team has a solid core that has played well and won three games over the course of the tournament. A.J. Orrico (2018, Boynton Beach, Fla.) hits leadoff in their deep lineup. The 6-foot, 175-pound shortstop has a projectable, athletic frame. His lefthanded swing starts from a wide stance. He progresses into a quick load that shifts that brings his weight to his back leg. As he swings, Orrico’s hands are quick through the zone. He has a clear contact driven approach that doesn’t lend itself to much power. However, he does have a good feel for the barrel and he remains balanced through his swing. His work in the infield was solid as well. Orrico does well to get on top of his throws, and he fields the ball out in front. Orrico is an interesting follow.

Following Orrico is Logan O’Neil (2018, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.). His 5-foot-11, 155-pound frame screams physical projection, and he already has a strong, athletic build. The plate O’Neil stands with a tall stance. He starts movement early, but he always stays well within himself by controlling his body. He gathers in the rear leg and then launches at the ball. O’Neil does well to engage his lower half to generate more power. His bat path is consistently under balls in order to generate lift. His present power and contact skills are both a plus. O’Neil’s work in the outfield was solid. He has plenty of arm strength out in left field, and his first steps are quick but aggressive.

Stephen Garcia (2018, Hialeah, Fla.) got the start as a designated hitter and managed to collect an RBI serving as the cleanup hitter. He’s a solid 5-foot-10, 200-pounds with present strength. His righthanded swing starts open to the pitcher. Garcia demonstrated he loves to pull the ball, but he also is capable of staying inside the ball and hitting the ball where it was pitched. However, when presented the opportunity, Garcia should have plenty of power to pull. He possesses average bat speed. Garcia also took several close pitches for balls. He showed he can be patient and wait for a pitch in his middle-in sweet spot.

Preston Colp (2018, West Palm Beach, Fla.) is another interesting follow with promise. He’s a big 6-foot-2, 210-pound first baseman. With his present size and positioning in the field he’ll need to hit a good amount in order to stick. His righthanded swing starts from an even stance with a high hand-set. During his load he shifts his weight to his back leg. As he swings his lower half rotates quickly and creates added torque. When he is on time with the pitch, Colp shows strength at the point of contact and good extension. His slight uppercut should also help his power numbers. Colp also showed impressive footwork while playing first base. He’s already plenty tall to play the position, and his bat will probably allow him to stay there.

The SCORE International 17u Bama team has been on a roll lately and that has a lot to do with their impressive lineup. Much of their lineup has already been written about, but the team does deserve the attention. Duncan Pastore (2018, Tampa, Fla.) is the 6-foot-1, 175-pound first baseman with plus speed on the bases. And his short line drive swing plane helps him utilize his speed as much as possible. Pastore also showed a decent amount of power. This is an intriguing combination especially because Pastore can play nearly any position in the infield. Pastore finished the day going 1-for-2 with an RBI.

Justice Thompson (2018, Tampa, Fla.) has a long, lean frame at 6-foot-4, 175-pounds. There’s plenty of physical projection left, which is always great for young players. His righthanded swing is very rotation, and he does well to stay balanced and on time at the point of contact. He consistently squares up pitches, and although his power is still developing, it should come eventually. He’s also an impressive outfielder with a big arm. Thompson has great speed in the outfield grass, and he’ll track plenty of long fly balls down. Thompson finished the day with a hit and two RBI.

Jamarcus Lyons (2018, Tampa, Fla.) is an impressive third baseman. Although he doesn’t have much height at 5-foot-8, he has plenty of strength in his 200-pound body. He comes up to the plate with a slightly open stance. He loads with an aggressive leg kick that sets his swing in motion. Lyons’ swing is thunderous. He comes to the plate looking to swing for the fences, and he does just that. This hyper-aggression occasionally makes his swing loopy and long. But he has the power to show for it. His work in the infield was solid as well. His footwork is clean, and his arm strength is plenty to keep him at the hot corner.

Jacob Phelps (2018, Valrico, Fla.) got two innings of work under his belt for SCORE. It was a good two innings where he recorded two strikeouts with only one walk. His fastball sat in the low-80s, and he was able to spot the pitch whenever he needed. Phelps rarely threw any off speed pitches, but the curveball he flashed had tight rotation and average depth. As he matures and plays at higher levels he’ll need to work in his breaking balls more consistently. Phelps’ arm action is clean, and he does get some movement on his fastball from his ¾ arm slot. Phelps’ bat is solid, too. He has a quiet swing with an all fields approach. Phelps has interesting two-way potential. He has a verbal commitment to Columbia University.

