Jupiter Video Interviews: Carlos Delgado | Chad Raley of Marucci Elite | Murray Cook

JUPITER, Fla. – There has been one big change in the Jupiter schedule the past few years and PG National Tournament Director Taylor McCullough was talking about it in the tower Thursday afternoon. The day's schedule started at the unprecedented hour of 10:00 a.m. with a series of exhibition games and workouts in advance of the first official pool play game at 2:40 p.m.

McCullough remarked, "It used to be, even a few years ago, that we had to beg teams to play on Thursday. For many years we'd only play one game on Thursday, an opening game at the stadium at 7:00 p.m. between East Cobb and the locally based Palm Beach PAL. Now the place is full of scouts and coaches the minute we open the gates Thursday morning and the teams realize that. It's truly a five-day event now."

Five exhibition games were played, including the annual contest between the Ontario Blue Jays, representing eastern Canada, versus the DBacks Langley Blaze, playing for the pride of western Canada. The Blue Jays laid claim to this year's bragging rights with a 2-1 win.

The exhibition contest between Marucci Elite and the Midland Redskins was the most heavily scouted game but the Orlando Scorpions/Mets Scout Team batting practice definitely attracted the most eyes before the real games started. Cardinals Scout Team/FTB Chandler also took an hour BP on the stadium field.

The big highlight of the FTB batting practice, and pretty much both BP's, was outfielder Lorenzo Hampton (2015, Miami Lakes, Fla.). Hampton has a highly projectable 6-foot-4, 205-pound build that reminds one of a young Jermaine Dye. He's currently ranked No. 196 in the PG 2015 class rankings but has often struggled offensively due to the length in his swing, only flashing his prodigious power potential. Even with the wind blowing in hard from left field, the righthanded hitting Hampton had no problem lifting balls over the fence and drilling hard 300-foot line drives with carry. His hand path was notably shorter than during the summer and the barrel speed was big and right on time. It will be interesting to watch if he carries the same swing into the games this week.

We've frequently written about how PG All-American infielder Ryan Mountcastle (2015, Winter Springs, Fla.) is best seen in games rather than in batting practice. But even FTB head coach Jered Goodwin, who doubles as Mountcastle's high school coach at Hagerty High School, said that his batting practice today may have been his best ever.

2016 infielder Bo Bichette (Terre Verde, Fla.) also put on a show, alternating pulling hard shots down the left field line with rockets up the right field alley. He also had little trouble cutting through the wind when he pulled the ball, but the most impressive part may have been his ability to drive the ball to different parts of the field.

Read more about the Scorpions BP below under Frankie Piliere's notes.

Five players from the Elite Squad Prime also took BP with FTB, including PG All-American Danny Reyes (2015, Miamii Springs, Fla.). And while the Elite Squad Prime's Christian Demby (2015, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) is listed as a primary righthanded pitcher, his showings this fall indicate that the 6-foot-4, 210-pounder might be a higher ceiling hitting prospect. He showed outstanding raw bat speed with a loose and extended swing.

A pair of Loyola Marymount commits playing for different teams had very strong performances Thursday afternoon.

Lefthanded pitcher Tyler Watson (2015, Gilbert, Ariz.) threw five no-hit innings in Marucci Elite's 6-0 win over the East Coast PG Grays. The 6-foot-5, 215-pound southpaw needed only 52 pitches, 40 of them for strikes, topping out at 89 mph and showing a complete four-pitch mix. Watson has a young body and young, tall-and-fall mechanics that can get plenty more power from his lower half with some adjustments.

PG All-American first baseman Devin Davis (2015, Santa Clarita, CA) crushed a no doubt home run to left-center field in Chandler World's early exhibition game but that was just a warm up for his team's 8-5 pool play win over Chicago Scouts Association. Davis tripled down the right field line in his first at-bat, roped a single in his second at-bat that measured 104 mph off the barrel per TrackMan, and later added a walk. He finished with three RBI and a run scored.

Chandler World received a strong outing from righthander Dallas Woolfolk (2015, Southhaven, Miss.), who threw four shutout innings as Chandler took a 8-0 lead before allowing a pair of runs in the fifth. Woolfolk attacked aggressively with his fastball, using his heater for 59 of his 65 pitches while pitching in the 89-92 range, touching 93 mph. Woolfolk has shown a solid slider in the past but seemed content to just pound the bottom of the strike zone with his fastball.

