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Tournaments  | Story  | 10/18/2022

The Jupiter Springboard

Jheremy Brown      David Rawnsley     
Photo: Spencer Strider (Perfect Game)
There are several reasons as to why, and how, the WWBA World Championships (better known simply as “Jupiter” in the amateur baseball world) has grown into a must-attend event for all 30 major league clubs and collegiate programs across the country. The Roger Dean complex quickly becomes the epicenter of travel baseball as top-ranked draft prospects and talented underclassmen clash head-to-head as their clubs look to hoist the trophy on Championship Monday while creating some unforgettable moments along the way, even a dozen years after the fact. 

Jupiter has evolved over the years, adapting to the ever-changing travel ball world, and while some of the top arms and premier bats have shut down prior to the tournament after a heavy workload, others have seized the opportunity and have taken full advantage of all the onlooking eyes to loft themselves up draft boards. In this article we’ll take a brief trip down memory lane, looking as some players who were true pop-up prospects, meaning we had little to no background, while others like current San Diego Padre slugger Josh Bell used the opportunity to prove he was healthy before signing a then-record bonus in the following MLB Draft. 



Over the years, several players have left their mark on Jupiter prior to enjoying long careers in the big leagues, some of whom you can read about in David Rawnsley’s 10 year look back, others you’ll read about here as they made the most of their opportunity under the brightest of lights, elevating their draft stock and changing any prior thoughts scouts had leading up to Jupiter. With a tournament history as rich as the WWBA World Championships, this is an article that could be endless as it's an ever growing list, so below we dive into a few that stood out amongst our staff.

Josh Bell, OF, Dallas Patriots | Pittsburg Pirates, 2nd round, 2011
Bell’s appearance at the 2010 WWBA World Championship certainly falls into the category of “highly anticipated” as he was coming off a knee injury that cost him the entirety of his rising senior summer, though he had already carved out a place on team’s draft boards given what he had shown prior to going down. It’s safe to say he responded in a big way, connecting for three home runs in pool play when every swing he took was viewed through a microscope by teams, not to mention collecting only one of the two hits (Trevor Story had the other) off of Jose Fernandez in what’s perhaps the most talked about Perfect Game tournament game ever. From there, Bell went on to sign a then-record bonus for a non-first round pick (second rounder) of $5 million with the Pittsburgh Pirates before making his debut 5 years later and has since clubbed 130 career home runs.

Pete Alonso, 1B, All American Prospects | New York Mets, 2nd round, 2016
Alonso wasn’t a pop-up name by any means, but what his performance in Jupiter did do was prove the power we now know of The Polar Bear played at the highest of levels, as he was the lone player in 2012 to connect for two home runs at Roger Dean. As talented as he was on the field, he proved to be more of the same in the classroom, electing to attend Florida after a solid senior campaign where he continued to showcase his power while manning third base. Upon his arrival in Gainesville, Alonso moved over to first base and started Day 1, never slowing down with the stick before hearing his name called in the second round. A now two-time Home Run Derby champ with 146 over 4 seasons (including the shortened 2020 year), Alonso is one of the premier sluggers in the game and for those paying close attention in 2012, perhaps you saw a glimpse of things to come. 
 
Jordan Hicks, RHP, Houston Heat | St. Louis Cardinals, 3rd round comp, 2015
Obviously had Hicks been throwing turbo sinkers in the triple digits in high school, he’d be far from an “unknown,” speaking more to the development he had through the minors as he worked comfortably in the low-90s as a prepster, touching higher on occasion. Prior to his outing in Jupiter, Hicks threw in the South Qualifier, where he bumped 90 mph, but there was no mistaking the arm speed and projection. Jump a couple of months and reports around the baseball world started to circulate of yet another hard throwing Texan in Hicks, who worked a comfortable 90-93 mph before truly taking off the spring of his senior year and throughout his time in the minors. It took the Tulane signee just three years to reach the majors in the Cardinals bullpen, though when you throw 100+ mph turbo sinkers, that’ll play regardless the opponent. 

Spencer Strider, RHP, Kansas City Royals Scout Team | Atlanta Braves, 4th round, 2020
When a clean shaven, perhaps not yet even able to grow facial hair, Strider took the mound in Jupiter, it came on the heels of a summer in which he continued to show off his arm strength, turning in some eye-opening performances and numbers at both the 17u WWBA and East Coast Pro before turning in one of the best top fastballs of Jupiter that year. Up to 96 mph and living comfortably in the low-90s throughout, albeit without the devastating slider and famous mustache fans have come to know this summer, Strider certainly made a name for himself in West Palm as his national ranking jumped from No. 181 to No. 60 overall following the outing, showing both a changeup and curveball along with the heater. The ease of which the velocity came has long been there and after some seasoning at Clemson, Strider has continued to take off and is the presumptive favorite to take home the NL Rookie of the Year in 2022. 

