3/25/2016 6:40:22 PM
3/25/16
In day two of the Rawlings Select Classic #2 a round of consolation games were played as well as a pair of semifinal match-ups to set up the Championship Game for tomorrow morning. Merritt Island advanced past Edwardsville and the Buccaneers of South Dade won over O'Fallon. The pair of Florida teams will play at 10 AM Saturday.
There were several standouts from the Merritt Island vs. Edwardsville game including a trio of talented arms. Chase Victor took to the bump for the Mustangs, the generously listed 5-foot-10, 165 pound sophomore pitched incredibly well against a far more experienced Tigers' lineup. The uncommitted Victor threw from a three-quarter arm slot with a fairly fluid arm action towards the plate. What he did exceptionally well was repeat his mechanics throughout his six and one third innings on the mound. He maintained the same drive in his lower half and did well to repeat his release point. He landed closed and utilized a slightly crossfire delivery on the mound, cutting off his downhill extension. His fastball only worked 80-82 mph and topped out at 83 mph in the second with good arm-side life, but he located it very well. He did well to get downhill for his size and created good angle towards the plate. He had no issues getting to his glove side, challenging right-handers inside during the entire outing. Victor also did well to play his fastball off of his curveball which topped out at 70 mph and had a 1-7 shape. He threw the pitch for strikes, often dropping it at the bottom of the zone for strike three and freezing hitters for most of his 10 strikeouts.
His opposition on the mound was senior right-hander, Trey Riley who is committed to Oklahoma State. He's listed at 6-foot-3, 175 pounds with tons of physical projection remaining as he moves forward. Riley worked from a three-quarter arm slot with a long arm action and slight stab at the end of his arm circle. He had good arm speed and strength with an on-line delivery with minimal lower half involvement. Riley's fastball worked consistently between 90-92 mph and touched 93 mph with slight arm-side run, but a lot of heaviness to the pitch when he worked it low in the zone. He pitched to contact with and often left his fastball up, and over the plate, but thanks to his plus velocity, he was not hit hard. Riley mixed in a curveball at 77 mph with 10-4 shape and very tight spin with decent tilt. He also showed a changeup at 80 mph with some sink, though he rarely used it in game. In warmups he did well to come close to his normal arm speed, but lacked high end feel for it. He tossed all six innings for Edwardsville and allowed two runs on four hits, but took the tough-luck loss.
For video of Riley, please follow this link.
Mason Denaburg came into close for Merritt Island after catching the first six innings to pick up the last two outs. Denaburg showed the very strong arm he did yesterday from behind the plate with a super loose, easy arm action. The sophomore Florida commit already stands at a super projectable 6-foot-3, 190 pounds and can continue to develop and add strength. Denaburg worked heavily downhill with good extension and lower-half drive. He worked his fastball between 90-92 mph and touched 93 mph with super heavy arm-side life. His arm slot and release point were very inconsistent on the mound as he struggled finding the zone and repeating his mechanics. He showed a slight crossfire delivery and tried to get the trio of left-handed hitters he faced to chase his fastball low and away. He showed a curveball offering with 10-4 shape that hit 78 mph with average spin that was merely a breaking ball offering.
For video of Denaburg, please follow this link.
While the Merritt Island/Edwardsville game was a pitcher's duel that lasted under an hour and a half, the South Dade/O'Fallon game was an offensive onslaught with 22 hits and 19 runs between the two teams.
South Dade third basemen and Charleston Southern commit, Dan Vaughan, showed very well at the plate collecting a trio of hits, with two of them being loud doubles. He showed impressive bat speed and easy weight transfer to the ball with an approach that used the whole field. Vaughan also showed impressive feel for the barrel, consistently hitting the ball hard in each at-bat. The 6-foot-1, 195 pound third basemen still has projection left in his frame as he could add strength going forward and in his time at school.
The other big bat in the Buccaneers' lineup was Alek Manoah. Far better known for his accolades as a pitcher, but Manoah put up an impressive day at the plate showing off his impressive raw strength and power. Monoah is built like a house at the plate standing at an impressive 6-foot-6, 245 pounds and physically maxed out. His swing gets long, but when he makes contact he drives it with authority. He didn't look to pull, but used an approach to get to the whole field. He delivered one of the hardest hit balls of the day in a double that one hopped the right-field wall in the sixth inning.
For O'Fallon, Bradley Snyder manned the three-hole spot in the order and delivered with a pair of hits including a double. Snyder is listed at a belivebale at a projectable 6-foot-3, 190 pounds with present strength throughout with room still to fill out. Snyder showed clear bat speed at the plate and barrel feel, turning around both of his hits at 91+ mph off the bat per TrackMan. He has subtle lift in his swing with the ability to generate backspin from his line drive swing plane.