Thirty selected players participated in the Under Armour Futures East event in Jupiter, FL on September 17^th and the talent level was high.

Of course, that is nothing new as this event has been a pipeline for many former participants who have gone high in the MLB Draft including Brendan Rodgers, Touki Toussaint, Nick Gordon, Grant Holmes, Ryan Mountcastle, Juan Hillman and many others. This group should follow in their footsteps. They’ve already shown their ability to college recruiters, as the long list of verbal commitments included: 6 to Miami, 5 to Florida, 3 to Florida International, 2 to Vanderbilt and 1 each to LSU, Mississippi, Florida State, Central Florida, South Florida and Louisville.

Kristofer Armstrong

While many of these prospects made a positive impression on our scouts, the number of quality two-way players really stood out. Several still have scouts and coaches split over where their ultimate future will be.

Mason Denaburg (University of Florida commit) already has the difficult task of splitting time between the mound and the catching position. Add to that his high school football quarterbacking, receiving and kicking duties and you have a challenging fall schedule. He has a tall frame with long limbs and topped at 91 mph with a quick, loose arm. He used his strong arm to throw a 1.92 to 2B from behind the plate and showed some RH power in batting practice.

Angel Tiburcio

Fellow Florida commit RHP/SS Kristofer Armstrong also had a strong showing. His physical, athletic build works well at both spots, and he closed the game topping at 93 mph with a solid breaking ball and change, all from a sound delivery. The switch-hitter had a quality BP, especially from the RH side and showed good hands and obvious arm strength across the diamond in the infield workout.

One of the most impressive game performances came from Central Florida commit Angel Tiburcio. The physical RHP/1B threw a high volume of strikes with his mix of a heavy upper 80s fastball and tight breaking ball. He also doubled off of the LF wall in game action at the plate.

More top 2-way performers: P/3B Tristan McDonough (91mph with cut and good BP), Gunnar Hoglund (easy 89 and quality LH bat). #UABFFutures

— Steve Bernhardt (@Steve_Bernhardt) September 20, 2016

Another two-way player worth noting is big RHP/3B Gunnar Hoglund (University of Mississippi) who has leverage power in his LH stroke and showed a heavy upper 80s fastball. Also a RHP/3B, Tristan McDonough (Miami) has a quick arm and natural cut to his fastball that topped at 91. He has depth to his breaking ball, a feel for a change and can also swing the bat.

Florida commit Roberto Pena (3B/RHP), USF commit Brady Allen (OF/LHP), 2019 LHP/1B Yordani Cabrera (Miami) and young 2020 RHP/3B Albert Hernandez (Miami) also performed extremely well on the mound, in the field and at the plate.

Among a very talented group of prospects, the number of two-way players with a chance to play both at least at the collegiate level was unique. Time will tell where they ultimately end up, but for now they are able to help their team effectively in multiple ways.