The Future Stars Series Main Event took place this past weekend at Citi Field, home of the New York Mets. 50 high school players from across North America attended the event. Many of those attendees were higher profile preps while others were more of the "under-the-radar" variety. This seemed like a good chance to gain information and views on some players that haven't received a ton of attention across the amateur baseball landscape. Seeing those players compete for three days against quality competition and on a big league field was a useful and unique opportunity.
The Main Event was streamed online and featured a legit broadcast team that helped inform viewers (background info, identifying players, defensive swaps, etc.) and kept the action moving along. They also have a fantastic youtube page with separate clips for each and every at but plus batting practice. I watched the majority of all three games through the live stream and used the youtube clips provided for added insight on players and different game situations.
There were a lot of names who stood out over the weekend. To maintain my sanity, I limited myself to covering 16 players. There were definitely a lot more participants worthy of recognition. I've included edited clips for each player (most of the editing involved removing dead time between pitches) in this piece. Most of the clips you'll see here are originally from the Program 15 Youtube channel with some stuff from the live stream and the Future Stars Series Twitter account as well. All photos used here come from Mike Ashmore who attended the event.
Hitters
Cam Collier, 3B
Bats/Throws: L/R
Height/Weight: 6'2/210
School: Chipola College
Thoughts: Collier came into the weekend as the highest-rated prep player participating in this event. Because of that, he was probably the player I ended up watching the closest. Collier did not disappoint. He took quality AB after quality AB each game, showing a disciplined and mature approach. Collier sets up in a fairly wide, open stance with low hands that are tucked in towards his body. Collier really loads up on his backside and does an excellent job working his lower half into his swing. The hands are quick and the bat speed is likely plus. Collier did a good job covering the plate, showing the ability to stay smooth and in control of his body on pitches all around the strike zone. He worked the middle of the field on a couple of his hits but also showed an impressive ability to rotate when he pulled a hard liner into the right field corner. Collier never tried to do too much as he worked counts and rarely chased out of the zone. He walked 5 times in 3 games and struck out just once.
I think I was most surprised by Collier's defense. I had heard about the bat but didn't know what kind of defender he was. Collier made it look easy at third base with very clean hands, good positioning, and a plus arm. He made one gem of a play (you can see it in the GIF below) where he went to his right to grab a grounder behind third base, stumbled in foul territory, used his glove hand to regain balance, and threw a strike to nail the runner at first. That kind of poise was impressive to me. His throws were strong and on the money all weekend and will definitely be enough for third base.
Collier looked like a first-rounder this weekend. I have him at a 45+ FV currently but may ultimately move him up into the 50 FV tier. He's going to be one of the youngest players eligible for the draft after reclassifying for the 2022 draft. I also found out during this event that Collier is doing something I like to call the "Bryce Harper route". Before being drafted by the Nationals, Harper graduated high school a year early and decided to move on to junior college ball with Southern Nevada. Instead of playing high school ball this spring, Collier will be playing at Chipola College which is one of the top junior college programs in the nation. This will allow Collier to play against a much higher level of competition during the spring months of 2022. Collier's poise and baseball IQ (he made a bunch of heads up baserunning decisions) are ahead of his years and are traits that strengthen the overall package even more. Collier will be a high-profile follow for scouts at WWBA in Jupiter later this month. You can check out his hits from the weekend in the video below.
Henry Bolte, OF
Bats/Throws: R/R
Height/Weight: 6'3/190
School: Palo Alto (CA); Texas commit
Thoughts: As I said, Cam Collier was priority #1 for me this weekend. Bolte was the clear #2 as the California prep product has had a string of loud performances heading into the Future Stars Series Main Event. What's clear after seeing him play for 3 games is that Bolte is a special kind of talent. The combination of athleticism and strength was on display and the physical tools are more than enticing.
