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Tournaments  | Story  | 6/13/2018

WWBA Qualifier Scout Notes

Photo: Corey Collins (Perfect Game)

A towering presence on the hill at 6-foot-5, Will Sanders (2020, Atlanta, Ga.) possesses a combination of size and stuff that make him a pitcher to follow. He is quite obviously a projectable type with his tall and lean frame and brings 83-84 mph heat with little effort. It is worth noting, however, that he lost a tick or two from the stretch. His other offering, a tight 72-73 curveball was disguised effectively, as he throws it with the same quick arm speed. While he showed good command to his glove side early on, he struggled with control occasionally, as evidenced by a three-walk inning. However, he showed good poise as he was able to limit the damage to a single run. With improvements in control and a stronger emphasis on getting ahead of hitters, Sanders, the 14th-ranked Georgia righthander in his class, could become even more intriguing than he already is. He also looked like a threat in the batter’s box, showing good control of the zone and an advanced approach while lacing a triple to left.

AJ Fiechter (2021, Cumming, Ga.) is a player that any team would be ecstatic to have on their roster, as he has a great effect on multiple facets of the game. At the plate, he uses his quick-twitch muscles to generate swift bat speed and shows great bat-to-ball skills, consistently barreling up pitches with his short, efficient bat path. These skills manifested themselves with a three-hit day. This included a hard-hit, opposite field single to right and an RBI single through the 5-6 hole. On the bases, Fiechter displayed good instincts and speed multiple times, advancing from first to third on a shallow single and later stealing second without a throw. As if his heart-of-the-order bat and baserunning skills weren’t enough, he also exhibited strong shortstop defense with his good range, soft hands, and quick release, making tough plays look much easier than they should.

While his game-breaking power drew eyes last weekend, it was Corey Collins’ (2020, Suwanee, Ga.) defense behind the plate that warranted attention today. Collins is a wall at the catcher position, showing good ability to get to his knees on balls in the dirt and looking very athletic in his movements. In addition, he receives the ball very well, expertly framing pitches to steal strikes, and possesses a strong arm to boot. While he did not play a large role offensively in his team’s drubbing of the opposition, his plate skills were evident as he worked an eight-pitch at-bat that resulted in him muscling a ball he got jammed on for a single anyway. As mentioned before, he is very athletic for a catcher, which became even more apparent as he stole third and looked positively fast in doing so. Ranked sixth nationally among catchers in his class (and second in the state of Georgia), Collins is about as good as it comes in regard to catching prospects.

Jorge Figueroa (2020, Southlake, Texas) served as the primary run producer for his team’s offense Sunday afternoon, getting good extension on a well-hit double to left in the first inning for an RBI. He later knocked a sac fly to the same spot to score another, before singling to left again for a third RBI. Figueroa, ranked 11th among all Texas players in his class, exhibited the ability to make consistent, solid contact and showed good bat speed, and as he fills out over the coming years, there could be some more pop in his bat. On defense, Figueroa possesses a silky-smooth glove at second base and has a very quick tag. The Miami commit also displayed a good internal clock, knowing runners’ speed and appearing able to slow the game down.

Stellar pitching performances turned out to be the story of the day Monday, and the first came from the arm of Sam Stewart (2019, Suwanee, Ga.), who went the distance for a seven-inning shutout. Standing 6-foot-2 and pitching from a high release point, he lived around 80 mph with his fastball and featured a 12-to-6 curveball with good depth.  The rising senior generates torque by slightly twisting his torso back to begin his delivery, before finishing with a somewhat violent motion to the plate, all of which help him disguise the ball effectively and hide it from hitters as long as possible. Stewart was able to repeat these mechanics well and maintained his command throughout the start, walking just two while fanning four en route to earning the victory.

Brandon Blume (2018, Buford, Ga.) was a master of suppressing hard contact on the mound Monday, with very few of his pitches getting squared up. He lived down in the zone on his way to generating nine groundball outs and also showcased swing-and-miss stuff with eight punchouts. Blume averaged 81 mph on his heater, reaching all the way up to 85, and also mixed in a 72 mph slider with good horizontal movement to great effect. He struggled through a laborious second inning, faced with an unlucky combination of shoddy defense, controversial calls, and bloop hits. Despite this, Blume, ranked 101st among Georgia righthanders in his class, stayed in to pitch a full seven innings and was lights out for the rest of his outing, keeping his team in the game.

