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Tournaments  | Story  | 10/18/2022

WWBA Underclass Prospect Breakdown

Tyler Russo      Isaiah Burrows     
Photo: Manuelle Marin (Perfect Game)
WWBA Underclass Scout Notes: Day 1 | Day 2-3

Stars Being Stars - big-time prospects coming into the event that lived up to the hype throughout the week.

Anthony Quigley, 3B/INF, Milwaukee Brewers Scout Team
One of the top uncommitted talents in the 2024 class, Quigley brings a ton of upside and showed just that during the Underclass. He strung together loud barrels to all field and the power really projects in a physical frame. Hips really rotate with the hand speed to match, plays to the pull side with loud impact off the barrel. Quality arm strength plays on the corner or on the bump, but the bat brings a ton of upside going forward as he matures.

Anthony Tralongo, 3B/2B, Exposure Prime
Tralongo has one of the top hit tools in the entire class and showed why. The Auburn commit hit to the tune of .333 with a homer and two doubles. Tralongo has long been a consistent performer in top PG events and brings a lot to like at the plate. Fluid barrel with great feel, turns it over with heavy hands. Stays long through the zone and meets contact regularly. It’s a refined bat with a good amount of polish and it showed up once again during the Underclass.



Manuelle Marin, SS, Elite Squad
Marin showed out once again with the stick and the glove, garnering praise as one of the top defenders in the class. The Tennessee commit made eye-opening plays moving to his left and throwing from multiple slots over the week. Real range that projects up the middle long term, fluid and smooth. Marin used the entire field at the plate with a loose stroke that carries good hand speed with some jump off the bat. The entire package really projects and Marin didn’t disappoint.

Blaine Rowland, RHP, Ostingers Baseball Academy 2023
Rowland had two key starts and was absolutely dominant to help Ostingers advance in the playoffs. The Florida commit is one the top arms in the country and showed his potent two-pitch mix. His fastball lived high-80s with some life over 11 innings with 13 strikeouts, but the slider was on full display with late, sharp bite that tunneled off the heat. Forced whiffs and just competed in several facets.

Austin Jacobs, SS/2B, Power Baseball 2024 Marucci
Jacobs is one of the more talented defenders in the entire class, and his defensive prowess showed up routinely over the week. The Florida State commit made an impressive play at short, ranging all the way to his left and making the throw on a turn to get the out at first base. He also impressed with the stick, finding a good amount of cuts through the left side that found grass. It’s an athletic profile with traits to stick up the middle along with a solid hit tool.

Jason Bello, 3B/2B, Exposure Prime
Bello continues to hit at a high level in big tournaments, and it was on display during the Underclass. The South Florida commit found several loud shots to the gaps and showed his innate feel for the barrel. Quick path with a solid finish, works counts and has a really refined approach. Bello is one of the top bats in the country and showed why.

-Isaiah Burrows

Talan Bell, LHP, Power Baseball 2024 Marucci
It’s to be expected that Bell is going to have an impact on an event if he’s in attendance and he’s been a consistently upward arrow, but this is the best I believe we’ve seen him. He punched out 10 in four dominant innings of work, now at 43 in 21 innings on the year, and racked up 16 total whiffs on just the fastball in his first three innings, sitting 88-90 with plus arm speed and easily plus command of it while landing a really strong breaking ball and showing that he’s an athlete with a pair of loud triples to the wall pull side.

Thorpe Musci, RHP, Team Elite/Atlanta Braves Scout Team
Speaking of upward arrows, Musci has been one of the biggest risers in terms of his refinement over the last year and he’s one of the top arms in the class now. He was up to 94 at Underclass while living in the low-90s early on showing the ability to just power past hitters with pure velo, but it’s the secondaries that have come along well alongside his overall command. He throws the breaking ball with unmatched intent, ripping off some really nasty hammers at times, and he's got an upper-80s changeup that fits the mold of a strong third offering in a starter’s mix.

Owen Hancock, RHP, Team Elite/Atlanta Braves Scout Team
He’s already known as one of the higher-ranked arms in the country, but this may have been his best performance we’ve seen to date. He went five no-hit innings and struck out 10, against only a single walk, and just dominated from start to finish. He was 89-92 with the fastball getting downhill hard from his high release and 6-foot-4, 180-pound frame and it’s a fast arm which makes it even tougher to pick up. The big pitch was the breaking ball that he throws with significant intent out of the same window and gets hard downward tilt with short lateral bite making it a real hammer, especially tunneled off what is certainly a really good fastball already.

Gavin Kelly, C/MIF, Exposure Underclass Prime
Kelly was really impressive down in San Diego at the Underclass AA Games and he continued to show that against some high-level talent in South Florida, hitting .500 across three games which included a really loud triple up against the wall in dead-center. He’s a good athlete which gives him some versatility defensively as he can play on the dirt and catch a good bit but the bat is what carries the profile with lots of looseness in the wrists and very real bat speed which gives him the ability to impact the baseball very well in a body with a good bit more strength to add.

