By Chris Fuller
Kentucky Scouting Director

A total of 21 middle infielders participated in the Preseason All-State Showcase on Sunday, Feb. 16 at Champions Baseball Academy in Lexington.  In part two of our evaluations, we take a look at the 2nd half of the group of middle infield prospects.

additional middle infield content:

PBR Plus: Standout Middle Infielders

Preseason All-State Showcase Middle Infield Analysis (Part One)

Connor O'Neil, R/R, 2B, Lexington Catholic HS, 2015
O'Neil is a 5-foot-11, 175-pound prospect with athletic build.  Defensively, he shows soft hands and quick feet but needs to develop more consistency throwing the baseball, top velocity was 76 mph across the infield.  O'Neil's speed and ability to hit are the best part of his game right now.  He hits from a balanced setup with a short stride and very good balance throughout his swing.  He continues to impress as a hitter with fluid rhythm and a line drive approach with occasional gap-to-gap power.  O'Neil consistently squares up the baseball with the ability to make hard contact to all fields, ran 6.85 60 yard dash, 85 mph tee exit velocity (up to 90 mph at previous event).

Sam Jiunta, L/R, SS, Henry Clay HS, 2015
5-foot-9, 150-pound prospect with average build and room for added strength, showcases soft hands and good lateral movement, good body control with the ability to throw on the run fluidly, accurate arm at 78 mph across the infield.  At the plate the left-handed hitter hits from a balanced setup with a short stride, shows good balance, continues to show solid swing from the left side, line drive type hitter, showed big increase in tee exit velocity to 88 mph, showed improved 60 time of 7.38, continues to make overall strides.

Blake Lester, R/R, RHP/2B, Chesapeake HS (OH), 2015
5-foot-11, 175-pound prospect with athletic build, displayed good body control and the ability to throw in the run, accurate arm across the infield at 79 mph with carry.  At the plate, hits from a balanced and wide base with minimal stride, good balance, line drive type hitter uses all fields, ran 7.99 60 yard dash, registered 77 mph tee exit velocity.

James Moore, R/R, RHP/SS, Bath County HS, 2014
5-foot-11, 150-pound prospect with average build, shows a loose arm from a low ¾ slot across the infield at 74 mph.  At the plate, hits from a tall setup, uses a big leg kick trigger with a long stride, line drive type hitter, ran a 7.68 60 yard dash, registered tee exit velocity of 82 mph.

Evan Nicoulin,R/R,  2B/RHP, Paul Laurence Dunbar HS, 2015
6-foot-, 167-pound prospect with athletic build, shows soft hands defensively and works through the baseball well, arm is loose and athletic across the infield at 82 mph with good carry, solid defender with good actions.  At the plate, hits from an open setup, squares front side with a short stride, tendency to wrap in load, long swing at times, slight uphill path to the ball, good use of lower half in swing, line drive type hitter, ran 7.47 60 yard dash, 80 mph tee exit velocity.

Grant Noble, L/R, 2B, South Warren HS, 2015
5-foot-11, 170-pound prospect with athletic build, hands work defensively, quick exchange with a loose and athletic arm, top velocity of 73 mph across the infield (78 at previous event).  At the plate hits from an open setup and squares front side with a short stride, line drive type hitter with a pull approach, wraps some in load, shows some hand quickness to get barrel through the zone, showed big jump in tee exit velocity to 80 mph (72 at previous event).

Blake Redmon, R/R, 2B/RHP, Franklin County HS, 2016
5-foot-8, 145-pound prospect, shows soft hands defensively, feet work fluidly with good lateral movement, quick exchange, accurate arm across the infield with a top velocity of 74 mph (up to 78 at previous event).  At the plate, hits from a balanced setup, short stride, displays very good balance, short and compact swing with line drive production, ran a 7.25 60 yard dash, showed increase in tee exit velocity to 86 mph, solid prospect will should continue to show gains.

Bo Saunders, R/R, SS, Scott County HS, 2015
6-foot, 165-pound prospect with athletic build, shows athletic infield actions with soft hands and fluid footwork, good body control, able to throw from all arm angles accurately, arm strength was down this event due to recovering from bicep strain.  At the plate, hits from a balanced setup with a short stride, hands are quiet and show some quickness, good use of lower half torque in swing, line drive type hitter with some gap-to gap pop, ran 7.17 60 yard dash (7.03 at previous event), 84 mph tee exit velocity, potential to be a high-level prospect.

Clay Slone, R/R, SS. Pikeville, HS, 2017
5-foot-11, 165-pound, young prospect, shows average hands defensively, long arm action across the infield, reached a top velocity on 65 mph on throws.  At the plate, hits from a balanced setup with minimal load and short stride, gets extended on front foot at times, uphill path creates some lift, showed good barrel awareness with some power for age, young prospect should continue to improve game, ran 7.39 60 yard dash, showed good bat speed for 2017 prospect with 83 mph tee exit velocity.

Hunter Sullivan, L/R, RHP/SS, Elizabethtown HS, 2016
5-foot-10, 170-pound prospect , shows average hands, good lateral movement, quick exchange with 79 mph arm across the infield with carry.  At the plate, the left-handed hitter hits from an open setup, toe tap with an aggressive stride to the baseball, level swing path with line drive production, ran 7.31 60 yard dash, registered 83 mph tee exit velocity, one of the top RHP in the 2016 class will be featured in pitcher write-ups.

Ben Wilhite, R/R, 2B, Lexington Catholic HS, 2015
6-foot, 165-pound prospect with athletic build, has made the transition from primary third baseman to primary second baseman which is better suited for present arm strength, hands work defensively, showed an accurate arm across the infield at 74 mph.  At the plate, hits from an open setup and squares front side with a short stride, level swing plane with a mid-field approach, line drive type hitter, maintains good balance throughout swing, showed an increase in bat speed with 84 mph tee exit velocity (80 at previous event), showed improved 60 yard time at 7.39.