By Nathan Rode
National Supervisor

The Tournament of Stars’ first day of games took place Wednesday and there was plenty of talent on display. For the first couple days of the event, I’ll be handling the national notebook—offering thoughts and observations on players outside Prep Baseball Report’s coverage area. Executive Director Sean Duncan is also in town and will handle players within the coverage area during his stay.

+ Overall, there was a lack of strikes from pitchers today, but the raw stuff was certainly enough to garner attention. RHP Alex Speas (McEachern HS, GA) catches your eye as he strides out to the mound with his projectable 6-foot-4, 180-pound frame. Pitching for Pride, his delivery is loose and easy and he sat 93-95 mph in his first inning of work, settling in at 92-94 in the second. He showed a hard slider or cutter with lateral break in the high 80s and a curveball in the high 70s that was slurvy with more depth. He tended to get around that pitch. His fastball had good, riding life. Speas had scattered command and surrendered three runs on two hits and a walk in two innings.