This past week, 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. 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 1 - Black
INF Trent Caraway - Caraway was one of the most intriguing players in Group 1. Very physical frame on the left side of the infield at 6-2, 205 who flashed a plus arm in testing with 93 infield and 93 outfield, while running a 6.6 flat in the 60. Caraway stays connected throughout his swing, using his lower half well and showing strength in his hands and wrists to spray line drives to all fields with ease. Potential for an above-average hit tool. Caraway, who hails from the JSerra Catholic pipeline, flashed an interesting look on the mound as well, sitting a heavy 90-92 with ability to flip a breaker for strikes in the high-70s. Really interesting look overall for the Oregon State commit.
OF/RHP Miguel Hugas - Hugas brings a lot of intrigue to table, not only as a pitcher, but as a position player, as well. In workouts, Hugas destroyed the OF throw record, getting up to 102 MPH from right field on his throws. On the mound, Hugas was up to 93 MPH with the heater, sitting 90-92 MPH and primarily pitching off a good fastball/change-up combination. The change-up displayed solid separation from his fastball with tumbling action. Hugas flashed a big slow curveball with depth in the 67-73 MPH range, though it was only shown three times. Hugas remains an uncommitted player.
RHP Cal Randall - Randall was the first pitcher to toe the rubber in the event and it proved to be one of the best outings from the first group of teams. It's a very athletic delivery with a whippy arm from a low 3/4 slot and quite a bit of deception. He got up to 94 MPH on the fastball, sitting 89-92 MPH with great sinking life, garnering seven whiffs in the process. The primary off-speed was a sweepy curveball with some depth in the mid-70's with average spin. He was able to backdoor the curveball against lefties, as well. He flashed a change-up at 83 MPH, but it's clearly his third pitch at the moment. He struggled to throw strikes at first, but that got better as the outing went along. Randall is committed to pitch at UCLA.
RHP Christian Rodriguez - Rodriguez has been a name long recognized amongst the better arms in the 2023 prep class. He does a good job of getting his delivery on time at footplant, despite a longer arm stroke, and moves down the hill well, with good athleticism to his body. He throws from a 3/4 arm slot, as well. The fastball got up to 93 MPH with good life up in the zone, getting five whiffs in total, while sitting 90-92 throughout. He can really sell his change-up well, a heavy fading pitch that has upwards of 20 MPH of separation from the fastball. He'll throw in a mid-70's slider, though there's not much feel to spin there presently. He displayed solid command throughout and in workouts, Rodriguez got up to 94 MPH from the outfield. He is committed to Florida.
INF/LHP Tommy Roldan - Roldan is a big, physical two-way player that not only tested well, but displayed a very solid three pitch mix on the mound. Roldan throws with some effort from a near over-the-top arm slot. The fastball sat 88-91 MPH, topping out at 92 MPH, displaying good carry and life late in the zone. His change-up is his best pitch, tunneling off the fastball well in the low-80's with great fading life that he could throw in any count. The slider showed some late two-plane break at 79-81 MPH, as well. All three pitches got whiffs in the outing. He also showed big power in his bat at the plate, getting up to 102 MPH on exit velocities in game. He also threw 92 MPH from the outfield and ran a 6.81 60. He is committed to Virginia.
INF Zach Wadas- Simply put, Zach Wadas has the juice. Could be 70 grade raw power that the TCU commit finds in game quite frequently. Wadas exudes above-average to plus bat speed with really loose hands that allows himself to get the bat head out in front to do consistent damage pull-side. Put multiple balls out to RF in BP, then turned around a fastball in a L/L matchup that got out in a hurry. It's a very lean frame that still shows plenty of projection remaining. Wadas has the type of profile to be one of the best corner infielders in the class.
Team 2 - Vegas Gold
OF Maxwell Clark - I joke about the amount of potential 60 grade tools that Max Clark possesses, but it becomes more clear by the day. Came out this week showing more of the plus run tool that's been on display this summer with a 6.33 in the 60. Showed effortless juice in BP with plus bat speed and ability to tap into his lower half with ease. Very minimal wasted effort on his path to the ball, while creating easy loft as well. Only notched one hit in gameplay but made it worth it with a ringing 2B with strikes on a pitch out of the zone, 98 MPH off the bat. The upside in Clark's profile remains immense, and as the draft cycle progresses, this might be a report that rivals Druw Jones.
