Prep Baseball Report

Preseason All-State Showcase: Class of 2017 Pitchers



By Chris Fuller
Kentucky Scouting Director

The Preseason All-State Showcase saw 9 pitchers from the 2017 class take the mound to throw bullpen sessions. Jordon Adell and Kameron Conley established themselves as two of the top arms in the 2017 class with advanced velocity for their age.  Several others in the group have good upside and will definitely be prospects to keep an eye on.  Below is a look at the Class of 2017 pitchers from the event.

top performers

Jordon Adell, RHP/OF, Ballard HS, 2017
6-foot-1, 185-pound prospect with athletic build, uses long arm action through a high ¾ arm slot, young prospect is very projectable, fastball sat 85-87 mph, throws a hard 71-74 mph curveball with sharp 11/5 action, 75-76 mph changeup shows some fade, tends to slow arm on changeup, young prospect with huge upside will undoubtedly be a highly coveted prospect in the 2017 class.

Kameron Conley, RHP, Hazard HS, 2017
5-foot-10, 185-pound prospect with strong frame, uses shorter arm action through a high ¾ arm slot, fastball sat 84-85 mph touching 86 with late arm-side run and sink, showed good command of 70-73 mph curveball with tight spin and sharp 11/5 action, showed inconsistent command of 76-78 mph changeup with some sink and fade, arm tends to drag on the changeup leaving it up and in but will be a solid pitch with continued development, young prospect is undoubtedly a high-level pitching prospect from the 2017 class.

Brody Heil, LHP/1B, Trinity HS, 2017
5-foot-9, 160-pound prospect with athletic build, uses long arm action through a high ¾ arm slot, arm is loose and quick, repeatable delivery, fastball showed hard/late arm-side run at 77-78 mph, showed good command of 63-66 mph curveball with tight spin and late 2/8 action, also showed good command of a 69 mph slider with late bite, throws 67-70 mph changeup with near fastball arm speed that shows good fade, tends to lower arm slot on the changeup, showed advanced command of 4 pitches, young prospect with very good upside and potential to be high-level pitching prospect.

Ethan Osborne, RHP, Sheldon Clark HS, 2017
6-foot-2, 155-pound prospect with lanky build and good projectability, uses medium arm action through a high ¾ arm slot, arm shows some quickness, minimal effort in delivery, works downhill well with fastball, fastball sat 77-78 mph (have seen up to 80)with some late sink, shwed good command of 64-66 mph curveball that showed sharper 11/5 action from previous event, 70-73 mph changeup, changeup showed definite improvement from previous event as he stayed behind it better allowing for sink and fade, also throws a 64-67mph knuckle ball, young prospect has very good upside, definite 2017 prospect to follow.

best of the rest

Reece Ison, 3B/RHP, Prestonsburg HS, 2017
5-foot-11, 165-pound prospect with athletic build, uses long arm action through a high ¾ slot, good rhythm in delivery, loose arm action, fastball sat 73-75 mph and showed occasional cutting action, showed good command of 62-63 mph curveball with gradual 11/5 action, throws a solid changeup at 68-69 mph with some sink and fade, projects for more velocity with continued development, good upside on the mound.

Jaren Lovely, OF/LHP, Magoffin County HS, 2017
5-foot-10, 140-pound prospect with lanky build and room to continue to add to frame, uses long arm action through a ¾ to high ¾ arm slot, arm shows looseness, fastball sat 73-76 mph with some arm-side run, showed good command of 62-63 mph curveball with 1/7 action that will continue to get harder with physical development, 65-67 mph shows some fade, Lovely should continue to add velocity as he fills out his frame and physically develops.

Luke Price, RHP/1B, Christian Academy of Louisville, 2017
6-foot-1, 175-pound prospect, uses long arm action through a high ¾ arm slot, arm is loose and projects for more velocity as he continues to develop, good rhythm in delivery, fastball showed some slight arm-side run at 72-73 mph, curveball showed sweeping 10/4 action that he commanded well, changeup varied between 65-69 mph and is mostly straight, young prospect has good upside with continued development.

Kaden Rose, C/RHP, West Carter HS, 2017
5-foot-9, 191-pound prospect, uses short arm action through a high ¾ arm slot, compact delivery, arm shows some quickness, fastball is mainly straight at 75-76 mph, showed good command of 64-65 mph curveball with gradual 11/5 action, stays behind changeup well to generate some sink and fade at 65-69 mph, good arm action on changeup, throws strikes consistently.

Tanner Thompson, RHP/OF, Pikeville HS, 2017
6-foot, 170-pound prospect with lean and athletic frame, uses long arm action through an over the top arm slot, fastball is straight at 75-77 mph, struggled to command 63-65 mph curveball with 11/5 action, changeup is his best present secondary pitch at 67-68 mph with good fade thrown with near fastball arm speed, has some upside and above average velocity for age. 2017 prospect to keep an eye on.