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Preseason All-State Showcase Analysis: Right-Handed Pitchers (Class of 2016)

February 24, 2015

By Jacob Gill
Philadelphia Region Director of Scouting

Prior to embarking on their junior season, 16 right-handed pitchers descended on Keystone State Baseball Academy in Manheim to showcase their skills at the Preseason All-State Showcase. They are listed below in reverse alphabetical order. Why? I always felt bad for the guy in my elementary school with the last name Zyvert.

Aaron ZechmanAaron Zechman, 6-0 170, Selinsgrove Area
FB 78-83, CB 66-67, SP 69-71
Zechman's repeatable delivery starts with a short, forward rocker step and has him getting stacked over the rubber well. He strides slightly closed and pitches out of a three-quarter slot. With good extension, he was able to work down with his fastball, although, at times (especially in the stretch), he would throw uphill and the pitch would flatten out on him. His slurvy breaking ball had nice shape to it and he also featured a split with some dive when it was down.

Austin WackerAustin Wacker, 5-6 160, Cumberland Valley
FB 79-81, CB 65-66, CH 73-76
Wacker features a quick arm, works fast, and stays on-line toward his target. Perhaps not unsurprising given his frame, he occasionally had some trouble getting downhill from the stretch with his fastball. However, on multiple occasions including this one, he has shown an ability to spin a quality breaking ball. The one he showed at this event had 11/5 tilt, while a previous 12/6 version clocked in at 66-71. He also showed a change-up that was firm with occasional sink.

J.J. SpehrleyJ.J. Spehrley, 5-11 170, Pottsville Area
FB 76-79 (2-seam 75-mph), CB 65-66, CH 68-70
Spehrley starts with a deliberate wind-up into a slight hip coil over the rubber. He stays on-line well to the plate and pitches from a three-quarter slot with a low elbow. He complemented his four-seam fastball with a two-seam version that showed solid, late tailing action. Spehrley exhibited a good feel for his change-up with sink and occasional fade. While he has shown some command of it in the past, his curveball tended to stay armside and back up on him on this occasion.

Alex MyersAlex Myers, 6-2 175, Central York
FB 78-82, CB 66-67, SL 67-70, CH 70-73
Myers pitches out of a high-3/4 slot from an up-tempo delivery with a high leg kick. He has a slightly upright finish, while staying on-line well toward his target. His fastball was fairly straight with occasional baby tail to it, while he exhibited a good feel for his change-up that had some late dive. His curveball is a big 12/6 and his slider has 3/4 action. He had a tendency to get on the side of both pitches, especially out of the stretch, on this day.

Jerry ManganJerry Mangan, 5-11 170, La Salle
FB 81-84, CB 71-72, CH 67-69
Mangan employs a three-part delivery, with a pause at his rocker step and a little bounce at the top of his balance point. He strides slightly closed and has some armspeed out of his three-quarter slot. He pounded his fastball armside, while his top velo actually came out of the stretch, where he appeared to have better drive off the rubber. He showed good command of both his straight change-up and his 11/5 curveball that has a chance to develop into a solid pitch for him.

Briar LauerBriar Lauer, 6-3 190, Red Lion Area
FB 81-84, CB 69-72, CH 72-75
Lauer's delivery has some funk to it, with a hop at the top of this balance point and him pushing his hands vertically above head-height before lowering them to his chest to separate. He has a stab at the bottom of his armswing and pitches from an over-the-top slot. He threw strikes with his fastball and change-up, which were both fairly straight. The action on his slurvy breaking ball varied from 11/5 to more of a sweeper.

Nick KempaNick Kempa, 6-1 205, Vincentian Academy
FB 79-80, CB 65-68, CH 71-73
Kempa's frame is fairly well filled out, which limits the projection on his fastball, but his secondary stuff should afford him the opportunity to get outs at the next level with even a modest velo bump. His fastball has late tailing action and he maintains fastball armspeed when throwing his change-up, which has solid fade to it. He also commanded a slurvy 11/5 breaking ball that could develop into a nice pitch for him, if he can tighten the rotation a little bit more.