Ryan McPherson, RHP, Original Florida Pokers 2024
McPherson has very much established himself as one of the top arms in the state, and entire class, and it’s the minor progressions that continue to hold him to that. He’s a physical yet still projectable right-hander who looks the part at 6-foot-2, 180-pounds and it’s a big arm, as he ran the fastball up to 93 at Underclass with premium running life. He’s got a tight horizontal slider in the low-80s that he throws pretty firm already and a changeup in the mix as well and if those two pitches can continue to progress alongside the steady climb in velocity, the upside is vast.

Gian De Castro, 3B/1B, Exposure Underclass Prime
De Castro has long been regarded as one of the more talented power bats in this class and he’s still uncommitted to this point making him a potential big addition to a program. He’s got real juice from the left side and although it’s a slightly longer stroke, he finds the barrel at a strong rate and does so against some really talented arms more often than not. He hit .500 at the Underclass, in a limited three games, but his ability to handle his own over at third base has really jumped the quality of the profile and makes him a very physical left-handed hitting third baseman that performs and is still on the market for college recruiters.

Johnny King, LHP, CBU 2024 Scout Team
King is no stranger to big events and turning in big performances and this was just another along the line of him trending in the right direction. He went five strong where he struck out seven and with no walks allowed, he continues to throw strikes at a high level as the stuff ticks up. He was up to 88 at Underclass, living in the mid-80s with his usual angled release and tough to square fastball while the breaking ball proved really tough out of the same window when he was really sequencing it and landing it like he can.

Tyler Head, OF, Power Baseball 2024 Marucci
Head is one those talented pure hitters in this class that just always seem to string together a number of hits against a variety of good arms and come out as one of event’s top performers. His weekend at Underclass was just that as he had five hits, including a pair of doubles, and showed that pretty left-handed stroke we’ve come accustomed to seeing. He’s got lots of comfort in the box and he’s starting to fill out a bit physically which has translated to just how well the ball has been coming off the barrel with the bulk of the swings he’s taking in events.

Alex Hernandez, 3B/RHP, East Cobb Astros 17u
Hernandez has established himself as a really talented two-way performer in some big events on the circuit and that once again was the case down at Underclass. He’s got real thump in the bat with a heavy barrel and the ability to get into strength from a compact stroke while there’s real feel on the mound where he’s been up to 92, and will sit in the upper-80s, while showing feel to pitch and pair of secondaries in curveball and changeup that should certainly continue to refine heading into summer where he should see big innings like he did this year.

-Tyler Russo

Breakout Stars - players from the event who really took a step forward and put themselves on the prospecting map.

Kaiden Lopez, OF/RHP, Power Baseball 2024 Marucci
If there was an exact definition for a breakout, Lopez would fit the bill. The Stetson commit stung two homers and hit .571 over the week to help crown Power Baseball champions. The hand speed and intent stands out with strength to the pull side. It's a solid bat profile with upside on the bump too running it up to high-80s. Lopez was one of the biggest impact performers.

Ethan Jarvis, OF/2B, Team Elite/Atlanta Braves Scout Team
Jarvis broke out in a big way, showing his feel at the plate and sound actions on the dirt. It's a fluid path that matches plane well with good quickness to the hands. Works a solid all-fields approach and is a good bet to find more impact strength as he adds to his frame. Jarvis was a surprise solid performer who opened eyes.

EJ Burns, MIF/RHP, Exposure Prime
Simply put, Burns was one of the best players over the entire week. He sprayed the gaps off quality arms and made some dazzling plays with the glove at shortstop. Burns employs a smooth, rhythmic stroke with good leverage out front. The barrel lags well and creates tons of length that stays in the zone. He's an impact hit tool in every facet who can stick on the left side of the infield. Burns fits the mold of a pure hitter. He's an uncommitted name who should have eyes on him after his dominant performance.

Cole Cleveland, OF, CBU 2024 Scout Team
Cleveland was a loud lefty stick who showed a lot to like at the plate. It's solid bat-to-ball skills with good barrel depth and whip out front. Good extension and sprayed it hard to both gaps. Some size to frame with more in store. Cleveland, a recent FIU commit, was another name who performed at a high level.

Kaden Smith, RHP, Power Baseball 2024 Marucci
Smith had a loud showing on the hill during playoff rounds and really impressed along the way. The TCU commit is a lean 6-foot-2, 185 pounds and uses his length well down the slope. Ran it up to 89 mph and lived 85-86 mph with ride up in the zone. The breaking ball has real bite and good 11-5 shape to it from a clean release point. Smith has a good amount of upside and stood out.

-Isaiah Burrows

Andreas Alvarez, RHP, MVP Florida 2024
Alvarez has shown big arm talent over the last few events and although it hasn’t been the most refined of looks across those handful, there’s serious things to work with and he’s going to be a big addition to a program at the next level as things come together. He was mostly 89-90 at the Underclass, bumping 92 and 93 once each, and he gets a good bit of sinking life through the zone on the pitch, especially when he’s getting downhill like he’s able. He throws the curveball with a ton of intent, mimicking his release well, and has the components to project good things.

