Peter Flaherty III

I could not be more excited and proud to announce that I’ll be joining the Washington Nationals as their Northeast Area Supervisor. Thank you to everyone who has been in my corner along the way. The list is unbelievably long! Let’s go Nats! #Natitude

Less than 2 years ago against UNC, Trey Yesavage allowed 1 run with 11 strikeouts across 6 IP. Tonight—in the Blue Jays’ biggest game in over 30 years—he allowed 1 run and struck out 12 across 7 IP. Remarkable.

OF Charlie Sarsfield ('27 eligible) was one of the more intriguing underclassmen I saw in Jupiter. Collected at least one hit in 2 of his team's 3 games and went 3-for-7 with a pair of stolen bases on the weekend. Wiry, athletic build at 5'10" and 170-lbs. Stands fairly tall in the box with a slightly open front side and an ear-high handset. Minimal load that includes a slight barrel tip and bat wrap. Hands don't drift at all. Will widen his base a bit in 2K counts. Twitchy, athletic operation in which Sarsfield has plus hand speed. Barrel really accelerates through the zone. Showed the ability to adjust. Like he did all summer, Sarsfield flashed polished swing decisions. Didn't expand the strike zone, couple of confident takes against breaking balls. Consistently got his front foot down on time and was in a good position to hit. Clear comfortability in the box, prototypical top-of-the-order bat. Sarsfield projects as a hit-over-power profile, though there's some present thump to the pull-side. Registered a 100 mph EV on a base hit. TBD how physical he is when all is said and done, but it's not difficult to envision Sarsfield adding 10+ pounds of good weight to his frame. More impact on the way. Plus runner, especially underway, and it's a tool that translates on both sides of the baseball. Quick first step and good instincts in CF with strong off the bat reads, Sarsfield has plenty of range to either gap and has also shown he's comfortable coming in on the baseball. Would give the arm a 45/50. Sarsfield displayed an advanced baseball IQ and was "in the game" every pitch. One particular play that stood out to me was a swinging bunt in a 1st and 3rd situation. Soft ground ball to the 3B side, Sarsfield crept down the line, broke towards home when the pitcher turned his back to him and scored. 2027 player on which to keep close tabs!

RHP Colin Driffill (@KStateBSB) caught my attention in Jupiter. Listed at 6’1” and 200-lbs, Driffill has a strong, athletic build. Deep arm stroke, attacks out of a three-quarters slot with present arm speed. Little bit of drop and drive in his delivery. Driffill moves well on the mound and his athleticism is evident. Driffll’s fastball sat in the 92-94 range, but it was up to 97. More towards the lower end of aforementioned velocity band in his 2nd inning of work. Jumped out of his hand with plenty of carry through the zone. Plays particularly well in the top-half thanks to its big-time riding life. Driffill was routinely generating 20-21” of IVB in my look. Paired his heater with a two-plane mid-to-upper-70s breaking ball that he spun in the 24-2,500 RPM range. It’s clear Driffill is still gaining a feel for it, but he snapped off a few sharp ones. Its shape varied in my look. Command became more scattershot in his 2nd inning of work in which he also labored a bit more to get through. Will need to add polish in the pitchability department—as well as develop a viable third pitch—but there’s a solid foundation here. An athletic, low mileage arm with upside remaining, Driffill will be a high follow Midwest prep arm throughout this year’s Draft cycle.

BREAKING: Tennessee head coach Tony Vitello has accepted the Giants manager position, multiple sources told @BaseballAmerica. This is a landmark move. Vitello is the first manager to be hired directly from the college ranks with no pro experience.

Was happy to get my first look at SS Rock Arnold (@OSUBaseball) down in Jupiter. Went 1-for-2 in the game I saw him and hammered a backside RBI triple. Recently re-classed into the C/O 2026. Listed at 6'1" and 190-lbs, Arnold has a lean, athletic frame with some length in his lower-half and present strength. Stands fairly tall in the box, small leg lift gives way to a normal stride. Hands will drift and drop a bit in his load that includes a barrel tip. Present bat and hand speed, slightly uphill swing path that's geared towards lifting the baseball. There's a degree of adjustability in Arnold's swing, and he's shown the ability to drop his back knee to help create leverage. Some swing and miss, particularly against secondaries, but Arnold's swing decisions were sound and he stayed within the strike zone in my look. Has shown he can impact the baseball—especially to the pull side. Arnold's athleticism is evident both in the box and on the dirt. Flashed an above-average arm on the left side of the infield with solid carry across the diamond. Didn't display the quickest first step on the play I saw him attempt to make, though he showed comfortability attacking the baseball. Figures to get the chance to stick at shortstop. When bucketing these players out, Arnold fits into a handful of them: He's an athletic, lefthanded hitting SS with present power and potentially more on the way. Definite name to follow closely this spring in the Northeast.

