The
16u BCS Finals tournament got off to a terrific start on Thursday
morning. On the backfields behind Jet Blue Park a number of players,
including some recent Junior National participants, impressed.
Cole
Brannen (2017, Elko, Ga.)
is an ultra-athletic outfielder that is currently committed to
Georgia Southern. The 6-foot, 170-pound rising junior has been
clocked as low as 6.52 in the 60-yard dash at a Perfect Game Event
(the Sunshine Southeast Showcase in late May), and he carries that
athleticism out with him in the field. He performed well at the
Junior National Showcase over a week ago, and on Thursday morning he
again displayed strong instincts in center field, making a good read
off the bat and taking an efficient route to chase down a sinking
line drive in right-center field. Brannen then had the wherewithal
to throw back to first base to nab the baserunner who had been
running on contact for a double play. Brannen also swung the bat
well from the left side, showing the ability to sting the ball to all
parts of the park, with a lineout to shortstop, hard fly ball to deep
center field, and a sharp groundout to second base.
Brannen’s
Chain National teammate, Zack Brockman (2017,
Savannah, Ga.), was not a Junior National participant, but the
righthanded pitcher was very solid in his six innings of work. The
6-foot-1, 180-pound rising junior has an athletic build and a
well-paced delivery. While there is some late energy at release,
Brockman maintains solid balance for much of his delivery, and offers
a clean, loose arm-action to a high three-quarters arm slot. His
fastball, clocked up to 85 mph, and sitting in the 81-84 mph range,
had good arm-side run and showed good sinking action when located
down in the zone. It was a very tough pitch for opposing hitters to
barrel, and when he got into a rhythm and started to command the
offering it showed the makings of a very effective pitch. Brockman
also showed a pretty good feel for spinning in a curveball with
11-to-5 shape and good depth and developing confidence and good arm
speed in a mid-70s changeup that showed solid potential when located
down in the strike zone. He struck out six over his six innings,
earning the win.
On
an adjacent field, a number of Lakeside Legends played very well.
Brendan Murphy (Mundelein,
Ill.), another Junior National Showcase participant, took to
the mound for Lakeside to start the game. The 6-foot-3, 180-pound
southpaw is extremely projectable as he offers long limbs and a
loose, clean arm action on an athletic, well-proportioned frame.
Working from a three-quarters arm slot, the currently uncommitted
Murphy uses a slight hip turn and shows a good feel for repeating his
deceptive delivery. While his fastball sat more in the 80-84 mph
range on Thursday, he has more in the tank, and the ball really jumps
on hitters late as he has a deep stride off of the rubber. The
heater shows really good life in the lower half of the strike zone,
with arm-side run and late sinking action. Murphy also worked in a
very good changeup in the low- to mid-70s. He did a great job of
maintaining fastball arm speed on the pitch, and the offering showed
good fade and dive below the zone—it showed the potential to be a
true out-pitch. Finally, Murphy also showed good feel for spinning a
breaking ball, a sweeping pitch with 2-to-8 break and some depth. He
was able to locate all three pitches effectively and work to both
sides of the plate, allowing him to strike out seven batters in his
start.
Lakeside
Legends’ center fielder Brad Czerniejewski (2017,
Lake Forest, Ill.) was yet another Junior National Showcase
participant. While he wasn’t really tested in center field on the
day, Czerniejewski, like the aforementioned Cole Brannen, has
top-notch athleticism, turning in a 6.64 60-yard dash time last week.
The athleticism was clearly evident last weekend, but he showed
solidly the plate on Thursday morning. Czerniejewski was thrown a lot
of breaking balls early in the count, but he did a solid job of
keeping his hands back and staying balanced. He was able to serve a
slider on the outside part of the plate into right field for a
single, showing an aptitude to make adjustments within game action
that should excite both the coaches at TCU (where he is currently
committed) and scouts alike.
Tyler
Esplin (2017, Lake Bluff,
Ill.), another Junior National Showcase participant, and Kevin
Donahue (2017, Northfield,
Ill.) also both swung the bats well for the Lakeside Legends.
Both Esplin, a primary pitcher, and Donahue, a middle infielder,
showed an aggressive approach at the plate, attacking fastballs early
in the count. Donahue hit a double to left-center field and roped a
single to center field. Both players warrant watching as the
tournament continues.
At
Terry Park in the later morning games the Easton Rockets 16u team
really stood out. The team certainly looks the part, with 13 of the
20 players listed on the roster listed at 6-foot-1 or taller, an
astounding number for players at such a young age.