Noah Thigpen, RHP, Team Elite/Atlanta Braves Scout Team
On a staff full of big arms, Thigpen was one of only a few that were uncommitted, and he really shined in his outing. He went five strong, limiting both hits and walk, while striking out six and he’s got the kind of stuff to play at a high level at the next level. He’s a long athletic right-hander who was 88-89 for the most part early on, before settling slightly lower, and he pitches with a ton of tempo and confidence in the mix. The slider was a weapon for him as he landed it in the 79-80 range with late downer bite and the overall components to really miss bats in bunches.

James Litman, RHP, TBT Joros 2024
Litman got the ball for the first game of the entire Underclass event and kicked it off with a bang as he struck out eight in under four innings of work in a really fun matchup. He oozes confidence on the mound, pitching with some of the best tempo at the event and just going right after hitters with good stuff. He’s athletic and works quick with a fast arm, living in the upper-80s with really big life and carry to the arm side while throwing the breaking ball with big intent and getting hard, mostly vertical, bite that missed a bunch of bats. It’s a clean arm and everything works, plus he’s already trending upward since the summer which is a great sign.

Matt Brown, RHP, Team Elite/Atlanta Braves Scout Team
It’s hard to say someone that’s ranked really ‘broke out’ but he certainly did in a big spot before another big showing at Jupiter. He’s 6-foot-5, 185-pounds with significant physical projection and its already stuff that plays at the next level as he’s been up 92 and sits in the 89-91 range in his short looks. It’s a hard sinking fastball that really plays well at the bottom of the zone and he’s got a wipeout slider with big hard sweeping action that he’s able to miss bats with to both right-handed and left-hander hitters. It’s pretty easy stuff and the ceiling is rather immense too.

Watson Mexico, LHP/OF, NEB
Mexico finished the event as one of the top performers on both sides of the ball and it was his steady performance throughout that really tabbed this is a ‘breakout’ performance. He just recently committed to UCF and for good reason as he’s into the upper-80s on the mound from the left side showing big angle and feel for a short depthy breaking ball in the low-70s, while on the offensive end it’s a clean left-handed swing with lots of looseness, and quickness, in the wrists which allows him to find the barrel, and hits, as often as he did at the Underclass.

Riley Goodman, RHP, Memphis Tigers – Team Hagan
Goodman really looks the part of a big projection arm at 6-foot-2, 170-pounds and he turned in a strong performance, striking out nine across five innings of work. He’s been into the upper-80s with the fastball showing late life and real comfort getting to both sides of the plate with it, especially getting onto the hands of hitters with intent. There’s feel for a short breaking ball with late depth and good overall quality that pairs well and given the components across the board, it’s easy to think he could pop next summer into a must-see arm in a handful of ways.

-Tyler Russo

Top 2025 Talent - the group of prospects, playing up in age class, who stood out at the event.

Carl Calixte-Cunillera, OF/3B, Team Florida
Calixte-Cunillera roamed awfully well in center field and made a pair of impressive diving grabs. He also found a few knocks back up the middle, showing a clean path with good extension out front. It's an enticing athletic profile that should only mature as the frame develops. He's one to know for the 2025 class.

Danny Machado, SS/2B, East Coast Sox 17u Aces
Machado is a big time name in the 2025 class with athletic traits that can stick up the middle. It's great hands paired with clean footwork and lateral range. The feel for the leather sticks out, but he shows some upside in the stick as a switch-hitter with quick hands from a short, direct path that works the entire field. Machado has some enticing traits that will be on the rise.

-Isaiah Burrows

Luke Cherry, LHP, Original Florida Pokers 2024
Any time you can play up a year and perform like Cherry did, it stands out. He’s on the smaller end physically but can really pitch as he lived in the mid-80s in a couple relief looks and missed a whole bunch of bats, totaling eight strikeouts across four innings and striking out all five of the hitters he faced in one of the looks. It’s a slightly lower slot but compact release and he has flashed feel to spin but the changeup is the bread-and-butter as he turns it over in the upper-70s with real intent and gets excellent diving action off a fastball plane.

Christopher Moore, RHP, Exposure Underclass Prime
Another young arm playing up that performed, Moore struck out 10 over five innings of work and it’s one of the easier profiles to project on. He’s a lean 6-foot-1, 160-pounds and he already shows solid stuff, living in the 84-87 range for the most part in this look with real sinking life out of an easy release and there’s a ton of confidence in the breaking ball, throwing it often and got a good amount of empty swings with it. It’s a bigger-shaped pitch with a good spin profile and the overall healthy shape, bite and spin to project it as an out-pitch moving forward.

Ronald Causby, RHP, MVP Florida 2024
Causby is an established young arm, being ranked and committed to Miami, and he’s got the foundation to be a big piece of ‘the next wave’. He’s long and projectable at 6-foot-2, 155-pounds and sat 86-88 early in the Underclass look, filling the zone and challenging hitters with it. He throws the breaking ball with good intent, landing it with excellent spin and depth and getting some rather ugly swings at times and the pair really play well off each other, and should continue to do so as he undoubtedly trends up in terms of the intensity of the stuff with time.

-Tyler Russo
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