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Tournaments  | Story  | 7/5/2018

14u BCS Scout Notes: Days 3-4


Event Page | Daily Leaders | Days 1-2 Scout Notes

Round 2 of pool play from the 14u BCS tournament has started and the Midwest Legends are battling to grab a playoff spot. Hayden Nelson (2020 Loveland, Ohio) set them on a good path with a big hit coming in the first inning. Nelson shows a good ability to turn the barrel out front and drive the ball to the pull side. He swings hard and when he consistently controls the barrel he can really square the ball up.

The Legends opponents, Cannons Baseball Academy 14u American, Came off a big win early in the day and battled but couldn’t quite come out on top. Cannons has some big bats in the upper half of their order and they were a big reason for their huge 14-3 victory and played a part in keeping the game close against the Legends.

Their leadoff hitter, Brice Montiel (2022 Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), is a good pace-setter for the rest of the team. His approach at the plate is very quiet and he keeps things simple in the box. This allows him to repeat a smooth swing well. His ability to make solid contact on a consistent basis allows him to remain a solid top of the order bat.

Hitting just two spots behind Montiel, Eric Blair (2022 Davie, Fla.) is a solid hitter that drives in runs for the Cannons. He has some present strength and his lifted bat path permits him to drive the ball to the gaps.

The four-hole hitter for Cannons is 6-foot, 210-pound first baseman Deven Schlagter (2021 Coconut Creek, Fla.). He uses his strong build well in his swing getting easy and natural jump off the bat. He plays the cleanup role well and has some potential as a power bat in the lineup.

Finally, the Cannons have a solid bottom-of-the-order guy in Brandon Gonsalves (2022 Sunrise, Fla.). Gonsalves has a strong upper half and utilizes it in his swing. Though he can get top heavy with his swing, when he utilizes the lower half and stays on time he can get some jump off the bat as he did with a hard-hit double into center field that plated a couple of runs.

It was a well-fought battle between Team Elite 14u Prospects and SBO Florida 14u that was interrupted by weather, and SBO would end up hanging on with a 2-1 victory. Artie Neubauer (2021 Alpharetta, Ga.) did what he could as he scored the lone run for Team Elite. Neubauer is a very physical hitter with big power potential in his bat. He generates loud contact off the barrel and hit a ball that would have left the yard and it not drifted just foul.

Lucas Torres (2021 Cayey, Puerto Rico) shined on the mound for SBO as he battled through the delay and came back and threw and was able to hold Team Elite to just a single run. Torres, a 5-foot-10, 155-pound righty, throws primarily from the stretch. The Alabama State commit breaks the hands early but generates a lot of arm speed and is able to stay on time to the plate. He generates downhill plane and throws quality strikes low in the zone while hitting 86 mph. He also flashed a nice breaker with late depth to it that may project with a little more consistency. Torres, who graded out nicely both on the mound and as an outfielder at a PG Showcase earlier this summer, continued to improve his stock in his class with a good outing.

Team Elite 14u made quick work in their game with a hefty 8-0 win. Chandler Klein (2022 Hoschton, Ga.) set the tone early on the bump. He only tossed 1 2/3 innings but allowed just one hit and gained some momentum for the guys to follow. The young righty has a smooth delivery into a clean arm action with repeatability. His best pitch was a sweeping 10-to-4 curveball that got swings and misses. He pitched off it well with a heavy fastball that got up to 81 mph. His command was a little shaky at times but the stuff is there to build upon.

It was wild come-from-behind win for NBA Nationals as they were able to chip away from a large early deficit to grab a 7-6 victory. Their Nos. 2 through 4 hitters all made huge impacts in the game. Alvin Keels (2022 Chesapeake, Va.) had one hit and drove in a run but where he really stands out is defensively at shortstop. He reads the ball well off the bat and always seems to be getting to it on a good hop. He shows good range, especially when moving up the middle, as well as showing good arm strength throwing across the diamond. With his athleticism, he has the tools to stay up the middle.

Hitting behind Keels was another athletic player in TayShaun Walton (2023 Emporia, Va.). Walton, who is one of the few 2023 grads in the tournament, displayed the ability to play at the higher level. His swing is already pretty advanced for a 13-year-old with a smooth line drive plane and some hand quickness to the ball. At 6-foot, 185-pounds, Walton already has a relatively mature build and a good chance to add even more strength to his frame. He utilizes it well, getting some good pop off the barrel when staying on the pull side of the field and he put a couple good balls in play back up the middle as well.

Finally, hitting in the four-hole for the Nationals was Ethan Hensley (2022 Chesapeake, Va.). Hensley manned center field and his speed and athleticism allow him to cover a lot of ground out there. He also utilizes that speed well at the plate as he looks to keep the ball on the ground or connect with some line drives to the pull side. The 6-foot, 155-pound speedster had two hits in the game and both came as bunts that he beat out quite easily. His speed tool grades out well and it should continue to allow him to get on with some consistency and be a threat on the basepaths.

NW Futures remained undefeated with a nice win over the aforementioned SBO Florida team. Tommy Brandenburg (2021 Kalama, Wash.) played a part in all three runs that the Futures pushed across, as his two runs scored as well as his RBI was all that the Futures needed from the 5-foot-11, 155-pound outfielder. Brandenburg is strong for his size and shows good athleticism as well. He predominately shines at the plate but shows some tools in the outfield as well. His swing is smooth and has easy barrel control to put the ball in play consistently. He has reached base at an .800 clip during the tournament with five stolen bases. He challenges pitchers and forces them to come to him otherwise he’ll gladly take his walks.




