(2016,
Apple Valley, Calif.) stride out to the mound wearing the uniform of
New York-based Next Level Baseball to face the national powerhouse
EvoShield Canes. It would have been easy for the University of San
Diego commit to tuck his tail between his legs and passively take his
lumps after watching his teammates go three-up, three-down in the top
of the first, only to watch his first pitch of the game get roped
into right-center.
However,
Sandum battled back and competed well against a talented lineup,
pitching inside aggressively to righthanders with his mid-80s
fastball, which peaked at 88, and showing the ability to spin his
slider over the backdoor corner for called strikes, and to the back
foot of righties to induce empty defensive swings. Sandum allowed
four runs over four innings, but three were unearned, and he threw
45 of his 64 pitches for strikes (70.3 percent) striking out four and
not issuing a walk.
In
addition to the mid-70s breaking ball he also dropped in a couple of
big, deep slow curves in the mid-60s that he would go to in fastball
counts to fool hitters. His pitchability is advanced for an
underlassman and he showed good feel, and while he doesn't light up
the radar gun or have a plus secondary offering yet, the sum of his
parts is quite good. If he takes a step forward physically he could
be dangerous given how well he is able to utilize his repertoire.
Sandum's
first inning matchup with shortstop Grant Bodison (2016,
Simpsonville, S.C.) turned out to be an epic battle. The pitchability
versus hand speed matchup went on for ten pitches before the
quick-twitch Bodison finally won out with a single to left field to
drive in the only earned run off of Sandum with two outs. Bodison
spoiled several quality pitches with an impressive two-strike
approach, where his hand-eye coordination allowed him to make late
decisions and react to the pitch type and location to spoil and
extend the at-bat until he finally got a hittable pitch. Bodison
would go 2-for-2 with a stolen base and a run scored in addition to
the first inning RBI.
After
Sandum's four quality innings Next Level Baseball turned to
righthander Ted Sabato (2016, Rye Brook, N.Y.), who topped out
at 89 mph and has plenty of physical projection remaining. Sabato has
a very quick arm but is raw mechanically at present with a fast paced
crossfire delivery that creates some deception, though it is also
difficult to repeat leading to effective wildness in this outing. He
showed hard spin on a big sweeping slurvy breaking ball in the
mid-70s as well, and as he matures physically he could develop into a
formidable pitcher.
The
EvoShield Canes' powerful lineup is so deep that it becomes difficult
to choose a single standout hitter, as there are several. Catchers
Blake Brady (2016, Greenville, S.C.) and Brad Debo
(2016, Durham, N.C.) both showed big strength-oriented power in pool
play, with Brady smashing a ground-rule double to left field off of
an 87 mph fastball. Debo posted a 2.00 game pop and moves well for
his size defensively in addition to his ability to drive the
baseball.
Third
baseman Joe Rizzo (2016, Oak Hill, Va.) also fits the mold of
the physically mature strength-oriented slugger whose left handed pop
fits well in the three-hole, and he also showed good arm strength at
third base.
Leadoff
hitting center fielder Edward Reese (2016, Lexington, N.C.) is
a tightly wound athletic lefthanded hitter with a compact swing and
fast hands. He runs well and has big range in center when he takes
direct routes.
Their
starter, righthander Michael Bienlien (2016, Chesapeak, Va.),
passes the eye test at 6-foot-3, 220-pounds, and he pounded the
strike zone at 85-87 mph. He paired it well with a deceptive
upper-70s changeup that he maintains his arm speed well on, and in
the game he allowed an unearned run over six innings on three hits
while striking out six and not issuing a walk.
While
no one scout can possibly see every team in the 208-team field, it is
a safe bet that the player who plays the game with the most flair in
the entire WWBA Underclass World Championship is Ramon Guzman
(2016, Kissimmee, Fla.).
Guzman
has a long, lanky athletic build at 6-foot-3 with plenty of room to
fill and long strides with athletic actions. That gives him good
range to both sides while playing shortstop, and also gives him the
potential for good outfield range as well. At the plate he has a very
aggressive approach, swinging the bat with intent while generating
good bat speed with a long, line drive swing plane. In SBO Florida's
doubleheader on Saturday, he went 3-for-6 with four RBI, including
the game winning RBI in both games, giving him plenty reason to
celebrate.
