A few weeks, Tyler Jennings and Ian Smith attended the Perfect Game National Showcase at Tropicana Field in Tampa, Florida. It’s their fourth year attending the event, learning up on the 2023 high school class and the standouts that come along with it. Last week, they published part one of this review, chronicling four squads. This week, it’s four more. Both Tyler and Ian captured an immense amount of film. You can find that on the Prospects Live YouTube page soon. Here are their notes…
Team 5 - Maroon
Drew Burress- Coming off of one of the loudest spring seasons in the country, Burress showed up to St. Pete and showed a very loud set of tools. Plus runner (6.46) with a near double plus arm (97 arm) combined with good outfield actions should keep him in centerfield. Flashed easy plus raw power in batting practice, essentially flicking balls over the left centerfield wall. It's a steep bat path with electric bat speed that will give you Dylan Crews vibes at first glance. If the Georgia Tech commit can show a strong hit tool this summer, then upside remains a day 1 pick.
Landon Maroudis - Another one of the Calvary Christian arms, Maroudis is one of the better two-way players in this class. There's a good chance he will continue to be one throughout this cycle, but I want to focus primarily on the pitching. There's projection to his slender frame, pitching with good mobility and from a three-quarters arm slot. There's some pitchability traits here, too. The fastball touched 94 MPH, routinely sitting 91-93 MPH early with some life before bumping down to 88-91 MPH in his second inning of work. He's shown an ability to pitch strictly off the change-up in the past, a low-mid 80's pitch that can be firm but dives away late in the zone. The slider has some decent spin and is short to the plate with some sweeping action. He did get hit a bit, but there's something to work with here. Maroudis is committed to NC State.
Hunter Dietz - Brother of current USF pitcher Tyler Dietz, Hunter has had a pretty darn good summer thus far after impressing at PDP. Dietz has a whippy arm from the left side, a higher arm slot that is near over-the-top, and a long, lean frame. Dietz's first inning was stellar, commanding a 92-94 MPH heater very well to the corners with explosive vertical break helping generate whiffs. The slider is short and he has shown an ability to pitch off it more to setup the heater, which he tried to do more in his second inning, though he got hit a bit in that inning. He flashed a high-spin change-up with some fading life away from righties, but only threw it a handful of times. There's a base to work with here should he continue to perform this way next spring. He is committed to USF.
Braden Holcomb-I’m not sure if there’s a more physical prep player in the 2023 class. Built like an NFL linebacker, Holcomb moves extremely well for his size, running an above-average 6.68 while looking comfortable in the dirt. Got up to 99 EV in batting practice while trying to put holes in the left field wall and squared a ball up in-game as well for a 95+ mph single. Huge bat speed and impressive separation combined with the XL frame give the Vanderbilt commit strong power potential.
Ethan McElvain - Brother of former Vanderbilt starter Chris, Ethan McElvain absolutely shoved in his start for Team Maroon. Easy operation from the left side with some deception, McElvain utilizes a high three-quarters arm slot and does a good job of separating his hips and shoulders when driving to home plate. His bread and butter was the fastball, almost exclusively pitching off it and pounding the zone with the pitch. It plays up from its 90-93 MPH velocity thanks to excellent riding action, with IVB reaching upwards of 23-24 inches. He'd flash a sweepy slider a couple of times, which sat 77-80, but the outing was mainly about the fastball. There are some things to work on, as everything is relatively low-spin and he did have some trouble with operating the heater to the armside, but all in all, a very efficient outing. Bulldog mentality, as well. McElvain is committed to pitch at Vanderbilt.
Team 6 - Navy
Zane Adams - Adams is a big-bodied, lanky southpaw hailing from the state of Texas. His delivery is up-tempo and he pitches from a higher slot, though not much in terms of extension. While there's not much spin to the heater itself, there's a ton of vertical break to it, getting up to 94 MPH and sitting 90-93 consistently. The breaking ball has sharp late break in the 78-82 MPH range with good spin and tilt, manipulating shape at times. The breaker was more of a slider at the start before becoming more of a curveball later on. He flashed a solid change-up that kills spin and dives away from righties, as well. A very smart kid in the classroom, Adams is committed to Alabama.
Samuel Stafura- Stafura is another Clemson commit who’s armed with a plus run tool at an up the middle position. High-level actions at shortstop with impressive range and soft hands, with a capable arm to make all needed. Likely the best defensive showing out of any SS at the event. Looked very composed at the plate with a simple right handed swing that creates easy leverage through the zone with good ability to find barrels.
