MN Preseason Underclass: Infield Analysis

March 24, 2015

By Rob Allison
Prep Baseball Report Minnesota

On Sunday, February 22nd Prep Baseball Report Minnesota hosted the MN Preseason Underclass, an event that included players from the 2017 and 2018 grad classes. The event was held in the Sports Expo Center on the campus of the National Sports Center.

Over the next several days we will breakdown the top prospects from the event by position, culminating in the Top Overall Prospects. Today, we’ll take a look at the infielders, highlighted by Minnetonka sophomore Jimmy Ramsey. Ramsey posted 87 mph exit velocity, and impresses with his overall package of body, athleticism, offensive potential, and arm strength.

Right-handed hitting 2017 graduate Dylan Criquet-Danielson impresses with his overall athleticism and projectable bat. He shows flashes of high end ability in the field; but his bat may be his ticket and has enough athleticism to ultimately play many positions around the field.

Anoka's Trent Palmer is another underclass infielder that stood out. Palmer shows power at the plate and is surprisingly light on his feet with soft hands and a strong accurate arm across the diamond.

Let’s take a look at the top overall infield prospects from the MN Preseason Underclass.

Top Overall infield Prospects

1. Jimmy Ramsey, RHP/1B, Minnetonka, 2017
6-foot-6, 210-pound 2-way player. Ran a 7.3 60. Standing at 6-foot-6, 210 pounds, Ramsey has a long, projectable frame. Hitting from the left side, he stays tall in the box with good leverage at contact. He shows power to the gaps now and makes consistent, hard contact. Produced 87 mph exit velocity off tee. He plays first base, but is athletic and runs enough to possibly move to a corner outfield spot. He has a simple, compact delivery on the mound and his arm works well with downward plane on his fastball. He sat 84-87 in February with reports coming in that his velocity has increased. He is steadily improving his secondary offerings and shows the ability to throw three pitches for strikes.

2. Dylan Criquet-Danielson, SS, Marshall, 2017
6-foot-2, 175-pound shortstop. Long athletic body. Above average runner. Recorded 7.03 60 on below average track. Right-handed hitter with an 81 mph exit velocity off tee. Athletic slightly open stance; strides to square with pitch. Short load with lower hand-set. Some lift in swing. Short to contact. Ball comes off bat well. Long levers create whip through zone with loud contact and pop gap to gap. Moves with energy and actions at shortstop. Inconsistent glove-typical of young infielders. Can dream on body at the position. Feet and glove show flashes of being above average. Makes athletic plays and has plus accuracy across the diamond at 70 mph. Arm strength needs to improve to stay on left side of infield; but everything else plays. Strong follow for 2017 class.

3. Trent Palmer, 3B/RHP, Anoka, 2017
6-foot, 195-pound 2-way player. Strong thick build. Deeper load into launch position. Creates good bat speed. Hands tend to drift down creating lift in swing from slight uphill plane. Creates good energy in lower half. Shows power to pull side of field. 83 mph exit velocity off tee. Proto third base actions. Will rely too much on arm strength at times. Moves well and is light on feet for size. Glove is solid and throws show above average accuracy and carry. 81 mph across infield.

4. Tyler Fietek, SS/OF/RHP, Lakeville North, 2017
6-foot-1, 175-pound 2-way player. Projectable body with current strength in frame. 7.47 60 time. Slightly open stance with bowed out elbows to start. Unorthodox but loads and get himself into quality launch position. Power in swing evidenced by 89 mph exit velocity off tee. Hard contact to mid-pull side of field. Stays balanced through swing with good separation after contact. Aggressive fielder in outfield and infield. Attacks baseball with confidence. Feet are average and glove is more sure at shortstop. Throws from over-the-slot at 80 mph with above average accuracy and carry.

5. Sam Thoresen, SS/RHP, Minnetonka, 2017
6-foot-2, 170-pound 2-way player. Long lean projectable body. Ran a 7.34 60. Slightly open stance to start. Strides across body into contact. Pre-set hand position with small shoulder load into launch. Tends to swing with shoulders. Rotational actions at plate. Simple fixes with load and stride will allow body to work better through swing. Has hand-eye coordination and ability to square baseball. 81 mph exit velocity off tee. Shows good actions on left side of field. Glove and feet work well. Loose actions with quick-clean exchange and release. Accuracy is good across infield with 76 mph arm strength. Works down to up with body control and athleticism.

