By Doug Freeman
South Florida Area Scout

Although the rain shortened both ends of the weekend, there was still a lot of very impressive talent at the Port Charlotte side of the tournament this weekend. Some familiar teams really stood out on the 2017 side, like the Scorpions South 2017 Prime with and extremely talented roster including interesting uncommitted guys like David Vazquez and Joshua Crouch. Elite Squad 17u Prime, led by the 2017 No. 1 overall prospect Alejandro Toral, was not just a one-man show with Zach Jackson and Jeter Downs as well as many others impressing this weekend at the plate. The Florida Burn 2017 Platinum did not disappoint either, as Brady McConnell really shined at Charlotte Sports Park.

As for the 2018 class, the FTB WebGemz/Tucci team, headlined by Kendrick Calilao and Dylan Buck, were really impressive from top to bottom—especially offensively. The Scorpions 2018 Prime team, led by Slade Cecconi, was also extremely impressive both offensively and on the mound.

Below are three players who stood out over the weekend while the rest of the scouting notes from Port Charlotte will be available to view in the 2016 Florida Summer Scout Blog.

Zach Jackson, C, Haines City HS (2017)
Florida recruit, Jackson is a 6-foot-3 215-pound catcher who has shown good actions behind the plate with a low flexible setup and quiet strong hands. Jackson was consistently around a 2.0- 2.0 with a quick transfer, but could shave some time with more consistent footwork. At the plate the left handed hitter stands tall and relaxed. Jackson has good rhythm, quicks hands, a slightly uphill path that creates pop to both sides of the field. Consistently found the barrel on fastballs and when he has on time with good separation showed the ability to stay back and drive offspeed pitches as well.

Zion Roland, OF, Admiral Farragut Academy (2018)
Uncommitted, the 6-foot 180-pound outfielder showed off a lot of impressive tools throughout the weekend. At the plate quick hands and strong lower half generate a lot of power which lead to a home run, but he can also get a little long and not use the lower half to his full potential. The bat speed and strength present already is very impressive with the upside being even more impressive. Roland will be an interesting one to follow going forward.

David Vazquez, MIF, Westland Hialeah HS (2017)
Uncommitted, the 6-foot-1 170-pound middle infielder has a good frame to build on and was extremely impressive in the box this weekend. A tall slightly open stance, he is on time with rhythm and separation which produces a level swing that has some pop. Vazquez drove multiple balls into the gap and handled both fastballs and breaking balls well. With more room to fill out expect to see some more power come. Defensively, he has good hand and worked around the bag well. He could improve e his first step quickness, but overall is a very solid defender.