BALTIMORE — The Under Armour Next All-America Game returned to Camden Yards this year, taking place on Saturday. The game turned out to be a slugfest, lasting 3 hours, 40 minutes and ending in an 11-11 tie.
Most of the top high school prospects in the 2026 MLB Draft class, including the consensus No. 1 high school prospect, Grady Emerson, were with the 18U Team USA national team, which won the World Baseball & Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-18 World Cup this past weekend in Okinawa, Japan.
As a result, the All-America Game featured a bunch of second- and third-round talents, but maybe just one or two first-rounders.
Here are my notes on players who stood out. In the game, other prospects might have been better or drafted higher than the players I mentioned, but they didn’t perform as well in this one look. I’m not going to crush anyone here who had an off day.
• The best prospect on the rosters coming into the game was infielder Rocco Maniscalco (Oxford, Ala., HS), who just reclassified into the 2026 draft class and won’t turn 17 until next May. He’s a switch-hitter with fast hands, showing a deeper load and more extension right-handed, while his left-handed swing looked shorter with a less consistent bat path. He had a groundball single in five at-bats, getting caught looking once on a changeup. He showed average speed and handled both shortstop and second base without incident. He hasn’t committed to a college yet.
• Center fielder Blake Bowen (JSerra HS, San Clemente, Calif.) had three hits, including the hardest-hit ball of the day with a homer he pulled to left at 110 mph. His BP showed more low line drives than big fly balls, and he’s got plenty of bat speed. He also stole third base off the pitcher when he realized no one was paying attention to him. He’s committed to Oregon State.
• Outfielder Jaxon Matthews (Hough HS, Davidson, N.C.) hit a grand slam the other way at 105 mph in the first inning, which earned him the MVP award for the game. He struck out in his next three at-bats, though, and he’s got a late hitch in his swing that’s going to be hard to eliminate or get around. He’s committed to Clemson.
• First baseman Easton Autrey (Corsicana, Texas, HS) showed easy power in BP, then adjusted extremely well on some tough pitches inside during the game for a couple of bloop hits the other way on a slider and a fastball that should have jammed him. It’s all bat here as he’s probably limited to first base. He’s committed to Texas.
• Switch-hitting catcher Alain Gómez-Gudiño (Saguaro HS, Scottsdale, Ariz.) homered and struck out from the right side, then walked in his only plate appearance from the left side. His left-handed BP was quiet and easy, while his right-handed BP was more pronounced, with his hands far out from his body, which could make him vulnerable to anything inside. He’s committed to South Carolina.
• Gómez-Gudiño was replaced later in the game by Sean Dunlap (Crown Point, Ind., HS), who stayed on a breaking ball moving away from him to double to left-center. Nobody caught well on either side, but that’s common in these games as the catchers are working with pitchers they’ve never caught before. Those pitchers often don’t throw many strikes. Dunlap is committed to Tennessee.
• Anthony Del Angel (Cleveland HS, Rio Rancho, N.M.) was the DH for the Aces side, going 1 for 4 with a bloop single when he stayed on a curveball inside that hung up long enough for him to punch it over the shortstop. He has a late trigger but showed excellent bat speed. He and Autrey were the only two players on the Aces to play the whole game without striking out. Malachi Washington (Parkview HS, Stone Mountain, Ga.) and Beau Peterson (Mill Valley HS, Shawnee, Mo.) did the same for the Diamonds team. Del Angel is committed to Oklahoma.
• On the pitching side, right-hander Tyler Putnam (Battle HS, Columbia, Mo.) was probably the most promising prospect overall, as he showed plenty of pure stuff, attacked hitters, and had a good delivery other than a slight cutoff in his landing. Putnam showed five pitches in his inning, including a four-seamer up to 97 with big ride, a sinker, curveball, slider and changeup, with good feel for the last pitch as well in a limited look. He’s 6 foot 5 and still has plenty of projection left on his frame. His 97-mph fastball was the top velocity of the day. He’s committed to Tennessee.
• Right-hander Coleton Brady (TNXL Academy, Ocoee, Fla.) was 92-93 with a slider at 80-83 that looked more average but missed way more bats than that, and he threw two perfect innings, making him both the most successful pitcher of the day and also the scouts’ new favorite. He’s young for the class, as he won’t turn 17 until November, and just committed to LSU.
• Right-hander Shawn Sullivan (Walsh Jesuit HS, Barberton, Ohio) will get dinged for being 5-10, but he’s got a fast arm, working 92-94 with huge induced vertical break, and can spin an average curveball. He has a high three-quarters arm slot and online to the plate. He’s committed to Alabama.
• Right-hander Dylan Blomker (La Cueva HS, Albuquerque, N.M.) was 92-95 with a solid-average curveball at 79-83 and went three-up, three-down with two strikeouts in his one inning of work, which I appreciated more than he will ever know. He works with a very short arm action, especially for a 6-4 kid. He’s committed to LSU.
• Right-hander Eli Herst (Seattle Academy) was 89-91 with feel for a changeup and curveball, also throwing a perfect inning. He’s 6-5 with a very quiet, simple delivery. I’m looking for more prospects like Herst, given the possible link between high velocity and elbow injuries, and the possibility that any automated ball-strike system, even a challenge system, will make pitchers who can work and succeed more within the strike zone more valuable. Herst has a ton of projection and time to gain velocity as he gets older; they don’t all have to throw 98 when they’re teenagers. He’s committed to Vanderbilt.
(Photo of Jaxon Matthews: Courtesy of Under Armour)