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Tournaments  | Story  | 7/22/2019

15u, 17u West: Day 3 Scout Notes

Connor Spencer      Andrew Jenkins     
Photo: Ty Uber (Perfect Game)
2019 WWBA 15u, 17u West National Championship: Day 1 Notes | Day 2 Notes



Day 3 began with a tight battle between Team No Fear and Team California USA. Uncommitted righthanded pitcher Nolan Dunkle (2020, Sonoma, Calif.) flashed some intriguing stuff with his funky over-the-top delivery and 88-91 mph arm. He has a slight hitch in his motion on his way down the mound and he pulls hard down on his over-the-top slot giving him some slight sink to his fastball. Dunkle loves his offspeed and it’s a great pitch that sits 71-73 mph with some similar sink to his fastball. He’ll throw it in any count, and he isn’t afraid to go back-to-back with it either. His breaking ball is a very large-shaped Barry Zito-like 12-to-6 curveball that works better as a get me over than as an out pitch. In the first inning he was missing badly with the pitch but cleaned it up as his outing went on. If he wants the curveball to become an out pitch, he needs to work on speeding up his arm action with it, so hitters at least have a harder time recognizing when he’s throwing it. Still, he’s able to send hitters back to the dugout because of the effective partnership between his off-speed and fastball. Dunkle struck out five through 4 2/3 innings of work.



Team No Fear’s Christian Douglass (2021, Carlsbad, Calif.) is a true ballplayer and feels like a coach’s dream. He’s constantly playing the game the right way, competes every pitch, and has a solid awareness in the game. He looks natural in center field and has great agility that allows him to adjust on his initial reads off the bat. At the plate, Douglass has a strong base with an upright stance that he hunches forward into slightly as he over exaggerates his plane down through the hitting zone. He has a large linear weight shift in the box that leads into a high leg kick trigger, and his strong base then explodes helping drive his hands through the zone. He’s still working to understand his timing and balance with the high leg kick trigger and heavy weight shift. However, his hands are still good enough to give him a chance even if he’s early or late with the trigger. In the future, he may want to try using a toe tap to initiate the leg kick, much like Keston Hiura, to help him better stay balanced and clean up miscues off his initial trigger. Very projectable player and a very high follow as his frame continues to develop.

Wyatt Nelson (2020, Chesapeake City, Md.) was up to 91 mph in his start for Stix Baseball Academy. He has a quick, violent, and jerky motion with a large leg lift that sweeps out and down the hill. His fastball finds some arm side run at times but today he lacked the command needed to be successful with his fastball. His breaking ball is a large shaped 12-to-6 to high 11-to-5 and has the potential to miss some barrels. He has very projectable size at 6-foot-2, 215 pounds and is uncommitted.



Stanford commit and primary outfielder Ty Uber (2021, Cameron Park, Calif.) gave Show Cali 17U five quality innings as he hit a new PG event best of 91 mph on the bump. Uber stands tall on the mound and his arm feels long at first, but he then quickly whips it up and through to an over the top slot that creates strong downward angle to the plate especially when locating down in the zone. If thrown to his arm side his fastball has some slight arm side run, however, if he throws to the left side of the plate, he has the ability to cut the fastball slightly if he wants to. His breaking ball is a hard, smaller shaped high 11-to-5 curveball that has good depth and is a solid out pitch. He freely was trying to manipulate his pitches to miss barrels and get hitters off balanced, and it’s great to see that experimentation from a young player. With his size on the mound and with the strength of his arm increasing, Stanford can seriously consider trying Uber out as a true two-way player.

CBA Marucci American’s offense exploded for 10 runs off nine hits on the day and uncommitted utility man Max Nahmias had a fantastic day at the plate going 3-for-3 with a laced triple into the left-center gap. Nahmias has an all-around athletic frame and feels more like an infielder but can play just about anywhere on the diamond. He uses an upright conventional stance with a mid-leg kick trigger, and he has quick hands through the hitting zone. He stays well balanced in his swing and his quick hands have no problem getting the head out on inside pitches. On his triple today, he actually ended up catching a fastball slightly off the end of the bat but was still able to muscle it over the left fielder’s head into the gap for a triple. There’s plenty of pop in his barrel for him to get balls by any outfielder and he has a hard-nosed, west coast style running mentality on the bases that every coach loves to see. Don’t sleep on this competitor going into his senior year.

