Draft League Scouting Notes - May 31

Trenton @ Williamsport

RHP Dylan Heid (Pitt - Johnstown) was as dominant as they come on Memorial Day for the Thunder. The 6-foot-2 right-hander picked up his first seven outs via the strikeout and ultimately ended up with a Draft League single-game high 10 punchouts in four innings, allowing one walk and zero hits. The fastball sat comfortably at 90-93, topping out at 94 and it was his go-to pitch, attacking the zone early and often with it. The combination of Heid’s velocity and his elite extension towards the plate -- more than seven feet on average -- once again resulted in a ton of swing and miss on the fastball. Specifically, Heid posted a 77.8% whiff rate with his fastball on Monday, recording 21 whiffs on 27 swings while throwing his heater 54 times. Overall, Heid has racked up 17 strikeouts through two starts, good for a share of the League lead, and he’s yet to allow an earned run in eight innings.

Trenton’s bats were hot early in the game, picking up seven hits in the first two innings. OF Jordan Hollins (Ottawa University, Ariz.) recorded two of them, beginning his day with an RBI single and an RBI double. OF Jake Topolski (Duke) also picked up a pair of hits for the Thunder, including a 100-mph single. He finished 2-for-3 with a walk, two runs scored and an RBI. The big hit on the day came off the bat of OF Adan Fernandez (Nova Southeastern), who came off the bench and sent a towering two-run homer over the left-field fence. The blast came off his bat at 103 mph, traveling 412 feet. Prep SS Ryan Cepero Roman (CBBA, P.R.) and C Shawn Vazquez (Felician) each doubled in the contest, with Vasquez’s coming off that bat at 101 mph.

The Crosscutters’ bats were held silent early by Heid but awoke in the fifth inning when Williamsport rallied from a 3-0 deficit with a five-run frame. UTL Noah Hemphill (Missouri Baptist) started the scoring with a two-run single and finished with a team-high three hits, including a hard barrel up the middle at 96 mph in the eighth inning. 

Playing in his first game with the Crosscutters, OF Damone Hale (Yavapai) made an immediate impact as he tallied a pair of hits including a two-run home run in the eighth. It was an impressive piece of hitting from the right-handed hitter as he drove the pitch the opposite way 381 feet at 101 mph.

OF/UTL Trey Steffler (Missouri Baptist) has swung the bat well to start the Draft League season and continued doing so on Monday, hitting a two-run double in the seventh. With the extra-base hit, Steffler now leads the league with three doubles. SS Trey Romay (Elmhurst College) was a standout defensively for the Crosscutters, making several tough plays at shortstop look routine, showing range in all directions with plenty of arm strength. The remainder of the Williamsport hits came off the bats of C Kyle Smith (St. Johns River State College), CIF Kyle O’Brien (Missouri Baptist) and C Jorge Joel Rodriguez (PRBAHS, P.R.).

RHP Josue Serrano Santana (El Shaddai Christian Academy, P.R.) was a bright spot on the mound for Williamsport as he pitched two clean innings out of the bullpen. The 19-year-old sat 88-89 with the fastball and was able to locate and pound the zone with it, striking out two in as many innings. RHP Dominic Hambley (Belmont HS, B.C.) allowed two runs on a hit and two walks in 1.2 innings but flashed an impressive fastball, sitting 90-93 FB and spinning it at 2400 RPM. He paired his fastball with a hard, plus-spin slider at 85-86 mph.

Frederick @ State College

RHP Joseph Miceli (Bergen CC) didn’t pile up whiffs as he did in his first turn on May 25, but the North Carolina-committed hurler still turned in a strong performance, scattering three hits and walks while striking out three over three scoreless frames. He featured a heavy fastball-curveball mix in the outing, sitting 89-92 mph with his heater and complementing it with his plus-spin bender in the mid- to upper-70s. Altogether, Miceli along with four Spikes relievers combined to throw a seven-hit shutout against the Keys. 

Belgium native RHP Drew Janssen (Frontier CC) sat 89-91 mph with his sinker and recorded whiffs with both his curveball and changeup while amassing four strikeouts over three two-hit frames in relief of Miceli. RHP Chris Benavides (Alvin CC) was up to 92.6 mph and averaged 90.7 as he fanned a pair of batters in the seventh. RHP Drew Garrett (Missouri) posted a 60-percent whiff rate with his fastball while striking out the side in the eighth. He sat 93.5 mph with a max velo of 95.3, throwing his heater 22 times (10 swings/6 whiffs). RHP Jack Goonan (Mercyhurst) topped out at 94.9 mph in the ninth, notching two strikeouts in the frame.

