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PBR 16u National Championship Days 1 & 2 - Position Players

June 26, 2022
Phil Kerber, Justin Goetz, Sean Smith, Paul Gies
PBR Georgia Staff

Over the last few days at LakePoint, PBR Georgia's staff has been on the ground at the 16u National Championship identifying some of the best underclassmen at the event. Here's a look at what our guys saw.

Arnold Abernathy, SS, North Cobb (GA), 2024, Southeast Sox
5-foot-10, 160-pound left-handed hitting shortstop, lean, wiry build, an elite athlete, quick, smooth actions throughout. Wide setup at the plate with an athletic crouch, rhythm in hands as he smoothly loads back, short toe-tap stride, good balance. Whippy bat speed and quick hands, when he gets extended the ball jumps off the bat. At-times the hands don’t get extended he creates hard ground ball contact, but with his speed and athleticism Abernathy can steal an infield 1B or make any play close. Aggressive on the bases, always looking for the extra bag. Oozes athleticism.
 


Ajay Jones, OF, North Hall (GA), 2024, Us Elite GA
5-foot-8, 155-pound right-handed hitting outfielder, athletic build, lean muscle throughout, an elite athlete. High energy, plays every play like it is his last. Wreaks havoc on the basepaths, will test the boundaries of a defense as he looks to be ultra aggressive. With 6.5 speed, he has a high success rate on the bases. At the plate, Jones has a line drive approach, looking to put the ball in play, emerging power as he fills out.
Antonio Ware, OF, Cedartown (GA), 2024, East Cobb Prime
Uncommitted. At a long levered 6 foot, 150 pounds stands a projectable athlete with smooth actions in everything he does. Ware has one of the more efficient, simplified swings in his class for GA. He’s able to create momentum, torque, and bat speed w/ minimal head movement or separation. He will hit big velo consistently because of it, and it helped him square up 85 mph FB’s twice in this game. His hands work close to the body, activating loose muscles that become quick muscles. It becomes even easier for his back elbow & knob to lead the swing, making for a short, compact path. Antonio will rise as a prospect year after year as the strength develops.
Jackson Uggla, IF, North Cobb Christian (GA), 2024, USA Scout
Uncommitted. 5 foot 9, 170 pounder is young in his physical development, but already possesses a strong, stocky frame. He is light years ahead as a hitter. I haven’t seen another ‘24 bat in GA decelerate this consistently on CB/SL’s, which shows he has very strong wrists and good pitch recognition. His 20/20 vision sure helps, but so does studying MLB hitters & having elite knowledge of his swing mechanics. There are no holes to be found in Uggla’s swing - as he can manipulate his hand path to fit any pitch in any location, and he’s very locked in approach wise. Jackson is a versatile defender who can play any infield position, and has grown up playing SS. He’s also a solid runner and will continue to improve in that area. Uggla is quickly turning into a complete hitter and will create middle of the order power production in the near future.
Austin Miller, MIF, Mead (CO), 2024, Nomadic Baseball
Uncommitted. This 5 foot 8, 155 pounder has a smaller, lean muscled frame with quick actions in all facets of the game. This matches his high energy, blazing speed (6.6 run), and the approach fits perfectly. Miller is selective aggressive looking to hit hard line drives, but will gladly take walks. At SS he’s got range, instincts, footwork & exchange, and a strong arm from all angles! He’s nearly an automatic bag each time he reaches 1st, and is a prototype table setter at the top of a lineup. The tools should continue to jump as he fills out his frame.
Carter Johnson, SS, Oxford (AL), 2024, Excel Baseball
Uncommitted. 6 foot 2, 175 pounds with a high waist and standout athleticism. The No. 11 player in AL for PBR would fit right into extended spring training without notice. Like all good hitters his hips control the lower half, using momentum for knee 2 knee clearance. This creates proper direction up the middle of the field, and keeps his barrel in the zone forever. Carter has fluid rhythm in hands, perfect separation timing, and he repeats launch position. The entire body works together in sequence for optimal linear connection as he throws the hands. He has advanced lower half mechanics, adjusting knee bend on the low ball. He’s got a smooth, lofty path and consistently hits the inner half of the baseball for backspin doubles in the gaps. One of my favorite hitters this summer.
Deion Cole, SS, Etowah (GA), 2026, SmarTense
Uncommitted. Lean frame at 6-foot-1, 180-pounds with tons of athleticism and room to continue growing. Stands upright and athletically in the box, high leg kick load but stays perfectly on balance throughout before planting. Easy power from his lower half and back hip as he turns thru, then fires his quick hands and barrel into the zone and gets the baseball to jump off his bat. Fluidity galore in swing, high-level talent.
DJ Scheumann, C, Mt. Vernon (IN), 2024, Indiana Bulls
Uncommitted. Strong, muscular frame at 6-foot-1, 180-pounds. Switch-hitting catcher with easy movements in swing. At the plate, stands balanced with elbows pointed slightly downward and some crouch to his knees. Quiet load, simple lift of his leg and weight transfer into back hip with shoulders staying square to the mound. Quick hands thru the zone, generates serious bat speed and barrel whip with a short path. Impressive and mature body control as he stays very balanced thru entirety of swing. All fields power potential.
Melvin Blocker, OF/MIF, Spalding (GA), 2024, Team Elite Black
Uncommitted. Smaller and athletic frame at 5-foot-8, 155-pounds with room to add muscle. At the plate stands upright and relaxed. Loose hands and wrists create for a heavy barrel, able to shoot pitches anywhere in the ballpark. Athletic load with a medium leg kick, staying on balance and in control before he plants. Strong core generates whip with the barrel thru the zone, staying short to the ball and extending nicely as he separates.
AJ Fundora, 1B, West Forsyth (GA), 2024, Team Elite National
Uncommitted. Stocky 5-11 220lb frame with present strength. Stands tall and balanced in the box with a slightly open stance. Medium leg kick with a soft landing, allows his hips to travel thru the zone and hands work quickly to make hard contact with his heavy barrel. Small downward tilt of the shoulders as he loads create loft and extension in swing as he explodes thru the zone. Serious juice in his bat with pull side pop and room for more.
  
