Prep Baseball Report

GDC Tournament: Joe Lattanzi & Julian Mock Division Scout Blog


PBR Georgia Staff

The Georgia Dugout Club Tournament Scout Blog provides insider information and scouting notes from the PBR Scouting Staff during the first weekend of the event. This running blog will feature information on underclass prospects, unsigned seniors, draft prospects, and anything else that is notable from the Joe Lattanzi Division and Julian Mock Division, who played on Feilds 9 & 10. We will provide a wide range of information, including player evaluations, velocities, pop times, home to first times, and more. Simply put, the GDC SCout Blog is loaded with information …

Joe Lattanzi Division


North Paulding

Jake Hembree, LHP, North Paulding, 2023
Georgia commit. 5-foot-11, 155-pound athletically built left-handed pitcher, projectable build, one of the top pitching prospects in the 2023 class. Got the start against No. 3 Houston Co. Did not shy away from a strong lineup, went right after them. Arm works loose and clean, strong flick of the wrist through release out of a ¾ window. Fastball sat 84-86, located up and down in the zone. Changeup, maintains fastball arm speed, creates deception, kept low in the zone, playing into the fade and sink action of the pitch, 77-78. Curveball, 12/6 shape, big breaker, depth, swing and miss pitch, 71-72.


Dylan Rhadans, LHP, North Paulding, 2021
6-foot-4, 185-pound left-handed pitcher, broad shoulders, long frame, plenty of room to fill out with strength. Started against Blessed Trinity on Friday evening. Arm works long to a low ¾ slot with easy effort throughout.  Upright delivery, has feel on the mound. Fastball sat 80-83, armside run action. Curveball, 1/7 shape, depth, created weak contact with, 68-89. Relied primarily on his breaking ball to get through the BT lineup.
Mitchell Heer, RHP/SS, North Paulding, 2021
6-foot, 165 pounds with a lean build that will only add strength and size.. Started on the mound against Tattnall Square and showed a very impressive arsenal of pitches. Works from an up-tempo delivery. High front-side and full arm action that comes from a ¾ slot. Body works in sync. Fastball carried well throughout outing, sitting 84-87, topping out at 88. Still developing a feel for slider at 73-75. Had one of the top secondary pitches on the weekend in changeup. Turns the ball over from the ¾ release, generating significant side-spin. Ball dropped off table with heavy sink and run at 76-78. Showed extreme feel for the pitch. Impressive arm to follow.

Blessed Trinity

Joseph Chambers, RHP, Blessed Trinity, 2021
6-foot-2 200-pounds. Chambers started against a tough Houston County line-up. He competed in the zone with a fastball that was 82-84. The curveball was 70-72 with 12-6 spin. He was able to keep guys off balance with it, and sneak in a couple strikeouts with it as well. One coming with RISP with one of Houston County’s top bats at the plate. Chambers gets into his backside, and gets down the mound on the fastball. Arm angle changes slightly when he tries to get on top of his curveball. He was able to tunnel his curveball off his fastball, which made the fastball much more effective. Chambers also has a 34 on the ACT. 


Trey Baker, RHP/OF, Blessed Trinity, 2020
Northwest Florida State commit. 6-foot-3 190-pounds. Baker is off to a hot start this spring. The LHH has a smooth swing with a really strong base. Mature swing, and game play will allow him to make an impact at Northwest Florida State right away. He gets the foot down early, and lets his hands and strength do the rest. He had a big time hit to seal the deal against Houston County, and put Blessed Trinity up 4-0 on the season. There are a lot of tools working for Baker. He can get on the mound as well. Expect some strong numbers from him this spring season.


DJ Radtke, RHP/1B, Blessed Trinity, 2021
Auburn commit. 6-foot-3, 190-pound right-handed pitcher and first baseman, strong build with the potential to add even more. Showed a control delivery with deliberate actions, rotational, keeps upper and lower halves in sync. Fastball sat 84-88, worked downhill with creating a good angle. Slider, downer action, late break, some sharp, 74-76, generated swing and misses, used to both sides of the plate. Has the frame and present arm action/strength to add more velocity to both pitches. 


Tattnall Square

Dawson Brown, RHP, Tattnall Square, 2020
Georgia Tech commit. 6-foot-1, 180-pound right-handed pitcher, loose, athletic build. Works out of the stretch, short, loose arm action out of a sidearm slot, hops down the mound on his finish. Fastball sat 84-86, running action, created weak weak contact with. Slider, 76-78, sharp sweeping action. Facing a predominantly left-handed lineup, lived on the outer half with his fastball and then busted his slider in on the hands.


Brooks Gorman, 3B/RHP, Tattnall Square, 2020
6-foot, 170 pounds; wiry, lanky build. Left-handed hitting third baseman that continues to show why he is one of the top uncommitted 2020’s in the state of Georgia. Has a tall presence in the box with an open stance. Sinks in legs during load; load looks simpler and quieter than last spring. Hands work free and loose. Has a pull-side approach with sneaky power. Hit a no-doubt home run ro RF as well as a seeing-eye single through the right side of the infield. Athletic on the defensive-end with the skillset to play any infield position.
Houston County

Coleman Willis, RHP, Houston County, 2021
6-foot-6 190-pounds. George commit. Long lanky right handed arm with good life on the fastball. He has been up to 91 in the past, but topped out at 89 on the cold Saturday night in the Georgia Dugout Club tournament. The arm can be long at times, but the delivery is overall repeatable. He really reaches back, and hides the ball with his arm action. When he was successful in the summer his fastball had some movement on it. It was playing fairly flat on Saturday night. He faced a strong line-up, but was still able to take care of some good hitters. The slider was still working for him. He had a few strikeouts with it. With his frame and repeatable mechanics there is more in the tank for the future Bulldog. 


