On the strength of terrific pitching and a deep lineup, the Evoshield Canes 17U won the WWBA 17U National Championship today. The tournament, organized by Perfect Game, pitted many of the top rising high school seniors against each other in the spotlight for amateur and pro scouts to watch. Let’s take a look at four of the players from this squad who are committed to the University of South Carolina, one of the premier baseball programs in the country (I admit I may be slightly biased as a Gamecock myself).
Logan “LT” Tolbert SS Piedmont, SC
Tolbert showed at the tournament why he is the number 28 prospect in the class of 2015 (per Max Preps) and one of South Carolina’s prized commits, hitting for a .303 batting average, .395 on base percentage, and .455 slugging percentage during the tournament. On Thursday Tolbert demonstrated his ability to battle in at bats and his patience at the plate. His compact swing is projectable at the next level, and he should continue to drive the ball as he fills out his tall frame.
What most impressed me with Tolbert was his defense. On a hard ground ball up the middle that seemed destined for the outfield, Tolbert glided to his left, fielded the ball in front of his body, and made an accurate throw to first. The play showed off his lateral quickness and fluidity in the field that will help him at the next level, either in college or professionally if he turns pro out of high school.
Tolbert’s only issue during the tournament seemed to be a tendency to pull groundballs to the right side. Of course, 12 games is a very small sample size, but Tolbert may have been getting anxious or simply been out in front of pitches. Either way, his double during the championship game against Elite Squad Prime showed that he can hit off quality pitchers.
Danny Blair OF Bel Air, MD
Blair’s speed was on full display during the tournament, as he swiping six bases with a 75% success rate while covering lots of ground in centerfield. A slash line of .222/.447/.296 was far from desirable, but Blair should continue to add muscle and hit the ball into the gaps as he matures physically. He has solid hand-bat coordination (demonstrated by his 10.26% strikeout rate), a sweet lefty swing, and speed that will play at any level. He should be an exciting part of the outfield picture for South Carolina in 2016 and beyond.
Logan Allen LHP Fletcher, NC
Allen made two appearances in the tournament, pitching 7.0 innings with an ERA of 1.00 and a WHIP of 1.143. The southpaw had a very solid walk percentage of 13.33% (for context, MLB BB% this year is 7.8% and tends to be significantly lower than high school), and threw 64.3% of his pitches for strikes. Add in his 20.6 K/9 from the tournament, and Allen certainly seems ready to face the next challenge at the collegiate level.
Cody Morris RHP Laurel, MD
At 6-4, 205 and having reached as high as 94 mph on the gun, Morris has extreme potential to blossom into a weekend starter for the Gamecocks. Morris pitched 7 innings with a 2.00 ERA and a miniscule .857 WHIP, while compiling a strikeout rate of 11.6 K/9. Like Allen, Morris showed the willingness to challenge hitters with 64.6% of his pitches as strikes, which is a necessity in college.
These four talented youngsters showed why they belong at a first class program like Carolina’s, but the Gamecocks better hope they all intend to go to school before turning pro.
Scouting, Stats, and Stuff 