Prep Baseball Report

Unsigned Senior Showcase: Outfield Analysis



By Chris Fuller
Kentucky Scouting Director

On Sunday, December 15, PBR Kentucky hosted the Winter Unsigned Senior Showcase at Legends Sports Academy in Louisville.  The event afforded unsigned prospects in the 2014 class the opportunity to showcase their abilities in front of the PBR Kentucky staff and college coaches from six states. 

It was a big day for players in attendance as several received multiple phone calls before they even returned home to set up visits to schools, and multiple players have received offers since the conclusion of the event.

This article takes a look at the corner outfielders that participated in the event.

Griffin Neuer, OF/RHP, Lexington Catholic HS, 2014
6-foot-1, 178-pound, left-handed hitting prospect with athletic build, projectable frame, athletic outfield actions, continues to show gains, event best 88 mph arm strength.  At the plate, hits from a balanced setup, no stride, good use of lower half, consistently squared the ball up in his round showing the ability to make hard contact to all fields, projectable gap-to-gap power, flashed his bat speed with 90 mph tee exit velocity, ran an event best and improved 4.06 home to first base time (-.15 from previous event), did not pitch at this event due to just starting off-season throwing program, one of the top prospects left on the board in the 2014 class.

Nolan May, RHP/OF, Trinity HS, 2014
5-foot-11, 165-pound prospect, athletic frame with room to fill, as an outfielder shows a two-handed approach to the ball on the ground, solid arm strength at 84 mph from an over the top slot.  At the plate, hits from a balanced setup with a short stride, short path to the ball and gets to extension, shows good bat speed with 86 mph tee exit velocity, ran improved home to first time at 4.62 (-.16 from previous event), also pitches (featured in pitcher write-ups).

Connor Ballard, OF, Bethlehem HS, 2014
6-foot-2, 187-pound prospect with athletic build, displays good athleticism, plays through the ball very well, long exchange with 83 mph arm strength from a high ¾ slot.  At the plate, hits from a balanced setup with a short stride, swing gets long at times, showed an opposite field approach, registered 4.59 home to first base time, 79 mph tee exit velocity.

Chandler Dale, RHP/OF, Jeffersonville HS (IN), 2014
6-foot-3, 185-pound prospect with a projectable frame, as an outfielder plays through the ball with a loose and athletic arm at 84 mph from the outfield, also participated in infield, shows average hands and feet, 78 mph arm across the infield.  At the plate, hits from a slightly open setup with a short stride, displays good balance, shows a mid-field approach, good round consistently squaring up the baseball, line-drive type hitter, registered 77 mph tee exit velocity, ran 4.82 home to first base time, also pitches (featured in pitcher write-ups).

Jesse James, OF/IF, East Carter HS, 2014
6-foot-, 150-pound prospect with lanky build, shows athletic actions in the outfield, loose and athletic arm at 79 mph from the outfield with a clean exchange, also participated as an infielder with good lateral movement, hands need improvement, 79 mph arm across the infield, projects better as an outfielder.  At the plate, hits from a balanced setup with a short stride, uses some lower half in swing, showed an opposite field approach, registered an improved 84 mph tee exit velocity (+3 from previous event), ran 4.70 home to first base time.

Royal Woernley, OF/C/RHP, Muhlenberg County HS, 2014
6-foot, 178-pound, multi-postional player, as an outfielder shows a two-handed approach to the ball on the ground, clean transfer, 82 mph arm strength from a ¾ arm slot, sets up well behind the plate, receiving skills need some refinement, receives ball deep at times, 73 mph arm strength from the crouch with pop times ranging from 2.18-2.23, room to improve pop times with quicker transfer and release.  At the plate, hits from an open stance with a short stride, gets some lower half involved, long swing path, average bat speed, registered a 5.03 home to first base time, 81 mph tee exit velocity.