The 2023 AABC Don Mattingly World Series was loaded with 64 teams from Texas, nearby states and even Canada. That means the list of notable performances, standout players, and uncommitted prospects is a very, very long one. And we’re thrilled to share the event included 122 scouts from 83 different colleges or professional organizations.

Our scouting coverage from the event will feature eight lengthy stories – hope you packed a sandwich because I wrote a lot of words - to cover the eight pools of teams. While our scouting team couldn’t be everywhere at once, obviously, we’ve also spent hours looking at our excellent video coverage, which you can find on player profiles and under the AABC Don Mattingly World Series event page here at FiveTool.org. 

(Consider all players uncommitted 2024 prospects unless otherwise noted.)

We’ll continue with Pool 4 teams and will begin with a semifinalist with stars who played like it and a couple of really intriguing, uncommitted players:

Stix 2024 Scout
College coaches are always on the hunt for talented left-handed pitchers, and Colleyville Heritage’s Cooper Powell recently re-opened his recruitment, which makes him one of the top – if not the top – uncommitted lefties in Texas. He certainly pitched like it. In 5.0 innings, Powell gave up two runs on two hits, two walks and struck out seven. Powell touched 89 MPH with his fastball, showed a slider capable of getting whiffs at 73-75 MPH and a changeup at 78 MPH that’s a true third pitch. He begins on the third base side of the rubber and is able to get his fastball and slider to his glove side rather easily. A really impressive athlete who gets off the mound about as well as any high school pitcher you’ll see, Powell attacks hitters with a low three-quarters, near sidearm slot. 

Stix 2024 Scout received a great early start from Grayson College signee Ian Collier, who punched out 13 in 6.0 innings and gave up two earned runs on six hits and one walk. Collier uses his big, strong base well in his delivery, getting into good position as he delivers pitches. He mainly used a fastball up to 89 MPH and a changeup that right-handers whiffed at frequently. With a loose, quick arm, Collier also uses an arm slot that’s low three-quarters and repeated well. Boyd High School righty Braden McIntire threw very well - 6.0 IP, 1ER, 2H, 1BB, 7K. With an easy delivery, McIntire showed feel for two breaking balls, throwing strikes and was up to 87 MPH with a physical look that suggested more weight and strength are ahead. 

Poised to step into a bigger role for the reigning state champs, Flower Mound right-hander and Texas State commitment Josh Glaser tossed 5.0 dominant, no-hit frames and struck out eight with just one walk. A physical righty who carries himself with a bit of an imposing presence on the mound, Glaser routinely beat hitters with a lively heater up to 91 MPH and showed a sharp slider up to 81 MPH with an 82 MPH changeup. He does feature some noticeable effort in his delivery, but routinely fired strikes and carried his stuff deep into his outing. 

Glaser will likely team with Zack James to form one of the best rotations in the state at Flower Mound. Coming off an outstanding junior season that included a complete game in the state title game, James looked the part of a top arm. He didn’t give up an earned run in 5.0 innings and gave up four hits, didn’t issue a walk and struck out six. A TCU commitment, James has a thin, loose frame that suggests he will fill out – maybe considerably – with some more muscle/mass in the future. Regardless, his loose, quick arm fires strikes with three pitches – fastball up to 88 MPH, curveball at 74-76 MPH with two-plane break, and a 77-79 MPH changeup – and he’s consistently in control on the mound. 

James has a calm, low-energy delivery before release, but he really rotates and accelerates with his arm/shoulder well with noticeable intent through his finish, which you’ll see in the deceleration (recoil) of his arm after release. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see an offseason deliver noticeable uptick in velocity. Appearing in relief on a day when the ball was absolutely flying out of the park like it was Coors Field, Kade Irons threw 3.1 innings and gave up two earned runs on six hits, two walks and struck out three. Although his curveball shape and spin were inconsistent, he did snap off a couple up to 2700 RPM and I remain a fan of his strike-throwing, repeatable delivery and three-pitch mix with feel for using it. 

Offensively, there are several places I could start but it’s hard not to begin with 2025 Texas A&M commitment and right-handed hitting shortstop Matthew Boughton. With a .429/.500/1.048 slash line that included three homers, 12 RBI and just two strikeouts in 24 plate appearances, Boughton cemented his status as one of the premier 2025 prospects in Texas and the nation. A good, projectable athlete who bounces around the diamond with some twitch and handled shortstop easily with good bend and actions, Boughton rotates well in the batter’s box with a quick bat.  

He shows his outstanding athleticism – TAAPS 4A state champion in high jump and long jump - by keeping a steady head as he tracks pitches while using a noticeable leg kick to ignite to rest of his body when he swings. Boughton was able to routinely find the part of the baseball to hammer line drives or pull pitches in the air with authority that he caught out in front of the plate. If it sounds like I’ve described an elite prospect in several ways, that’s because I have. 

Another Flower Mound prospect who reminded us why he’s among the best catchers in the state, Zane Becker mashed three homers and hit .294/.500/.941. We didn’t get to see the Arkansas commit behind the dish because of a slight injury, but the bat performed at a high level. High school teammate Garrett Wallace finished the spring season red-hot at the plate and remains one of the top uncommitted outfielders in the state. His blend of speed and athleticism always shows in some part of the game, and he hit .400/.455/.600 across 11 plate appearances. 

