PBR Junior Fall Championships: Scout Blog

From Oct. 6 to 7, our staff was on hand to scout the PBR Junior Fall Championship from the renowned Grand Park sports complex in Westfield, Ind. Previously, we recapped both the 13U and 14U championship games, but today we’ll share the news and notes from some of the stand-out prospects who made their way to the fall tournament. There were 22 teams in total that attended, from Wisconsin, Kentucky, even all the way from Canada. Below, we share scout notes on some of the event’s most impactful 14U prospects.

14U

Futures Scout Team

Mason Onate, MIF, Olentangy Liberty, OH (2023)
Smaller build, 5-foot-7, 130-pound athletic MIF. Defensively, has sure hands with good actions and footwork. Showed range up the middle and made a couple difficult plays look easy. At the plate hits from the left side with a sound approach. Bat is quick and has pop for size. Showed good feel for the barrel has he can use the whole field. Very disciplined patient hitter at the plate.

Brett Denby, MIF/RHP, Silver Creek, IN (2023)
5-foot-8, 133-pound two-way prospect with some twitch to his game. On defense up the middle, displayed good sound actions with clean footwork and attacked the baseball. Showed good arm strength across the diamond as well. At the plate, works deep into counts and showed a compact swing with some pop in the bat. On the mound pitches from high ¾ arm slot, quick tempo to the plates and repeats well. Arm stroke is clean and super quick. FB sat 77-79 mph, T80, with occasional life through the zone. Flashed a late biting CB at 65-67, and command of CH at 70-71.

Mason Eckelman, UTL, Walsh Jesuit, OH (2023)
5-foot-10, 160 pounds, strong build, thick lower half left handed hitter stood out with his hit tool. Showed good bat speed with a loose and free swing. Showed ability to drive the baseball consistently and make hard contact. Stride is short to the baseball and uses leg lift as trigger.

Sebastian Jameis, C/3B/RHP, Western International, MI (2023)
Strong build at 5-foot-10, 180 pounds, really stood out with his advanced play over the weekend. On Day One, Jameis excelled behind the dish showing advanced feel at the position for age. Looks to be a sound receiver and blocks very well. Very mobile and athletic for position. Arm strength was above average for age as he threw out multiple runners. Pops ranged from 1.99 to 2.10 in between innings. Popped a 2.15 in game. At 3B showed good actions and footwork, always played through the baseball, some carry on throws. At the plate showed big power potential and looks to have a pull side approach at the plate. On the mound showed a quick arm, sitting 77-79, T80, with a sharp late CB.

Gem City Throwbacks

AJ Dallmayer, OF, Washington Court House, OH (2023)
6-foot-1, 160-pound, lean, strong frame for his age. Repeatedly found the barrel on Day Two, aggressive approach in the right-handed batter’s box. Short, compact swing on slightly uphill bat path with bat strength. Shifts weight and hands back, lowers hands during load with leg kick stride. Above-average runner, takes long athletic strides, took some good routes in center field.

Hitters Baseball

JT Kelenic, OF, Waukesha, WI (2023)
Bigger athletic frame at 6-foot, 160 pounds. Looks very relaxed in the box with quiet actions from the right side. Stride is short to the baseball with big leg kick and the top hand really working through the swing. Showed ability to lift the baseball to deep parts of the field. Also showed opposite field ability with a couple sharp hit balls to RCF and RF. Took good routes to balls hit in the gap in the OF while playing CF. Speed is average at this point in time but should continue to improve as his body matures.

Adam Switalski, INF, Burlington, WI (2023)
6-foot, 130-pound, right/right infield prospect. Quiet, balanced setup, smooth load back with leg kick trigger. Line-drive approach, short, loose swings. Good barrel control helped him collect hits to all fields. Played shortstop in game one, athletic actions, smooth footwork with reliable glove.

Zachary Olson, OF, Oak Creek, WI (2023)
6-foot, 145-pound lean, athletic, right/right outfielder with projection. At the plate, uses long levers to create bat speed with loose hands. Balanced setup, short stride, fluid. Drove in a couple runs on a sharp base hit to RF in game one. Played right field on defense for Hitters.

Evan Shapiro, RHP, Wauwatosa, WI (2023)
6-foot, 155-pound right-handed pitching prospect with wiry, athletic frame, projection. Started the first game for Hitters on Day One: 4IP, 2ER, 3H, 3BB, 6K. Long arm action from high ¾ slot. Low knee at balance point, works on line. Fastball, 71-73, T74 mph. Curveball, sharp bite, feel for age, 63-64 mph, relied on it as an outpitch.

Indiana Bulls Black

Max Clark, OF/LHP, Franklin, IN (2023)
Strong build extremely athletic OF/LHP with a present tool set. Arguably the best prospect in attendance at the event, Clark showed above-average bat speed for age with a good approach. On Day One, he went 7-7 with multiple extra-base hits. Also showed good speed on the bases. Hits from the left side, relaxed tall set up in the box. Uses a longer stride to the baseball, bat is quick and compact to the baseball. Showed outstanding feel for the barrel on the weekend as he squared up the baseball multiple times to all parts of the field. In the OF took good routes to balls hit in the gap. On Day Two of the event, hopped on the mound and sat 77-79, T80. Repeats well, quicker tempo to the plate with a quick clean arm action. Showed good feel for his secondary mix with a sharp late CB for strikes and a CH that showed some fade action. Extremely high ceiling young prospect who is going to be fun watch develop over the next few years.

