By Nathan Rode
National Supervisor

At any event, when a new pitcher enters the game, the first thing to do is glance at the roster to see who it is, where they’re from and other important information—such as height, weight and commitment.

Two things jumped out when Marvin Gorgas of East Hampton HS (Conn.) took the hill for American Legion at USA Baseball’s Tournament of Stars. The first was his height and weight. He is listed at 5-foot-9, 184 pounds—not a frame generally associated with pitching prospects. But Gorgas quickly showed big stuff. He sat 90-93 mph with his fastball and also showed a high-70s slider with sweeping action.

Gorgas doesn’t have any secrets about building his arm strength, simply crediting natural ability.

“I don't do much,” he said. “I do long toss, but I think it's just a gift I've got.”

The other thing that jumped out was his lack of a commitment, but it turns out the information was outdated. Many coaches would fall over themselves to snag an arm that can throw in the low 90s, but Gorgas is actually unavailable. He recently committed to Connecticut, which is just a 30-minute drive from his home.

“I wanted to stay close to family and felt UConn was a good fit,” Gorgas said. “They just won their conference and were a few games from Omaha so I think me going there could give them a boost.”

Gorgas added that schools like Stanford, Arizona, Virginia Tech and St. John’s were also in the mix.

The rest of Gorgas’ summer is relatively open ended. He will continue playing with his American Legion team after the Tournament of Stars and hopes to attend a few more showcases this summer. His fastball and slider are his go to pitches, but he’s also working on developing his changeup and curveball.

“I'm working to try and mix in a changeup,” he said. “It puts a lot of pressure on the hitter so it's always good to develop one.”

Gorgas pitched two innings, allowing just one hit while striking out three.

Notes:

+ RHP Tyler Kolek of Shepherd HS (TX) started for NABF in Wednesday’s first game and gave hitters a rude awakening by sitting in the low 90s at 9:30 a.m. His fastball was heavy and in the 91-94 range. He has a big frame at 6-foot-5, 235 pounds with a strong lower half. He steps well over to the third-base side of the rubber so he ends up throwing across his body that seems to affect his command. He flashed two breaking balls: a high-70s curveball and low-80s slider – both of which showed potential, but were inconsistent. His delivery is relatively easy. He allowed one hit and two walks while striking out three in four innings. NABF OF Lane Thomas (Bearden HS, Knoxville) had two impressive at-bats, squaring up two balls for extra bases. He hit a double to left center off of Kopech and then drilled a triple straight over the center fielder’s head in a later at-bat.

+ AABC ran out some interesting arms to kick the day off. RHP Michael Kopech of Mount Pleasant HS (TX) started. He has a skinny frame at 6-foot-4, 195 pounds, with room to fill out. He sat 88-90, but seemed to have some deception as hitters had trouble catching up to his fastball and making good contact. He also threw a mid-70s slurve that needs sharpening. He allowed two runs on two hits and two walks in 2 1/3 innings while striking out four. LHP Kyle Hatton is one of a handful of members of the 2015 class at the TOS. He is from Norco HS (CA) and has a projectable frame at 6-foot-4, 195 pounds with a broad upper body. His fastball sits at 82-84 now, but he should add more velocity as he gets stronger. He showed an ability to spin a breaking ball with a sharp curveball that sat around 73. He pitched 2 2/3 innings, allowing a run on a hit and walk. He struck out two. RHP Grant Hockin (Damien HS, CA) sat 88-91 with some sink and wasn’t afraid to pitch inside. He induced a lot of bad contact by boring his fastball in on right-handed hitters. He also mixed in a low-80s slurve. In three innings, he struck out four and only allowed a hit and a walk

+ American Legion OF Trenton Kemp (Buchanan HS, CA) has a lean frame and made the most of his only hit on the day by smoking a triple to right-center field. He scored two runs and drove in one. He runs well with good, long strides. Ryder Ryan (North Mecklenburg HS, NC) is a two-way prospect as a catcher and righthander. He came in to close out the game for American Legion, sitting 89-90 with a low 70s curveball. His command was spotty, but he flashed good athleticism, jumping off the mound to make a tough play to his right and throwing the runner out at first. The other two outs in his perfect inning of work came via strikeouts.

+ Babe Ruth started one of the country’s best arms in LHP Brady Aiken, who was in the same high school rotation as lefty Stephen Gonsalves—the Twins’ fourth-round pick this year—at San Diego’s Cathedral Catholic HS. Aiken sat 89-91 on Wednesday, but got up to 93 and had a mid-70s curveball that had occasional sharpness. Aiken has also improved his 6-foot-4, 205-pound frame, as he looks leaner than he did last summer at the Under Armour All-America Game. He struck out seven and walked two in three hitless innings.

+ RHP Sean Reid-Foley (Sandalwood HS, FL) sat 90-93 with a solid slider in the mid 70s that flashed tilt. He started for Dixie and went three innings, allowing a hit and a walk while striking out three. Dixie should make some noise at the plate this week with a few strong hitters. 1B Braxton Davidson (Roberson HS, NC) went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts, but has a good approach and is one of the top hitters in the 2014 class. OF Kel Johnson, who is from Palmeto, GA, and homeschooled, was the first to homer at this year’s event. He crushed a two-run shot to left-center field. Outfielder Stone Garrett (George Ranch HS, TX) was 1-for-4 with a run scored. He stands out physically with a 6-foot-2, 185-pound frame. He has strength in his swing and the ball jumps off of his bat.

+ In Wednesday’s final game, PONY rolled out a few strong arms. LHP Jake Latz of Lemont HS (IL) got the start and threw three innings without allowing a walk or hit while striking out three. He sat around 87 with an easy delivery and low 70s curveball that flashed sharpness and was at its best when around 74 mph. He also mixed in a low-80s changeup. RHP Jesse Lepore (Trinity Catholic HS, FL) followed and pitched two innings. He allowed one unearned run on a hit and walk while striking out one. He has good frame at 6-foot-4, 195 pounds. He sat 89-91 with a slider that needs to be tightened up. Lepore has a slow, deliberate windup that he then rushes threw after reaching his balance point. There is effort in his upper body and his arm tended to drag behind. LHP Devin Smeltzer (Bishop Eustace Prep School, N.J.) took the ball next, going 2.2 innings and allowing one run on two hits and three walks. He struck out four. He sat 89-90 with his fastball and had a high-70s slider with Frisbee action, but flashed sharp break. He was relieved by lefty Brian Gonzalez, who helped Archbishop McCarthy HS (Southwest Ranches, FL) make history this spring by claiming a fourth consecutive state title. Gonzalez has a big, strong frame at 6-foot-3, 220 pounds with muscular legs. He sat 89-90 with a sharp 75-78 mph curveball. He worked 1.1innings, allowed one hit and struck out two.