It was a drama-filled game between Elite Squad 14u Americans and 5 Star National 14u Snyder, both teams battling for a playoff spot as pool play wraps up. Brogan Napier (2021 Saint Augustine, Fla.) started on the bump for 5 Star. It wasn’t a great outing for the 6-foot-2, 185-pound righthander as he allowed three earned runs in his two innings, but he showed some quality stuff. He has a quick arm action with a clean circle in back. He has good running life on the fastball that sat at 80 mph and got up to 84. When his command is on he pounds both edges of the plate and the fastball appears to have plus potential. However, his command wasn’t always sharp and will miss in the heart of the plate, and that’s where he got burned in this one. Napier is a primary third baseman and ranks among the top in the state of Florida in his class. With a few minor adjustments on the mound he could be real two-way threat.

On the other side for Elite Squad was shortstop Edwin Arroyo-Agosto (2022 Arecibo, Puerto Rico). Arroyo-Agosto has the ability to handle higher velocities as he collected a hit on an 82 mph fastball. He handles the bat very well with solid control of the barrel. His swing is pretty compact with quick hands that generates loud line drive contact out front. His RBI double to deep right-center field sparked a three-run inning for Elite Squad in the third inning.




Blake Wittman (2021 Bellevue, Wash.) was outstanding on the mound for the River Bandits as they needed all seven innings from him. Wittman allowed no runs on just four hits, which allowed the Bandits to snag a 1-0 victory to end their pool play games. Wittman is a 6-foot, 150-pound righthander with a smooth delivery to the plate. He shows a lot of heavy life to the fastball getting a ton of arm-side run on the ball. With all the movement he’s still able to command the pitch well and got a lot of looking strikes on it. His curveball shows potential with tight spin and lateness to its break. Wittman should add more strength to his slender frame with maturity and should continue to add velocity to his pitches. If he’s able to command the heavy amount of movement in his pitches like he did in this game he could become a solid rotation guy moving forward.

– Taylor Weber



A toolsy player with a fast bat, Bryant Zayas (2023, Hialeah, Fla.) shows the ability to impact the baseball with hard contact. The second baseman has an explosive bat with pull power. Zayas pulls his hands in nicely on fastballs inside, looking to spray hard line drives all over the field.

Grant Cherry (2021, Vistavia Hills, Ala.) worked 3 2/3 innings, striking out five with a power fastball that touched 85 mph. The 6-foot-2, 185-pounder averaged 81 mph throughout his outing. He is a tall, physical pitcher with a deceptive delivery and is a cross-body thrower. He leverages his body well and throws from a high three-quarters arm slot. Cherry mixed in a high-60s curveball with 10-to-4 action.

While the box score didn’t show it, righthanded pitcher Kyle Rice (2021, Decatur, Ga.) showed promise on the mound with a solid arm. Rice sat 77-78 mph with his fastball that he kept down in the zone. He did a good job working the corners and mixed in a curveball with downer movement at 61-62 mph. Rice is only 5-foot-8, 130-pounds and will continue to grow and fill out.

A switch-hitter with tons of athleticism, Lleyton Lackey (2022, Grovetown, Ga.) got things started for the East Cobb Astros. The center fielder went 2-for-3 with three runs scored and four RBI in an 18-0 victory. His swing is easy and effortless, getting his barrel through the zone with ease and consistently hitting hard line drives.

Lefthander Josh Cone (2022, Bradenton, Fla.) has a solid arm with a fastball ranging 70-75 mph. With a projectable frame, Cone has some touch and feel for pitching. He located his fastball in and out and lived low in the zone. He hides the ball well with a body twist incorporated in his leg kick. He featured a curveball that averaged 64 mph.

Slugger Evan Radford (2021, Hoover, Ala.) is a big kid with a 6-foot-4, 190-pound frame. Going 3-for-3 with two RBI against Elite Squad, Radford flashed an inside the ball, line drive swing on a single to left field. He showed solid base running, taking second base on an overthrow. He pulled a ground ball double that was rocketed by the third baseman later in the game.

Radford’s production at the plate made it easy for teammate Carson Ray (2022, Vistavia Hills, Ala.) to do his job on the mound and settle in. The 5-foot-11 starter hit 76 mph on his fastball and snapped off an effective curveball at 62-64 mph throughout his start. A lean, athletic build allows for repeatable mechanics for Ray, who got some swings and misses, picking up seven strikeouts in six innings of work.

A confident J. Henry Hobson (2021, Fort Myers, Fla.) took the mound for Team Elite against NBA Nationals, pitching a complete game. Hobson is a tall, slender 6-foot-3, 175-pound righthander who is a high-energy player. He works east to west on hitters with his fastball that sat 74-78 mph, touching 80 mph. Hobson throws from a free and easy three-quarters arm slot and creates solid two-seam tailing action on his fastball, which induced a lot of ground balls. He has strong feel of a slurvy breaking ball at 65-68 mph that he likes to use to expand the zone on hitters. Hobson is a plus athlete and moves well on the field, handling his position well defensively when a ball would get hit back at him. The righty allowed just one run off four hits and struck out six batters while not issuing a walk.

– Jacob Frisaro
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