By Chris Valentine
PBR Ohio Scouting Director

Keep an Eye on …

Ben Wake, OF, Tuslaw HS, 2014

6-foot-5, 170-pound outfielder with tall, athletic frame. Good raw tools with room for development. From the outfield, he showed short arm action through a high ¾ arm slot with some quickness. Top velocity of 88 mph with accuracy and carry. Uses minimal crow hop. Plays through the ball well. At the plate, the right-handed hitter starts in a wide base. Shows some length to his stride. Simple, compact load with his quick hands. Line drive production with some pop in his bat. Ran an impressive 4.29 down the line.

Too late - They're off the Board …

Daniel Kirchner, OF/IF, Olentangy Liberty HS, 2014

Committed to Ashland shortly after the event. 5-foot-10, 170-pound athletic prospect with strong frame. Shows ability to play infield and outfield at the next level, but most natural in the outfield. In the infield, he takes good routes to the ball. Lower half is a bit stiff. Throws with short arm action through high ¾ arm slot. Needs to quicken exchange at both positions. In the outfield, he shows similar arm action with good carry and accuracy to his throws. Top velocity of 85 mph. At the plate, the right-handed hitter shows a toe tap in his stride. Minimal upper half load. Hands work on upward path. Needs to continue improving balance throughout his swing and stay over backside. Shows some pop in his swing.

JT Perez, LHP/1B, Orrville HS, 2014

Committed to Cincinnati shortly after the event. 6-foot-4, 200-pound two-way prospect with plenty of projectability. On the mound, he has a live arm. Uses big leg kick. Fastball sat 80-84 mph with good natural run. Uses long arm action through ¾ arm slot. Will only get better with improved direction. Breaking ball shows ability to be effective out pitch. Sharp 2/8 action at 68-70 mph. The left-handed hitter takes aggressive hacks at the plate. Shows power in his swing. Drove the ball deep to right field and left field in game play. Top exit velocity of 89 mph off the tee. Swing will need to shorten up a bit for next level, but plenty to work with. In the field, he comes off the bag well. Quick release with top velocity of 85 mph across the infield.

Complete Team 1 Analysis

Andre Denson, OF, Princeton HS, 2014

6-foot-1, 161-pound outfield prospect with thin, athletic frame. Athletic actions and plays through the ball. Long arm action through a ¾ arm slot. Tends to throw uphill. Top velocity of 77 mph. At the plate, the right-handed hitter uses a simple upper half load. Tends to bar the front arm a bit, which creates some length to his swing. Hands work on level plane. Small stride and incorporates lower half. Registered a top exit velocity of 78 mph off the tee. 4.64 time down the line.

Austin Horwarth, 2B/RHP, Mason HS, 2014

5-foot-9, 150-pound prospect with average, athletic frame. Throws from low ¾ to ¾ arm slot with short arm action. Top velocity of 74 mph. Glove works. Average footwork. At the plate, the right-handed hitter tends to drop his hands in his load. Takes uphill path through the zone. Creates some loft. Backside collapses a bit. Will be aided by more incorporation of his lower half. Ran a 4.65 down the line. On the mound, the righty throws from a high ¾ arm slot. Shows slight inward turn. Slow tempo to his delivery. Fastball sat 78-79 mph. Uses a 66-69 mph breaking ball with tight spin. Also threw a 73 mph slider. 

Darren Sackett, C, Loveland HS, 2014

5-foot-9, 180-pound catcher with solid frame. Good catch and receive skills behind the plate. Short arm action with clean exchange. Shows quickness and good direction in his footwork. Split times between 2.00 to 2.08 and top velocity of 75 mph from the crouch. Smooth swing from the left side. Line drive type production with level path to the baseball. Showed the ability to hit to all fields. Maintains balance throughout swing. Ran a 4.7 down the line. One of a handful of top uncommitted catchers in the state.

Derek Varner, IF, Turpin HS, 2014

6-foot, 182-pound infield prospect with athletic frame. Good overall set of tools. Shows ability to play multiple positions in the field. Good arm strength across the diamond at 84 mph. Needs to continue staying aggressive to the baseball. At the plate, the right-handed hitter uses small leg kick and aggressive lower half. Uphill path to the ball with good quickness in his hands.

