2017 Perfect Game WWBA: Weekend Notebook

JUPITER, Fla.—The beginning of the playoff rounds of Perfect Game’s World Wood Bat Association World Championship bring heightened tensions on the field as teams play with elimination on the line. This year’s tournament reached that phase Sunday afternoon and close, taut games abounded as the tournament field was winnowed to eight teams.

In one of the most dramatic games of the night, the Dallas Tigers defeated the San Diego Show, 3-2, to advance to the quarterfinals. The game, which saw two San Diego coaches ejected, ended on a walk-off, bases-loaded single from shortstop Jaden Woodson.

Woodson’s game-winning hit came after he fouled off a suicide squeeze bunt attempt. But he was able to bring home the winning run with a solid single up the middle.

“It was very exciting to get that last hit,” Woodson said. “All my friends, all my teammates got huge, clutch hits and walks in the last inning. I just had the chance to drive them in, so it was awesome.”

Woodson, the son of former Dallas Cowboys safety Darren Woodson, is a junior at Jesuit College Prep in Dallas and is committed to Texas. He had a strong day at the plate Sunday, going 5-for-10 with two triples and three RBIs in three games.

Woodson is an impressive athlete and has improved as a hitter as he has matured as a player. He said he is working on his arm strength this fall.

“I’ve been short-arming it a little bit,” he said. “So I’m trying to get long and aim my throws a little bit better. It’s coming along pretty well.”

Woodson and the rest of the Tigers are also benefitting from the experience of playing at Jupiter. The team is almost entirely made up of juniors who are getting the opportunity to play up against some of the top competition in the country.

Woodson is enjoying the opportunity and looking forward to Monday’s games, when the tournament championship will be decided.

“All these great teams, all these great arms that we get to face, it’s awesome,” he said. “It’s really just preparing us for the next level, honestly. It’s just a great experience.”

-Teddy Cahill

Here are some of the notable players and performances from the action this weekend:

Joe Gray Jr. | OF | Hattiesburg (Miss.) High

The summer was tough for one of the most talented players in the 2018 class. Joe Gray Jr. found himself struggling at several of the big showcases and didn’t seem like the same player he was as an underclassmen when he popped onto the national scene.

Gray, a Mississippi commit, began to find his swing in events leading up to Jupiter, including the Wilson Premier Classic in late September—which the Canes won. He looked laser-focused at the plate Saturday morning during a 7-2 victory over DRB Elite, going 3-for-3 with a double, triple and a single that left his bat at 96 miles per hour.

On Sunday, Gray also showed plus arm strength on multiple throws to home plate during a first round bracket game against GBG Marucci, once just barely missing throwing a runner out and the second time preventing a runner from even attempting to tag from third.

Gray has all the tools in the world, but many scouts were worried about his hit tool after he swung and missed consistently this summer. However, scouts watching this weekend saw a player who showed a great ability to barrel both fastballs and off speed offerings with authority. Jo Adell—the 10th pick in the 2017 MLB Draft and a player commonly compared to Gray—faced similar hit tool questions. Adell showed significant improvement as the showcase season wore on and is currently coming off of an excellent start to his pro career with the Angels.

-Carlos Collazo

Hunter Barco | LHP | The Bolles School, Jacksonville

A 6-foot-4, 205-pound lefthander out of Jacksonville, Hunter Barco racked up seven strikeouts in just three innings on Sunday while pitching for the Braves Scout Team/East Cobb. The Virginia commit worked off a fastball that touched 93 mph and consistently sat 91-92, while also showing advanced feel for a changeup and slider.

Both of Barco’s offspeed offerings sat in the low-to-mid 80s, with his slider showing a sharp, late-breaking bite and his changeup having solid downward fade that was especially effective against righthanders. Barco had full control over all three of his pitches, walking none of the 10 batters he faced and continually spotting his low-90s fastball on the inside corner to right-handed hitters with great angle. A 2019 prospect, Barco was one of several impressive arms on the Braves Scout Team/East Cobb staff, including 2018 righthander Garrett Wade, an Auburn commit who struck out nine batters in four innings, and Cooper Stinson, a 2018 Navy commit who was up to 93 mph with his fastball.

-Kegan Lowe

Christian MacLeod | LHP | Huntsville HS, Ala.

In perhaps the most consequential pitching performance of the weekend, Christian MacLeod was almost single-handedly responsible for eliminating a star-studded Canes National team from the WWBA World Championship with a dominating relief appearance on Sunday night.

A lefthander out of Huntsville, Ala., MacLeod pitched the final five innings of East Coast Sox Select’s 3-1, Round-of-16 victory over the Canes National team, allowing only two hits while striking out nine and walking none. Listed at 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, MacLeod pitched from a filled-out frame firing 88-90 mph fastballs that consistently found the bottom of the strike zone.

The Mississippi State commit kept the Canes’ hitters off-balance with a sharp 76-79 mph curveball he used to put hitters away once he got ahead in the count with above-average control of his fastball. MacLeod also showed feel for a changeup, which sat in the low-80s.

In all, MacLeod threw 52 of his 76 pitches for strikes and had one dominant stretch in the fifth and sixth innings in which he struck out five Canes hitters in a row, including 2018 top-50 prep prospects Xavier Edwards, Anthony Seigler, Nick Northcut and Joe Gray Jr.

-Kegan Lowe

Brennan Malone | RHP | Porter Ridge High, Indian Trail, N.C.

