Baseball America’s coverage of the WWBA World Championship in Jupiter, Fla., concludes with a look beyond the 2027 draft class.
While much of the scouting attention centered on players eligible for next year’s draft, the event also offered an early look at talented underclassmen beginning to establish themselves on the national stage. In our final installment, we highlight five prospects from the 2028 and 2029 classes who impressed in Jupiter, featuring detailed evaluations of their present tools, developmental outlooks and long-term potential.
Alec Cabrera, 3B, Florida (2028)
2028 HS Ranking: No. 48
BA Star Rating: ★★★
Cabrera has established himself among the prominent lefthanded bats in the 2028 class, pairing advanced hitting ability with the strength and bat speed to produce substantial offensive impact. His performance in Jupiter offered another look at that combination, as he drove several balls with authority and showed the barrel accuracy to match his power.
Starting with an ear-high hand set, Cabrera employs a rhythmic load before transferring his weight slightly onto his front leg and unleashing a quick, powerful lefthanded stroke. His lead foot remains noticeably turned inward in his setup, an element that could help regulate rotation and keep his body organized through contact. The operation is clean despite the force behind it, with high-end bat speed and enough barrel control to make adjustments without compromising his ability to drive the baseball. He can keep his hands back against offspeed offerings, recognize opportunities to attack and square up pitches at a high rate. It’s a compelling blend of hit and power rather than a slugger’s profile built solely around raw strength.
The defensive outlook is less certain. Cabrera already has a bigger build that could eventually push him across the diamond to first base, though he presently moves well for his size and shows average speed with good arm strength. Those attributes give him an opportunity to remain at third, even if his physical development will ultimately influence where he settles.
Cabrera’s bat offers plenty of reason for optimism regardless of his eventual defensive home. He already demonstrates the ability to make quality contact without sacrificing power, and his swing has the adjustability to support both attributes as he faces more advanced pitching. Remaining at third base would enhance his overall value, but the offensive tools provide a viable path even if he eventually moves to first.
Franyer Ortiz, RHP, Panama (2028)
2028 HS Ranking: Not Ranked
BA Star Rating: Not Rated
Ortiz made a strong impression in Jupiter, showcasing an advanced feel for spin and an arsenal with ample room to grow. A native of Panama who recently relocated to Georgia, the 5-foot-11, 160-pound righthander is older for the 2028 class but remains physically immature, with a lean build that should accommodate additional strength. His present stuff is already effective, and with half of his high school career still ahead, there’s time for the arsenal to take on a different complexion.
The fastball sat 90-92 mph and touched 93, showing good carry and generating eight whiffs across six innings. Ortiz works through a simple leg lift and fluid arm swing, accelerating into a low three-quarters release with good arm speed. He moves efficiently down the mound, and the relative ease of his operation, coupled with his remaining physical development, supports the possibility of additional velocity.
Ortiz also shows a natural aptitude for spinning a curveball with future plus potential—a promising indicator not only for the pitch itself but for his ability to develop additional breaking-ball shapes. His changeup is another weapon worth monitoring. Used sparingly and almost exclusively against lefthanded hitters in Jupiter, it features pronounced fade and tumble, falling sharply beneath barrels as it approaches the plate.
The effectiveness of his mix was evident in his 14 swinging strikes, 10 of which came against lefthanded hitters. There’s still substantial refinement ahead, particularly as Ortiz builds strength and gains experience against better competition, but his ability to miss bats with multiple offerings is an encouraging early indicator.
Isaias Torres, RHP/1B, Florida (2028)
2028 HS Ranking: No. 97
BA Star Rating: ★★★
Torres is an imposing physical presence at 6-foot-4, 225 pounds, with a powerful, mature build that translates to explosive ability on both sides of the baseball. His lefthanded bat was particularly loud in Jupiter, where all five of his hits went for extra bases, including three home runs and two doubles. There’s serious bat speed and raw strength behind the production, giving him a distinctly power-over-hit offensive profile. The ability to consistently find the barrel remains a developmental question, but few of his best swings leave much doubt about the damage he’s capable of inflicting.