Alex Martin, SS, Boyd County (KY), 2024, Louisville Legends
Uncommitted. Strong, muscular frame at 6-foot-3, 195-pounds. At the plate, stands with a wide base and balanced with a high back elbow. Simple, short lift of his leg to get timing down as he loads and moves weight into back hip to generate his power. Short path thru the zone and unleashes that pop as he makes contact, back leg and arms working in unison. Quiet swing with short and quick movements throughout with head staying still thru contact. Impressive yet simple swing, more to come. High level prospect.

 

Chase Mcgarr, OF, Episcopal HS (TX), 2024, Trotsky Texas
Uncommitted. 6-foot-0 190-pounds. Tall balanced stance at the plate. Chase looked very relaxed at the plate. Barrel gets on plane early. Hips and hands stay connected in the swing. Sees the baseball well at the plate, he got into deep counts and was hunting the fastball. Found a lot of barrels in his multi-hit day for Trotsky Texas, doing exactly what a four hole should do; Drive in runs. Recognized pitches well and looked like the most confident hitter on the field. Has more power potential with his swing and frame. Looked solid in right, broke to balls quickly and flashed the ability to track baseball going forward and backward. Showed an above average arm making the throw from right field to third on a rope.
 

 

 

Baker Walker, C/RHP, Lake Cormorant HS (MS), 2024, Canes Southeast Scout 
Uncommitted. 6-foot-1 195-pounds. Strong frame. Tall athletic stance at the plate. Has a rhythmic, fluid stride. Gets into his back hip well. Creates good separation and gets into a powerful launch position. Big bat in the middle of a good Canes lineup, found a lot of barrels including a double and a 93 mph exit velo single. Looking to drive the baseball to all fields. Looked athletic behind the dish, posted a 2.09 pop time. Commanded the game from behind the plate; Received the ball with soft hands.


Rustan Rigdon, SS, Metter (GA), GameOn Stealth 
Vanderbilt commit. 6-foot-1 185-pounds. Lean athletic frame. Very fluid at the plate, great rhythm, looks very relaxed at the dish. Starts tall with an open stance. Has a smooth toe tap. Hips and hands stay connected throughout the swing. Good extension on the finish. Rigdon showed the ability to be an elite hitter with big power potential. His athletic swing projects well. Mainstay at the top of the GameOn lineup.Can cover a lot of ground in the outfield. Hips open efficiently to track the baseball. Above average runner.




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