Bolte had base hits in his first two ABs with a single through the hole between the first and second baseman and a hard single up the middle. It was actually a foul ball during his first at bat that stood out to me the most. Bolte fouled a ball down the right field line that wasn't too far off from being an opposite field home run. The ball was struck hard and had some remarkable backspin and carry to it. Bolte was late on the pitch but was almost able to get it out of the ballpark without the best timing. To me, that bodes well for his future power as he is capable of doing damage the opposite way and without his best swing. I screenshotted the point of contact on that foul ball which you can see below. You can also check out the foul in the video I included, right around the 49 second mark. It was an opposite-field home run that put Bolte's name in my crosshairs (check it out HERE) so I guess I shouldn't be too surprised that he nearly did it again over the weekend. Bolte would reach base a third straight time with a walk but then struck out in his final 4 at bats.
The strikeouts were a bit troubling. Even during his first few at bats, Bolte struggled to catch up with fastballs at the top of the zone. He also chased several high fastballs that were up above the strike zone. Bolte really didn't chase out of the zone to either side of the plate and was able to lay off breakers and changeups below the zone which is encouraging. There is some plate discipline here as it was really just those high fastballs that gave him trouble. He did get fooled on some off speed in the zone with two strikes but I think that may have been because of his struggles against the high heat which caused him to cheat and look fastball to catch up. I noticed some variations in his bat angle and hand positioning during his setup. Sometimes the bat would be more perpendicular to the ground with lower hands while other times the bat would be on more of an angle pointing upwards with higher hands. I think this is an area that Bolte can work on to try and keep his mechanics more repeatable. He has plenty of time to tinker with things to find a set of mechanics that will work best for him on those high fastballs. I also think it would be nice to see him get out in front and extended so his plus (at least) power can play more to his pull side. It's a very small sample, but Bolte seems to go the opposite way a little too much.
Bolte didn't have the greatest weekend but the body, tools, and athleticism are top of the line. He moves well and even made a nice diving catch coming in on a ball in centerfield. The swing and miss issues will need to be monitored moving forward but it's also a problem that feels solvable. It's not like Bolte was swinging wildly at everything thrown his way. Bolte absolutely deserves close attention because of his physical gifts. It also looked like he was really enjoying his time in the Big Apple (lots of smiles) and loving the game of baseball. I would bet on him putting in the work to correct some of the flaws that popped up this weekend. I'm still in on Bolte.
Diego Guevara, OF
Bats/Throws: R/R
Height/Weight: 6'4/210
School: Georgia Premier Academy (GA); Miami commit
Thoughts: Guevara, like Bolte, is another physically gifted ballplayer with top of the line athleticism. The raw power, speed, and arm are all easily plus grades or better. Guevara already shows pro-level bat speed and his swing is efficient and on plane. After being hit by a pitch in his first AB, Guevara launched an absolute rocket to straight away centerfield that landed on the warning track. The ball must have traveled around 400 feet and Guevara zoomed into third with a bases-clearing triple. It can be hard to get accurate run times through video but Guevara's speed on the triple was eye-opening. He's clocked 60 yard dash times in the 6.40-6.60 range which roughly translates to a 60-70 grade run tool. Guevara also showed off his arm in right field (I wish I saved the clip) on a throw to third base. He didn't throw out the runner, but he turned what looked like an easy triple into a relatively close play. At PG National, Guevara threw 92 MPH from the outfield. It's easy plus arm strength.
The recent Miami Hurricanes commit didn't have a ton of success at the plate after that triple. He reached base on a walk and a single while also racking up 5 strikeouts. Based on what I saw, there might be some pitch ID issues here. He was bailing out early on some offspeed in the zone and swinging late against fastballs up in the strike zone. I checked back on some of his box scores from Perfect Game events and didn't see very many strikeouts, though most of the velocity he saw in those games was lower (mid-to-upper 80s) than what he faced over the weekend. There's obviously a reason for concern, but this could also just be an example of a young prospect needing additional reps against higher level arms. I still really like the swing and there are a lot of 6's or better on the scouting report. Guevara will have several months to show us if he can make some necessary adjustments moving forward. He's an exciting prospect who would be a huge get for Miami baseball if he makes it campus. You can check out his BP swing in slo-mo as well as his triple in the GIF/clip below.
