Prep Baseball Report

Become a Member

More +

PBR 16U National Championship - Fab 15

June 30, 2023
Justin Goetz
Assistant Scouting Director

With the vast array of arms and bats at the 2023 PBR 16U National Championship, you could easily make the case that this was our best crop of talent ever. Future draft prospects and big time college recruits were scattered from field to field, and the explosive tools were just as loud as the intangibles. While there were many players in the tournament that deserve to be on this list, these were the most memorable players I personally scouted throughout this electric week long event.

Cannon Hensarling RHP, 2025, SBG Sox, Ocean Springs (MS)
Uncommitted. 6-foot-2, 170 pounds. Although there were many arms throwing fuel at our 16U National Championship, this one left the biggest impression. He has many traits tough to teach, but fast twitch fibers are what separated him from all others. The lean frame and sudden explosiveness remind me of 2 electric arms at the games highest level, Matt Brash and Joe Kelly. Hensarling’s gradual build of pace, exceptionally connected arm action, and out of this world torque in hip shoulder separation create some of the most violent arm speed I’ve seen from a 16 year old. Yes there are players his age in the country throwing harder, but I haven’t seen a ‘25 that can go from relaxed to peak arm speed so rapidly. It may be bold to say this arm is a lock to reach triple digits in the future, but I’ve developed a handful of mid-upper 90’s MLB arms who were nowhere near Cannon’s arm speed+velo at the same age. It’d be one thing if he was a physical specimen, but he’s long levered and is only just beginning to sculpt lean muscle into the frame. But what truly separates him is one of the sharpest SL’s in the class. An abrupt sweeper that breaks so late I thought one was coming straight for my face, only for it to end up as a backdoor strike 3. He already shows real command of it to the arm side, and it’s a pitch he can always go to in tough situations. The FB control can be sporadic at times, but he can get in a rhythm with it. It has late run everywhere in the zone, and will carry up & sink down. Whether he can command it enough down the line to be a starter remains to be seen, but this is a future pro who will have a plus SL and top of the scale FB velo!