RHP Luke McNeillie - McNeillie isn't one of the hardest throwers on the docket, but he shows great promise on the mound. The delivery is relatively easy with a clean, short arm action from a 3/4 arm slot. McNeillie topped out at 91 MPH, settling in at 87-90 with some run, though the fastball shape isn't quite optimal. The main star of the show was a low-80's change-up that he had great feel for and displayed great depth, giving lefties fits. There was a breaking ball in the upper-70's, as well. Command wavered as the outing went on, missing the zone often against the last batter he faced. That said, the stuff showed promise and with built up endurance, command, and some more velocity, McNeillie could be a fun follow. The Georgia native is committed to Florida.
3B Aidan Miller - Miller comes into the event as one of the top prep bats in this class and it's easy to see why. He's got a strong, lean frame, with his lower half in particular standing out. Bat speed is the name of the game with Miller, as he possesses some of the best bat speed in the class. The swing is loose and fluid, doing a great job of staying short to the ball. There is a slight hiccup with his hands in his load, with his hands drifting down then up as he explodes into his swing. During workouts, Miller ran a 6.93 60 and showed good actions in the infield and got up to 91 MPH across the diamond with carry. The Florida native is committed to Arkansas.
RHP Liam Peterson - Surprise, Calvary Christian has another strong rotation down in Florida and Peterson might just be the top arm on that staff. Peterson's got an athletic delivery, pitching from a low three-quarters arm slot. The heater touched 95 MPH at least once, routinely sitting 91-94 MPH with running life to the pitch, garnering a total of four whiffs in his short outing. Peterson's best pitch might just be his slider, a high-spin breaker that he can manipulate the shape of in the 78-81 MPH range. He'll flash a low-80's change-up with some fading life and a mid-70's curveball to steal strikes. There's a lot to like here with his profile and he'll be a fun one to watch this cycle. Peterson is committed to Florida.
RHP Travis Sykora - Sykora is a freak of nature. Not much more can be said about how he's able to get to the velocity he possesses. There's some herky jerky movements in his delivery, releasing the ball from a 3/4 arm slot with some deception, as well. Sykora started off sitting 97-98 with late life and riding action before settling in at 94-96 in his second inning of the outing. What's scary is he doesn't use much of his lower half in his delivery; with more lower half usage will come more velocity from the already big-bodied right-hander. The slider had more of a cutter shape in the 84-88 MPH range with some depth to it and his split-change killed lift and had some tumbling action away from lefties. He had some trouble throwing the heater for strikes early on, as well. The Texan is committed to Texas.
OF Andrew Wiggins- It's unreal how easy Wiggins creates pull-side power, and raw power in general. Huge bat speed and ability to rotate, especially for his size, stand out. It's a legit 60 grade tool. The Indiana commit is a plus athlete in RF as an above-average runner (6.62) and plus arm, and plenty of athleticism. If Wiggins can show a true hit tool this year, there's no real ceiling on his upside.
Team 3 - Green
INF AJ Ewing- This Ohio product who's committed to the SEC has been making quite a name for himself this summer, and this week was no different. Flashed a true plus run tool with a 6.46 60 and was plus across the diamond clocking at 91 MPH. Ewing showed strong tools at SS with above-average range and soft hands to stick in the dirt longterm. The bat was the real star of the week, flashing impressive barrel control and ability to impact the ball with authority pull-side. It was a strong look at the cold weather bat who's already drawing comparisons to 2022 1st round pick Cole Young.
OF Dillon Head- One of the best players in Illinois, Head gives you shades of Enrique Bradfield Jr. when watching the Clemson commit on the diamond. True plus to double plus speed, with a 6.22 60 and elite first step that plays at a very high level in CF and with the bat. Head exudes impressive bat-to-ball skills and will use the whole field consistently, creating havoc with his legs. Could be trending towards a plus hit tool down the road. The Clemson commit has all of the tools to be one of the top outfielders in the class.
