By Chris Fuller
Kentucky Scouting Director

The Future Prospects Showcase and Educational Camp took place on the campus of Bellarmine University on October 20.  The event included a discussion from the PBR Kentucky and Bellarmine staffs on a variety of topics including how we evaluate players, the importance of academics, the demands of student athletics at the high school level, and the recruiting process.  Players were given the opportunity to familiarize themselves with how a PBR event is run and structured.

While there is still much development that will take place with all of the prospects in attendance, several pitchers established themselves as young prospects to watch over the coming years.  Following is a look at all of the pitchers who showcased their abilities on the mound at the event.

Class of 2017 Prospects

Jonathan Allen, LHP/1B, St. Xavier HS, 2017
5-foot-10, 152-pound freshman, On the mound, uses medium arm action through an over-the-top arm slot, fastball shows a downward-plane at 67-69 mph, curveball shows sharp 1/7 action 59-60 mph, changeup thrown with good arm action and shows some arm side run 65-66 mph, needs bigger velocity difference between fastball and changeup, solid 2017 pitching prospect.  Right-handed hitter hits from a balanced setup with a smooth load, leg kick trigger and short stride, good use of lower half torque creates some barrel whip through the zone, slight uphill path to the ball, ran 7.95 60 yard dash, 71 mph tee exit velocity.  As a 1B, shows athletic actions and good footwork around the bag, arm strength at 66 mph across the infield. 

William Davis, SS/RHP, Ohio County HS, 2017
5-foot, 120-pound freshman, On the mound, uses long arm action through a ¾ arm slot, loose and athletic arm, fastball sat 65-66 mph with some arm-side run, has a tendency to get under and around curveball leaving it up in the zone, curveball sat 54-55 mph, showed a very good changeup thrown for strikes with some run at 57-59 mph.  Right-handed hitter hits from a balanced/tall setup with a short stride, bars arm in load at times but is able to get through the ball with good hand quickness, swing shows some looseness, ran 7.77 60 yard dash, 65 mph exit velocity.  As an infielder, shows athletic actions and good lateral movement, hands work, quick exchange with an accurate arm at 62 mph across the infield.

Michael McIntyre, RHP/IF, Male HS, 2017
5-foot-10, 130-pound freshman, On the mound, uses long arm action through a ¾ arm slot, fastball is straight at 59-61 mph, curveball sat 55-58 mph with some slight 11/5 action, changeup straight at 49-50 mph, can get better use of lower half and better extension in delivery.  Right-handed hitter hits from a balanced setup with a toe tap trigger, flat bat path, cuts off lower half at times with incomplete backside turn, ran 8.84 60 yard dash, 69 mph tee exit velocity.  As an infielder, glove gets down late at times, fields ball deep, quick exchange, accurate arm at 60 mph across the infield. 

Jarron Turner, 1B/LHP, Mason County HS, 2017
5-foot-8, 170-pound freshman, On the mound, uses long arm action through a high ¾ arm slot, needs to incorporate better use of lower half in delivery, fastball sat 57-59 mph and is straight, slows arm on curveball at 44-47 mph, slows arm on changeup at 44-46 mph.  Right-handed hitter hits from a balanced setup with a short stride, long swing path, swing will benefit from better use of his strong lower half, ran 9.09 60 yard dash, 67 mph tee exit velocity.  As a 1B, shows decent footwork and soft hands, accurate arm across the infield at 63 mph.  As an OF, shows a clean and quick exchange with short arm action and 63 mph arm strength. 

class of 2018 prospects

Matthew Ernst, RHP/C, Jefferson County MS, 2018
5-foot-10, 135-pound 8^th grader, On the mound, pitches from the stretch only, long arm action through a high ¾ arm slot, showed the top fastball of the day at 69-71 mph, two-seamer shows some arm-side run, curveball sat 61-62 mph with 11/5 action, throws a very good changeup at 63-65 mph with good run and sink when he stays behind it, solid 2018 pitching prospect.  Right-handed hitter hits from a balanced setup with a short stride, uses very good lower half torque to generate good bat speed through the zone, solid young hitter, ran event best 7.07 60 yard dash, 72 mph tee exit velocity.  Defensively, needs to continue working on footwork and gaining ground on throws, throws with long arm action at 64 mph from the crouch with pop times of 2.30-2.37. 

Donavon Alderson, LHP/1B, Franklin-Simpson MS, 2018
5-foot-10, 160-pound 8^th grader, On the mound, uses long arm action through a ¾ to high ¾ arm slot, opens hips early at times, throws strictly a two-seam fastball that shows some arm-side run at 63-65 mph, throws curveball with good arm speed at 60-62 mph with some late 1/7 action, changeup shows some arm-side run at 60 mph.  Left-handed hitter hits from a balanced setup with no stride, shows good balance in swing and uses his lower half well to generate good bat speed through the zone, consistently barreled up the baseball to all fields in his round and displayed some pop, solid young left-handed hitter, ran 8.95 60 yard dash, 65 mph tee exit velocity.  As a 1B, needs to continue working on hands, feet work okay around the bag, 58 mph arm across the infield. 

Sam Hein, RHP/3B, Owensboro Catholic MS, 2018
5-foot-11, 145-pound 8^th grader, On the mound, uses long arm action through a high ¾ arm slot, fastball is straight at 65-67 mph, tends to slow arm on curveball, much better command when he throws the curveball with fastball arm speed, curveball sat 57-58 mph with some 12/6 action, changeup is straight at 59-60 mph.  Right-handed hitter hits from a balanced setup with smooth load and short stride, generates good bat speed, solid round with line drive production to all fields, will benefit from more consistent lower half torque (occasionally cuts off lower half), ran 7.59 60 yard dash, 72 mph tee exit velocity.  As a 3B, fields ball deep and on heels, clean exchange with slower release, 61 mph arm across the infield, accurate arm.

