The talent pool was very deep at the Under Armour Baseball Factory Team One Showcase in Jupiter, Florida, and the infielders were certainly well represented. Each of the four teams rolled out intriguing prospects with high level tools.

The orange team featured one of the most dynamic shortstops in the 2017 class in Ricardo de la Torre (Juana Diaz, PR). Ricardo has quick-twitch actions, excellent instincts and great energy on the field. His hands are soft and sure while his quick feet put him into position on a consistent basis. Once he secures the ball he shows off his plus arm across the diamond (95 mph raw velocity) with accurate carry. His 6.55 60 time combined the aforementioned instincts shed some light on the type of range he possesses. Add in a clean, repeatable right-handed stroke at the plate with a knack for the barrel and you have a premium middle-of-the-diamond prospect.

A couple other infielders on that squad stood out for both their size and their ability. Big right-handed hitters Freddy Tarnok (Brandon, FL) and Tim Elko (Lutz, FL) have been summer teammates since the age of eight and now both stand around 6’4” and swing the bat with authority from the right side. Tarnok, a University of South Florida commit, took a loud BP, ran a 6.69, touched 91 on the mound and smoked a double down the left field line in game action. Teammate Elko, an Ole Miss commit, showed a smooth, strong stroke that generated some pop in batting practice, he also ran a sub-7 60 (6.95) and he reacted very well to balls in the game making some solid plays at third base.

The white team showcased some more talented infielders with the fastest player at the event manning shortstop for most of the two days.

Raymond Gil

University of Florida commit Shane Shifflett (Venice, FL) posted an impressive 6.24 time in the 60 and showed 90 mph arm strength. He handles high-level pitching well and creates havoc on the bases with his speed and aggressive style. While Shifflett catches your attention, his fellow middle infielder Jose Marcano from Humacao, PR flies a bit under the radar until you watch him over the course of multiple days. While his tools are very good across the board, he plays the game at an even higher level than they would indicate. Jose went 3-for-4 with two doubles and a walk in the games and played solid defense at all of the spots in the infield. Finally, on the white team, University of Miami commit, Raymond Gil (Miami, FL) had one of the most impressive BP sessions of the day. With present strength and a simple approach, the right-handed third baseman sent line drives to all parts of the park while flashing some pull power.

The blue team had a pair of shortstops that caught the eyes of the scouts on hand. David Vazquez is a 2017 grad from Hialeah, FL who has a very complete all-around game. He ran 6.98, threw 91 mph, had a 94 mph exit velocity and used all of the tools well in the game. He has sure hands and reads hops very well in the infield and his line drive stroke at the plate features quick hands and good bat-to-ball skills. Also impressive was 2019 SS Bobby Witt, Jr. Witt did a bit of everything showing a smooth, repeatable RH swing, fluid defensive actions, a 6.65 60 time and even jumped on the mound to compete with his mid to upper 80s fastball. This is a talented young prospect who is already committed to Oklahoma and is in the top tier of rising sophomores in the country.

Mark Vientos

Finally, the green team had some physical players that can really swing the bat. Another of the nation’s top 2019 grads is Miami commit, Triston Casas (Pembroke Pines, FL). His LH swing is pretty to watch generating serious bat speed and leading to loft power to all fields. Even with the quick hands and big power, he’s a mature hitter who is patient and has excellent command of the strike zone. Shortstop Mark Vientos, yet another Miami commit and also from Pembroke Pines, FL, took an impressive round of batting practice. His natural, rhythmic approach leads to a lot of loud contact and carried over to a 2-for-2 performance in the game. Moving around the infield, third baseman Will Frizzell (Rockwall, TX) was another prospect that showed very well. He has a huge 6’5” frame and the ball jumps off the left-handed hitter’s bat. Frizzell is committed to Texas A&M.

In addition to these players, several other talented infielders also performed very well at the event. The tools, athleticism and game play from this group of prospects was impressive throughout the two days.