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St. Louis Preseason Prospect Showcase: Best of the Rest Class of 2015

February 28, 2013

By Ethan Silverman
Missouri Scouting Director

The Class of 2015 was well represented at the St. Louis Preseason Showcase on February 18th at The Sandlot.  Earlier this week we brought you the top underclass performers from the St. Louis Preseason Prospect Showcase. There were many other impressive performances, and here are the best of the rest of the Class of 2015 participants.

Pitchers: (in alphabetical order)
Brennan Barnes, LHP, Marquette HS, Class of 2015:
Barnes is a 6-foot-2, 190-pound left-handed pitcher who has good rhythm and presence on the mound, with ability to command four pitches. His fastball topped at 77-mph, with late, arm side action. He also showed a 59-62 mph breaking ball with gradual break and a 60-62 mph change up with near fastball arm speed and some depth. The pitch that stood out the most was a 62-64 mph split finger fastball. It has late movement and depth, a legit out pitch. Barnes seems like the type of pitcher who won’t blow the ball by a hitter, but who relies on command and effectively changing speeds.

 

Austin Bennett, 1B/LHP, Wentzville Holt HS, Class of 2015:
Bennett is a strong-bodied 6-foot-3, 215-pound two-way player. At the plate, Bennett impressed with his power. Bennett used his strong lower half and quick hand speed through the zone to create barrel whip, driving the ball with some pull side power; the ball jumps off of his bat. Bennett also posted one of the top exit velocities of the event at 88-mph off the bat.  In the field, Bennett shows good footwork around first base while turning double plays, with accurate throws. On the mound, the left handed throwing Bennett comes from a high ¾ arm slot with regular effort. His fastball was thrown in the 75-77 mph range, topping at 78-mph with late arm side run. He also showed a 65-66 mph breaking ball with good arm speed, but the pitch stayed up in the zone. When he followed through on his the breaking ball it was much more effective. Bennett also threw a 69-71 mph change up with some arm side run and fade.

 

Joe Brawner, LHP, Kirksville HS, Class of 2015:
Brawner is a physically imposing 6-foot-4, 215-pound LHP who showed ability to throw three pitches for a strike. Brawner has short arm action and comes from a high ¾ arm slot. His fastball was thrown in the 69-71 mph range, topping at 73-mph with good downward movement. He also showed a gradual breaking 1-to-7 breaking ball (56-60 mph) and a 60-65 mph change up with some fade action. With some fine-tuning of his mechanics, Brawner has the ability to see an increase in velocity, as well as sharper movement on his off speed pitches.

 

John Cihota, 1B/LHP, SLUH, Class of 2015:
Cihota is a 6-foot-2, 185-pound two-way player who showed some promise on the mound and in the field. On the mound, the left-handed thrower comes from a ¾ arm slot with some rhythm and easy effort. His fastball sat 72-75 mph with some arm side run and sink, down in the zone. He also showed a 1-to-7 breaking ball (63-65 mph) with gradual break and a 56-59 mph change up with some cut action. With a little longer stride and some more aggression on the mound, Cihota might find some more consistency and velocity. At the plate, when Cihota used his lower half and kept his hands back, he showed ability to hit the top half of the ball and drive it.  In the field, Cihota works well around first base, with sure hands and accurate throws while turning double plays.

 

Stephen Clark, OF/LHP, Wentzville Holt HS, Class of 2015:
Clark has a projectable 6-foot, 195-pound frame and shows some tools in the field and on the mound. In the outfield, Clark is aggressive to the ball, while maintaining good body control with a clean exchange. He plays through the ball, showing a strong, accurate arm (82-mph). At the plate, the left handed hitting Clark shows a short, quick swing that remains level through contact and displaying some pull side power. On the mound, the left-handed thrower showed ability to keep all of his pitches around the zone. Coming from a high ¾ arm slot, his fastball topped at 79-mph with slight arm side movement. He also threw a 60-63 mph breaking ball with near fastball arm speed that stayed down in the zone and a 68-71 mph change up. Clark seemed to have better control out of the stretch than the wind up.

