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 2025 prospects unless otherwise noted.)

We’ll continue with Pool 7 teams, which featured a group of mostly 2025 prospects who emerged from the pool to reach the quarterfinal:

North Texas Longhorns 2025
Tennessee commitment and elite 2025 prospect Luke Billings (Prosper) looked the part of a major right-handed pitching prospect during his scoreless 4.1-inning outing with two strikeouts. For a standout player who can literally do it all on the diamond, I’ve always been impressed with Billings’ feel for pitching and using a legitimate four-pitch mix: fastball (87-90 MPH), slider (78-81 MPH), curve (71 MPH) and changeup (83 MPH); all his pitches look right coming out of the hand and heading towards home plate. 

As a hitter, he had a bit of a quiet tournament statistically but did mash one homer and slugged .500. Each pitcher he faced knew who he was, which leads to being pitched a bit differently than his peers. I think at times Billings expanded to try to create some action. Regardless, his combination of bat-to-ball ability and power remains one of the best in the 2025 class. A lesser-known two-way prospect put himself on the map with an outstanding tournament. Maypearl’s Cord Rager hit .450/.542/.700 from the left side with a homer and is an imposing, physical presence in the batter’s box with a quality swing. 

Listed at 6-5, 215 pounds, Rager has a long torso and is still growing into his young frame. On the mound, Rager sat 83-87 MPH with his fastball, touched 88 MPH and also featured a soft curveball at 75 MPH and what looked like a slider at 77 MPH. In a previous Five Tool event, he showed better arm speed and velocity, and it’s not uncommon for young pitchers to vary with their stuff and velocity during a long summer. If they’re not already, college coaches need to be aware and tracking Rager, especially as the August 1st contact period approaches. He has a very promising outlook both as a left-handed hitting first baseman with some power and a left-handed pitcher. 

I first learned about Cade Dodson (Gunter) during last year’s Mattingly when he played up an age group and performed very well at shortstop and with the bat. He’s not going to wow anyone physically, but Dodson can flat out hit. It’s an easy, short, simple operation from the left side that’s contact-over-impact with notable bat-to-ball skill and pitch-tracking. The middle infielder, who turns routine grounders into outs at a high level and has some promising range, hit .409/.536/.682 with two doubles, two triples and six walks compared to two strikeouts in 28 plate appearances. On a triple hit to left-center field, Dodson made it to third base in 11.32 seconds and slowed himself down at the end to go in standing. 

Hebron right-hander and 2025 prospect Ethan Hunt had one of the tournament’s top pitching performances when he threw a complete game to keep his team alive and gave up just one run with eight strikeouts. Hunt’s fastball sat in the 84-86 MPH range and touched 87 MPH with a two-plane slider at 74-76 MPH and a changeup at 73-75 MPH. A very tall, skinny right-hander, Hunt’s operation does include noticeable effort, but he was able to carry his effectiveness the entire length of the outing. Overall, he threw 11.0 innings in the tournament and gave up just one earned run with 11 strikeouts, which speaks to how strong his stuff was. 

Left-handed hitter Jaxson Jester, a 2024 prospect from Pottsboro, was among the most productive hitters in the tournament. With barrel feel, Jester finished with a 1.798 OPS and didn’t strike out once in 14 plate appearances. 

Mississauga Tigers – Byron
Our friends from north of the border typically arrive in Melissa with a couple of standout arms and a team that can compete with anyone. This year was no different. Christ the King (Ontario; Canada) lefty Nathan Currah is a big, physical pitcher who struck out 10 in 5.0 innings and gave up just one run. His fastball sat 82-83 MPH with command to his arm side and he mixed in a 69-71 MPH curveball with depth and a 73 MPH changeup. When he stopped trying to guide the changeup and threw it with conviction, it was a dramatically better pitch. 

Right-hander Wesley Johnston (Senator O’Connor; Ontario, Canada) tossed a complete game three-hitter and gave up just one run with five strikeouts. Johnston showed notable shoulder flexibility and there’s some hidden velocity to unlock in the arm path because there are a lot of good traits in the delivery; his arm action reminds me a lot of current Red Sox pitcher Kutter Crawford. Already a guy who throws plenty hard, there could be premium velocity in his future. 

Athletic center fielder David Stanley (Greenwood College School; Canada) performed very, very well with a .467/.579/.933 slash line and just one strikeout. He mashed two bombs, and he carried his 6-1, 200-pound frame well, although he probably profiles in a corner outfield spot in the future. His swing was among the best in the tournament and the way he performed, carried himself and impacted the game was different than many other players. I won’t be surprised if in a few years he’s making headlines because playing the game came easy to him and he has a loud barrel from the right side. 

He didn’t have a huge tournament statistically, but I liked the left-handed swing and zone control of Stefan Di Corrado (Crecent School; Ontario, Canada). Right-handed hitter Marc Nellis (American Heritage; Ontario, Canada) has an approach geared towards contact instead of power, and it served him well as he smacked liners around the field to the tune of a .438/.471/.563 slash line.

OTHER NOTES
- Sandlot 17u Gunter’s Dax Miller (Holland Hall; Oklahoma), Carter Miller, and Kyler Zagar (Perry; Oklahoma) were among the main offensive standouts for a team that performed well offensively. In particular, the bat speed, rotation and torque Zagar generated from the left side really stood out; he doesn’t hold back when trying to swing hard, but he’s able to keep his barrel accurate while doing so.

- Texas A&M commitment and Cooperstown Cobras 17U Treadway outfielder Nathan Tobin walked six times and mashed a homer from the left side. On the mound, Keller’s Mason Cook continued to dominate opposing lineups with a fastball up to 92 MPH and a swing-and-miss slider. Cook has performed consistently all summer and has put himself firmly on the map as one of the top uncommitted 2024 pitchers in Texas. There’s still some physical development to come and more velocity, too. In his start, he threw 5.0 no-hit innings with three walks and 10 strikeouts. 

- After multiple spring looks, I established myself as a fan of Rouse infielder Rayner Heinrich long ago. In the Mattingly for Austin Wings National, he ended up with a 1.042 OPS, played a solid shortstop and the way he carried himself on the diamond stood out positively; he had a different energy in his step. Heinrich’s swing is geared to pull and there is a little bit of whiff in the profile, but it comes with present physicality, gap-to-gap power with the occasional pulled bomb and plus-plus wheels. Baseball player with tools.

- Midland Redskins right-handed pitcher Jonathan Christner (V.R. Eaton) struck out 10 in 6.1 innings and gave up just one run on three hits and three walks. His fastball touched 89 MPH and his slider had some bite late in the zone, which created whiffs versus right-handers. Although his arm action featured a very active hand/wrist turn in the back, it worked fine out front. 

Undersized infielder Joshua Black repeatedly slapped singles around the yard with bat control. Big, physical right-handed masher Brittain Urbaniak, a Weatherford commit, created some very loud contact and looked like a future middle-of-the-order slugger. 

Dustin McComas
Senior Editor