By Blake Hibler & Phil Wade
PBR Indiana

On Sunday September 15th, PBR Indiana hosted the 2016-2017 Prospect Showcase at Bishop Chatard High School in Indianapolis.  The event consisted of 50 total players from across the Hoosier State.  Below is the analysis of the middle infielders that attended the event.  

Top 10

1. Noah Navarro, SS/2B, Plainfield HS, 2017: 5-foot-9, 140 pound freshman is athletic and runs a 7.15 60.  Long limbs. Above average feel defensively for his age.  Was 71 mph across the diamond from a high ¾ arm slot.  Moves well with soft hands.  Release is slow.  Switch hitter at the plate.  From the left side shoes a quiet, compact swing.  Creates good backspin with a good swing plane.  From the right side its almost a mirror image from the left side.  Legitimate switch hitter.  High follow in the 2017 class.

2. Brandon Stesiak, SS/3B, Penn HS, 2016:  6-foot, 150 pound sophomore has long limbs and possesses good athleticism.  In the field showcased a strong, accurate arm at 76 mph.  Moves well laterally with an above average glove.  Fields it clean with a quick release.   Runs a 7.35 60.  At the plate starts open.  His hands are quick.  A little inconsistent at the plate, as his front hip tends to slide at times, however possesses some good projectablity.  

3. Austin Turner, SS, Terre Haute North HS, 2017: 5-foot-10, 150 pound freshman shows an advanced feel in the infield for his age.  Showcased some flash with soft hands and a quick release.  Moves well laterally with solid footwork.  At the plate starts from a crouch and loads back.  His hands work, getting the barrel through the zone consistently.  Swing is a little inside-out.  Makes hard contact.  Shows good projectability and is a follow in the 2017 class. 

4. Phillip Lawson, 2B/RHP, Pendleton Heights HS, 2017: 5-foot-8, 140 pound freshman ran a 7.06 60 and was 73 mph across the diamond.  Arm is quick and has soft hands.  Moves well with an overall advanced feel for the position.  Will field the ball a little deep at times, needs to work on playing through the baseball more.  At the plate uses a quiet setup from a slight crouch.  Occasional hip slide.  Inconsistent swing, but has a chance to be a strong hitter with some more development.  

5. Reese Olden, 2B/SS, New Haven HS, 2016: 5-foot-8, 140 pound sophomore ran a 7.22 60 and was 67 mph across the diamond.  Arm action is quick, just needs more strength.  Quick release and clean exchange.  Moves well.  Defensively possesses above average actions from both the INF and OF, but projects more as an infielder.  Very athletic. Possesses a lot of quick twitch both defensively and offensively.  At the plate still raw mechanically, but his hand speed makes up for a lot of his inconsistencies.  True switch hitter.  Needs to continue to add strength. 

6. Quenton Wellington, 2B/SS, Chatard HS, 2016: 5-foot-7, 160 pound sophomore runs a 7.09 60 and was 71 mph across the diamond.  Arm action is long.  Feet are quick, average glove.  From the plate lacks some explosion with the lower half, swing plane is uphill.  Hands showed some quick twitch.  Long swing. Overall all raw athlete with some projectable tools.  

7. Eric Harris, SS/2B, Lawrence North HS, 2017: 5-foot-8, 133 pound freshman was 74 mph across the field.  Possesses long limbs, with heavy feet.  Arm works.  Above average actions, currently just slow.  Glove is above average.  At the plate has good rhythm with a leg kick.  Finishes one handed at times causing him to lose power.  Stride is short and closed.  Interesting follow in 2017 class.  

8. Gavin Bussard, SS/2B, Tippecanoe Valley HS, 2016:  5-foot-10, 150 pound sophomore has a short arm action and was 65 mph across the infield.  Actions are raw, but moves well.  Hands are average.  At the plate displayed some hand speed.   Starts open and uses a short stride.  Loads back and will drop his hands at times.  Good overall balance throughout his swing.  Still raw mechanically.

9. Drew Lunsford, SS/2B, Homestead HS, 2016: 5-foot-11, 140 pound sophomore is 66 mph across the diamond.  Moves well with above average hands.  Ability to get rid of the ball quickly and throw from different arm angles.   Good foot speed (7.06 60 time).  At the plate starts very wide with little to no stride.  Has a flat bat through zone, and barrels up the baseball consistently.  Shows good hand speed.  Not much use of the lower half.

10. Matt Olovich, SS/RHP, Guerin Catholic HS, 2017:  5-foot-8, 145 pound freshman was 69 mph across the infield.  Isn't flashy, but possesses solid defensive actions.  Moves well laterally, showing good range.  Arm action is short and has a quick release.  Above average hands.  From the plate starts tall with high hands.  Load is smooth.  Swing is a little long, but consistently makes good contact.  Good athleticism.

Best of the Rest (In Alphabetical Order)

Adisyn Coffey, SS/RHP, Delta HS, 2017: 5-foot-8, 125 pound freshman shows good mechanics defensively, lacks foot speed.  At the plate he again displays good overall mechanics but lacks hand speed.  Should develop more athleticism and speed as he matures.  

Hunter Cornelius, 2B/OF, White River Valley HS, 2016: 5-foot-7, 125 pound sophomore was 69 mph across the diamond.  Footwork is choppy.   Nothing flashy, but fields it clean with average hands.  At the plate starts really wide.  Stride is short.  Loads back with a tendency to drop his hands, causing an uphill swing plane.  Bat speed is average.  Barreled up a lot of baseballs.  Contact type hitter.  

Joseph Deeter, 2B/3B, Homestead HS, 2016: 5-foot-8, 136 pound sophomore was 67 mph across the diamond.  Needs to continue to develop arm strength.   Moves well in the field, but tends to get flat footed at times.  Hands are average.  At the plate starts tall with a high leg kick.  Gets wide at times with a long stride.  Hands work, and gets the barrel through the zone.  Swing path long and uphill.  Makes consistent contact. 

Alex Nisle, 3B/RHP, Lake Central HS, 2015: 6-foot, 185 pound junior was 73 across the diamond and ran a 7.40 60.  Moves well for his size with average hands.  Frame is thick and strong, projects more as a corner IF.  At the plate shows some hand speed with some projectable strength.  Needs to improve on staying inside the baseball.  Gets long at times with his lower half, finishes wide.   

Sam Paddock, SS/RHP, Lawrence North HS, 2017: 5-foot-10, 160 pound freshman was 63 mph from the IF.  Fields flat footed, overall raw defensively and needs to add arm strength.  Best tool is at the plate.  Shows a simple approach with a repeatable swing.  Good setup with a little power. 

Jordan Reeves, C/SS, Tipton HS, 2016: 5-foot-9, 150 pound sophomore that was a 2.20-2.36 with his pop times and was 67 from the crouch.  In the infield possesses a long arm action at 75 mph.  Hard hands with heavy feet.  At the plate uses a balanced approach with a short stride.  Keeps the barrel in the zone.  High contact hitter. 

Nathan VanDeventer, RHP/SS, Columbus North HS, 2016: 6-foot-1, 140 pound sophomore was 69 mph across the diamond.  Possesses a slender frame with long legs, still growing in to his body.  Average actions defensively.  At the plate he starts with his hands deep and a little low.  Lower half lacks involvement.  Swing is long, but overall good path to the baseball.  Exit Velo of 74 mph.  

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