Summer Scouting: Under Armour All-America Game

August 13, 2009

By Nick James

The Under Armour All-America Game (powered by Baseball Factory) showcases thirty-six of the top draft-eligible high shoolers in the country. Baseball Factory works with young athletes to develop them as ballplayers and to find a college that best fits each player's academic and athletic needs (click here for more information). Team One Baseball is the tournament and showcase division of Baseball Factory. For more information on tournament schedules and other Team One Baseball events, click here. Under Armour is the official sponsor of Baseball Factory's showcase events and tournaments.

On Saturday, August 8th, and for the second consecutive year, the Under Armour All-America Game was held at Wrigley Field. For those of you with access to Chicago, and an interest in top notch amateur baseball, I highly recommend the experience. Baseball Factory and Under Armour again rounded-up some of the top draft-eligible high school talent around and put it on display for fans, scouts and members of the media. If there is any doubt as to the quality of the young men participating, this list of professional scouts and college coaches in attendance is enough to quell any misgivings. I took in the game down behind home plate, shuffling around some to try and get video (focusing on the pitchers) to be included in our player reports. You can find video of some of our top 15 performers at the bottom of this article, with the remainder of the video eventually available with the player reports and currently available at the CamdenDepot YouTube page.

Baseball Factory and Under Armour partnered for Saturday's game, along with thirty-six of the top high school players in the nation (click here for the event home page, including rosters and player bios). It was a muggy day, and it's been a long summer for these kids traveling on the showcase circuit, so there was understandably some inconsistent play in the field and on the mound. Ultimately, however, the talent between the lines couldn't help but show through. Here are our top 5 performers from the game and ten more to watch this spring (in no particular order):

TOP FIVE PERFORMERS:

1. Jameson Taillon, RHP, The Woodlands (TX) – On a day where there was a fair amount of inconsistency on the mound, Taillon (pictured left) came right after hitters, flashing plus stuff and good poise. His fastball came with late life, and he sat comfortably 93 - 95 mph, touching 96. The secondary stuff was there, as well, as I clocked his slider at 83 and his curve at 77, both showing good tilt and depth, respectively. His slider comes out of the same slot and starts on the same trajectory as his fastball, making it difficult to spot out of his hand and projectable as a legit swing-and-miss pitch at the pro ranks. He dispatched of all three hitters he faced via strikeout. In a prep class with some intriguing arms, Taillon has impressed me the most thus far, and continued to do so at Wrigley.

2. Nick Castellano, 3B, Archbishop McCarthy HS (FL) – Looking solely at the day’s events, it would be hard to say anyone had a day better than the Florida third baseman. After winning the homerun derby (he effortlessly launched the first two pitches he saw in the finals out to deep left-center to take the crown 2-1 over Allie) he earned MVP honors for the Baseball Factory Team, going 4-4 with three doubles, one triple and a walk. At the plate he showed easy power both pre- and in-game, as well as an equal ability to turn on a pitch and drive it the other way. While it’s worth noting two of his hits came off some of the softer fastballs of the day, the key takeaway was his ability to consistently center the ball on the bat. He gets excellent extension through contact after keeping a short path to the ball. There’s a slight hitch in his load, but his bat speed helps to negate the effects. A long frame with room to add bulk, Castellanos looks like he could hit for average and power. In the field his actions were clean and his arm a tick above-average. He looks the part and should be able to stick at the hot corner.

3. AJ Cole, RHP, Oviedo HS (FL) – Cole (pictured right) has that terrific combination of good stuff now and a projectability down the line. Listed at 6-5 / 190, there is plenty of room to fill out and add some strength as he progresses. This is particularly exciting considering his arsenal is already a pro’s arsenal in the making. On Saturday, I clocked his fastball consistently in the 90 - 93 mph range with two pitches hitting 94 (both up in the zone). He got excellent spin on his curve, but was coming around it a bit, causing it to lose the bite I’ve seen in my video reviews (he was mid-70s, 75 - 77 mph, with the pitch). His motion was repeatable, and his arm action was incredibly easy. A quick and dirty comparison would be to Zack Wheeler (drafted in ’09 by San Francisco at 1:6) at last year’s event, though Cole showed less consistency with his breaking ball and didn’t break out his change-up. I’ll be looking forward to his outing at the Aflac All-American game, and will be interested to see how his stuff progresses between now and next June. There is a lot to be excited about with this skill set and frame.