Jake Jessell, 6-1 225, Woodland Hills
See notes from Wednesday's top prospects article.

Bayley JamanisBayley Jamanis, 6-0 180, Lancaster Catholic
FB 80-81, SL 71-72, CH 73-74
Despite his velo being a couple ticks down from previous outings, Jamanis showed the same rhythmic delivery and feel for his three-pitch mix as usual. He has a slight hesitation and reaches a few extra inches with his stride foot when it initially appears it is going to land, which could create timing issues for the hitter. He throws strikes with his fastball and curveball, both of which are fairly straight, as well as his curveball, which has 11/5 action.

Alex HermansonAlex Hermanson, 6-3 215, Peddie School (NJ)
FB 78-79, CB 66-67, CH 70-73
Hermanson is a big-framed kid with a clean arm action who pitches out of a high-3/4 slot, finishes slightly upright, and maintains good direction toward home plate. Due to striding slightly closed, at times he works around his front side, generating occasional cut action on his fastball. He showed a solid feel for, and command of, his straight change-up, while also features a developing curveball with 11/5 action.

Dylan FontenotDylan Fontenot, 5-8 150, Montoursville
FB 77-80, CB 62-63, SL 62-63, CH 66-69
Fontenot has a long arm action out of the glove that morphs into a javelin throw from an over-the-top slot. He kicks his foot out of his balance point into a swinging gate front leg and falls toward first base on his finish. As a result, he sometimes struggled to get downhill with his fastball that had occasional tail. His breaking balls blended together both in velocity and 11/5 shape, and he tended to cast them on release. He did show a solid feel for his change-up with some sink and fade.

Sean FlynnSean Flynn, 6-4 175, Malvern Prep
FB 77-80, CB 62-64, CH 72-73
Flynn has a surprisingly compact delivery for a pitcher with such a tall, lanky frame. He features a wrist wrap upon separation and an abbreviated arm swing (ball never gets below his waist) prior to release from a high-3/4 slot. While he had a tendency to yank his fastball gloveside, he showed a very good feel for his straight change-up. His curveball is a big, slow 11/5 breaker. Flynn has plenty of room to add strength to his frame and he is a quality athlete (6.96 60-yard dash).

Thomas ElliottThomas Elliott, 5-10 155, Warwick
FB 83-85, CB 70-71, CH 74-76
Elliott starts his wind-up with a straight-back rocker step and shows very good armspeed from a high-3/4 slot. He kicks his tempo up a notch as he separates his hands, showing a moderate amount of effort with some head jerk and recoil. His fastball is fairly straight with some life to it, while he tended to yank it gloveside during this session. Although he didn't command it in the zone, his 11/5 curveball spins well, while he showed a good feel for his change-up.

Beau BurrisBeau Burris, 6-1 190, Central York
FB 78-83, CB 66-67, CH 73-76
Burris starts his delivery with a short rocker step into a waist-high leg lift and pitches from a high-3/4 slot with a javelin-thrower arm action and somewhat upright finish. His fastball is fairly straight, while his change-up is straight and firm as well. The 11/5 spin on his curveball was was fairly loose on this day, although it sharpened up a bit when he threw out of the stretch. Burris already has strength in his frame, but there is still room for him to add more.

Matt Brooks, 6-1 160, Spring Grove Area
See notes from Wednesday's top prospects article.

John BraunJohn Braun, 6-3 175, La Salle
FB 79-81, SL 71-74, CH 68-71
Braun has a lean frame with room to add strength. He pitches from a high-3/4 slot and flashes some armspeed. His fastball had occasional cut when he got it down in the zone. While his slider occasionally backed up on him and stayed armside, it is his top secondary offering and showed late three-quarter action when right. Out of the wind-up his change-up had a tendency to float on him, although he showed more commitment to it with his armspeed and maintained his elbow slot better from the stretch later in the bullpen session.

Additional Preseason all-state NEWS: