Prep Baseball Report

Best of the Rest 2015 Prospects from the Pre-Season Underclass



Earlier, we highlighted the Top Prospects from the Class of 2015 at the Preseason Underclass II in Cincinnati, Ohio. Below, we recap the best of the rest from the event. In the coming day, we will review the Class of 2016.

Alec Keen, IF, Madison Comprehensive

5-foot-10, 165-pound infielder that as a second baseman. Ran 4.5 second home to first time. Defensively has good feet and balance with 72 mph arm strength from all angles. Righty bat with shoulder level hand trigger and squares barrel on bat well. Has good hand finish and lower body torque. Keeping squared front side and keeping weight back should improve overall production at the plate.

Andrew Blough, OF, Smithville HS 

5-foot-9, 152-pound prospect with small body who shows athleticism. Good raw skills. Ran 4.19 to first base from the right side. Shows 75 mph arm strength from the outfield. Needs to consistently keep eyes on target. Uses squared hitting stance. Has chest level hand trigger with flat plane (78 mph exit velocity). Will improve with better lower half torque and not hit against his body.

Ben Beachy, RHP/3B, Springboro HS

6-foot-1, 165-pound two-way prospect. From the outfield, he shows long arm action through a ¾ arm slot as he reaches a top velocity of 83 mph. Uses a crow hop and plays through, but needs to quicken his transfer. Shows good actions in the infield with ability to throw from several different angles (78 mph). Best tool might be his arm at present. At the plate, the right-handed hitter uses a narrow stance. Uses an uphill path to the ball and creates lift. Gets his lower half through. Uses a one hand finish to his swing. Projectable hurler that uses moderate upper 3/4 arm slot. Has long backside arm extension. Needs to better incorporate his lower half. Fastball has some am side run (78-80 mph). Shows arm action on change up (67-68 mph). Cutter is his best breaking ball, having some late bite (72-76 mph). Currently shows little feel for curve (60 mph).

Brendan Mapes, C, Mt. Vernon HS

5-foot-9, 150-pound catcher that receives the ball well . Shows good footwork behind the plate along with 67 arm strength on throws (2.25 pop time). Quickness will improve with enhanced arm strength and better glove to hand exchange. Righty hitter ran 4.64 home to first time. Upper body type hitter with open stance. Has shoulder level hand trigger with some upper cut (71 mph exit velo).

Brett Bosel, 3B/C, Princeton HS

6-foot-1, 170-pound prospect with athletic build. In the infield, he shows some rhythm to his movements. Reached a top velocity of 78 mph on his throws. Needs to continue improving his footwork and exchange. At the plate, the right-handed hitter starts from a high hand trigger with at all, narrow stance. Shows rotational mechanics in his lower half. Takes a flat plane to the ball.

Dalton Hansel, OF/LHP, Fairfield HS

5-foot-10, 165-pound lefty currently projects best as an outfielder. Has square stance from left side with low hand trigger and flat bat plane (80 mph exit velo). Needs to improve lower half body torque in swing along with top hand. Has 73 mph arm strength from outfield and ran 4.3 second home to first time. On the hill, he throws from upper 3/4 arm slot. Fastball ranged 74-76 mph with downward plane 65-66 mph curve and 70 mph changeup.

Drew Johnson, C, Franklin HS

5-foot-8, 147-pound receiver who will increase durability with physical strength. Receives ball well. Will improve pop time (2.4) with arm strength (69 mph) and glove to hand exchange. Ran respectable 4.52 home to first time from right side. Right-handed hitter that starts from an open stance with flat plane bat path (68 mph exit velo). Has good hand swing finish.

Ethan Fremder, C, Piketon HS

6-foot, 215-pound catcher with wide shoulders and a strong lower half. Continues to show improvement in his game and physical development. Starts from a wide base. Needs to improve speed of his footwork behind the plate. Uses short arm action while reaching top velocity of 67 mph and a top pop time of 2.29 pop time. At the plate, the right-handed hitter shows rotational mechanics in his swing with a short stride. There is little wasted movement with his upper half. He is quick to the ball from a shoulder trigger load. Shows slight uphill path to the ball with power potential.

