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 6 teams and begin with the champion – 2024 Texas Twelve Red Sox:

2024 Texas Twelve Red Sox
I could start several different places with the champs, but I must begin with the MVPs: Carson Luna (overall MVP) and Caden Miller (Offensive MVP). I don’t think I’ve seen a 2024 player who has improved as much from one year to the next as Luna has. The Texas commitment improved his swing, which is now easily direct to the baseball with a good path and is in the conversation as the best right-handed swing in the state. And it played. Loudly. Luna hit .522/.607/1.087 with two homers, 13 RBI and just three strikeouts. 

Noticeably stronger and more physical through the upper half with broad shoulders, Luna has gone from an interesting prospect to an unquestioned dude. Defensively, his arm action and strength have improved dramatically and while his accuracy is still a work in progress, his blend of athleticism and arm strength means he can profile in the infield and the outfield with an impact bat. Luna played center field, in the infield and is also a plus runner.

As for Miller, he’s hammered the ball at Twelve Scout League all summer and then he went to the AABC Don Mattingly World Series and was the hottest hitter on the planet through the first five games. He cooled down a little late, but the left-handed leadoff hitter mashed to the tune of .407/.484/.852 with two homes and 13 RBI. 

He has a unique approach with an open stance and high back elbow, but he tracks pitches well and gets a strong, efficient, accurate barrel through the zone. Primarily a first baseman and designated hitter for his summer team, Miller, a Houston Christian commitment, has sneaky good catching skill. Pearland two-way prospect Isaiah Castaneda had a very, very strong case to be MVP considering he hit .500/.560/.818 and also threw 5.1 quality innings to record a win against a loaded Hawaii 2G Elite Toro team. 

Among my favorite observations in the tournament: Castaneda, who has one of the best high school outfield arms I’ve ever seen in person, made an uncharacteristic error when he charged a single in the top of the seventh inning and geared up to unleash a rocket home to try to cut down the go-ahead run. He whiffed on the fielding aspect, which led to a 7-5 deficit for his team in the semifinal. In the bottom half of the frame, the right-handed hitter tied the game with a single, moved to second on a walk, took third on a good read on a ball in the turf and scored the game-winning run on a walk-off single. It said a lot about Castaneda’s makeup and each time I’ve seen him, he’s hit at a high level.

Sure. It’s a contact-over-power approach with a swing that can get too focused on going the opposite way, but he also blasted a homer to dead-center and routinely shows good bat-to-ball skill and barrel control. Another uncommitted standout who made a lot of winning plays is Cinco Ranch’s Brock DeYoung. He always competes, always puts the ball in play, is always hunting an extra base and I came away very impressed with his center field defense considering he typically plays in the middle of the infield. An undersized prospect, someone is going to get a gem who could be a future leader and help create a winning culture. 

Each time I see Concordia Lutheran prospect and TCU commitment Nolan Traeger, I’m more impressed with his catching skill. His catch-and-throw ability really stood out with a strong arm and pop times in the 1.9 range. And I don’t think it’s a coincidence he’s a part of a lot of winning teams because he exudes and carries himself with an energy that rubs off on teammates. Offensively, he hit .348/.464/.435 and I think he might benefit a little more if he put his bat in motion more often. Sharing the catching duties with Traeger was fellow TCU commitment Jacob Silva (Clark), whose increased strength continued to impress me because he’s able to impact the baseball off the bat better and his arm strength has improved behind the dish. 

Mason Jacob (London), Houston Christian commitment Nathan Hodge (A&M Consolidated) and Marco Gonzales (Sinton) all had some bright moments with the bat. Hodge in particular had some really loud contact and Gonzales competed extremely well, which included trying to play through what looked like a dislocated shoulder in the title game. Devin Nunez, a Nebraska commitment from Navasota, didn’t have many sexy box scores, but he came through with the walk-off single in the semifinal game and I remain convinced he’s a sleeper bet to become a MLB Draft prospect in the spring. 

On the mound, we’ve covered the Grand Oaks duo of Houston Tomlinson and Marc Barnhard at length. Seriously. Click their profile pages and you’ll find several live reports. In the semifinal, Barnhard’s fastball was knocked around by a really good Stix 2024 Scout team, which forced the uncommitted righty, who is an excellent athlete, to adjust. And he did. He went to the slider first more often and proceeded to put up a bunch of zeroes after a long first inning. Barnhard’s slider continued to look like one of the best breaking balls in the state and it racked up whiffs with good spin and shape. 

As for Tomlinson, he was the most impressive pitcher I saw in the tournament. In 8.0 scoreless innings, he struck out 13 batters and gave up just three hits. He did issue five walks, but many of his misses were in the right spot and I think his control is good presently with command that should be good in the future. In his second outing, Tomlinson carried an 89-92 MPH fastball – touched 94 MPH in the early innings – into the fifth inning with easy velocity. The uncommitted righty also showed an 84-87 MPH changeup with hard tumble and an 80-82 MPH slider that he executed. Although the slider’s shape/spin could improve, I loved the way he used it. In one instance, Tomlinson pounded his fist into his glove after leaving a two-strike slider up in the zone and the next one he threw he immediately put the pitch down and away to his glove side like he intended. It was an impressive example of making adjustments pitch-to-pitch. 