Baseball is baseball and sometimes talented teams just don't play well. That was the case with Elite Squad Prime in their 8-5 loss to Sandlot Scout Team. While Elite Squad struggled with defense and throwing strikes early in the game, they rallied from an early deficit to make the game close at the end.

The main factor for that could be attributed to Sandlot starter Austin Hansen (2015, Lenexa, Kan.). The righthanded Oklahoma commit threw five one-hit innings, allowing an unearned run and striking out 11 hitters. Hansen pitched in the 88-91 mph range with his fastball and mixed in an upper-70s slider and lively changeup with maturity and skill.

Elite Squad starter Andrew Cabezas (2015, Miami Gardens, FL) showed outstanding stuff at times, topping out at 94 mph and flashed a hard-biting slider, but allowed four runs in his three innings of work.

– David Rawnsley


Already noted above, the Orlando Scorpions/Mets Scout Team conducted a workout prior to game action on Thursday morning at the Roger Dean Complex and drew a considerable crowd among the scouts in attendance. Here are some more notes of some of the more notable BP performances.

Brendan Rodgers (2015, Longwood, Fla.) performing at an elite level is not going to surprise anyone anymore, but the sound of scouts settling in growing quiet even to watch him take batting practice was fascinating to experience. Rodgers put on his usual extremely professional showing, taking his hands in a direct path to the baseball and producing line drives to the big parts of the field that seem to have a second gear. You get the impression with Rodgers that he can turn it on anytime he wants and hit a ball 420 feet, but what he tends to give you is a very controlled, very loud round of rocket line drives. And, that’s what he did on Thursday morning.

Carlos Cortes (2016, Oviedo, Fla.) has put together some eye opening performances in recent weeks, and he appears to be poised to make Jupiter his official and loud introduction to the scouting world. On a roster full of guys capable of putting on an impressive batting practice display, it was the youngster, Cortes, that caught the attention of scouts as much as anyone. Cortes gets to his back long exceptionally well and his bat speed stands out even on a team with no shortage of elite bats. He has above average pull-side power, which he showed by putting one of the first pitches he saw in batting practice about 30 field over the fence in right field. And he didn’t disappoint in game action, later smoking a no-doubt homer in Thursday’s final time slot.

One of the simplest, most effective swings we’ll see in Jupiter belongs to Nick Plummer (2015, Lathrup Village, Mich.), who like his teammate Brendan Rodgers, took a very controlled, professional round despite all the eyes on him. Plummer has shown major pull-side power in past events, and to say he has low-effort life off his bat would be an understatement. His swing path is extremely direct, and when you couple that with one of the strongest looking frames in the 2015 class, the result is an incredibly dangerous hitter.

Cameron Montgomery (2015, Windermere, FL) also showed some of the best carry off his bat that we saw in batting practice on Thursday. Particularly to the opposite field gap, Montgomery showed low effort power and easy bat speed. His swing is naturally geared to lift the ball, and he seems to be improving with each event.

Kep Brown (2015, Mount Pleasant, S.C.) put on what ended up being the best show of the day in batting practice for the Scorpions, launching multiple towering shots into the trees well beyond the left field fence at the Marlins’ quad. Brown has mastered the ideal combination of using his extra long limbs to his advantage, but also staying compact to the baseball. His swing seems to get more refined each time we see him, and the ball jumps off his bat in a way that few hitters in the 2015 class, college or high school, can match.

Thaddeus Ward (2015, Fort Myers, Fla.) brought one of the sharpest, late-breaking curveballs we’ve seen him from him yet on Thursday afternoon. He worked mostly at 87-89 mph with his fastball, but he quickly discovered his breaking ball was the pitch he had the best command of on this particular day. He spotted it at 75-77 mph to both sides of the plate and was willing to go it seemingly in any situation, particularly when he was in trouble.

Luke Shilling (2015, Clarkston, Ill.) did not have what would be described as a successful day on the mound for the St. Louis Pirates/Midwest Mets Scout Team, but if you were watching closely enough you’d see a world of potential in this 6-foot-5 righthander. Although he never found his command in his Thursday afternoon outing, Shilling has room to strengthen his frame and add significant velocity to his already lively 88-91 mph fastball. When he finished his delivery, his fastball shows heavy two-seam life down in the zone. He’s a long-term project, and his breaking ball will also need significant work, but this is a name to remember down the road.

Mack Lemieux (2015, Tequesta, Fla.) showed a good mix of pitches in his Thursday night outing for Palm Beach Select, as well as a lively 85-88 mph fastball. He spotted his 72-74 mph curveball effectively, and his ability to repeat his delivery should continue to bode well for him. The polished lefty also showed a solid feel for his changeup.