One of the top pitchers in the 2019 class, North Carolina commit Brennan Malone created quite the crowd Saturday afternoon as his On Deck O’s took on Scorpions Prime.

Malone opened up in the low 90s out of a three-quarter arm slot with great arm speed. The first curveball he threw was easily a plus offering that drew audible appreciation of most of the scouts and fans who were watching. The pitch had great spin and a sharp downward 11-to-5 shape which locked the batter up in the box for strike three.

It wasn’t as smooth during the rest of Malone’s outing, which lasted four innings. He allowed four hits and three runs while walking three batters and striking out five. More importantly, his release point lowered as the outing wore on and his fastball command grew worse because of that. His curveball was also inconsistent and he left a few of them hanging over the plate.

Still he showed traits that will make him one of the top arms in the 2019 class with an athletic 6-foot-4, 205-pound frame and a fast, easy arm action with some present stuff. Consistency should come as he continues to pitch.

-Carlos Collazo

Nick Northcut | 3B | Mason (Ohio) High

Nick Northcut is the 48th-ranked high school prospect because of his bat, but if he makes his way to Vanderbilt’s campus, he should have a chance to be a two-way player for Tim Corbin.

Corbin originally recruited Northcut as a pitcher only before seeing him hit a colossal home run that altered his future plans for the 6-foot slugger.

Sunday afternoon Northcut showed why Corbin was originally interested in him as a pitcher, as he threw five shutout innings of relief, striking out five batters and getting out of tense jams on multiple occasions in a 1-1 game before second baseman Matt McLain’s walkoff single in the seventh inning.

Northcut used only two pitches: a fastball that sat in the upper 80s and touched 91 mph and what Northcut calls a cutter. It looks more like a slider out of his hand and ranged from 76-to-81 mph. He was comfortable using the pitch when behind in the count and with runners on base.

-Carlos Collazo

Adam Hackenberg | C | The Miller School, Charlottesville, Va.

One of the lone bright spots for the Canes National team in its 3-1 loss to the East Coast Sox Select team was 2018 catcher Adam Hackenberg, who was responsible for the Canes only run of the evening.

A 6-foot-2, 225-pound catcher, Hackenberg turned on a high, inside fastball in the top of the second inning, sending it well over the left-center field fence for a solo home run. The towering shot made Hackenberg one of only three players to hit multiple home runs in this year’s WWBA World Championship, which includes a 411-foot blast that left his bat with an exit velocity of 102.1 mph.

Hackenberg, who also showed impressive pop to the opposite field, is more than just a power bat, however. The Clemson commit showed a plus arm from behind the plate, including one instance in which he nearly threw a base-stealer out at second base despite having to retrieve a blocked wild pitch nearly a third of the way up the third-base line.

A legitimate power bat with the potential tools necessary to stick behind the plate is rare for a high school prospect, leaving Hackenberg as someone who could see his stock rise significantly after the past four days despite his team’s shortcomings.

-Kegan Lowe

Other players to note:

• Considered to be one of the top arms in the 2019 class, righthander Joseph Charles topped out at 94 mph in his start for the Central Florida Gators on Sunday morning. Charles, who is committed to North Carolina, also showed feel for a decent breaking ball that sat in the high-70s, although his release point was inconsistent and led to a pair of walks and two hit batters in two innings.

• The middle infield duo for the Canes American team could not look much different in stature, but 2018 shortstop Cam McMillan and 2018 second baseman Jonah Beamon have both made consistently strong plays in the field alongside one another.

McMillan is most notable for being listed at 6-foot-5 and 200 pounds, but continuing to play shortstop when his body profile may suggest a move to third base would be expected. The Vanderbilt commit made several plays ranging to both his right and left over the weekend and showed off a strong arm, while also making a leaping, run-saving grab in the Canes’ 2-1 win over the defending WWBA champion Dirtbags.

At 5-foot-8 and 170 pounds, Beamon fits the middle infield profile slightly better than McMillan and has shown the range necessary to play either second base or shortstop as he continues to climb the ranks. Committed to South Carolina, Beamon also showed above-average speed while running the bases.

• 2018 outfielder Brennan Davis flashed an array of impressive tools on Sunday, when the uncommitted 6-foot-4, 175-pound righthander finished 3-for-5 with a double and a walk from the leadoff spot for the Arizona Diamondbacks Scout Team.

On his double, Davis lined a fastball into the left-center field gap but was eventually called out trying to stretch the double into a triple, a play only made possible because of Davis’ smooth running style that saw him glide around the bases faster than most. Davis also showed good range and a strong arm in centerfield for a Diamondbacks team that secured a spot in Monday’s WWBA World Championship quarterfinals.

• 2018 Vanderbilt commit Ethan Smith threw a perfect game for Team Elite Prime on Saturday, and needed just 77 pitches to do it. The 6-foot-3 righthander struck out 14 Coastal Prospects batters en route to the perfect game and a 3-0 victory, averaging 89 mph on his fastball and touching 92.

• 2018 North Carolina commit Logan Clayton has the most strikeouts of any pitcher of the tournament through Sunday games, after a 12-strikeout game against BPA in the second round of bracket play. Clayton averaged 86 mph on his fastball over six innings, touching 92 and throwing 69 percent of his 97 pitches for strikes. Clayton also threw for Canes American on the first day of the tournament, where he struck out five batters in four shutout innings.

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