10 Top Pitching Prospects From Perfect Game’s 2025 WWBA World Championship

The Perfect Game WWBA World Championship is one of the best—if not the best—high school baseball showcases on the circuit each year. The annual event gives scouts one last look at a plethora of top prospects all under the same roof, so to speak, before winter and the heart of the offseason.

After highlighting some lesser-known prospects at this year’s wood bat tournament, over the next two days, we’ll be taking a look at 10 pitchers and 10 hitters who caught our eye down in Jupiter, Fla.

Before we dig in, please note that our list is alphabetized and not a ranking. Also, not every player listed is draft eligible this July. In fact, the single loudest outing of the tournament came courtesy of a 16-year-old sophomore.

Brody Crane, RHP

• Draft Class: 2026
• College Commitment: Arkansas

Crane turned in one of the best starts of the tournament and collected eight strikeouts across three shutout, hitless innings.

A stocky righthander, Crane has plenty of strength and physicality packed into his 6-foot, 215-pound frame. He works exclusively out of the stretch and features a short, somewhat stabby arm stroke whiling attacking out of a high three-quarters slot.

Crane pounded the strike zone for the entirety of his outing and ran his fastball up to 96 mph to go along with a low-80s slider and mid-80s splitter. Craneâ€s fastball flashed both run and ride through the zone, and he relied on it heavily. His slider and splitter each profile as effective secondaries. His slider was shorter in shape with some gloveside life and late depth, and the one splitter he threw was sub-1,000 rpm. Crane stayed off the barrel of opposing hitters all night and displayed an impressive feel to pitch.

Hudson DeVaughan, RHP

• Draft Class: 2026
• College Commitment: Alabama

DeVaughan spun a quality start for his Canes Midwest National club in which he didnâ€t allow an earned run, gave up one hit and struck out seven across four innings.

DeVaughan is old for the class, but the 6-foot-4 righthander has a slender, high-waisted frame with physical projection remaining. He operated exclusively out of the stretch and featured an easy, under-control operation in which he attacked hitters out of a high three-quarters slot. His fastball reached 96 mph and was most effective up in the zone. He paired his heater with an upper-70s-to-low-80s curveball that he spun reasonably well.

DeVaughanâ€s fastball-curveball combination makes for an intriguing north-south profile, though heâ€ll need to continue to work on adding a viable third pitch. Perhaps most encouraging was that DeVaughan was consistently in and around the strike zone. 

Sean Duncan, LHP

• Draft Class: 2026
• College Commitment: Vanderbilt

Before the rain came on Thursday, I enjoyed my look at Duncan. Across three innings, the southpaw amassed seven strikeouts, walked one and surrendered three hits (one of which was a bunt).

At 6-foot-3 and 180 pounds, Duncan has a lean, high-waisted frame with plenty of projection remaining. He features a loose, repeatable delivery and attacks out of a three-quarters slot with an appealing ease to his operation. In my look, Duncanâ€s fastball sat in the 90-93 mph range and got up to 95. Itâ€s a high-spin pitch that played particularly well in the top half of the zone thanks to its riding life, and he collected seven swings and misses with it over the course of his outing.

Check out recent @VandyBoys commit Sean Duncan on the mound 👀

The Canadian lefthander recorded seven strikeouts and one walk over three innings and generated 12 whiffs on the day. pic.twitter.com/yEG77kGH0P

— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) October 10, 2025

The best pitch in Duncanâ€s arsenal at this point is his low-80s slider. The lefthander showed the ability to manipulate its shape, and at times it flashed ample, sharp lateral life—especially against lefthanded hitters. At other times, it took on more of a two-plane look with a similar degree of sharpness. Either way, it has no-doubt plus potential and looks the part of a true putaway pitch. In addition to the seven whiffs with his heater, Duncan notched five with his slider to make an even dozen on the day.

Duncan also flipped in a couple of curveballs in the low 80s and tried to turn over a changeup or two, but he relied heavily on his fastball-slider combination. His command became more scattershot in the third inning, and his front side began to fly open on a more frequent basis, which led to misses up and/or out.

