Team One South Showcase

Last week this time I was attending Team One's South showcase at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. Alongside 55 college and 3 Major League scouts I was privileged to watch some of the best high school talent the class of 2008 has to offer. The showcase was an extremely well run 3 day event consisting of full tryout for each player(IF/OF, running, BP, pitching) on the first day followed by 8 games (2 games for each of the 8 teams compiled). As far as the tryout I was concerned I was only able to catch the tail end of it, but boy am I glad I did as the top player for me really shined here. The only two minor flaws with the showcase were concerning the rosters of the teams as some players were misnumbered and others, a couple from my shortlist, weren't even in attendance.

After much ado about nothing I would like to present my top 5 from the event. 3 of my top 5 also made Team One's top ten for the event, so I must be doing something right. As a side note because of other obligations I was only able to see about two thirds of the players enough to pass judgment on them.

Anyways here goes.

5. Pablo Bermundez a LF from Miami Springs, FL checks in at the number 5 spot. Bermundez had good size and strength at 5'11" 175 lbs. He also demonstrated average speed and a slightly above average arm in LF. His overall defense in the OF was lacking for me as he misjudged a couple well hit balls in the game I saw. Regardless of his fielding faux pas Bermundez more than made up for it with his baseball sense, his approach at the plate and most importantly his attitude. His performance at the plate was nothing to sneeze at but neither was anyone else's, except my top guy, in this the first game of the tournament. Bermundez did show a smooth swing and good bat speed in his two at bats. However, what made Bermundez stand out over a couple other good players was his attitude. In these games Team One set it up so that if a player walked they stayed at the plate and an extra player was put on first base. On at four occasions Bermundez was the guy to jump at the chance to be that extra runner. I cannot stress enough the importance of positive makeup when scouting amateur talent and Bermundez really delivered here.

4. Taylor Dugas a CF from Teurlings Catholic, LA is my number 4 player. Dugas is the second of three participants in the showcase's first game to make my list and he is also only one of two players in the top five that was not on my original shortlist of about 10. Dugas is a lefthanded hitting CF who exhibited good speed both on the bases and in CF. He made a couple nice plays in CF and showed off his speed by stealing a base in the first inning. As I have previously mentioned there was a great lack of offense in the first game and I do not attribute that to the pitching as it was fairly ordinary. Dugas, however broke through with a couple of smashed base hits. He has a very quick, and short swing that generates a great deal of bat speed and seemed to be more a slap type hitter. With a swing like that Dugas is a basehit machine, but for me lacked much power due to his propensity for ground balls and low line drives. However, his solid defense in CF, good speed, and ability to make consistent hard contact are more than enough for him to crack this list.

3. Luke Erickson a LHP from Richmond, VA is the only pitcher to make my top 5. Erickson's team played the first game of the second day(second game overall) which started early at 8:30 am o'clock. However, the early start did not keep the scouts away as Chappell field at Emory University had its largest attendance of the showcase for this game. Now one cannot appendictally state as to whether or not the scouts were out in full force to see the top pitcher in the tournament, but regardless they came in droves. As I settled into my customary seat atop the bleachers on the firstbase side I learned from one of the spectators that the only pitcher in the showcase I came to see would be throwing the third and fourth innings. It was definitely worth the wait as, to me, he was all that he was advertised. Erickson a 6'3" 185 lbs lefty demonstrated an impressive fastball and offered solid secondary offerings with his curve and change. The fastball seemingly sat in the low 90's(91-93) with good arm side movement for the entirety of his two inning stint, although I was not privy to a radar gun to know for sure. His curveball was hard and possessed late, sharp break making it a worthy pitch. His change although thrown sparingly, if at all outside of warming up showed some depth and was a usable offering. The two negatives from his outing were his inability to keep the ball down while in the stretch and the fact that the last two batters he faced were able to time up the fastball and drive lazy line drives to the gaps. Even still, look for Erickson to be a top rounder in next years June draft.

2. Vickash Ramjit a 3B from Miami, FL is a huge athlete, period. At 6'4" and 200 lbs Ramjit has great size and strength. Even more remarkable is the amount of athleticism pilled into that big frame. He definitely is not a burner but has average to slightly above average speed at the Major League level. He possesses a strong and accurate throwing arm from third along with the hands and quickness to hold down the hot corner. Being one of the names on my shortlist before attending the showcase, Ramjit immediately caught my eye due to his size and overall physical maturity when compared to the other players in attendance. Ramjit, however, was buried deep in the order and the tools I had come to see could not be displayed until the bottom of the third inning. It was in the top of the second, however, that I became sold on this guy. A slow roller was hit his way at third by an above average runner. The ball made it maybe 60 feet down the line before Ramjit came flying in, barehanded the ball, and gun the guy easily at first. It was his impression of Chavez of Rolen at third and not the comparison to A-rod at the plate that did it for me. He delivered at the plate as well. He is a very patient hitter that waits for the right pitch to drive. The ball really jumped off his bat as he tattooed a liner that happened to hit the second baseman in the glove. He has a line drive swing and the balance at the plate to drive the ball to all fields. He definitely is yet another example of why you cannot scout performance, but must scout tools as he was 0-2 at the plate with a pop out to short right field. Regardless, Ramjit possesses many tools as an all-around player and athlete so look for him on the first day of next years June Draft.

1. William Scott a RF from Kell, Georgia did make my shortlist and wasn't even on my radar, but I am definitely glad I got to the park early enough before the first game to see his tryout in RF. There were a handful of catchers being tried out as I settled into my seat and got my bearings for the first time at the showcase. I went through the roster that was in the program to cross reference my shortlist, as this game included half of that list. Unfortunately I quickly became aware that a couple of the guys I came to see were not in attendance. This disappointment did not last long as I began to watch some of the OFs tryout their skills in RF. The first couple players were solid defenders and I was happy to see Bermundez show well in the field, but it was the last player that was the most intriguing. He was noticeably different in two ways. First, he was wearing green a different color than the rest of the players who were all from the white and black teams that were going to play that evening. More importantly his throws were not two hopping the third baseman like the other OFs, in fact, time and time again Scott his the third baseman in the chest with his throws that did not vary between 3 and 5 feet off the ground the entire time. Sure he was a bit lazy in the field and he did dog a couple balls he should've caught, but he was able to makeup for those attitudes(no pun intended) later on in the game. At that point I frantically search for the name of Mr. 16 green and took down some notes. Being from the green team, I thought that he was simply finishing up his tryout, but I was surprised and excited to see that he would be playing for the black team that night. Scott had little opportunity to impress in the field outside of a routine play or two, but he was able to shine at the plate. After a couple of pitches I could tell that Scott had a well balanced approach and could generate a ton of bat speed. In fact, after he had fouled off one of the many balls as he patiently awaited his pitch , I turned to the guy next to me and said, this kid can really hit, hes going to smash one right here. Sure enough right on cue, Scott smashed the next pitch deep into the left-center gap. Due to the rules installed for equality of 5 and only 5 at bats per half inning and due to the lack of light at 9:oo pm o'clock, Scott was denied a second at bat. However, he did repeatedly ask his coach if he couldn't get another at bat as he was the only guy from his team not to get two. The coach responded with something like, you already got your double, and Scott just smiled.