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Tournaments  | Story  | 9/9/2017

Fall Champ. Day 1 Scout Notes

Jheremy Brown      Vincent Cervino     
Photo: Perfect Game

2017 PG Fall Underclass National Championship Protected by G-Form Daily Leaders

Suiting up the for SACSN National Team in their annual trip to Arizona, Chandler Freeman (2019, Liberty Hill, Texas) continued to impress as a two-way talent and did so on the mound as he threw the first two innings in quick fashion, walking just one in an otherwise perfect outing.



In what has almost come to be expected out of Freeman, the young Dallas Baptist commit came out in full attack mode and didn’t let up, sitting in the 85-88 mph range with his heater and held well from both the windup and stretch. While it’s a fuller arm stroke through the backside he shows the type of arm speed to come through on time and worked down in the zone for the most part with heavy life, creating angle when locating to his glove side. He will occasionally get mistimed and miss high to his glove side but as you can see in the video it also helps change hitter’s eye levels and can get them to chase.

Freeman also featured a hard and tight slider in the mid- to upper-70s, peaking at 76 mph, which he used as his go-to secondary pitch. He did a nice job of maintaining his arm speed on the pitch and like his fastball stayed down in the zone and was able to pick up a couple of swings-and-misses. Though he’s listed as a primary third baseman and has shown well both defensively and with the bat, Freeman will also bring value to Dallas Baptist on the bump.

Following Freeman on the mound for SACSN was righthander Hunter Macomber (2019, Ashville, N.C.), an Appalachian State commit, who shows promise on the mound and projectability moving forward. With quickness to his arm and working from a near over-the-top release point, Macomber generated nice plane on his fastball which sat in the 84-86 mph range in his first inning before working more within the 81-83 mph range in the second inning. He did a nice job of getting his fastball to either side of the plate early in the outing, showing occasional life when spotted down. The difference maker however was his curveball, a sharp 12-6 shaped offering up to 77 mph which showed late bite and proved to be a consistent pitch.

James Hurst (2019, Orlando, Fla.), Phillipe Roy (2019, St. Louis, Mo.), and Tucker Mitchell (Oakton, Va.) all showed well on both sides of the ball with the quick-twitch and uncommitted Hurst picking up a three-hit game including an infield single and a bunt single which he beat out with ease. Roy was held hitless in the game but the uncommitted lefthanded hitting shortstop showed a quick, short stroke at the plate and moved well defensively up the middle with soft and quick hands on the transfer. Mitchell, ranked No. 456 in the class, made his presence felt both behind the plate as he threw out a would-be base stealer at third and at the plate as he drove a double to his pull side, staying short to the ball while cleaning the left fielder’s head.

Nick Fisher (2019, Chandler, Ariz.) took the mound for AZ T-Rex Rawlings in the opening round of pool play and went three innings on the bump. Though he was ultimately handed the loos, Fisher showed components on the mound that impressed, including a quick right arm that helped run his fastball up to 84 mph more than a couple of times. He worked exclusively out of the stretch and showed a full arm action through the back which allowed for short sinking life when down in the zone. As he found his release point Fisher continued to challenge hitters with his fastball and projectable for additional velocity as he continues to refine his lower half mechanics and get more drive from his back side. He only flashed a 74 mph curveball a time or two but as he began to live down in the zone with life he managed to induce ground ball contact.

Listed as a primary catcher, Steven Zobac (2019, San Jose, Calif.) was handed the ball for CAB Soldiers 2019 Underclass and didn’t disappoint as he racked up 12 punchouts over five frames. Previously up to 81 mph with his fastball, the 6-foot-2, 180-pound Zobac was up to 84 mph yesterday afternoon and maintained his low-80s velocity well. With a simple and balanced set of mechanics Zobac did a nice job of repeating on the mound with a full and quick arm action, working to an extended three-quarters release point and near low three-quarters at times.

Working in attack mode, Zobac showed an up-tempo pace and filled the zone with his fastball, creating some angle with short running life out of the hand. At its best his breaking ball showed slider tilt at 74 mph, offering more depth and curveball feel at 71 mph but proved to be a pitch he could land for strikes. He’s also a lefthanded hitter and showed a loose stroke and quick hands by turning on a double to his pull side with ease.