Ethan Armstrong RHP, 2026, MC Hit Dogs, Garden City (MI)
Uncommitted. 6-foot-2, 196 pounds. When a player is selected for Future Games, that makes them one of the best uncommitted upcoming JR players in the country. But Ethan’s accomplishment was much more rare, he played in the country’s most prestigious uncommitted event a full 2 YEARS ahead of the majority. When watching him pitch a year later, it’s safe to say PBR Michigan made a great call. His broad shouldered frame is proportionally built, and the lower half is noticeably strong. He’s a dynamic mover who has one of the most connected deliveries in his age group. The pre set hip hinge and textbook full circle (mid depth, H3/4) arm action work together with his largest muscles on the backside to create velocity you’d typically see in an arm 1-2 years older. He’s able to maintain the balance and direction to throw consistent strikes with 2 pitches despite a slight fade/lean in the upper half as as he works down the hill. This fade looks very natural and allows him to stay inside the FB (steep w/ gradual run) and pronate cleanly through release, showing his spin numbers are true without cut. But he had no problem supinating at 16U Natty, repeatedly peppering his tightly shaped SLV to the glove side off his FB. His smooth lower half mechanics begin with a gradual coil through up & down phases, and the stride is natural and in line without sacrificing any aggressiveness. You see the exceptional ankle mobility in his pivot allowing him to rotate more violently. His posture in this rock & fire delivery create an ideally steep plane that’s tough for hitters to track, and the sky is the limit on this arm!
Noah Farrell RHP, 2026, Flood City Elite, Dubois Area (PA)
Uncommitted. 6-foot-3, 185 pounds. This is what elite athletes look like on the mound, and Farrell was my 1st look at an incredibly impressive group of Pennsylvania arms that were littered across LakePoint at the 16U National Championship. He was one of the 3 hardest throwing arms I saw, but did so at a year younger than his age group. According to PBR PA, he had dominant performances all spring for his FR season, and we’re beyond excited to see how he continues to progress over his next 3 years in HS. Despite Noah playing basketball thru the fall & winter each year and having a shorter HS baseball season, this has had no impact on him developing an explosive delivery. Playing less baseball might even have had a positive impact on it, as a young pitcher can become more robotic & slow when focusing on it too much from a young age. It’s so natural and shockingly well sequenced, and you can just tell he’s focused on building pace from start to finish and timing that pace with his arm action. The delayed hand break allows his coil (2 back hip) to be perfectly timed in stride, which you rarely see in someone his age. The arm is never alone, promoting long term health. His pre set hip hinge allows him to focus the weight of his delivery on the inside of his back foot, stacking power with the upper half in stride for pure violence post foot strike. The arm action is a loose-wristed drop out of the glove that allows gravity to create serious momentum out of the bottom with a big swing into an optimal scap load. He creates elite space between the arm action and stride at foot strike for crazy torque. Noah has some of the best extension I’ve ever seen in a 15 yr old arm, violently catapulting his chest over the front knee just before release making the ball absolutely explode out of hand. His heater was playing like 90-92, not 88-90. It’s the definition of heavy but plays up in the zone as well due to extension. He dominated with the pitch for innings on end, and sold a very impressive CH in warmups that dropped off the table. This will be a devastating combo in the future and I do think he can develop a CUT in the future to keep hitters from tracking him vertically. This will be one of the most exciting arms in the country for years to come.
Kaden Hart OF, 2025, South Charlotte Panthers, Oak Grove (NC)
Virginia Tech Commit. 5-foot-11, 240 pounds. With the frame of a D1 fullback/linebacker and the athleticism of a D1 running back, this is a different breed of baseball player that we are thankful chose to be a budding star on the baseball Diamond. From the outside looking in, the average baseball fan could mistake him for just a power hitter who is better than everyone his age because he’s so strong. Well that would be a bad assumption, because Kaden is a pure hitter who has nearly every hitting intangible needed to hit for average at a young age. The approach, pitch recognition, reaction time, decision making, hand-eye, and ability to extend AB’s are all there. This is a disciplined hitter who produces power so often because of the consistently good decision making he shows at the plate. He covers the outer half with ease - Hart doesn’t chase offspeed, has a smooth inside-out swing and precise timing that allows him to find holes oppo. He can pull middle away pitches without rolling over due to ridiculous bat speed, his ability to keep the hands inside the baseball at all times, and rare bat strength. This is without question one of my favorite hitters in the