By Mike Penn
Michigan Director of Scouting

Today we continue our analysis of the Final Event of the Winter. Here is a look at the outfield group that attended.

Top Outfielders

1. Tommy Lentz, OF/RHP, Brother Rice HS, 2014- Lentz continues to see his stock rise.  In the outfield he improved his arm speed to 88 mph.  Arm shows good life and the ball jumps out of his hand.  Lentz shows good fundamentals and has been well-coached.  Everything is smooth: arm, footwork, and his glove.  Shows clean transfers.  At the plate, he hit well.  Showed an ability to use the whole field.  Should work on incorporating his lower half and freeing himself up.  Displays gap-to-gap power. Extends well.

2. Robert Jones, OF, West Bloomfield HS, 2015- Jones is an impressive athlete. A sophomore, he already stands at 6-foot, 180-pounds.  Jones has aggressive quick-twitch movements in the outfield.  He shows natural and quick instincts.  Played through the ball well with good footwork.  Throws from an over-the-top arm slot.  Arm strength is above average for his age (86 mph).  Good runner with a 4.25 home-to-first time from the left side.  At the plate, he starts with his hands forward and uses them in his load.  Has a rhythmic load with movement.  Exit velocity was 82 mph.  Jones has a good start with his skill set and athleticism.  He is definitely an athlete to watch in the coming years.

3. Preston Pilat, OF/LHP, Brother Rice HS, 2016- Pilat is only a freshman and has a bright future ahead of him. Pilat looks the part as well.  Possesses prototypical projectable frame (6-foot-4, 185-pounds). Good runner with home-to-first time of 4.22, the best at the showcase (which is even more impressive given his age).  Hands in the outfield were soft. Was a bit timid on this day.  Arm action was long.  At the plate, Pilat shows a closed stance.  Bat path is short for having long levers.  Sit-and-spin type of hitter currently.  Would like to see him get better extension. Barreled up plenty of baseballs (81 mph exit velocity).

 

 

4. Xavier Jefferson, OF, Southfield Lathrup HS, 2016- This was Jefferson’s second showcase and he certainly improved.  Jefferson showed better footwork in the outfield and played through the ball well.  He was fluid and aggressive defensively.   His arm strength will continue to improve over time as his arm works well.  Hands were soft. At the plate showed a little bit of an arm bar at load but got the barrel through the zone well.  Balanced.  Shows a line drive approach at the plate.  Overall, Jefferson shows natural ability that will only improve.

 

Best of the Rest

Brandon Carr, OF, St. Vincent Massey Collegiate (CAN), 2013- Carr is a 5-foot-11, 175 pound Canadian athlete.  He showed a 76 MPH arm from the outfield. Carr's arm action was longer and high up over-the-top. Throws were accurate with carry.  His footwork was fluid and is one of his strengths.  His arm strength will continue to improve as he works on carrying his weight throughout fielding the baseball.  At the plate he starts with his hands high and in good balance. He demonstrates a level bat path with line drive capabilities.  Overall, he needs to continue to work on his load and his lower half which should give him more power.

Ryan Kasprzyk, OF, Sterling Heights Stevenson HS, 2014- Kasprzyk joins a talented Sterling Heights Stevenson HS roster. The 6-foot, 155-pound Kasprzyk is lanky and has plenty of room to grow.  He showed good arm strength from the outfield (83 mph).  He shows natural instincts that will only get better as he plays faster.  Arm action was long and over-the-top.  Throws had life and carry.  Footwork was fluid and impressive.  Overall, he has clean transfers and fluid movements.  Would like to see him be more aggressive.  At the plate, he starts tall yet has a narrow stance. Large stride. Smooth load. Hands work well and should add more power as he adds strength.

Spence Sunday, RHP/OF, St. Joseph HS, 2014- Smith is a big-bodied 6-foot-2, 197-pound RHP/OF.  Has a good offensive skill set.  Good approach at the plate with some swagger.  Gets to extension extremely well.  Ball jumps off his bat.  Uphill path with the bat and looks to drive the baseball to the gaps.  Shows good balance and athleticism. In the outfield, he shows accurate throws from a ¾ arm slot.  Hands were soft and played through the ball. 

Gary Tompkins, OF/MIF, Homer HS, 2015- Tompkins showed well.  He is a 5-foot-9 athlete with a good motor.  In the outfield, he has an over-the-top arm slot.  Footwork was solid and showed good ability to break down and field ball well.  Consistent clean transfers.  Arm is quick. At the plate, he showed a consistent line drive stroke.  Has good balance.  Does have tendency to sit-and-spin. 

Jeremy White, OF, Oxford HS, 2014- White is a well-built 5-foot-7, 175-pound athlete.  White already has good strength in his upper half and lower half.  Shows aggressive actions in the outfield.  Seems to have quick instincts.  Good motor. Arm action is long and registers at 78 mph.  At the plate, White shows good balance during setup.  Got the bat head through the zone quickly.  Shows level swing path and good gap-to-gap potential. 

Connor Young, OF/LHP, Milford HS, 2015- Young has some potential.  Standing in at only 5-foot-7 and 135-pounds, he has plenty of room and time to grow. He throws left-handed and hits right-handed. Throws from a high ¾ arm slot. Shows natural instincts with good fundamentals.  Arm strength is sure to improve and currently sits at 75 mph.  At the plate, he starts in an open stance and gets back to even. Hands are forward in his stance with larger-than-normal hand load.  Bat path is level and will produce line drives.

 

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