Continuing
the theme of quality shortstop play, Cam Shepherd (2016,
Duluth, Ga.) and his Team Elite 17's Prime teammates drew one of the
largest crowds of college recruiters during the final time slot of
the day at the Twins complex. Shepherd had a relatively quiet day at
the plate, going 0-for-2 with a walk, as the hard contact he made was
on the ground, but he played high level defense.
Through
the end of pool play he has now converted all 16 of his defensive
chances and has looked quite good doing so in the games I've had a
chance to watch him perform in. He has very smooth actions with
impressive coordination, and perhaps the slickest play of the day
came on the final out of the game when he came charging in on a slow
roller that he cleanly scooped while on the run in the infield grass.
He then transferred and fired a strike to first base quickly with
plenty of velocity on it in one clean motion while maintaining
complete balance and body control throughout. He is the most polished
shortstop to take the field at the Twins complex all weekend and that
coordination translates well to his swing as well.
Team
Elite's starting pitcher, righthander Will Ethridge (2016,
Lilburn, Ga.) topped out at 89 mph with a compact arm action. He has
plenty of room to fill in his lanky frame and get stronger, and his
slider flashed sharp late tilt in the low-80s. Ethridge generated
plenty of swings and misses with the slider and threw his fastball
for consistent strikes. His team would play to a tie but Ethridge did
his part as the starting pitching, throwing three no-hit shutout
innings with five strikeouts and one walk.
Ethridge's
batterymate with Team Elite and Parkview High School, Austin
Biggar (2016, Lilburn, Ga.) had a good day at the plate going
1-for-2 with a walk and has developed significantly as a defender
while his raw power is beginning to emerge at the plate.
Infielder
Aaron Schunk (2016, Decatur, Ga.) also stood out defensively
at third base where his arm is an asset, and he also topped out at 89
mph in relief the previous day and went 1-for-2 at the plate in this
contest.
The
pitching matchup at the heavily scouted contest between Marucci Elite
and USA Elite Baseball 2016's National was the best of the day at the
Twins complex. Marucci righthander Jake Eissler (2016,
Littleton, Colo.) showed impressive arm strength, topping out at 90
mph while pairing the fastball with a low-80s slider.
He
was opposed by an interesting projection lefthander in Jon Dignazio (2016, Baden, Penn.) who topped out at 88 mph with a
long, loose arm action and a sharp low-80s slider as well as changeup
up to 80. Eissler threw a complete game and allowed just two runs
(one earned) while striking out six and issuing just one walk to earn
the victory, throwing 57 of his 91 pitches for strikes. Both pitchers
were uncommitted coming into the tournament, though both likely
earned several offers with their performances in this matchup.
Graham
Ashcraft
(2016, Brownsboro, Ala.) also joined the 90 mph club pitching for So
Cal NTT. His line was skewed by going back out for the sixth inning
after he was out of gas, but the big physical righthander showed a
hard biting 11-to-5 curveball at 75-77 mph that paired well with his
consistent upper-80s fastball that he threw for frequent strikes and
that was still hitting 89 in the fifth.
– Todd
Gold
Justyn-Henry
Malloy (2018, Bergenfield, N.J.) is a player who is noticed in
pre-game warmups, showing soft hands when fielding ground balls on
the side of the field and showed noticeable arm strength on his
throws back to the catcher. Looking through the program it was
interesting to see that Malloy has yet to play a high school baseball
game, but with the physicality of his frame, one wouldn’t think
twice if somebody said he was an upperclassman. Batting in the
four-hole, Malloy shows a short and fast swing, and though his swing
is presently geared towards lifting the ball, the righthanded hitting
Malloy is certainly a bat that colleges will take note of over the
next four years.
A
known name in the 2017 class already, Devin Ortiz (2017,
Nutley, N.J.) is ranked 44th in the first set of rankings
for his class. A young two-way prospect, Ortiz provided relief on the
mound for the Bronx Bombers and showed nice potential as he continues
to develop.