You won’t miss Will Armbruester (2019, Sammamish, Wash.) as he digs into the box as he’s listed at a strong 6-foot-5, 225-pounds and he made sure to retain onlooker’s attention with his righthanded swing. Being so tall and still young it’s easy for a batter to get mistimed in his swing or get too long to the ball, but Armbruester showed no problem with either of those two things in GBG Northwest’s opening game as he went 3-for-4, including a long home run to the left-center field gap that got out in a hurry. Uncommitted, Armbruester does a nice job of staying short and compact to the baseball with limited moving parts, allowing his swing to remain simple while still generating bat speed and strength at the point of contact. He put a crisp swing on display in his first at-bat, lining a single to center field while plating his first of five runs on the day and even showed strength on a decently struck F8 despite getting caught on his front side with an off-speed pitch.

The younger brother of Oregon State’s Christian Donahue, Jordan Donahue (2020, Mililani, Hawaii) shows intriguing tools of his own and is a bat we will continue to follow through the tournament. One of just two 2020 graduates on GBG NW’s roster, Donahue shows confidence at the plate with looseness to his hands and fluidity to his swing. He showed an understanding of the strike zone and wasn’t willing to readily expanded the zone as he showed in his first at-bat, drawing a walk before quickly turning it into the equivalent of a double as he showed his speed and swiped a bag.

Jacob Crittenden (2019, Murrieta, Calif.) showed nice tools on both sides of the ball for the West Coast Clippers 2019 Murrieta squad during their opening game of pool play and he’s one player we will continue to track moving forward. Though not overly physical at 5-foot-8, 140-pounds, Crittenden doesn’t get cheated at the plate and shows an aggressive approach, creating nice bat speed with quick hands while staying short to the ball. After turning on an 83 mph to bring the run in during the first inning on a 5-3, Crittenden then showed off defensively with quick footwork and smooth, athletic actions. His instincts showed later in the game with an excellent diving grab to his right up the middle, robbing a base hit from the batter.

Hitting in the middle of the West Coast Clippers Underclass SD lineup, Robby Williams (2019, Poway, Calif.) put together a 2-for-4 day at the plate which included a triple and a couple of RBI. Looking bigger and stronger than his listed 6-foot, 155-pounds, Williams still offers plenty of physical projectability but shows present strength in his swing as he did a nice job of staying short and direct to the ball with leverage through the zone. Williams, who’s uncommitted, repeated his swing well and showed some speed on the bases, moving well from first to third base on his triple to center field.

– Jheremy Brown





The PG Fall National Championships got off to a strong start on Friday afternoon and a close game between Aggies Baseball and the CageRats. The Aggies took home the one-run victory and Gerardo Hernandez (2019, San Luis, Ariz.) closed out te game and showed some of the best velocity of the day during the process. The uncommitted two-way player ran his fastball up to 88 mph and consistently sat in the upper-80s. Hernandez got pretty impressive extension down the mound and threw from a fuller arm path. The extended three-quarter release coupled with high leg lift at the balance point allowed for good rhythm and to repeat his delivery well. He worked extremely well to both sides and also mixed in a short slider in order to strike out two of the final three hitters.

Hernandez showed good tools as a position player as well with good burst out of the box and aggressiveness with instincts on defense. The swing is short and contact-oriented in order to spray the ball to all fields. There is good raw bat speed on the swing and Hernandez showed of the speed with a running catch in right field.




Southpaw Bryce Eisenreich (2019, Colorado Springs, Colo.) got the nod for the CageRats and he showed some of the best pitchability of the day. The 6-foot, 160-pound lefthander is pretty athletic and might be a bit taller than his listed height. Eisenreich fired six innings while striking out six and did a good job at making for uncomfortable at-bats and throwing any of his four pitches for strikes, regardless of count.

The arm action itself is very loose and whippy throughout with pretty solid arm speed too. He releases the ball from a lower three-quarter arm slot which allows him to create good angle on the pitch and generate some run to the arm side. Eisenrich has immense confidence in his repettoire which featured four pitches. The fastball was up to 83 mph early on and sat in that upper-70s to low-80s range to both sides with good run. He could effectively manipulate spin to get either a curveball that showed late tilt or a shorter, more laterally moving slider. Eisenreich also flashed a changeup with short depth.

Tyler Shelley (2019, Parker, Colo.) batted leadoff on Friday afternoon and showed true-leadoff type tools with athletic defensive actions. The 5-foot-6, 140-pound player showed a very short and compact swing from the left side. The path is lofted well and he can spray the ball well to all fields including to the pull side where he turned the barrel over for a single later in the game. The defense stood out particularly thanks to his aggressiveness getting to the ball and his soft, sure hands. Shelley made plays to both his left and right during the game and did so cleanly and smoothly. He handles the shortstop position well including showing advanced body control while ranging to make plays and has a good internal motor of when to release the ball.

