With 2022 coming to a close, here are some players that impressed in Jupiter during the 2022 WWBA World Championships.
LHP Blake Dickerson, Ocean Lakes (VA), 2023
Performance: 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 8 K, 1 BB, 67% Strikes
Commitment: Virginia Tech
Blake Dickerson threw well on Thursday for Baseball U, handling a stout USA Prime National lineup over his five shutout innings. The 6’6” Virginia Tech commit sat in the 88-92 MPH range with natural sink to his fastball, and leaned on a snappy low 80s slider with traditional above average shape. Dickerson commanded the fastball and slider well early and often, and has flashed a mid 80s changeup with fade in outings this summer. Overall, it’s a high follow in the Mid-Atlantic with a big projectable frame, starter traits and a robust three pitch mix.
CF Drew Burress, Houston County (GA), 2023
Performance: 5-20, 3 2B, 8 BB, 4 K, 4 SB, .883 OPS
Commitment: Georgia Tech
Drew Burress put together a good performance for Top Tier Roos 5 Star Mafia during their championship run at Jupiter, smacking balls all over the yard. While some evaluators are concerned about the irregular rhythm of his swing, all Burress has done this summer is hit advanced pitching and show off a myriad of plus physical tools. He remains at or near the top of follow lists in Georgia, and players of that caliber don’t usually make it to campus.
2B/SS AJ Ewing, Springboro (OH), 2023
Performance: 6-22, 1 2B, 5 BB, 7 K, 2 SB, .732 OPS
Commitment: Alabama
After disappointing showings at both WWBA 17U and East Coast Pro, it was great to see AJ Ewing get a good performance under his belt at Jupiter. The prep shortstop from Ohio showed an ability to grind at bats and drive the ball with authority to his pull side, and reaffirmed confidence that he has the overall toolset to merit Day 1 draft consideration.
CF Walker Jenkins, South Brunswick (NC), 2023
Performance: 5-18, 1 2B, 1 HR, 3 BB, 4 K, 2 SB, .984 OPS
Commitment: North Carolina
Walker Jenkins was already at the top of the prep rankings for the 2022 class, but his performances at the PBR Cup and Jupiter over the last month have been instrumental in affirming that he’s 100% healthy. Jenkins has been putting together his usual competitive at-bats and driving pitches with authority, which is very encouraging to see after a hamate injury in the middle of the summer caused him to miss PG National and East Coast Pro. As 2022 wraps up, he’s neck and neck with Maxwell Clark as the top prep bat in the 2023 MLB Draft.
LHP Haiden Leffew, South Rowan (NC), 2023
Performance: 4.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 8 K, 2 BB, 62% Strikes
Commitment: Wake Forest
Haiden Leffew put together a very strong start for the South Charlotte Panthers on the second day of the WWBA World Championships, going four plus innings against a talented Chicago Scouts Association team. He sat in the low 90s with a riding four seam fastball, mixing in a high 80s two seamer that he busted in on the hands of right handed hitters. Off those fastballs Leffew mixed in a low 80s changeup and sweepy low 70s curveball that missed barrels, and commanded his entire arsenal well throughout his outing. With a good body and evident athleticism, the Kannapolis, NC native checks plenty of boxes with evaluators that will be eager to see how he looks in the Spring.
RHP Chance Mako, East Rowan (NC), 2023
Performance: 4 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 6 K, 3 BB, 57% Strikes
Commitment: North Carolina State
Chance Mako had a somewhat uneven outing on Saturday, but was able to rely on the strength of his stuff to get through four innings with limited damage. His fastball sat 89-93 MPH and touched 94 with good armside life, and a slider flashing plus vertical break in the 79-81 MPH range was the main secondary offering. The issues with command were primarily related to the 6-6 Mako’s body getting out of sync, with some bad misses really plaguing him in the 2nd inning. Nevertheless, the blue chip NC State commit fought back to give South Charlotte length at the end of pool play--and remains a top pitching follow in the Carolinas.
2B/SS Gavin Gallaher, Pro5 Baseball Academy (NC), 2023
Performance: 6-16, 2 2B, 9 BB, 2 K, 6 SB, 1.100 OPS
Commitment: North Carolina
Gavin Gallaher has big arrows pointing up after a very strong performance in Jupiter for Canes National. The middle infielder from Apex, NC has a short yet impactful stroke from the right side, and has shown gains in his physicality and raw power this summer. Of particular note was the very advanced eye and patience Gallaher showed, racking up nine walks with only a pair of strikeouts during the tournament. The one possible knock on Gallaher is that he doesn’t show one plus carrying tool in his profile as of now, but there’s a lot of 55s and he has shown the range and arm strength to hang at shortstop.
