By Chris Fuller
Kentucky Scouting Director

The Louisville Prospect ID Showcase, held on January 21 at Mockingbird Sports/Louisville Baseball Center, saw some good corner infield prospects.  Today we take a look at the top corner infielders from the event, as well as all of the corner infielders in attendance. 

Top Corner Infield Performances

Tyler Neeley, 1B, Class of 2015, Trinity HS
6-foot-2, 220-pound, strong-bodied prospect, good footwork around the bag, accurate arm at 78 mph across the infield.  At the plate, uses wide base, toe tap trigger, no stride, slight arm bar in load, very good lower half torque in swing creates barrel whip through the zone, raw strength in swing, registered 88 mph tee exit velocity, ran 5.19 40 yard dash, very good 2015 hitting prospect with power potential.

Connor O’Neil, 3B, Class of 2015, Lexington Catholic HS
5-foot-11, 175-pound prospect, athletic build, feet work, good lateral movement, plays through the ball, soft hands, accurate arm at 73 mph.  At the plate, hits from a tall/balanced setup, good balance, uses lower half well to generate bat speed, shows the ability to consistently square the baseball and hit line drives to all fields, good young hitting prospect, ran 5.04 40 yard dash, registered tee exit velocity of 86 mph.  O’Neil has the potential to be a high-level prospect in the class of 2015.

Heath Brownley, 1B, Class of 2014, Male HS
6-foot-3, 245-pound, left-handed hitting prospect, soft hands, decent footwork, moves well for size, 73 mph arm across the field, offensively, hits from open stance, squares front side, smooth load, repeatable swing, lower half works to create good bat speed, power potential from the left side, registered event best 90 mph tee exit velocity.

Justin Warren, 3B/OF, Class of 2014, Ballard HS
5-foot-10, 180-pound prospect with a strong frame, good infield actions, feet work, plays through the ball, 76 mph arm strength across the field, also plays outfield, plays through the ball, 77 mph arm strength.  Offensively, hits from balanced setup, smooth load, slight leg kick trigger, shows good balance in swing, good rhythm, shoulder level hand trigger, short path to the ball, lower half gets involved in swing, registered 83 mph tee exit velocity, ran 5.33 40 yard dash.

Hayden Ford, 1B, Class of 2014, Saint Xavier HS
6-foot-3, 200-pound prospect with strong and athletic frame, good defensive actions, moves well, feet work, shows athleticism, soft hands.  Offensively, starts with wide base, brings front foot back in load, slight arm bar, shows good balance, lower half gets involved in swing, slight uphill path, high one-hand finish, registered 88 mph tee exit velocity, ran 5.09 40 yard dash. 

Jonathan Thrasher, 1B/3B, Class of 2014, Butler HS
6-foot-2, 225-pound prospect, moves well in infield for big guy, plays through the ball, soft hands, 73 mph arm strength across infield.  Offensively, hits from open stance, squares front side, smooth load, strong lower half creates moderate bat speed and some barrel whip through the zone, raw strength in swing,  has some power potential, registered 86 mph tee exit velocity.

Best of the Rest (Alphabetical Order)

Taylor Combs, 1B, Class of 2014, Corbin Independent HS
6-foot-1, 190-pound prospect with strong build, good actions, feet work around the bag, 71 mph arm strength across the infield.  At the plate, hits from open stance, short stride, low hand set, raw strength in swing, registered 85 mph tee exit velocity.

Jonathan Ferrell, 1B, Class of 2015, George Rodgers Clark HS
6-foot-3, 200-pound prospect , strong build, shows some lateral movement, 70 mph throws across the infield.  At the plate, hits from balanced setup, smooth load, short stride, uphill path to the ball, can get more lower half torque in swing, registered 84 mph tee exit velocity.

Ryan Hinkley, 3B, Class of 2014, Glasgow HS
6-foot, 190-pound prospect, needs improvement on hands and arm strength, throws registered 69 mph across the field.  At the plate, hits from a wide base, no load, no stride, flat swing path to the ball, gets some lower half involvement in swing, registered 82 mph exit velocity, ran 5.39 40 yard dash.

Brandon Johnson, 1B, Class of 2014, North Bullitt HS
6-foot-3, 208-pound prospect, fields ball deep and on heels, slow exchange, 67 mph arm across the field.  At the plate, uses open stance, squares front side, short stride, balance issues at times, lacks complete use of lower half torque, some raw strength in swing, registered 81 mph tee exit velocity.

Jacob Kelly, 1B, Class of 2015, North Bullitt HS
6-foot-3, 185-pound, left-handed hitting prospect, long frame, soft hands, shows some lateral movement, 74 mph arm strength across the infield.  Offensively, hits from wide base, arm bar in load, short stride, gets some lower half involved, shows good balance, level path to the ball with occasional uphill path, registered 81 mph tee exit velocity.

Casey Klein, 1B, Class of 2014, Kentucky Country Day HS
5-foot-11, 180-pound, left-handed hitting first baseman, shows good footwork, soft hands, throws registered 71 mph across the field, at the plate hits from balanced setup, slight leg kick trigger, short stride, needs more lower half torque in swing, foot gets down late at times, ball gets deep, opposite field approach, registered 79 mph tee exit velocity.

Tyler Roberts, 3B/1B, Class of 2016, Henderson County HS
6-foot-1, 200-pound, young, left-handed hitting prospect, needs to improve hands, footwork, and arm strength in infield (68 mph).  Offensively, hits from wide setup, smooth load, no stride, inconsistent use of lower half, good balance, good extension after contact, raw strength in swing, shows ability to barrel the ball up, power potential, registered 84 mph tee exit velocity, has the potential to be a left-handed power bat with continued improvement and refinement of skills.

Shane Williams, 3B, Class of 2015, Male HS
5-foot-11, 160-pound prospect, needs continued work on footwork, hands, and arm strength, throws registered 66 mph across the infield.  At the plate, hits from balanced setup, slight load, needs more lower half torque in swing, registered 79 tee exit velocity, ran 5.25 40 yard dash.