We’ve seen Ashe Russell (2015, Indianapolis, Ind.) more downright nasty than what he was in front of one of the largest Thursday night scout turnouts in Jupiter history. His fastball dipped to 88 mph in his third inning of work, after working at 90-93 mph in the first inning of his outing for the Canes. However, if you are looking at velocity alone to see what makes Russell one of the elite arms in the 2015 class, you aren’t looking close enough. Russell spots his breaking ball with outstanding precision and can backdoor it to lefties at 79-82 mph. It’s a two plane breaker with slider shape at times, but has the good depth and rotation of a curveball. He spots it to both sides and he rarely made even a small location mistake with it on Thursday night.

When we first saw Edrick Agosto (2015, Catano, P.R.) at the Sunshine East Showcase and then again at the National Showcase, there was no denying his arm strength and potential on the mound. But, there were flaws. Command was a significant issue, as he missed to his arm side with his fastball, and he struggled to consistently spin his breaking ball. Those issues were mostly nonexistent for Agosto on Thursday night in front of a big scouting crowd. And, perhaps most importantly, Agosto also appears to have a made a physical transformation in recent months as well, looking stronger, leaner, and more athletic on the mound. He’s repeating his delivery, throwing strikes to his glove side and showing big life on his 89-92 mph fastball. He also flashed big diving action and good arm speed on his 78-81 mph changeup. His curveball had varying shape and tightness, one at 74-75 and one at 78-79 mph. The latter of those was a sharp, swing-and-miss offering. Agosto, with his extra large, powerful frame, will need to be monitored very closely.

– Frankie Piliere


One of the most closely followed tandems of outfielders took the field together as the Toronto Blue Jays Scout Team opened up pool play against the Homeplate Chillidogs. Demi Orimoloye (2015, Orleans, Ont.) has made tremendous strides over the past year and has gone from being viewed as a lottery ticket of a prospect towards early round consideration. His outfield teammate Tyler Williams (2015, Peoria, Ariz.) has made similar strides and possesses a similarly exciting combination of speed and power. Both are the type of players who stand out from the moment they step off the bus with a large frame and strong angular build.

Orimioloye, who checks in at 6-foot-4 and 225-pounds, got the start in center field, and while he wasn't challenged defensively he looked good getting to the balls that did come his way. The 6-foot-2, 210-pound Williams started in right and continued his signature sprints to and from his position between every half inning. They both posted above average home-to-first times from the right side, with Orimoloye getting down the line in 4.20 seconds and Williams in 4.26. Neither got a chance to show off their raw power but each had quality at-bats against upper-80s to low-90s pitchers with at least one quality off-speed pitch. More importantly each has made huge strides in improving their respective swings.






The Blue Jays Scout Team talent doesn't end with the high ceilinged outfielders, as they also feature a trio of highly athletic, undersized quick-twitch infielders in Jaxon Williams (2016, Rosenburg, Texas), Jeremy Pena (2015, Providence, R.I.) and Brody Cook (Silver Spring, Md.). Williams is the smallest of the group, listed at 5-foot-8 but also manages to generate present plus bat speed with impressive quick-twitch hand acceleration and very quick feet defensively that paired well with solid arm strength at shortstop in the opener.

Pena started the game at third base and his athleticism and actions there looked almost out of place because he's a middle-of-the-diamond type of athlete who really stood out on the corner. He also went 1-for-3 with a double hitting out of the two hole.

Cook is a high motor defender with actions that are about as quick as his athletic infield teammates and went 1-for-2 with a run and a stolen base.

Despite their talented lineup, the Blue Jays Scout Team lost their opener to the Homeplate Chilidogs 3-2. PG All-American middle infielder Cornelius Randolph (2015, Griffin, Ga.) was one of the keys to the victory, going 1-for-3 with a run and an RBI. Randolph has the physicality of a typical first baseman, but is athletic enough to be a solid defensive second baseman, where his powerful lefthanded swing offers relatively massive offensive upside.




His teammate Tristan English (2015, Williamson, Ga.), a two-way standout at both ends of the battery, provides a quality partner in the Chillidogs' one-two punch. English will take the mound at some point this week and his arm is what made him a PG All-American selection, though he's also a legitimate prospect with the bat and his offensive tools project well.

Righthander Jordan Schmits (2015, Sharpsburg, Ga.) nailed down the save, working 87-89 mph with a fastball that set up his hammer curveball at 75-76 mph well, which caused some uncomfortable reactions from hitters who typically see the baseball well.

