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Team Texas Game 1 Recap

July 30, 2021
Phil Haig
Texas Scouting Director

LAKEPOINT - Game 1 of the 2021 Future Games started off with Team Texas shining bright deep in the heart of Georgia. It was quite the performance on both sides of the ball. The offense came out of the gates swinging hot bats and driving multiple baseballs in the gaps and to the wall for extra base hits. The pitching also shined in spots to help lead Team Texas to a 9-4 victory over Team Arkansas. Lets take a dive into a few standout performers from the day.

 

Ethan Mendoza - MIF - 2023
Mendoza didn’t waste any time getting the hit parade started by jumping on the first pitch of the game driving it for a double to the right center field gap. He also made a few quality plays on the infield rounding out his day. Mendoza has always shown the ability to turn the barrel at the plate and he sure didn’t wait around to show off his best tool.

Wyatt Sanford - SS - 2024
Sanford has a chance to be the breakout star on the weekend and was able to show a complete game against Arkansas. The high wasted, smooth swinging, left-handed hitter put a few good swings on the ball on the day. Highlighted by a triple to LF on a play the outfielder dove for which allowed Sanford to show the bounce in his step and long strides as he easily glided into third base. Also found his way over to second base late in the game and showed the ability to change directions of the ball efficiently and finish off the back half of a double play.


Jace Martinez - SS - 2023
Martinez is another high waisted, lean, athletic infielder that showcased his tools and ability to play. After one of the more impressive rounds of BP from the workout day, he carried it over right into game 1 with a ball smoked to deep centerfield that bounced of the CF glove and allowed Martinez to show his long strides and explosiveness as he bounded his way to third base.

Micah Dean - SS - 2023
Dean put on a clinic when it was his time to shine at shortstop on the day. Dean has always been a heady high baseball IQ type player but it was good to see him start a double play on a routine ball but showed the ability to drop his slot and give a good feed to the second baseman. He also made a highlight real play with a sliding stop to his left and popping up to his feet and making a strong accurate throw to first to get the runner in plenty of time. Dean also jumped all over a fastball early in the count in his next at bat and hit a hard line drive with an exit velo of 99 mph for a single to left field. 

Drew Markle - INF/OF - 2023
Markle sure looks the part and acts the part when it comes to being a high end baseball player. His Game 1 performance was just another example of him showcasing his tools and ability to play the game. In the box, Markle collected two hits on the day highlighted by a triple down the right field line. He is another high wasted, lean, athletic ball player that showed his long strides and ability to get around the bases easily. He also showcased a strong arm on a play at 3B that kind of caught him in between the hops but sat back once he realized he wasn’t getting the short hop, and delivered an accurate strong throw with a quick release to get the runner.


JM Long - 3B - 2023
Long started the day off at 3B and the ball found him a few times, allowing him to show quick reactions on a hot shot hit to him as well as playing through a ball getting the high hop and making the throw on the run from a lower slot. At the plate is where Long has always shined with his simple setup and strong compact swing that gets in the zone early and stays in the zone a long time. Long tallied two base hits on the day, one being a single through the right side and the other being a hard hit double to the left center field gap. There is a lot to like about JM Long’s ability in the box and on the corners of the infield. 

JJ Kennett - C -2023
Kennett has a shot to defend at a very high level behind the plate. He checks all the boxes from a catchers makeup standpoint: tough, energetic, athletic, engaged, and his tools match the makeup. With POP times in the mid 1.9’s (1.94-1.99), he is able to show a quick transfer and release with accurate throws to all bases. In the game, when the opportunity presented itself, he made two textbook blocks deadening the ball off his chest and keeping it right in front of him. Kennett also made a snap throw to first base in an attempt to back pick a runner which was unsuccessful but it showed his natural ability to throw the ball and hunt for outs. At the plate, Kennett got in the box ready to hit and hammered two line drives for a base hits to right field and left field, and taking an extra base with no delay when he saw the throw sail high right out of the outfielders hand.

Logan Simmons - RHP - 2023
It always seems to be difficult to talk about Team Texas and not talk about a big arm. Simmons shined on the mound over his three innings of work while punching out three Arkansas hitters on the day. Simmons has a prototypical starters frame, pitches with great tempo, and has a natural rhythm to his delivery with some deception from a high front side. The fastball sat 86-89 with life up in the zone and some angle to it when down in the zone resulting in swings and misses on the fastball both in the zone and out of it. He also shows great feel and arm speed with the changeup when he throws it at 77-78 mph. The breaking ball is his third pitch right now and finished off his day shaking to it in a 3-2 count with 2 outs to freeze the hitter on his best curveball of the outing at 74 mph. It was great to see the big right-hander step up on a big stage and deliver a quality performance. 

 

 

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