Deer Park right-hander Anthony Ramirez, who is also a talented catcher, could be a diamond in the rough on the mound. Up to 90 MPH with fastball spin up to 2400 RPM, Ramirez started the title game after a very short relief stint in the semifinal. He pitched very well with a 74-76 MPH curveball that featured some two-plane break and spin up to 2600 RPM and he had complete confidence in an 80-81 MPH changeup he effectively threw to his arm side against lefties. An impressive competitor, Ramirez looked like a top JUCO or future D1 arm who is showing signs of a breakout. 

OK Fuel 2024 Brooks
Oklahoma State commitment Braylon Brooks (Tuttle; Oklahoma) is the type of player who can take over a game in a variety of ways. He announced his presence at the tournament by mashing a homer off the scoreboard; came in to close out a win against Hawaii 2G Elite Toro and touched 90 MPH; played a solid, skillful shortstop; pitched again later in the tournament very effectively; hit .462/.500/.846 with zero strikeouts. Future college teammate Kash Ferris really impressed me around this time last year and while he wasn’t as effective in the Mattingly with what looked like a tired arm and body, I was very encouraged by his operation on the mound and full arsenal. 

Cale Sudderth, a big left-handed hitter and pitcher from Lone Grove High School in Oklahoma, made a name for himself by hitting .385/.500/.692 with a homer and also throwing a gem against Hawaii 2G Elite Toro – 6.0 innings, two earned runs, six hits, two walks and seven strikeouts. Although he was impressive on the mound and up to 88 MPH, I think I like him a tiny bit more long-term as an impact left-handed bat with some power because he really moved well for a physical player his size. Regardless, he should get a chance to do both at the next level. 

At times, Drake Fittro (Choctaw) found himself in swing mode, which resulted in some whiffs. But I was really impressed with the athleticism, bat speed and his quick-twitch actions in center field, down the line and in the batter’s box. 

Hawaii 2G Elite Toro
We covered Noah Kubo early during the tournament, and the right-handed hitter then proceeded to finish the tournament with a .455/.571/.545 slash line with only one strikeout. Kubo’s infectious competitiveness always stands out. Big, physical right-handed hitter Chandler Murray showed one of the most intriguing hitting and power profiles in the tournament. Likely a third baseman long-term with a bat-first profile, Murray has a right-handed swing worth betting on with plus raw power and a feel for the barrel. 

At the Pudge Rodriguez World Classic last year, Jace Souza (Kamehameha; Hawaii) emerged as an elite hitting talent and became a Texas Tech commitment shortly thereafter. His future college coaches watched him in Melissa once again and had to be impressed because Souza’s bat speed, strength and physicality have all improved noticeably and he covered ground in center field well. BYU commitment Coen Goeas’ skill and hitting ability stood out and while Jacob Remily didn’t have a loud tournament after blasting two bombs in a Five Tool event the previous week, he looked the part of a very interesting, 6-5 prospect with impact hitting ability from the right side. 

Ka'imi Kahalekai threw 4.0 innings and gave up two runs on four hits, two walks and struck out four. A unique 6-8 athlete who is also a standout basketball player, Kahalekai is a good mover on the mound with a promising arm path. Tulane commitment Tanner Chun (Saint Louis; Hawaii) is an unquestioned two-way dude who blasted a deep homer from the right side with a good, quick swing and also threw well on the mound. Up to 91 MPH with a good delivery and feel for spin, Pima College signee Taylin Oana looked like a good candidate to really blossom at the JUCO level and become a major D1 prospect. 

Texas Oilers 17U Hamblin/Hancock 
Left-hander AJ Ripley (Pearce) easily fired 6.0 quality innings and didn’t give up an earned run. He featured an 84-87 MPH fastball with some sink, and a two-plane curveball at 70-72 MPH with spin up to 2400 RPM that baffled hitters; his curveball was so effective he didn’t need a third pitch and he carried his stuff well despite poor defense behind him on a day when it was miserably hot. His control wasn’t as sharp as we’re used to seeing, but Rains High School right-handed pitcher Nicholas Bowman struck out six in 6.2 innings with arm strength present.

With one of the tournament’s best names, Rex Rambo (North Forney) had to perform. And he did. I was really impressed with his feel for hitting, especially considering he handled his long arms well with a good left-handed swing. His loose frame suggested there is plenty of physical projection remaining and Rambo, an outfielder, hit .400/.625/.400. In two games, Grayson Brown (Sunnyvale) also caught my eye with his hitting feel and both SFA commit Collin Berry (Farmersville) and Cam Lane (Wakeland) stood out, too. 

OTHER NOTES
- GPS Legends 17U Puffer left-handed hitter Ryley Leininger (Georgetown) mashed two homers in the same game. I’ve long been a fan of his bat speed and power from the left side, and it showed during Mattingly World Series competition. It’ll be interesting to see if he continues to profile as a third baseman long-term or ends up at first base with a bat-first profile. A quality offseason in the weight room could really boost his profile.

- Recent Rice commitment Blaine Brown (Summer Creek) hit .667/.750/1.333 for Trosky Texas Scout Team 2024 – Worley/Knoblauch with nine RBI in 12 plate appearances and zero strikeouts. The left-handed hitter and pitcher also struck out the side during his one inning and was among the top two-way prospects in the event, especially considering how rapidly his skill is improving and the athleticism/projection profile physically. 

Ridge Point’s Jonathan Moye, who ran a 6.69-second 60-yard dash at the Trosky Scout Day, used a direct, simple right-handed swing to hit .444/.545/.444 with zero strikeouts.  

Dustin McComas
Senior Editor