Leach, Bremner, 3 Canuck teams at Jupiter, Hall scratched

RHHP Landon Leach (Pickering, Ont.) of the Toronto Mets was one of two players selected to play for the Toronto Blue Jays Scout Team in Jupiter.

World Championship Pool Preview

By Patrick Ebert, Brian Sakowski and Jheremy Brown
Perfect Game USA
All 22 pools, A through V, for the 2016 The Perfect Game World Wood Bat Association have been released and previewed by Perfect Game USA staff.

The mamoth 88-team WWBA World Championship will be held at the Roger Dean Sports Complex in Jupiter, Fla., Oct. 20-24. It is the spring traing home of the Florida Marlins and the St. Louis Cardinals.

Three Canadian teams are entered: Canada PG Gold, DBacks Langley Blaze and the Ontario Blue Jays.

Plus two players are with the Toronto Blue Jays scout team: RHP Landon Leach (Pickering, Ont.) and SS Dondrae Bremner (Toronto, Ont).

Over 1,500 athletes on 85 elite travel teams will visit Palm Beach County to compete in one of the most competitive high school age tournaments in the world. 

The WWBA hampionships will be returning for the 16th time in 17 years. This elite tournament has seen 410 of its alumni move on to the major leagues; 3,338 of them drafted and more than 9,000 make college commitments.  T

The Perfect Game WWBA World Championships provides a showcase for prospects while they perform in front of nearly 1,000 professional scouts and college recruiters over the course of five days.

Pool D
Team Top Pos. Player RK Class Top Pitcher RK Class Manager
Atlanta Blue Jays Luis Guerrero 199 2017 Sawyer Losey 446 2017 Anthony Dye
Baseball U Benjamin Casparius 136 2017 Eric Heatter 442 2017 John Wells
Canada PG Gold Jaden Brown 210 2019 Ricardo Alvarez De Lugo T1000 2017 Mike Steed
CBA Marucci Nick Allen 17 2017 Jeremiah Estrada 23 2017 Jon Paino
Projected Pool Winner:  CBA Marucci
CBA Marucci has been the team to beat on the West Coast for over a year now, taking the titles at the 2016 17u WWBA National Championship and the 2016 PG/EvoShield National Championship while finishing as the runner-up at this year’s 17u PG World Series, and they enter this year’s WWBA World Championship as one of the pre-tournament favorites. Their roster in Jupiter should be largely intact, led by a trio of PG All-Americans in Nick Allen, Tyler Freeman and Jeremiah Estrada. CBA may choose to throw Estrada early to bring him back in the playoffs as he delivered four statement games over the summer. And he’s not alone, as in addition to the team’s offensive firepower and defensive prowess they boast enviable pitching depth as Brian Gursky, Johnny Kuhn, Roman Phansalkar, Daniel Ritcheson and Jonathan Stroman are all highly ranked arms from the class of 2017.

Dark Horse:  Baseball U
Baseball U finished tied for the lead in their pool a year ago with a 3-1 record, and even knocked off the mighty Astros Scout Team/FTB Tucci Squad in their second game of pool play, but lost their one-on-one matchup to the eventual pool champion Midland Redkins on the first day of the tournament. North Carolina commit Benjamin Casparius is back to lead the team on offense, and defense, which is strong up the middle with talent, including fellow infielders Davis Payne, Tim Dezzi and Cole Stetzar. Lefthander Eric Heatter, who delivered a brilliant complete game outing in the win over FTB last year, is also back to front the pitching staff. Also keep an eye on toolsy Dominican outfielder Gustavo Rodriguez who has intriguing power and a big outfield arm.

What To Watch For: CBA’s Infield
Nick Allen is a human highlight reel on defense, seemingly making a jaw-dropping play every time he takes the field. Tyler Freeman gives the team another steady glove, and an impact bat, up the middle of the infield with hard-hitting Tyler Hardman manning one of the infield corners. All three have a tournament MVP trophy from a recent Perfect Game tournament – Harding claimed the most recent at the California World Series earlier this month – and seven collective All-Tournament nominations from this summer. Add in a trio of versatile catchers – Joe Fitzhugh, Chris Jimenez and Clay Owens – and you have an infield defense that is going to help their talented pitching staff get the job done.