 

Cody Creed, 3B/RHP, Mexico HS, Class of 2015:
Creed is an athletic 5-foot-10, 160-pound two way player who looks to be one of the more intriguing prospects in the Class of 2015. In the infield, Creed shows a good approach with fluid footwork to the ball and a quick, clean exchange. His arm works well with a short, quick release and a top throw of 78-mph across the infield. At the plate, the left handed hitting Creed shows quick hand speed with a short, compact swing that extends through contact with an uphill finish. He shows good bat control and the ability to dive the ball to all fields. He also had a top exit velocity of 82-mph off the bat. On the mound, Creed comes from a high ¾ arm slot with quick arm speed and a loose arm. His fastball topped at 82-mph with arm side run and sink action, consistently thrown for a strike. Creed’s breaking ball (63-65 mph) has sharp, late 11-to-5 break thrown with near fastball arm speed while his change up (69-72 mph) has arm side run and some depth, thrown with fastball arm speed.

 

Tanner Forck, LHP/1B, Timberland HS, Class of 2015:
Forck has a lanky 6-foot, 142-pound frame who showed consistency in all facets of his game, and as he continues to fill out, has a high ceiling.  On the mound, the left-handed throwing Forck comes from a ¾ arm slot with good rhythm and a quick, loose arm; showing the ability to command three pitches. His fastball showed sink action down in the zone and topped at 72-mph. He also showed a late breaking, two plane curveball thrown with near fastball arm speed and a change up with arm side run and sink. At first base, Forck showed good footwork around the bag with sure hands and accurate throws while turning double plays. Offensively, Forck has an athletic stance with a short stride. He has a level swing that produced consistent line drives. Once again, as he continues to mature physically, Forck should see his velocity spike and hit the ball with more authority.

 

Ethan Harris, RHP, Lafayette HS, Class of 2015:
Harris has a lanky 6-foot-3, 175-pound frame. Coming from a ¾ arm slot with some rhythm on the mound, Harris has long arm action while showing three pitches that he was able to keep down in the zone. His fastball sat 72-75 mph with sight arm side movement, while his breaking ball was thrown 67-70 mph with 11-to-5 shape. He also showed a 69-71 mph change up with some sink action. Harris has good mechanics, and as he continues to progress and fill out, he has the makings of an effective pitcher.

 

Michael Plassmeyer, LHP, DeSmet HS, Class of 2015:
Plassmeyer is a long and lanky 6-foot-3, 175-pound left handed pitcher who has smooth mechanics with easy effort and showed ability to throw four pitches for a strike, keeping them all in the lower part of the strike zone. His fastball sat 76-77 mph, topping at 78-mph with slight arm side movement. He also showed a late breaking 2-to-8 breaking ball with near fastball arm speed, a straight change up thrown 70-71 mph that he kept on the outer half of the plate, and a 66-67 mph split finger with hard, late movement.

 

Michael Wielansky, MIF/RHP, Ladue HS, Class of 2015:
Wielansky is an undersized 5-foot-9, 125-pound middle infielder who demonstrated soft hands, quick footwork and a clean exchange with some range. All of his throws were accurate and as he continues to fill out his frame should see a spike in velocity (top throw was 72-mph).  He seemed to have good instincts to compliment his fielding ability. At the plate, Wielansky keeps his hands inside the ball with a level, controlled swing. He showed ability to effectively use the opposite field. Similar to this throws, as he continues to physically mature, his mechanics lead us to think his bat speed will increase and he will be a consistent hitter. On the mound, Wielansky comes from a ¾ arm slot with long, quick arm action and showed ability to command three pitches. His fastball topped out at 78-mph with late sink action. He also showed a 11-to-6 breaking ball (68-71 mph) and a 70-72 mph change up with some cut action, both off-speed pitches thrown with near fastball arm speed.

  

Position Players: (in alphabetical order)
Logan Anderson, MIF, Ft. Zumwalt West, Class of 2015:
In the infield, Anderson shows a good approach to the ball, with aggressive movements and a quick, clean exchange. He has short, quick arm action with accurate throws (top throw of 74-mph) across the field. At the plate, Anderson has a open stance with a level, long swing that showed some glimpses of power. He had the tendency to drift forward at times; when he stayed back he showed good bat control. He had a top exit velocity of 83-mph off the bat. As he continues to mature physically and take advantage of his strong lower half, he has the potential to be a power hitter.

 

Jake Bensky, MIF, Ladue HS, Class of 2015:
Bensky is a wiry 6-foot-1, 145-pound middle infielder who showed quick footwork to the ball with accurate throws across the diamond. At the plate, Bensky has a level swing and showed ability to use all fields. As he continues to fill out his frame and mature physically, Bensky should see progression in his ability and has potential to be an impact player.