Myles Naylor - Heavy barrels, St. Joan of Arc Catholic, and commit to Texas colleges, it’s just what the Naylor brothers do. Myles is the third high profile Naylor in recent years with both of his older brothers being first round picks in recent years. Huge present strength in the frame for the Texas Tech commit with an extremely heavy barrel that flashed plus raw power in both BP and in-game. Good actions in the dirt with some ability to move laterally with ease and an above-average arm, likely a corner infielder long term but chance to stick at 3B.
Max Kaufer - Kaufer stood out immediately with an advanced approach at the plate and abundance of strength in the frame. Really quick hands with present bat speed and good ability to tap into his lower half for above-average power that played up in-game. Arm didn’t get tested behind the plate over the week, but showed some quickness out of the crouch with a few sub 1.9 pop times. The IMG academy product out of New Jersey is committed to Texas A&M.
Antonio Anderson - One of the best switch-hitting preps in the 2023 class who will likely stick on the left side of the infield, Anderson uses a quiet load with loose wrists and a quick bat from both sides of the plate. Separates well and will flash plus raw power from the left side, but very hitterish from both sides overall and could be an above-average hit tool. Explosive first step with solid range laterally and a big arm (89 IF throw) to make all throws needed from short. Another Georgia Tech commit in a very strong 2023 recruiting class.
Bryce Eldridge - Eldridge brings about some of the best upside from a prep arm in this class. He's a long, lean build, standing in at 6'7", 220 pounds with projection remaining, throwing with a higher three-quarters slot from an easy delivery. He does a good job of repeating his delivery despite being as long as he is, which isn't too common amongst kids his age. He got up to 95 MPH, routinely sitting 91-94 MPH with some late life down in the zone and commanded well away from lefties to get whiffs. He primarily used his slider, a sweeping breaking ball in the low-80's with good spin rates and has an ability to backdoor it at times. He'll flash a more vertical curveball in the high-70's and the change-up has late diving action in the mid-80's. Eldridge is committed to Alabama.
Team 7 - Orange
Ryan Geraghty - Geraghty is certainly one of the more unique arms on the circuit this summer. There's some present strength to his frame, most notably in his lower half. He's got a near side-arm slot that can be tough to pick up at times, though the delivery itself needs some ironing out. The heater got up to 93 MPH, sitting 88-92 MPH throughout the outing, though the command of the pitch was a little suspect and he relied on his off-speed to help him out. The slider is incredibly tough on righties, breaking late with crazy amounts of sweeping action and high spin in the low-80's. He also had confidence in a change-up in the low-80's with some depth that he could throw in any count. Command will come as he syncs his body up better. Geraghty is committed to Wichita State.
AJ Gracia - One of the more promising bats from an Orange squad that was dominated by quality pitching performances. The Duke commit who’s a part of a strong Mid-Atlantic prep class for 2023, shows a ton of bat speed from the left side with barrel control to use the whole field. It’s mostly gap power, with some above-average raw power to the pull-side. Not incredibly toolsy in the outfield as an average runner with an average arm as well that plays best in left field. Chance for an above-average to plus hit down the road, and if the power keeps projecting, then it’s an impressive bat to build on.
Zander Mueth - Mueth has been long heralded as one of the top prep arms in this class, and after a pretty rough PDP performance, it was nice to see Mueth back to form at this event. Mueth has a very athletic delivery, moves well down the hill from a lower slot with some crossfire and deception. The fastball is a true sinker, not much spin associated with the pitch, but it's a bowling ball coming in at 93-95 MPH throughout with good command. He started off utilizing the change-up more, a fading pitch in the mid-80's that was a weapon against lefties, before going to the sweepy slider in the low-80's that showed good front-door command. He did miss a few times, especially commanding the slider away to righties. It'll be interesting to see how he progresses as we move closer to the spring. Mueth is committed to Ole Miss.
Charlee Soto - One of the youngest players in this class, Soto is becoming more of a household name as the summer has progressed. Tall, lean frame with more projection in the upper body, Soto has electric arm speed and hides the ball well in his delivery, pitching from a three-quarters arm slot with a shorter arm action. Soto was up to 96 MPH with his heater, sitting 93-95 MPH with some late life in the zone. The main star of the show was his split-change, a pitch that just falls off the table and he has great confidence in throwing the pitch. It sat in the mid-80's with good separation off the fastball and tumbles away from lefties, with more depth when throwing it to righties. He'll show a short slider with high spin and some sweep, too. There's some effort in the delivery, which has hampered his command slightly, but there's a ton to like about this arm. Soto is committed to UCF.