Riley Stanford, OF/RHP
Bats/Throws: R/R
Height/Weight: 6'4/220
School: Buford (GA); Georgia Tech commit
Thoughts: I find it harder to get a good feel for a player's size/body from video compared to in-person views. Stanford kind of bucked that trend for me. His size was evident the moment he stepped up to the plate. Stanford is listed at 6'4/220 and he moves extremely well for his size. The body looks physically mature and pretty maxed out. He's a high level talent as both a hitter and pitcher (his fastball can get into the 94-97 range at its best) but didn't get on the mound this weekend.
Stanford's bat speed is elite. He also rotates extremely well and maintains good balance despite how quickly his body is moving. Stanford was only feet short of a left-centerfield homer but the big fly was caught on the warning track. It looked and sounded like a homer off the bat and probably traveled about 360 feet. I've read reports about Stanford previously and he's been praised for his ability to lift the ball to his pull side. He obviously did that this weekend and it's something he's been able to replicate over several high profile games/events. Stanford only recorded one hit, but he had quality at bats and put the bat on the ball. He walked once and didn't strike out. He's going to draw draft interest on both sides of the ball. I kind of want to see him make it to campus so he can do both at Georgia Tech. You can check out his BP, near homer, and base hit in the video below.
Jay Knowles, SS
Bats/Throws: R/R
Height/Weight: 6'0/150
School: Georgia Premier Academy (GA); Kennesaw State commit
Thoughts: Knowles stood out for his quick twitch athleticism and the projection remaining in his body. He's probably going to be on the smaller side physically because of a narrow frame, but there are significant strength gains to be had. I really liked his movements on the infield and he showed off an absolute cannon arm from shortstop. It's at least 70 arm strength. Knowles looks like a future shortstop as long as he doesn't slow down too much as he grows. He'd probably be a quality defender at a variety of positions including third base and centerfield. He won't be limited to second base if shortstop doesn't work out. He made a nice play coming in on ball to his left that you can check out below.
At the plate, Knowles shows some barrel whip and a patient approach. He spit on a few close pitches over the weekend and was able to work walks in those at bats. It's a table-setter profile but there could be a little more impact with added strength down the road. The bat speed is probably around average currently and the hands are quick and work well at the dish. Knowles did chase a couple of good breaking balls below the zone so that's something worth keeping an eye on moving forward. Knowles is a good follow this spring as he has some major league tools, a solid approach, and the potential to be a defensive asset at multiple positions. The defensive play that I mentioned earlier and some BP footage can be found below.
Max Ortega, C
Bats/Throws: R/R
Height/Weight: 5'11/180
School: St Mary's (CA); Uncommitted
Thoughts: I wasn't familiar with Ortega before this weekend. Ortega didn't do anything that "stood out" on the offensive side of the ball. He walked in 4 of his 8 plate appearances, struck out once, and didn't record a hit. He did have a well struck ball the opposite way that was caught by the right fielder. Looks like he's capable of making hard, line drive contact.
Ortega's defense behind the plate was what stood out for me. Specifically, his catch and throw skills were very solid. He threw out multiple baserunners during the event showing a quick transfer and a strong, accurate arm. It can be tough for catchers at big events like this because they usually don't have much rapport with the pitcher on the mound. That can have dramatic effects especially in the way catchers receive the ball and control the running game. Future Stars Series tweeted out one of the runners he threw out which you can check out in the GIF below. I know for a fact that he threw out another baserunner but can't find the clip. Ortega definitely shows potential behind the plate and I wouldn't be surprised if he rises up the California prep rankings as we get closer to draft day. He's currently uncommitted but quality defensive catchers with an arm are usually in demand at the college level. Ortega is a name to remember for the spring.
Omari Daniel, SS
Bats/Throws: R/R
Height/Weight: 6'2/180
School: The Walker School (GA); Oregon commit
Thoughts: Daniel was a name I knew but I never saw any video/clips of him playing. His aggression on the bases was what I noticed most. He took some gargantuan leads but was able to consistently get back safely when either the pitcher tried to pick him off or when the catcher tried to throw behind him. He stole several bases (I want to say 3 in total) including a steal of third base which set up an RBI groundout. The speed on the bases is a plus and his aggression and savvy were shown off everytime he got on base. Daniel's baserunning has impact potential at the next level.
