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Tournaments  | Story  | 6/25/2019

17u WWBA Northeast Scout Notes


On the first day of the WWBA Northeast National Championship, Kai Cummings – a 6-foot-2, 170- pound outfielder for Tri State Arsenal 2020 National currently sitting on Perfect Game’s Top 500 – kicked off his campaign with a power shot deep over the left-center fence, displaying his ability to get his hands inside the ball with great success. Aside from his power, Cummings showed patience and discipline at the plate, racking up multiple walks as well as creating trouble on the base paths. Cummings speed was also apparent while in the outfield, covering a ton of ground to lead his team to an impressive win over the East Coast Jays.




Team Beast 2020 Gibson has an up and coming righthanded pitcher Chris Mazza, a 6-foot, 200-pound righthanded pitcher from Forest Hills, New York. On the first day of the 2019 WWBA 17u Northeast National Championship, Mazza racked up seven strikeouts through just three innings of work. Mazza ran his fastball up to 87 mph from a high three-quarters arm slot. Mazza has late sink on his fastball and If he is able to develop his secondary stuff he will be a big asset to someone at the next level.

The Long Island Body Armor Titans Brock Murtha, a 6-foot, 185-pound righthanded pitcher, throws a hard sinking 86-88 mph fastball. He complements his fastball with a tightly spun late breaking 12-to-6 curveball. Murtha throws a bit across his body behind a high leg kick that creates fits for opposing hitters. In five innings of work this weekend Murtha gave up one hit while striking out 12 in five innings pitched. Also showing great athleticism at shortstop and at the plate.

Donald Wille (2020, Holtsville, N.Y.), a 6-foot-3, 230-pound catcher, was impressive behind the plate all weekend. Wille showed plus potential arm strength as well as great receiving skills.  As a hitter he has a nice short stroke with gap to gap power. A Fordham University commit, Wille showed the skills to be a real difference maker defensively at the next level.




Ryan Murphy (2020, Harrisburg, Pa.) a 5-foot-9, 160-pound righthanded pitcher for Mid Penn Prospects pitched on Saturday morning in a pitchers dual against the Rising Stars and did not disappoint. Murphy  dominated through five innings giving up no hits while striking out eight. He worked quickly, and challenged hitters with his low-to-mid 80s fastball and a big sweeping 11/5 curveball to keep hitters guessing. Murphy uses solid, repeatable mechanics and plus command to get ahead, stay ahead and put hitters away, at one point striking out six hitters in a row. Murphy was also very pitch efficient as he only threw 63 pitches in his five innings of work.

Lloyd McLaughlin (2020, Columbus, N.J.) a 5-foot-11, 170-pound shortstop for Tri State Arsenal 2020 National 2. Currently unranked, McLaughlin announced his presence with authority by hitting for a .429 average and an even more impressive .556 OBP throughout the course of his first three WWBA 17U Northeast National Championship games. McLaughlin showcased his ability to use all fields, shooting balls from gap to gap with authority. Defensively, McLaughlin put his soft hands and clean footwork on display, providing a composed leader in the infield.

Little Caesars Baseball has the ultimate cleanup hitter in Blaise Wilcenski. Blaise is a big, tall righthanded hitter standing at 6-foot-5 and 220-pounds. He has a short effortless swing, that produces tremendous back spin and carry. Wilcenski is an intimidating hitter as he hit a towering home run to left center that was a no doubter on Sunday against the Rising Stars. His power comes easy and will project will at the next level. 





Jack Carr, the Long Island Body Armor Titans righthanded pitcher, had an impressive start on Saturday afternoon. Carr uses his compact repeatable windup and his 84-87 mph four seam fastball to dominate opposing hitters.  He also used  low-70s curveball with sharp late movement to compliment his fastball and keep hitters off balance. Carr pounded the strike zone, as he threw 74 percent of his pitches for strikes. His deception on the mound gives him the advantage as he throws from the low three-quarters arm slot with quick arm speed. He struck out 11 in seven innings, most coming on that previously discussed breaking ball.




Nikhil Patel (2020, Allentown, Pa.) a 5-foot-10, 190-pound righthanded pitcher for the Rising Stars shined this weekend as he scattered four hits in seven innings against the Mid Penn Prospects on Saturday. Patel showed an impressive three pitch mix as he displayed a fearless presence on the mound. His fastball sat between 83-85 mph with late sink.. He also throws a sharp-breaking slider (71-73 mph) that keeps hitters off balance, as he was able to throw locate all of his pitches effectively. He polished mechanics should impress at the next level.

Anthony Steele (2021, Shelton, Conn.) a 6-foot-3, 215-pound lefthanded pitcher and first baseman, was impressive in his only outing on the mound. Steele struck out nine across five innings relying heavily on a 85-87 mph fastball that seemed to dominate the top half of the strike zone. Steele has a loose low three-quarters arm slot that plays really tough against lefthanded hitters because of the way he throws across his body. We have seen a big jump in velocity since the last time we saw him and expect there is plenty more to come.

