Top 10 Stories Countdown of the Year 2017: No. 10 Elite Squad Tryout Standouts

December 18, 2017
Mike Maerz
Director of Florida Operations/Area Scout

As we begin the countdown of the Top 10 Stories in 2017, the Elite Squad Tryout Standouts article comes in at the tenth spot.

In this article, standouts from the 2018-2021 classes at the Elite Squad Tryouts are highlighted through report and video. Several players have committed to play at the next level since this article was released to schools like Vanderbilt, Tulane, Florida International, and more.

Here is a re-post of that story that ran on Wednesday August 16th, 2017:

NO. 10 Elite Squad tryout standouts

Wed August 16, 2017

By Doug Freeman
Florida Scouting Director

Over 200 players took part in Elite Squad's fall tryout over the weekend. Players took place in a pro-style workout that included laser 60 times, batting practice, infield/outfield and a simulated game. Participants ranged from the 2018-2021 classes. A lot of talented players were in attendance, but below are 24 of the uncommitted players who stood out over the weekend.

2018's

Yoanny Carrizo SS / Miami Britto, FL / 2018

Athletic actions at short. Quick first step with range to both glove and hand side. Hands are soft, funnels ball into his frame with a quick and clean transfer. Offensively, the right handed hitter hits from an upright stance. He has strong lower half and present bat speed. There is some steepness in the swing, but is a short path to the ball. Also ran a 6.96 60 yard dash

Carlos Fonseca C / OF / Forest Hill Community, FL / 2018

Stocky, strong catcher’s build. Defensively is flexible and an above average receive and blocker. He has quick feet and transfer with a strong arm topping out with a op time of 1.93. Offensively, he starts with an open stance and dives in during load. He has quick hands, but tends to hit off of a weak front side There is present bat speed and a strong lower half, with a stronger front side he should see some power jump.

Michael Marin 2B / 3B / Doral Academy Charter , FL / 2018

Marin may not jump off of the page with tools, but over the course of the weekend he still stood out. He is a very sound defender and would be an above average defensive third baseman. Offensively, he consistently found the barrel in the game. He has a strong lower half and some present bat speed. He is a ballplayer and seemed to be in the right place at the right time and consistently put quality swings on the ball.

NIcholas Rodriguez LHP / Barbara Goleman, FL / 2018

6-foot, 160-pound left-hander has a high waist and a projectable frame. He pitched from an over-the-top slot with some effort. The is quickness in the arm and the fastball worked 80-81 mph with more to come. What stood out was an above average curveball and from the over-the-top slot had a lot of depth at 74-76 mph. He also showed a changeup at 69 mph.

Jason Thomas OF / Mater Academy, FL / 2018

He is athletic with a lot of quick twitch action. Ran a 6.82 60 yard dash. Offensively, there is some rotational action in the swing, but there is also bat speed and a short path to the ball with some present pull side power.

2019's

Taylor Clapp SS / 2B / Park Vista, FL / 2019

5-foot-11, 170-pound infielder has an athletic frame with room to fill out. Defensively, he is a solid defender , but may project as a third baseman at the next level. Offensively, he continues to show above average bat-to-ball skills. He has a short, level swing and uses a medium leg kick trigger to generate bat speed from the lower half. The bat projects well and more power should come as he continues to become stronger.

Dylan Goldstein 1B / C / North Broward Prep, FL / 2019

Rankings State Rank:96 POS:3

Coming off a quality showing at the Future Games, the strong left handed hitter continues to show the ability to drive the ball especially to his pull side. He has a strong lower half and projects to have left handed power. He will need to continue to improve defensively behind the plate, but the actions are there and as he continues to improve flexibility and put himself in better positions the defense will continue to improve as well.

Skylar Gonzalez RHP / 3B / Calvary Christian Academy, FL / 2019

6-foot-2, 160-pound right handed pitcher has a long, lean projectable frame. From a 3/4 slot he has a long, loose, easy arm action with a fastball that sat 83-84 touching 85 mph. He also featured a sweeping slider at 74 mph and a changeup at 72-73 mph. There is a lot of projection and will have a chance to make a big jump.

Michael Uz / Westland Hialeah, FL / 2019

Athletic right handed arm who showcase a short, quick arm. His fastball ranged from 83-86 mph with arm side run. He also featured a curveball at 67-78 mph. There is a lot of athleticism and he throws fairly upright currently. As he leans to use the lower half and get extension he should make some jumps with both pitches.

Gerardo Rodriguez C / Coral Gables, FL / 2019

6-foot, 185-pounds has a strong and durable frame. Defensively, his hands work extremely well. He gets to quality positions in setup and uses strength in shoulders and wrists with soft hands to be an above average receiver. He also features a clean, quick transfer, sound footwork and a strong arm with a pop time of 1.92. Offensively, the right handed hitter uses a big leg kick that creates rhythm and generates from a strong and balanced lower half. He has an uphill path with bat speed and present pull side power.