Let’s keep the Flower Mound theme going with Texas A&M commitment and switch-hitter Adrian Rodriguez. Although he “only” hit .333/.500/.417, I thought Rodriguez showed some of the best pure hitting feel in the entire tournament and generates loud contact easily. He finds the barrel as well or better than anyone in the state and is a legitimate hitting threat from both sides of the plate. Seemingly one of those hitters who looks like he sees and processes pitches a little differently than his peers, it’s rare to see Rodriguez badly fooled in the batter’s box. Defensively, he might not have a true position right now, but his bat is going to carry him and he’s skilled enough to fit a few different places defensively. 

Another early DBU commitment who can hit – Will Yeary finished with a .417/.533/.417 line and while it’s more of a contact-over-impact hitting profile right now, that could change with the strength that will come in the future. Regardless, Yeary is a skilled two-way player who also pitches well, but appeared to profile best long-term as a hitter that can bounce around the diamond defensively. Anthony Llera (Southlake Carroll) changed games with his speed, aggressiveness, competitiveness and instincts. He’s the type of player you want to rub off on the rest of the lineup and he tracked balls well in center field. High school teammate Cody Cashon ended the tournament with a 1.458 OPS and showed the strength we’re accustomed to seeing from the Houston commitment.

Statistically, it was a fairly quiet tournament for Austin Phillips, but he struck out just once and the Oklahoma commitment looked the part of a strong prospect offensively and defensively. Keller infielder and right-handed hitter Fisher Polydoroff came up with a couple clutch knocks, continued to impact the baseball well with some strength in his hitting profile, and is the best player we’ve ever mic’d up during a game. Seriously. Go check the video.

Canes Great Plains 17U
Canes Great Plains 17U made some noise in Pool 4 by hitting .319/.449/.475 as a team. Ricardo Cedeno (Sante Fe; Oklahoma) easily made contact from the left side in the batter’s box; he hit with the type of calmness that might make someone check for a pulse and he was totally comfortable smacking pitches to all parts of the field. He hit .500/.571/.667 with three doubles. 

In addition to having one of the best names in the tournament, Mister Randle (Carl Albert) hit .450/.500/.600 from the right side with a team-best 10 RBI and nine runs scored. Physically, it looked like he has some notable projection remaining, which should lead to more future impact off the bat in the future. Big left-handed bopper Isaac Evans, a Drover signee, provided some powerful thump in the middle of the lineup and Pudge Rodriguez World Classic standout Joey McLaughin didn’t look out of place against 2024 competition. He whiffed more against better stuff and didn’t have the same success on the mound, but talent-wise and physically, he looked like he belonged. 

Marucci Elite Texas 2024 Wallace
We covered Stephen Lewis’ outing during our tournament coverage and he showed why he’s a really interesting prospect. The Manvel prospect is the baseball version of a ball of clay that could be molded into a good pitcher, especially after his long, thin frame fills out. Five Tool GPA alum and Friendswood right-hander Ray Vazquez has seen a recent uptick in velocity and it’s showing in the results, too. An impressive 6-3, 195-pound pitcher who isn’t done maturing, the uncommitted righty threw 6.0 innings and gave up just one run on six hits, three walks and struck out four. 

Magnolia prospect and left-handed hitter Jack Hubble created some loud contact when he unleashed a quick, angry bat through the hitting zone. With a bat-first profile, Hubble could add some power to his hitting profile as he matures. You can tell Stratford prospect Braxton Wakefield is a good football player too. Impressive physically, has the frame of a physical defensive back or receiver and covered ground well in center field with some loud contact off the bat from the right side. His strength showed when he hit a towering home run way out to left field. 

PNT 2024
Vincent Van der Wel (Chaminade College Prep; California) is a physical left-landed hitting outfielder with tools and those tools had some bright flashes. A Cal Poly commit, Van der Wel hit .385/.500/.692 and showed a power/speed combo that should profile well at the next level. He received some help offensively from Rafael Furcal, Jr. (American Heritage; Florida) and Vince Villegas (Pearce). The former smacked an opposite-field homer and showed impressive all-around skill and the latter packed some pull-side punch with quick hands. 

On the mound in what was an abbreviated outing and a little less than letting it fully rip, Jaden Barfield (Pearland) gave up six runs in 1.2 innings against a loaded Stix 2024 Scout lineup. He stuck out three, showcasing a sharp slider with spin up to 2700 RPM. Right-hander AJ Miera punched out eight in 4.0 dominant innings and his stuff and velocity continue to trend positively this summer. 

OTHER NOTES
- Dallas Patriots 17U center fielder Braden Hernandez really tracked the ball well defensively and had a natural feel for playing the position. Prosper infielder Cole Giametta drilled a homer, showed his athleticism and speed and his right-handed swing stood out despite some occasional swing-and-miss. Giametta still has some physical projection remaining. 

- Easy to see why college programs have already grabbed some commitments from the MMW Colorado Bravoes Victus roster because it’s a physical, talented group. Right-handed pitcher Easton Miller, who is committed to Air Force, sat 85-88 MPH with his fastball that featured some tile and also used a 74-77 MPH slider with spin up to 2300 RPM. Future college teammate and right-handed hitter Dylan Archuleta announced his presence with a loud two-run homer and his strength in the batter’s box should translate well to the next level. 

Dustin McComas
Senior Editor