Not only is there a lot to like now with Duncan, but thereâ€s just as much to dream on. As he continues to mature physically, I expect his entire arsenal—both in terms of velocity and dynamism—to tick up. He looks the part of a starter professionally and fits in the third-to-fifth round bucket for me.

James Jorgensen, RHP

• Draft Class: 2026
• College Commitment: Texas

Jorgensen was another arm who turned heads in Jupiter last week. An undersized righthander with physicality packed into his frame, he has a rather compact arm stroke and attacks out of a near-over-the-top slot with present arm speed and a degree of explosiveness in his delivery.

While he threw just one inning, Jorgensen was able to punch two tickets. His fastball was up to 96 mph with natural ride through the zone to go along with a hammer upper-70s curveball that flashed both depth and plenty of sharpness. Jorgensenâ€s command was a bit inconsistent, but his combination of pure stuff and athleticism is exciting.

Dexter McCleon Jr., RHP

• Draft Class: 2028
• College Commitment: Uncommitted

Striker Pence (more on him below) wasnâ€t the only class of 2028 arm who turned heads last week.

Primarily a position player and one of the top players in his class, McCleon impressed in his outing in Jupiter. He was first out of the bullpen for a stacked USA Prime 17U National team and flashed big-time stuff in his two innings of work. A “toolshed†in every sense of the word, McCleon’s premium athleticism is evident in his delivery. He moves exceptionally well on the mound and attacks out of a high three-quarters slot with blistering arm speed.

McCleon’s fastball was up to 98 mph and sat in the mid 90s in his first inning of work, but his velocity tapered off a bit by the second. Nonetheless, itâ€s a lively pitch that routinely displays carry through the zone. He also mixed in a low-80s slider that flashed two-plane tilt.

McCleon is more thrower than pitcher right now, and his command was scattered, but there is an intriguing foundation in place.

Samir Mohammed, RHP

• Draft Class: 2027
• College Commitment: LSU

Mohammed got the ball in the first game for USA Prime 17U National and punched out six batters across five innings.

An ultra-physical workhorse, Mohammed is a 6-foot-5, 240-pound righthander who features a long, deep arm stroke and attacks out of a low three-quarters slot. He lands with his front side slightly open—which is something to watch—but his pure stuff is tantalizing. Thereâ€s an appealing ease to Mohammedâ€s delivery, and he commanded the baseball well in Jupiter.

95 mph from RHP Samir Mohammed (16) with a changeup thatâ€s about as good as you will see from any 2027 pitcher in the country. 6-5, 245 lbs. Baseball Americaâ€s No. 19 player in the class. pic.twitter.com/rVBypt2xuC

— Ben Badler (@BenBadler) July 2, 2025

Mohammedâ€s fastball was up to 97 mph with carry and natural armside life, but his calling card is his low-to-mid-80s changeup. Itâ€s arguably a plus pitch right now, and it routinely flashes both ample armside fade and depth. Mohammed ties together his arsenal with a low-to-mid-80s slider that flashes sharp two-plane tilt.

Striker Pence, RHP

• Draft Class: 2028
• College Commitment: Uncommitted

As I alluded to in the introduction, Penceâ€s outing was the loudest of the tournament, and the newly-minted sophomore last week had everyone flocking to the Marlins’ side of the complex. Against a quality Milwaukee Brewers Scout Team, the 16-year-old fired a pair of shutout innings in which he notched a trio of strikeouts, walked one and allowed one hit (a slow roller through the right side). 

The nephew of four-time MLB all-star Hunter Pence, Striker has an extra-long frame with budding strength throughout—there’s particular physicality in his lower half. The 6-foot-6, 200-pound righthander works exclusively out of the stretch and attacks out of a three-quarters slot with a whippy arm stroke and tremendous arm speed.

The calling card of Penceâ€s arsenal is his fastball, and for good reason. It sat in the 96-99 mph range, and he touched 101—a new personal and Jupiter record—four times. The heater explodes out of his hand and flashed thunderous life through the zone with no shortage of carry.

