Day Two of USA Baseball’s Tournament of Stars featured a repeat of the first day, with the eight assembled teams mixing in three games, along with extended infield drills, batting practice and 60-yard dashes. At least 10 major league scouting directors took in the action, and here’s a sampling of the highlights they saw.
--Righthander Karsten Whitson (Chipley HS, Bartow, Fla.), son of former major league pitcher Ed Whitson, was the star attraction. His fastball ranged from 91-96 mph and he flashed a plus slider. Pitching the middle three innings of Dixie Baseball’s 13-5 win over PONY Baseball, Whitson allowed two hits, no runs or walks and struck out six. His stuff matched up favorably with Jameson Taillon’s from Day One. Taillon (The Woodlands, Texas, HS) currently ranks as the No. 1 prospect in the 2010 high-school class.
--Though his PONY team was on the wrong end of a 13-5 drubbing, righthander A.J. Vanegas (Redwood Christian HS, Alameda, Calif.) dropped in two scoreless innings, striking out four. His fastball was clocked at 92-94 mph, and he flashed an average to potential above-average slurve and changeup. His PONY teammate, lefthander Jesse Biddle (Germantown Friends Academy, Philadelphia) also looked sharp for four innings with an 87-90 mph fastball and a big curveball, although he was touched up for two runs. But he allowed only one hit and struck out four.
--Shortstop Jacoby Jones (Richton, Miss.) looks like a potential five-tool talent and a possible early-round pick in the 2010 draft. He hit third in the lineup for Dixie Baseball, and though he went hitless in five trips (two walks) in his team’s 13-5 win over PONY, he showed all the potential, especially in BP, for above-average power and hitting ability. He also ran a 6.60-second, hand-timed 60 on grass, the second-fastest 60-time recorded.
--Corner infielder Kris Bryant (Bonanza HS, Las Vegas, Nev.), who finished as the runner-up in the Home-Run Derby at Perfect Game’s National Showcase at the Metrodome in Minneapolis less than two weeks ago, put on another impressive show of power-hitting in BP, but struggled in game competition as a star-studded American Legion lineup lost for the second day in a row, 5-3 to AABC. The 6-foot-5, 205-pound Bryant went 0-for-2 with a strikeout after producing a double in four at-bats. He shows all indications he could be an equivalent player in the 2010 class to Bobby Borchering, the Florida high-school third baseman picked 16th overall in this year’s draft. Bryant’s power potential is the equal of Borchering’s and he has better speed. He posted a 7.01-second time in the 60.
--Justin O'Connor (Cowan HS, Muncie, Ind.), who edged out Bryant to win the Homer-Run Derby at PG National at the Metrodome, has been outstanding at shortstop at the Tournament of Stars. Not only is he a solid defender, but he has superior arm strength. He was clocked in the 60 in 6.92 seconds—a noteworthy time considering speed is probably his weakest tool. O’Connor was clocked at 93 mph off the mound at PG National, and he’s expected to take a turn at pitching before the Tournament of Stars wraps up. He’s been forced to share shortstop on the Legion team with Yordy Cabrera (Lakeland, Fla., HS) and Marcus Littlewood (Pineview HS, St. George, Utah). All three are considered first- or second-round candidates for the 2010 draft. On the basis of two games at the TOS, Cabrera appears to offer a little more at the plate and on the bases (6.70 in the 60) than O’Connor, but O’Connor’s defensive tools rate a slight edge.
--Catching sensation Bryce Harper (Las Vegas, Nev., HS). He took a good BP on Day Two and hit a line-drive through the shortstop hole that had an exit speed on radar guns that ranged anywhere from 102-105 mph. Defensively, his tools were obvious behind the plate. After going 1-for-3 in his team’s opening-day loss, Harper went 2-for-5 with a double as a stacked Legion team fell 5-3 to AABC.