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Tournaments  | Story  | 9/30/2021

WWBA Underclass Uncommitted: Part 2

Jheremy Brown     
Photo: Yahil Melendez (Perfect Game)
WWBA Underclass Uncommitted: Part 1

John Abraham (2023, Tampa, Fla.)
The 6-foot-3 right-hander out of the Florida certainly opened eyes this summer, running his fastball up to 90 mph at the Junior National while routinely operating in the upper-80s throughout the summer circuit. He’ll take the mound for the Top Tier Roos at some point during the Underclass Championship and while the velocity stands out on paper, the overall cleanliness of his arm stroke stands out, as does his ability to spin an upper-70s with late two-plane tilt and bite. 

Yahil Melendez (2023, Guanica, P.R.)
Looking for a slick fielding shortstop who hits from the left side who’s still available? Melendez might be your guy and his best days are still ahead of him as he continues to fill out his long and lean 6-foot-2, 165-pound frame. Amongst his peers from around the country Melendez’s defensive actions stood out during the Junior National Showcase, putting his soft hands and fast transition on display, moving just as cleanly to his backhand as he does his forehand while showing plenty of arm strength across the dirt. The defense is the standout part of his game right now but the young shortstop from Puerto Rico also hit .360 on the summer with 13 doubles while swiping 17 bags. 



John "Alex" Walsh (2023, Alexandria, La.)
Strongly built with a durable 6-foot-1, 190-pound frame, Walsh looks the part of a power arm and he showed just that during the Top Prospect Games at Texas A&M where he ran his fastball up to 90 mph with a rather low effort release. He struck out 19 over 16 innings this last summer circuit with Knights Knation, who he’ll once again be suiting up for this upcoming tournament. Walsh’s performance at the 16u WWBA earned him a spot on the All-Tournament Team for both hitting and pitching, though it’s the fastball velocity and ability to spin a breaker that stand out the most. 

Tommy Turner (2023, Coventry, R.I.)
You might not think of Rhode Island when it comes to hard throwing underclassmen but that’s where Turner calls home and he’s one of the more established arms in the Northeast amongst his peers already. A sub-7 runner who’s athletically built, Turner is already running his fastball into the low-90s with a long and quick arm stroke, generate hard running life to his arm side. He has a full three-pitch mix and is just beginning to scratch the surface of his long-term potential. Turner will suit up for NEB and is currently scheduled to throw their second game of the tournament on October 1 at 12:30 pm. 


LJ Mercurius (2023, Las Vegas, Nev.)
Mercurius certainly looks the part whenever he toes the rubber, standing at a long and athletic 6-foot-3, 170 pounds and there’s no denying what he’s capable of generating with his lightning-fast right arm. His most recent PG outing, the 16u WWBA West in July, saw Mercurius take home MV-Pitcher honors as he punched out 13 over 8 innings, walking just 2. The fastball has been up to 92 mph this summer, logging 10 2/3 innings in which he struck out 18 to a mere 3 walks on the year. The arm speed, physical projection and summer production are all reasons for college recruiters to lock in on this uncommitted arm out of Nevada. 

Evan Miranda (2023, Fontana, Calif.)
Miranda goes to national powerhouse Orange Lutheran in California, meaning he’ll face plenty of quality opponents throughout his career and though he had a limited sample size at PG events this summer in just 7 innings pitched, the results speak for themselves as he punched out 13, three of which came during his 2-inning stint at the PG Underclass All-American Games. While the velocity may not jump off of the page for Miranda, there’s something to be said for his ability to pound the strike zone with a fastball that currently peaks in the upper-80s, showing command of the zone while mixing an 11-5 shaped curveball for strikes. 

Oliver Service (2023, Detroit, Mich.)
You’ll be able to find the physically-built Service in Wow Factor’s lineup this upcoming tournament and he’s certainly no stranger to Perfect Game events. He’s a career .366 hitters and is coming off a summer season in which he hit .360, connecting for 4 doubles and 3 triples, generating quality bat speed through the zone while implementing the strength in his hands at the point of contact. He’s worked mostly as an outfielder prior to this year, where he shows range, and he’s currently making the transition to behind the plate. 