Mind-numbing stuff from 2028 righty Striker Pence. The 16-year-oldâ€s (!!!) first three pitches were 100, 100, 101.1, per Trackman. Thereâ€s a very large crowd gathered for this outing. Not exactly hard to imagine why. pic.twitter.com/FKfQTDTTSg

— Jacob Rudner (@JacobRudner) October 9, 2025

Pence pairs his heater with a hellacious mid-to-upper-80s power slider. It routinely flashes tons of sharp, lateral life with some depth, and it presents an incredibly difficult look for righthanded hitters. Pence was also able to backdoor the pitch for a called third strike against a lefthanded hitter to conclude his outing.

This feels like the part of the infomercial where the person pitching the product exclaims “But wait, thereâ€s more!†That’s because Pence rounds out his arsenal with a high-80s split-change with which he does a nice job killing spin. He turned over a really good one in his outing last week that flashed late tumble, and it looks the part of a future above-average or plus third pitch. 

While thereâ€s some low-hanging fruit to clean up in the delivery, and heâ€s a bit of a spray gun command-wise, Pence possesses premium stuff across the board. One of the biggest keys going forward will be consistently competing in and around the strike zone. But itâ€s important to remember that Pence is still just 16. It is flat-out ridiculous to think about what he might look like in a couple of years.

Connor Salerno, LHP

• Draft Class: 2027
• College Commitment: Mississippi State

One of the top 2027 arms in the country, Salerno dazzled in his outing for Wow Factor and struck out eight across three shutout innings. With an ideal pitcher’s frame at 6-foot-4 and 225 pounds, Salerno features an up-tempo delivery with a deep arm stroke and attacks out of a lowered three-quarters slot. He lands closed off, so thereâ€s also a degree of crossfire in his operation.

Salernoâ€s fastball settled into the low 90s as his outing progressed, but he ran it up to 96 mph in the first with natural—and effective—armside life. In addition to his lively fastball, Salernoâ€s low-80s slider flashed above-average with more length than depth, and he also showed a mid-80s changeup. He was in attack mode all night and needed just 41 pitches to breeze through three innings.

Salerno is not eligible for the draft until 2027, but he already profiles as one of the premier prep arms in the class.

Donovan Thiery, RHP

• Draft Class: 2026
• College Commitment: Florida State

Thiery didnâ€t light up the box score, but he stands out for his immense upside.

Listed at 6-foot-5 and 195 pounds, Thiery has a long, high-waisted frame with ample projection remaining. He shows present arm speed and attacks from a near-over-the-top slot (though, heâ€ll lower it slightly when delivering his slider). His fastball was up to 96 mph with particular life in the top half of the zone, and it plays up thanks to above-average extension. Thieryâ€s slider flashed some lateral life, and his changeup acted as more of a “show†pitch. Heâ€ll need to continue to refine both of his secondaries going forward.

Another key for Thiery will be keeping his long limbs synced up throughout his delivery. He was disconnected at times, which led to inconsistent command. While there are things to clean up, Thiery has a handful of exciting building blocks in place. 

Colin White, LHP

• Draft Class: 2026
• College Commitment: Georgia Tech

While his start was cut short due to rain, White turned heads across his two shutout, hitless innings of work. He punched out three, walked none and the lone baserunner he allowed was courtesy of an error. He only needed 23 pitches to cruise through his pair of innings.

Listed at 6-foot-4 and 205 pounds, White is a strapping, high-waisted lefthander with upside remaining. Heâ€s gotten more physical over the course of the last year but still has room to fill out. He features an explosive, drop-and-drive delivery and attacks out of a high three-quarters slot with no shortage of arm speed. 

White’s fastball sat in the 93-96 mph range and jumped out of his hand with plenty of carry through the zone. His heater is a high-spin offering and profiles as a real bat-misser. Given Whiteâ€s present arm speed and projection remaining, itâ€s not difficult to envision further velocity gains.

White supplemented his heater with a low-80s slider that flashed plus. Itâ€s a pitch thrown with conviction, and it has an enticing degree of sharpness to it. White also has a changeup, but he didnâ€t need to use it.

One of the biggest focal points for White going forward will be continuing to keep his long levers in-sync throughout his delivery. Though he threw less than two dozen pitches, White left Jupiter with an up arrow next to his name. 

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