Evan Moores, RHP/3B, Glen Este HS

6-foot, 175-pound prospect. Uses short arm action through ¾ arm slot to reach a top velocity 75 mph. Needs to improve overall footwork to aid his range. At the plate, the right-handed hitter shows a short, compact swing. Takes a slight uphill path to the ball. Tends to wrap his bat in his load. Power will improve with better use of his lower half. Shows best potential on the mound. Uses quick rhythm with slight inward turn in the windup. Creates good torque and generates 79-81 mph fastball with some run to it. Delivery requires some effort. Has some directional issues, but gets good use of his lower half. Curveball has a small break at 65-66 mph. Slows arm speed on change at 68-69 mph.

Evan Skinner, 3B/RHP, Grove City HS

5-foot-10, 155-pound prospect. Showed good balance in the infield. Needs to improve hands and consistent set-up. Showed 68 mph arm strength across diamond. Ran a 4.79 home to first time from right side. Uses a squared hitting stance with chest level hand trigger into zone (69 mph exit velo). Has good hand finish. Needs to enhance lower body torque in swing. On the hill, this he throws from an upper 3/4 arm slot. Fastball ranged 75-76 mph with slurvy tilt curve at 68-69 mph. Changeup registered 65-65 mph.

Genesis Hillard, IF/OF, Colerain HS

5-foot-11, 169-pound prospect. Uses long arm action while reaching a top velocity of 72 mph from infield and 77 mph from the outfield. Shows a hitch in his arm action. His feet work well in the infield. In the outfield, he tends to open early with his throws, which creates some accuracy issues. At the plate, he starts in a slight crouch. Loads heavy on his backside and creates a tendency to lunge. Hands tend to drift away from the body. Shows some strength in his hands (87 mph exit velocity). Should show better production with improvements to his balance. On the mound, his fastball sat 69-70 mph while his curveball showed some spin at 58-60 mph and his changeup stayed straight at 61-63 mph.

Jacob Forsythe, 3B/OF, Bishop Fenwick HS

6-foot, 165-pound prospect. Uses short arm action through high ¾ arm slot. Reached top velocity of 74 mph across the infield. Needs to consistently play through the ball. At the plate, the right-handed hitter shows some strength in his hands (80 mph exit velocity). Needs to work on shortening things up. Tendency to allow hands to get away from the body and creates some baring action. Still manages to square the ball up and produce line drives. On the mound, he uses short, stiff arm action. His fastball is straight at 73-76 mph. He throws a 61-63 mph breaking ball with sweeping action. He has a tendency to slow down his arm action on his 62-63 mph changeup.

Jordan Goslee, IF, Kings HS

5-foot-10, 190-pound prospect with solid, stocky build. Corner infield type who ran a 4.85 home to first time from the right side. Defensively showed good hands and balance with 66 mph arm strength. Uses a wide stance with chest level hand trigger. Has upper cut bat path (74 mph exit velo). Improvement should come with more lower body torque.

Kyle Bowling, IF, Reading HS

Defensive skills project this 5-foot-8, 158-pound infielder as a second baseman. Has excellent skills with quick actions, feet and hands. Arm strength measured 70 mph. Ran 4.42 second 1st base time from left side. Has upright hitting stance with shoulder level hand trigger. Shows some upper cut bat path (77 mph exit velo). Good hand finish. Needs to square front side consistently and improve top hand.

Nick Ernst, 3B/C, St. Xavier HS

6-foot, 175-pound prospect. Uses short arm action through high ¾ slot. Transfer has some length to it due to windup. Will improve with improvement in his footwork. Reached top velocity of 76 mph. Behin the plate, he shows a quick transfer and short arm action. Reached a top velocity of 71 mph from the crouch and a top pop time of 2.07. At the plate, he starts from a slightly open stance. Takes a medium size stride. Shows good bat control and solid, line drive production.

Nick Williams, LHP, Piketon HS

6-foot, 160-poiund southpaw. Uses slow, deliberate rhythm to his delivery. Shows slight inward turn in the windup. Displays long arm action. Tends to wrap. Fastball sits 71-72 mph. Breaking ball shows 2/8 action at 63-65 mph. Changeup shows some fade, but he tends to slow down his arm action.