However,
the Easton Rockets 16u were not just “5 o’clock hitters” as
their physicality showed up in game action. Michael Rothenberg
(2017, Boca Raton, Fla.), a Duke commit and Junior National
participant, had two solid hits. The 6-foot-3, 200-pound catcher
doubled to left field in his first at-bat and showcased good balance
and strong hands in his second at-bat, a single to right-center field
on a breaking ball.
The
physical, 6-foot-2, 205-pound Tarik Latchmansin
(2017, Royal Palm Beach, Fla.) did well to lay off pitches
outside the strike zone, walking in one plate appearance, and
showcased his big-time strength when he did get a ball over the
plate, ripping a double to left field with an exit velocity (measured
by TrackMan) at 95 mph.
Also,
Kristofer Armstrong (2018,
Jupiter, Fla.) displayed potential on both sides of the ball,
as the switch hitter stung a ball into left field for a single, and
made a nice play at shortstop, rounding a slowly hit ball and working
through it easily. The 6-foot-3, 185-pound Armstrong is also a
switch-pitcher, although he did not toe the rubber on Thursday.
Two
other uncommitted Easton Rockets 16u players also impressed. Jerbari
Brooks (2017, Jensen
Beach, Fla.) was a rarity in the lineup, as an outfielder
standing under 6-feet tall, but the compactly-built athletic
lefthanded hitter shows a sweet stroke and ripped a double off the
right field fence, rounding first base at 4.9 seconds.
Jack
Iervolino (2017, Palm Beach
Gardens, Fla.) ran his fastball up to 86 mph, working
comfortably in the 80-84 mph range. The physical, 6-foot, 210-pound
righty has a deceptive, compact arm-action and generates solid
downhill plane from his overhand arm slot.
In
the afternoon session, FTB Pride stole the show. Lefthander
Logan Allen (2017,
Deltona, Fla.) and righthander
Altoon Coleman (2017,
Sanford, Fla.) combined to throw a no-hitter in FTB’s
win over the Florida Canes.
At
5-foot-9, 150-pounds Allen won’t often be mistaken for recent
Boston Red Sox draftee Logan Allen of IMG Academy, but he showed a
similarly advanced feel for pitching. Allen, an Alabama State commit,
worked very quickly and got into a tremendous rhythm in the early
going. He has a simple yet deceptive delivery with a hip turn, and a
long, loose arm action. Working with a fastball in the 82-86 mph
range, Allen pounded the strike zone often, and showed an advanced
ability to locate the pitch to both sides of the plate. The compact
southpaw also worked in a very good breaking ball with solid depth.
At times the offering showed 1-to-7 shape with more traditional
curveball break and at others it was a more sweeping pitch with
2-to-8 tilt, but both varieties showed good, sharp bite and solid
potential. He struck out nine over his four innings of work largely
based off of the quality of both offerings, and his ability to locate
and mix pitches effectively.
Coleman
offers a different look than Allen, as the Florida State commit is
listed at 6-foot-2, 215-pounds. The strong-bodied rising junior
missed the Junior National Showcase with a minor injury, but he
showed little rust on Thursday. Coleman showed solid command of his
fastball, which ranged from 86-91 mph and generally sat in the 87-89
mph band, and good feel for a breaking ball with three-quarters slider tilt and
good bite with gloveside finish.
In
the evening dozens of players, a couple from each team, competed in a
Home Run Derby and Fastest Man Challenge—measured by a 60-yard
dash.
The
Home Run Derby format allowed for each entrant to have ten total
swings. While a number of players were able to muscle out one home
run, Trey Becerra of Frozen Ropes Thornton and Mario
Feliciano of FTB Pride were the only participants to hit multiple
dingers. Becerra (2017, Coppell,
Texas) hit two, showing off really quick hands, and it looked like
that would be enough to capture the crown. However, just one batter
later Feliciano (2016, Hato Rey, Puerto Rico) displayed his big-time
raw power and launched out three, including one that cleared
the City of Palms Stadium entirely and landed in an adjacent field.
There
were a number of speedy runners in the Fastest Man Challenge/60-Yard
Dash, but after everybody ran there were just three players that
warranted another round—Brad Hudson of Frozen Ropes
Thornton, Gunnar Ricketts of eXposure Baseball, and Datren
Bray of East Cobb Pride. All three finalists turned in blazing
times in the final heat, but it was Bray that won by a hair as he
turned in a time of 6.39, besting Ricketts (6.42) and Hudson (6.43)
by just hundredths of a second.