Prep Baseball Report

Become a Member

More +

KC Pre Season All State Analysis: Infielders

March 7, 2014

Shon Plack and Jeff Viles
Prep Baseball Report-Missouri

On President’s Day, Monday, February 17, 2014 Prep Baseball Report Kansas and Missouri hosted the first ever Pre-Season All-State Showcase, an invite-only event for area class of 2015 prospects and some 2016's that weren't able to make the Underclass Invitational in January. The overall talent level was very good with a high number of the top juniors from Kansas and Missouri participating.

Below are the scouting reports on the 7 infielders from Missouri high schools that took part in the 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 infield performance. 

Next week we will post the scouting reports on all of the catchers and outfielders, a group that will also include the 2-way players.  When we do our state player rankings we take the overall player into account.

To see video of a pitcher's performance (subscriber-only content) click on their name and you will be directed to their profile with scouting reports and video(s).

Top Infield Prospect

Evan Rathburn (Raymore Peculiar, 2015)
Rathburn is a 6-foot 160-pound left-handed hitting shortstop.  He posted some of the top numbers in the event, one being an 87 MPH positional velo.  He also ran a 4.00 home-to-first.  On the infield, Rathburn has a quick, clean exchange with a short release. His throws have good carry through the target and every throw was on the money across the infield.  Offensively, Rathburn starts with an open stance and has an easy, smooth swing.  He has a gap-to-gap approach with level extension, producing consistent line drives and registered an 87 MPH exit velo. 

The Best of the Rest (Listed Alphabetically)

Jake Hewlett (Rockhurst, 2015)
Hewlett is a 5-foot-9 151-pound second baseman.  He has fluid footwork with a clean exchange. Hewlett throws from a high ¾ arm slot with 73 MPH positional velocity.  Offensively, Hewlett starts from an athletic stance with a smooth load.  He has a gap-to-gap approach with a level swing that produces line drives.  His exit velo was 75 MPH and ran a 4.47 to first base.

Clint Jennings (Lee’s Summit, 2015)
Jennings is an athletic 5-foot-8 155-pound shortstop/second baseman.  Jennings keeps showing he has the ability to play at a high level.  He ran a 4.29 home-to-first and shows good arm strength with a positional velo of 83 MPH.  He throws with a high ¾ arm slot with good momentum towards his target with mostly accurate throws.  He has quick footwork and a quick exchange.  At the plate, Jennings’ bat produces an 85 MPH exit velo.  He showed the ability to hit to all fields with a quick, level swing.  Jennings has good balance and rhythm throughout his swing. 

Ryan Laddish (Lee’s Summit, 2015)
Laddish is a solid 6-foot-2 210-pound left-handed hitting first baseman.  He showed soft hands and hand to glove exchange, with good footwork around the bag. He throws from a high ¾ arm slot and has a positional velo of 72 MPH, with mostly accurate throws.  At the plate, Laddish starts with a balance stance and gets good extension.  He does get a bit uphill, but produced line-drives to his pull gap.  Laddish has a swing that produces an 87 MPH exit velo.

David Leatherwood (Rockhurst, 2015)
Leatherwood is a 5-foot-9 155-pound second baseman.  He has fluid footwork and short, quick release on the infield.  He has a positional velo of 75 MPH and an over-the-top arm slot. His throws were mostly accurate across the infield.  At the plate, Leatherwood has a simple, smooth load and level path.  He gets good extension with an exit velocity of 84 MPH.  His swing path produces line drives to the pull gap.  His home-to-first time was 4.35.

Dylan Morgan (Liberty North, 2015)
Morgan is a thin 5-foot-9 140-pound second baseman.  Defensively, Morgan showed a clean exchange with quick feet.  He has a high ¾ arm slot with a positional velo of 76 MPH and his throws were mostly around the bag.  At the plate, Morgan has a gap-to-gap approach with a short stride.  Although his arm bars a bit, he was able to produce consistent line drives.  He had an exit velo of 76 MPH and a 4.40 time to first base.

JD Murders (Bolivar, 2016)
Murders is 6-foot-1 168-pound left-handed hitting shortstop and showed that he should be high level player in his class.  Murders ran a 4.24 home-to-first and had a positional velo of 81 MPH.  He has a good footwork and a quick hand to glove exchange. He throws with a high ¾ arm slot and a short release, with most throws close or on the money to the bag.  At the plate, Murders has a quick bat with a gap-to-gap approach.  He has a balanced stance with good rhythm and a level bat path.  His exit velocity was 83 MPH.

For More Missouri News