Some Thoughts & Observations from WWBA

This past weekend I was able to attend the World Wood Bat Association Championship, a tournament showcasing the largest(?) collection of domestic, amateur baseball talent, in Jupiter, Florida. The previous weekend I was fortunate enough to cover the Florida Diamond Club Showcase in Lakeland, Florida for Baseball America. My recaps for the three days of action at the Diamond Club Showcase can be found here, here, and here (all FREE). The Florida Diamond Club Showcase was a tremendous experience and I was able to jot down some raw scouting notes on dozens of top prospects from the state and talk to a handful of scouts and players (much of which I will be disclosing on the blog in the future). 

Needless to say, after seeing a number of high profile amateurs such as Oscar Mercado and Brian Navaretto, I thought that my experience in Lakeland would prepare for me for the WWBA weekend in Jupiter. 

I was wrong.  Much of my confusion was due to the fact that I arrived midday and mid-tournament.  The tournament was slated to begin on Thursday—but weather only allowed one game to be completed. Friday was also dicey, as the weather forecast steady rain, much of which was nonexistent.  Regardless, because of the forecast I did not travel the nearly five hours down to Jupiter until Saturday, at which point I arrived at around 1 or 1:30.  After paying the entrance fee and obtaining a program I wandered over to the nearest (and most visible) field—Roger Dean Stadium—spring training home for the St. Louis Cardinals and Miami Marlins.  Unfortunately, I had no idea who was playing—they don’t operate scoreboards, have announcers, etc. and the tournament schedule had been completely changed because of the weather.

Eventually, I was able to determine that I was watching the Texas Scout Team Yankees, one of the traditional powerhouses at the WWBA, and Farrah Scout, a team primarily composed of players from New Jersey and New York. Although it is difficult for a Jersey boy like myself to admit---the Northeasterners were completely outclassed. I could withstand the beatdown for a couple of innings before I walked around the complex.  Luckily, I was able to jot down a few notes on players from the Texas Scout squad that were particularly interesting in the hour or so that I got to see.

2013 SS Brett Boswell: L/R, 6-0, 170, Texas commit; loose athlete with rhythm at the plate, plays with swagger, quick wrists and ability to barrel the ball with a quality, compact swing path

2013 SS/2B/RHP Sheldon Neuse: R/R, 6-0, 180, Oklahoma commit; was playing 2B—showed athleticism, moved well laterally with clean actions. Worked opposite field while at the plate—barreled a ball over the RF head for a double, did a good job staying closed and working backside. Solid runner, instincts on basepaths.

2013 IF/RHP Garrett Luna: R/R, 6-1, 200. Corner profile—not a premium athlete and “goofy” actions while running. Saw the bell well at the plate—good feel for hitting and advanced approach

2013 LHP Tyler Alexander: 6-2, 175, TCU commit. Athletic, projectable frame. Showed a clean delivery. Stays over top of himself and repeated delivery well from both windup and stretch. Solid command of FB down in zone. Slightly slower arm speed and lower release point/slot on CH. Plus potential on breaking ball/slider with late tilt and depth.

Despite being pounded and outdone on all fronts, one player from the Farrah Scout squad did stand out as a sleeper type.

2013 RHP Shawn Kanwisher: 6-2, 190. Athletic, lithe frame that should be able to handle more mass, and hopefully velo down the road. Sink and armside run on FB—solid action on the pitch. Little command of the pitch as he began tired. Not a premium prospect or “guy” per se, but he is a high school teammate of one of the top prep arms in the upcoming 2013 draft, LHP Rob Kaminsky. As such, Kanwisher may benefit from the extra attention that Kaminsky will garner this spring.

Later I wandered around the back fields of the complex, wading through throngs of parents, college recruiting coordinators, scouts, crosscheckers, and kiosk vendors selling shirts, bats, gloves, hats, etc. to find a few other games going on. In many ways it was a sensory overload, and I wasn’t able to take quality notes until later in the night when I had settled in.  While I was trying to keep my eyes on two fields at once, a handful of young athletes stood out.

2013 OF/1B KJ Woods (Royals Scout Team): Ft Mill HS, South Carolina. L/R. 6-4, 208. Only saw one AB—he struck out but it was a quality AB—worked the count, fouled off at least four pitches, caught out a bit out in front a few times. Large, mature body, but he is an athlete. Played in RF and did a good job of turning and running on a ball hit over his head. Gunned down a runner trying to stretch hit into a triple with solid throw to cutoff man (solid avg. to plus arm). Would’ve loved to see more in game action.

2014 SS Maurice Cooley (Royals Scout Team): Fleming Island HS, Orange Park, FL. R/R. 6-0, 180. Very athletic body and strong, solid frame. Didn’t get a run time on him, but am quite sure he is at least a plus runner. Good range in field. Juice in the bat—flashed oppo power, flying out to RF, warning track. Am looking forward to catching him play this spring, as he is in the Jacksonville area.

2013 CF Josh Hart (East Cobb Baseball): Parkview HS, Georgia. L/L, 6-3, 190, Georgia Tech commit. Plus athlete with body for projection. Good reads and quick breaks in the outfield—near diving play in shallow RCF. Premium projection and ceiling.

2013 3B/RHP Travis DeMerritte (East Cobb Baseball): R/R. 6-1, 185, South Carolina commit. Solid body and frame. Athletic in field, moved well laterally at hot corner and showed solid instincts. Plus arm in the field (didn’t see him pitch). At the plate he has noisy hands and an extended load/trigger phase but he generates plus bat speed. Patient, advanced approach—didn’t chase at all or expand zone.

2014 RHP Cobi Johnson (Cardinals Scout Team): James W. Mitchell HS, Florida. R/R, 6-4, 175. Body has real room for projection down the road. Arm action is clean and delivery looks nice, easy, with limited effort. He does throw slightly across body as his foot strike is on third base side and he closes himself off a bit. 89-91 mph FB with late life down in zone. 80 mph CH. 76-77 CRV with good shape.

Finally, in the nightcap I was fortunate enough to see a premium prep arm in action. Jordan Sheffield, a 2013 6-1, 180 pound righthander out of Tullahoma, Tennessee came out of the bullpen to relieve his younger brother, 2014 lefthander Justus Sheffield. While the younger Sheffield was solid in his own right, sitting 87-91, the eldest stole the show.  Jordan’s delivery was a bit smoother and more athletic, and he was able to consistently fire off 95 and 96 mph fastballs, hitting 98 once.  For more on the Sheffield Bros check out Nathan Rode’s recap at BA here and here.

Rode (@BAHighSchool) and Conor Glassey (@conorglassey) were at the showcase all week, so for more information I would highly recommend the BA blogs. Baseball Prospectus also had a significant contingent in Jupiter so I’m sure they will have some more quality analysis on the WWBA forthcoming.

I still have a significant amount of raw notes left over from the Florida Diamond Club Showcase and the WWBA, so I will provide some more information about players that stood out over the next few days (provided I feel motivated).