4. Karsten Whitson, RHP, Chipley HS (FL) – Whitson’s velocity settled in between 91 - 93 mph for me, though some other guns in the immediate vicinity had him hit 94/95 a couple of times. He showed an aggressive approach on the mound, even if his command didn’t cooperate in allowing him to pound the strike-zone. His secondary stuff consisted of a low-80s slider and a change-up that came in at 80 mph (I only hit one change on the gun). Both showed potential to develop into average to above-average offerings, with his change getting some added depth in part due to his arm action. Whitson (pictured below) throws out of a high 3/4 slot that’s close to directly overhand, combining with an upright delivery to create very good downward plane. He can cut his hip rotation short occasionally, which may have been a player in his command issues on Saturday and could add some stress in the shoulder by forcing more recoil. Whitson has the build of a workhorse and it’s easy to picture him as a swing-and-miss starter if everything comes together.

5. Deshun Dixon, OF/LHP, Terry HS (MS) – There were a few players I considered for this final spot in the Top 5, but ultimately Dixon’s use of his secondary stuff down in the zone was enough for me to give him the nod. He threw a hard downer curve in the mid- to upper-70s and a looser breaking ball around 72 mph. His change-up could be his most effective offering, thrown with good arm speed, showing fade and clocking-in around 15 mph slower than his primarily upper-80s fastball. Dixon’s arm action is quick and short, and his motion is fairly clean with some effort as he rotates through. He also flashed quick hands at the plate and some good breaks out in left field.

TEN MORE TO WATCH THIS SPRING:

1. DeAndre Smelter, RHP, Tattnal Square Academy (GA) – Smelter paired a solid upper-80s to low-90s fastball (showing arm-side life on his 2-seamer) with a hard low- to mid-80s slider. He has some deception in his delivery, turning away from home as he enters his leg kick. He gets the ball out in back early, dipping it low beneath his waste, but he does a decent job of lifting with a fairly clean arm action on the back-side. His low-3/4 arm slot helps the life on his 2-seamer to play-up and gives him a good angle for sweeping action on his slider. 

2. Austin Wilson, OF, Harvard Westlake HS (CA) – Last year, when I first saw the crop of Under Armour All-Americans up close, it was the frame/build of Donovan Tate that jumped out at me. This year’s physical specimen award goes to Wilson (pictured right), who is every bit of his listed 6-4 / 215 frame. More, it’s a lean and athletic build that could get even bigger and would fit into a pro locker room right now. He shows a plus to fringe plus-plus arm in right and big time raw power at the plate. His routes and reads are still very raw, and he struggled with pitch-ID at the plate, but the tools are there for him to develop into a special player.

3. Stetson Allie, RHP/3B, St. Edward HS (OH) – Allie had a day to forget in the field and at the plate, but his inning on the mound showcased some of the best velocity of the day. He sat 94-96 from the get-go, pumping fastball after fastball. While he shows some feel for pitching, he has a ways to go in the control department, and it’s tough for me to envision him maintaining his stuff a couple of times through the order. He reached the finals in the homerun derby and has shown in-game power at other stops along the summer circuit this year. I refuse to ding his ability to stick at third on the basis of an off day, so I anxiously await seeing him again at the Aflac game. He’ll be an interesting target to watch this spring -- whether he emerges as a better prospect at third or on the mound.