Eddie Harper, OF/IF, Midpark HS, 2014

5-foot-8, 155-pound prospect with small, athletic frame. In the infield, he projects as a second base type. Throws from a low ¾ arm slot with a bit of a hitch. Reached top velocity of 68 mph. Showed some range. From the outfield, he throws from a higher slot. Reached a top velocity of 76 mph. Plays through the ball. At the plate, the right-handed hitter starts from an open stance and uses a short stride. Triggers hands from shoulder with slight uphill path to the ball. Line drive production. Ran a 4.57 down the line.

Eli Callahan, RHP/2B, Centerville HS (IN), 2014

6-foot-2, 180-pound prospect tall, lanky frame. Throws through low ¾ arm slot with long arm action. Average footwork and hands. Top velocity of 73 mph across the infield. At the plate, the right-handed hitter uses a short stride. Hands takes short, level path to the ball. Line drive production. More power to come with increased use of his lower half.  Overall compact swing. Ran a 5.01 time down the line. May have most potential on the mound at the next level. Good, quick rhythm to his delivery. Shows inward turn. Needs to work on direction. Long arm action through ¾ arm slot. Comes out rather easy at 74-76 mph. Breaking ball shows some two-plane action at 66 mph. 

Isaiah Counts, RHP/3B, Russia HS, 2014

6-foot-1, 190-pound prospect with big, solid frame. Projects better as a pitcher at this stage. Big leg kick. Tends to collapse on his backside. Tall and fall type delivery. Fastball sits 77-80 through high ¾ arm slot with short arm action. Will be aided by increased use of lower half. Breaking ball shows spin at 67-71 mph. In the field, he projects as a corner type. Throws through high ¾ arm slot. Top velocity of 71 mph. Feet tend to be flat. Will be aided by playing through the ball and developing angles. At the plate, he starts in an open stance from the right side. Shows obvious quickness in his hands with some pop in his bat (84 mph exit velocity off the tee). A bit staff, but hands work. Shows some baring action. Displayed some pop in his bat.  Ran a 4.51 down the line.

Josh Mack, IF, Cuyahoga Falls HS, 2014

5-foot-11, 160-pound prospect with skinny, athletic frame. Intriguing athlete that shows potential. Good actions in the field. Throws with short arm action through high ¾ arm slot. Showed quickness in his transfer. Top velocity of 78 mph, but really gets rid of the ball. Some softness in his hands and ability to cover ground. The right-handed hitter takes an uphill path to the ball.  Squared the ball up. Will be aided by simplifying his upper half load as his hands work well. Ran a 4.56 out of the box.

Mason Wamsley, 2B, Westerville Central HS, 2014

6-foot, 162-pound prospect with athletic frame. Throws with long arm action through high ¾ arm slot. Top velocity of 74 mph. Shows some length to his delivery. Will improve with more fluid footwork. May eventually project best as an outfielder. His best tool may be his left-handed stick. Starts with a wide base. Uses a toe tap. Shows weight transfer in his lower half. Uphill path to the ball. Solid contact with some pop in his bat. Ran a 4.48 down the line.

Patrick Corcoran, LHP, North Canton Hoover HS, 2014

6-foot-4, 170-pound southpaw with tall, thin frame. Uses slow tempo to his delivery. Will be aided by quickening his lower half. Arm action is long through high ¾ arm slot. Delivery requires a little effort. Shows some head movement. Fastball sat 78-81 mph (he sat 81-83 a few weeks earlier) with occasional run. Also uses a 68-70 mph breaking ball with 1/7 action for strikes. Showed developing 74 mph changeup. Very intriguing prospect that has potential with continued development.

Tyler Harley, C, Oak Hills HS, 2014

6-foot, 180-pound catching prospect with strong lower half. Uses short arm action. Shows some length to his transfer, but easily fixable. His feet show good direction, but need to continue to improve qickness. Split times between 2.15 to 2.23 and top velocity of 70 mph from the crouch. In game play, showed good blocking and receiving skills. Works hard behind the plate.