80 Grade Scouting Notes: Rhinos Baseball FL Scout Day
The 80 Grade Scouting staff would like to extend a huge thank you to Coach Kennedy, his coaching staff, and the Rhinos Baseball 16U & 18U team for having us out to run a Scout Day for their program.
The Scout Day was over two days, with day 1 being a Pro-Style Workout for position players followed by Bullpen work on day 2. There were a number players who stood out during the week. See our staff’s top performers below:
2026 OF/RHP Tyler Brown was impressive at the plate, in the OF, and on the mound during the Rhinos Scout Day. The uncommitted Senior is a solid bat with present power. He also had a solid showing on the mound with a unique release that generates some quality movement on his FB & SL. Brown is one of the best available HS bats in the Manatee/Sarasota County, FL area and will be a great pickup for any school who signs him.
2029 C Ian Robinson is one of the top ranked catchers in his class and he showed why during his workout. Robinson has a long, lean frame that you can easily project to fill in as he matures physically. He moves incredibly well behind the plate with soft hands and manipulates the baseball well when receiving. He also has a strong arm for his age that he showed off in the workout. Offensively, Robinson has a simple setup using a leg lift trigger that consistently put balls off the barrel.
Another impressive young player was 2029 OF/RHP Bryson Nowakowski. Nowakowski has present quick twitch athleticism which was on display at the plate, in the OF, and on the mound. Look for Nowakowski to grow into a very solid prospect as he matures physically over the next few years.
One of the more impressive arms for the Rhinos was uncommitted 2026 RHP Francesco Giustino. Giustino has a prototypical athletic pitcher build. He has a simple delivery and has shown consistent growth on the mound over the last few years. Relying on his ability to locate and change speeds, Giustino is a reliable arm who fills up the zone and pitches to contact.
2026 RHP/OF Weston Terrell was another unique arm that the Rhinos showcased. Terrell uses a high lift and coil delivery finishing from a 3/4 release. Terrell generates a ton of arm side run on his FB and flashed signs of a wipe out SL. He also had a power CH that showed some potential as well. If he’s able to harness his command of the 3 pitch mix he could be an arm to watch.
Another impressive young player for the Rhinos was 2028 C/RHP Cade Carlson. Carlson showed impressive catch and throw ability behind the plate. Carlson also put together 2 solid rounds of BP consistently putting balls into the LCF gap.
80 Grade Scouting Notes: Kane County Phantoms Scout Day 9/27
The 80 Grade Scouting staff made the trip to Big Rock, IL for the Kane County Phantoms Scout Day. A shoutout to Coach Steve Colombe for helping run a smooth event! Coach Colombe was as organized and structured as any coach that we’ve had the pleasure to work with.
The day started out with a Pro-Style Workout in the morning followed by a live scrimmage. There were a number players who stood out on the weekend. See our staff’s top performers on the weekend below:
2027 UTIL Ryder Enriquez really impressed during the workout. Enriquez has a strong, physical build with present athleticism. Enriquez proceeded to show off his defensive versatility impressing both in the OF & INF. He finished off the workout with one of the more impressive BP rounds on the afternoon.
2027 LHP Matthew Martija had one of the most impressive pitching performances on the weekend. Martija came from a deceptive low 3/4 slot that hid the ball well. Martija showcased a nasty slider that gave lefties a problem in the first inning. He was able to backdoor the breaking ball on righties in his second inning where he struck out the side.
Another impressive arm was 2027 RHP Matthew Guzauskas. Guzauskas used a big coil into his delivery and hid the ball late allowing his low-mid 80s fastball to really get on hitters. His command was a little off early, but he kept solid composure eventually showing a nice 3 pitch mix.
Another standout from the workout session was 2027 2B/OF Colton Ludwig. Ludwig is an athletic, versatile position player. Colton also displayed impressive arm strength from the outfield and had a very controlled, impressive BP round.
