Brian Smith is no stranger to talent. As the head coach of WinderBarrow High in Winder, Ga., he’s seen his fair share of talented players and teams.
At USA Baseball’s National High School Invitational in 2017, Smith’s club beat the defending champions of the event—a prospect-laden Huntington Beach (Calif.) High team—and later blanked Florida powerhouse American Heritage High to make the semifinals at the prestigious tournament.
Smith has coached plenty of great players. From catcher Beau Hanna—a 12th-round pick of the Red Sox in 2017—to current Yankees prospect Pat Demarco to past first-round picks Travis Demeritte and Max Pentecost, the latter after three years at Kennesaw State.
Smith knows how to spot talent. He’s been around enough professional ballplayers to know what they look like. And he knows he has something just a little bit different than the average high school player with shortstop Brady House, his current star.
“It was just in crossing,” Smith said, thinking back to when he first put eyes on House as a 12-year-old. “I think there was an old camp. He was at a baseball camp that we hosted. You never can tell at that age what the growth is going to be like and the strength and the maturity, but you can see the skill set is there.
“You could tell something was there, but where things really got to be special is with how big and strong he took off.”
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Denne historien er fra August 2020-utgaven av Baseball America.
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Wood Has Towering Upside- Nationals rookie James Wood also stands 6-foot-7 and also has game-changing power.
Aaron Judge and Oneil Cruz are 6-foot7 sluggers who stand out for their power in this year’s MLB Best Tools voting. Wood spent half of this season with Triple-A Rochester before making his MLB debut on July 1. While he was in the International League, he captured managers’ attention. Wood unanimously won Best Power Prospect and also claimed Most Exciting Player in a survey of league skippers. Wood hit .353/.463/.595 with 10 home runs in 52 games for Rochester. His .242 isolated slugging was the best for a player 21 or younger at Triple-A this season.
ROAD BLOCK?
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SUMMER STANDOUTS
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FLORIDA COMPLEX LEAGUE TOP 10
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IN WITH THE NEW
The 2024 draft is in the books. The trade deadline is history.
WALCOTT BLASTS OFF
It took some time for Rangers shortstop Sebastian Walcott to find his footing at High-A Hickory.
A RECORD NIGHT FOR COLLEGIANS
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K.C.MASTERPIECE
Shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. wins games for the Royals with his bat, glove, speed and baseball IQ. He might be the most tooled-up player in the game.
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When negotiating the 2022 Collective Bargaining Agreement, the MLB Players Association prioritized the earning power of young major league players, especially young stars.