Chase Thomas, RHP/OF, Noe MS, 2018
5-foot-7, 117-pound 8^th grader, On the mound, uses medium arm action through a high ¾ arm slot, loose arm,  fastball shows some sight arm-side run at 65-67 mph, has good command of 12/6 curveball at 53-55 mph, needs to continue working on changeup which sat 51-53 mph.  Switch-hitting prospect, starts in a balanced setup from the right side with a long stride, uses lower half well to generate good bat speed from the right side, long stride creates balance issues at times.  From the left side, starts with a slightly closed setup, swing is longer and not as much bat speed, with continued work shows potential to be a switch hitter at the high school level, ran 8.37 60 yard dash, 65 mph tee exit velocity.  In the outfield, arm is loose/athletic and throws have some carry at 67 mph, needs to continue working on playing through the ball and not drifting on fly balls. 

Austin Rayno, 2B/RHP, Adairville MS, 2018
5-foot-4, 120-pound 8^th grader, On the mound, uses long arm action through a high ¾ arm slot, fastball sat 61-63 mph, two-seamer shows some arm-side run, threw one of the better curveballs of the day at 57-58 mph with 11/5 action, very good changeup at 53-54 mph with good run and sink, good command of all three pitches.  Right-handed hitter hits from a balanced setup, uses a toe tap trigger, good use of lower half, good balance throughout swing, should continue to develop into solid hitter, ran 8.94 60 yard dash, 65 mph tee exit velocity.  As an infielder, shows average hands, decent lateral movement, accurate arm at 59 mph across the infield. 

Jake Hansen, 3B/RHP, Daviess Co MS, 2018
5-foot-7, 115-pound 8^th grader, On the mound, uses medium arm action through a high ¾ arm slot, good rhythm in delivery, fastball is straight at 62-64 mph, good command of curveball at 53-54 mph with 12/6 action, stays behind changeup well to get some run and sink at 57-59 mph, good command of all three pitches.  Right-handed hitter hits from a balanced setup with a toe tap trigger, gets some lower half involved in swing, line-drive type hitter, ran 8.94 60 yard dash, 64 mph tee exit velocity.  As a 3B, hands work, shows decent lateral movement, clean exchange with fairly quick release, arm strength at 60 mph across the infield. 

Connor Harrison, 3B/OF/RHP, Barrett Traditional MS, 2018
5-foot-5, 120-pound 8^th grader, On the mound, uses short arm action through a ¾ arm slot, rushes some in delivery, good command of fastball at 60-62 mph, has a tendency to get underneath curveball at 52-54 mph, changeup shows some cutting action at 50-51 mph.  Right-handed hitter hits from a balanced setup with a leg kick trigger, hands start high and drop, generates some bat speed through the zone, good rhythm when foot gets down on time, ran 8.13 60 yard dash, 62 mph tee exit velocity.  As a 3B, shows good lateral movement and a quick first step, glove gets down late at times, accurate arm across the infield at 61 mph.  As an outfielder, moves well, can play through the ball a little more consistently, shows some athletic actions, throws tend to tail from ¾ arm slot, 64 mph arm strength. 

class of 2019 prospects

Koby Wall, 2B/OF/RHP, Logan Co MS, 2019
5-foot, 100-pound 7^th grader, On the mound, uses shorter arm action through a high ¾ arm slot, good command of all pitches, fastball sat 57-58 mph, curveball shows gradual 12/6 action at 50-52 mph, changeup thrown with good arm action at 50-51 mph, good rhythm in delivery with solid mechanics.  Left-handed hitter hits from a wide and balanced setup, no load, short stride, gets some lower half involved in swing, line drive type hitter, ran 9.26 60 yard dash.  As an infielder, young prospect shows good movement, needs to continue working on hands, 56 mph arm strength across the infield.  As an outfielder, showed 58 mph arm strength, needs to work on playing through the ball, will continue to develop game with physical maturity. 

Collier Higgs, SS/RHP, Burns Middle School, 2019
5-foot-3, 125-pound prospect currently in the 7^th grade.  On the mound, uses long arm action through a high ¾ arm slot, fastball is straight at 55-57 mph, throws changeup with good arm action at 47 mph, needs to continue working on throwing the changeup for strikes. Lleft-handed hitter hits from an open stance, shows some hand quickness, will benefit from front foot getting down consistently on time and better extension in swing, potential to be a solid left-handed hitter, ran 9.64 60 yard dash, registered 60 mph tee exit velocity.  Defensively, hands work, has a long exchange, arm is accurate across the infield at 56 mph, arm strength and foot speed should continue to improve with physical maturity.

class of 2021 prospect

Nicholas Thompson, SS/RHP, Crestwood, 2021
5-foot-4, 100-pound prospect, On the mound, uses long arm action through a high ¾ arm slot, good extension, fastball sat 57-58 mph, changeup 50-51 mph and can be a good pitch for him with continued development.  Right-handed hitter hits from a balanced setup with a short stride, uses very good lower half torque to generate good bat speed for his age, shows good extension in his swing with good pop, with continued development will be a hitter to watch in the coming years, ran 9.81 60 yard dash, 62 mph tee exit velocity.  As an infielder, fields ball deep and on heels, needs to continue working on plating through the ball, hands work, shows good arm strength for age at 56 mph across the infield.