country for ‘25. One of the biggest obstacles to overcome for a hitter to survive the minor leagues is to be able to handle 100+ games of high powered arsenals without the body wearing down. Hart’s hulk strength is built to handle this now, and he’s only going to get stronger. His special bat speed+bat strength combo blends in with good timing to make even the best velocity in his age group look average. His stocky frame is never off balance at the dish, a mark of a true hitter with a different level of body control. The part of his game that might be even more eye opening than the bat is his loud run tool, which is right around plus. You just don’t see plus runners at 240 lbs, and he holds the weight proportionally. The instincts, quick 1st step, and fluid hips are all present in CF, and the range is just shocking for his size. While his profile may eventually lean toward corner OF because a team that invests in him will focus on his powerful bat, he shows no signs that the speed will diminish. Like I said, he’s a different breed and will likely be strongest CF in college baseball in quite some time. This is only the beginning of a very long career.  
Dylan Firmstone RHP, 2025, Flood City Elite, Hempfield Area (PA)
Uncommitted. 6-foot-3, 175 pounds. This arm is the closest thing I found to a guaranteed future starter at 16U Natty. Yes the frame is projectable and there’s much more velo to come, but this is an arm that’s built to last. His current control is well advanced and will turn into A/AVG or better command on the FB & SLV. Although he didn’t need to use the CH, it showed impressive fade in warmups and I feel it can be just as quality of a pitch as the other 2 in the future. This won’t be an overpowering pitcher, he’s going to have a long career based off not only command but pitch life. The sharp movement he shows on all 3 pitches is well advanced for his age. The FB is the definition bore with edge to edge action that eats the barrels of RHH, and gets LHH to chase whenever needed. His game with the heater is more focused on getting ahead in counts and freezes, as he gets a ridiculous amount of whiffs on the SLV. The shape is incredibly consistent, with aggressive+sudden sweep and 2 plane depth. He can locate it to both edges with ease. Firmstone’s FB/SLV combo is very tough to predict and track, because both pitches move sharply in complete opposite directions horizontally. His deceptive arm action is completely hidden and both offerings look identical out of hand (then add the consistent strikes), so you can never sit on one without paying a steep price. This is a true artist on the mound who works with a suffocating tempo, and it allows him to control the game from 1st pitch to last with the hitters always working on limited time. When hitters step out and try to slow him down, he gets right back on the bump no matter the delay and quickly fires another strike with no interruption. His balanced, effortless delivery seems to need almost zero output to produce electric life and plenty of velo for the current frame. He will only continue to impress and progress as he becomes more known throughout the baseball industry.
Jordan Martin RHP, 2025, Royals Scout Team, Jefferson City (MO)
Arkansas Commit. 6-foot-5, 200 pounds. It’s definitely a positive to develop new pitches, to advance your arsenal, but the reality is most MLB pitchers throw 2-3 pitches a majority of the time. So it was refreshing to see a HS pitcher in Martin who uses his best stuff and pitches to his strengths at all times, instead of trying expand the arsenal so quickly. This has led to him having one of the better 2 pitch combos (FB/SL) in the class, and he can control them both for strikes consistently. This is a frame you can really dream on, and his simplified operation bodes well for his long term chances to be a starter. Despite being far from his eventual physical ceiling, he controls the body very well and it will only get better as the strength continues to develop. He has innate feel for his crossfire delivery and is very smooth thru up+down+out phases. He rotates more violently bc of it, but most importantly repeatedly works downhill due to a gradual sink into his drive leg. Jordan maintains posture down the slope extremely well, creating a combo of angle and steep plane that really makes it tough on hitters to track. Then when you add in that his short circle arm action is nearly invisible with A/AVG MLB extension , you’ve got a guy whose stuff entire arsenal is going to consistently play up. His FB gets true spin most of the time, bringing on some late run at well A/AVG spin numbers. But an even bigger strength is the downer SL he tunnels off it, looking nearly identical to the FB (steep) for most of its trajectory. Not only does it have 2 plane depth but the crossfire angle adds subtle sweep to it. He shows serious potential to command it in the future, as he currently feels comfortable going to it in any count. With his athleticism, repeatability, and ability to pronate the FB arm side and flashing pronation glove side, it won’t take long for his CH to catch up to the other 2 pitches in his arsenal. This is a high end prospect with serious projection and feel 2 pitch.


