With over 325 players participating in the 2012 Under Armour Pre-Season All-America Tournament, powered by Baseball Factory, our scouts were treated to players from across the country that had many tools including sub seven second speed, sub two second pop time and above 89mph velocities. While we cannot honor everyone that attended we did want to highlight a few players that stood out.

The following are the Top 10 2013 Grads from the 2012 Under Armour Pre-Season All-America Tournament.
 

Kacy Clemens | RHP/1B | Houston, TX | Memorial
Kacy is a talented two-way player with an athletic frame and a good feel for the game. On the mound, he ran his fastball up to 91 with some late life and a good downhill plane. His curveball is a 12-6 offering with late bite and has the makings of a true out-pitch. He also has a feel for a change. At the plate, Kacy has a smooth left-handed stroke that results in line drives to all fields with future power. He is an advanced defender at 1B with sure hands and a strong arm. Overall, this is a young player with a high ceiling at both positions.

Michael McCann | C/OF | Vancouver, WA | Columbia River
McCann is a strong, physical player who can really swing the bat. He has a quiet approach, quick hands and present power that will continue to blossom. The ball comes off his bat hard and he has a knack for finding the barrel. Behind the plate, McCann receives well and is solid on balls in the dirt. This 6’3”, 195 lbs. young player will be a middle-of-the-order run producer at the next level.

Lawson Vassar | RHP | Little Rock, AR | Pulaski Academy
Lawson is a RHP with an outstanding pitcher’s body (6’3”, 185). He has a smooth, repeatable delivery that allows him to pound the lower half of the strike zone consistently. His fastball sits comfortably in the upper 80s, touching 90mph and it has some arm side run. He has good tilt on his breaking ball and also mixes in a sinking change-up. The arrow is certainly pointing up for this young pitching prospect.

Zac Ryan | RHP | Valparaiso, IN | Andrean
Zac is another of the impressive group of RHPs on display in Arizona. He is an outstanding athlete with a live arm. He throws a fastball that sinks and tails and sits in the upper 80s with more in the tank. He complements that with a tight slider that has good tilt and acts as a swing-and-miss pitch. He also flashes a developing change. Zac’s stuff can be dominant as evidenced by his 11 K’s in his three modified innings of work.

Theodore Sweeting | C/OF | Arden, NC | The Christ School
Sweating is an unbelievable young athlete with one of the best tool sets of any player at the event. He hails from the Bahamas and is now attending high school in North Carolina. He flashed the best pop time at the event with a 1.78 to 2B, and he ran a 6.73 in the 60 (though we have seen him run a 6.59 in the past). His combination of present strength and quick-twitch abilities are rare at this level. He is a bit raw as a receiver and at the plate, though he shows impressive bat speed and can drive the ball to all parts of the park.

Alffredi Ramos | C | Hialeah, FL | Mater Lakes Academy
Alffredi is another young catcher who performed well out in Arizona. He has a sturdy build and a potent left-handed bat. His balanced approach leads to consistent solid contact and he shows power to all fields. Behind the plate, Alffredi is efficient – receiving well and showing an accurate arm with a quick release that is effective in controlling the running game. Catchers like this with left-handed power are always in high demand.

Tyler Cohen | SS/RHP | Woodland Hills, CA | Agoura
Tyler is a polished two-way player with a complete all-around game. Defensively, he shows soft, sure hands to go with efficient feet and a strong, accurate arm. At the plate, he has a line drive stroke and uses the entire field, showing all the signs of a perfect #2 hitter. Tyler’s outing on the mound was equally impressive as he pounded the strike zone with a fastball that had late run and touched 90. His slider had tight rotation and depth and he commanded well. Add in a fading change and you have quite a three-pitch repertoire. Tyler has a bright future at both positions.

John Ruiz | SS | Coral Gables, FL | Westminster Christian School
Ruiz is a left-handed hitting shortstop with a clean stroke and dependable hands. Defensively, he reads hops well and has a good first step (we’ve seen him run a 6.62 at previous events). He has good actions and plenty of arm to make the throw across the diamond. At the plate, he shows excellent strike zone discipline along with good rhythm. He looks extremely comfortable in the box and finds the barrel frequently. Overall, the game seems to come easy to Ruiz and he will have no trouble making the transition to playing short at the next level.

Matthew Broadbent | SS/RHP | Cypress, TX | Cypresswoods
Matthew is another of the athletic two-way players that showed very well in Arizona. He makes all the plays at short and has a very strong arm. He flashes very good bat speed at the plate and the ball comes off the bat hard. He is an instinctual player who runs the bases very well. On the mound, Matthew features a tailing fastball that was up to 91mph along with a breaking ball with good tilt and a split. He is aggressive – attacking hitters with his fastball and throwing a lot of strikes. He is a high level follow as both an infielder and pitcher.

Dan Caniano | RHP | East Williston, NY | Chaminade
Dan is a polished young RHP who was close to dominant in his outing in Arizona. He has a compact, repeatable delivery that leads to a consistent release point on all of his pitches. His arm works free and easy and generated upper 80s velocity (we have seen him touch 91 in the past).  Dan pounded the strike zone with his fastball and his sweeping curveball showing the ability to keep hitters off balance. In his three showcase innings struck out seven and was very efficient with his pitches. This is a young pitcher who could walk onto many college campuses today and get outs.

Be sure to check back because we will be posting the Top 10 Players for 2012 (as well as honorable mentions).

All Top Players and event postings will be updated on the 2012 Event Page.