Massepequa’s slick fielding shortstop Julian Belardo, 5-foot-10 and 172-pounds, has soft hands and a quick release along with good arm strength. Throughout the tournament Belardo displayed great range and a good awareness of the game.  As a hitter, Belardo relies on a short stroke and his speed on the bath paths to create opportunities for his teammates.

Little Caesars Baseball’s Nick Chittum (2020, Grosse Ile, Mich.) a 6-foot-2, 192-pound righthanded pitcher was impressive in his two outings. He throws a riding four-seam fastball consistently in the upper-80s that topped out at 92 mph. Chittum mixes in a hard-breaking 11-to-5 curveball at 72-75, and a changeup with good late action at 78-80. He is most effective when he mixes in his off-speed with 2 strikes to keep the hitters guessing.

Brendan Harris (2020, Altamont, N.Y.) a 6-foot, 190-pound shortstop, a Rhode Island commit, showed off his tools this weekend for the Richmond County Nationals. The slick-fielding shortstop demonstrated great hands and good range to go along with his strong accurate arm across the diamond making several plays in the hole over the weekend. Harris, the 13th-ranked shortstop in New York,  finished 3-for-8 with a double and four walks to lead the Richmond County attack offensively.

The Long Island Body Armor Titans received a big effort out of  the 'pen on Sunday from righthaned pitcher Hector Alejandro. Alejandro a 6-foot-1, 210-pound righthanded pitcher pounded the zone with a heavy 86-90 mph fastball. His high leg kick helps him hide the ball well and creates deception for opposing hitters. Alejandro’s effortless delivery has to make you think there is more velocity coming in the future.

Joseph Pence (2020, Mount Laurel, N.J.)  a 5-foot-10, 165-pound outfielder and righthanded pitcher, New Jersey who showcased both his offensive and defensive talents over the course of the WWBA 17u Northeast National Championship. Pence tallied three doubles at the plate, one of them to give Tri State Arsenal 2020 National a key lead in the 4th inning of their semifinal game. Pence displayed a patient approach at the plate, racking up at least one walk in four out of his first five games. On the mound, Pence ran his fastball up to 85 mph while striking out four in two no hit innings during his first outing of the tournament.

JJ Sadler (2020, Carlisle, Pa.) a 6-foot-1, 210-pound first baseman, led the way for his team in the playoffs on Sunday. Sadler is a big right handed hitter with a strong build and lower half. He has a short, compact swing and the ball jumps off the bat. He had four hits on Sunday, including a double. He is a hitting machine and is a great middle of the order threat.  He pitched a complete game allowing one run while striking out five.

EJ Exposito (2019, Central Islip, N.Y.) a 6-foot, 175-pound shortstop and righthanded pitcher, opened eyes during the final day of the 2019 WWBA 17U Northeast National Championship by coming into his semifinal game against Tri State Arsenal 2020 National and closing the door.  Exposito relied heavily on a high 80’s fastball in his two innings of relief topping out at 89 mph mixing in a 65 mph breaking ball to keep the opposing hitters off balance.  After shutting down Tri State Arsenal 2020 National on the mound, Exposito stepped up to the plate in a tie game and unloaded a two run blast off the scoreboard in leftfield to take the lead. EJ is currently committed to NYIT.

Justin Rosner (2020, Farmingdale, N.Y.) a 6-foot, 175-pound righthanded pitcher, went seven scoreless innings for the win in the Long Island Body Armor Titans 17U final pool play game. Rosner allowed one hit and one walk to go along with eight strikeouts using a mid- to high-80s fastball along with a 81 mph breaking ball. Rosner, a Binghamton University commit, is ranked as a High Follow by Perfect Game.

Hard swinging righty John Devito is a 6-foot, 175-pound shortstop from Wantagh, New York. Devito shined  in his team’s opening round playoff game against the Mid Penn Prospects, tallying a hard single into right center followed by a solo homerun to left field in the third. He is very aggressive at the plate with a swing hard in case you hit it mentality. On defense, Devito shows good hands and feet and plenty of range to stay at shortstop at the next level.

Jose Almonte (2020, Brooklyn, N.Y.) a 5-foot-9, 165-pound righthanded pitcher, struck out 10 in seven innings of work. Almonte used a mid 80’s fastball along with a late breaking 70-72 mph 12-to-6 curveball to keep hitters off balance.

Owen Evert (2020, Media, Pa.) a 6-foot, 190-pound first baseman, was impressive all weekend for Tri-State Arsenal 2020 National. Evert finished 7-for-15 with a pair of home runs and five RBI to lead his team deep into the playoffs. Evert has a good approach and powerful swing. He displayed all weekend that the bat will play at the next level.




Jeremy Fuchs
(2020, Canton, Mich.) a 6-foot-3, 165-pound lefthanded pitcher and outfielder, threw five innings Sunday for Little Caesar’s Baseball in their match up against Rising Stars. Fuchs used a mid 80’s fastball along with a filthy slider to strikeout ten almost all exclusively coming on backfoot sliders to right handed hitters. He will be an interesting to watch develop over the next year as he fills out the big frame.