Evan Jones RHP, 2025, West Chester Dragons, Methacton (PA)
Uncommitted. 6-foot-3, 185 pounds. While there was no shortage of power arms in this tournament, Jones was easily one of the most unique if not most. This is the definition of a prototype frame, one you often see with the best aces in the game today. His delivery checks all the boxes - gradual build of pace, compactness, fluidity, direction, and timing most importantly. There are two things that make him so much different than other arms with textbook deliveries. One is the unique twist that shows his back to the hitter and makes his stuff much more difficult to pick up. His ability to repeat the coiling/uncoiling and throw consistent strikes with it is a distinct advantage and separates him from other arms. The other is his near sidearm slot that creates serious angle and is the foundation for the unique horizontal life on his pitches. The body control he’s able to show with such long levers and being so far from his eventual physical ceiling is nothing short of amazing. This was the only complete game I saw at 16U Nat, and also the only shutout. What was even more eye opening was that Jones shut out his opponent despite injuring his foot in the middle of the outing. He established the FB early and often with violent edge to edge run that stayed consistent from 1st pitch to last. He was able to mostly hold velo in the 88-90 range throughout, even reportedly T91 later in the start. His sweeping SL got sharper as the game went on, and he was able to throw it for strikes when in rhythm. This is a dynamic arm with considerable velocity potential who shows feel for 3 pitches (CH is 3rd pitch), and he should continue his rapid development as one of the top arms in the nation.


