World Wood Bat Association World Championship: Part 3 of 3 November 5, 2009 By
Nick James
The World Wood Bat Association
World Championship brought to the Roger Dean Sports Complex in Jupiter, Florida, 85 teams made up of players from all over
the United States, Latin America and Canada. One of the premier scouting events of the year, a horde of college coaches and
professional scouts spread out across the thirteen-field facility monitoring one of the best collections of prep talent you’ll
ever come across. Perfect Game USA hosted the event and provided coverage from Day 1 (Thursday, October 22) through the championship
game and consolation match-ups on Day 5 (Monday, October 26) via blog, video and stat wraps (link here for the daily entries). You can also click the following for a schedule of future Perfect Game showcases and tournaments. To view other scouting write-ups and reports you can visit the scouting arm of Perfect Game -- Perfect Game Crosschecker. In Part 1 and Part of the WWBA World
Championship review I went through eight rounds of a hypothetical draft with my selections limited solely to the players I
saw down in Jupiter. Here are the results: Round
1 Selection: Karsten Whitson, RHP, Chipley HS (FL)
Runner-up: Nick Castellanos, 3B, Archbishop McCarthy HS (FL)
Round 2
Selection: Josh Sale,
OF, Bishop Blanchet HS (WA)
Runner-up: Kris Bryant, 3B/1B,
Bonanza HS (NV)
Round 3 Selection:
Marcus Littlewood, SS, Pineview HS (UT)
Runner-up: Chevez
Clarke, OF, Marietta HS (GA)
Round 4 Selection:
Kevin Ziomek, LHP/OF, Amherst Regional HS (MA)
Runner-up:
Zach Alvord, SS/2B, South Forsyth HS (FL) Round 5 Selection: Sean Coyle, SS/2B, Germantown
Academy (PA)
Runner-up: Austin Southall, OF/1B, University
HS (LA)
Round 6
Selection: Mike Foltynewicz,
RHP/1B/OF, Minooka HS (IL)
Runner-up: Kevin Jordan, OF,
Northside HS (GA)
Round 7 Selection:
Christian Yelich, 1B/3B, Westlake HS (CA)
Runner-up: Jacob
Felts, C, Orangefield HS (TX)
Round 8 Selection:
Bobby Wahl, RHP, West Springfield HS (VA)
Runner-up: Brandon
Stephens, C, Lassiter HS (GA) With the Part 3 of the series I'll offer picks for Rounds 9 and 10, as well as a “Later Rounds” pick.
As a bonus, to bring us up to a tidy total of 25 players covered, I'll give two players to add to your early watch list
for the 2011 Draft Class and one for your very early watch list for the 2012 Draft Class. As with before, I’ll
try to stay true to approximately where I think the players would go were the Rule 4 MLB draft held today, but don’t get too caught-up in the rounds. The purpose of this series isn’t to project
where I think the players will be selected next June, it’s simply
a mechanism for discussing the players and performances from the Jupiter
event while making sure we touch on a good chunk of an incredibly wide spectrum of draft eligible talents. Round 9 My
Selection: Jake Hernandez, C, Los Osos HS (CA) | Tournament Team: ABD Bulldogs. Hernandez
doesn’t have offensive tools that jump out at you, but he takes to the plate a very balanced approach and a good understanding
of what he wants to do with each at bat. He has average bat speed and pop to the gaps, which could increase some as he gets
a little stronger. Behind the plate is where Hernandez really shines. He has good arm strength and a quick release, posting
consistent sub-2.0 pop times to second, and I got him as low as 1.86 in Jupiter. He is fluid side-to-side and is quick coming
out on plays in front him, showing excellent hands and footwork. He shows a strong understanding of game situations, as well.
Hernandez profiles as an above-average defender with enough of an offensive foundation to develop into an average producer
-- perhaps more as he adds strength. Video of Hernandez at bat in Jupiter here.
Runner-up: Roderick Shoulders, 1B/C, Brandon HS (FL) | Tournament Team:  Chet Lemon’s Juice. At 6‘2” / 225 lbs, Shoulders’s (pictured) value is tied almost exclusively
to his bat, and specifically his hit for power tool. His swing is nice and loose, and despite some rocking into his load (in
his body and hands) he does a good job of anchoring his hands relative to his back shoulder as he starts his stride, which
helps to keep a consistent swing plane. He’s short to, and long through, contact, getting good lift and showing plus
raw power to the pull side. He also shows a solid undertanding of the strikezone, and does a good job of the working the count
to find his pitch. Shoulders spent time at first base and behind the plate, in each case showing soft hands and athletic movements.
While his future is probably at the three-spot, he could be an adequate backstop at the collegiate level and potentially the
lower levels as a pro off the strength of his hands and his strong and accurate arm. He’ll have to maintain his conditioning,
but could develop into an impressive power prospect. Round 10 My Selection: Jimmy
Hodgskin, LHP, Bishop Moore HS (FL) | Tournament Team: FTP Mizuno. The 6’2” / 190 lbs lefty
squared-off against first round hopeful Dylan Covey on Friday evening, spinning three no-hit innings while striking out six
along the way. Hodgskin throws with some effort and can get a little stiff, but he throws with good downward plane on his
upper-80s fastball (touching 90 mph on Friday). He also has an advanced change-up with plus depth and some fade, which he
throws out of the same arm slot as his fastball, with similar arm speed. There’s a nice velocity delta between his fastball
and change of around 12-14 mph, making it a very difficult pitch for prep hitters to handle. His breaking ball is still soft
with inconsistent shape. Video of Hodgskin’s mechanics on Friday night here.
