Summer Scouting: 17U Champs North Carolina

Rojas grabbed 97 MPH early in his outing, flashing loud metrics on a mid-90s heater that projects to be a bat-misser. He spins it very well and locates well to both sides of the plate, though there were times when he got out of sync with his mechanics and missed gloveside. Given the arm speed and projection, there’s a non-zero chance that Rojas tickles triple digits in due time.

His secondary offerings are no slouches, either. Rojas’ upper-70s sweeper is a legitimate out pitch with tons of bite, movement, and spin. It’s a consistent weapon for both sides of the plate and batters of both handedness. Lefties tend to flail out in front when located low and away, plus he can backfoot the offering to righties. There’s making of a plus offering moving forward, especially in terms of the movement profile, though he did struggle to land it for strikes in this outing.

Rojas began to incorporate his low-80s change-up deeper into the outing and flashed above-average shape with feel to throw for strikes. It’s primarily utilized against righties at this moment, but it tumbles hard away from their barrels with good velocity separation from the heater.

Overall, Rojas projects to be the best left-handed arm in this class, and a case can be made for him to be the best arm entirely. He is committed to Miami.

RHP Denton Lord, South Walton (FL)

At 6’8 and 215 pounds, Lord is a towering figure with immense projection to his frame. However, don’t let the lanky nature fool you. Lord can move down the mound extremely well for someone of his size and age.

Lord has grown into significant velocity over the past calendar year. Once an arm that sat in the upper-80s, Lord has begun to tickle the mid-90s more consistently, sitting 91-95 MPH on this day. It’s a bat-misser and a chase-getter, as Lord generates solid ride and some horizontal life through the zone. There’s some steepness in his angle given the high release height, though that’s to be expected. He peppers the strike zone and hammered armside consistently in this look.

His primary secondary is a solid upper-70s curveball with downer shape and some sweeping action. He spins it well (above 2,500 RPMs) and does a good job of landing it in the zone consistently. There’s snap and bite to the offering, too. He may need a bridge offering in the future, but he mixes in the breaker well with the fastball presently. He toys with a nascent change, as well.

Given his projection, stuff, and easy motions on the bump, Lord has premium starting upside. Lord’s college commitment resides in Gainesville, where he’ll attend the University of Florida.

2B/SS CJ Weinstein, Huntington Beach (CA)

Looking for a really polished offensive profile? Look no further than California’s CJ Weinstein.

Weinstein projects to be the next in a slew of prospects from Huntington Beach. A left-handed bat committed to Louisiana State, Weinstein has a clean left-handed stroke with simple movements and excellent contact rates. He’s short and direct to the baseball, displaying a more linear bat path, though he’s shown feel to loft the baseball to his pull side and the gaps. He does project for decent power with an approach that prioritizes walks over whiffs.

In the field, there’s room for improvement in Weinstein’s game. He played at second base for the majority of the tournament, which is where he projects to stick at the next level. His first step can be slow, which hampers his range, and he must improve if he’s to see time at shortstop in the future. The same can be said about his arm strength. With that said, he has taken a step forward with his body control.

LHP Carson Bolemon, Southside Christian Schools (SC)

One of the more well-known southpaws in this class, Bolemon absolutely shoved in his Cary outing, striking out ten batters and keeping baserunners to a minimum.

Bolemon’s deception and durable size aid him on the bump, as he hides the ball very well behind his physical body and utilizes a high three-quarters slot at release. He repeats his mechanics well, though he can pull the ball when he gets effortful and loses his fastball command. With that said, it’s a relatively easy operation with excellent lower-half usage.

Bolemon held 90-94 MPH throughout the outing with a steep angle to the plate, though he generates a ton of backspin and possesses good riding action upstairs. Bolemon liked to pitch away from lefties and land the heater gloveside, missing a good bit of bats in the process.