Robert Engle, IF/RHP, Newark Catholic HS

5-foot-8, 164-pound infielder with smallish type build. Ran 4.67 home to first time from right side. Hits from an open stance with chest level bat trigger (77 mph exit velo). Has good bat hand finish but needs improvement with lower body torque and more top hand in swing. Good defensive base with hands and feet. Displayed 78 mph arm strength.

Ronnie Murphy, C/IF, Lakota West HS

5-foot-11, 183-pound prospect with solid, athletic frame. Posses strong lower half. Shows good receiving skills in the infield. Best suited at third base or second base. Throws are online at 78 mph, but he needs to quicken his transfer. Behind the plate, he reached a top velocity of 77 mph from the crouch and a top pop time of 2.3. Needs to improve consistency of his footwork. Shows quick hands and adequate transfer. At the plate, the right-handed hitter is a line drive type with obvious strength in his body (82 mph exit velocity). Needs to simplify his swing (tendency to wrap his bat) and maintain balance throughout.

Ryan Fitzgerald, OF, Newark Catholic HS

5-foot-10, 184-pound outfielder with thick, solid build. Showed plus speed with 3.89 home to first time. Throws from a high ¾ arm slot while reaching a top velocity of 76 mph. Uses good crow hop as he plays through the ball. At the plate, he hits from both sides and showed similar bat speed with each swing (84 mph left; 83 mph right). From the left side, he shows an aggressive swing with pull tendencies. Creates solid contact. Looks most comfortable, especially with overall fluidity. Appears a little more stiff and choppy with the rhythm of his swing from the right side.

Seth Watts, IF, Edgewood HS

6-foot-2, 145-pound lanky prospect. Shows good rhythm in the infield with quick arm action. Projects best on the left side of the infield. Plays through the ball. Throws well from all angles. Reached a top velocity of 72 mph. At the plate, he uses a tall, narrow stance. Shows linear mechanics in his swing. Tends to wrap his bat in his load. Still shows some fluidity to his swing. Shows good use of his lower half.

Tarrance Wilke, IF, Hamilton HS

5-foot-9, 130-pound infielder that best projects as a second baseman. Has good defensive actions with hands and feet. Displays 67 mph arm strength. Ran a 4.74 home to first time from right side. Hits with open stance. Has shoulder level hand trigger with good bat path (71 mph exit velo). Can improve his lower body torque by shortening wide base and improve hand finish to gain increased bat speed.

Wes Holman, C/1B, Bishop Fenwick

5-foot-10, 180-pound catching prospect. Reached 68 mph from the crouch a top pop time of 2.42. Shows short arm action. Tends to rise early. Needs to quicken overall footwork. At the plate, the left-handed hitter tends to bar his arm in his load. Uses short path to the ball. Currently, a line drive, contact type hitter.

Yanni Patten, 1B, Medina Highland HS

6-foot-2, 210-pound left-handed first baseman. Moves well around the bag, but needs to continue developing foot work and arm strength (68 mph). At present, his best tool is his bat. Left-handed hitter projects as a middle of the order type bat with pull power. Uses a short stride. Needs to work on staying inside the baseball as he tendency to let his hands get away from him.  Takes slight uphill path to the ball and shows some strength in his swing (83 mph exit velocity).

Zac Morris, IF/RHP, Heath HS

6-foot-1, 176-pound prospect with strong, athletic build. Shows short, stiff arm action through ¾ arm slot in the infield. Reached top velocity of 75 mph. Shows some range and softness in his hands. At the plate, the right-handed hitter tends to bar his arm in his load, which creates some length to his swing. Still generates solid contact and shows some bat speed (85 mph exit velocity). On the mound, his fastball sat 78-79 mph. He uses a slow, deliberate rhythm. Needs to work on keeping the lower half moving. Breaking ball is soft at 57-59 mph and his changeup sits at 65-66 mph.

Zack Jordan, IF/RHP, Piketon HS

Worked out as two-way player. This 5-foot-10, 140-pound prospect will improve with increase body strength. Projects as second type defensively. Shows good hands and feet with 69 mph arm strength. Needs to enhance balance. Ran 4.88 home to first from right side. Hits from open stance with chest level hand trigger. Has upper cut swing path (73 mph exit velo). On the bump, has deliberate delivery with upper 3/4 arm slot. Fastball ranged 70-72 mph. Had some feel for knuckleball at 54-55 mph and little feel for curve at 56-57 mph.