2020's

Kolbe Aven C / 1B / American Heritage, FL / 2020

5-foot-10, 175 pound catcher a stocky build with a strong lower half. Defensively, he has a slightly high setup and could improve the transfer to release, but shows quality footwork and a strong accurate arm with a pop time of 2.0. Offensively, the right handed hitter uses his strong lower half well It is a simple swing, that is direct to the ball. He consistently found the barrel with line drives from gap to gap.

Alec Ducasse SS / OF / Charles W Flanagan , FL / 2020

The twitchy middle infielder stood out a the South Florida Underclass continued to stand out. He has a quick first step and his hands really work in the middle. Offensively, the path works and will continue to improve with added strength.

Wyatt Holiday 1B / RHP / Chaminade, FL / 2020

A big strong left handed hitting first baseman. He has a simple, rocker load and clears his hops well. Generating bat speed from a strong lower half he shows present pull side power from the left side, with more power to come. On the mound he shows a strong, long over-the-top arm action. Fastball worked 82-84 mph with some heavy life and a curveball at 69 mph and a changeup at 75 mph.

Matthew Menendez C / 1B / Monsignor Edward Pace , FL / 2020

6-foot, 170-pound lean, athletic catcher showed a lot of quick twitch defensive ability. His hands work and will continue to improve as he gets in better positions. He has quick feet, transfer and a strong arm resulting in a 1.90 pop time. Offensively, the right handed hitter has a small leg lift and stride trigger, He tends to come out of his lower half and create length in the path. There is present strength, but the bat will continue to improve as he learns to use his strong lower half and become shorter to the ball.

Lucas Nido 2B / 3B / Gulliver Prep, FL / 2020

Stood out initially in the outfield where he came through the ball well and showed a strong arm, topping out at 89 mph from the outfield. He also showed athletic actions in the infield, and projects as an above average defender. Offensively, there is some stiffness, but there is a lot of present bat speed that should project for power in the future. Overall is very versatile and athletic with a lot of tool and a high upside to follow

Eddie Sierra SS / 2B / Southwest Miami, FL / 2020

5-foot-10, 160-pound middle infielder has a quick feet and the hands work really well in the infield. The right-handed hitter has a simple setup and creates bat speed from a short level swing. He showed the ability to drive line drives gap to gap

Freddy Trejo / Cecilio Acosta, FL / 2020

The switch hitter catcher really stood out during batting practice Both sides seem to nearly mirror each other. With a medium leg kick, he uses a balanced and strong lower half to generate bat speed from both sides. He may show a bit more power from the right side, but both sides will have power potential. Defensively, there is athleticism behind the plate. He has quick feet and a quick catch to release resulting in a pop time of 2.09. Athletic, switch hitting catcher with power potential.

Angel Mediavilla LHP / OF / Imater, FL / 2020

Rankings State Rank:48 POS:8

Working with a short, quick arm his fastball ranged from 84-85 mph that he located down in the zone to both sides of the plate with some late life. He also featured a hard slider at 75-76 mph that could be a swing and miss pitch in the future. Also threw a changeup at 80 mph.

2021's

Nick Anello RHP / 2B / Highlands Christian Academy , FL / 2021

The right handed pitcher has a big frame that looks ready to shoot up a few inches and can fill out 15-20 pounds easily.. With an up tempo delivery he showed a quick arm and a fastball that worked 80-82 with some late riding life. He also featured a curveball at 61-64 and a changeup at 64 mph. There is athleticism and a quick arm that should make some big jumps as he grows.

Dawson Ball SS / RHP / Wellington, FL / 2021

Extremely athletic and played just about everywhere. Just started catching, but shows some natural feel and tools at the position. He is athletic with good hands, quick feet and a strong arm with a 2.02 pop time. Offensively, the left handed hitter can get rotational and long at times, but has a feel for the barrel and present pul power with more to come. On the mound he shows the live arm working 81-84 mph with his fastball and a curveball at 69-72 with some depth.

Devin Futrell LHP / 1B / American Heritage, FL / 2021

Perhaps the biggest standout of the entire weekend. He worked out with the 2020 graduates and stood out amongst them as well. He has a thin, long frame that is ultra projectable. On the mound, the left-hander worked from a high 3/4 slot with a clean, loose easy arm action and a fastball that ranged from 79-82 mph. He also showed a feel for a curveball a 65 and a changeup at 70-72 mph. He also showed a slightly uphill swing from the left side with a feel for the barrel and some power potential. Overall, very intriguing with a high ceiling

Justin Quintana OF / American Heritage, FL / 2021

Running the best time of all of the 2021’s at 6.99, he showed a lot of quick twitch actions. Defensively, he shows athletic actions in the outfield and a strong arm topping out at 80 mph. Offensively he has some present strength and bat speed with present bat to ball skills.

Alex Ulloa SS / Columbus, FL / 2021

Ulloa stood out defensively as he showed easy range with a quick first step and smooth strides in the infield. The hands and transfer work well, lending to overall above average defense. Offensively, he is aggressive with present bat speed. He is also strong and generate gap-to-ga power. High follow