Jacob Brentz, OF/LHP, Mets Scout Team/St. Louis Pirates | Toronto Blue Jays, 11th round, 2013
If you hadn’t noticed the position designation next to Brentz’s name above, check again quickly. While he’s been only an arm since turning pro, Brentz has one of the best true pop-up stories in Jupiter history as he arrived with just one PG event on his resume and was very much considered an outfielder who had arm strength on the rare occasion he pitched. Summoned out of the bullpen to let all of five pitches fly from his left hand, Brentz immediately caused a stir as an unknown left-hander bumping 94 mph to retire the lone batter he faced (strikeout) before then attending a slew of showcases and upping the ante with a top heater of 97 mph. Those five pitches and the subsequent outings on the mound sent Brentz from unknown all the way up to No. 33 in the final class rankings, and eventually a big league debut in 2021. Brentz may not be a household name like some others we’ve talked about in this article, but it’d be tough to find a story better than his as well. 

Christian Yelich, 1B, ABD Bulldogs | Miami Marlins, 1st round, 2010
 It’s crazy to think that an eventual NL MVP didn’t truly pop until the fall of his senior year, as up until his performance in Jupiter, it looked to some that Yelich was destined for Miami, proving that every prospect’s path to success is different. A primary first baseman despite showing 6.75 speed at the National Showcase earlier that summer, Yelich used the platform of Jupiter (important to remember the travel ball landscape looked much different with a lot less premier events than present day) to have scouts take notice and follow up with frequently throughout the spring of his senior year. While it was truly his senior year that propelled Yelich into the first round, Jupiter served as his “here I am” moment, helping gain momentum into the spring, which simply never stopped. Since his days as a prep first base-only type, Yelich’s athleticism allowed him to transition to the outfield, spending several big league years in center field, winning a Gold Glove in 2014 and the MVP in 2018.

Devin Williams, RHP, Mets Scout Team/St. Louis Pirates | Milwaukee Brewers, 3rd round, 2013
Williams certainly falls more into the category of “upping the ante” than bursting onto the scene, as he attended the National Showcase that summer and showed things to like in Minnesota, including glimpses of what’s now known as perhaps the best changeup in all of baseball. Bumping 90 or 91 mph over the course of a couple outings in various tournaments, Williams moved the needle and gave scouts a look at things to come as he sat in the 90-93 mph range with his fastball, showing a nice combination of arm speed and athleticism, while of course showing off his signature changeup, a pitch even then he had no fears of doubling up with and showing above-average diving life. Over the course of two outings which spanned 6 innings, Williams racked up 10 strikeouts and his 93 mph heater was tied for sixth-best amongst the arms in attendance, beginning his upward climb en route to a third round selection and eventual NL Rookie of the Year winner. 

Dustin May, RHP, Texas Scout Team Yankees | Los Angeles Dodgers, 3rd round, 2016
Heading into Jupiter back in 2015, Texas right-hander Dustin May was a relative unknown, having thrown only at the 17u BCS earlier that summer where he earned all-tournament honors, running his fastball up to 90 mph with 5 strikeouts in 4 innings of work. His workload didn’t give the longest of looks in West Palm either, as he threw just 23 pitches, but May certainly used it as a springboard into his senior year as the long and ultra-projectable 6-foot-6 Texas sat 90-93 mph and spun some hellacious curveballs in the process. With TrackMan units running on the field, scouts quickly got concrete numbers, which lined up with what their eyes were seeing as the breaker registered as high as 3105 RPM (well above big league average) while the fastball was upwards of 2649 RPM, best and third best in their respective categories within the event. May quickly became a priority for scouting departments that following spring and is now considered one of the more exciting young arms in the big leagues. 

The Next Wave

Of course, time will tell who the pop-ups or “make the most of the opportunity" types are given the unpredictability of baseball, but a couple of the names below caught the eye of our scouts at the 2022 rendition and perhaps a half dozen years from now we’ll be seeing these names on TV. 

Blake Dickerson, LHP, Virginia Beach, Va.
Dickerson didn’t have much of a national scouting profile going into Jupiter, but that is sure to change.  The 6-foot-6, 210-pound Virginia Tech commit cruised through five innings for Baseball U, striking out eight hitters with a 90-92 mph fastball and a biting and deep low- to mid-80s slider.  Dickerson’s arm works very well and there is plenty of projection still left in both that arm and in his long body.