RHP Mac Heuer, Home School (GA), 2023
Performance: 2 IP, 1 R, 4 K, 0 BB, 63% Strikes
Commitment: Texas Tech
Mac Heuer put together a really good outing on Friday night for TG DBacks, one that was integral for their comeback to secure a tie with Canes Prospects. He sat 91-94 MPH with his four-seam fastball, touching 95 and consistently getting it past barrels. Heuer went to his depthy high 70s curve regularly, showing marked improvement in sharpness from previous looks this summer, and flashed a changeup at 86-87 with nascent feel. While there are still body and mechanical concerns with Heuer at this stage, his summer performance and stuff are definite pluses to his profile.
RHP Nik Copenhaver, Stephen T. Badin (OH), 2023
Performance: 2 IP, 0 R, 5 K, 2 BB, 58% Strikes
Commitment: Washington State
Nik Copenhaver put in a strong relief performance on Day 3 at Jupiter, pitching two scoreless with a high level of efficiency. The 6’4” righty sat 88-91 with his fastball, generating copious amounts of armside run and jamming right handed hitters consistently. His out pitch was a 76-81 slider with tons of sweep and high spin rates, which was getting chases throughout his outing. There’s effort and length to Copenhaver’s low slot arm, but there’s a good body and track record of strike throwing here that is hard to ignore from the Washington State commit.
RHP Brandon Stone, Shawnee Mission West (KS), 2023
Performance: 5.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 7 K, 4 BB, 59% Strikes
Commitment: Johnson County CC (KS)
Brandon Stone got himself on the 2023 Draft map by touching 95 MPH in a September start. He didn’t have that velocity at Jupiter, but still showed some things for evaluators in the rainy Florida weather. The fastball sat 86-90 MPH touching 91, with really good carrying life from an over-the-top armslot. More interesting was his 76-78 MPH curveball, which had nasty two-plane break and could be a true 70 grade pitch with more refinement. The 6-6, 210 lbs. righty has projection written all over him, and will be closely monitored when the weather warms up in Kansas.
RHP Laif Palmer, Golden (CO), 2023
Performance: 4 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 5 K, 2 BB, 64% Strikes
Commitment: Oregon State
Laif Palmer demonstrated a noticeable uptick in stuff during his relief appearances for Alpha Prime at Jupiter, and is starting to catch the attention of teams in advance of his senior season. The Colorado right hander sat 90-93 with his fastball over multiple innings, retaining both velocity and life throughout. Mixed in primarily was a slider at 82-83 MPH that he showed an aptitude for manipulating vertical shape with. An uptick in stuff will likely be necessary to buyout an Oregon State commitment, but Palmer has the body and athleticism to make that step forward in the Spring.
SS Colt Emerson, John Glenn (OH), 2023
Performance: 8-13, 1 2B, 1 3B, 2 BB, 3 K, 2 SB, 1.534 OPS
Commitment: Auburn
Colt Emerson had one of the best performances of the week at Jupiter, demonstrating high level barrel feel and advanced hit traits against quality pitching. Emerson has a bevy of above average to plus tools, with the capacity to handle the range and arm strength requirements at shortstop. While there has been some swing and miss this summer for the Ohio native, he has also put together plenty of good ABs and shows an ability to go to the opposite field when he needs to--while turning on mistakes and driving them pullside for extra bases. Emerson will also still be under the age of 18 when the 2023 Draft rolls around, making him an extra appealing target for teams that are willing to spend on prep bats on Day 1.
2B/SS Walker Mitchell, River Bluff (SC), 2023
Performance: 3-11, 3 BB, 3 K, .701 OPS
Commitment: Coastal Carolina
A big pop-up name in the Carolinas after a big East Coast Pro, Walker Mitchell put together good plate appearances all week for Canes American. Mitchell has excelled at hitting breaking balls this summer, and demonstrated an ability to adjust to breakers with good two strike swings. Defensively, the Coastal Carolina commit possesses average range and arm strength at shortstop, but does have some room to add muscle without sacrificing explosivity. With above average exit velocities in high level settings and a chance to stick at shortstop, Mitchell will be a high follow for scouts with South Carolina in their region.