VA Top Performers at PG Jr National (2016's)

The VA contingent represented themselves and the Commonwealth very, very well in Ft. Myers: they were all brilliant in their combine and game performances.

 

To add to redbird5's excerpts, PG announced their Top Prospect List:

Bobby Nicholson - RHP - 2016 - Charlottesville, VA
A Virginia commit, Nicholson reminded us of current Cavalier hurler Connor Jones in his overall stuff and mechanics. He sat steady at 88-90 mph his entire outing with lots of running and sinking action and flashed a sharp breaking low 80's slider.

 

Noah Murdock - RHP - 2016 - Colonial Heights, VA
The 6-6/165 Murdock is about as slender as a top prospect can get but he was surprisingly athletic and made several defensive plays at first base that showed this off. He topped out at 89 mph early in his outing on the mound and has plenty more velocity to develop as he gets stronger.

 

Joe Rizzo - 3B - 2016 - Oak Hill, VA
The left handed hitting Rizzo is both quick and strong, a nice combination on a hitter, and the ball comes off his bat hard. He's a very good athlete who will be a strong defensive player at third base.

 

Michael Bienlien - RHP - 2016 - Chesapeake, VA
Bienlien had one of the best changeups at the showcase, which just made his 85-87 mph fastball with huge movement look even faster. His arm action is long and loose and very projectable.

 

Garrett Stallings - RHP - 2016 - Chesapeake, VA
Stallings is a polished and mature right hander with a solid three-pitch mix, including a fastball up to 88 mph that he spotted well, a big breaking upper 70's slider and a nice change up.

 

And on a completely different note, watch out for this 2017...HOLY CRAP!!!!

 

Ronald Washington - OF - 2017 - Houston, TX
An SEC coach sat with the PG scouts during Washington's batting practice and said shaking his head "I've never seen a freshman hit like that in my baseball life....." Washington's raw power is incredible for his age and he ran a 6.67 sixty to highlight how good an athlete he is as well.

Very proud of our EvoCanes!

That Washington kid also pitched up to 87 mph last fall, so who knows how far he'll go in that department by the time he graduates HS in THREE YEARS!  Hopefully he'll throw this weekend so we can see how much progress he made there in the spring.

 

His profile says he's 6'0", 202 lbs.  He must be solid rock to be that fast with those size numbers.  Very few freshmen who are in shape can tip the scales at 202.  We're talking Mike Trout type physique.

 

Makes me wonder if he might not be a stud running back as well.

And I'll give a shout out to our Virginia Cardinals who were able to attend -- Noah Murdock (Colonial Heights) and Justin Sorokowski (Lee-Davis), named above, plus Steven Carpenter (New Kent).

 

Regrettably we had two other players -- Cayman Richardson and John Gregory of Hanover -- who were unable to attend due to the necessity of staying home to prepare with their HS teams for the upcoming final 4 weekend.  Unfortunately this was caused by VHSL's change to the HS calendar this year.  Under last year's calendar, HS championships would've been decided last weekend and these players would have been able to participate at Ft. Myers.

Another Hanover 2016 Grey Lyttle was forced to miss the PG Jr National as well. Unfortunate that the Hanover boys had to miss this event because of VHSL changing their schedule. However a chance at back to back state championships doesn't come along often.

Makes you wonder whether Hanover will miss a beat even after this weekend, with three top guys in their sophomore class alone!

Was wondering about something earlier that sort of pertains here.

 

Most every kid mentioned above is committed.  

 

What benefit is there to attend this particular event? 

 

Is it a sort of "all star" game?

 

Plenty of time for MLB scouts to see all of these guys too.  

 

Rich

www.PlayInSchool.com/bus_tour

Rich,

 

I know our committed EvoShield Canes guys go for the competition and the chance to make a bigger name for themselves, which helps them in the draft. 

committed players go because that's the place you get to face the best competition in the country.

 

Because once a kids starts to think he has "arrived" he starts to regress.  Because once anyone thinks they have done enough they are asking to become obsolete.  Because being "committed" isn't a destination, it's a verb.

 

These kids are committed to being great and the only way you get there is to be tested.

R.Graham,

 

Absolutely one of the best explanations I have ever heard! So much truth to what you say.

 

Also, if someone checks out the draft last week or even previous drafts, they will notice something special regarding this event. That being nearly every early round draft pick attends.

PG - 

 

You took the words out of my mouth.  Graham must be a pretty smart guy.

 

Rich

With commitments being made earlier and earlier, it's important to understand that colleges are committing on the understanding that the player will diligently continue his development.  No one is going to be satisfied with a college freshman who hasn't improved since his sophomore year of high school.  And those who "pop the chute", so to speak, put their commitments at risk.

 

But it can cut both ways.  Sometimes the player does so well that the school increases its financial commitment before NLI time arrives. 

 

So there are a lot of reasons why a player can, and should, continue to seek out the top challenges for himself even after he shakes hands with a college coach.