Several teams threw their aces in a short outing on Thursday night's opener with the intended strategy of having them available to come back again on Sunday for the playoffs. The Cardinals Scout Team/FTB Chandler took that approach with All-American left hander Juan Hillman (2015, Haines City, Fla.) who gave the Cards a two inning head start that proved to be just enough in their hard fought opening night victory. Hillman didn't blow up radar guns, but he absolutely dominated. He threw 18 of his 23 pitches for strikes, striking out all six batters he faced in a pair of clean frames. Hillman's fastball sat 88-91 with plus command to all parts of the zone. He landed his deep sweeping 2-8 curveball on either side with intent at 70-72 mph with nearly as impressive feel as his fastball, he also flashed one changeup at 77 mph late in the second inning. He hides the baseball well in his delivery and has a long loose arm action from a mid three quarters slot and really rose to the occasion.




Hillman wasn't the only impressive lefthander to toe the rubber for the Cardinals Scout Team. Michael Zimmerman (Naples, Fla.) has been widely viewed as a solid pitchability lefty who scouts had pegged as being a player destined for a quality collegiate career at the University of Florida, where he has been committed for a couple of years now. He primarily works in the mid- to upper-80s, but tonight he worked in the 86-88 mph range comfortably for the majority of his two innings, though he reached the low-90s at times and topped out at 91 mph. His curveball was inconsistent but he flashed a small handful with sharp biting action with a three-quarters break as a result of his low arm slot. He has a good fastball-changeup combination that he kept hitters off balance well with, with a low-80s changeup that features late tumble.




The offensive highlight of the game for the Cardinals came on the game-winning two-run home run off of the bat of first baseman Jason Heinrich (Spring Hill, Fla.). Heinrich's shot broke a 4-4 tie and the Cardinals Scout Team dugout knew it was gone off the bat as he cleared the fence in left center easily despite the loft he put on the baseball.

The top offensive prospect on what is a perennial juggernaut of prospects was arguably catcher Herbert Iser (2016, Miami Springs, Fla.) who served as the designated hitter and batted in the bottom of the order as an underclassman playing up on what is primarily a senior-laden squad. Iser went 2-for-2 and has tremendous lefthanded power; he's still learning to harness that power but he's already a very dangerous hitter and his at-bats at the 2015 edition of the WWBA World Championship will be watched very closely by throngs of scouts.

The day's middle time slot featured an interesting matchup of two quality arms who each have an attribute that enhances their profile, and they locked up in a pitcher's duel that ended up 1-0.

Team Elite Prime lefthander Evan Steele (2015, Marrietta, Ga.) really looks the part at 6-foot-5 and a well proportioned 210-pounds with a long-limbed frame that allows him to get extended out front. Steele got the win, throwing six shutout innings, allowing just three hits and walked two while striking out six, throwing 54 of his 79 pitches for strikes. He sat 86-89 with a low-70s curveball with sharp slurvy break as a result of his low three-quarters arm slot that he was able to land effectively and was especially effective when he started it off inside against lefthanded hitters.




Steele's opponent, right hander Chad Luensmann (2015, Altoona, Penn.) sat 88-90 mph but his fastball played up a couple ticks because of the sharp, late tailing life on it. His delivery has some funk to it and he backed his darting fastball with a sharp slider that he showed occasional feel for starting off in the low glove side corner to induce chases in the mid-70s. He also showed a slower breaking curveball with more depth in the upper-60s to low-70s and an occasional low-70s changeup. Luensmann allowed just an unearned run over five innings without issuing a walk, giving up only one hit and he struck out a pair, inducing nine of his 11 batted ball outs via the ground ball.




Undersized outfielder D.J. Wilson (2015, Canton, Ohio) has a feast-or-famine type of offensive profile given his aggressive swing and approach. While he didn't have a loud first day, he had a hit and made a couple quality plays in center field via second effort and staying with plays that created an opportunity to steal an out. His combination of plus speed and a high motor make him the type of player who can singlehandedly swing the momentum of a game in his team's favor, and has a similar type of game to Jeren Kendall, who is currently a freshman at Vanderbilt, where Wilson is committed.

Wilson wasn't the only Vanderbilt commit who made an impact for Midland in their 2-0 exhibition win over Marucci Elite. Catcher Tyler Duvall (2016, Lebanon, Ohio) saved multiple runs with his blocking and receiving behind the plate and drove in an insurance run.