2027 C Cason Humay showed well during the workout with a solid 2.09 pop time. Humay carried that momentum into the game behind the dish. Displaying excellent control over his pitching staff that struggled to find the zone; Humay showed great leadership helping his arms refocus. Humay capped off a solid day behind the plate by back picking a runner at 1B to help bail his team out of jam. Cason also picked up the lone extra base hit during game play with a 3-0 2RBI Double into CF.
Another 2027 that impressed our staff was INF/RHP Andrew Link. Link showed above average athleticism in the IF during the workout and put together a solid BP round. Link has the type of frame that he will grow into and is likely to make major strides as he continues to mature physically.
One of the more projectable bats of the group was 2027 1B/LHP Nolan Claeson. A 2-Sport Athlete (Football/Baseball), Claeson had a very impressive 2nd round of BP with consistent exit velocities in the mid-upper 80s.
2027 UTIL/C Luke Janosek was another one of the more fun players to watch on the day. Janosek is a high motor player that did everything well. Putting up respectable numbers during the workout, Janosek also looked poised and controlled at the plate during the live AB’s.
80 Grade Scouting Notes: Wesley Chapel vs Mater Charter Academy 5A State Title Game
The 5A State Title game was a matchup of two relatively young teams that both swung the bat well all day. The story of the day was the timely hitting by the Mater Charter Academy Lions and the ability of Starting Pitcher Alfrin Rosario to navigate around the traffic on the bases all game. The Wildcats of Wesley Chapel threatened to score right away thanks to a lead off single by Nolan Hartley.
Hartley would go on to swipe 2B giving the Wildcats a runner in scoring position in the top of the 1st. Junior, Zorre Wright, then would put together a scrappy AB as he battled with two strikes on him with a single to RF, but Hartley was held up at 3B. Wright would go on to steal 2B, but Wesley Chapel was not able to capitalize on the two runners in scoring position as Rosario worked out of the jam unscathed.
Mater Academy didn’t take long to respond with some offense of their own as they got singles from Eiker Noguera and Yodelkis Quevedo. Senior Bryan Arrieta put the Lions on the board first with a 2RBI hit into CF.
Alfrin Rosario would go on to drive in Arrieta with a Double to help out his own cause to make it 3-0 Lions. Noguera drove in the 4th run of the day for the lions in the bottom of the 2nd with a single into RF. The Wildcats never quit however, as Nolan Hartley sparked the Wesley Chapel offense to lead off the 3rd inning with a Triple into LF.
Cole Ranchel would battle to put the Wildcats on the board as he stayed on a Rosario breaking ball just long enough to poke it into RF for an RBI bloop single.
But Lions offense kept threatening as they manufactured another run in the 4th thanks to a deep Sac Fly to CF off the bat of Senior Jeuri La Rosa.
Mater Academy added their final insurance run in the bottom of the 6th when Bryan Fernandez drove in the runner from 3B with an RBI single into CF.
Although the bats for both sides swung it well, the MVP for the Lions on the day was Western Oklahoma State Commit Alfrin Rosario. Rosario got into some trouble as the Wildcats collected 9 hits off of him, however Rosario seemed to get better with his back against the wall.
Due to the Rosario reaching his pitch count he was pulled with 1 out in the 7th inning for Adrian Pena who was able to record 2 quick outs sealing the Lions 5A State Championship victory. Congratulations to the Mater Charter Academy Lions players and coaches on their victory. Also, congratulations to the Wesley Chapel Wildcats players and coaches on a great season.
80 Grade Scouting Notes: Alonso @ Venice Game 2 of FHSAA 7A Regional Championship
Game 2 of the FHSAA 7A Region 2 Championship had everything that you could want in a playoff matchup. The game started off as a pitchers duel as Bryan Alonso got the ball for the Ravens and cruised through 4 scoreless innings working around a few Venice hits early in the game. The Venice ace, Jackson Lucas, did what he has done his whole career by filling up the zone with a plethora of off-speed pitches keeping hitters off balance. The Troy commit, worked 5 scoreless for the Indians to start the game.
The offense for the Indians came alive in the bottom of the 5th when Nic Dunn led off with a Triple to RF. Jonathan Mauro broke the scoring drought the next AB as he drove Dunn in with a sharp single into LF.
