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Tournaments  | Story  | 8/21/2020

Northeast Championship Scout Recap

John McAdams     
Photo: Chase Petty (Perfect Game)
The Northeast Championships took place over the past couple days in various locations throughout the region. Plenty of talent was on display in each age group from 13U-17U, with teams vying to represent their region as one of the best in this unprecedented summer of exciting baseball. Top performances and exciting, action packed games were plentiful over the course of the event. Rain put a damper on the ending of the 16 and 17U events but the following teams took home the hardware for the events that came to completion.

13U: South Jersey Young Guns Select
14U: Team Francisco Notorious 9
15U: Real Ballers 2023 National Team



These talent laden rosters displayed plenty of projectable prospects that we would like to highlight below.

Whenever Baseball Performance Center enters a PG event, you can rest assured there will be plenty of intriguing arms to see and these past few days in Atlantic City were no different.


Perfect Game All-American Classic invitee and University of Florida commit Chase Petty (2021, Somers Point, N.J.) got the start in game four of pool play for BPC, continuing to show the electric arm speed that we have become accustomed to in previous looks. The athletic right-hander uses his 6-foot-1, 185-pound frame extremely well to dynamically create immense levels of hip torque and whip from his tough three-quarters arm slot. Petty worked three full innings in this start, allowing no hits and striking out five S.I. Stallions hitters along the way. The fastball was firm and showed its usual exploding life to the arm side while working in the 93-95 mile per hour range in the first inning. He settled comfortably in the 91-93 range for the remainder of his three innings, topping out at 96 mph in the second and working both sides of the plate with full confidence and command. The Florida commit only threw a handful of secondary offerings in this look with both flashing the traits and replication to be swing-and-miss pitches as the young right-hander continues to develop his arsenal. Petty has previously become the first pitcher in Perfect Game history to reach 100 miles per hour, achieving this at the 2020 17U WWBA National Championship. This high-level arm continues to get better each time we see Petty and it will be exciting to watch over the next year, ultimately leading into next years MLB Draft.

Another intriguing set of arms also took the mound in pool play for the Oilers. Wagner commit Francis Wright (2021, Egg Harbor TWP, N.J.) is a lean bodied right-hander with simple, repeatable mechanics and athleticism that allows him to work down the slope very efficiently. Wright came out of the pen for BPC in this look, working in the 87-89 mph range with heavy sinking life to his arm-side and flashing exceptional spin traits to his slider. The New Jersey native has an extremely loose arm action that allows for him to tunnel his full mix, generating plenty of empty swings on both offerings in his two full innings. The intriguing thing about the young right-hander is that there is plenty of projection remaining in his frame, which means there could be another velocity jump in the future for Wright. It will be interesting to see when and exactly how much he may jump over the next year.


Lastly for BPC, Fordham commit Gannon Brady (2021, Ocean City, N.J.) continued to add to his strong summer resume, working five and two thirds innings while allowing two runs and striking out eleven Akadema Warriors hitters along the way. The well-proportioned right-hander pounds the zone, varying his tempo and leg kicks to disrupt the hitters timing rather effectively. Brady worked mostly in the 84-87 mph range with his fastball in this look, topping out at 88 miles per hour with pinpoint command to all four quadrants. The New Jersey native varies the shape of his breaking ball, manipulating both the tilt and depth to the pitch dependent on the hitter. The pitch shows best when throw in good tempo and conviction, mimicking the same slot as his fastball and flashing late tilt and deep depth through the strike zone. The 2021 grad is as exciting to watch as any pitcher, adding to what looks like a banner year for northeast arms.


Opposing Brady on the mound for the Akadema Warriors was an interesting uncommitted right-hander in Ryan McLaughlin (2021, Bensalem, Pa.). In what was only his second Perfect Game tournament appearance, the long, lean prospect showed off intriguing arm speed and projection to dream on. The fastball worked up to 89 miles per hour early, settling in the mid 80's for the duration of his outing. McLaughlin works from a fairly simple delivery with athletic movements down the slope and some deception with a slight cross-body release. The Pennsylvania native’s command varied throughout the outing and his feel for his secondary offerings is still a work in progress, but the upside is very promising. Ultimately, the young right-hander went five and two thirds innings, allowing only two hits and striking out five hitters. Some untimely fielding miscues and self-inflicted damage led to him allowing four runs but there is plenty to like from this uncommitted right-hander and this scout will surely be watching to see how he progresses.


