DUNEDIN, Fla. -- The stormy weather around the Tampa Bay area avoided The Bobby Mattick Training Center at the Englebert Complex in Dunedin for most of the day, to the relief of the high school prospects taking part in the latest Prospect Development Pipeline event.
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The PDP is a collaborative effort between Major League Baseball and USA Baseball to establish and identify a player development pathway for amateur ballplayers across the country. Players typically go through a variety of drills and testing and get a chance to see how they stack up against other top prospects from their region of the country. Wednesday's event was also part of a multi-day tryout for the East Coast Pro team. Players who make the team will compete in a showcase in August.
Hylan Hall was one of the players in attendance and used the opportunity to showcase his rocket arm. Hall, from Ocoee, Fla., showed off his arm strength and accuracy during outfield drills, making perfect throws to third base and home plate from right field.

"It's always a good opportunity just to come out here and have fun," Hall said. "I just like to show my abilities and show that I have five tools, not just three or four."

Hall is with the TNXL Baseball Academy out of Altamonte Springs, Fla., and is committed to the University of Florida. He says that the work he's been doing at the TNXL Academy will pay off over the next year.

"Honestly I'm just trying to become the best player I can be. I can't focus on any other things. I just keep working hard in the weight room, hard in the gym, hard in batting practice and everything should fall into place."

A scout in attendance said that Hall clearly jumps out with his arm, speed and versatility, giving him a very high ceiling overall.

There were several other players that scouts had good things to say about on Wednesday:

Jake Herbert, George Jenkins HS (Lakeland, Fla.)
Herbert primarily plays catcher, but he could move to first base as well. He showed a good arm behind the plate on his throws to second and third base. He's got a big body looks comfortable at the position. He swings a big bat and the right-handed-hitting slugger puts a lot of power on his swings to pull the ball to his power side. He is also committed to the University of Florida.
Tyrell Brewer, TNXL Academy (Altamonte Springs, Fla.)
Brewer looks like a solid prospect in the middle infield. He looked good throwing on the run and staying out in front of the play. Despite being a little undersized, Brewer put together some nice swings in batting practice and has the speed to beat out ground balls and turn doubles into triples. He is committed to Florida State University.
Mykanthony Valdez, Calvary Christian, (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)
Valdez is a big corner infielder (6-foot-2, 205 pounds) and still growing. He could play third base or move to the outfield. One scout described his bat as "middle-of-the-order quality" and the right hander gets a lot of power out his swing despite a simple approach at the plate. Valdez, who is committed to Miami, has strong hands that create plus power.

Andrew Roberts, Trinity Prep (Winter Park, Fla.)
Roberts showed some strong skills defensively and moves well at third base. His arm is more than adequate for the position and he stays low. He has good size (6-foot-2, 180 pounds) and will continue to fill out and add more power to his right-handed swing as he develops.

Matthew Lugo, Carlos Beltran Baseball Academy (Manati, P.R.)
One scout said Lugo showed excellent athleticism in the middle infield and was one of the better runners in the event. Lugo is better defensively than offensively at this stage but he will continue to grow into his swing. His glove, however, got the attention of several scouts, particularly the way he cleanly gets the ball out of his hands to first base with ease.

Benjamin Rozenblum, Calvary Christian Academy (Coral Springs)
Rozenblum got plenty of compliments on his compact arm and the ability to quickly get out of his crouch and fire the ball to second base. One scout said he was as impressive with his throws to second as any catcher in the group. He is committed to Florida International University.