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Tournaments  | Story  | 6/9/2019

South Invite: Day 2 Scout Notes

Connor Spencer      Andrew Jenkins     
Photo: Drew Romo
2019 PG South Invitational: Day 1 Scout Notes

Connor Carson (2021, Bullard, Texas) did it all for Dallas Patriots 16U-Sherard going 3-for-4 at the plate and pitching three full shutout innings. He has an athletic frame and showcased athletic actions in all facets of his game. At the plate he has some solid pop from an upright stance and gets his barrel on plane quickly. On the bump, he sat around 80-83 mph while touching 85 and he possesses a short arm action that feels efficient down the bump. Carson works straight down the mound and his low front side drives his three-quarters to high three-quarters arm slot with some angle. He also started a triple play at second base and was all around the spark that ignited Dallas Patriots 16U-Sherard’s 5-3 victory.





Cody Stanley (2020, Diana, Texas) went 2-for-4 with a triple and a double on the day for T.H.A STIX 17U. Stanley has an upright stance and keeps his barrel on his shoulder before he loads. His load is erratic and there’s a lot going on with his hands and body as they launch but these erratic movements do create some whip with his barrel through the zone. Moreover, he uses his lower half well and drives his backside through the baseball. Moving forward, he’ll have to quiet down his swing when facing more velocity, but his developing bat is solid.



Banditos Scout Team 17U continued to play well on day two and Texas A&M commit Hunter Hollan (2020, Longview, Texas) threw a gem and provided them with a complete game shutout. Hollan has a long arm action, a slow methodical motion, and a three-quarters arm slot. He sweeps his leg out towards the first base line creating a tough feeling release point for left handed hitters. His fastball sat around 83-85 mph and he touched 87 on the day. He has some arm-side run, especially when throwing arm side, making it even tougher for lefthanded hitters. He manipulates his 11-to-4 shaped curveball, giving it larger and smaller shapes depending on the handedness of the batter. Hollan already projects to be a solid piece out of the bullpen for Texas A&M but as his arm continues to strengthen and develop, and if he’s able to develop a solid complementing off-speed, he’ll have the opportunity to start someday.



No. 1 ranked 2020 catcher in the nation and LSU commit Drew Romo (2020, The Woodlands, Texas) didn’t have a huge day at the plate like he did on day one, but he still put his elite hit tool on display. Romo has a strong-looking conventional stance with a mid-high leg kick and textbook weight transfer in the box. Romo has good feel for this swing, and his adjustments at the plate were prevalent. He stays tall on his backside and takes his hands to the baseball well. At times he can be late with his land from the leg kick which causes his backside not to fire all the way through. However, when on time, the backside dances beautifully with the barrel, and he gets great rotation out his shoulders. Very high ceiling for this young Texas backstop.

Tre Richardson (2020, Kingwood, Texas) put on a speed show for his future coaches at the University of Houston with a triple into the left field gap. Richardson has a smaller athletic frame that highly projects for the middle infield. At second base he moves well into the hole as well as up the middle and possesses more than enough athleticism to make adjustments off his initial reads. At the plate, Richardson has high hands that he holds close to his ear and has a scrappy feel towards his approach. He protects the plate well and has quick hands that do a great job of putting the ball in play. Richardson also has solid pop to all fields and proves to soon be an invaluable asset for UH.



In the 16U division, two top teams faced off showcasing premium talent all over the field. Righthander and Texas Rio Grande Valley commit Jacob Guzman (2021, Alice, Texas) impressed with his three-pitch mix and plus command with his off-speed. He has a short motion with a longer arm action, then falls off the mound glove side, slinging his arm up into a high three-quarters to over the top slot. At times he has some heavy run to his 82-86 mph fastball, and he paired it nicely with his 74-76 mph changeup. As his outing rolled on, he became more confident with the off-speed pitch, and by the end of his outing was throwing it with conviction in any count and to any batter. His breaking ball is still developing and is a large shaped 11-to-4 shaped curveball. Where he excels at getting his off-speed out in front, he struggles to do the same with his breaking ball, as he tended to miss with it up and arm side.



