Jordan's Notes 4/16/24
April 16, 2024
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Colonial Forge
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Michael Guckian 1B / RHP / COLONIAL FORGE HIGH, VA / 2026
Guckian was very intriguing on Monday night. He caught my eye in his first at bat where he showed an aggressive approach swinging at the first pitch he saw and sent a hard line drive out to left for a lineout. What was so impressive was the smoothness and rhythm that he had to go along with the bat speed to get the barrel to a upper eighties fastball on the outer half. There is some twitch in the hands and strength in the frame with the ability to use that strength to all fields. Guckian did show some zone awareness working into deep counts later in the game drawing a walk. Guckian also made an appearance in relief on the mound. He showed a low eighties fastball and featured a curveball. He changes tempo and the delivery to keep hitters off balance. There is a lot to like in this 2026, definitely someone to keep an close eye on the rest of the spring heading into the summer.
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Dylan McCarthy 1B / RHP / Colonial Forge, VA / 2025
McCarthy got the start for Colonial Forge and he was effective in his outing. He threw 3 1/3 innings only giving up two hits with no runs. It's a 6'5 215-lb frame with more room to add strength. It's a short arm action from a 3/4 slot that hides the ball well from hitters. The fastball was 82-85 that snuck up on hitters producing weak contact. He mixed in a slider at 71-73. McCarthy is an interesting pitching prospect that you can dream on with the big frame. He's one to keep an eye on as he continues to develop and get stronger.
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Ayden Mitchell SS / 3B / Colonial Forge , VA / 2025
Mitchell picked up a big hit in the clutch for Colonial Forge on Monday. He came to the plate with the bases loaded and sent a ball back up the middle for a single that ended up being misplayed that would score all three runners on base. Mitchell has a strong compact frame with a very strong lower half. He has smooth fluid actions at shortstop with some arm strength. Mitchell will continue to play a big role in the middle of the lineup as well as defensively at shortstop.
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Riverbend
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Luke Alexander RHP / SS / Riverbend, VA / 2025
The James Madison commit got the start for Riverbend and displayed his stuff early. It's a slim wiry frame with plenty of projection left. He has a loose quick arm that throws from a H 3/4 slot. He worked the fastball on the corners at 85-88 and also showed a firm slider at 81-83. He got some whiffs in the zone throughout his outing. He did work himself into some jams later in the outing with a few walks but found a way to minimize damage. He scattered three hits in five innings of work only giving up one earned run to go along with ten strikeouts.
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Brookville
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Mason Coleman 2B / SS / Brookville, VA / 2026
Coleman has a sense of smoothness when it comes to his game defensively and offensively and that is what was displayed on Tuesday night. He got the start at shortstop and he made plays throughout the game with fluidity. At the plate in his first at bat he got the barrel to a tough pitch on the outer half and sent it out to left for a sacrifice fly. He would come up later in the game and turned the barrel for a hard hit single into right. He shows feel for the barrel with the ability to use the whole field. Coleman plays a big piece to the their success being up the middle and in the heart of the lineup.
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EC Glass
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Tyler Ruhl SS / C / EC Glass, VA / 2026
Ruhl did it all for the Hilltoppers on Tuesday night. He got the start on the mound and he dominated in his outing. He threw four innings scattering two hits and picking up ten strikeouts. He attacked the corners with the fastball getting swing and miss in the zone. He showed the ability the land the curveball for strikes from the start. Offensively he picked up two extra base hits including a double and a triple. There is strength and athleticism in the frame that he displays on both sides. There is two way intrigue with the 2026.
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Great Bridge
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Brody Comparto 2B / Great Bridge, VA / 2026
Comparto found different ways to impress on Friday night. The first way was offensively where he picked up two hits on the night to go along with a walk. His first at bat came when there was a runner on third in the early part of the game and he cashed in on a RBI single into left field. He later came up and attacked an mid eighties fastball on the outer half for a line drive to right. He displayed an aggressive approach for pitches in the zone and then showed his zone awareness with pitches not in the strike zone. He was also impressive on the mound where he was called in for relief in a tough spot and got his team out of the jam. He showed the ability to work his fastball in and out to hitters in the 83-85 range touching 87. He also showed the ability to be able to throw his sharp slider early in counts as well as later in counts for a tough out pitch for hitters. In his outing he picked up five strikeouts in 2 1/3 innings. Although it is a slim frame there is some strength present in the frame. As he continues to mature and get stronger his game will continue to rise.
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Casey Cuddyer SS / Great Bridge, VA / 2026
Cuddyer had a multi-hit night showing his bat to ball skills at the top of the Great Bridge lineup. There is controlled aggressiveness at the plate with line drive tendencies that is used for all parts of the field. He shows adjustability at the plate where picked up one of his hits late in the game recognizing a breaking ball and sending it back up the middle for a single. Defensively he got the start at shortstop and he is fundamentally sound in the dirt. It is a long lanky frame with plenty of room to add strength. Because his game is so fundamental when the strength is added to his frame the transition should be fairly easy.
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Dawson Newman LHP / OF / Great Bridge , VA / 2024
Newman got the start for Great Bridge on Friday night and he displayed a four pitch mix that gave them a good chance to win. His fastball was 85-88 touching 89 with plenty of life and arm side run that got chases out the zone. He showed feel for his curveball and slider. His slider was firm at 79-80 that looked like a true out pitch that he picked up a few strikeouts on. He did run into traffic in the second inning but he settled in and picked up three strikeouts to get out of the inning. Newman has swing and miss stuff and using that to his advantage will be key for the Wildcats going forward.
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