Daniel has great athleticism and his body is lean and lanky. There's projection remaining but he already shows a bit of strength. I didn't notice him much on defense so I don't know where he fits on this side of the ball. Looking at some box scores it looks like he splits time between shortstop and second base. At the plate, Daniel shows some above average bat speed and really impressive hands. He had trouble squaring pitches which led to a lot of foul balls/mis-hits on hittable pitches. The bat path was pretty flat through the zone and he also had some balance issues at times. Still, there are tools on both sides of the ball. Daniel is set to play in Jupiter, Florida later this week where he'll get a chance to perform against some more quality arms. His BP and one of his stolen bases are included below.
Luke Hill, SS
Bats/Throws: R/R
Height/Weight: 6'1/190
School: Episcopal (LA); Tulane commit
Thoughts: Hill was tabbed as a "riser" earlier this year by Prep Baseball Report and he's currently ranked 6th and 3rd overall in the state of Louisiana by PBR and Perfect Game respectively. Hill looks like a strong, grinder type with a solid collection of overall tools. There's strength in the body and the swing and he also moves and runs pretty well. He's posted plus run times and a quality arm at other events, though I didn't really notice him much on the defensive side of the ball.
He surprised me with his pop when he crushed a high fastball into the right field gap. Hill trotted into third base with a stand up triple. That was Hill's only hit of the weekend as he had some swing and miss issues. He whiffed on fastballs throughout the strike zone. There's at least above average bat speed and his hands looked pretty loose and quick to me. The swing is simple with a shorter load. I don't see any glaring mechanical flaw to point to. Perhaps some added strength to his midsection and legs and/or more reps against upper level velocity will help him catch up to the hard stuff in the future. Hill has a solid overall collection of tools and a well-proportioned, athletic body. Someone on the Main Event broadcast comped him to Aaron Hill which made some sense. He'll be competing at WWBA this week.
Pedro Agosto, OF
Bats/Throws: R/R
Height/Weight: 5'11/180
School: Sunshine State Elite Academy (FL); Uncommitted
Thoughts: As was the case with Max Ortega, I had never heard of Agosto. He's a smaller guy at around 5'10/170 with wiry strength. His BP round signaled to me that he has a knack for handling balls below the waist and covering the lower half of the strike zone. It's a quick, line drive type swing with a flatter bat path. I was curious to see how he'd fare against velocity, especially fastballs above the belt.
Almost all of Agosto's whiffs were on high fastballs. He struck out in his first two at bats and looked a bit overmatched. He started out his third at bat with another whiff on a fastball. But he was able to line a single into shallow right field for a base knock. This fastball was below the belt and on the outside portion of the plate. That below the belt area is a good location for him to be aggressive and I liked seeing that ability to work the opposite field and go with the pitch. His next at bat started with a late swing on a high and outside fastball that resulted in a foul ball off the end of the bat. The pitcher attempted to go to the same location with the next pitch and Agosto was able to go up the middle with a soft liner into centerfield. Seeing Agosto have some success against a pitch above the belt was encouraging as it shows the ability to make adjustments during at bats. Agosto walked twice and struck out once (he swung through 3 high fastballs during that at bat) during his final 3 plate appearances.
After getting off to a rough start, Agosto was able to turn things around a bit by accumulating some quality at bats. I'd like to see him be a little bit more selective in his approach as I do think his happy zone is below the belt. Agosto has plus speed (60 yard dash times in the 6.30-6.70) and a solid arm which could work in centerfield moving forward. Adding some strength to his lower half would be a benefit as would some added loft in his swing. Agosto is uncommitted but would be a nice developmental piece for a lot of college teams. He also has some experience on the mound which could make him an attractive option as a potential two-way player. His BP and two base hits can be found below.
Pitchers
Note: Each pitcher threw 3 innings during the Main Event.
