Prep Baseball Report

KY College Prospect Showcase: Middle Infield Analysis



By Chris Fuller
Kentucky Scouting Director

More than 70 players convened at Bellarmine University on July 15 for the Kentucky College Prospect Showcase, and some very good performances were turned in, including a PBR Kentucky record 6.54-second 60-yard dash by Garrett Wilson.  The following is a look at the group if middle infielders who participated in the event.  This is position player analysis only.  Those middle infielders who also pitch witll have their pitching analysis featured in a subsequent article.

Players are listed in alphabetical order by last name.

Blake Benz, 2B, L/R, North Bullitt HS, 2017
5-foot-8, 150-pound prospect shows solid defensive actions with quick feet, soft hands, and good lateral movement, shows good body control and the ability to throw from multiple arm angles, shows developing arm strength at 72 mph which should continue to get better.  At the plate, the left-handed hitter hits from an open setup with a long stride, explodes with lower half and generates good bat speed through the zone, line drive type hitter with gap to gap approach, shows some hand quickness, young prospect runs well with 7.07 60 yard dash and showed good bat speed for age with 83 mph tee exit velocity, 2017 prospect to follow.

Keegan Breese, SS/RHP, L/R, McCracken County HS, 2016
5-foot-10, 150 pound prospect shows athletic infield actions with soft hands, fluid feet, and works through the baseball well, shows good lateral movement and gets rid of the ball with short arm action through a high ¾ slot, showed good arm strength at 83 mph across the infield with accurate throws, displays good body control with the ability to throw from multiple arm angles.  At the plate, the left handed hitter hits from an open stance and squares front side with a short stride, uses lower half well and creates good bat speed that produces line drives to all fields, showed some pull-side power, ran 7.38 60 yard dash, 83 mph tee exit velocity, continues to solidify himself as a top prospect in 2016 class.

Luke Brown, SS/RHP, L/R, Bowling Green HS, 2017
5-foot-9, 150-pound prospect shows good lateral movement and promising arm strength across the infield for a young prospect at 80 mph on accurate throws.  At the plate the left handed hitter hits from a wide base with no stride, starts with hands high and drops in load, good balance throughout swing, line drive hitter with a gap to gap approach and level swing path, showed off his speed by turning in one of the top 60 times of the event at 6.78, 75 mph exit velocity off the tee, athletic young prospect to keep an eye on.

Alex Burke, RHP/SS, R/R, Eastern HS, 2015
5-foot-10, 170pound prospect showed well defensively with soft hands and fluid feet and plays through the baseball well with athletic actions, gets rid of the ball with short arm action with accurate throws across the infield at 81 mph, good body control and the ability to throw from different arm angles.  At the plate, hits from a balanced setup with a short stride, good use of lower half, line drive type hitter, ran 7.26 60 yard dash, showed some bat speed with 86 mph tee exit velocity (89 at previous event).

Kendall Covington, SS, R/R, Scott County HS, 2016
5-foot-9, 150-pound prospect showed capable hands defensively, gets rid of the ball quickly with short arm action and is able to throw from multiple arm angles, showed 72 mph arm strength across the infield with accurate throws.  At the plate, hits from a balanced setup with a toe tap trigger and short stride, line drive type hitter gets to extension through contact, shows some hand quickness, ran 7.41 60 yard dash, flashed some bat speed with 84 mph tee exit velocity.

Jordan Doyle, 2B, R/R, Lewis County HS, 2015
5-foot-10, 200-pound prospect showed capable hands defensively, gets rid of the ball with short arm action, 72 mph arm strength across the infield.  At the plate, hits from a balanced setup with a medium stride, line drive type hitter with gap to gap approach, ran 8.00 60 yard dash, registered 79 mph exit velocity off the tee.

Tyler Gabehart, SS/RHP, R/R, Fern Creek HS, 2018
5-foot-8, 135-pound prospect shows soft hands defensively and moves well laterally to both sides, room to improve footwork playing through the baseball, showed above average arm strength for age at 76 mph across the infield.  At the plate, hits from a balanced setup with minimal stride, line drive type hitter with level swing path, will continue to develop offensively with more consistent use of lower half, showed good speed for age with 7.06 60 yard dash, 74 mph tee exit velocity, game will continue to develop with physical maturity and added strength.

Barry Johnson, 2B, L/R, Fern Creek HS, 2015
5-foot-5, 125-pound prospect showed soft hands defensively with good lateral movement in both directions, gets rid of the ball quickly with short arm action and has the ability to throw accurately from multiple arm angles, arm strength was 62 mph across the infield.  At the plate the left handed hitter hits from a balanced setup with a leg kick trigger, line drive type hitter with level swing path, showed some speed running a 7.01 60 yard dash, registered 66 mph exit velocity off the tee.