INF Trenton Lape - Lape came into Perfect Game National as a bit of an unknown. A primary pitcher who's been limited to hitting only over the past year while recovering from Tommy John. Safe to say, this is a legit two-way profile. There wasn't a player who made more impact with the barrel over their two days in St. Pete over Trenton Lape. Showed loose wrists with a whippy bat through the zone in BP, launching multiple balls over the LF wall before bringing that loud contact into game with multiple 95+ exit velocities, including a moonshot home run that was 98 off the bat. Lape is a homegrown LSU commit who offers a ton of projection in a very athletic frame, and could be an exciting name to watch over this year.
RHP Tate McKee - McKee brings about plenty of intrigue out of Georgia. He works pretty quickly, has some effort to his delivery from a three-quarters arm slot. McKee's fastball was commanded well to the arm-side with some life, sitting in the 90-94 MPH range throughout his outing. The breaking ball can get slurvy at times, but he has plenty of feel to spin, with spin getting upwards of 2,500 RPM's at times. The breaker will show more of a curveball shape with depth in the 77-79 MPH range and will look more like a shorter slider in the 80-82 MPH range. McKee is committed to Georgia Tech.
OF Luca Reyes- It was pretty hard not to fall in love with the simple left handed swing that Reyes possesses. Above-average bat speed and ability to create easy leverage from his lower half allows the Miami commit to get into consistent gap power with ease. Present strength throughout the frame with more to project as he matures could lead to future above-average power. It's an extremely fun bat in a very solid corner OF profile.
Team 4 - Columbia Blue
RHP Gabe Gaeckle - There is only one way to properly describe Gaeckle's outing -- LOUD. A smaller body compared to other pitchers at the event, Gaeckle showcased the biggest stuff of the event thus far. It's an easy delivery on the bump with a high 3/4 slot and he hides the ball well thanks to his shorter arm swing. The fastball had high spin, sitting 94-96 MPH throughout his outing with big life up in the zone and filled up the strike zone. The big star of the show was his curveball, a 78-80 MPH hammer with spin rates that exceeded 3,000 RPM's on a consistent basis with a good mix of depth and sweep. He was able to land it for strikes and was tough to pick up from his lower release. He did flash a change-up in warm-ups, though it did not appear in the game. The UCLA commit will be one of the biggest risers once this event ends.
C Ryder Helfrick - The 2023 prep catching class appears be be very deep with talent, and this Arkansas commit could be trending towards the top of the list. Quality athleticism behind the plate with quickness out of the crouch (1.93) and a very quick and accurate arm. At the plate, Helfrick shows above-average raw power with a hanging leg-kick load and huge bat speed from the right side. High-level approach overall, especially with two strikes, where he would eliminate the leg kick and still create a ton of strength from his lower half. Chance for a strong hit/power combo while sticking behind the plate give Helfrick a very strong profile.
RHP Justin Lee - Before Gaeckle blew our socks off, Justin Lee gave us a surprise on the first day of games. Lee is a super athletic righty with projection and a great body, pitching from a 3/4 arm slot with some effort at release. The fastball jumped out of the hand and was explosive, sitting 92-95 MPH throughout with excellent ride and life through the zone, getting nine whiffs alone. The slider looked good, sitting in the low-80's, getting up to 85 MPH, with some short bite and decent spin. His splitter was a menace with great separation to the fastball, as well as super low spin, getting as low as 640 RPM's at times. It sat in the same velocity band as the slider and really dropped off a cliff late in the zone, fooling hitters. He showcased solid command throughout and, much like Gaeckle, will leave the event with potential first round aspirations next summer.
SS Roman Martin - First word that comes to mind when watching Martin is smooth. Effortless actions in the infield, with flexibility and an above-average to plus arm to make any throw give the UCLA commit a strong baseline to stick at SS. Very simple right handed swing at the plate that's very short to the baseball with present bat speed and flashes bat-to-ball skills to use the whole field. Martin's overall skill set is very similar to a fellow California prep who popped in the first round in 2021, Carson Williams.