Best of The Rest (Listed Alphabetically)

Alex Bledsoe, SS, Albert Lea, 2017
5-foot-9, 176-pound shortstop. Present strong build. Ran a 7.78 60. Knee to knee trigger with short stride and balanced swing. Upper half is somewhat stiff in swing. Shows strength and decent pop to pull side of field. 80 mph exit velocity. Shows energy in field. Works to get into position. Stays on balls of feet and fields down to up. Profiles better as third baseman. Tends to stop after release of throw. Arm strength, carry, and accuracy will improve as he learns to follow throws across the diamond. 70 mph arm strength across infield.

Matt Brooks, SS/RHP, Benilde St. Margarets, 2017
6-foot-2, 180-pound 2-way player. Stronger build. Ran 7.47 60. Deep load creating arm bar in swing. Short swing path through ball at contact. Slashy line drive swing plane with limited use of lower half. Has natural strength evidenced by 85 mph exit velocity off tee. Plays flat-footed at times in field. Glove is usable and makes routine plays. More suited for third base in future. Throws from varying slots at 74 mph across infield with average accuracy.

Jack Carlson, RHP/3B, Minneapolis Washburn, 2017
5-foot-11, 165-pound 2-way player. Projectable body. Ran a 7.62 60. Early load. Good launch position. Swings against stiff lower half. Lacks weight transfer through swing. Shows some pop to pull side of field. 78 mph exit velocity off tee. Plays flat-footed defensively. Glove is usable. Some lower half stiffness. Arm is quick with plus accuracy across with top velo of 85 mph.

Kole Crittenden, 1B, Wayzata, 2018
6-foot-2, 170-pound first baseman. Tall lanky body with long legs. 8.1 60 time. Strides hard across body limiting hips in swing. Small hitch in load. Drives through at contact. Hard pull contact during B.P. session. Slashy line-drive swing plane. 72 mph exit velocity off tee. Shows solid glove and actions at first base for freshman in high school. 65 mph arm strength across infield. Arm will improve as he continues to long toss and grow into body.

Dawson Degnan, C/3B/RHP, Cretin-Derham Hall, 2017
6-foot, 167-pound utility player. 7.53 60 time. Improved in every statistical category since last event in October 2014. Slightly closed stance. Has shortened load and is quicker to contact. Line drive swing plane and shows ability to keep bat in zone. Mid-pull approach. Offensively will continue to improve as he adds strength. Shows soft hands in field. Able to make routine plays. Slows game down and handles in-between hops. Throws from over-the-top slot with accuracy at 74 mph across. Has athleticism behind plate. Better energy and rhythm. Release is much cleaner than before. Shows accuracy to bag with 2.10-2.15 pop times and 68 mph arm strength.

Luke DeGrammont, LHP/1B, Lakeville North, 2017
5-foot-10, 170-pound 2-way player. Short medium sized build. Ran a 7.94 60. Start open and strides extremely closed at contact. Upper half mechanics are very good. Shows looseness in swing and is short to contact. Good hand-eye coordination and makes solid mid-pull contact. 79 mph exit velocity off tee. Quiet actions defensively with soft hands and good feet. Plays with confidence and rhythm. 72 mph arm strength across diamond.

Danny Deis, IF/OF/RHP, Wayzata, 2017
5-foot-9, 155-pound 2-way player. Live body with energy. Ran a 7.4 60. Simple load and stride approach. Would benefit by creating some rhythm and looseness to swing. Inverted C load; slight uphill swing. 70 mph exit velocity off tee. Moves well in outfield. Arm is true and accurate. Has carry. 78 mph. Shows good energy and ok actions at shortstop. Explodes through ball and works towards target. Glove can be stiff at times but shows ingredients to be above average defender in future.

Nicholas Dinkel, SS, St. Michael Albertville, 2017
5-foot-9, 130-pound shortstop. Thin frame. Deep load with arm bar. Tends to push bat through zone. Flat line-drive swing plane with average pop. Swing is balanced. Will continue to improve with added strength. 71 mph exit velocity off tee. Shows athleticism defensively. Light on his feet and shows clean exchanges to glove. Has body control. Actions are ok. Arm will benefit from long toss and continued maturity. Average accuracy across with 69 mph arm strength.

Max Gamm, SS, East Ridge, 2017
5-foot-10, 135-pound shortstop. Slender build. Ran a 7.31 60. Short load into appropriate launch position. Inverted uphill swing plane. Flyball hitter. Creates bat speed and shows hand-eye coordination. More line-drive swing plane would suit body type better. 76 mph exit velocity. Loose actions at shortstop. Good first step and covers ground. Arm works well from high ¾ slot. Above average accuracy across with 75 mph arm strength. Has some projection and worth following over next 2 years.