Ryan Johnson, 2B, R/R, Mason County HS, 2015
5-foot-9, 160-pound prospect shows good lateral movement with soft hands, has a quick exchange and gets rid of the baseball with short arm action, showed some accuracy across the infield at 73 mph, ability to throw from multiple arm angles on the move,  At the plate, hits from a slightly closed setup with a short stride, longer swing path with mid to opposite field approach, ran a 7.39 60 yard dash, registered 75 mph tee exit velocity.

Lane Kennemore, SS, R/R, Mayfield HS, 2016
5-foot-10, 155-pound prospect shows soft hands with good body control and the ability to throw from different arm angles, gets rid of the ball with short arm action, 71 mph arm strength will need to continue to improve.  At the plate, hits from an open stance with a short stride, good rhythm in swing with a short path to the ball, shows quick hands and a line drive producing stroke, consistently squared the baseball in an impressive round, uses all fields well, ran 7.07 60 yard dash, 86 mph tee exit velocity, solid young hitter and a 2016 prospect to follow.

Jack Kronk, SS/C, R/R, St. Xavier HS, 2017
5-foot-9, 178-pound prospect shows capable hands defensively, uses a quick exchange and gets rid of the ball with short arm action, shows good body control with the ability to throw from different arm angles, showed solid arm strength for age at 77 mph across the infield.  At the plate, hits from a balanced setup with a short stride, can use strong lower half more consistently, ran 7.58 60 yard dash, registered 76 mph tee exit velocity.  Also participated as a catcher (will be featured in catcher write-ups).

Broc Kuerzi, 2B, L/R, Ballard HS, 2016
5-foot-7, 175-pound prospect showed soft hands defensively and plays through the baseball, has a quick exchange and uses short arm action across the infield with 72 mph arm strength.  At the plate the left handed hitter hits from a balanced setup with a short stride, has a short path to the ball, line drive type hitter shows the ability to use all fields, good balance throughout swing, ran 7.83 60 yard dash, registered 81 mph tee exit velocity, potential to be solid left handed bat.

Connor Leshon, 2B, R/R, Trinity HS, 2016
5-foot-10, 150-pound prospect shows soft hands defensively, throws were accurate across the infield through a high ¾ to over the top slot, arm action shows some stiffness and needs to continue to develop with 61 mph arm strength.  At the plate, hits from a balanced setup with no stride and minimal load, displays good balance, line drive hitter with level swing path, showed some speed with a 7.14 60 yard dash, 68 mph tee exit velocity.

Kevin McKnight, RHP/2B, R/R, Bullitt Central HS, 2016
5-foot-10, 150-pound prospect shows average hands defensively, can work through the ball better, good lateral movement, showed an accurate arm across the infield at 74 mph.  At the plate, hits from a balanced setup with a short stride, bars arm in load creating some length to swing, line drive type hitter with gap to gap approach, ran a 7.44 60 yard dash, showed ability to generate some bat speed with 81 mph tee exit velocity.

Matt Ross, 2B, R/R, Greenwood HS, 2015
5-foot-9, 155-pound prospect, shows capable hands defensively, good lateral movement, uses short arm action through high ¾ slot, 73 mph arm strength across the infield, can improve on playing through the baseball.  At the plate, hits from an open stance and squares front side with a short stride, uses lower half well, short path to the ball with some hand quickness, line drive type hitter, ran 7.14 60 yard dash, 73 mph tee exit velocity, showed better bat speed in round of batting practice than exit velocity would indicate.

Stan Walker, SS, L/R, Muhlenberg County HS, 2017
5-foot-11,147-pound prospect shows solid footwork with soft hands, works through the baseball well, gets rid of the ball with short arm action and can throw from multiple arm angles, showed developing arm strength at 67 mph across the infield.  At the plate, hits from a slightly open stance with a long stride, uses good lower half torque in swing, line drive type hitter with gap to gap approach, showed some speed for age with 7.23 60 yard dash, registered 72 mph exit velocity off the tee, game should continue to develop with added physical strength.

Cody Ware, 2B, R/R, Conner HS, 2016
5-foot-9, 185-pound prospect showed solid hands defensively with decent lateral movement, uses short arm action through high ¾ slot across the infield, top velocity registered 70 mph.  At the plate, hits from an open stance and squares front side with a short stride, line drive type hitter with a short swing path, ran 7.78 60 yard dash, registered 75 mph tee exit velocity.