Summer Scouting: Aflac All-American Game

December 13, 2009

By Nick James

The Aflac All-American High School Baseball Classic, the premiere high school baseball all-star competition, showcases 40 of the nation's best players. The Classic features an East vs. West format, played annually during the late summer before most participants have returned to school. Each year an MLB Hall of Famer is selected to serve as the Honorary Chairman. The Honorary Chairman works to raise awareness for the Game and its charitable cause towards the research and treatment of cancer. The Chairman also serves as a Role model to the selected Aflac All-Americans, sharing insight with the players about his MLB and life experiences.

The Game's alumni have experienced tremendous success in the June MLB draft, with 65 of 230 All-American players being drafted by MLB teams in the first round and 3 first overall (Matt Bush in 2004, Justin Upton in 2005 and Tim Beckham in 2008).

-- From Event Info page at Official Site

TOP FIVE PERFORMERS:

1. Jameson Taillon, RHP, The Woodlands (Texas) – Taillon was once again the biggest jaw-dropper of an event. The big Texas righty carved-up the opposition, striking out four over two innings of action, with the only batter to reach base being Chevy Clarke, who legged out an infield hit on a soft grounder to the left side. Taillon’s fastball was once again a legit plus to plus-plus pitch, regularly registering in the mid-90s with good late life. His 2-plane power curve was equally effective, particularly as a freeze pitch. This outing served as the last large U.S.-based event for Taillon to display his wares (he logged innings with Team USA in September but skipped the WWBA National Championships down in Jupiter), and he did not disappoint. He’s likely the top prep arm on the draft board for most organizations, and profiles as a true potential ace.

2. DeAndre Smelter, RHP, Tattnal Square Academy (Ga.)  – Smelter was almost as impressive as Taillon at Petco, striking out Bryce Harper, Krey Bratsen and Austin Wilson with little trouble. Marcus Littlewood was the only batter to reach base, working his second walk of the game. Smelter’s split-finger was devastating, sitting in the low- to mid-80s with plus late bite and tumble, and could probably miss pro bats right now. He showed his above-average arm strength with 4-seamers clocking in from the low- to mid-90s and flashed a solid breaking ball with good shape. Smelter is one of several prep power arms that will be under consideration for early 1st Round selection this upcoming spring, and he had some of his better stuff on display for the Aflac game.

3. Dylan Covey, RHP, Maranatha HS (Calif.) – Covey lacks the projection of some of his fellow prepsters, but few of his peers can match his current stuff. His fastball is a plus offering right now that comes in on a hard downward plane and generally sits low-90s, reaching the 94-96 mph range. The trajectory of the pitch, as well as his ability to locate it down, are important, since it can come in fairly straight. His best secondary offering is a power downer-curveball with plus depth and bite. He worked the pitch in the low-80s at Aflac, and it was effective as a freeze pitch and as a swing-and-miss offering. He pounded the bottom of the strikezone with his fastball/curveball combo and easily stepped through three batters, striking out two and recording the final out on a soft fly to left.

4. Tony Wolters, SS/2B, Rancho Buena Vista HS (Calif.) – Wolters showcased impressive skills at the plate and in the field, earning MVP honors. He flashed plus hands and solid footwork around the bag, reinforcing the belief that the California shortstop has a future up-the-middle as a pro. His range may ultimately land him at second, but he has the actions to handle short, and a strong enough arm for the left side. At the plate, Wolters utilized a compact swing to notch two hits -- a soft, linedrive single to left and a hard hit triple down the right field line. While he sometimes loads a little low with his hands, his plus hand-eye coordination helps him to square consistently, and he made the most out of his chances at Aflac. He also displayed good instincts on the bases, aggressiveness and solid speed (3.93 home-to-first). While Wolters has some of the quicker feet and softer hands in the class, his skill set may ultimately play better at second, where his total package could be above-average at the pro level. There's little doubt he could be a special collegiate shortstop. The San Diego commit will be closely followed this spring and is a candidate to be one of the first middle-infielders off the board.

