Righthanded
pitcher Altoon Coleman (2017, Sanford, Fla.) did not have his
best pure stuff on Monday afternoon, but he showed solid command of
three pitches and competed well. The Florida State commit has been
clocked as high as 93 mph in the past, but after missing some of the
spring, and the Junior National Showcase with some minor injuries, he
has been working his way back into top form. On the first day of the
tournament, Coleman came on in relief and threw two scoreless innings
and showed a fastball in the 86-91 mph range. On Monday, Coleman
started in FTB Pride’s first-round playoff win over the Lakeside
Legends and threw four scoreless innings.
The
6-foot-2, 215-pound righty ran his fastball up to 90 mph on one
occasion, but he mainly worked in the 85-87 mph range with his
heater. While he didn’t have his best velocity, the offering had
significant late life and arm-side run, making it a difficult pitch
for opposing hitters to track and time up. As he did in his first
appearance of the tournament on Thursday, Coleman displayed advanced
feel for his low-70s breaking ball which flashed good depth and late
bite with 10-to-4 shape. He also did a good job of working in a
changeup. He threw the pitch with very good arm speed and arm
action, so while the pitch was rarely used it still generated a few
whiffs and was a quality, deceptive offering that kept hitters off
balance.
Coleman’s
FTB Pride teammate, Kobe Lopez (2016, Orlando, Fla.) was
extremely impressive at the plate on Monday. He went 6-for-7 over
the course of FTB’s two games. The Alabama State commit is the kind
of player that one needs to see multiple times to truly appreciate.
Listed at 5-foot-7, 134-pounds, Lopez is a compact, tightly-wound
athlete with smooth actions in the infield, and he has manned
shortstop sharply for FTB over the course of the tournament. He has
good foot speed and has a good feel for how and when to use his
speed. Two of his six hits were well-placed bunts, and he gets out
of the righthanded batter’s box very well. His speed plays up even
more when he’s on the basepaths because of his instincts and
overall feel for the game.
At
the plate, Lopez has a confident approach and was tracking the ball
very well, taking a number of close pitches and working the count
well. When a pitch was to his liking Lopez displayed very good
balance, quick hands and some wiry strength. All of the balls that
he put into play (non-bunts) were hit on the barrel and struck very
well, with four line drive singles sprayed between the left-center
field and right-center field gaps and a hard-hit lineout to center
field for his lone out of the day.
Alec
Sanchez (2018, Jacksonville, Fla.) performed well at the Junior
National Showcase event two weeks ago and he also had a solid day at
the plate, going 5-for-6 in FTB’s two games. The infielder is
committed to Florida State and he made a couple of nice plays while
playing second base, showing soft hands, smooth actions, a quick
release and the ability to make accurate throws from a variety of arm
slots. For as good as he is defensively, Sanchez really stands out
at the plate, as the left handedhitter uses a high leg kick but is
still able to maintain good balance and timing. He showed good
pull-side power at the Junior National, but on Monday he also
displayed the ability to work the opposite field, as four of his five
hits were to the left side and the other was a single to center
field. Sanchez did a very good job of keeping his hands back,
staying within himself and taking what the pitcher gave him, an
attribute that is rather uncommon for players of his age group and
grade.
Yet
another FTB Pride player, Wilberto Rivera (2017, Naranjito,
Puerto Rico), showed some intriguing tools on Monday. While he’s
still a bit raw, Rivera showed some armstrength off of the mound.
The 6-foot-5, 200-pound righthander hit 88 mph with his fastball, and
generally worked in the 84-86 mph range over the course of his start.
With an extra-large frame and broad shoulders, Rivera still has room
to get stronger and fill out as he matures. For someone his size,
Rivera did a solid job of repeating his delivery and flashed the
ability to locate his fastball to his glove side. He only worked in
a handful of breaking balls, a slower mid-60s curveball, and it is
clear that he’s still developing feel for the offering. Although
he’s more of a project at present, Rivera will still only be
entering his junior year of high school this fall, and he has a high
ceiling, so his size and arm strength certainly merit attention.
Alec
Aleywine (2016, Panama City, Fla.) is an imposing presence in the
batter’s box. The Next Level 16u product hit some balls sharply on
Sunday, with one coming off the bat at over 90 mph (per TrackMan),
and he displayed some of that impressive strength and bat speed on
Monday as well. The 6-foot-2, 235-pound lefthanded hitting first
baseman has an open stance and slightly crouched setup at the plate,
and he’s able to whip his hands through the zone quickly. He
tracked the ball well, and while he didn’t have a hit in Monday’s
game action against Orlando Baseball Academy, Aleywine just missed a
couple of balls and showed some serious impact contact on balls that
he ripped foul down the right field line.
A
number of other Next Level 16u hitters stood out as well. Lefthanded
pitcher, first baseman and outfielder Jordan Murray (2016,
Lynn Haven, Fla.) had three hits on Sunday, and also hit a couple of
balls that had exit velocities north of 90 (91 on a double and 99 on
a triple). The lean, well-proportioned righthanded hitter has
present strength in his frame and has solid bat speed.
Outfielder
Elijah Gill (2017, Jacksonville, Fla.) is a high-energy,
competitive player that performed very well at the plate. The
athletic looking lefthanded hitter also showed good bat speed and
some present strength and coordination in his 6-foot-1, 185-pound
frame. Gill looked very confident at the plate and displayed a good
feel for the barrel, going 2-for-3 with a double to the left-center
field gap and a triple to right-center field.
Another
soon-to-be junior, righthanded pitcher/outfielder Michael Cullen
(2017, Panama City, Fla.) has a lean, well-proportioned 6-foot-1,
175-pound frame. Cullen has some present strength and displayed
quick hands, a fluid, line-drive swing path and solid balance in the
batter’s box. The righthanded hitter went 3-for-4 with two doubles
and a triple in Next Level’s victory over Orlando Baseball Academy.
Next
Level’s starting pitcher, righty Peyton Millirons (2017,
Panama City, Fla.), threw five solid innings to pick up the win.
Millirons builds up momentum in his delivery and has a deceptive,
whippy arm action that works to a three-quarters arm slot. He lands
slightly closed and throws a bit crossfire, which combined with a
later hand separation and energetic release makes for a deceptive,
difficult at-bat for opposing hitters.
Millirons’
fastball was predominately in the 83-85 mph range, and while there is
some effort in his delivery, he did a good job of maintaining his
stuff on what was a hot afternoon in Fort Myers. He also flashed the
ability to extend, work over his front side and locate to the glove
side. Furthermore, he flashed some feel for his breaking ball, which
while inconsistent at times, showed good, late break and true slider
tilt. Millirons was able to get a handful of swings and misses on
the offering, and he seemed to get a better feel for it later in the
game. Finally, Millirons also worked in a mid-70s changeup that had
some solid dive in the bottom of the strike zone.