Unfortunately for Blume, he matched up with Payton Grant (2019, Douglasville, Ga.) who tossed a gem of his own to take the victory. Grant works quickly with a simple, repeatable delivery and averages around 80 mph on his fastball. The fastball may play up a bit based on the late hacks seen throughout the game. His most effective pitch was arguably the curveball, a 71 mph offering with sharp, late break. Grant was less effective when forced to work from the stretch, but this hardly mattered as baserunners were few and far in between. The righty ended his day with four strikeouts to one walk, while breezing through seven frames with 88 pitches.

Nick Ferrera (2019, Tallahassee, Fl.) displayed some of the best raw stuff on the day. His curveball and slider are both lethal weapons with sharp break, effective both when buried in the dirt or dropped into the zone. He is comfortable throwing them in any count and appeared to favor a breaking ball-heavy pitch mix based on the usage seen today. However, Ferrera’s fastball is no slouch. He maximizes his 5-foot-11 frame with good arm action and a powerful stride to register up to 87 mph on the gun. He pounded the strike zone with his filthy repertoire, throwing 68 percent of his pitches for strikes and only walking one while striking out eight over six scoreless frames.

Ask Ferrera who his best friend on the day was, and there’s a good chance he’ll answer with Tucker Talbott (Atlantic Beach, Fla.). Talbott gashed a two-run single to left to provide the only run support needed in the shutout win. He followed this by gunning down a runner at home from right to preserve Ferrera’s pristine pitching line, showing off his strong arm in the process. Talbott is tall and athletic, displaying good patience at the plate with an efficient, short swing. He has wheels, too, made apparent as he got down the line quickly to beat out an infield single. Talbott is an interesting player to watch for the future as a position player alone, but also profiles as a two-way player, ranked 28th in his class among Florida righthanders.

John-Michael Hamby (2019, Canton, Ga.) got the start for his team and offered a glimpse at his unorthodox sidearm delivery. He was able to touch 83 mph from the low arm slot and confounded hitters with the unusual arm angle. Hamby pitches with a lot of moxie, attacking hitters with a bulldog mentality and working quickly, and occasionally throws a pitch from over the top to fool batters. One knock on him would be iffy control, but if he can rein that in, he profiles as an interesting arm to watch based on his unique delivery alone. Hamby, an athletic player, is also the 20th-ranked shortstop in his class in Georgia, making him an intriguing two-way talent.

Tyler Schimming (2019, Forest Hill, Md.) got his morning started off right with a tremendous outing on the mound. The rising senior came out firing in the first frame at 83-84 mph before settling down to around 80 for the remainder of the start. He elevates the fastball effectively and mixes in a curve that works both in the dirt and in the zone to freeze hitters. When hitters weren’t flailing around in the box, they tried bunting to get on base anyway they could, only to watch Schimming make a couple of very athletic plays to retire them. One potential red flag is Schimming’s arm path, as he brings the ball all the way down and behind him after it exits the glove. However, it didn’t seem to hamper his command today, and he kept a consistent delivery throughout the start. Schimming, ranked eighth in his class among Maryland right-handers, finished one out shy of a compete game, striking out eight while walking one.

Taking advantage of the early morning tilt, Zach Turner (2019, Acworth, Ga.) made hitters look drowsy with his overpowering stuff. He consistently hit 85 mph with ease, and, standing at 6-foot-2, has room to add velocity as he adds muscle to his frame. When right, his curveball was electric, a pitch with very sharp bite that makes hitters feel very uncomfortable when behind in the count. Turner’s control could be on and off, as he would walk a hitter on four pitches before coming back to strike the next one out with three; however, he was able to work around whatever trouble he faced as he allowed no runs. Turner, the 71st-ranked Georgia righty in his class, only threw three innings in an easy victory for his team, fanning six and giving up a lone hit.