INF Connor Comeau (@AggieBaseball) was another position player who showed well in Jupiter. Scattered 4 hits—including a 2B and a HR—and drove in 8 runs across 5 games. Long, lanky frame (particular length in his lower-1/2) at 6'4" and 180-lbs with plenty of room to fill out. Stands fairly tall in the box with a slightly open front side and shoulder-high handset. Simple operation without a whole lot of moving parts, Comeau deploys a small leg lift that leads into a normal stride. While he's lacking in the physicality department right now, Comeau still has present bat speed and is able to generate quality contact. Comeau consistently put good swings on the ball all week. Hammered a backside double in one of my looks and then homered a game later. There's already present impact now, but it's not all that difficult to envision him growing into above-average or plus *game* power. The power upside is exciting, but Comeau also has a feel to hit. Controlled the zone well with polished swing decisions last week and was on the barrel. The swing that arguably stood out to me the most was a perfectly-executed hit-and-run. Let the ball travel, barreled it and shot a hard hit ground ball through the vacated 6-hole. Defensively it's a little bit more murky. Played both corner infield spots last week, but I think his overall defensive skillset (especially when he's more of a finished product physically) will profile best in a corner OF spot. Movement profile and his level of athleticism bode better on the grass than the dirt. Will still be just 17-years-old at the Draft. Exciting blend of a frame to dream on, "now" tools and plenty of upside. Fits in the top 2-3 round bucket for me.

OF Trevor Condon (@Vol_Baseball) was one of my favorite position players I saw in Jupiter. Collected 7 hits (1 XBH) and 4 RBIs across 5 games. Slightly undersized, but there's some impact (mainly to the pull side) packed into his frame. Wiry, athletic build at 5'11" and 175-lbs. Prototypical top-of-the-order table setter. Explosive and twitchy operation in the box with no-doubt plus bat speed. Feel for the barrel is there, high-level bat-to-ball skills. Controlled the zone well with polished swing decisions in my looks last week. Does tend to hit the ball on the ground, would like to see more line drives. Hit-over-power profile with some PS thump. Gets out of the box unbelievably quick, turned in 70-grade run times. Condon's tantalizing combination of speed and athleticism translates well to centerfield. He can really go and get it and has plenty of range, but if he can shore up his routes (take a more efficient, crisp path to the baseball) he has a chance to become an impact defender. The intangibles with Condon are a nice cherry on top. Advanced baseball sense; stole 2nd on a great dirt ball read, swiped 3rd on a well-executed shuffle lead. Incredibly high motor, plays with his hair on fire. Does not take a pitch off! Always involved, brings the juice! Like the Energizer bunny. Kind of a throwback player in that sense - it's clear he LOVES to play! Think along the lines of Sal Frelick/Slater de Brun (SDB better defender at this point with more of a physical, barrel-chested look). Top 2-3 round type for me this July.

Liked what I saw today from RHP Julian Garcia (@LBDirtbags) who notched 4 strikeouts across 2 shutout, hitless IP. High-waisted 6'3", 210-pound frame with some thickness in the lower-half. Inverted "W" look in his delivery, attacks out of a high 3/4 slot with AA arm speed. Garcia's FB sat in the low-90s and was up to 93 with natural carry through the zone. Plays well in the top-half. Got on hitters quick today. Looked like he tried to overthrow it a few times and yanked it, but it didn't hinder him. Not all that difficult to envision Garcia adding a few ticks of velo to it over time. Supplements his heater with a big low-to-mid-70s curveball. Garcia spins it well, and it pops out of his hand and flashes serious depth with sharp, downward bite. High-spin offering, will routinely eclipse 2,800 RPMs. Its value will only increase if Garcia can continue to add power to it. Garcia rounds out his three-pitch mix with a CH, but he didn't use it today. Average command. Interesting West Coast arm on which to keep close tabs this spring.

Intriguing look at RHP Ty Van Valkenburg (@CanesBaseball) this afternoon. His start was cut short due to rain, but across 2 innings he collected 4 punch outs, walked none, allowed 0 ER and surrendered a pair of hits—one of which was an INF single. Strapping 6'4", 225-pound frame with strength and physicality throughout. Durable. Fairly simple operation that he repeats well. Whippy arm stroke, attacks out of a 3/4 slot with present arm speed. Will lower his slot slightly when delivering his SL. Van Valkenburg's FB sat in the low-90s but was up to 94 with run and ride through the zone. Commanded it well—particularly to his arm side—and it'll generate most of its swings and misses in the top-1/2 of the zone. 4 swings and misses with it in his outing today. TVV pairs his heater with an effective upper-70s SL. Flashed above-average today. Shape of it will vary. More of a two-plane look with late bite against lefthanded hitters, sweepier look with more lateral life against RHH. Profiles as the most effective whiff generator in his arsenal. Got a pair with it today. 6 total sw/misses across 2 innings. Flashed a CH in between innings, but didn't use it in-game. Consistently competed in and around the strike zone, starter look. Arm to follow closely in the Northeast in the spring.