5. Robert Aviles, RHP, Suffern HS (N.Y.) – Aviles rounds out the top five performers after easily working through the second inning, allowing one baserunner (via walk) and notching one strikeout. The righty has a pro body right now, with room to add strength and grow into his workhorse frame. Like Covey, he throws his fastball on a tough downward plane and is most effective low in the zone. His excellent arm speed helps to generate his 89-92 mph fastball velocity, and helps his change-up (one of the best in the class) to play up significantly. There's generally an 8-10 mph delta between Aviles's fastball and change, and both utilize almost identical arm slots and arm speed. He gets excellent depth and fade and works the pitch flawlessly down in the zone. The Florida commit also mixed in a low-80s curve with hard downer action. He gets excellent spin and, though his command is inconsistent, it could be a third above-average pitch as he continues to refine. The combination of a projectable pro frame, three pitch mix and aggressive approach could land Aviles in the top half of the first round, and he's all but certain to be one of the top one hundred players off the board.

TEN MORE TO WATCH THIS SPRING (IN NO ORDER):

1. AJ Cole, RHP, Oviedo HS (Fla.) – The name most often linked with Taillon in "top high school arm" discussions throughout the summer, Cole had another strong outing at Aflac. The tall, projectable righty hit the mid-90s with his lively fastball, elevating the pitch effectively, save for one mistake to Ragira that caught too much of the plate. His curve was a solid second offering, and Cole threw it skillfully to both sides of the plate. A lot of Cole's value comes with his projection, but the current set of skills is quite impressive, as well. It would be a surprise if he lasts past the first ten picks this June. 

2. Marcus Littlewood, SS, Pineview HS (Utah) – Littlewood isn't the flashiest defender, but he has a very strong tool box for a prep shortstop, and showed solid range, adequate arm strength and plus hands on Sunday. He has the footwork and agility to make all the required pivots on both ends of the double-play, and sets himself up as well as anyone else in the high school ranks collecting the ball. At the plate, Littlewood showed a good understanding of the strikezone, working walks in each of his at bats. He's a true potential five-tooler at a premium position and could go as high as the first round to a team that believes in his offensive potential.

3. AJ Vanegas, RHP, Redwood Christian HS (Calif.) – Vanegas showed good life on his 2-seamer and solid low-90s velocity. He worked his fastball well low in the zone, with his short arm action helping to play-up the explosiveness of the offering. His curve sat low- to mid-70s and was effective as a swing-and-miss pitch, a freeze pitch and soft-contact inducer. At its best, his breaking ball is a hard downer that changes the eye-level of the hitter. He flashes 2-plane action on the pitch when he comes around it, but tends to miss away when that happens due to the accidental nature of the shape. While he's pretty well filled-out, his wide frame indicates he could pack on even more strength as he matures. He could wind-up something in a Brad Penny mold if everything clicks.

4. Bryce Harper, C, Coll. of Sou. Nevada – Much ado was made of Harper's struggles at the plate during the Aflac game (his mechanics came a bit undone as the summer stretched on), but he shined in every other aspect of the game. Behind the plate, he showed soft hands and an ability to handle a group of talented arms with little trouble. Harper's biggest shortcoming, defensively, is his flexibility, which he'll need to work to maintain and ideally improve if he's to stick as a big-framed catcher at the pro ranks (he currently has a tendency to collapse his left side, causing his center of gravity to shift to the left, making it difficult at times for him to react to breaking balls to his right side). In addition to his soft hands and agility, Harper showed off his 80-arm (1.74 and 1.88 pop times with good footwork and silly carry), plus-plus raw power (runner-up in the homerun derby) and solid footspeed (4.09 and 4.20 home-to-first). He's an elite collection of tools and should be considered the clear frontrunner in the race for 1:1 in June.

5. Karsten Whitson, RHP, Chipley HS (Fla.) – Another in a good-sized group of power arms in the '10 class, Whitson was once again in the low- to mid-90s with a heavy fastball. While his mechanics prevented him from consistently hitting his spots (he gets a little too much side-to-side momentum at release as a result of landing hard and coming around his plant leg) and resulted in a lead-off walk, Whitson worked around the same by inducing a soft groundball from the next hitter. He didn't throw his slider much, and didn't get the late bite he's capable of producing, but the pitch is a potential second plus offering. While not his strongest outing, Whitson's velocity and boring action on his fastball were enough to remind everyone why he's consistently mentioned as one of the top power arms in the draft.