Pool E
Team Top Pos. Player RK Class Top Pitcher RK Class Manager
DBacks Langley Blaze Adam Hall 22 2017 Jack Hodgson 500 2017 Doug Mathieson
Dirtbags Philip Clarke 48 2017 Logan Jarosz 89 2018 Andy Partin
Florida Burn Josh Rivera 94 2019 Brant Brown T1000 2018 Mark Guthrie
Team Indiana Jared Poland 167 2018 Jack Perkins 67 2018 Dan Held
Projected Pool Winner: Dirtbags

Dirtbags Baseball, a team based out of North Carolina, comes to Jupiter as the favorite to win their pool with players from all over the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast regions. Their roster is led by Perfect Game All-American and catcher Philip Clarke, one of several Vanderbilt commitments on the roster. Kier Meredith, an extremely speedy and hitterish outfielder, should hit towards the top of the order and be the sparkplug of the Dirtbag attack. On the mound, the Dirtbags will feature several high-end arms, including Logan Jarosz (Georgia Tech), Sam Weatherly (Clemson) and Mason Hickman (Vanderbilt), all of whom are capable of bringing the heat with the pitchability to go with it. They’ll be a very tough out, regardless of who they may face.  

Dark Horse: Team Indiana
Team Indiana, a team with a decidedly Midwestern flavor, brings a roster down to Jupiter loaded with highly-ranked and highly-committed players, all hailing from, you guessed it, Indiana. Several of their players are underclassmen from the class of 2018, including both of their most highly-ranked prospects in pitcher Jack Perkins and infielder Jared Poland, both of whom, coincidentally or not, are committed to Louisville. Perkins can really pitch and run his fastball into the 90s, while Poland is one of the more physically strong prospects in the class, and that strength shows up in his hitting. Jackson Smeltz, Addisyn Coffey, and Hayden Jones are also highly-ranked prospects to keep an eye on. 

What To Watch For: Adam Hall
The Perfect Game All-American, native Canadian and Texas A&M commitment is the highest-ranked player of anyone in the pool, and for good reason. He’s a super athletic shortstop prospect with flashes of all five tools and advanced feel for the game, especially given his cold weather nativity. After a long summer of showing up as a high draft prospect, lots of eyes will be on him as he tries to cement himself among the best draft prospects in the class of 2017, something he’s done a great job of thus far, but never on a bigger stage than the one he’s about to enter. 

(Hall was a late scratch after tweaking a muscle in his leg.)

Pool R
Team Top Pos. Player RK Class Top Pitcher RK Class Manager
BPA Jayson Gonzalez 32 2017 Jack Owen 156 2017 Jared Sandler
Ontario Blue Jays Noah Naylor 14 2018 Alex Jones T1000 2017 Mike Steed
St. Louis Pirates/Elite Training Kevin Graham 183 2018 Tyler Mettetal 303 2017 Rick Strickland
Team Elite Nation Jeremiah Jackson 38 2018 Nolan Crisp 27 2019 Romas Hicks
Projected Pool Winner:  BPA

Should BPA advance out of their pool like they’re projected to do, hardly anybody should or will be surprised given their track record of success. This is a group that seems to be there, deep into the playoffs, in each tournament they enter and they do so with the same core group of players. The WWBA World Championship is no different as Coach Jared Sandler bring a cast of familiar faces with him, a roster that is led by Perfect Game All-American and Vanderbilt commit Jayson Gonzalez. And while Gonzalez will bolster the infield and be a presence in the middle of the order, catcher Tyler Lasch has earned the respect of his peers and will be a leader from behind the dish. One arm who Lasch will be handling is fellow Mississippi State commit Jack Owen, a lefthander who has had a remarkable Perfect Game career to this point. He may not show the type of velocity that will light up radar guns but his feel and command on the mound are so advanced that he can have the best of hitters lost at the plate.

