Elliott, Jupiter Day II: Brown, Fernandes, Johnston, O'Hearn
North Shore Twins’ RHP Nick Frers (North Vancouver, BC) was in Jupiter with the Brewers Langley Blaze.
October 13, 2022
By Bob Elliott
Canadian Baseball Network
RHP David Alvarez pitched as Team Steel National played Burn Scout Team 2023 to a 3-3 tie in the round-robin opener of the Perfect Game Scouting Service’s World Wood Bat tournament at Jupiter, Fla.
The Brewers Langley Blaze were blanked 3-0 by Texas Twelve in the first game of round-robin play.
Langley Blaze RHP Owen Fernandes (Maple Ridge, BC) with the Brewers Langley Blaze.
And in an exhibition game from Day I, we missed the Brewers Langley Blaze beating the Brewers Scout Team 8-1 on the strong arms of RHP Owen Fernandes (Maple Ridge, BC) of the Langley Blaze and RHP Nick Frers (North Vancouver, BC) of the North Shore Twins.
Fernandes pitched four innings allowing two runs -- one earned -- on four hits, He struck out four Brewers Scout Team hitters.
The Elite Squad gained a 5-1 win over Canadian Premier. Tate Carey (Windsor, Ont.) of the Great Lake Canadians made the start for skipper Jamie Romak (London, Ont.), working two innings. RHP Matt Brown (Carlisle, Ont.) pitched three innings and then, Zev Salsberg (Toronto, Ont.) of the Ontario Royals finished..
Ontario Terrier Keegan O’Hearn (Oshawa, Ont.) doubled off the fence, 349 feet away, while Brayden Ricketts (Brampton, Ont.) of the Ontario Blue Jays, knocked in the only run with a single.
Canes Florida 18U National, with three Canucks, scored a 3-0 win over 5 Star National-Black.
Meanwhile, the Rawlings National Scout Team, with five Mississauga Mets and a Toronto Met, scored a 3-1 win against USA Prime American.
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Ontario Blue Jays RHP Matt Brown (Carlisle, Ont.) helped Canadian Premier.
Scout’s Notes
Matt Brown (2024, Carlisle, Ont.) got a three-inning relief stint for Canadian Premier, and while he allowed some runs, the upside here is vast and he showed good stuff. He’s very long and lean at 6-foot-5, 185 pounds, with a whippy fast arm and tons of room to fill on his frame remaining. The fastball worked up to 92 and sat in the 88-91 mph range with heavy sink to the arm side, a pitch that should blow up a fair number of bats as he continues to refine the command to the edges, and he paired with it a good slider with late bite that plays well off of that sinker. A classic sinker/slider projection arm, Brown has good present stuff with tons of upside thanks to the projection and the way it all works. He’s uncommitted, but shouldn’t be for long.
- Brian Sakowski
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Wesley Johnston (2024, Toronto, Ont.) entered the game in relief after his team just added an insurance run to go up 3-1 headed into the bottom of the fourth inning. Wesley pounded the strike zone at a clip of 76% with his fastball sitting 86 mph while topping 88 mph. As an uncommitted student/athlete from the Great White North, Johnston is sure to land an opportunity to continue his development and shine with the right program. He has a solid build and still has room for added experience and skill sharpening. That is scary to think as he showcased his talents on Day 1 of the WWBA World Championship with a four-inning relief stint, yielding three hits, a walk and striking out three.
- Tim Redding
LHP-OF Keegan O;Hearn (Oshawa, Ont.) of the Ontario Terriers is another who impressed.
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Keegan O’Hearn (2023, Oshawa, Ont.) has swung the bat well so far this week across a few games already, and the big, physical left-handed hitter can do damage with the best of them. He’s 6-foot-5, 210 pounds with lots of strength present as well as a good understanding of leverage, really getting the barrel out front and making contact off of a firm front side, driving a double deep into the pull gap in this game. A corner outfielder who moves well for his size, O’Hearn has an above-average arm from right field and should be an asset there, and he also moonlights on the mound where he can reach the low-90s from the left side.
- Brian Sakowski