That Midland Redskins exhibition game also allowed their youngest player, switch-hitting shortstop Cal Conley (2018, Loveland, Ohio), to get some reps against nationally based Marucci Elite's talented pitching staff. Conley projects very well and put together competitive at-bats from each side of the plate and looked solid defensively at multiple defensive positions including shortstop. He probably won't get to see much more playing time in pool play as Midland's loaded roster of 2015 and 2016 prospects will be expected to contend for a playoff berth, but in his future trips to Jupiter Conley will play an increasingly significant role for his teams.

– Todd Gold


Alex Speas (2016, Powder Springs, Ga.) continues to make nice strides on the mound and was able to harness his power fastball, showing better control and ability to work downhill. With long, loose limbs and a lean, projectable build, the uncommitted Speas worked his fastball in the 91-93 mph range for three innings of work, walking only one batter while striking out seven. His arm is electric and is able to generate that velocity with relative easy, leaving reason to believe there will be more velocity on the way as he continues to physically develop. Only flashing one or two curveballs in game action, Speas pitched predominately with his fastball though he did show a developing feel for his changeup during his pre-game bullpen, a pitch that showed some dive down in the zone.

Ethan Small (2015, Lexington, Tenn.) certainly opens eyes during Day 1 of the 2014 WWBA World Championship as the lefthander came out firing early on in the game. Standing at 6-foot-3, 175-pounds, the Mississippi State commit is extremely projectable with loose actions and long limbs. In the first inning Small touched a couple of 93’s on the radar gun, working mostly in the 90-91 mph range, showing 92’s throughout the first inning and flashed one or two in the second inning. As good as the velocity is though it’s the big angle Small creates and ability to work downhill to both sides of the plate that made him as effective as he was. There is a lot going on in his delivery but Small is able to repeat it and with the moving parts his delivery features, it makes it hard for the hitter to pick up the ball, evidenced by the empty swings hitters were still putting on his fastball when it was 87-88 mph later in the game.

Throwing from a three-quarters arm slot, Small mixed in both a changeup and a curveball, a pitch which he would manipulate both the shape and velocity of. Though he slows his arm action a bit on his changeup he is still able to throw it for strikes and creates nice fade to his arm side with the pitch. When he would throw his curveball in the low-70s the pitch showed short 1-to-7 life, but when he would put a little more on it and was up to 76 mph with the pitch, he was able to create sharper shape and more depth with the pitch.

Throwing after Speas was Zachary Shirey (2015, Spring, Texas) a Lipscomb commit who continued the run of dominating pitching between the Dulin Dodgers/Rockies Scout Team and the Atlanta Blue Jays. A strong 6-foot-2, 205-pound righthander with broad shoulders, Shirey pounded the strike zone with his fastball that sat in the 88-90 mph range, topping 91. Throwing from a lower arm slot, Shirey hid the ball well and was induced some ugly swings from the opposition en route to striking out eight of the twelve batters he faced. He worked low in the zone with his fastball and held his velocity throughout, flashing a mid-70’s slider.

A player that continues to make strides each time he takes the mound is righthander Morgan McSweeney (2016, Hudson, Mass.) of Syracuse Sports Zone. After working in the mid-80s and touching an 88 at the Northeast Underclass Top Prospect showcase in mid-August, McSweeney came out at sat 87-90 mph with his fastball in his one inning of relief early Thursday morning.

Throwing with a very short and compact arm action, the uncommitted McSweeney is able to hide the ball well throughout his delivery and create deception on his fastball, helping to play the velocity up even more. He shows a quick arm and did a nice job of getting on top of the ball to create downhill plane with life low in the zone. To complement the fastball McSweeney showed a nice feel for a 12-to-6 curveball with tight spin and depth at 70 mph, a pitch that will only continue to develop with added strength and increased velocity.

Making his Perfect Game debut Thursday afternoon was Dylan Thompson (2015, Myrtle Beach, S.C.), a lean and projectable 6-foot-2, 185-pound righthander. The Coastal Carolina commit came out firing and maintained the 87-90 mph velocity on his fastball throughout his time on the mound. Throwing with a full arm action, Thompson was able to create easy velocity and projects for more as he continues to incorporate his lower half into his delivery. His front side was opening early which caused his arm to drag, but when everything stayed on line he was able to work low in the zone and showed big arm-side run on the pitch.

Thompson isn’t just about his fastball though, showing two other off-speed pitches, both of which he threw for strikes. He maintains his arm action on his changeup and displayed a nice feel for the pitch, throwing it in any count. Thrown in the 79-82 mph range, his changeup featured sink and fading life to his arm side. Thompson’s upper-70s curveball showed 11-to-5 shape with late depth to it.

