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Tournaments  | Story  | 7/22/2017

16u BCS Day 5 Scout Notes

Photo: Perfect Game

Daily Leaders | Player Stats | Day 1 Notes | Day 2 Notes | Day 3 Notes | Day 4 Notes

Battling the rain all tournament long, teams were placed into their playoff brackets and can see sunny JetBlue Stadium in their reach. With playoff baseball among us, pitchers stepped it up and position players made plays behind them.

Gunner Morris (2019 Winnsboro, Texas) is a righthanded sidearm pitcher who works down and away comfortably with his stuff. A violent delivery with overpowering stuff, Morris features a fast ball with some life at 82-85 mph, topping out at 86, and a powerful, tumbling slider at 74 mph which he used as a go-to strikeout pitch.

John West (2020 Shrewsbury, Mass.), a righthanded pitcher, is listed at 6-foot-8, 230-pounds and looks every bit of it while on the bump for Team Mizuno Northeast. As big as he is, he still has growing to do, and with that come more velocity on his stuff. Sitting consistently at 82 mph with his fastball, topping at 84 mph from a high three-quarters arm slot, and showing a 71 mph changeup, West repeats his mechanics well, and with easy arm action the ball seems to explode from his hands.

Scorpions South 2019 was out for blood as they featured some projectable talent all over the diamond. With their aggressiveness and ability to do all of the small things correctly they were able to make big things happen on the field.

Righthanded pitcher Benjamin Chestnutt (2019 Debary, Fla.) is a different breed than what has been common throughout the tournament. Though he features a fastball with a ton of run at 84-86 mph, and a disappearing changeup at 73 mph, Chestnutt prefers to pitch to contact and allow his teammates to make a play behind him. He mixes speeds, and locations, well, along with changing the timing on his delivery to keep hitters off-balance and guessing.

Playing behind Chestnutt in the 6-hole is rising junior Matthew Corlew (2019, Lake Worth, Fla.) who is a clean-fielding shortstop for the Scorps with college-ready defensive mechanics. He has advanced foot and glovework to go along with his quick-triggered arm. His athletic 6-foot-2, 175-pound build is right where you would want him at going into a critical high school season.

Grant McCray (2019 Lakewood Ranch, Fla.) was impressive offensively, and with his above average speed was able to make an impact on the game. With his slightly open stance from the left side, quick bat speed and middle-of-the-field swing, McCray was able to drive the baseball and get on base for the Scorps.

Chase Townsend (2019 Fayetteville, Ga.) is a mid-80s arm, topping at 86 mph for the Hardknock Orioles. Townsend pitches with a high knee-to-chest leg kick with a good lower half extension and finish. He is confident enough in his fastball life to place it anywhere in the zone, and will typically use his developing 12-to-6 curveball inside to both lefthanded hitters and righthanded hitters to create swing and misses.

The tools are all there defensively for outfielder Cyree Broughton (2019 Stockbridge, Ga.). His quick feet in the field and ability to get his head out of the way and come from straight over-the-top led to him making more than a few beautiful throws to get guys out. As a center fielder who possesses a special arm, along with good speed to cover a lot of ground, in time Broughton could be a big-time defensive playmaker at the next level.

Tyler Nesbitt (2019 Labelle, Fla.) possesses an extremely exciting arm in which he commands the zone and works quickly. Nesbitt, throwing for the Caloosa Cats, fills the zone up and rarely goes outside of it. With a four-seam fastball consistently thrown at 85 mph, topping at 86, also throws an 82 mph two-seamer, dominating this game with a few scouts in the stands.

– Reginald Woods



The Lynx Baseball Club, based out of Spring, Texas on the north side of suburban Houston, brought an impressive crew to Fort Myers this week and showed their prowess in early morning play.

Trevor Werner (2019, Spring, Texas), a 6-foot-3, 205-pound rising junior at Klein High School, toed the rubber for the Lynx nine and was impressive from the first pitch. Out of the mold of many power righthanders from the Lone Star State, Werner led with his impressive four-seam fastball. His fastball was consistently clocked in the 88-90 mph range. Werner’s pin-point command and easily repeatable mechanics allowed him to work with great pace and efficiency. Complementing his fastball, was a sharp breaking 75-77 mph cutter. This poised and polished Texan has a bright future as his makeup and stuff projects to great things down the road.

The Lynx catcher, who called an excellent game for the Texas club is Jeffery Stevenson (2019, Spring, Texas). At 6-foot-1, 197-pounds, Stevenson is a solidly built backstop and a smooth receiver who shows easy and confident movement behind the plate. He is also an excellent thrower of the ball. He transitions well, gains ground like a seasoned vet and his throws are strong and true. Offensively, the rising junior at Klein Oak High School has a very quiet and sure approach. He has excellent balance at the plate and a quick, compact swing that has a slight lift at contact. Stevenson has easy power that will only get better as he matures.

