The 2023 AABC Don Mattingly World Series was loaded with 64 of the best 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 eighty 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. 

We’ll begin with Pool 1 teams and will begin with the teams who won their pool to advance to the quarterfinals of the tournament:

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

5 Star Performance DFW 2024 – National
Everywhere Landon Hutcheson has gone this summer, he’s performed with the bat. This was my second extended look at the Frenship outfielder this summer and again reinforced what we saw during the inaugural Five Tool Festival in March – he’s an athletic ballplayer who can impact the game offensively, defensively and on the bases. 

Hutcheson hit .273/.469/.500 with seven walks and zero strikeouts across 32 plate appearances. He never looks overwhelmed in the batter’s box. Heck, he never looks overwhelmed anywhere on the baseball field. The uncommitted left-handed hitter plays the game with a very calm heartbeat and quiet confidence. His swing can get a little too steep at times, which might be an issue against premium velocity in the future, and I think he, like many players in the event who have been playing non-stop summer schedules, lost a little bat speed as the event wore on deep into the very hot week. But he’s had no issue this summer repeatedly making contact against any pitcher he’s seen and his status as leadoff hitter for this loaded lineup speaks volumes. I think he’s a future center fielder, but his summer team is loaded with three guys who could play center field, including… 

Caleb Watkins made two sensational catches in deep center field during a thrilling quarterfinal matchup against Dallas Tigers – Bergman. The Royce City product, who is an uncommitted right-handed hitter, can change games with his glove and athleticism in center field and still has some projection physically, which should help his bat add some more impact. From a spread stance, he hits with a simple, repeatable approach and should be able to tap into more strength in the future. Like Hutcheson, who is one of the most productive receivers in the state, Watkins is also a football standout and plays linebacker. 

The other member of perhaps the most athletic and fastest outfield in the entire tournament is Drew Smith, a Rockwall-Heath product. Smith doesn’t lack bat speed and when he finds the barrel, he can drive balls into the gaps for extra-base hits easily because of his plus speed and athleticism. At shortstop, Frenship’s Brady Boles, another uncommitted prospect, again looked like a solid, winning ballplayer who easily makes routine plays at shortstop, doesn’t give at-bats away and has notable skill. He hit .375/.600/.438. He seems like an ideal candidate to end up at a quality JUCO program where he could really blossom with added strength. Regardless, his baseball makeup will positively impact wherever he ends up. Sawyer Dunagan (Hallsville) was an on-base machine near the top of the lineup and led the team with 10 walks. 

Louisiana-Monroe commitment Zeke Seoane showed his bat speed can do some big damage when he puts the barrel on the ball, which resulted in a loud homer. Seoane, a catcher, doesn’t get cheated in the batter’s box and profiles as a future power-over-contact hitter with a chance to stick behind the dish at the next level. Down a catcher because Jake Overstreet was out with an injury, Frenship’s QB1 and catcher Hudson Hutcheson helped carry the load at catcher. Hutcheson was much better than his hitting line indicated – put Timothy Haynes in this category too because I remain a big fan of his short, powerful right-handed swing and hitting feel with some raw power that resulted in a loud two-run homer - and showed the kind of athleticism, agility and catch-and-throw skill to project a chance to impact the game defensively at the next level. 

On the mound, 5 Star Performance DFW 2024 – National used 15 different pitchers, including some guys who don’t typically pitch, as a way to manage its rest schedule between a loaded July of events. Up to 89 MPH, Rockwall’s Keller Lindeman once again was an impressive strike-thrower on the mound and tossed 7.0 quality innings. As his fastball velocity continues to tick up, he’s poised for a big senior season and likely put himself on the radar of college programs in attendance this past week. Haynes impressed on the mound again with a heater up to 89 MPH with some occasional, natural arm-side run he threw for strikes; feel for spinning a 74-75 MPH curveball that occasionally included some two-plane life; and an 80 MPH changeup that projects to be a true third pitch. Haynes, who tore his ACL in a fluke accident celebrating a big win late last July, profiles as a top JUCO/D1 target both as a pitcher and a hitter and has an easy delivery on the mound.

This was my second look at right-hander Jackson Jordan (Plano) and he once again showed notable arm strength with a fastball up to 91 MPH, a big, slider with some sweep around 71 MPH and a changeup at 71-74 MPH. Jordan has the type of stuff and look to give right-handed hitters issues. Louisiana Tech commit Brooks Roberson (Frenship) threw just 2.0 innings, and his fastball was up to 89 MPH. We already knew he has a feel for pitching and a changeup that can get whiffs. But we didn’t know his slider has made the jump it has – up to 79 MPH with sharp, true shape and on track to being a true difference-maker. Left-handed pitcher Tucker Tittle won’t blow people away with velocity or stuff, but he can pitch, throw strikes and gets outs. 

Scorpions 17U Black
The Summer of the Scorpions in Five Tool events continued with a very strong showing from 17U Black, which resulted in an appearance in the pool championship game. Fulshear’s Caven Fuentes ignited the team’s week with a loud grand slam. From the left side, Fuentes doesn’t get cheated with an aggressive swing that often features the type of path that aims to lift and do damage. That can lead to some swing-and-miss, but the uncommitted outfielder ended up slugging .923 in five games with two homers and nine RBI. 