Nick Pandoff, OF, Fort Wayne Northrop, IN (2023)
Pandoff impressed at the plate on the weekend. Thicker, smaller, strong build frame but is athletic for size. Hits from the right side, slightly crouched setup in the box. Short stride to the baseball and bat path is uphill to help create leverage. Good balance throughout swing. Had two hits in the championship game, including an RBI double he lined into the RCF gap.

Brett Sherrard, INF/RHP, Bloomfield, IN (2023)
Sherrard stood out from the leadoff spot for the Bulls on the weekend. Hits from the left side, slightly crouched setup in the box with shoulders hunched towards the plate. Showed good extension throughout swing with quick bat for age. Showed off pull side ability collecting multiple hits pull side. On the mound showed a quick whippy arm action sitting 76-78 with arm side run at times. Displayed good command of a short tight 11/5 shape CB at 64-66.

Indiana Elite

Caden Cornett, RHP, Center Grove, IN (2023)
6-foot-1, 147 pounds, long and lanky righty showed upside on the mound during his outing. Pitches from high ¾ arm slot. Long loose arm action with good tempo in delivery to the plate. Showed ability to locate his FB to either side of the plate with occasional arm side run. FB sat 77-80. Also flashed a short breaking, tight 11/5 shape CB at 64-66 for strikes and swing/misses.

Ben Orill, INF/RHP, Madison, IN (2023)
5-foot-11, 150 pounds, athletic two-way player. Showed good range and soft hands at 3B with a strong arm across the diamond. At the plate hits from the right side and showed a solid hit tool. On the mound pitches from high ¾ arm with extension to the plate. Arm action is loose, did tend to fall off to 1B side at times.  FB sat 75-77 and commanded it in the zone.

Noah DeArmitt, LHP, Franklin, IN (2023)
6-foot-2 170 pound athletic lefty impressed over the course of his outing. Pitches from lower ¾ arm slot with cross fire action. Arm stroke is loose with some deception throughout delivery. FB sat 75-77 with cut action. Attacked hitters with FB.

Marucci Founders Club Legends

Adyn Collins, OF, North Posey, IN (2023)
5-foot-8, 145-pound left/left outfielder with an athletic frame, some strength in lower half. Was constantly on base throughout Day One. Contact-oriented approach from the left side, showed advanced barrel control, quick bat speed, top-of-the-order type. Simple, quiet pre-pitch, smooth load back into leg leg kick stride, all fluid and in rhythm. Patrolled center field, natural defensive instincts. Above-average runner.

Rylee Singleton, RHP/INF, North Evansville, IN (2023)
5-foot-10, 140-pound two-way prospect with lean, athletic build. Started game one for the Legends: 4IP, 2R (unearned), 2H, 0BB, 3K. Repeatable delivery, works on line. Arm works loose, especially for his age. Fastball, 68-70 mph, for strikes. Curveball, showed depth, advanced feel, 60-61 mph. In the right-handed batter’s box, collected two hits in game one, including a barreled triple into the LCF gap. Wide, tall setup, some pre-pitch rhythm. Simple load, subtle leg lift stride. Compact stroke that’s long, loose through the zone.

Luke Diekmann, OF, Homeschool (2023)
5-foot-11, 175-pound outfielder with lean, athletic frame. Right-handed hitter, sets up tall, slightly open, with pre-pitch rhythm, strides long and gets back square. Loose hands, quick bat for age. Demonstrated the ability to drive the ball with hard contact. Played right field, above-average runner.

David Edwards, 1B, New Washington, IN (2023)
5-foot-9, 148-pound, left/left 1B prospect. Aggressive approach, advanced bat control. Wide, balanced setup, leg kick trigger. Loose stroke, uphill path, premium bat strength. Lined a few extra-base hits during the weekend. Waited back on a good curveball to line double into the RCF gap.

Kaiden Sharp, INF, Charlestown, IN (2023)
5-foot-9, 132-pound infielder with wiry, athletic build with projection. Left-handed hitter, pre-pitch rhythm, hands load back, toe-tap stride. Fluid, quick, loose swings. Lined a two-RBI double in game one. Played second base in game one for Legends, agile defender, plays with bounce.

Pro Player Hurricanes

Cooper Cohn, C/INF, McHenry, IL (2023)
5-foot-8, 135 pounds, wiry, strong build with athleticism and some twitch; stood out over the weekend. Cohn played multiple positions and is athletic enough to play anywhere on the field. At the plate, showed a short compact swing with a slightly uphill bat path from the right side. Found the barrel a few times for hard contact to the gaps.

Brayden Bakes, OF/LHP, Huntley, IL (2023)
5-foot-8, 170 pounds, tallied hits all weekend long. The left-handed hitting Bakes showed off big power potential for age driving the ball deep into the RCF gap a couple of times. His hands are loose and quick throughout swing. Seemed to find the barrel every AB over the weekend even when getting out. Showed good instincts on the bases with average speed for age.

Ryan Bakes, C, Huntley, IL (2023)
5-foot-8, 170 pounds, twin brother of Brayden, stood out with his catching skills. Catcher’s build with current strength. Looks to be an above-average defender with a strong arm. Showed good ability to block the baseball with very minimal balls making it to the backstop when he was catching. Sound receiver, showed quick exchange on pops. Pops ranged from 2.05-2.19.

RELATED CONTENT