Andrew Hanson, SS/RHP, Burnsville, 2017
5-foot-11, 160-pound 2-way player. Projectable build. Ran a 7.34 60. Balanced swing. Length to load. Inverted C load creating uphill swing plane and loft at contact. Shows some pop to pull side. 82 mph exit velocity off tee. Shows some feel defensively. Actions are ok. Short strides to ball limit lateral range. Glove is solid/average and was mostly accurate across at 70 mph.

Zack Henderson, RHP/2B, Shakopee, 2017
5-foot-9, 155-pound 2-way player. Decent build. Ran a 7.56 60. Medium base with front heel turn trigger. Rotational swing with limited use of lower half and average pop. Pull approach. 78 mph exit velocity off tee. Shows energy in field. Works hard to get into position. Glove is usable. High ¾ clean arm action with accuracy at 75 mph across infield.

Alex Houlihan, 2B/RHP, Benilde St. Margarets, 2017
5-foot-10, 160-pound 2-way player. Ran a 7.41 60. Get into proper launch position. Works down and through at contact. Ball jumps off bat well with good gap to gap approach. Lower half is stiff but has projectable bat. 82 mph exit velocity off tee. Shows athleticism in outfield and infield. Has good body control. Works down and through ground balls. Arm has life and accuracy at 79 mph.

Evan Krhin, 3B, Park Senior, 2017
6-foot, 210-pound third baseman. Stronger build. Ran a 7.44 60. Hands start high and drops low to load. Closed stance with no stride approach. Swing is choppy at times. Line-drive slashy swing plane. Makes solid contact. 82 mph exit velocity off tee. Average actions at third base. Works hard to get into proper position. Glove is usable. Accuracy across is solid at 70 mph arm strength across.

Tyler Milford, 1B/LHP, New Prague, 2018
5-foot-8, 145-pound 2-way player. Lean frame. Ran a 7.4 60. Starts open and stays open throughout swing. Line-drive swing plane. Would benefit from more squared stance to pitcher. Most solid contact to pull side of field. 71 mph exit velocity off tee. Shows athletic actions and good glove at first base. Moves with purpose and reads hops well. Arm is accurate at 63 mph.

Sam Ruhland, 1B, St. Thomas Academy, 2017
6-foot-2, 270-pound first baseman. Ran a 9.2 60. Left-handed hitter with looseness in swing and power. Double tap stride triggering swing. Shows pop to the gaps. Has very good hand-eye coordination and has actual hitting ability. 85 mph exit velocity off tee. Limited range laterally. Shows ability to field routine. Below average arm strength at 60 mph across infield.

CJ Sowards, 2B, Lakeville North, 2017
5-foot-6, 115-pound second baseman. Slight build. Ran a 7.53 60. Short stride with deep load and arm bar in swing. Spray hitter with solid contact. Slight uphill bat path through zone. 69 mph exit velocity off tee. Quick feet and shows ability to make plays in field. Good energy. Will play tall at times. Funky arm action with limited carry at 63 mph across. Arm action will need to improve to consistently play infield.

Darius Uditsky, 1B/RHP, Benilde St. Margarets, 2017
6-foot-3, 235-pound 2-way player. Ran a 8.5 60. Loose hands in swing. Creates whip at contact. Pull approach. Good launch position. Stride is short at times and limits extension but overall quality actions at the plate. 77 mph exit velocity off tee. Moves adequately at first base. Shows ability to make routine. Accurate arm and handles throws around the bag. 72 mph arm strength across diamond.

Matthew Urke, 3B/RHP, Wayzata, 2017
6-foot-3, 180-pound 2-way player. Physical build. Will continue to get stronger. Ran a 7.53 60. 80 mph exit velocity off tee. Front heel turn trigger. Creates rotational swing. Short to contact with some pop; short through the zone and out of zone quickly. Creates some lift at contact. Fields routine at third base. Average energy and actions. Throws flat-footed at times. Effects accuracy and carry across diamond. 65 mph arm strength across.

Tyler Young, C/2B, Wayzata, 2017
6-foot-2, 175-pound catcher- second baseman. Ran a 7.84 60. Left-handed hitter with quality linear actions in lower half. Open to start with athletic set-up. Hands close to body restricts swing at times. 70 mph exit velocity off tee. Shows average actions in field with good accuracy and average carry on throws at 66 mph. Has ability to receive and block behind plate. Pause in release effects pop times. Showed accuracy to bag. 2.19-2.37 pop times with 64 mph arm strength. Good loose actions in field. Solid glove and footwork. Looks more natural and fluid than behind the dish. Above average accuracy on throws with minimal arm strength. 66 mph across infield.

MN Preseason Underclass: Infield Analysis

Recent News