Dark Horse:  St. Louis Pirates/Elite Baseball Training
The St. Louis Pirates and Elite Baseball Training programs have teamed up for the second straight year to form a squad that features 11 players who have already given their commitments to a college program. Both programs finished with top-85 17u programs from this past summer with Elite Baseball Training checking in at No. 10 nationally. With such rankings comes equally impressive talent, particulalry on the mound where they will be led by lefthander Tyler Metteral, a South Carolina commit, and righthander Johnny Ray who’s committed to Louisiana State. The offense offers a nice blend of athleticism, quick-twitch and strength, all factors that will help the team as they attempt to make it through pool play and deeper into the playoffs.

What To Watch For:  Next Wave of Team Elite
This may not be their “Prime” team but Team Elite Nation has several players who will suit up under that team name come next summer. Coach Romas Hicks has underclass talent littered throughout the lineup, and though they might be younger than most, this is a team that can’t be taken lightly. The infield will be full of athleticism and talent with Timmy Borden, Isaiah Byars and Jeremiah Jackson, while the outfield is equally as twitchy and athletic, anchored by Parker Meadows and Ryder Greene. They also have the pitching depth to rival any in the pool with several arms who can already bump into the low-90s. As a result, Team Elite Nation could very easily ruffle some feathers and make noise in this pool. 

Pool V
Team Top Pos. Player RK Class Top Pitcher RK Class Manager
Chain National Cole Brannen 21 2017 DL Hall 4 2017 Andy Burress
Dallas Patriots Nick Davis HF 2018 Spencer Cochran HF 2018 Brandon Sherard
Stars Baseball Tyler Casagrande 232 2018 Cristian Sanchez 154 2018 Carson Carroll
Toronto Blue Jays Scout Team Brady McConnell 18 2017 CJ Van Eyk 86 2017 TOR Scouting Dept
Projected Pool Winner:  Toronto Blue Jays Scout Team

In terms of pure talent, the Blue Jays appear as ready as any team in the tournament as they’re built to go deep into the WWBA World Championship. The pitching staff boasts D-I commit after D-I commit and they can all win at the highest level of competition, whether it’s Florida commit Tommy Mace, future Seminoles C.J. Van Eyk and Conor Grady, or one of the two arms from Puerto Rico, Wilberto Rivera and lefthander Jerryll Rivera Gonzalez. Righthander Landon Leach is a hard-throwing Canadian who has been gaining steam, and doing the receiving of all these arms will be Perfect Game All-American Luis Campusano, arguably the best defensive catcher in the class. Scouts will certainly be following shortstop Brady McConnell with a keen eye as he showed very desirable tools during the PG National Showcase, as did fellow PG All-American and Florida International commit Johnathan Rodriguez. Many of these players may be playing together for the first time but all have a common goal in mind and that’s to claim the title.

Dark Horse:  Chain National
Had Chain drawn almost any other pool they’d likely be the favorite as they feature a robust throng of talent, the type that could see two teams make it out of Pool V now that 32 teams advance to the playoffs. With a strong mix of top 2017 and 2018 talent, Coach Andy Burress’ team will be led by Perfect Game All-Americans D.L. Hall, a lefthander committed to Florida State, and outfielder Cole Brannen, a Georgia Southern commit. Brannen has both the speed and strength components to his game, something that should bode well atop the lineup, while the powerful bats of Josh Hatcher (Mississippi State), Brandon Howlett (Florida State) and Aaron Sabato (North Carolina) should provide some thunder in the middle of the order. The pitching depth is just as impressive as they’re led by Hall and complemented by Carter Raffield, who has recently been up to 94 mph, as well as A.J. Labas and Chase Wilkerson, among others. 

What To Watch For:  D.L. Hall vs. Blue Jays Bats
If all things hold true then it would appear highly probable that Florida State commit and Perfect Game All-American lefthander DL Hall will be given the ball against the Blue Jays Scout Team, a game that could ultimately decide the pool. A potential first round pick for next June’s draft, Hall will match up against one of the more potent lineups in the tournament, though he has the arsenal to do so successfully with a fastball that works into the mid-90s, arguably the best curveball in the class and a changeup that flashes big-time potential. If he goes out and does his thing he will solidify himself in the minds of scouts and directors alike.