Cole Phillips, RHP
Height/Weight:6'3/200
School: Boerne (TX); Arkansas commit
Thoughts: Phillips was the first pitcher to take the mound for the Blue Team on Friday night and he came out guns blazing. Phillips has a prototypical pitcher's build at 6'3/200 with a high waist and athletic actions on the mound. His fastball was 91-95 according to the Future Stars Series Twitter account. The arm is very loose with plus speed. Phillips throws from a 3/4 slot and he gets good momentum and whip in the delivery. There's some effort but the ball comes out of the hand very clean. Phillips did a good job commanding his fastball to all four quadrants of the plate. He attacked hitters with a heavy dose of fastballs and the pitch flashes arm side run and sink when thrown down in the zone. It's a lively fastball and he showed confidence in his ability to beat hitters with the pitch.
He didn't throw too many breaking balls but there were a couple that were pretty nasty. Phillips recorded his 4th K on a slider that he located perfectly. He threw 4 straight fastballs mostly up and away before landing a filthy front door slider for the backward K.
Phillips already has present stuff and he showed a surprising amount of polish during this outing. There could be further gains down the road as he continues to develop as a pitcher. He'd be my pick for the best pitcher of the event. Phillips pitched 3 scoreless innings. He struck out 4, didn't walk a batter, and allowed 2 singles. He's committed to Arkansas for 2022. You can see his 4 strikeouts in the clip below.
Brandon Compton, LHP/OF
Height/Weight: 6'1/205
School: Buckeye Union (AZ); Arizona State commit
Thoughts: Compton is a two way player who got some time on both the mound and at the plate during the event. I found his performance on the mound more intriguing personally. He battled control and command issues during his three innings of work. Compton ended up walking 6 and also hit a batter. I looked through some box scores of his Perfect Game outings and a lack of control seems to be a recurring theme. He's racked up a lot of walks and his strike % has been on the low side (40%-50%) consistently. Command of his fastball is going to be a major key in what kind of pitcher he's able to become. Right now it's 20 grade command but there are still a lot of positive elements here.
Compton has been into the low 90s (max velocity of 93 MPH) at other events but he topped out and sat in the upper 80s on this night. But even with the scattered command and diminished velo there was a lot to like. Physically, Compton is well built with a good frame and strong upper half. He throws from a low 3/4 slot and it looks like the ball comes out from a lower height. It's a deceptive, crossfire delivery with a closed-off landing. Compton had trouble repeating those mechanics. Sometimes his release point would vary and other times his body just wasn't in sync. This led to poor command. His fastball flashes good carry up in the zone while showing more cut when thrown low and also towards the outside part of the plate to righties. It's a quality fastball that can play above its velocity when commanded effectively.
His best pitch is the curveball. He showed a better feel for the curve than the fastball and wasn't afraid to work backward with the pitch. Because of his arm action/angle, he's able to get nice tilt on the pitch while also flashing good depth and biting action. There was some inconsistency in the quality of the ball coming out of the hand towards the end of his outing, but the curve is a potential plus pitch or better. He landed a lot of curves in the zone, stole strikes early with the pitch, and racked up a good amount of whiffs. If he can add a little more velocity to it I'd feel comfortable putting a 60 grade on it.
As I mentioned earlier, Compton is currently a two way player. I like his potential on the mound and think he probably starts leaning towards this side of the ball moving forward. It would not surprise me if he saw rapid development as a pitcher with an increased focus on the mound. He didn't have the best outing but still managed to finish 3 innings and record 6 strikeouts. Compton is a high variance arm that could really move up draft boards with a strong spring.
Javier Santos, RHP
Height/Weight: 6'0/190
School: Georgia Premier Academy (GA); Northwest Florida State commit
Thoughts: Santos showed the most fastball velocity over the weekend by a pretty significant margin. He sat 93-96 for 3 innings and topped out 97. Santos recorded 6 strikeouts, walked 3, gave up 2 hits, and allowed 1 earned run over 3 innings. The arm speed is absolutely electric. Santos utilizes a simple rocker step with a longer arm action before releasing from a high 3/4 arm slot. He does a good job repeating his delivery and maintaining a consistent release point. There's explosion on release and the ball comes out of his hand with a lot of life. There is definitely head movement as he finishes which could ultimately limit his overall command. It's not terrible, but it's noticeable.