PG Junior National participant Kevin Sim (2020, San Diego, Calif.) took some good swings on the day including one for a line drive double to straightaway center field. The righthanded hitter showed an interesting shift from his time at Junior National as it appears he has lowered his hand set in an effort to be more direct to the ball. He starts wide but is still able to shift his weight forward through contact and his hand speed and path to contact allow for a very easy trigger into the swing. The hands are in a good launch position and he is looking to drive the ball hard into the air. The power presently is best suited for a gap-to-gap approach but he does have good strength through extension and can impact the ball well out in front. Sim’s mechanical change does not appear to have affected his ability to generate hard contact as h e found consistent barrels at Junior National and found a couple more on Friday.

Sim’s teammate Austin Schroeder (2020, La Jolla, Calif.) showed a very loose and projectable swing despite being a primary pitcher. The 6-foot-1, 175-pound righthanded hitter showed a very projectable frame with long limbs and tons of room to fill and add more strength. The swing path is fluid and allows him to cover the plate very well on both sides. There is some raw bat speed in the swing and he took multiple good swings and came away with a single. The low effort swing stays on plane well and is very consistent and repeatable. Schroeder certainly warrants more looks in the batter’s box as he continues to develop his offensive presence and is very intriguing as a potential two-way player at shortstop.

Well-built righthander Nate Fleischli (2019, Atherton, Calif.) has an extra large, 6-foot-5 and 195-pound frame with broad shoulders and very physically projectable build. He ran his fastball up to 85 mph early on in his performance and combined with his over the top arm slot is able to easily generate downhill plane to both sides of the plate with his fastball. The arm circle is a bit shorter in the back but he showed good rhythm and balance in the delivery. With a compact delivery, Flesichli is able to repeat his delivery well with little moving parts. He attacked hitters early in the count with fastballs and would go to his 12-to-6 curveball to finish hitters off. The pitch showed short and late break straight downward and was best when buried in the dirt for swings and misses.

One of the younger players in the event, Carson McKinney (2021, Temecula, Calif.), showed advanced feel for the mound along with impressive physicality for someone who just turned fourteen. The 6-foot-4, 190-pound righthander has broad shoulders with impressive physical projection for his age. He showed good balance with a shorter arm action and got on top of the fastball consistently. The fastball was ran up to 81 mph and he showed the ability to generate some downhill plane on the fastball. McKinney remained balanced throughout the delivery well and there is raw arm talent. He mixed in a shorter breaking ball but has very interesting tools from someone who has just entered high school and being young for the grade.

The night slot over at the Reds side of Goodyear had one of the better games of the day as the San Diego Show and SACSN squared up. Show righthander Thomas Carter (2019, Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.) was very impressive especially in terms of his command within the strike zone. The 6-foot-1, 150-pound arm has a very lean and physically projectable frame with extremely long limbs. The delivery is fairly low effort and his ability to spot the fastball low to either side stood out. He attacked hitters with the pitch up to 84 mph and got ahead in the count very easily. There is feel for a breaking ball with consistent shape and he was able to throw the pitch for strikes or bury it low and away to batters of the same handedness. Carter’s ability to work ahead and use all his pitches played very well as he struck out four and only allowed a single hit through three innings.

Two lefthanded batters stood out for the Show during the game as Garrett Frechette (2019, Vista, Calif.) and Jake Connelly (2019, San Diego, Calif.) showed off their impressive tools in the batter’s box.

Frechette has a very large frame at a listed 6-foot-3, 195-pounds with broad shoulders and present physicality that are all indicative of a high-power potential. The approach at the plate is a patient one as he will wait for fastballs to hunt over the middle of the plate. Frechette showed good bat speed and the ability to turn the barrel over as he extends out in front. The swing is fluid and repeatable with natural loft and leverage throughout. The hands shoot directly to the ball and are loose throughout the path as the tools certainly back up his no. 67 overall ranking in the class. He only connected on a single early in the game but there are certainly loud tools present.

Connelly is also athletic with a projectable 6-foot-2, 170-pound frame and tons of room for strength. The lefty hitter stands balanced in the box with an elastic hand load into the swing. There is a hitch in the back but it is for timing purposes and allows him to keep his hands in constant momentum as he approaches contact. Connelly’s hands are loose throughout the swing path with natural loft on it and flashed solid bat speed as well. The swing is more compact through the zone and serves well as a high contact-rate approach but he has enough strength and bat speed to hit for surprising power should he lift the ball to the pull side.

– Vinnie Cervino
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