4. Zach Alvord, MIF, South Forsyth HS (GA) – Alvord (pictured left) showed a strong arm and good footwork around the bag. It looks like he could go either way between second base and short, though second may be a better fit (range). At the plate, he shows good pop for a middle-infielder, keeping his hands quick to and through the ball and generating his power with strong hands and forearms. I see a little bit of pre-breakout Gordon Beckham in Alvord, from frame and skillset right down to the arm bar in his swing. He shows an aggressive approach to the game and is likely to earn the “gamer” label if he doesn’t have it already. As a middle-infielder with good power and a solid feel for the game, Alvord should draw a lot of interest over the next ten months.

5. Kevin Gausman, RHP, Grandview HS (CO) – Gausman utilizes good arm speed to help generate low-90s velocity (he was most frequently 90 - 91 mph, touching 92/93). While the fastball velocity was solid, his curve was a soft offering (72 -75 mph) that lacked consistent shape or bite. Gausman gets good extension towards home, using all of his 6-4 frame and long legs and arms. He can land on a stiff front leg and had a tendency to fly open, which limited his command. He could project best as a power relief arm, particularly if he continues to fill out and adds a few ticks to his velo.

6. Reggie Golden, OF, Wetumpka HS (AL) – Golden (pictured right) had the jaw-dropper of the day, depositing a soft breaking ball into the back row of the left field bleachers, missing clearing the stadium by a matter of feet. His strong, compact build, short swing and quick bat combine to give him big raw power, though it’s more BP power than in-game at this point. Still raw in his feel for the game, Golden flashes good physical tools and will be one of the more intriguing names to follow.

7. Andrew Smith, RHP, Roswell HS (GA) – Smith showed one of the stronger breaking balls of the day, flashing 2-plane action in the 71-74 mph range. His fastball ranged from 88-92 mph, and he moved it around fairly well. Smith generates good momentum towards home, keeping his hips closed and getting excellent drive in his lower-half, almost leaping towards home. At first glance it looks like his arm has to play catch-up a bit. After reviewing my film from the game, I think his hip/shoulder separation is solid enough that, by the time he uncoils, the ball is adequately cocked in the throwing position, despite lagging when he first plants his lead foot.

8. Yordy Cabrera, MIF, Lakeland HS (FL) – Cabrera (pictured left) currently has a solid shortstop build, though he’s likely to shift over to third as he continues to fill-out his 6-4 frame. At the plate Cabrera shows above-average pop, generating good bat speed and getting solid extension. He has some length to his swing and could stand to let the ball travel a little deeper, but the power (particularly pull-side) is impressive. In the field he shows good actions and adequate footwork around the bag. He could perhaps improve his consistency in setting-up on his throws.

9. Brandon Brennan, RHP, Capistrano Valley HS (CA) – Brennan sat in the 90 - 92 mph range with his fastball, though he struggled to command the pitch to the quadrants. He showed good depth on a couple of breaking balls and solid spin, even when missing his release point (ranging all the way from 72 - 78 mph with the pitch). He also broke out an 81 mph change-up with a little depth, slowing his arm speed some. He could tighten up his lead arm as he plants and can throw a little too much across his body, falling of towards first. Still, there’s good potential in both his frame and stuff. On a day when consistency wasn’t a mainstay on the mound, Brennan showed a feel for three solid offerings and enough projection to make him one of the more intriguing arms of the day.

10. Trey Griffin, OF, Martin Luther King, Jr. HS (GA) – The wiry Griffin (pictured right) looks to be one of the most athletic players in the draft, showing legit five-tool potential. At the plate, Griffin has a compact swing that produces solid power with enough bat control to project to hit for average, as well. He can get out in front early on occasion, hitting a little too much off his front foot. On the bases, Griffin is aggressive and opportunistic, making the most of his plus to plus-plus speed (he timed a throw back to the pitcher on Saturday, stealing home while the ball was in flight back to the mound). He has enough arm to play at all three outfield positions, and enough foot speed and tracking ability to do the same. Griffin is a baseball player first, but his athletic tools will get plenty of attention and ink between now and next June. He could be among the first prep position players off the board.