Eric Oakes (2019, Magnolia, Texas) is the athletically gifted shortstop for Lynx. The junior-to-be at Tomball High School is a gracefully quick middle infielder who displays excellent footwork, a college ready glove and a strong and accurate arm. He also brings a plus bat to the plate. The righthanded swinging, 5-foot-10, 180-pound Oakes has gap-to-gap power that projects to great success as his career continues.

One of the younger players on the Lynx squad is Blaine Birner (2020, Spring, Texas). At 6-foot-1, 250-pounds, Birner is mature beyond his years and can drive the ball out of any park. A teammate of Jeffery Stevenson at Klein Oak High School, the rising sophomore also stars on the KOHS football team and brings projectable power to the plate with each at-bat. He has remarkable athleticism, quickness and agility for a player with such a large frame.

The Marietta, Georgia-based Titans Baseball Club is a club on a mission in Fort Myers. Undefeated for the week heading into Saturday’s play, the Titans are one of the most fundamentally sound and disciplined clubs in the tournament. Just about every player on the Titans deserves recognition as they truly epitomize the team concept. A few do stand out, however.

Leadoff hitter and second baseman Justin Barnes (2019, Marietta, Ga.) is a very capable and mature top-of-the-order player. The 5-foot-10, 160-pound athletically gifted Barnes obviously understands his role in the leadoff spot. A junior-to-be at Kennesaw Mountain High School, Barnes is patient and works counts. He gets on base and then uses his plus speed and instinctive baserunning ability to force defenses into mistakes. He also shines with a glove on his hand. He has easy and smooth anticipatory movements. He reads balls off opponents bats well and has a veteran’s approach to fielding. He has a short, quick and true throwing motion.

Murphy Flood (2019, Dalton, Ga.) started on the mound and hit in the three-hole for the undefeated Titans club. He was masterful on the mound. While not particularly overpowering, the 6-foot-2, 171-pound Flood was efficient, and pitched with great confidence and pace. His pinpoint command and ability to mix three different pitches to all four quadrants made for short work every inning. His fastball was consistently in the 79-81 mph range. His tantalizing 12-to-6 sharp-breaking curveball was a swing-and-miss pitch. He also mixed in a well commanded 71 mph changeup that had depth at the plate. Offensively, Murphy projects the same calm and confidence at the plate that he does on the mound. He is patient and hunts out pitches to drive up the middle and to right-center field. His swing path has slight lift at contact and he did not miss his barrel in any of his at-bats.

Titans shortstop, Matt McDermond (2019, Atlanta, Ga.) is a steady hand in the middle infield. Like all of his teammates, he plays with poise and an attention to detail. He has excellent lateral movement and is especially quick moving to his glove side. He transfers the ball well and quickly and has a strong and firm throwing arm that is highly accurate. At the plate, he has a short, compact middle-of-the-field swing path. He is patient at the dish and uses a flat pass to hit line drives towards the big parts of the field.

Titans center fielder Victor Scott (2019, Powder Springs, Ga.) is yet another player who brings multiple tools to the ballpark. The 6-foot, 160-pound Scott, a rising junior at McEachern High School, is a gifted athlete who patrols center field like a college-level player. He reads balls well off the bat and covers a lot of ground with ease. He has a playable arm that is highly accurate. His ability offensively is highly advanced. He is very patient at the plate and sees a lot of pitches. He uses a short, compact and efficient swing path to hit line drives up the middle with regularity. On the bases, he uses his plus speed and baserunning awareness to consistently put pressure on the defense.

Although the Cape Coral, Florida-based Xtreme Baseball Club bowed out of the tournament in afternoon playoff action, they did field a squad with solid players. A couple stood out for the locally based club.

Jarred Pinto (2020, Cape Coral, Fla.) hit in the three-hole and plays third base for the Lee County club and brings a solid approach to both with him to the park. The 5-foot-8, 160-pound lefthanded hitting rising junior at Ida S. Baker High School hits out of a slightly open stance and is short, compact and direct to the ball. He plays a very steady third base and has excellent lateral movement and a strong and true throwing arm.

A rising sophomore at Mariner High School is center fielder Jaylen Youngs (2020, Cape Coral, Fla.). The 5-foot-8, 130-pound speedster is a gifted athlete and baseball player. He can track down balls in the outfield with ease and confidence. He has a playable arm that is very accurate. Offensively, his No. 1 tool is his speed. He uses a short, compact swing and a line drive swing path to hit the ball with authority to all parts of the field.

– Jerry Miller
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