Jackson Bradley RHP, 2025, Dodgers Scout Team, Inspiration Academy (FL)
Uncommitted. 6-foot-5, 230 pounds. With an XL frame that matches up with some of the biggest starters in the game today, Bradley catches the eye immediately when he toes the bump. After you get to see how easily he operates and the pitchbability he possesses, he begins to grow on you quickly. This was one of my favorite arms at the event. He’s a serious competitor with an element of nasty to him, but he never over exerts himself to get out of control. It’s so easy for him to produce velocity with his imposing frame that he’s able to just focus on executing his pitches at a high level. He maintains very good posture in a slight crossfire delivery and creates rhythm throughout, creating both steeper plane and some angle to make tracking more difficult for hitters. His short circle arm action is connected and moves well, with extreme deceptiveness being one of his biggest separators. He’s more of a dart thrower with the release point coming out of nowhere just off his ear, allowing all his pitches to play up. There is considerable intent in his finish, as he allowing him to produce consistent life on his 3 pitch mix and the stuff played similarly throughout the outing. His running FB got plenty of whiffs in the upper quadrant, and he showed innate ability to locate it to the glove side. I think the ceiling on the pitch is nowhere near reached, and wouldn’t be surprised to see the pitch play A/AVG one day. His low to mid 70’s CB tunnels well off the heater up, getting whiffs and weak contact with sharp downer bite and two plane depth. Jackson threw multiple CH to LHH for strikes off his FB, getting a couple whiffs and doing it’s job. As he continues to fill in his lower half and get to his man strength, this will be a serious riser in the state of FL. Awesome follow.
Lucas Hail RHP, 2025, USA Prime Kentucky, Meade County (KY)
Uncommitted. 5-foot-10, 162 pounds. This is my 2nd week in a row having the privilege to watch Hail go to work, and he just continues to wildly impress with his competitiveness and advanced arsenal. The KY native pitches with a chip on his shoulder and without fear, and it seems like that’s just something Kentucky players are born with at this point. His blue collar approach to the game is really fun to watch, as Lucas doesn’t leave any room for regret on the bump. He attacks hitters from pitch one with his unique running FB that produces A/AVG MLB spin for a RHP. It plays in all areas of the zone and is just as successful vs RHH as LHH due to his ability to work edges with it and the constant threat of his 2 advanced offspeed pitches looming. Just when hitters think they’re getting on time with the FB, they get a wiffle ball CH with more depth than an Appalachian valley. The pitch is one of the best I’ve seen in the country for his age, and it has nearly as much fade to the shape. Hitters do their best to track the fade, but once it suddenly drops off the table it’s over. The most incredible thing about the pitch is Hail’s ability to locate it glove side to RHH with similar shape. The ability to get whiffs on the pitch both inside and out vs RHH puts him on an entirely different level of CH’s. It doesn’t get any easier for opposing lineups when he starts tunneling the CB off his top of the zone FB, and when he starts throwing it 0-0 and landing with ease. Just like his CH, the CB has a devastating combo of IVB and HZB that just makes hitters miserable. If you don’t swing at it, you’ll just go down looking. This is one of my favorite arms I’ve scouted this summer and there are few surer bets to have early success at the D1 level.