Following a wild pitch and a Brodie Whitlock sac bunt to move over the runner over to 3B, August Backman drove in the 2nd run of the game for the Indians with an RBI Single to RF.
With their backs against the wall and facing elimination, the Ravens responded immediately as they faced the Lucas a 3rd time through the order. A walk to the 9 hole hitter and then followed by a Double by Raymond Llanes, Alonso was threatening to tie things up quickly in the top of the 6th. Coach Faulkner went to his bullpen at this point to bring in August Backman. The Ravens caught a break on Backman’s first pitch of the game as Daniel Despaine used the turf to his advantage with a high infield chopper that he beat out for an RBI infield single.
Alvin Santiago then proceeded to tie the game up with a Sac Fly to CF on the first pitch that he saw.
With the game now tied 2-2, Samuel Fernandez came up with Despaine on 1st. Fernandez proceeded to unleash on his first pitch that he saw to send the ball deep over the LF fence for an 2 run HR giving the Ravens a 4-2 lead.
Two more doubles would follow for the Ravens as they would go on to put up 5 runs in the top of the 6th. With a 3 run lead Coach Faedo turned to his trusted reliever, Marcelo Diaz Villalon, after Bryan Alonso walked the lead off hitter in the bottom half of the 6th. Diaz Villalon would cruise through the heart of the Indians lineup retiring all 6 batter he faced closing out a 5-2 victory for the Ravens to force a Game 3 in Tampa on Saturday.
80 Grade Scouting Notes: Alonso vs. Sarasota Game 1 of FHSAA 7A Region 2 Semifinals
Recap of the FHSAA 7A Region 2 Semifinal game between the Alonso Ravens and the Sarasota Sailors.
The Alonso Ravens traveled south to Sarasota HS to face off with the historical powerhouse program in the Sarasota Sailors. Pitching and timely hitting was the key for game as Alonso was able to pick up a few key timely hits on the night while also preventing Sarasota from doing the same.
The Ravens got things started in the Top of the 1st as they took advantage of a leadoff double to start the game by Raymond Llanes. Quality situational hitting by Daniel Despaine moved Llanes over to 3B so that Alvin Santiago could jump on this first pitch to leg out a RBI infield single to put the Ravens on the board.
Julian Batista got the start on the mound for Alonso and he was sharp all night long. Leaning on a solid 3 pitch mix to keep hitters off balance he was able to keep his composure navigating through the few innings he had runners in scoring position. Batista stranded runners in scoring position in 4 of his 6 innings of work, most notably the 3rd inning with a savvy fake to 3B and throw to 1B pick off move to end the inning.
Sailors starter, Cesar Garmendia minimized damage and gave his team a shot to win going 6 innings only allowing 3 runs (1 earned) with 4Ks. However, the Ravens continued to pick up timely hits and showed off the ability to play solid team offense up and down their lineup. The Ravens added their 2nd run of the game in the Top of 3rd as Daniel Despaine reached on an error and advanced to 3rd later in the inning on a stolen base and single by Santiago. Ihonathan Perez proceeded to drive in Despaine with a Sac Fly to right field.
The Ravens would go on to score again with the combo of Despaine and Santiago who picked up back to back hits again in the 5th. Despaine would come across to score on a Sailors passed ball.
The Sarasota bats fought hard early as they threatened to score in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th innings. Patrick Drymon was stranded at 3B in the 2nd inning after a leadoff single.
Leadoff hitter and UNF commit, Mark Metcalf, picked up a 2 out Triple in the 3rd but was stranded.
The talented young Braedon MacKay led off the 4th with a sharp single on a first pitch fastball eventually being stranded at 2B.
Christopher Padilla came in to close things out for the Ravens in the 7th filling up the zone. He got a quick pop out to the catcher followed by a ground out and strikeout to end the game.
Game 2 of the series will be tonight at Sarasota HS. Look for the Sailors to try to force a Game 3 back at Alonso!