Runner-up: Chris Triplett, SS, Sandy Creek HS (GA) | Tournament Team: Royals Baseball Club.
Triplett turned heads on Saturday night, breaking off a 6.38 60-yard time at the Bo Jackson 5-Tool Championship
and solidifying his title as the fastest in this year’s prep ranks. In addition to game changing speed, Triplett is
a strong defender with smooth actions up-the-middle and solid footwork around the bag. While his range and hands play at shortstop,
his arm may be best suited for second base, where the full package would play as well above-average (Video of Triplett in
the field here). At the plate, Triplett can drive the ball to left field and to right field with equal authority, utilizing quick, strong
hands. He can get his hands a little too far back and up in his load, which adds some length to his swing, but this should
be correctable as he progresses. He profiles as a plus defender at second base with the raw offensive tools to mold into a
top of the order bat. Video of Triplett at bat here.  Later Rounds
Runner-up: TJ Pecoraro, RHP/SS, Half Hollow Hills West HS (NY) | Tournament Team:
East Coast PG Gray. The biggest knock on Pecoraro right now is his frame, which is a bit thin in the hips and shoulders
and is only currently filled out to the tune of 6’0” / 160 -- a bit on the small side for a pro prospect. There’s
no denying his stuff has the potential to play at the next level, however, and certainly at the collegiate level (he’s
committed to Vanderbilt). The righty can get his fastball up to 91/92 mph, and generally sits in the 88-90 mph range. Pecoraro
utilizes a minimalist motion and generates his velocity with plus arm speed (while he can get his arm out early in back, he
shields it well with his body, helping the ball to jump on the batter when he quickly rotates through). His slider has some
tilt and can be an above-average pitch when he’s hitting his release point, sitting 76-78 mph for me. He also shows
a good feel for a change-up, throwing it with solid arm speed and getting some depth on the pitch around 71-72 mph. In Saturday’s
start against the On Deck O’s squad, Pecoraro went three shutout innings, striking out three and allowing two hits and
a walk. I didn’t get a camera on him Saturday, but have video from earlier this summer at the Perfect Game Sunshine
NE Showcase here. He should get some draft interest and could greatly raise his stock this spring, and certainly with a few years at Vandy
under his belt. 2011 Draft Class
Early Watch: Travis Harrison, 3B/OF,
Aliso Viejo HS (CA) | Tournament Team: ABD Bulldogs. Harrison is considered by many to be the early favorite
for best prep bat in the 2011 Draft Class. He already shows plus power potential and drives the ball from pole-to-pole, allowing
it to travel deep and utilizing excellent bat speed. Just a high school junior, he already has an impressive build at 6’2”
/ 215 lbs. There’s some clean-up to be done with his swing mechanics, as he glides forward in his weight transfer and
can hit off of a bit of a soft front side. He’s so strong in his core and upper body, though, that even with his weight
forward early he has no problem driving the ball with authority. In the field he shows a strong arm that should work at third
or right field. He logged some innings at shortstop, as well, but doesn’t look to be a good fit there due to his limited
range. If you haven’t started yet, keep your eyes on Harrison over the next 18 months. He should have plenty to show
you. He turned in an impressive weekend, including a homerun, triple and a couple of multi-hit games. Video of Harrison at
bat here.
Runner-up: Andrew Suarez, LHP, Columbus HS (FL) | Tournament Team: Texas  Scout Team Yankees. Suarez (pictured) went four innings, striking out four and allowing four hits in Saturday’s
match-up against the Kentucky Baseball Club. At 6’3” / 190 lbs, Suarez projects as a durable starter whose cause
is helped by an easy arm action and low-effort delivery. He should be able to add a little more velocity as he gains strength
and cleans-up some mechanical quirks (he drifts forward comingo ut of his leg kick and entering his stride). His fastball
is a solid offering right now that he throws effectively to both sides of the plate, sitting 87-90 mph. His breaking ball
is a loose slider with good tilt but fringy bite. As he tightens up the 73-75 mph slider, it could grow into an above-average
offering. He also flashes a rudimentary change-up that he throws a little too hard right now. Video of Suarez’s Saturday
outing here.
2012 Draft Class
Very Early Watch: Trey Oest, RHP, Durant HS
(FL) | Tournament Team: Chet Lemon’s Juice. I caught a short relief outing from Oest while taking
a look at some other players in the Chet Lemon Juice/Cangelosi Baseball match-up on Friday and he made a strong impression
on me. The high school sophomore stands 6’3” / 190 lbs and is already sitting in the 85-87 range with his fastball,
touching 88 mph and getting excellent late life on the pitch. His breaking ball is a true curve, sitting 75-77 mph and flashing
2-plane action with good depth. It’s very early for the 2012 draft class, but Oest has already found his way to my watch
list after handling a solid Cangelosi Baseball team and showcasing two potential above-average offerings.
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