The Prep Baseball Report Prospect Identification Showcase at Round Tripper Baseball Academy in Westfield featured several exciting prospects. A number of players emerged as prospects to pay close attention to in the coming years on January 2. While there were several outstanding showings, Mt. Vernon catcher Logan Blair earned Class of 2011 top prospect honors, and Nick McCarty, a 6-foot-2 RHP from Cathedral HS, earned Class of 2012 top prospect honors.

 

A look at the top performers at the event:

 

Class of 2011

 

1.            Logan Blair, C/P, Mt. Vernon HS, 2011:  Blair is a 6-foot, 185-pound catcher with a strong athletic build.  He possesses a quick arm with excellent carry on his throws. His quick feet and arm strength helped him register a pop time of 1.85.  At the plate, he projects to be a gap-to-gap hitter at the next level.   He has a clean, compact swing, and shows some pop to opposite field. Blair recently committed to Wright State University. 

2.             Jordan Rhinehart, OF, North Central HS, 2011:  The 6-2, 190-pound outfielder is extremely athletic and can flat out hit. He loads with his lower half and will occasionally sit on his backside. His swing is compact and quick with not a lot of wasted movement. His barrel gets out front and gets excellent backspin carry on the ball, and showed quick hands. Defensively at the next level, Rhinehart projects to play left field.

 

3.             Jack Peck, LHP/1B, North Central HS, 2011:  The 6-foot-5 left-hander has a clean arm action and is sound mechanically. At the event, he sat 80-82 mph with some run. His fastball projects to be in the mid-to-upper 80s at the next level.  He should develop physically in the coming years.

 

4.            Scott Thompson, RHP/1B, Carmel HS, 2011:  The 6-1, 225-pound righty impressed with an 84 mph fastball with movement. His motion can be deceptive to hitters, and he uses his lower body well.  

 

5.             Jordan Watson, LHP/1B, Terre Haute North HS, 2011:  Watson is an interesting 6-foot-5 left-hander who may see a velocity spike on his low-80s fastball in the future.  Watson is an over-the-head pump guy with a small hesitation in his delivery. He works from a high ¾ arm slot. Breaking ball should be a good out pitch in high school - when thrown harder it showed good depth.   With development physically and mechanically, look for Watson to be a solid pitcher at the next level.

 

Class of 2012

 

1.            Nick McCarty, P/OF, Cathedral HS, 2012:  Nick showed why he should be considered as one of the top prospects in the state. The 6-2 right-hander lit up the radar gun with a fastball that topped out at 89 mph.  He has a fluid arm action and movement on his pitches. He showed strong pitchability, as he flashed two solid out-pitches. His 73-75 mph changeup has the potential to a be a plus pitch, as it showed late arm-side fade. The delivery still needs some refinement, however, look for McCarty to open a lot of eyes this spring. 

2.         Michael McCormick, RHP/1B, Speedway HS, 2012:  McCormick showed a quick arm with a deceptively explosive fastball. We recently saw McCormick at 83-87 mph with his fastball. Although he is somewhat raw on the mound, McCormick is definitely a prospect to follow in the coming months. 

3.         Donavan Rhodes, RHP/OF, Ben Davis HS, 2012:  This lean, 6-foot-5 right-hander has a quick arm and a quiet delivery. Rhodes demonstrated a strong mound presence, along with a fastball that consistently sat at 84-86 mph. With his long, athletic frame, Rhodes is a projectable prospect, one who should continue to develop. At the plate, Rhodes showed some bat speed with a balanced swing.

 

3.         Matt Lampe, RHP, Carmel HS, 2012: This 6-foot-6 right-hander demonstrated clean mechanics on the mound. He has a quick arm and a low-to-mid 80s fastball. Lampe’s large stature leads to one to believe there is a lot more in the tank.

 

4.         Cody Gardner, SS/2B, Terre Haute North, 2012 Gardner is 5-foot-11 middle infielder with quick hands, both in the field and at the plate. He shows good range and a solid arm across the diamond (81 mph).  Using a compact swing and an aggressive lower half, he displayed power to both sides of the field. 

 

5.         Trevor Jennings, C/3B, Pendleton Heights, 2012 This 6-foot-1 catcher has a strong athletic build. Behind the plate, he registered a 2.1 pop times.  At the plate, his swing gets down through the zone quick.  His strength gives him power to both sides of the field.

 

Other 2012 Prospects to Watch:

Michael, Maloian, OF, Speedway HS, 2012

Evan Mohr, P/3B, Lapel HS, 2012

Ben Breymier, C/1B, North Central HS, 2012

Adam Neidlinger, P, Guerin Catholic HS, 2012

 

Class of 2013

 

1.  Kyle Bartleman, MIF/RHP, Culver Military, 2013: This 5-foot-11 right-hander shows great promise.  In the field, he has quick hands and feet, and comes through the ball exceptionally well.  He demonstrated a strong arm across the field (82 mph).  Bartleman also impressed at the plate, as he has quick hands and good barrel whip through the zone.

2.  Brock Masterson, P/C, Noblesville HS, 2013: Masterson is a promising young pitcher who showed a low-to-mid-80s fastball with movement.  He also showed feel for a curveball, changeup and slider, all of which he can throw for strikes.

 

Other 2013 Prospects to Watch:

Jack Martin, 1B/P, Carmel HS, 2013

Mitch Roman, SS/2B, Hamilton South Eastern HS, 2013

Austin Shultz, C/3B, Greensburg Community HS, 2013

Chris Ward, SS/3B, Cathedral HS, 2013