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GDC Tournament: Joe Lattanzi & Julian Mock Division Scout Blog

February 25, 2020
PBR Georgia Staff

The Georgia Dugout Club Tournament Scout Blog provides insider information and scouting notes from the PBR Scouting Staff during the second weekend of the event. This running blog will feature information on underclass prospects, unsigned seniors, draft prospects, and anything else that is notable from the Joe Lattanzi Division and Julian Mock Division, who played on Fields 9 & 10. We will provide a wide range of information, including player evaluations, velocities, pop times, home to first times, and more. Simply put, the GDC Scout Blog is loaded with information …

Joe Lattanzi

Hart County

Will Dean, RHP, Hart County, 2021
6-foot-1 215-pounds. Strong bodied, competitive right handed arm for Hart County. Competed in the zone all night. Simple delivery, has a small pause in the bottom of his leg lift that messes with hitters timing. Strong finish, with strong intent and purpose with every pitch. Seemed like he had a plan and executed every pitch. FB was 83-85 for 6 strong innings. Flashed a 87 a couple of times. Showed he could throw 3 pitches for strikes. Flipped the CB really well at 70-73, late break and good spin. Really good tempo, controlled the pace of the game when he was on the mound. Solid LHH as well. Good swing, get the job done. Would be a solid asset at the next level for someone looking for consistency and competitiveness.


Casey Tallent, RHP, Hart County, 2021
Clemson commit. 6-foot-2, 175-pound right-handed pitcher, athletically built prospect with strength throughout his lower half, much more to come as he continues to add strength to his frame. Arm works short with quick arm speed out of a high ¾ slot, repeats his delivery. Strong, drop and drive, works on-line, lands square, finishes crossing over. Fastball sat 85-88, touched 89 and 90 mph, armside run action. Slider, 73-75, some late lateral movement, induced weak contact, with his quick arm, there is easy potential for added velocity to the pitch. Changeup, 76-77, fade action.
North Paulding

Mitchell Heer, RHP, North Paulding, 2021
6-feet, 165 pounds. Second weekend in a row that Heer took the mound at LakePoint. Consistent with prior weekend, FB sitting 84-86, T87. Maintained velocity into the 6th inning. Used changeup to set pace and keep hitters off-balanced at 75-77. Showed similar action with off-the-table stuff and very impressive deception out of the hand.
Jake Hembree, LHP, North Paulding, 2023
Georgia commit. The freshman has started his varsity career by setting the bar extremely high. The young right-hander has a mature approach on the mound and feel beyond his years, he carries himself like a senior, and pitches like someone who has years of varsity experience under his belt. It is becoming the norm to see Hembree command multiple pitches to both sides of the zone and get swing and miss regularly. On Saturday night, he put in a complete game 5 hit shutout against Hart County. Fastball sat 81-84, touched 86 late in the game, armside run. Had the wherewithal to know he did not have to gas it by batters, but rather rely on his movement to work the lineup, ramped it up when he needed to. Curveball, 1/7 shape, high spin rate, sharp action with depth, 68-71. Going to be extremely fun to watch this freshman continue to grow and dominate opposing lineups.
Riverwood

Chase Engelhard, SS, Riverwood, 2020
5-foot-11 165-pounds. Tulane commit. Highly athletic, and elite defender. Had a strong showing at the GDC tournament. Simple load swing with really quick hands. Perfect top of the order candidate. Hands and feet are smooth and in sync at SS. Will be a large asset to any team with the glove. Will be competing for a spot at Tulane, because of the glove.
Jason Miller, 3B, Riverwood, 2020
5-foot-10 165-pounds. East Georgia State commit. Had a strong showing against North Paulding with a double and a single. Athletic frame, moves really well. Looked really confident at the plate. Quick hands, and really simple contact swing. Found ways to get on base. Puts pressure on the defense any time he puts the ball on the ground with his speed. Controls the hot corner. Moves side-to-side well, and has the arm make the plays to his backhand.
Thomasville