Continuing on the trend of quality uncommitted finds for college coaches on the day, Dante Schmid (2020, Chula Vista, Calif.) helped the San Diego Show Black to their third win of the tournament. Schmid has a pretty conventional delivery with a high leg lift that kicks out with a slight lean back towards the first base side at his apex. His fastball sat 84-86 on the day and although it’s not the same power arm that has been on display in bunches at this tournament, his fastball feels quicker thanks to a fantastic bugs bunny changeup. The changeup sits around 73 mph and he can freely manipulate the direction of the pitch, fading it away from lefties, then cutting it away from righties. His breaking ball has an 11-to-5 shape and he likes to manipulate its shape as well. If he gives it a larger shape it sits around 65 mph, while a smaller shape sits around 71-72. Flat out, this kid understands how to pitch and if his arm gets stronger, he has the potential to be electric. He pitched a complete game today, allowing two runs while fanning seven.



The No. 1 ranked 2020 righthanded pitcher in the state of Wyoming, Carter Young (2020, Casper, Wyo.) looked shaky in the first inning of his outing, then impressed by settling down and shutting down a hot NorCal Baseball Prime lineup. Another lengthy over-the-top slot pitcher, he also has some downward angle and sink on his fastball. On his day he sat 85-88 mph and was touching 89. Young has a ton of poise and composure on the mound and has the ability to spot up to get himself out of jams. Young uses a low 11-to-5 shaped slider that he can drop in for a strike or fire with more conviction as an out pitch. As his outing went on the breaking ball got better with sharper bite. His short actions and length are very projectable, and he’s got a competitiveness to his pitching style that will prove invaluable at the next level.

-Connor Spencer

Ruben Castro (2022, Tucson, Ariz.) pitched for Tucson Champs and allowed two hits and no walks while striking out three in 4 2/3 innings. Castro worked a fastball that sat 82-84 mph, topped out at 85 mph and worked it in and out very efficiently. Castro flashed a curveball at 65 mph that he was able to throw for a strike in any count and a straight changeup from 68-70 mph. His delivery was very simple and smooth with a loose and easy arm action from high three-quarters.

Lucas Kelly (2022, San Francisco, Calif.) led the way for the CCB offense going 2-for-3 in the game. Kelly is a 6-foot-2, 175-pound primary shortstop. Kelly has had a productive tournament through three days. The righthanded hitter started off his day with single to center field, then hit a hard triple to center field in his third at-bat. Kelly showed semi-soft hands with above average footwork and carry to his throws.

Tristan Kim (2022, Los Altos Hills, Calif.) is hitting .455 through four games. He had quick hands, an aggressive approach and made loud contact at the plate. He showed off some pop with hard ground ball single on a fastball that jumped off his bat with good exit velocity. Kim displayed arm strength, carry and accurate throws in the outfield. He projects well at the next level and it will be interesting to see how he develops and grows during his career.

Kaden Carpenter (2022, American Fork, Utah) is a 6-foot-4, 195-pound lefthanded pitcher that had a large frame, square shoulders with room to fill out his frame.  He had an easy and loose arm action from an over-the-top with a longer circle in the back. He also had a simple delivery, stayed closed and got downhill. Carpenter showed control to both sides of the plate with his fast that top out at 83 mph, induced ground balls and kept hitters off balance during his outing with his curveball that was 63-65 mph.

Elijah Reber (2022, El Cajon, Calif.) has a sound approach, quick hands, a level swing and barrel awareness. Reber had two hits on the day including a triple to center field that plated three RBI. His speed and good first step allowed to show off some range in the infield with above average arm strength and slight carry. Reber is hitting .600 through four games.

-Andrew Jenkins
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