Not listed on the Team Evoshield roster in the program, Josh Lowe (2016, Marietta, Ga.) quickly had people coming behind the backstop to find out who the loose, 6-foot-4 righthander was. After his first few pitches more scouts came to ask as the Florida State commit was working 88-90 mph with his fastball, touching 91 while showing a loose and effortless arm action and late life on the pitch early on.

He settled into the upper-80s with his fastball but continued to show impressive off-speed, especially for an arm that was a primary shortstop not all that long ago. Lowe showed a very good changeup in the low-80s, coming out of his hand like a fastball, maintaining arm speed with similar life to his arm side. He also showed a hard 80-81 mph slider with short 10-to-4 life.

South Carolina commit Joe Rizzo (2016, Oak Hill, Va.) had one of the louder hits for Team Evoshield Thursday night, turning on a fastball that was up and in for a standup triple off the right field fence that nearly got out. With a strong 6-foot, 205-pound frame, Rizzo is able to create some big bat speed from the left side and moves well going from first the third.

Each year in the WWBA World Championship are a handful of pitchers who can bring a contingent of over 200 scouts to a silence with their first pitch in warm-ups. One of the arms that was able to do just that and demand the focus of the onlooking scouts was righthander Antonio Santillan (2015, Arlington, Texas).

Santillan attended and threw in the 2013 16U WWBA National Championship but has not been to any Perfect Game events or any of the circuit events since. Starting the game at shortstop, the Texas Tech commit gave a glimpse of what was to come on the mound on a ground ball up the middle, showing athletic, gliding actions to the ball before delivering a laser to first base.

Though he only threw one inning of relief Santillan made his presence felt on the national scene with both his fastball and hammer curveball. Throwing from a three-quarters arm slot Santillan was able to produce a 91-94 mph fastball with little effort and hard, late run to his arm side. He worked down in the zone with his fastball and showed multiple 94’s in the brief stint. Looking at just the velocity of his breaking ball one would assume it to be a slider, registering at 82-83 mph, but it is in fact a curveball with very hard and late break with depth and above average spin with an RPM of 2,808 per TrackMan.

It’s worth noting that Santillan is also a next-level shortstop with obvious plus arm strength. A righthanded hitter, Santillan also went 2-for-2 with two hard hit singles, one up the middle and one to right field.

Having seen Cole Sands (Tallahassee, Fla.) throw a handful of games this summer for the Scorpions one could tell that the Florida State commit has altered the start of his delivery slightly. It’s nothing drastic, but rather than having his hands start close to his body before he begins his delivery, Sands now brings his hands up and over his head and then goes into delivering the pitch. Regardless of how he begins, the stuff that he produces remains consistent and he showed three solid pitches Thursday night.

Having been up to 95 mph this summer, Sands bumped 93 mph with his fastball while working in the 88-92 mph range with downhill plane on the pitch. Sands also showed better balance through his delivery and was able to work down to his arm side consistently with his fastball. Thrown like his fastball, Sands’ changeup comes out with the same arm action but crosses the plate at about 10 mph slower, 80-81, and with late fading life. The better of his two off-speed pitches though is his power slider up to 85 mph, which when he stays on top, shows hard downward life and is a very difficult pitch to square up.

Two of the Perfect Game All-Americans on the Orlando Scorpions/Mets Scout Team roster for the weekend, Brendan Rodgers (2015, Longwood, Fla.) and Kep Brown (2015, Mount Pleasant, S.C.), both showed off their hitting ability and collected hard base hits to the opposite field Thursday night. Rodgers dug in for his third at-bat facing a mid-to-upper 80s righthander who was working the outside corner with his fastball that showed tail coming back over. Rather than trying to pull the pitch, the Florida State commit extended his arms and put the barrel to the ball for a hard line drive single. Brown, who put on a mini show during batting practice earlier in the day as detailed above, drove the ball to the opposite field like Rodgers, though Brown’s was for a standup double to the right-center field gap and came off the barrel at 96 mph.

An uncommitted junior, Haylen Green (Lufkin, Texas) came out firing and topped at 88 mph with his fastball early on before settling into the mid-80s, showing a fast arm throughout his outing. He did a nice job of creating angles with arm side life, especially when down in the zone. The young lefty also did a nice job of staying on line with lower half through his delivery, repeating his arm action and flashed a slider at 77 mph.

– Jheremy Brown