Houston Hebert RHP, 2025, TCB, Rossview (TN)
Uncommitted. 6-foot-5, 255 pounds. Despite seeing many impressive frames step on the hill at 16U Nat, this one was by far the most impressive. Hebert is built like a D1 edge rusher right now, bringing at entirely new meaning to XL frame. He came out firing in the latest game of the entire tournament (10:30 pm), starting off his outing by K’ing the side sitting 86-88! This is a player who would make most MLB pitchers feel small, and he’s only going to become more consistent as he develops. While he did start to gas out in the 3rd-4th inning, this is an arm that’s going to continue to hold velocity better as he matures and the arm gets in tip top shape. It may seem that he doesn’t project as well because he’s already so big, but in these types of frames the mass/size often comes before the fast twitch fibers, and it takes time to build up endurance. The foundation of Hebert’s delivery couldn’t be any better, with an advanced hip hinge promoting a hammy/glute dominant lower half that holds extremely well through up+down+out phases. His weight distribution at landing is ideal, giving him all the ingredients for an explosive lead leg block as the twitch comes. The well timed coil and short circle arm action that works close to the body creates good  connection with his largest muscles on the backside and he repeats his delivery incredibly well for his size. His ability to repeat a technically sound delivery+AA is a big reason his FB and SLV show consistent shape. His FB is heavy and low spin but plays very well up in the zone due to lower release height. The pitch got 10+ whiffs in his first 3 INN, but also produced weak contact. His SLV is a very sharp 2 planer that he was able to throw for strikes and whiffs often, and was one of the better breaking balls I saw in the tournament. Houston’s unique FB and natural feel 2 spin in a gargantuan frame make him a highly interesting follow in the class.
Calvin Johnson IF/OF, 2025, Commonwealth Xpress, Frederick Douglass (KY)
Uncommitted. 5-foot-9, 145 pounds. Few players have made the impact at LakePoint over the last year that “Minitron” has (nickname for him given to me by a D1 coaching staff). As many sports fans know, he shares the same name with NFL legend and HOF WR Calvin Johnson from the Detroit Lions. They are much different sizes, but baseball is a game where it's been proven over time that height doesn’t matter. 3 of the worlds best MLB position players (Mookie Betts, Jose Altuve, Corbin Carroll) are 5-foot-9 or shorter. Despite the decades of proof that show how special undersized players can be, it still causes hesitation in the recruiting process. Calvin has every tool and intngible needed to be an impact player immediately at the D1 level. Rare pitch recognition, bat speed, swing mechanics, ability to decelerate, and ability to manipulate the barrel offensively put him on a different level of hitter. Being a near top of scale runner and currently less than 150 lbs, you would expect him to be a small ball type player who bases his offensive skill set off hitting the ball on the ground. This couldn’t be further from the truth, as Calvin shows eye opening pop to both gaps with perfect backspin. He has one of the cleanest swing paths you’ll find anywhere, with his smooth back elbow tuck creating elite connection, allowing the hands and barrel to mimic his shoulder plane that he matches perfectly with the trajectory of any pitch. His top hand stays palm up thru contact so well, creating extra carry on everything he hits. The innate reaction time and ability to adjust the swing path in an instant allow him to handle velocity of the highest quality, as well as get on time regularly with secondary stuff. As Calvin fills into a frame that is already one of the strongest in the class pound for pound, he wiill to bring A/AVG power production (in the form of 2B’s & 3B’s) to the table in addition to hitting for average, and will bring elite SB production at the D1 level (and eventually pro ball). The instincts, shockingly quick 1st step and raw speed are too good to keep him in the infield. Although he doesn’t spend much time there currently, this is at worst an A/AVG defender in CF with future top of the scale range. Being from the state of Kentucky is the biggest reason he finds himself uncommitted going into Future Games, as the state does not get enough credit for its high level talent due to its more rural landscape and not having many major cities. But the cream of the crop always rises to the top, and Calvin is doing just that!
Michael Hunter Stonecipher C, 2025, East Cobb Astros Navy Butler, Clarke Central (GA)
Uncommitted. 5-foot-11, 180 pounds. It was an enjoyable week watching this upcoming Future Gamer produce consistently at the plate and behind it. This is a player who not only plays at a consistently high level but roses to the level of his competition at all times. The 1st time I ever saw him (beginning of ‘22, 20 lbs ago) he took an 86-88 D1 arm with a 2800 CB off the wall twice on heaters, spitting on his breaking ball to work into advantageous counts. Stonecipher made hard contact in each game our staff scouted him at 16U, and my only wish is that he would’ve gotten to see better pitching. This is a player with advanced pitch recognition who hits velo at an extremely high level. He got matched with mostly finesse arms in the tourney, and still made the proper adjustments to produce consistently. His compact forward move and beautifully linear swing path produced lasers all over the field from foul line to foul line. Despite not seeing anything over 85 mph, he still produced 4 EV’s of 93+, showing his explosive offensive traits. He not only has the bat speed+bat strength combo, but his rotational acceleration is on another level through contact. The front hip leads the stride with perfect direction, and his knee 2 knee clearance (lead leg block) is perfectly timed as the swing path nears contact. His efficient knob lead path allows barrel to stay in the zone forever and packs some serious thump as he gets barrel angle late. The sequence of his swing creates perfect harmony with a connection+timing combo, allowing him to produce much more power than his frame would suggest. Stoney leads his pitching staff with impressive maturity and is always 1 step ahead on the field. He impressed as a receiver and blocker throughout the tourney.
Ezra Essex OF, 2025, White Sox Ace, Marion Catholic (IL)
Oklahoma State Commit. 5-foot-9, 160 pounds. This is one of my favorite players in the country for the class, and it all started with his incredible performance in our 15U National Championship last year where he produced barrel after barrel each game. It was more of the same at 16U, as Ezra used his dynamic offensive skill set to stand out as always. His selective aggressive approach, hand-eye coordination, fast twitch fibers, and efficient swing mechanics separate him from others in the class. This is one of the safer bets you’ll find to hit for average, and that’s before even factoring in his blazing speed. Essex is a ++ runner who gets out of the box lightning quick, grabbing him extra hits even when he doesn’t catch a barrel. He focuses on hard line drives that play to his strengths, allowing him to extend singles into 2B’s and doubles into triples. This is a high level base stealer who is very smart and gets good jumps. Essex is a run scoring machine who has all the qualities of a prototype table setter. He’s an advanced defender at a premium defensive position who runs crisp routes due to impressive anticipation and fluid hips. His tracking instincts and closing speed allow him to make difficult plays look easy, and he’s a huge weapon for any pitching staff. Now that he’s got his power 5 commitment out of the way, look for him to develop into a sneaky draft prospect whose tools will only continue to tick up as he gets stronger. This is one of the safer values in the 2025 class.
Bradley Anderson RHP, 2025, Complete Game, Silver Bluff (SC)
Uncommitted. 5-foot-11, 150 pounds. It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fighter in the dog. Anderson is a perfect example of this. When most people first get a look at him they’re likely thinking contact hitting middle infielder. Well yes, he plays SS too, but his rare mound talent will take all of his time up on the diamond in the near future. Lightning in a bottle is a good way to describe him, a compact and efficient delivery that is loaded with fast twitch fibers. To be able to move with this type of controlled violence at 150 lbs soaking wet not only shows his athleticism, but some real sneaky strength. Pitchers that can move fast while keeping their sequence and timing intact typically throw very hard, and Bradley’s velo outputs for his size and age are on a different level. Other than the electric arm speed, the stuff and his ability to control it is really what stands out. His high spin FB already flashes dominance up in the zone, hovering above barrels in the 2400 range at the top of the zone consistently making him very tough to match plane with. Hitters quickly get in a hole off the carry heater and are met with a perfectly tunneled future hammer of a CB with downer action and consistent 2 plane depth. The pitch spins at an average of 2700 RPM and is already creeping into the 2800’s. He can also bury it for K’s and the intent is always there. As Anderson gets stronger, he will keep more balance in the upper half (chest over feet) when working down the mound and create more sharpness to the glove side on the CB. This is a big time D1 follow whose stuff will continue to tick up as he physically matures.
3 BONUS FOLLOWS

Eli Dickey RHP, 2025, Mad Mavs Dickey, Christ Presbyterian (TN)
Uncommitted. 6-foot-3, 215 pounds.

Michael Zelinski OF, 2025, Michigan War Dogs, Hartland (MI)
Uncommitted. 5-foot-10, 185 pounds.

Jamie Vicens RHP, 2025, ATL Lightning, Marist School (GA)
Uncommitted. 6-foot-4, 185 pounds.
Related Content