That explosiveness carries over to the mound. Working primarily from the stretch, Torres generates impressive velocity through a short arm action and snappy, low three-quarters release. His fastball reached 95 mph and jumps out of his hand, serving as his most effective offering. A slider and solid mid-80s curveball give him two breaking-ball looks, though their shapes can occasionally blend. His splitter is the more compelling secondary, showing encouraging feel for killing spin. Present control grades around average to slightly below.
Both paths offer developmental upside, though each comes with questions. The bat has thunderous power but needs more consistent contact, while his pitching future hinges on refining the secondary arsenal and improving strike throwing. There’s no shortage of raw ability to develop, regardless of which direction Torres ultimately pursues.
Derek Vazquez, SS, North Carolina (2028)
2028 HS Ranking: No. 2
BA Star Rating: ★★★★
A notable standout throughout the summer showcase circuit, there’s a natural ease to Vazquez’s game, particularly at shortstop, where his instincts and defensive refinement stand out as much as his athleticism. The 6-foot-2 infielder has quick reactions off the bat, nimble footwork and soft, reliable hands that allow him to navigate the position with precision. His arm is already strong with room for further gains, and he pairs those physical tools with an advanced internal clock and a knack for positioning himself to make plays. A plus runner with the actions to remain on the left side of the infield, Vazquez offers a convincing long-term shortstop projection without requiring significant defensive improvement to get there.
There’s plenty to anticipate offensively as his body matures. Broad shoulders and a lean, well-proportioned frame leave room for additional strength, while his compact, fluid lefthanded swing provides an efficient means of translating that physical growth into production. Vazquez has an established track record of hard contact, with a knack for finding the barrel and driving the baseball with authority. His power has already begun to surface more frequently in games, and further physical development could yield a substantial increase in home run output without requiring an overhaul of his swing.
What makes Vazquez especially appealing is the relative certainty of his defensive home alongside the offensive growth still ahead. His present contact ability and emerging power offer a productive starting point, while his athleticism, instincts and reliability at shortstop give the overall profile value that doesn’t depend entirely on how much strength he adds. It’s a well-rounded collection of tools with room for the bat to become a more forceful part of the equation.
Here’s a look at Vazquez in action from earlier in the summer:
Tzu-Chiao Ou, RHP, Taiwan (2029)
Ou won’t be eligible for the draft until 2029, but the 16-year-old righthander already has the arm strength and mound presence to compete against older players. Originally from Taiwan and now attending IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., he impressed in Jupiter with four hitless innings and seven strikeouts, confidently attacking hitters in the zone.
At 6-foot-3, 185 pounds, Ou has a long, lean frame with room for substantial strength gains and potentially additional height. His delivery is relatively uncomplicated, featuring a traditional leg lift and an arm swing behind his body before accelerating through a three-quarters release. The arm moves more deliberately in the back before generating impressive speed through release, and his present velocity offers an early indication of what could come as he matures.
There’s already quality to the fastball. Ou sat 91-93 mph and touched 94 on six occasions in Jupiter, showing good carry and favorable release characteristics that allow the pitch to play effectively through the strike zone. He demonstrated encouraging control of the offering, working consistently in and around the zone with the confidence to challenge hitters. With nearly three years remaining before his draft eligibility, a future operating comfortably in the mid-90s is a reasonable projection as his frame fills out.
A curveball alternates between a tighter, more vertical shape and one with some tilt, suggesting the potential to eventually develop multiple distinct breaking-ball looks. His changeup presently grades below average, though the pitch has ample time to evolve as he gains experience and refines his repertoire.
There’s little reason to rush the evaluation of a pitcher this young, particularly one whose physical development and arsenal construction remain in their early stages. What Ou showed in Jupiter, however, was more than raw arm strength. His ability to throw strikes, manipulate a breaking ball and compete effectively against older hitters gives him an early foundation worth monitoring closely as the 2029 class develops.