Ricky Shimko (2018, Coral Springs, Fla.) is a large 6-foot-3, 195-pound center fielder with present strength and athleticism. His work out in the field was impressive. Shimko has a strong arm that could play anywhere in the outfield. His long arm action and over the top motion gets plenty of carry on the ball. His speed is plenty to stay in center. At the plate, Shimko starts from a wide, open stance. As he matures, Shimko will need to engage his lower half better as most of his swing is driven by his torso. However, his line drive swing plane and up the middle approach already serve him well. There’s plenty to like about Shimko’s present and future ability.

Taylor Pridgen (2018, Eustis, Fla.) served as Power Baseball 2018’s extra hitter in Thursday’s game. As their cleanup hitter power is expected, and Pridgen’s 6-foot-1, 200-pound body and fundamentally sound swing provide just that. His lefthanded stroke starts even with a low hand-set and an extremely crouched lower half. He is short and quick to the ball with plenty of fluidity and ease. Pridgen has a natural upper cut that causes the ball to fly far when contact is made. He has good strength at the point of contact and good extension out front. Pridgen possesses numerous impressive tools currently, but there is still a good amount of projection left. Pridgen has a verbal commitment to Troy University.

Dakoda Grove (2018, Winter Garden, Fla.) is an immensely projectable right fielder at 6-foot-3, 185-pounds. His large frame is already athletic and strong, but there’s a lot left to like about his physical upside. Grove sets up to hit from a wide stance with a high back elbow and hand-set. His hands remain close to his body as he moves the barrel through the zone. His hips rotate quickly and help create good bat speed. Grove’s slight natural uppercut allow him to drive the ball deep, and he also proved he can hit the ball to all fields. That’s a good combination of skills to possess. From the outfield, Grove’s arm is outstanding. Not only does he have a cannon, but he makes accurate throws too. Grove is certainly worth watching.

Jaelyn Brooks (2017, Monroe, Ga.) is one of the younger players in the tournament, but he showed enough natural ability to play with those older than him. He comes in at 6-feet, 170-pounds with plenty of physical projection left. As a center fielder, Brooks has good wheels. His arm strength is fairly raw still, as he doesn’t use his legs very much, but he flashed impressive moments. His righthanded swing starts from a wide, open stance with a high back elbow and hand-set. Brooks’ load consists of a quick left lift as a timing mechanism. At the plate Brooks has no trouble utilizing his lower half. Paired with his line drive swing plane and Brooks should be hitting bullets across the field. Brooks occasionally looked off balance, but when he was on time he stung the ball. He finished the day by going 1-for-3.

– Kyle Zweng

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Tyler Henninger
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The Class of 2026 is one of the deeper prep classes that we have seen in a couple of years. With that being said, there is plenty of talent on the defensive side. Let’s take a look at some of the best defenders in the class.  C: Will Brick, Christian Brothers HS (Memphis, TN) Brick is a newcomer to the class after reclassifying, but immediately became the top backstop. Extremely advanced actions are shown behind the dish with impressive athleticism to go with it. Brick showcases big time arm strength and is consistently accurate on throw downs. He can make playing the position look extremely easy at times. Brick possesses all the defensive tools needed to be a premier catcher.  1B: AJ Curry, University City HS (San Diego, CA) Curry has a bigger and stronger frame with good strength throughout. He has a well-proportioned build that serves him well on the dirt. He’s...
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General | Blog | 12/10/2025

Youth Baseball Exec. DeDonatis III Joins PG

Jim Salisbury
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Youth Baseball Executive Don DeDonatis III Joins PG By Jim Salisbury  It’s free-agent season in baseball and Perfect Game has landed a big one. Don DeDonatis III joined PG as a consultant in November. The DeDonatis name is synonymous with youth baseball and softball. Along with his dad, Don Jr., DeDonatis helped build USSSA into a big hitter in the game. He brings decades of experience and knowledge to PG. “We all acknowledge that Donny has moved on from USSSA,” PG CEO Rob Ponger said. “This is a new chapter for him and we hope both sides take advantage of it to help youth sports in general. “The DeDonatis name has a legacy attached to it and we’re hoping that Donny is going to help us. PG is a growing brand and he’s on board to help.” DeDonatis was CEO at USSSA from 2018 until his exit from the company two years ago. “I’m...
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