A toolsy player who may be flying under the radar is Derrick Dennis (2018, Alpharetta, Ga.). Dennis, a stocky, strong player, made consistent, solid contact at the plate and did damage as he did so, doubling down the left field line in his first at-bat before tripling a run home to the left-center wall in his second go-round. There aren’t many moving parts in his easy swing and he uses his strong wrists to generate good bat speed. He also moves around the bases extremely well for a player of his build: the triple he hit probably ends up as a double for a lot of hitters, and earlier in the game would have stolen third with ease had the batter not fouled the pitch off. Despite limited opportunities, he looked good in the field, too, showing soft hands and a strong arm in snaring a tough short hop at third base and firing for the out.

Teammates Blake Redman (2020, Kennesaw, Ga.) and Jason Miller (2020, Riverwood, Ga.) were a dynamic duo atop the lineup Tuesday afternoon. Both players displayed a strong two-strike approach as grinded out tough at-bats to reach base via single and score in what turned out to be a crucial four-run inning. Even considering their strong plate approaches, the pair was most notable for their exploits in the field. Redman showed good outfield instincts in right with great first-step quickness and has a lot of range, covering a ton of ground on flies and making them look routine. Miller, ranked tenth among Georgia shortstops in his class, showcased an immaculate glove at shortstop, deftly charging slow rollers and firing accurately on the run. Any team would be happy to have impact players like these two patrolling the field.

As if the smoke he threw wasn’t enough, the deadpan stare coming from Tyler Olenchuk (2020, Irmo, S.C.) did nothing to quell the fears of hitters. Olenchuk has a strong, sturdy frame and exudes the toughness of an old-school player. He sat 88-89 with his fastball, pitching with a high leg kick and a powerful stride toward home. He thrived around the outside corner on both righties and lefties, showing good command to both sides. The Clemson commit also flashed a curveball that at times looked above average. Worth mentioning is that both offerings lost a little zip from the stretch. He did run into a bit of trouble in the second inning as he was victimized by a trio of defensive misplays but did well to minimize the damage to one run, before striking out the side in his next frame. With two years of high school remaining, it will be interesting to see the progression of Olenchuk, who currently stands as the second-ranked class of 2020 righthander in the state of South Carolina.

– Cameron Hines



There were many standout performers during the semifinal round of the 17u WWBA National Championship Qualifier on Wednesday, highlighted by heavy fastballs and hard contact from some of the best in the 2018, 2019, and 2020 classes.

Logan Tanner (2019, Lucedale, Miss.) delivered another strong outing on the mound Wednesday at the 17u WWBA National Championship Qualifier. In his last tune-up before the Perfect Game National Showcase later in the week, Tanner was able to work both sides of the plate with a fastball that was 87-90. Tanner, who is a Mississippi State commit, was again able to keep hitters off balance with an advanced mix of timings in his delivery. Tanner’s easy arm action looks effortless as the ball jumps out of his hand, and he continues to showcase one of the more repeatable lower half’s in the 2019 class.

Travis Odom (2019, Franklin, Tenn.) was another bright spot on the mound for Team Georgia Wednesday. Odom was 84-88 with his fastball on Wednesday, and showed an ability to spot up a tight breaking ball at 70-72. An Auburn commit, Odom has flashed an ability to run the fastball up to 92 in events past, and has a projectable frame at 6-foot-2, 185-pounds. While command was spotty at times, Odom was able to make big pitches throughout to keep hitters off base. Expect Odom to continue to impress at this week’s National Showcase.

At the plate DRB Elite’s Reuben Church (2020, Maryville, Tenn.) had two of the best exit velocities of the day with a pair of singles that were 94.5 and 97.5 off the bat respectively. Church has a big 6-foot-1, 195-pound frame, and has shown the bat control to hit for power to both fields. An uncommitted member of the 2020 class, Church has a very balanced stance, and though he did strikeout a couple times on the day, he showed an ability to identify pitches, working deep counts on multiple occasions. The bat speed and frame is there to continue to hit for power as the summer goes on.

– Nate Schweers
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