Top performers: Day 2 of WWBA World Championship

October 21st, 2017

JUPITER, Fla. -- What was supposed be to be a jam-packed Day 2 of the Perfect Game World Wood Bat Association World Championship on Friday was plagued by bad weather, with heavy rains in the morning and early afternoon ultimately leading to a reduction in the original schedule, from 50-plus games to just 15.
The day proved to be anything but a wash, though, as those 15 games produced plenty of noteworthy performances from some of the country's top prep prospects. And much like the event's opening day, Friday's crop of standouts includes many promising young arms.
Here are some of the highlights from Friday's action, with much of the data courtesy of TrackMan Connect.
Jacob Meager, RHP (Burleson, Texas)
A Class of 2019 TCU commit, Meager stole the show on Friday night under the lights as he racked up 13 strikeouts over five no-hit innings for the Dallas Tigers. He's undersized at 5-foot-11, 170 pounds but has a lightning-quick arm that generates explosive stuff in a 90-93 mph fastball and a power, swing-and-miss curveball in the upper 70s that featured one of the event's top spin rates (2,779 rpms). What's more, Meador threw 62 percent of his 74 pitches for strikes while missing bats at a 43.8-percent clip, the event's best mark thus far.

Colten Panaranto, RHP (Martinsville, Ind.)
A 6-foot-1, 195-pounder, Panaranto showed power stuff as he closed out the game for SF Giants Scout Team - Christman. Behind a fastball that topped out at 94 -- one of the event's better velocities -- and sat 92-93, the Michigan State recruit recorded three swinging strikeouts and generated whiffs with eight of his 15 pitches in the perfect frame.
Drew Rom, LHP (Fort Thomas, Ky.)
Rom, a Michigan commit, opened eyes in his start for SF Giants Scout Team - Christman, showing advanced pitchability of his promising stuff as he allowed one hit and struck out seven in 2 2/3 scoreless innings. The 6-foot-2, 177-pound lefty reached 91 mph with his fastball and sat 87-89, commanding the pitch to both sides of the plate as well as down in the zone so as to effectively set up his 75-77 breaking ball.

Ryan Bliss, SS (Lagrange, Ga.)
Bliss' impressive tools were apparent on both sides of the ball in game action for the East Cobb Yankees. The 5-foot-9, 165-pounder showed a quick right-handed bat as he produced a 99.5 mph lineout to left field and took a good pass at several more offerings. He has some body-control issues at shortstop because he's such a good athlete, but the actions, quickness and range are all present, as is arm strength that played above average on Friday night. He's committed to Auburn.

Sanson Faltine III, RHP (Richmond, Texas)
Faltine allowed a two-run homer in the first inning on Friday but dominated after that, racking up seven strikeouts and nine ground-ball outs over seven innings in a complete-game win for the Banditos Scout Team. There's a lot to like in Faltine's present athleticism and durability, and he's only going to add more velocity as he grows into his projectable 6-foot-2, 180-pound frame. A rising Class of 2019 righty who's committed to Texas, Faltine's heater sat 86-88 mph and topped out at 89 in the outing. His confidence in his two secondary offerings was perhaps more impressive, as he favored a low-70s curveball early in the game before relying heavily on his fading 79-83 mph changeup in the later innings.

Patrick Winkel, C (Orange, Conn.)
Winkel, a 6-foot-2 left-handed hitting catcher, connected on the day's only home run, a two-run shot to right field (off Faltine) that traveled 357.8 feet and left his bat at 99.1 mph. Defensively, the UConn recruit displayed good athleticism and mobility behind the plate for Baseball U, with solid blocking skills and plenty of arm strength.

Blake Money, RHP (Spring Hill, Tenn.)
Money, a Class of 2020 prospect, put himself on scouts' radars Friday in his start for the East Cobb Astros. The 6-foot-6, 200-pounder showed off a legitimate four-pitch mix that included a fastball that sat 85-88 mph and topped out at 89. The Alabama commit mixed his secondary pitches well, too, and he proved adept at keeping hitters off balance with his 64-66 mph curveball and 73-75 mph changeup.
Camden Sewell, RHP (Cleveland, Tenn.)
Sewell, a highly projectable 6-foot-4, 175-pound righty, was a tough-luck loser on Friday despite striking out 11 batters over five innings in an eye-opening start for Chet Lemon's Juice. The Tennessee commit generated good arm-side life on his 89-92 mph fastball and paired it with a downer mid-70s curveball to record a 39.6 percent swing-and-miss rate, the second best in the tournament so far.

Daniel Ouderkirk, RHP (Penn Laird, Va.)
Starting opposite Sewell for the Richmond Braves National, Ouderkirk recorded nine of his 12 outs via the strikeout while scattering two hits and two walks over four scoreless innings. At 6-foot-9, 213 pounds, the West Virginia commit netted his whiffs with a combination of deception and stuff, operating at 89-91 mph and maxing out at 93 mph with his fastball while complementing it with a 76-78 mph breaking ball.