Drew Burress, OF/3B, Houston County, 2023
One of the top hitters in the 2023 class, had a big first game at the tournament. 5-foot-8, 175-pound right-handed hitting third baseman and outfielder, strong, athletic build. Has confidence in the box beyond his age, open setup, hands start high dropping and extending back on load, strides to a balanced position. Has power to all fields, whips the barrel through contact, strong wrists/hands allow for him to easily drive the ball. Has an advanced feel and foundation for hitting, has a high ceiling and will only get better and better with time. In his first two at-bats of the Georgia Dugout Club Tournament roped a two-strike line drive double to right field. Followed that up by turning on one for a solo HR over the left field fence, 96 exit velocity.    


Brodie Chestnutt, RHP, Houston County, 2021
Florida State commit. 6-foot-4, 225-pound right-handed pitcher, big, strong frame, physically advanced in all areas. Arm works long, showing low on the back-side, accelerates quickly a low ¾ slot, easy effort throughout delivery. Fastball sat 87-90, came in heavy with armside run. Slider, tight spinning, late break, 75-77. Pitched to contact more times than not, did not have many pitches get barreled up.
Jaden Woods, LHP, Houston County, 2020
Georgia recruit. Wiry, athletic frame. Fastball was 85-89 with carry through the zone, garner swings and misses. Curveball had loose, 2/8 break in the mid 70s.

 

Gage Harrelson, OF, Houston County, 2022
6-foot-2, 165-pound left-handed outfielder, lanky athletic frame, broad shoulders, will fill out with strength as he continues to physically mature. Hit out off the leadoff spot for a loaded Houston County. Uses the entire field with a line drive approach, loose hands at the plate, Swing will play with more power as he adds strength.
Andew Dunford, 1B/3B, Houston County, 2023
6-foot-6, 195-pound right-handed hitting corner infielder, extra large frame, strength throughout, going to be a physically imposing and a powerful force. Keeps it simple and fundamental pre-pitch, balanced setup, short load back coupled with a short stride. Barrel works mostly level through the zone, creating hard line drive contact. As he matures, and gets a better feel for the barrel with added loft, will elevate and drive the ball.   
Julian Mock Division

East Paulding

Jackson Phipps, LHP, East Paulding, 2020
Florida State recruit. Lean, projectable frame. Fastball ranged from 86-92, sitting mostly 88-91. Slider was 76-77. Had trouble landing it, but it flashes shape and could be an average pitch when his delivery is in order. Showed solid feel for fading changeup at 77. Arm was behind at landing so he routinely missed up and to his arm side.
Walton

Jared Jones, C, Walton, 2022
LSU commit. 6-foot-4, 230-pound right-handed hitting, big, strong frame, physically advanced, looks like he adds more and more strength every time we see him. Has easy bat speed and raw power in his swing, uses the full force of his strength as he shifts weight off his back leg through contact. Had a number of extra bases hits throughout the weekend, including a grand slam that left the yard in a hurry..
Kristian Campbell, SS, Walton, 2021
Georgia Tech commit. Long, lanky, athletic 6-foot-3, 185-pound right-handed hitting shortstop, broad shoulders, projects to fill out with strength. Displayed loose actions all over the diamond. Swing works athletically with fluidity through contact, short to the zone, routinely produced upper-90s exit velocities on balls put in the play. Ran a 4.25 home to first on a hard hit ball to the third baseman.
Micaiah Williams, OF, Walton, 2020
Uncommitted. 5-foot-8, 165-pound left-handed hitting outfielder, strength in his lower half. Hit out of the leadoff position for Walton. Takes a line drive approach at the plate, plays to contact.

Newnan

Jett Lovett, OF/RHP, Newnan, 2021
Georgia Tech commit. 6-foot, 170-pound left-handed hitting two-way prospect, loose, athletic frame. Arm works quick and athletically, uses some effort to get out front to a ¾ slot, finishes upright with a high leg swing. Fastball sat 85-88, touched 89, sinking action. Slider, downer action, used sparingly, did execute a good back-door slider to a left-handed hitter, taken for a strike. Relied heavily on his fastball, used it to blow it by opposing batters.
Chasin Cash, RHP, Newnan, 2021
6-foot-2, 210-pound right-handed pitcher, large, thick frame, strength in lower half. Arm works short to a high ¾ slot, above average arm speed, did a nice job repeating slot. Drop and drive delivery. Fastball up to 83, sat in the low-80s to start the game, mostly straight. Curveball, 12/6 shape, depth, 65-67, offered up some sharp ones, created deception with due to the nearly 20 mph speed difference in FB and CB.
Benedictine

Carter Holton, LHP/OF, Benedictine, 2021
Vanderbilt commit. Ranked the #3 2021 in the state. 5-foot-11, 175 pounds. Showed a strong two-pitch mix on the mound. Slightly closed landing. Arm works extremely quick and keeps speed consistent on breaking ball. SL showed large shape with tight spin. Executes well with the pitch in all counts. ⅙ bend at 72-76. FB sat 88-91 in first couple of innings. Has natural run and works both sides of the plate. Does an impressive job throwing to the inside part of the plate. Works extremely fast in between pitches. Also showed two-way potential. Hit a HR to RF and took 91 the other-way for a single on lefty-lefty matchup. Low hands to start and keeps them low during load.
Justin Thomas, OF/RHP, Benedictine, 2022
5-foot-10, 165 pounds with a strong, stocky build. Lower-half is very strong. Impressed at the plate with simple approach and constant hard contact. Hits with medium bend in knees, simple load, flat barrel path through the zone. Jumped on fastballs all weekend with multiple hard hits up-the-middle. Good runner and defender in the outfield.

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