EAST COAST BASEBALL SHOWCASE
Nation’s top talent on display at UNCW
By Chuck Carree
Staff Writer
chuck.carree@starnewsonline.com
MONDAY’S GAMES
(All 7-inning games)
Red Sox vs. Marlins, 9 a.m.
Indians vs. Reds, 1:30 p.m.
Wh. Sox vs. Yankees, 6 p.m.
Admission: Four-day pass $20, one-day ticket, $10.
An array of talent like this comes to the Port City only once a year.
The East Coast Professional Baseball Showcase, which begins Monday at Brooks Field, is an annual preview of the Major League amateur draft next June.
The collection of some of the nation’s top young players checks into the dormitories on the UNC-Wilmington campus today. They will attend a banquet in the evening and play seven-inning games on Monday.
Every club, sponsored by MLB organizations, has potential draft picks, with some likely first-rounders.
The Cincinnati Reds, with a core of players in the Miami to Orlando-Tampa corridor, have the most AFLAC All-American High School selections (five), headed by projected third baseman Chris Marrero, considered one of the best players the Miami area has produced in years.
"He has raw power and an above average arm,’’ said Reds’ scout Joe Siers, who will coach the team.
Matt Latos, a 6-foot-5 right-hander, throws between 90-95 mph. Right-hander Colton Willems is known for arm strength, with a fastball topping out at 92-93 mph, and a good breaking ball.
Left-handed hitting catcher Max Sapp (6- 2, 210 pounds) has a physique similar to Boston Red Sox all-star Jason Varitek. Scouts like Sapp’s power bat and strong arm.
Outfielder Ryan Jackson doesn’t wow scouts with his overall tools, but his strengths are hitting and great hands.
Also keep an eye on left-hander Carmine Giardina, who has an 88-92 mph fastball and above average breaking ball, and participated in tryouts for the U.S. Junior National squad. He reminds scouts of Wilson Alvarez at a similar age.
Others worth noting are Junior National invitee middle infielder Marcus Lemon, the son of ex-big leaguer Chet Lemon, and right-hander Sam Dyson, who throws 89-93 mph.
The Red Sox, with players mostly from the Northeast, have three AFLAC picks from the New York-New Jersey area – right-handed pitchers Dellin Betances, who’s 6-9, and Gerald Sullivan and shortstop Bill Rowell.
Rowell, likely to play third base, played in last year’s showcase and appeared overmatched.
Others to watch include crafty left-hander Glenn Gibson, the son of former major leaguer Paul Gibson, left-hander Matthew Petiton, who pitched in last year’s showcase, and Pat Long, a shortstop from the Richmond area.
The Florida Marlins, with players mostly from Ocala to north Georgia, also had three AFLAC picks, including catcher Torre Langley, who throws 86 mph to second base and the ball arrives in 1.76 seconds.
The others are outfielder Cedric Hunter and shortstop-outfielder Brent Brewer, a two-sport star who is considered one of the three top safety prospects in the nation in football.
The White Sox, consisting of teenagers in the Florida Panhandle, Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana and Arkansas, are led by AFLAC prep teammates, right-hander Cory Rasmus, who played in the showcase last year, and left-hander Kasey Kiker.
The Yankees, comprised of players from six states, have one AFLAC choice – left-handed hitting first baseman Andrew Clark from the Indianapolis area.
The Indians, who picked players from North Carolina, South Carolina and mostly the Middle Atlantic states, are led by AFLAC selection Jeremy Jeffress, a hard-throwing right-hander from South Boston, Va., outfielder Jason Place and Drew Poulk, the brother of UNCW standout Matt Poulk.
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