MIF Mark Vierling (Missouri) paced the Spikes’ offense from the two-spot in the lineup with a 2-for-4 performance that included a walk and an RBI. Both C Kenny Piper (Columbia College) and CIF Marques Paige generated exit velocities of 103 mph or better in the contest, while OF Andre Tarver (Chipola) and C Jack Surin (Benedictine) recorded their respective hits at 97 mph or better.

Frederick starter RHP Will Stevens (Iowa Western CC) struggled with his control, allowing four runs on four hits and walks apiece, but once again showcased multiple impact pitches in his fastball and both of his breaking balls. He averaged 93.9 mph and maxed out at 95.8 in the outing, posting a 42.9-percent whiff rate and 31.8 percent CSW% with the pitch. Stevens also induced a whiff on each of the five swings taken against his 79-82 mph curveball and recorded a pair of swinging strikes with his 84-86 mph slider. 

LHP Ronan Kopp (South Mountain) entered out of the Keys’ bullpen in the fourth and promptly lit up the radar gun, bumping 96.7 mph with his electric fastball. He sat at 95.8 mph and recorded an 82.4-percent whiff rate (17 swings/14 whiffs) with the pitch en route to six strikeouts in 2.1 innings scoreless frames. LHP Shane Barringer (Bellarmine) posted a 55.6-percent whiff rate with his 90-93 mph sinker while fanning four over the final two frames in the loss.

MIFs Kordell Brown (Delta College) and Hector Nieves Santana (PRBAHS, P.R.) collected four of Frederick’s seven hits, with both players finishing 2-for-4 from the eight- and nine-spots in the lineup, respectively. OF Kameron Wells (Dyersburg State) generated the game’s top exit velocity via a 103.7-mph groundout, while OF/1B Anthony Herron Jr. (John Logan JC) laced a double to the wall at 102 mph off the bat -- his third straight game posting a 100+ exit velocity.

Mahoning Valley @ West Virginia

The Black Bears rallied from a 4-1 deficit to score four times over the final two innings in a walk-off, 5-4 win over Mahoning Valley. 3B Jake Reinhardt (North Park) delivered the big hit, driving in the game-winning run with a well-struck single to right-center in the ninth. SS Jeron Williams (Lincoln Trail JC) finished 3-for-4, recording multiple hits in a second straight game, while C/1B Tucker Mitchell (State College of Florida) did damage from the leadoff spot, going 2-for-4 with a solo home run. The homer was Mitchell’s first in the Draft League and traveled 359 feet at 98 mph with a 25-degree launch angle.   

West Virginia LHP Mitch Bratt (Newmarket HS, Ontario) struck out six but struggled with his control, ultimately allowing two runs on two hits and five walks over four innings in his second Draft League start. An athletic southpaw with a fluid delivery, Bratt took an inning to find his timing and get all synced, but once he did he showed advanced pitchability for his age, and some of the best in the League to date. The Florida State commit’s 88-91 mph (T92) fastball featured good riding life through the zone (18” IVB) and enabled him to set up a low-spin curveball at 77-79. The pitch has decent bite at present, but he controls it well and it plays near average right now, with the potential to become an above-average or better pitch in the future. Bratt’s 81-83 mph changeup can play too firm, but he does throw it with good arm speed and late sink -- a combination that netted the young southpaw a perfect 100 percent whiff rate (3 swings/3 whiffs) with the pitch in the outing. It’s an average pitch now that could be a plus in the future, giving Bratt three quality Major League offerings at maturity. 

RHP Zach Ottinger (West Virginia) mixed three strikeouts with two walks over the final two frames to earn the win in his Draft League debut. Though his release point was inconsistent, Ottinger operated with some power sink to his 92-94 mph fastball, albeit while missing up in the zone too often due to a lower-half rush. He also flashed an average cutter/slider at 85-87 mph. 

Scrappers starter RHP Logan Boente (McKendree) may not have power stuff like some other hurlers in the Draft League, but the right-hander knows how to maximize his strengths. He does a good job of locating and moving his 87-89 mph fastball around the zone in order to set up a pair of effective secondary offerings in a 76-77 mph curveball and an 81 mph changeup, both of which he can land in the zone. He allowed one run on four hits, striking out four in four innings.

Also making his Draft League debut on Monday was LHP Drake Batcho (Cincinnati), who allowed a run on one hit and three walks with three strikeouts in 1.2 innings. Featuring a compact arm path from a high-three-quarters slot, Batcho gets down the mound well to create good riding life on his fastball, sitting 92-94 mph with a max spin rate of 2628 rpm. He pairs his heater with an average slider at 80-81 mph that averages 2400 spin (2615 max). Despite the control issues, everything Batcho throws plays up on account of his plus extension and riding life (Max IVB: 22.7) from a flatter Vertical Approach Angle (VAA).