Another uncommitted arm that showed well during the event was Sportika Gallagher 17U National’s Alex Jankowski (2021, Marlboro, N.J.). The young right-hander has a well-proportioned frame with long levers and present athleticism. Jankowski got the start in Game One of pool play for his New Jersey based team and delivered five shutout innings, allowing only two hits and striking out nine hitters. The fastball worked in the mid 80's for the most part, topping out at 88 miles per hour from a higher three-quarters arm slot. Working exclusively from the stretch, Jankowski battled some command issues throughout his five innings but was able to wiggle out of jams with big time pitches. The secondary offerings are still in the developmental stages as he sometimes loses his release point but there is feel for spin present and it will continue to improve as he makes slight adjustments. There is some projection remaining with a possible velocity spike still to come.

Lehigh commit Jake Whitlinger (2021, Harleysville, Pa.) ultimately took home MVP honors in the rain shortened 17U event, hitting .500 (8 for 16) for his Keystone Cobras team that made the playoff round before the inclement weather hit. The medium-framed middle infielder is compactly built with quick twitch athleticism and present strength. Using an all fields approach with advanced bat-to-ball skills, Whitlinger stays inside the baseball well with quickness to his hands and the ability to impact the baseball to the gaps. The overall simplicity of his swing coupled with his exceptional hand-eye coordination lead to the propensity to consistently find the barrel. The Pennsylvania native has more than enough strength to drive the baseball with authority, which was evident by three of his hits going for extra bases. He is also quite impressive on the defensive side of the ball, showing first step quickness, fluid actions and plenty of arm to stick in the middle long term. The fundamentally sound, team first prospect is someone we will enjoy watching as he continues to mature.

The 15 and 16U version of The Northeast Championship brought plenty of high upside arms and dynamic position players. Here are some of the prospects that caught this scouts eye through the event.


Uncommitted Nazier Mule (2022, Paterson, N.J.) continues to showcase electric arm speed each time we get to see him. The strongly built right-hander came out of the bullpen to secure Team Citius 2023 National’s victory in game one of pool play, striking out three hitters over his one and a third innings. The fastball worked in the 93-95 mph range, topping out at 96 mph in this look with exploding life through the zone. Mule works exclusively from the stretch, repeating his mechanics exceptionally well from a lower three-quarters arm slot with good extension out in front. The relative ease of the velocity is something that you expect from someone much older, Mule is still 15U eligible through this summer. The Paterson, NJ native throws plenty of strikes with his full mix, showing the ability to locate his late biting slider and replicating his changeup with similar arm speed to his fastball. The next two years will be very exciting to watch how high the velocity may climb and ultimately where Mule ends up committing to.


Opposing Mule and his Team Citius teammates was uncommitted Zachary Konstantinovsky (2023, North Brunswick, N.J.). The long, lean right-hander has the components to become a true workhorse pitcher down the road. Konstantinovsky works from a fairly simple operation with efficient movements down the slope and plenty of arm speed to dream on. The fastball worked in low to mid 80's during his five and a third innings, topping out at 86 mph with downhill plane and life through the zone. The young pitching prospect used his fastball/slider combination well, tunneling both offerings effectively and using all four quadrants to his advantage. There is projection remaining in the frame and it will be interesting to see where the potential velocity gets to for this 2023 grad.

Uncommitted Gavin Lill (2022, West Chester, Pa.) continued to display the high upside we have seen in previous outings this summer. The well-proportioned right-hander works from a simple and repeatable delivery, showcasing intriguing arm speed from a loose three-quarters arm slot and plenty of exploding life through the zone. Lill worked five and a third innings in MSI 2022 Blacks pool play matchup with L&M Baseball, allowing just one hit and striking out 12 hitters. The young pitching prospect pitches off his lively fastball, commanding both sides of the plate effectively and expanding up when necessary. The secondary offerings are still in need of some refinement but flash potential to become a true swing-and-miss offering as he progresses. The projection is rather expansive with the Pennsylvania native and it will interesting to see where Lill ends up stuff wise over the next two years.


Boston College commit Jason Hernandez (2022, Bridgeport, Conn.) displays true two-way potential for The Clubhouse 2022 squad that participated in the 16U Northeast Championship. Hernandez hit .400 (4 for 10) during the pool play portion of the event that was ultimately cut short due to rain. The quick twitch primary shortstop has a linear swing path with the propensity to find that barrel at a high rate. There is emerging power potential in the well-proportioned frame as was evident by his two-homer game in pool play action. The young 2022 Grad is also a vital part of his teams pitching staff with a fastball that has been clocked up to 88 mph in previous events. Hernandez pounds the zone with his powerful repertoire, flashing two plus offerings with his fastball/curveball combination. There is some projection remaining with a chance for more velocity on the mound as Hernandez physically matures.

This is just a snapshot of the immense talent the Northeast/Mid-Atlantic region has to offer. We look forward to the remainder of the summer season and anticipate an exciting fall season. The teams and players within the region will continue to vie for the time they lost due to the pandemic. In what is a banner year for the region with 9 Perfect Game All-American Classic invitees, this scout will continue to watch closely and find out who may be the next PGAAC selection for years to come.
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