Santos snapped off some quality breaking balls to pair with his big fastball. I think he might be throwing two different pitches but I'm not positive. The first was an overhand curve that flashed 12/6 movement with good depth. I liked the feel that he showed for the pitch as he knew how he wanted to attack hitters with it. Santos also showed another breaker that featured a little more giddy-up and side-to-side action. I liked the curveball the best out of the two but I'm curious to see if the slider (cutter?) can develop into a legit weapon in the future. One thing I did notice is that Santos had a tendency to slow his delivery/arm when throwing offspeed. I screenshotted a bunch of pics of Santos when he planted his front foot to make sure. I included 4 of those pics below. The top two are Santos throwing fastballs while the bottom two are when he threw offspeed. You can see in the bottom pics that he's more upright when he plants that front foot which indicates a slowing down of the delivery and arm. It's not something that is critical at this stage but it could be something that more advanced hitters take advantage of down the road.
Santos was one of the top arms at the event in terms of raw stuff. The arm talent here is significant and he shows the makings of some quality secondary pitches. He hasn't received a ton of hype to date but that could change if he keeps showing the kind of stuff I saw over the weekend. I clipped his 1st inning performance which can be viewed below.
Griffin Stieg, RHP/OF
Height/Weight: 6'2/210
School: McLean (VA); Virginia Tech commit
Thoughts: Steig is a two-way player who is probably a better pro prospect on the mound. Steig makes for an uncomfortable at bat with some serious funk and deception. He gets low in his delivery and throws from a low 3/4 slot. The arm action is very short and his arm works very quickly allowing his stuff to get on hitters fast. His fastball travels towards the plate at a downwards angle and will flash arm side run depending on where he's trying to locate. The Future Stars Series Twitter account had him sitting 91-94 during his 3 innings of work and he's typically been in that low 90s area at other events according to Perfect Game and PBR. It doesn't seem like it has the bat missing shape many scouts and evaluators look for but it's a pitch that looks hard to square effectively. He showed two secondaries in a slider and changeup that could be above average or better pitches in the future. The slider flashed heavy sweeping action and could be a nice weapon against righties. The breaking ball shape was a little inconsistent and he threw some that were loopy. His changeup can really dive and can also move to his arm side which can work well against lefties.
Stieg has a strong, durable-looking build that will suit him well on the mound. He has the makings of three quality pitches. There may be some command/control concerns that need to be worked out but Stieg has several starting pitcher ingredients to build off of. Like many of the players listed here, Stieg will be competing in Jupiter at WWBA this week. He's committed to Virginia Tech.
Gabriel Flores, RHP/OF
Height/Weight: 6'1/190
School: Longview (TX); Uncommitted
Thoughts: Yet another two-way player trending towards a future on the mound. Flores fired off 3 hitless innings that included 5 strikeouts. He struck out the side in his first inning of work. You can take a look at that inning in the video below. Flores worked quickly and showed premium athleticism on the mound. He's not a really big kid, but the body looks well proportioned and capable of positive growth. Throws from a high 3/4 slot with a loose and whippy arm action. The ball comes out of the hand clean and shows some hop and life to it. His fastball worked in the 87-90 range and he was able to move it in the zone. He threw a high percentage of strikes and many of his early fastballs were quality strikes. The command started to waver a bit in the 3rd inning which is when he allowed two batters to reach base via HBP and a walk. It looked to me that he started speeding up his delivery too much and things started getting out of sync. Flores was able to work through it and ultimately it didn't lead to any runs allowed. His fastball showed some carry at the top of the zone and he was able to get whiffs off the fastball. The control of the fastball is ahead of the command, but he flashed some quality command at times. I think you can safely project gains to both the velocity and the command in the near future.
Flores also utilized an effective breaking ball. The pitch flashed some sharpness with two-plane break. Flores threw mostly fastballs but showed confidence in the breaker. He went to the pitch in a 3-2 count and was able to generate a chase out of the zone for strike 3. There's still some rawness to Flores' game on the mound but the overall package is enticing. He's in a somewhat similar situation as Brandon Compton where there is legitimate ability on both sides of the ball but a bit more upside on the mound. I think he could progress pretty quickly with added focus on pitching. He had a pretty clean outing against some quality hitters which is something he can really build off of. Flores is young for the class and is committed to the University of Houston.