On the other side of the ball for Houston Banditos Scout, utility player Trey Rucker (2021, Boerne, Texas) scorched two balls to his oppo gap for triples. Rucker has high projectables with quick hands, quick feet, and has the ability to play just about everywhere on the diamond. At the plate, he starts with his hands high and forward and uses a forward and back bat wag pre-pitch. He then takes his hands a great distance down and back in what is a very quick looking load, and simply lifts and puts down his front foot. Rucker does a great job of having his backside lead in his swing, and he creates a strong amount of tension between his upper and lower half. He stays extremely tall on his back side, helping his barrel to get on plane quickly and extend flat through the zone. His swing and his game have a Curtis Granderson type feel to them. Rucker has plus speed on the base paths as well and won’t find himself uncommitted for much longer if he keeps swinging it the way he is right now.



To cap off day two, Performance Baseball Texas defeated Banditos Scout Team 15U in the 15U division, 8-3. Left fielder Trenton Lape (2023, Bossier City, La.) went 1-for-3 on the day with a walk. In left field, he made an over-the-shoulder catch on the run on a ball that should have been a double into the left center gap. His initial route was poor but showed athleticism and awareness by adjusting to the ball, covering ground, and ultimately making the play. In the box, Lape has an upright conventional stance with a toe tap timing mechanism. He really gets through with his backside as his back-foot lifts off the ground through contact. He possesses strong hands, great shoulder rotation, and creates consistent backspin. His bat speed is promising to the naked eye. All around a projectable young outfielder.  

-Connor Spencer

Eugene Williams (2021, Marion, Texas) is a young, projectable 6-foot-3 righthanded pitcher that showed poise and mound presence during his outing for the Bay Area Bombers. He had a high three-quarters arm slot, a long arm circle in the back and a loose, quick arm. His delivery had some funk, when repeated, had a downhill finish that created good plane, while being consistently low in the strike zone. Williams showcased a two-pitch mix consisting of a fastball that was 82-85 mph, touching 88 mph, and flashed a slider that had late break at 72-76 mph. Williams has plenty of room to fill out his tall, athletic frame. Currently a thrower, he projects well and should continue to add velocity and command as he matures.

Texas A&M commit Tyler Lee (2021, Hallsville, Texas) is a 6-foot-3, athletic framed first baseman for Performance Baseball Texas 16U, who has plenty of room to fill out his already projectable body. At the plate he has a wide base, high hand set with a high back elbow, advanced bat speed and slight lift in his swing. He transferred his weight well, created hard contact and showed good feel for the barrel. In his second at-bat of the day, he crushed a ball to the center field wall for a double. He is ranked nationally as the No. 7 2021 first baseman in the country, Lee could be a versatile threat defensively down the road, he has quick feet, soft hands with solid arm strength that fits several positions on the field.  



Raffi Gross (2021, Pearland, Texas) is a lean-framed center fielder for Los Tigers 2021. He is 6-foot-3, quick-twitch athlete who flashed range in center field, a quick first step and good reads off the bat. He showed off his range by making a diving grab in the right-center field gap that stopped multiple runs from scoring. His arm is playable, with above-average arm strength and carry on his throws that will improve as he matures. Gross stands at the plate with a wide base, a high back elbow and slight bat wiggle. He showcased extremely quick hands with a gap-to-gap approach, barrel awareness with regular, hard contact. The young prospect should continue to project well with added strength as he matures.



5-foot-11, 210-pound David Jeon (2021, Coppell, Texas) is a righthanded pitcher for Dulins Dodgers-Godwin. Pitching primary out of the stretch, he had a high three-quarters arm slot, quick arm and a smooth, drop-and-drive delivery. He worked his fastball efficiently arm-side in the mid-80s with some angle, an 11-to-5 curveball in the low-70s, and a straight changeup at 73 mph. Jeon projects well on the mound and should continue to add velocity as he adds more strength to his large frame.

Sai Campos (2021, Alice, Texas) started on the mound for Banditos Scout Team 15U. He has a medium frame with an athletic, lean build. The righthanded pitcher has a high three-quarters arm slot, a quick arm and good downhill angle on his fastball that sat 83-85 mph. He flashed a 12-to-6 curveball that he was able to throw in any count at 68-73 mph. His delivery started with a small step into a high hand gather and leg kick that raised above the belt. He worked quick to the plate out of the stretch and controlled the running game well. Campos projects for much more down the road, he should add more strength to his frame, allowing his velocity to continue to rise.

Magnus Miller (2021, Corpus Christi, Texas) came in out of the bullpen for Banditos Scout Team 15U. He has a quick arm with a max effort delivery, good separation and utilizes his lower half. His fastball ranged from 83-89 mph and flashed a 12-to-6 curveball at 74 mph. Miller will project well with added command that should improve over time.

-Andrew Jenkins