His bread-and-butter is his low-80s breaking ball, which morphs between a true downer curveball and a two-plane slider. The curveball is the better of the two, flashing significant depth and bite that hitters struggled to square up and swung over the top of consistently. The slider features some late sweep and tunnels off the curveball well, which aids its effectiveness. He does throw a change-up, though Bolemon lowers his arm slot.

A Wake Forest commit, Bolemon has great pitchability, plus his size and command point to a future starting role.

SS Grady Emerson, Argyle (TX)

The top prospect on most public boards, I went into 17U Champs expecting a solid performance. While his numbers didn’t match that, his tools and actions left a great impression on plenty of brass.

Emerson lets his athleticism shine on both sides of the ball. At the plate, it’s a smooth and easy operation with little effort and a sweet left-handed swing. It’s well-balanced, it’s compact, and Emerson’s bat path is as pristine as it gets. Most of his contact during the week went up the middle of the field, flashing some pop to the gaps with feel to lift the baseball. He seldom whiffs and chases, flashing an advanced approach for his age. There’s legitimate offensive upside here.

Defensively, Emerson is as good as it gets. Emerson has a gliding nature to his footwork and showcases great range at shortstop, where he projects to stick long term. It’s very smooth and under control, displaying a good internal clock and a strong throwing arm across the diamond. Add in his above-average to plus speed and you’ve got the recipe for a fantastic player.

At this early stage in the cycle, Emerson is every part of the best player in the class.

3B/RHP Beau Peterson, Mill Valley (KS)

While Peterson looks like your prototypical slugger, he possesses one of the more polished hit tools in the entire class.

He’s built like a brute, possessing plenty of strength in his sturdy frame, especially in his lower half. It’s a polished approach from the left side, rarely expanding the zone to chase pitches and displaying great feel to hit for average and power. Peterson likes to keep it simple and flashes an adjustable barrel/swing plane, plus his thump plays to both sides of the ballpark. It’s a picturesque left-handed swing with tons to like.

On the defensive side, Peterson played third base for most of the week, moving well laterally and flashing a strong arm across the diamond. He does have experience in the outfield, and if he happens to outgrow his body/athleticism, a first base role shouldn’t be ruled out.

Peterson has upside as an arm, too. He’s run his fastball up to 94 MPH with good life and snaps off a good low-80s slider with some bite. The Texas commit should hear his name called on Day 1 of the 2026 draft.

SS/3B Jack Dugan, Lipscomb Academy (TN)

The grandson of legendary Lipscomb coach Ken Dugan, Jack is beginning to blossom into legitimate prospect status. 

A left-handed bat with loud twitch, Dugan’s explosiveness stands out amongst his peers. He has exceptional hand speed with good rotation and significant bat speed, plus there’s feel to loft the baseball. There’s impact to both sides of the park, which was put on display with a loud backside double and numerous fly balls. It’s a budding offensive profile with the current tools and future projection.

The aforementioned twitch shows on the defensive side, too. A shortstop by trade, Dugan has exquisite body control with good range and bounce at the “six.” It’s real arm strength across the diamond, plus there’s above-average speed. If Dugan happens to outgrow his athleticism and body, he’ll likely move over to third base. 

The tools are there to find success in the long term, so keep Dugan’s name high on follow lists this summer.

C/OF Sean Dunlap, Crown Point (IN)

An extremely physical prospect from the state of Indiana, Dunlap has significant power traits that teams will covet. He’s a brute with tons of strength throughout his frame.

Dunlap’s hip/shoulder separation is very impressive, and his hands are extremely quick, which allows his bat to fly through the zone. There’s feel to backspin the baseball, and Dunlap can put up gaudy exit velocities on a routine basis. Dunlap only whiffed a handful of times during the event, plus he didn’t expand the zone often. The potential is there for a healthy offensive output down the line.

