The World Wood Bat Association Underclass Championship, played Oct. 5-8 in Fort Myers, Fla., is a great event because it’s an opportunity to see so many talented young players for the first time. As a scout at this level, your mind is full of 2008 prospects and rightfully so, as we still have to follow them through next June’s draft.

But the rising juniors (Class of 2009) and sophomores (Class of 2010) that made up most of the rosters for the World Underclass Championship are just starting to emerge and it’s always amazing to watch first hand how talented some of the players are already.

The Champions

The 2007 event was also noteworthy because a team participating in its first WWBA event, the McKinney (TX) Marshals, won the title, defeating the Dirtbags, in the final, 7-3.

The depth of talent in the 68-team field was obvious as many teams that came to Fort Myers expecting to have a chance at the title were either lower seeds or were quickly bounced from the playoffs. Teams such as the East Cobb Astros, East Cobb Braves, Midland Braves, All American Prospects, Florida Bombers, and Chet Lemon’s Juice played second stage to teams such as McKinney, Homeplate Chilidawgs, Team Mizuno, Team DeMarini, Florida Hardballers, and the Tri State Arsenal.

McKinney third baseman Chase Durham was awarded the Most Valuable Player award for his strong and timely hitting and steady defensive play, but the Marshals were a team that got contributions from their entire 17-player roster throughout their eight consecutive victories. Other top performers for the team included infielders Austin Elkins and Max Muncy, and righthanders Max Ballew and Jake Feckley

McKinney, which is made up of players from the Dallas area and coached by Dave Ostroff, is a relatively new organization. It was started in 2004 by former major league closer Mike Henneman. The team operates out of an equally new baseball complex in the Dallas Metroplex called “The Ballfields at Craig Ranch.”

The Players

Two positions seem to be stepping up early in the 2009 high school class: righthanded pitchers and catchers.

There seems to be an endless supply of extra tall (including some 6-foot-7 and 6-foot-8) and talented righthanders who are already throwing easily in the 90’s in this class. Not all of them were in Fort Myers by any means, but if the ones who weren’t are as good as the ones that were, then there could be something special brewing here.

There were also three, and perhaps four, 2009 catchers in Fort Myers who measure up well against any 2008 catcher not named Kyle Skipworth (who’s in his own class as a catching prospect). Austin Maddox (Eagles View Academy, Jacksonville, Fla.), Michael Zunino (Mariner HS, Cape Coral, Fla.) and Tucker Barnhart (Brownsburg, Ind., HS) are all very impressive receivers and Dane Phillips isn’t far behind. And that doesn’t even take into consideration Max Stassi (Yuba City, Calif., HS), maybe the best pure hitter regardless of position on the West Coast in the 2009 class.

Here are some impressions of a handful of the top players at the 2007 World Underclass. It’s not meant as a top prospect list by any means, just some first-hand impressions.

Matt Graham, rhp, Oak Ridge HS, Spring, Texas (2009). Graham was named the Championship Most Valuable Pitcher. It’s always nice when the player who is likely the top prospect also performs like that on the field. Graham went 2-0, 0.00 with 16 strikeouts, one walks and three hits allowed in 9 1/3 innings. In his team’s semifinal shutout win against Team Mizuno, Graham’s last three pitches were 92, 93 and 92 mph. He has a big league body at 6-foot-4 and 205 pounds, very advanced mechanics and excellent command. Basically, Graham was just fun to watch pitch, an opinion probably not shared by any hitters who might have had to face him.

Marcus Davis, of, Princeton HS, Cincinnati (2010). This 6-foot-2, 180-pound lefthanded hitter has a chance to be something special. He’s a plus runner now and will get faster. The ball also explodes off his bat like you rarely see in a high school hitter of any age.

Chris Jenkins, rhp, Westfield (N.J.) HS (2009). Jenkins is listed at 6-foot-7 and 225 pounds, and looks every bit of it and perhaps more. His lower half pitching mechanics are very raw in a non-dangerous way but his arm is so loose and leveraged that he wings it up there at 92-93 mph with little effort. PG director Jerry Ford went on record as saying Jenkins might be one of those pitchers who you can speculate will hit 100 mph when he’s older and stronger, and that’s hard to dispute.

Austin Maddox, c-rhp, Eagle’s View Academy, Jacksonville, Fla. (2009). The 6-foot-3, 215-pound Maddox is a physical specimen with athletic life and agility. There simply is no stronger arm on a position prospect in the country and Maddox’ bat isn’t far behind. Despite catching two games the day before, he also threw a heavy sinking 90-91 mph fastball for five innings as well. Maddox is a clone of Diamondbacks righthander Micah Owings at the same age, especially on the mound. The difference between the two is that while Owings was (and still is) a record-setting hitter, he played a non-premium defensive position. Meanwhile, Maddox’s defensive ability as a catcher may trump his pitching ability.

Ryan Sadler, rhp, Naples (Fla.) HS (2009). Sadler passes the eye test at 6-foot-5 and 185 pounds, and watching him pitch to his Team Mizuno teammate Maddox must have been fun (it was at an outlying field and I didn’t see it). Sadler sat in the low 90’s and flashed plus potential with both a changeup and slider while throwing six no-hit innings.

Deven Marrero, ss, American Heritage HS, Davie, Fla. (2009). Marrero is the cousin of Chris Marrero, Washington Nationals’ first-round pick in 2006. Marrero is a very strong comparison, minus the switch-hitting ability, to Tigers shortstop Carlos Guillen, who I saw play extensively in Venezuela when he was 16 and 17 years old. Along with the tools and build, they even look alike facially. Marrero has some serious juice in his bat and smooth, balanced shortstop actions that will keep him at the position.

Jay Laurienzo, of; David Richardson, of, Hillsborough HS, Tampa (2009). Storied prospect factory Hillsborough High in Tampa has two more very talented outfielders in the pipeline. Laurienzo (Florida Bombers) and Richardson (Midland Braves) played for different teams in Fort Myers and it would hazardous to venture an opinion on who is the better prospect at this point. Richardson has the immediate advantage in speed and arm strength, while Laurienzo is stronger and more physical with the bat.

Miles Head, 3b, Whitewater HS, Fayetteville, Ga. (2009). Head is a 6-foot, 215-pound rock of power and has dominated age group baseball for a long time. You watch him play and he has Kansas City rookie outfielder Billy Butler written all over him.