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Kansas City Preseason Prospect Showcase: Best of the Class of 2013 and 2014 Participants

February 21, 2013

By Ethan Silverman
Missouri Scouting Director

Yesterday we brought to you the Top 10 overall performers from the Kansas City Preseason Prospect Showcase. In addition to the Top 10, there were other standout performances from players in attendance.
Today we bring to you the best of the rest from the Class of 2013 and 2014.

Class of 2013 and 2014 (in alphabetical order)
Dylan Bradshaw, MIF/OF, Lebanon HS, Class of 2014:
Bradshaw has an extremely athletic 6-foot-1, 180-pound frame, and posted the second fastest home to first time, a 4.08. At the plate, the left handed hitting Bradshaw has good rhythm and uses his strong lower half to generate fast bat speed. His bat takes a level path to the ball with extension through contact and an uphill finish, consistently barreling up the ball and driving it hard. In the infield, Bradshaw shows fluid footwork to the baseball and a clean exchange. His throws across the diamond were all accurate, with a top throw of 77-mph.

Gabe Franklin, SS/RHP, Carthage HS, Class of 2014:
Franklin is a solidly built 5-foot-11, 170-pound SS/RHP who showed well in all facets of his game. In the infield, Franklin has a good approach to the baseball with quick, fluid footwork. He shows soft hands with a clean transfer as well as short and quick arm action, recording a top throw of 79-mph. At the plate, Franklin has a balanced and quite approach, showing quick hand speed with line drives to all fields. He produces barrel whip through the zone and has some power for a player of his size. On the mound, Franklin comes from a ¾ arm slot with quick arm speed and short arm action. His fastball was thrown in the 79-81 mph range with slight arm side run. He showed near fastball arm speed with a 10-to-4 breaking ball (63-66 mph) that stayed down in the zone. His changeup appears to be his best pitch, with fastball arm action thrown 69-72 mph with late arm side run and some sink. Franklin also ran a 4.38 home to first. 

Jonathan Klavert, OF, Blue Valley NW (KS), Class of 2013:
Klavert recently moved to the US from Dubai, and the 5-foot-9, 165-pound player looks to have some raw ability that with some fine tuning could elevate his game quite a bit. In the outfield, Klavert moves well laterally to the ball, taking good angles and showing a quick clean exchange. His throws were all close to his target, with a top throw of 74-mph. With a bit more use of his legs, that velocity should increase. Offensively, Klavert has a balanced, athletic stance and takes a short, quick path to the ball. He shows the ability to consistently put the ball in play, and when his swing stays level, drives the ball hard. 

Rocky Long, SS, Lebanon HS, Class of 2014:
Long has a solid build at 5-foot-10, 180-pounds. In the infield, Long showed quick footwork with a quick glove to hand exchange and showed to be a sure handed fielder with short, quick arm action on his throws to first base.  At the plate, Long has a crouched stance and takes a short, uphill path to the ball. He has a lot of movement in his swing, and if he minimizes that movement, he could find some more consistency at the plate. 

Justin Madsen, RHP, Truman HS, Class of 2013
On the mound, the 6-foot, 200-pound Madsen has smooth rhythm and short, loose arm action while showing feel for three pitches. His fastball was thrown in the 77-78 mph range, showing some arm side movement. He also showed a 67-69 mph breaking ball with late 11-to-5 break, thrown with near fastball arm speed. Madsen’s change up was thrown 69-71 down in the zone with arm side movement. 

Taylor Mooneyham, C, Ash Grove HS, Class of 2014:
Mooneyham looked to be one of the more impressive athletes of the event. He recorded at top pop tine of 1.97, with a quick footwork and clean exchange from the crouch. All throws were on the bag. The athletic 5-foot-11, 165-pound Mooneyham also showed some pure strength at the plate. He has a balanced stance with a smooth load showing quick bat speed and a short level swing that produced line drives. At times he showed looseness in his swing, and those were his best swings. Mooneyham is still very raw, and has potential to be an impact player as he continues to progress in all facets of his game. 

Taylor Nychek, C, Selkirk Comprehensive (Canada), Class of 2014:
Nychek is a 5-foot-9 170-pound catcher with a strong lower half and good catchers frame. He recorded a top pop time of 2.20, showing fundamental footwork and a clean exchange. There was some wasted movement in his throws, and if he can minimize those movements, he should see his pop time go down and velocity increase. During bullpen sessions, Nychek showed good instincts and body control while blocking. At the plate, Nychek has a short, compact swing with the ability to barrel up the ball and use all fields. 

Luke Viestenz, MIF, Blue Valley West (KS), Class of 2014:
Viestenz showed advanced fielding ability at shortstop with fundamental footwork, quick, soft hands, a clean exchange, and fast arm speed. He showed range to both his glove hand and backhand sides, and showed a very accurate arm (76-mph). Viestenz is a confident and sure handed fielder. Offensively, Viestenz has a short, compact swing with quick hands that produced fast bat speed. He showed the ability to consistently keep a level bat path and hit live drives, with the ball jumping off of his bat. Viestenz also ran a 4.32 home to first. 

Matt Zembraski, C, Warrensburg HS, Class of 2014:
Zembraski is a 5-foot-11, 170-pound switch hitting catcher. From the crouch, Zembraski showed quick footwork and a quick, clean exchange with accurate throws to second base. His top pop time was 2.06. During bullpen sessions, Zembraski has a solid base with soft hands receiving and ability to stick balls in all parts of the zone. He also showed natural instincts blocking. At the plate from the right side, Zembraski showed a controlled level swing with extension through contact and hitting the ball to all fields. From the left side, he showed quick hands and fast bat speed driving the ball to the right side with some glimpses of power. He looked to be a more consistent hitter from the left side.


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