Defensively, Dunlap has shown the instincts and tools to stick behind the plate. He’s not the stereotypical size for a backstop, as he comes in at 6’3, 210 pounds, but he moves well for his size with good footwork and ridiculous arm strength. There’s a non-zero chance that he moves to right field, where his arm strength would fit right in and keep the wear on his body to a minimum in the future. The Tennessee commit has a fascinating profile and should rise boards with a loud summer showing.

RHP Kaden Waechter, Tampa Jesuit (FL)

Unfortunately, I had to miss Waechter’s outing due to prior obligations, but scouts were enamored with his arsenal and command during his outing. It’s worth writing about regardless.

The son of six-year veteran Doug, Waechter’s arsenal might be the best of any right-handed prep arm in this class. An athletically gifted pitcher, Waechter repeats his delivery very well and fills up the strike zone at an astounding rate. In this particular outing, he posted a 78% strike rate, inducing eleven whiffs and plenty of chases from the opposition.

Waechter holds velocity very well, sitting in the 92-95 MPH range with great fastball quality, high spin rates, and excellent life through the zone. Given his projectability with his frame, arm speed, and athleticism, Waechter will likely develop more velocity and could reach the mid-90s in due time.

Scouts raved about the quality of his secondaries, too. 

Waechter’s mid-to-upper 80s slider is a dynamic offering with firm, two-plane shape that befuddles hitters. There’s shorter break to the offering with excellent late bite and horizontal movement, plus he has an uncanny ability to land it for strikes to get ahead of hitters and attack with his other weapons. Waechter’s change is a firm offering with late tailing action that he has excellent feel and command of, too. 

It’s a dream mix of command, stuff, and athleticism. Waechter could be the most complete right-handed pitcher in this class.

SS Jacob Lombard, Gulliver Schools (FL)

The younger brother of Yankees farmhand George, Jacob is the top uncommitted prospect in this class and is in contention for the outright best. He has torn the cover off the baseball this summer.

While he doesn’t possess elite bat speed, Lombard’s ability to create leverage and keep the barrel in the zone for a long time allows him to possess budding power from the right side of the dish. The ball jumps off the barrel on a frequent basis. It’s a beautiful swing with present impact to both sides of the park and legitimate feel to lift the baseball. 

There was some swing-and-miss to his game during the event, but Lombard seldom chased out of the zone and drew a healthy number of walks. Lombard covers the inner half very well, but will need to work on handling offerings on the outer half moving forward.

Defensively, Lombard was shuffled around the infield, playing second base, third base, and shortstop during the event. His size and physicality do point towards a future home at the hot corner, though Lombard is nimble and has bounce to his game. He has a good first step with solid range and arm strength across the diamond, giving him every chance to stick at the “six” long term.

Lombard should hear his name called very, very early next summer.

RHP Joey Lawson, Bishop Verot (FL)

A two-way player from long-heralded Bishop Verot High, Lawson matched every zero that Carson Bolemon posted in an exciting pitchers’ duel, flashing significant upside on the bump in the process.

Lawson has good size and physicality to his frame, pitching with a shorter arm swing and tempo on the bump. He loves to work quickly, forcing hitters to try and slow down the game to keep up with him. There is some effort down the bump, but there’s good arm speed here.

Lawson primarily pitched off of his fastball-curveball combination throughout the outing. His fastball got up to 93 MPH, flashing quality cut/ride shape with an affinity for sitting on the top rail. When he lost fastball command, Lawson went to his mid-70s curveball often. It’s a dynamic 12-6 breaker with excellent bite, depth, and command. It’s every bit of a future above-average to plus offering. 

A North Carolina commit, he may ultimately wind up in Chapel Hill, but there’s a lot to like with his profile. With that said, he was one of the more impressive arms in the event, and his dynamic 1-2 punch will give hitters fits.

Honorable Mentions: Bo Holloway (TN), Noah Wilson (TN), Kevin Roberts Jr. (MS), Jorvorskie Lane Jr. (TX), Tyler Spangler (CA), John Stowers (AL), Keon Johnson (GA)