6. Kaleb Cowart, RHP/SS/3B, Cook County HS (Ga.) – A talented two-way player, Cowart stood out on the mound at Aflac, pitching a perfect third inning and recording two strikeouts. Cowart's fastball is a low-90s offering that touches 94/95 mph, and there could be a little more in there with some tweaks to his mechanics -- particularly extending his strides some. On Sunday, he located it well all around the strikezone with good life on the pitch. His curve sat low-70s and showed solid shape, and he flashed a low-80s change-up with decent arm speed and excellent late tumble. Cowart is closer to a finished product on the mound, but has the athleticism and hands in the field, as well as the power potential at the plate, to entice a team to try developing him as a third baseman, or even an offensive-minded shortstop.

7. Stetson Allie, RHP/3B, St. Edward HS (Ohio) – In typical Stetson Allie fashion, his first fastball knocked the mitt off of catcher Brandon Stephens's hand. Also in typical Stetson Allie fashion, he walked the first batter on four pitches. The big righty possesses perhaps the strongest pitching arm in the draft class, but struggles to consistently throw strikes. Aflac was an example of what he can do when he's generally around the strikezone, retiring the next three hitters following his lead-off base-on-balls. His fastball was in the mid-90s, touching 97 mph, and hitters struggled to time the explosive offering. He also flashed his power slider, throwing a pair in the mid-80s with sharp bite. Allie is also a third baseman, though he was limited to first for this game due to the plethora of talented gloves looking for innings on the left side. And while his raw power at the plate is impressive, it's most likely right now that the team that selects him in June will do so with hopes of harnessing his potentially elite power stuff on the mound.

8. Yordy Cabrera, MIF, Lakeland HS (FL) – Cabrera didn't have an overly impressive game, but he showed good arm strength in the field and logged a solid home-to-first time of 4.11 from the right-handed batter's box. He also showcased his raw power earlier in the day, launching five homeruns out of spacious Petco Park in the final round of the homerun derby -- good enough to beat out fellow finalist Bryce Harper for the title. Cabrera may shift off of shortstop as a pro, but should easily have the bat for second or third. He has a powerful stroke with the bat control and strong wrists to make hard contact all across the zone.

9. Brian Ragira, OF, James Martin HS (Texas) – Though he finished with just one hit in four at bats, Ragira made repeated hard contact at the plate and showed an ability to hit the ball wherever pitched. He turned on an inside fastball, lining out to left, and smoked a hard one-hopper to second baseman Tony Wolters on a fastball away. His lone hit was a double to straightaway center off of an elevated AJ Cole fastball that split the plate. Ragira profiles best in right with his strong throwing arm and solid footspeed, though he could wind-up in center at the college level should he and fellow 2010 draft-eligible prepster Austin Wilson both honor their commitments to Stanford. Ragira profiles as a pole-to-pole hitter with good gap power and quick, strong hands that could help him develop into a legit homerun threat. His signability, considering his good academic record and college commitment, could be the largest hurdle to early-round selection.

10. Aaron Sanchez, RHP, Barstow HS (Calif.) – Sanchez's velocity was down some on his fastball, but he showed the same late life on the pitch his whip-like arm action had produced all summer. Full of projection, Sanchez is lean and wiry with long arms and legs and lots of room to fill-in. He gets good deception in his motion and arm action, making it difficult for hitters to pick-up his generally upper-80s to low-90s fastball (though he sat closer to 85-90 at Aflac). Sanchez's best secondary action is a 12-6 curve with tight spin and consistent shape, which he threw adequately despite failing to finish a couple of times and leaving the pitch up. Given the amount of growth that likely remains in his body, it will be a few years before anyone gets a good handle on the type of pitcher Sanchez will ultimately develop into. He'll need to continuously work on maintaining and repeating his mechanics as he matures, but the raw skills are there for him to come out as one of the better arms to develop out of this draft class.