Garrett Baumann - It's not too often you run into a 6'8" prep arm on the summer circuit, but that's what you get in Baumann. He's got an XL frame with projection remaining to it, shows some athleticism in his delivery with a longer arm stroke throwing from a three-quarters slot. He ran the fastball up to 95 MPH with some vertical life, sitting 90-93 MPH throughout his outing and got some whiffs up. He has great feel for a fading change-up that he sells well in the mid-80's that was tough on both lefties and righties alike, flashing a slider with some sweeping action in the low-80's away from righties. He repeats his delivery well for his size, too. Baumann is committed to UCF, like Soto.
Adrian Santana - The lean, switch-hitting middle infielder hailing out of south Florida showed one of the strongest run tools in the class with a double-plus 6.16 in the 60. Easy actions in the infield with an above-average arm (88 mph) that’s plenty of carry across the diamond. Gap power from both sides of the plate with fringy raw power, but will use his legs frequently to create more opportunities. The Miami commit is a true plus athlete who’s still fairly young for the class with plenty of projection remaining.
Team 8 - Purple
Isaiah Drake - One of the most electric athletes we saw all week long. Flashed double-plus speed running an event-best 6.15 in the 60, showing an elite second gear. Plus arm strength in the outfield, clocking 93 and then proceeded to hit lasers in BP. Really quiet setup and load at the plate with present bat speed and high level bat-to-skills. Constant havoc on the base with his legs in both stolen bases and extra base hits. Drake presents a true top of the order profile and remains one of the top uncommitted players in the country.
Levi Jones - Oregon State loves to find hitterish athletes in the dirt, and Levi Jones fits that to a tee. Smooth lefty cut that utilizes impressive hands and barrel control to use the whole field with ease. Found a bunch of green throughout the week, and equally impressive in BP. Fluid actions across the infield, with an average arm that likely will play best at second base long term.
Aidan Keenan - A California native, Keenan had one of the more electric outings throughout the week, mainly due to the fact that his fastball was nearly untouchable. It's a lanky, projectable frame with a whippy arm, throwing from a side-arm slot with a long arm stroke and some crossfire in his delivery. The fastball was 92-95 MPH throughout the outing with plenty of late life that made it a nightmare for hitters to catch up to thanks to that low slot. In total, Keenan had nine whiffs on his fastball, which also sat in the 2,400-2,600 RPM range for spin. The primary breaker was a slurvy pitch that had a ton of horizontal movement in the mid-upper 70's, though he had trouble landing it for strikes early on before getting more feel in his second inning. He did flash a high-spin firm change-up, as well. He's committed to Stanford.
Eric Bitonti - Bitonti might be one of the youngest players in the class , but presents one of the most potent bats you’ll find in 2023. Constant barrels all week long for the Oregon commit who was over 95 EV on nearly every batted ball in-game. Operates out of a wide base with a strideless setup that’s extremely short to the baseball while creating leverage. Identified breaking balls well, and only had 2 total whiffs over the course of the week. Big frame that moves well on the left side of the infield with a plus arm to match. It’s a well rounded profile that has a chance to emerge as the top 3B prospect in the class.
Will Gasparino - If you’re looking for a tool shed to dream on in the 2023 class, then look no further than Will Gasparino. Long, projectable frame at 6-6, 205 and hailing from the prestigious Harvard-Westlake academy, Gasparino is a plus runner with one of the best first steps in the class (1.49 10yd. split) that covers a ton of ground in center field and brings an above-average arm to only strengthen the long term staying power. Simple right handed swing is shorter to the ball then you’d think for his long levers and shows above-average bat speed. Found barrels all week long, and produced the highest exit velocity of the week, turning around a Zander Mueth fastball for a 104 MPH single.
Raffaele Velazquez - The Arizona State commit made his presence felt quickly with some easy raw power in BP, with two of the longest home runs of the week, nearly hitting the back wall off the stadium in right field. Above-average bat speed combined with easy loft and overall strength in the frame allow Velazquez to turn on balls with ease, generating consistent triple digit exit velocities. Finished the week with a loud home run in-game that left the bat at 98. Plus arm strength behind the plate clocking 87 MPH with athleticism to get out of the crouch and block as well.