Kannon Kemp, RHP, Weatherford, Texas
Since the Dodgers' Dustin May ranks as one of the notable Jupiter pop-ups historically, it’s only appropriate to mention a 2022 version of May in fellow Texan Kemp.  The 6-foot-6, 220-pound Kemp, an Oklahoma commit, was only ranked No. 425 coming into the championship, but put himself on draft boards with his outing with the Dallas Patriots, sitting 92-94 mph with his fastball and showing nice feel for both his slider and changeup.

Jaxon Lucas, SS/RHP, Garner, S.C.
Lucas, a lanky 6-foot-3, 190-pound primary shortstop with a commitment to North Carolina State, participated in the Workout Showcase on Wednesday before Jupiter began and stood out for his defensive tools, although his bat was a bit light.  However, his playoff outing on the mound for the eventual runner-up Dirtbags team was electric.  Lucas threw four no-hit innings, working 89-93 mph with his fastball with an outstanding upper-70s power curveball with depth.  With his fresh arm, athleticism, and ideal pitcher’s build, Lucas’ future looks much brighter on the mound.

Connor Mattison, RHP, Goodyear, Ariz.
Mattison was a relative unknown and didn’t have a college commitment before pitching in the PG All-American Classic exhibition game and completely dominating the top hitters in the 2023 class.  Now a Grand Canyon commit, Mattison did the same thing in Jupiter in a more competitive environment, striking out five of six hitters he faced while pitching for the Ohio Warhawks.  Mattison’s best pitch is a swing-and-miss changeup that might be the best such pitch in all of high school baseball, and his fastball isn’t too shabby either at a steady 90-92 mph.  He struck out 67 hitters in 43 innings of PG play in 2022 while only allowing five walks.

Weston Moss, RHP, Montgomery, Texas
Moss was making his first appearance on the mound in well over a year due to injury and made the most of it while pitching for Texas Twelve.  The Texas A&M commit topped out at 95 mph with a low-80s slider and a loose and flowing arm action.  Moss’ 6-foot-4, 180-pound build will let lots of scouts dream on him come next spring.

Robert Orloski, RHP, Middleton, Idaho
Anytime a prospect from Idaho pops up, it’s definitely worth mentioning.  Orloski struck out nine hitters in five one-hit innings over two appearances pitching for Baseball Northwest, working mostly 90-92 mph with his fastball to go with an outstanding changeup and upper-70s breaking ball.  Notably, the UT-San Antonio commit was just throwing in the low-80s at this time last year and at 6-foot-2, 175 pounds, still has lots of projection left in his body.

Connor Shouse, SS/RHP, Ball Ground, Ga.
Shouse is another primary shortstop who really shined on the mound and strongly raised his prospect profile going into next summer.  Working out of the bullpen for the East Cobb Astros, Shouse showed a three-pitch mix that included a 92-95 mph fastball that didn’t require much effort to get to.  At a slender 6-foot, 165 pounds, Shouse has plenty of Dylan Cease similarities from the same age.  He also gets bonus points for the name of his hometown north of Atlanta:  Ball Ground.

Samuel Stafura, SS, Mohegan Lake, N.Y.
The Dirtbags have plenty of dynamic position talent from both the 2023 and 2024 classes, but it was evident watching them play a few games that their best player in Jupiter was Stafura, a Clemson commit who is likely to get much more scouting attention now next spring in the Northeast.  The speedy (6.42 in the sixty, five stolen bases in Jupiter) right-handed hitter was brilliant at times on defense and hit .474 over eight games to lead the Dirtbags offense.

John Wimmer, INF, Rock Hill, S.C.
Wimmer had an outstanding event for the Upstate Mavericks, going 9-for-13 (.692) with four doubles and pretty much squaring the ball up every at-bat.  Just a case of the right-handed hitter, who is committed to The Citadel, getting hot for a few games?  Well, Wimmer did hit .516 with three home runs in PG play in 2021 and .476 in 2020, so it’s not like he hasn’t raked at PG events before. The talented hitter sounds like a player who could really develop in college.

Ty Waid, C/UTL, Texarkana, Texas
The 6-foot-1, 215-pound Waid was arguably the top offensive performer of the championship while playing for the 3n2 Sticks/White Sox Scout Team.  The Arkansas commit went 10-for-18 (.556) at the plate with five doubles and a home run to go with 7 runs and 10 RBI.  Waid’s right-handed swing is notably short and simple for a big hitter with big power and it should translate very well to the next level of pitching.  There are some similarities between Waid and former Tigers first overall pick Spencer Torkelson at the same age that scouts should notice.
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