Prep Baseball Report

Unsigned Senior Showcase: Outfield Analysis



By Chris Fuller
Kentucky Scouting Director

On Sunday, December 14 a total of 37 unsigned seniors convened at Legends Sports Academy for the PBR Kentucky Winter Unsigned Senior Showcase.  The group produced some very impressive performances.

The following is a look at the group of outfielders that participated at the event. This is position player analysis only.  Those outfielders that also pitched at the event will have their pitching evaluations featured in a separate article.

Neil DeNicola, OF, R/R, Atherton HS, 2015
6-foot-2, 205-pound prospect, strong and athletic frame, right-handed hitter hits from a balanced stance, level to slight uphill swing path, good involvement from strong lower half, showed bat speed with 90 mph tee exit velocity, drives the ball to the gaps with some power, flashed some speed in posting a 4.45 home to first base time.  Defensively, works through the ball with a two-handed approach, clean exchange, long high-3/4 release, reached top velocity of 82 mph.

Ricky West, RHP/OF, R/R, Jeffersontown HS, 2015
5-foot-10, 202-pound prospect with strong frame, right-handed hitter hits from a slightly open stance, short stride squares front side, maintains good balance, use of strong lower half generates bat speed through the zone, shows line drive ability with some pull-side power, recorded his best exit velocity to date at 91 mph, posted 4.67 home to first base time.  Defensively, plays through the ball well with athletic actions and clean exchange, arm is loose and reached a top velocity of 82 mph.

Austin Freyberger, OF, R/R, Elizabettown HS, 2015
6-foot-1, 160-pound prospect, lanky frame with projection, right-handed hitter hits from an open stance, squares front side with a short stride, slight bat wrap but gets barrel through the zone with some hand quickness, shows good balance throughout swing, line drive type hitter with gap to gap approach, registered 77 mph exit velocity off the tee, posted 4.67 home to first base time.  Defensively, plays through the ball with athletic actions, arm is loose, long high-3/4 release with top velocity of 81 mph.

Artie Santomo, OF/3B, R/R, Boone County HS, 2015
5-foot-10, 190-pound prospect, hits from an open stance and squares front side with a short stride, maintains very good balance throughout swing, shorter swing path with extension through contact, line drive type hitter with gap to gap approach, consistently barreled the baseball in batting practice, 79 mph exit velocity, posted 4.69 home to first time.  Defensively, participated as both an outfielder and third baseman.  As an infielder, hands work, gets rid of the ball with short, high-3/4 release, accurate throws across the infield with top velocity of 74 mph.  As an outfielder, shows occasional two-handed approach to balls on the ground, uses slightly longer arm action than in the infield, high-3/4 release, 73 mph arm strength.

Lance Baker, RHP/OF, R/R, North Hardin HS, 2015
5-foot-8, 155-pound prospect, right-handed hitter hits from a spread stance and uses a short stride, long/level swing path, average bat speed, showed middle of the field approach in batting practice, registered 71 mph exit velocity off the tee, posted 4.66 home to first base time.  Defensively, attacks and plays through the ball well, clean exchange, showed some arm strength at 83 mph with long, high-3/4 release.

Mark Walters, LHP/OF, S/L, Walton Verona HS, 2015
5-foot-7, 138-pound prospect, switch-hitter hits from a balanced setup with a short stride from both sides, shows better bat speed from the left side, tends to wrap bat in load from both sides, flat bat path, line drive type hitter, registered 85 mph exit velocity from the left side and 76 mph from the right side, posted 4.87 home to first base time from the right side.  Defensively, works through the baseball, clean exchange, over the top release with 68 mph arm strength.

Brett Cohoon, OF/RHP, R/R, Christian Academy of Louisville, 2015
5-foot-9, 165-pound prospect, right-handed hitter hits from an open stance, aggressive stride, tends to bar arm in load creating some length to swing, level swing, line drive type hitter, 83 mph exit velocity off the tee, posted 4.91 home to first base time.  Defensively, approaches the ball with a hesitant two-handed approach, long exchange, high-3/4 release, top velocity reached 74 mph from the outfield.