GCS Ballpark Invitational Top 10 Prospects and Highlights
July 28, 2011
The GCS Ballpark Invitational on Wednesday featured a slew of top-notch players from both Missouri and Illinois. As it was already mentioned, Lafayette?s William Dupont (right) garnered top-prospect honors at the event, although there was plenty of other impressive Class of 2012 and 2013 players. Here is a breakdown of the event?s top-10 overall performers:
1. William Dupont, SS/3B. Lafayette, Class of 2012
The top prospect from Wednesday?s event was William Dupont, a 6-foot-1, 175-pound Class of 2012 SS/3B from Lafayette HS. Ranked as the No. 15 Class of 2012 player headed into the event, Dupont ran an event-best (and Prep Baseball Report-best) 6.57 60. In the field, the Mississippi State recruit showed effortless range, smooth hands, and a strong (80 mph), accurate arm with a quick release. At the plate, the left-handed hitting Dupont showcased a compact, line drive swing with considerable bat speed and gap-to-gap power.
2. Zack Jones, RHP/OF, Mt. Vernon HS (IL), Class of 2012
The athletic 5-foot-11, 160 pound two way player Jones shined in all facets of the game. On the mound, the right handed thrower showed repeatable mechanics with free and easy arm action. Jones threw a heavy 81-83 mph fastball. His 72-73 mph change up showed near fastball arm action and late sink. Jones also threw a 12-to-6 breaking ball. In the outfield, Jones showed athletic movements to be ball and good body control, with consistently accurate throws and showed some arm strength (83-86 mph). At the plate, the left handed hitting Jones has a short compact swing with good use of his lower half and showed some opposite field power. He also ran a 7.12 60.
3. Joshua Wade, OF, Francis Howell Central, Class of 2012
The 6-foot, 160-pound Wade?s speed (7.08 60) translated well in the outfield, as he covered ground and used his athleticism to get around the ball. Consistently playing through the ball, Wade also displayed one of the event?s better outfield arms (81-84 mph) with excellent carry. As a hitter, the switch-hitter impressed from both sides of the plate: from the right-side he showed a loose and fluid swing that yielded line drives to all fields; from the left-side, Wade showed more power due to a strong top hand.
4. John Salvi, C, Carmel Catholic HS (IL), Class of 2012
Salvi is an athletic 5-foot-9, 170-pound catcher. He showed a solid frame with soft hands and good body control. He demonstrated above average receiving and blocking skills. He fired pop times of 1.94-2.01 and was quick glove to hand, with good footwork. Offensively, Salvi show surprising power with a strong top hand; delivering consistent, hard line drives.
5. Rudy May, C/OF, Rockwood Summit, Class of 2013
As a catcher, the athletic May flashed a 2.14 pop time thanks to quick feet and an accurate arm (74-75 mph), and received the ball with soft hands. In the outfield, the 6-foot, 188-pound May showed good instincts as he demonstrated good body control and took advanced routes to balls in the gap and down the line. Additionally, he showcased a consistently strong arm (81-83 mph) that can get stronger with increased use of his lower half. As a hitter, May has an aggressive approach and uses a controlled, inside-out swing to spray line drives across the whole field.
6. Robert Plohr, RHP, CBC, Class of 2013
The 6-foot-4, 210-pound Plohr has a projectable frame and has the potential to be a high level recruit in the Class of 2013. Using a high ¾ arm angle, Plohr throws a heavy fastball that jumps out of his hand and is a deceptive 80-82 mph. His 12-to-6 breaking ball (66-68) has late, sharp movement and showed good ability to spot his change up (71-73. Plohr has fastball arm speed on all of his off speed pitches. As he continues to develop physically, he should see an increase in velocity on all his pitches.
7. Aaron Kuper, C, Highland (IL), Class of 2012
At 6-foot-2, 205-pounds, Kuper showed impressive athleticism and agility behind the plate considering his size. A strong blocker, Kuper also used his quick feet and strong arm (78-81 mph) to record pop times of 2.04 and 2.06. The right-handed hitter flashed pull-power potential at the plate, however he will need to improve his bat path and incorporate more of his lower half to develop power to all fields.
8. Adam Renfro, OF, JFK HS, Class of 2012
Renfro showed to be one of the best outfielders at the event, with one of the top arms. His throws (80-84 mph) were consistently accurate to all bases with good life. He also showed good instincts and athleticism in the outfield, taking good routes to the ball and attacking each ball aggressively. At the plate, the 5-foot-9, 170-pound Renfro showed good extension through contact and used all fields, making consistent contact.
9. Jacob Haberer, INF/RHP, Highland (IL), Class of 2013
The 5-foot-11, 165-pound right-hander showed a good fastball (78-81 mph) with arm-side run, as well as a curveball and changeup that will continue to develop. A fast runner (7.12 60), Haberer showcased good, athletic actions at shortstop, as well as soft hands and accurate throws (71-74 mph) across the infield. In the batter?s box, Haberer combines a tall setup and strong top hand to generate consistent, hard contact with power potential.
10. Cody Massey, MIF, Triad (IL), Class of 2013
The lanky 6-foot, 155-pound Massey showed smooth fielding mechanics and accurate throws (73-76 mph). At shortstop, Massey showed confident and athletic movements to the ball, with quick, sure hands and above average range. Offensively, the left-handed hitting Massey has loose hands and attacks the ball with a level and controlled line drive producing swing. As his body matures, Massey has the potential to be an impact hitter; hitting for both average and power. He also ran a 7.38 60.
Continue to check back as we highlight all of the event's prospects...