Standing
at 6-foot-2, Ortiz has an athletic frame with long, loose limbs which
he controls well throughout his delivery. Even though he had a busy
summer on the summer showcase and tournament circuit, in addition to
playing for Team USA, Ortiz showed his best velocity at a Perfect
Game event, topping out at 89 mph with his fastball and worked
comfortably in the 84-88 mph range. The uncommitted righthander shows
a quick arm coming through the back side with a full arm circle and a
high three-quarters release. He opens his front side early in his
delivery and lands open with his front foot, but with the quickness
of his arm Ortiz is able to consistently get on top of the ball to
generate downhill plane and work low in the zone.
To
complement his fastball, Ortiz showed two different breaking balls,
both with distinct velocity and shape. Of the two his slider is the
better present offering, showing late and sharp 10-to-4 life up to 81
mph down in the zone. He slows his arm action slightly on his
curveball but he generates 11-to-5 life on the pitch with nice depth
in the low-70s and showed a nice feel for the pitch.
A
well-built and physical righthander, Austin Franklin (2016,
Laurel Hill, Fla.) took the mound with a nice collection of college
coaches looking on. Franklin has a projectable 6-foot-3 frame and as
he continues to incorporate his strong lower half into his delivery
the stuff he shows projects as well. As it is now, Franklin showed a
fastball that lived in the mid-80s throughout his outing, often times
flashing 88 on the radar gun.
With
a short arm action and a compact release, Franklin creates some
deception and does a nice job of getting on top of his fastball and
working down in the zone. What sets Franklin apart from other
pitchers though is his curveball that he threw frequently and in any
count. Throwing it from the same arm action, Franklin generates very
nice 12-to-6 break on his curveball with depth in the low-70s with a
strong feel for the pitch.
With
East Coast Baseball playing a double-header in Port Charlotte, it was
hard not to notice Jack Kenley (2016, Germantown, Tenn.) while
he was playing shortstop. A lean, projectable athlete with a 6-foot-1
frame full of quick-twitch muscle, Kenley made multiple plays
charging in on ground balls, picking them and delivered strikes to
first base on a consistent basis, even though his momentum was going
against him on the throws. He moves well on his feet and shows
average foot speed along with light actions on his feet and range up
the middle.
Though
he is listed as a primary second baseman, Alex Garbrick (2016,
Mill Hall, Pa.) certainly showed his potential on the mound yesterday
throwing in relief for Flood City Elite 2016. Throwing from a lower
three-quarters arm slot, the uncommitted Garbrick showed a quick arm
that worked primarily in the 84-87 mph range until a runner reached
third base and began to bump 88 mph with his fastball pretty
consistently. The ball comes out of his hand cleanly and shows sink
down in the zone and projects for more velocity with the
incorporation of his lower half. Along with his fastball, Garbrick
showed a nice curveball in the low-70s with depth.
Standing
at 6-foot-1, Thomas Spinelli (2016, Ocala, Fla.) is a strong
lefthanded pitcher with broad shoulders and a clean arm action.
Throwing from a high three-quarters arm slot, Spinelli shows an easy
and tension free arm coming through the back side. The uncommitted
lefthander created consistent downhill plane on his fastball, working
comfortably in the mid-80s and topped out at 87 mph with the pitch.
With the ease of his delivery and how clean the ball comes out it
looks as though Spinelli is playing catch until you look down at the
radar gun. He kept hitters off balance with an overhand curveball
that showed 12-to-6 break and consistently pounded the zone with the
pitch at 77 mph.
Having
been known as a two-way prospect since he began doing national level
events, Spencer Van Scoyoc (2016, Cedar Rapids, Iowa) did his
thing on the mound two days ago and showed his talents with the bat
yesterday. Standing at 6-foot-4, the uncommitted Van Scoyoc used his
long levers to create extension and turned on an elevated fastball,
driving the ball to the right field wall for a standup double. As he
continues to develop physically and add muscle, not only will he keep
developing on the mound, but also with the bat as a legitimate
two-way player at the next level.
– Jheremy Brown