The Under Armour All-America Game (powered
by Baseball Factory) showcases thirty-four of the top draft-eligible high shoolers in the country
and two of the top high school talents eligible for the 2012 MLB Rule 4 Draft. Baseball Factory works with young athletes
to develop them as ballplayers and to find a college that best fits each player's academic
and athletic needs (click here for more information). Team One Baseball is the tournament and showcase division of Baseball
Factory. For more information on tournament schedules and other Team One Baseball events, click here. Under Armour is the official sponsor of Baseball Factory's showcase
events and tournaments.
On August 14th, the third annual Under Armour All-America Game (powered by Baseball Factory) will be held at Wrigley
Field in Chicago. DiamondScape Scouting will provide quick hits on the goings-on at Friday's scout workout at the Univ.
of Illinois - Chicago, the morning workout and homerun derby on Saturday and the game itself on Saturday afternoon (updates
will come through our twitter account, which can be followed here). The full 36-player roster can be found here, at the Baseball Factory/UAAAA Official Page. Below are some quick notes on ten players to watch on Saturday, whether live
at Wrigley (tickets here) or on television (starting 12pm Eastern/1pm Central on MLB Network).
Pitchers to
Watch
1. Bryan Brickhouse,
RHP, The Woodlands HS (Texas) -- Brickhouse is one of the top arms in the 2011 Draft Class, with his velocity jumping-up
from the upper-80s last winter to the low-90s thus far this summer showcase season (touching as high as 94 mph). He can throw
his fastball to both sides of the plate and mixes a low- to mid-80s slider with good tilt and dive. Brickhouse also utilizes
a mid-70s curve that is soft and slurvy, but works well as a change-of-pace pitch, and an 80 mph straight change.
2. Nick Burdi, RHP, Downers Grove South HS (Ill.)
-- The "hometown" Burdi possesses good arm speed, generating low-90s velocity on a lively fastball. His second best
offering is a low-80s slider that shows late break and tight bite. He will show an 80-81 mph change to switch things up, and
shows some feel for the pitch, but it is a clear third behind his fastball and slider right now. With impressive velocity,
a solid breaker and a big and durable frame, Burdi has placed himself comfortably into early-round consideration for next
year's Rule 4 Draft.
3. Porter Clayton, LHP, Bonneville
HS (Idaho) -- Clayton is a well put-together lefty with some room to project still there. He generally sits upper-80s
with his fastball and can get some solid armside life on the pitch. Clayton also boasts a pair of breaking balls - a sweeping
slider in the 78-80 mph range and a mid-70s curve. His best secondary offering may be an upper-70s change that flashes fade
and depth.
4. John Curtiss, RHP, Southlake Carroll HS (Texas)
-- Curtiss showed upper-80s velocity last week at the Area Code Games, but has been clocked up to 92 mph the summer at multiple
showcases. His breaking ball is a 77-78 mph offering that can get soft and slurvy at a little slower velocity and tighter
with more bite a little north of that range. His upper-70s change-up pitch is a solid third offering, though with plenty of
refinement still needed.
5. Lance McCullers, Jr., RHP/INF,
Tampa Jesuit HS (Fla.) -- One of two representatives from the 2012 Draft Class, McCullers may have the best arm of
the lot this weekend, sitting 94-95 mph and touching as high as 97 this summer. His slider is another potential plus offering,
showing hard bite and some tilt, while offering deception out of the same slot as his fastball. The early favorite for the
"top arm" label in next year's class, it should be fun to watch him work this weekend
against some talented bats from the class ahead of him.
Position Players to Watch
1. Dante Bichette, Jr., 3B, Orangewood
Christian HS (Fla.) -- Bichette, Jr. continues to grow and fill-in his frame, helping his knack for barreling the ball
result in distance more and more often. Bichette has a fairly compact stroke and does a solid job of accelerating the barrel
through contact. He is likely limited to third base as a pro, where he has the arm and glove to succeed. The potential is
there for him to develop into one of the better high school power bats in the 2011 Draft Class.
2. Aaron Brown, OF, Chatsworth HS (Calif.) -- Brown shows average speed and good arm strength
in the outfield, tracking fairly well at the corners. Offensively, the lefty flashed some ability to spray the ball the other
way out in Long Beach at the Area Code Games, but also has the ability to turn on balls middle-in and put a charge into them.
Aside from the potential for above-average power, no one tool sticks out, but the California outfielder has a balanced set
of tools and shows a solid feel for the game on both sides.
3.
Connor Castellano, MIF, Evangel Christian HS (La.) -- Castellano has a patient approach at the plate, helping him to
find good pitches to square, though his power works to the gaps (he can work both) rather than over the fence. In the field,
Castellano is capable at both short and second, showing solid footwork and good pivots on each side of the bag, though his
arm and first-step quickness may ultimately spell a move to second at the pro ranks.
4. Dwight Smith, Jr., OF, McIntosh HS (Ga.) -- Smith, Jr. is one of the top outfield bats
in the 2011 Draft Class, showing some pop and generally keeping compact to contact. He is strongest to the pull side, but
has enough power in his forearms to drive the other way, as well. His footspeed and arm strength are average, making left
field a likely landing spot (where his bat should play).
5.
Derek "Bubba" Starling, OF/RHP, Gardner HS (Kan.) -- Starling is the top two-way player in the HS ranks this
draft year, though his "now" game doesn't quite stack-up to the elite arms of the class. Starling can run his
fastball up to the 91-93 mph range and utilizes an easy, repeatable motion to command the offering fairly well. His curve
is mid-70s and shows enough feel to throw for strikes or bury it, and his change is a low- to mid-80s pitch with improving
arm speed and feel. In the field, Starling moves very well in the outfield, with plenty of arm strength for right field (though
his arm action causes him to lose some carry on his throws from time to time). He routinely clocks among the fastest 60 times
on the showcase circuit and would have been among the top scorers in the SPARQ testing at the Area Code Games last week had
he completed all the events. There's clean-up to be done on the offensive side and while his bat speed and ability to
barrel is good, the in-game power is still emerging (though the body control and athleticism are a good bet to translate into
a sounder swing and more in-game power with reps).