Jarvis Evans Jr, LHP
Height/Weight: 6'5/220
School: Georgia Premier Academy (GA); Georiga commit
Thoughts: Jarvis Evans made his presence known as he dominated right out of the gate. Evans struck out the first 5 batters he faced and didn't allow a baserunner until his 3rd inning of work. He walked a couple in that last inning but was able to work around it for a final scoreless inning of work. The final line for Evans: 3 IP, 0 hits, 2 walks, 6 strikeouts. Evans was 89-92 according to the Future Stars Series Twitter account. He has a big build and projectable pitcher's body with a high waist and wide hips. He has the XL frame to put on a lot of good weight and potentially add several ticks to his stuff. I like the way the arm works. It's a nice, compact motion from a higher 3/4 arm slot. The ball can get on hitters quickly. Utilizes an athletic delivery featuring a high leg left, slightly closed off landing, and low effort throughout the motion. He moves well for his size but will need to maintain flexibility and looseness as he grows.
As I mentioned, Evans has a fastball that sat in the 89-92 range. That tracks with what others have observed from him over the last several months. It might play a bit better than his velocity indicates because of how the arm action works and some slight deception in the delivery. The pitch doesn't seem to have any special movement, but it will flash a little rise when thrown up and some sink when he works low and to his glove side. He showed feel for locating the pitch, though he lost his command a bit in his 3rd inning of work. The fastball would really take off in terms of grading with more velocity.
It's the offspeed that really stood out to me in this one. He throws a big curveball with heavy vertical movement and a bit of tilt as well. Evans went to the pitch frequently at the start of this outing and recorded several whiffs with the pitch. The vast majority of Evans' Ks came off the curve so it's clearly a weapon he relies on as a putaway pitch. There was some variance in the quality of his curveballs with a good amount of his later ones being below average. To me, it looked like the pitch didn't always come out of his hand cleanly which caused it to hang. It didn't lead to any damage this weekend but it's something that more advanced hitters could take advantage of. Evans also featured a quality changeup which he used as a chase pitch below the zone. The pitch had some good drop, diving underneath opponent's bats. It was effective as both a change of pace and a swing and miss offering. As with the curve, the changeup didn't always come out of the hand cleanly which led to several spiked offerings well in front of home plate. Both pitches are at least above average at their best and I think the curveball has plus potential. If he can maintain consistency of those secondary offerings Evans would have multiple above average pitches to utilize. Evans' size, delivery, and 3 pitch mix give him the building blocks for a starting pitcher future at the next level. He's committed to Georgia and will compete at WWBA. The clip below shows nearly all of his offspeed pitches across his 3 innings of work.
Agyei Quinichett, RHP
Height/Weight: 6'0/195
School: St. Pius X Catholic (GA); Uncommitted
Thoughts: Quinichett probably wasn't "the best" pitching prospect that performed this weekend, but he might have become my favorite. He's another guy who goes from unknown to a high follow for me after performing at the Main Event. Quinichett isn't a big guy but it looks like compact strength with a high waist and athletic movements on the mound. The arm shows some quickness from a shorter arm circle and the ball releases from a near over-the-top slot. He filled the strike zone with a lot of well-located, quality fastballs. Looks like the fastball has bat missing potential with big carry at times in the upper portion of the zone. Quinichett showed a high level of confidence working his fastball above the belt to opposing hitters while also locating to both sides of the plate. Quinichett also mixed in a promising curveball that flashed downward bite at times. He stole some strikes with a loopy, get-me-over variant but also broke out a sharper one to finish hitters in 2 strike counts. Quinichett went to this strategy during his battle against Cam Collier. Quinichett had the following final line after his 3 innings: 3 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 0 BB, 6 K.
Quinichett is a high follow for the spring as he has a body and two pitch combo to build on. If we see more velocity and/or a quality third pitch then Quinichett becomes a very attractive draft target. He's currently uncommitted but would be a great ball of clay for a good college program to work with. Can't wait to see what Quinichett has in store this spring.
You can see Quinichett facing Henry Bolte and Cam Collier in the clip below. He struck out both and recorded several whiffs against the pair.