Hurston Waldrep, RHP, Thomasville, 2020
Southern Miss recruit. 6-foot-3, 200 pounds; strong, durable build. Exciting arm that used two-pitch-mix in start. Battled baserunners early on, but settled in second time through the lineup. Repeatable delivery, works downhill, quick arm with lots of life. FB sat 87-91, topping out at 92. FB had some tail and downward angle from the OT slot. Used arm-side portion of strike zone, primarily with FB. CB showed some power action, at times, especially in put-away counts; 77-79. Secondary pitch had 12/6 action and worked low in the zone, when sharp.
Nate Smith, C, Thomasville, 2021
Tennessee commit. 6-foot-1, 190 pounds. Showed extremely well with the bat over the weekend. Showed consistent pull-side power with multiple doubles in the gap and over heads in LF. Has a simple load with quiet hands. Smooth barrel throughout swing and creates backspin, regularly. Bat is advanced.
Jaylen Jones, LHP, Thomasville, 2021
Michigan commit. 6-foot, 200-pound left-handed pitcher, strong, physical frame, advanced, muscular lower half. Starts on the third base side of the rubber with a closed off setup, strides towards first base side of the mound, staying closed for an extended amount of time. Arm works long with quick acceleration to a ¾ slot. Fastball sat 85-88 with life. Curveball, 2/8 shape, 69-71, significant speed difference from fastball created problems for hitters, was a tough pitch to adjust to. Sparingly used a changeup at 77, mostly straight.
Julian Mock

Cambridge

Matt Faby, RHP, Cambridge, 2020
6-foot-4 195-pounds. Uncommitted. Long, lanky right handed arm. Showed well last weekend in the GDC tournament. Came on in relief in a close game with his down down a couple runs. FB was up from last weekend. It was 83-84 with heavy sink and ASR. OT arm action, really gets down the mound and has a strong finish. SL looked good at 74-75. Buried it  late in the count, and got swings on it. Good swing at the plate as well. Led the 7th off with a double, and would score the winning run.
Jayden Carbonell Smith, SS, Cambridge, 2021
5-foot-10 155-pounds. Athletic, quick twitch SS with good actions. Bats at the top of the order for Cambridge. Shows control in the swing with the ability to drive the ball into the gap. Makes things happen on the bases with his speed. Throws the ball well on the run. Sticks to the ground ball, line drive approach.

Patrick Warren, LHP/RHP, Cambridge, 2021
6-foot 165-pounds. Ambidextrous pitcher. Saw him from the left-side in relief for the Bears. Clean actions, and really smooth. FB was 76-79 with ASR. CB was 66-68. Got a lot of swing and misses with it. Good candidate out of the pen. Threw strikes, looked forward to seeing him throw with both hands some time this spring.

Etowah

Nick Wilson, RHP, Etowah, 2020
Georgia Highlands commit. 5-foot-11, 160-pound right-handed pitcher, athletically built. Arm works with some length to a ¾ slot, above-average arm speed. Controlled drop and drive delivery with quick actions, lifts hands and stride leg up simultaneously like they are attached by string, strides towards third base side of the mound, lands on the outer part of his stride leg as he swings his back leg through. Fastball sat 84-85 with armside run. Slider, 76-77, tight spin, swing and miss type pitch, located to both sides of the zone. The opposing lateral movement of FB and SL create a repertoire that will play when he gets to the next level.
Tattnall Square

 Brooks Gorman, RHP/3B, Tattnall Square, 2020
One of the top uncommitted two-way prospects in Georgia’s Class of 2020, 6-foot, 170-pound left-handed hitting third baseman and right-handed pitcher, athletically built, room for added strength in all parts. At the plate, swing plays, balanced etup, hands load back and drop quickly, quick bat speed, advanced feel for the barrel, wiry strength allows for consistent hard contact. On the mound, works from a low ¾ slot, hides the ball well on the back-side. Fastball sat 85-88, run to both sides of the plate. Slider, 10/4 shape, two-plane break, 75-80, stays behind the ball well. Has been a consistent performer his entire varsity career, whatever college picks him up will be getting a gamer.
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