Dylan Lapointe (2023, Valrico, Fla.)
You don’t have to scroll too far back in Lapointe’s profile to find some recent high praise from the PG scouting staff as he stood out during the Florida Qualifier just the other week. He’s physically built at 6-foot-1, 190 pounds and both his strength and athleticism play well on both sides of the ball, making him a prime target for schools looking for a backstop. Amongst the write up from the Qualifier was “it’s the innate ability to adjust in the box and manipulate the barrel that allows him to consistently strike the ball well while being a gamer behind the dish”. 

Hideki Prather (2023, Oakland, Calif.)
Uncommitted catchers who can make an impact on a game usually aren’t available this late in the process, but Prather has earned praise of his defensive abilities for quite some time now. He’s no stranger to receiving high-end arms playing for the Alpha program, handling low-90s velocity with ease as you can see in the tweet above. As the stick continues to make headway, keep eyes on this NorCal product. 

Andy Hernandez (2023, Hialeah, Fla.)
Versatility is the name of the game for Hernandez as his athleticism allows him to excel all over the diamond, whether in the dirt, outfield, behind the plate or on the rubber. The arm speed speaks for itself as he routinely works into the upper-80s with his fastball, but his right-handed swing will be just as imperative for the 5 Star Outlaws to make a run this upcoming tournament. On the year he hit .403 with a .531 on-base percentage, swiping 14 bags while coming around to score another 20 times. 


Cason Engert (2023, Cumming, Ga.)
There’s a lot to be enamored by when it comes to the right-handed throwing Engert, beginning with his long and lean, but athletic, 6-foot-3, 190-pound frame. Athletic enough to play around the diamond while showing some pop in his swing, Engert’s future is on the mound and he was rather consistent throughout the summer, averaging just over a strikeout-per-inning while walking just 10 in 35 innings pitched. The velocity slowly crept up his last few starts on the circuit as well, running his fastball up to 89 mph while showing nice depth on the breaker. 

Adam Katz (2023, Bellaire, Texas)
There’s plenty to be intrigued by when it comes to the uncommitted Texas native, whether it’s his athleticism (6.89 in the 60-yard this past December at the Main Event), the quickness to his left-handed stroke at the plate, or the fact that he can run his fastball into the upper-80s from the left side. The arm strength plays all over the diamond and the athleticism allows him to find success on both sides of the ball, making several All-Tournament Teams this year for either hitting or pitching and finished the summer with a robust .481 average and 1.322 OPS.

Fletcher Hislop (2023, St Petersburg, Fla.)
Hislop found himself on the Top Prospect List from this year’s Florida Top Prospect Games where he stood out on both sides of the ball, though his performance throughout tournaments this summer prove he’s more than just a showcase player. Possessing plenty of quick-twitch as evidenced by his 6.77 in the 60-yard, Hislop knows how to utilizes that speed both on the bases and in the outfield while showing solid hand-eye coordination at the plat which yields plenty of line drive contact around the yard. 


Rowan Donels (2023, Cedar Rapids, Iowa)
If you want to talk about production, take a look at the numbers Donels put up on the mound during the 2021 calendar year at Perfect Game events. Over his 34 1/3 innings the ultra-projectable 6-foot-5 right-hander punched out 64 while surrendering just 10 base hits despite just beginning to scratch the surface of his long-term potential. The fastball works in the mid-80s (for now) but it’s impossible not to dream on what the Iowa right-hander could look like at the end of the day, especially given his ability to already shoot the knees consistently with his heater. 


Cameron Grindle (2023, Mansfield, Mass.)
Grindle will follow Tommy Turner and come out of the bullpen during NEB’s second game of pool play and it’s an arm college recruiters will want to see, especially given what we just saw from him at the Fall Connecticut Showcase just over a week ago. The arm action is plenty smooth and fluid on the mound, generating some whip while running his fastball up to 89 mph before settling comfortably into the mid-80s with the same loose and easy release. Along with his ability on the mound, Grindle was a barrel machine, impacts baseballs to all parts of the field for extra-base hits. 
 
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