Catcher Brett Petillo (Magnolia) showed a feel for using the entire field as a hitter and letting the baseball travel. He finished with a .500/.538/.667 slash line and was an annoying hitter for pitchers to face because of his feel for smacking singles. Center fielder Lane Stockton (Tomball Memorial) and shortstop Austin Hardy (Klein Oak; Tarleton State commit) didn’t have huge tournaments statistically, but the former’s strength and athleticism stood out and the latter’s actions looked solid defensively. 

On the mound, keep an eye on right-hander Orlando Balderas, who attends College Park. His 83-85 MPH fastball played up thanks in part to its spin (up to 2400 RPM) and shape and hitters routinely reacted like it was being thrown harder. Balderas also showed a 71-74 MPH curveball with spin up to 2300 RPM. Listed at 6-2, 225 pounds with long, skinny arms, Balderas could see his velocity really tick up in a quality strength and conditioning program. In 4.0 innings as a starter, Balderas punched out seven. 

2024 Texas Twelve Black
If you’ve followed our coverage from Twelve Scout League this summer, you know Strake Jesuit’s James Rheaume is a big right-hander who can throw really hard. He was again up to 93 MPH with his fastball, although he didn’t show the control we saw during previous summer outings. Regardless, he was one of the most intriguing uncommitted prospects in the tournament because he also blasted a solo homer to center field in a left-on-left matchup. 

If you like speedy players who can hit and run, this team checks those boxes with a few uncommitted prospects: Caden Baker (Stratford), Cooper Markle (Tompkins) and AJ Atkinson (Katy). Baker ran a 6.47-second 60-yard dash this summer and has been clocked below 4.0 seconds down the line. A left-handed hitter who profiles at the top of the lineup, Baker showed a notable feel for hitting and finished with a .389/.450/.778 slash line and just two strikeouts in 21 plate appearances. Markle isn’t as fast as Baker but has some more pop and size from the left side. As for Atkinson, he didn’t have a strong tournament statistically, but swung the bat better than his line would suggest and tracked balls well in center field. 

Eduardo Tamez (Episcopal) is a sure-handed shortstop who turns balls hit to him at shortstop into outs at a rate equal or better than a lot of high school shortstops. He plays the position with easy, low-effort actions. Another defensive performer was A&M Consolidated catcher Trey Walker, who showed a strong, accurate arm and easily threw out a runner stealing with a 2.03-second pop time. On the mound, Gavin Brewer is poised for a big year for Tompkins next spring. He features a relatively easy, repeatable delivery with a promising three-pitch mix: fastball (83-86 MPH), slider (74-76 MPH) and changeup (78-89 MPH). He got whiffs on all three pitches and has a feel for spinning the breaking ball into certain spots late in counts and his late-fading changeup neutralized lefties and helped his fastball. Across 7.0 shutout innings, he gave up just five hits and struck out six. 

South Texas Sliders 17U Mayer
When a rising junior performs with the bat in the Mattingly, it’s especially notable given the competition. Ty Powell (Fulshear) continued his outstanding summer with a .364/.533/.727 slash line with just two strikeouts and of his four hits, three went for extra-bases. Listed at 6-1, 165 pounds, Powell has the type of frame that should add noticeable strength as he matures, allowing future impact to join his hitting feel. The left-handed hitter keeps his barrel in the zone and hits with extension through contact and has played shortstop in the past. 

Speaking of shortstops, Reagan’s Jeter Battles can really defend at the position. While some colleges will overlook him because of his small frame and lack of physicality, someone is going to get a ballplayer who doesn’t give at-bats away, is fearless against stuff, and can impact games in the middle of the infield diamond. Chad Pantuso (Johnson) is simply a ballplayer with bat-to-ball skill who is a pest in the batter’s box. When it all comes together for Connor McCabe, a high school and summer teammate of Battles, he could blossom into a notable prospect. A left-handed hitting outfielder who plays center field, McCabe has well-rounded talent/physical traits: athleticism, speed, and carries a good 6-2, 190-pound frame with some strength. He’s reportedly clocked as low as 6.40-seconds in the 60-yard dash, and we’ve seen 4.19 seconds on the turn in games. McCabe was flying a little under-the-radar as a prospect because of a broken forearm last spring, but recently went on a visit to Penn and committed shortly thereafter. Excellent add by the Quakers following the Mattingly.

For the second time this summer, Brandon Stewart (Sweeny) threw really well in a Five Tool event. His fastball has good shape, allowing it to play up and he punched out seven batters in 5.0 innings with one earned run on three hits and four walks. 

OTHER NOTES 
- Leander right-handed pitcher Harrison Thayer continued his impressive summer, following a strong spring, with another notable performance for Action 17U White. The uncommitted prospect featured a fastball up to 89 MPH, slider that created whiffs against righties at 76-77 MPH and a quality changeup 78-79 MPH. With a skinny frame, future strength could allow Thayer’s stuff to tick up from a three-quarters slot. He struck out eight in 5.2 innings and is unafraid to hunt for strikeouts. 

- Cinco Ranch catcher Ethan Muniz established himself as a player for colleges to follow with a .417/.462/.417 line from the left side and zero strikeouts. He didn’t pitch in the Mattingly, but he’s an intriguing right-hander on the mound with arm strength that performed well in the Five Tool Houston College Championships for Kyle Chapman Blue 17U. Teammate and Episcopal right-handed pitcher Logan Phillips tossed 5.0 shutout innings and punched out six while giving up just one hit. His sharp curveball gave hitters issues and his changeup with some circle-like fade was interesting, too. 

Dustin McComas
Senior Editor