RHP Striker Pence (2028) this afternoon turned in what will almost certainly be the loudest outing of the tournament. Fired 2 shutout innings against the Brewers Scout Team in which he collected 3 strikeouts, allowed 1 hit and walked 1. Extra-long 6’6”, 200-pound frame with budding strength throughout. Particular physicality in Pence’s lower-half. Works exclusively out of the stretch and attacks out of a 3/4 slot with a whippy arm stroke and tremendous arm speed. FB today sat 96-99 and topped out at 100/101. Pence touched 101—a new in-game PR—4 times. Explodes out of his hand and flashes thunderous life through the zone. No shortage of carry. I would stick a 70 on it right now. Pairs his heater with a hellacious mid-to-upper-80s power SL. Tons of sharp, lateral life with some depth. Really tough look for righties, but back-doored it for a called 3rd strike against a LHH. 60 right now, but not all that difficult to envision a future double-plus offering. Pence rounds out his arsenal with a high-80s SPL/CH. Does a nice job of killing spin on the offering, and he turned over one really good one today that flashed late tumble. Down the road it could end up being a mighty effective 3rd pitch that grades out as at least a 55. There’s some low hanging fruit to clean up in his delivery and he’s a bit of a spray gun command-wise (still raw in that regard), but it’s premium stuff across the board. The biggest key going forward will be competing in and around the strike zone on a consistent basis. It’s also important to remember he’s just 16-years-old and a Sophomore in HS. Ridiculous to think about what he might look like in a couple of years.

Enjoyed my look at Canadian LHP Sean Duncan (@VandyBoys) this morning. Across 3 innings, he allowed 2 ER on 3 hits (one of which was a bunt) with 7 Ks and 1 BB. Lean, high-waisted frame (6’3” 180-lbs) with plenty of projection remaining. Fairly loose delivery, attacks out of a 3/4 slot. FB sat 90-93 and topped out at 94 with life through the zone. High-spin pitch, played well in the top-half of the zone thanks to its riding life. 7 whiffs with the heater today. The money-maker with Duncan is his low-80s SL. Showed the ability to manipulate its shape. Flashed ample—and sharp—sweep at times, and at others took on more of a two-plane look with a similar degree of teeth. No doubt plus potential! Particular tough look for LHH. Garnered 5 whiffs with it today. Flipped in a couple of curveballs in the low-80s and tried to turn over a CH or two. CB could be a fine third pitch down the road. 12 total whiffs on the day. Duncan’s front side will sometimes fly open, which will lead to misses up and/or out. Labored a bit during the 3rd and his command became more scattered. Stayed off the barrel for the most part. A lot to like now and even more to dream on. Expect the entire arsenal to tick up—both in terms of velocity and dynamism—as Duncan continues to mature physically. Looks the part of a starter professionally, I would put him in the 3rd-to-5th round bucket this July.

Had a ton of fun with this one along with @PeterGFlaherty. We drafted college baseball “fantasy teams” as an exercise in predicting and eventually measuring 2026 production. Let us know which squad you like best. Full teams and breakdowns here: baseballamerica.com/stories/colleg…

KONNOR GRIFFIN JOINS US LIVE AT 3:30 ET! The latest Hot Sheet show is going to be a fun one 😎 Watch here: buff.ly/d54wQmL

Huge news for UCLA, as RHP Angel Cervantes (50th overall pick) announces he'll make his way to Westwood. Legit four-pitch mix, plus pitchability. FB up to 95 to go along with a plus CH and a pair of high-spin breaking balls. Could immediately earn a spot in the weekend rotation.

The 2026 draft cycle is already in motion. @BenBadler and @PeterGFlaherty will get you up to speed on it with our post-draft top 100 update: baseballamerica.com/rankings/2026-…

Transfer News: 3B Trent Caraway has committed to LSU. Hit .267/.350/.470 this spring with 15 2B, 12 HR and 47 RBIs. Was excellent in the Corvallis Regional. Strong, physical kid with thump.

Join me, @PeterGFlaherty, @BenBadler and possibly others from the @BaseballAmerica squad as we go live to break down Round 1.

With the 11th overall pick, the Athletics have selected LHP Jamie Arnold. Plus FB-SL combination. FB up to 98 with big time run/ride through the zone. Sweeper has plenty of sharp, lateral life. Legit weapon! CH is an intriguing 3rd pitch that flashes plus.

With the 10th overall pick, the Chicago White Sox have selected SS Billy Carlson. Defense is the calling card here. Buttery smooth actions with clean hands, excellent footwork and a double-plus arm. Legit Gold Glove potential. Solid bat-to-ball skills.