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6.9.14 Southeast KS Prospect ID - Pitcher Analysis

June 23, 2014

By Sean McCann and Rob Fleeup
Prep Baseball Report Kansas

On Monday, June 9, 2014 Prep Baseball Report Kansas hosted the first ever Southeast Kansas Prospect Identification Showcase, an open event for area high school baseball prospects.

Below are the scouting reports on the eight pitchers that took part in the bullpen workouts.  We had several two-way players (pitcher + position player) at this event, but keep in mind that the evaluations below are based solely on pitching performance. 

Later this week we will post the scouting reports on all of the position players from this event, a group that will also include the 2-way players.  When we do our state player rankings we take the overall player into account.

Top prospects 

1. RHP Mason Knopp, Fort Scott, Class of 2015
Knopp is a thin, long-legged and athletic 6-foot, 150-pound class of 2015 right-handed pitcher from Fort Scott HS.  He throws from a three-quarters arm-slot with loose slinging-type arm action.  From the wind-up he has good rhythm and balance throughout using a high vertical knee lift.  From the stretch he works with a quick tempo and short knee lift.  His fastball registered in the 83-85 mph range and also showed a 68-70 breaking ball with, at times, tight slider spin and 76-78 change-up.  With his easy arm and thin, athletic frame there should be a lot more in the tank velocity-wise going forward.  Knopp worked out as a pitcher-only today, however he’s also a KABC 4A-I All-State First Team performer as a catcher.  To see video of Knopp pitching click here.

2. RHP Jared Robbins, Rockhurst (MO), Class of 2015
Robbins is an athletic 6-foot, 170-pound class of 2015 right-handed pitcher from Rockhurst HS in Missouri.  He throws with short, quick three-quarters arm action with some effort.  He has a deliberate and simple delivery with a short vertical knee lift while striding inline.  Robbins fastball has arm-side run to it and was clocked in the 82-84 mph range.  He also features a 65-67 breaking ball with up-down 12/6 action and a 76-77 change-up.  Click here to see video of Robbins pitching.

3. LHP Turner Middendorf, Topeka Seaman, Class of 2015
Middendorf is a projectable 6-foot-3, 180-pound class of 2015 left-handed pitcher from Topeka Seaman HS.  He throws with long arm action from a three-quarters slot.  From both the wind-up and stretch he showed early balance and a high knee lift while striding inline.  He hides the ball well creating some deception.  Middendorf’s fastball registered in the 75-77 mph range with arm-side run and also showed a 65-69 11/5 breaking ball.  To see video of Middendorf pitching click here. 

Best of the rest

RHP Jace Christopher, Westmoore (OK), Class of 2016
Christopher is a 5-foot-9, 155-pound class of 2016 right-handed pitcher from Westmoore HS in Oklahoma.  He works exclusively from the stretch and throws with short arm action from a submarine arm slot. His fastball was clocked in the 71-73 mph range with a 63-67 breaking ball and 51-52 knuckleball.  Click here to see video of Christopher pitching. 

RHP Austin Crawford, Blue Valley, Class of 2016
Crawford is a thin, athletic 6-foot-1, 155-pound class of 2016 right-handed pitcher from Blue Valley HS.  He throws with long, loose arm action from a three-quarters slot.  From the wind-up he showed a balanced and deliberate delivery early and rhythmic motion.  Working from the stretch he starts with inline footwork, an open upper body and works exclusively from a slide step.  Crawford’s fastball was clocked in the 72-74 mph range most with arm-side run, he also showed a 64-67 breaking ball – some with up-down 12/6 action and also a version with slider spin.  Crawford also features a 63-67 knuckleball.  To see video of Crawford pitching click here.

RHP Aaron Haviland, Chanute, Class of 2016
Haviland is a 5-foot-10, 150-pound right-handed pitcher from Chanute.  He throws with clean arm action from a three-quarters slot.  From the wind-up he uses an up-tempo delivery with a vertical knee lift.  Working from the stretch he uses a similar knee lift and quick tempo.  His fastball was clocked in the 75-76 mph range while also showing 61-65 breaking ball and 69-71 knuckleball.  Click here to see video of Haviland pitching.

LHP Grant McMillen, Chanute, Class of 2016
McMillen is a 5-foot-10, 140-pound class of 2016 left-handed pitcher from Chanute HS.  He throws from a three-quarters slot.  McMillen uses a deliberate delivery with early balance, a high knee lift and strides slightly open. His fastball was clocked in the 63-66 range with a 50-51 12/6 curveball, 56-57 change-up and 58-59 cutter.  Click here to see video of McMillen pitching.

RHP Kason Siemens, Humboldt, Class of 2015
Siemens is a 5-foot-10, 140-pound class of 2015 right-handed pitcher from Humboldt HS.  He throws slightly uphill with short, slinging arm action from a three-quarters slot.  From the wind-up he has early balance and a rhythmic delivery overall.  He uses an abbreviated knee lift and quick tempo from the stretch. Siemens showed a 73-77 mph fastball with arm-side run and occasional bottoming out sink, a 63-67 breaking ball with 11/5 action and a 51-52 knuckleball.  To see video of Siemens pitching click here.

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