 

Tyler Bracht, MIF, Mexico HS, Class of 2015:
Bracht is a talented, athletic 5-foot-9, 140-pound middle infielder who shows some promise as he continues to progress. In the field, he shows range and good lateral movement at shortstop. He displays soft hands and good glove work, with quick arm speed and a top throw of 76-mph across the field. At the plate he has good rhythm and uses a smooth, easy load along with quick hands. Bracht takes a slight uphill bat path that creates a consistent line drive swing.

  

Dalton Conrad, MIF, Sullivan HS, Class of 2015:
Conrad is an athletic looking 5-foot-10, 140-pound middle infielder who showed athleticism to the ball showing sure, confident hands. He displayed a quick exchange and loose arm action with a top throw of 73-mph across the diamond. At the plate, Conrad has a balanced stance with a short stride. When he extended through contact, he showed ability to drive the ball. With consistent extension, he should find consistency his swing.

 

Steven Deckard, SS/3B, Francis Howell North HS, Class of 2015:
Deckard has a strong bodied, 6-foot-1, 190-pound frame and showed very well in the field and at the plate. In the field, Deckard shows quick footwork to the baseball with soft hands and a quick, clean exchange. He plays through the ball while showing good arm speed and a top throw of 78-mph. At the plate, Deckard has strong, quick hands and uses a strong lower half to generate bat speed. He takes a short path to the ball with a level swing plane, extension through contact, and an uphill finish. He also showed some power in his swing, as evidenced by his 84-mph exit velocity off the bat.

 

Neil Fischer, 1B/3B, Vianney, Class of 2015:
Fischer is a 6-foot-3, 170-pound first baseman who features an athletic, lanky body type. At the plate, Fischer has a balanced setup; he features a smooth load and a good lower half that helps him generate some bat speed. He showed ability to hit the ball to all fields, with a top exit velocity of 80-mph off the bat. At first base, Fischer showed to be a confident fielder with good hands and footwork while turning double plays and accurate throws.

 

Doug Hatfalvi, MIF, CBC, Class of 2015:
Hatfalvi is an athletic 5-foot-10, 165-pound switch hitting middle infielder. From the right side of the plate, Hatfalvi showed quick hand speed and a level swing with extension through contact, showing ability to use all fields. From the left side, he was able to consistently hit the top half of the ball, and showed ability to effectively pull the baseball. In the infield, Hatfalvi showed quick, aggressive movements to the baseball and sure hands, with range to his forehand side. His top throw across the infield was 78-mph.

 

PJ Hedman, OF, Eureka HS, Class of 2015:
In the outfield, Hedman showed quick footwork to the ball and a strong arm (81-mph) that should continue to get stronger as he gets stronger. At the plate, Hedman displayed quick hands and some bat speed. The 5-foot-11, 165-pound Hedman was able to hit gap-to-gap. He did get under the ball a bit, if he can stay on top he has ability to be a consistent line drive hitter. Hedman also had a top exit velocity of 81-mph off the bat.

 

Marcos Martinez, MIF, CBC, Class of 2015:
Martinez showed some athleticism in the infield with quick footwork, soft hands, and short, quick arm action. His throws were all on a line and accurate, with a top throw of 76-mph. The 5-foot-6, 180-pound Martinez also showed good lateral movements to the ball. At the plate, Martinez has a quiet setup and his swing path stays level through extension creating a line drive swing. He showed ability to hit the ball gap to gap. Martinez also recorded one of the top home to first times, a 4.44

 

Jack McClure, MIF, Lafayette HS, Class of 2015:
McClure is an undersized 5-foot-6, 135-pound middle infielder who showed good lateral movement to both sides, giving a max effort on all balls hit to him. He had a top velocity of 75-mph across the infield with long, loose arm action. At the plate, McClure keeps his hands inside the ball with the ability to spray it to all fields.

 

Austin Mischel, MIF, Parkway Central HS, Class of 2015:
Mischel is an athletic 5-foot-11, 145-pound middle infielder who showed quick movements to the ball and sure hands. He has long arm action, at times slinging the ball across the field. With shorter, quicker arm action he should see more consistency in his throws. Offensively, Mischel has a smooth load with balance throughout his swing, showing ability to make consistent contact.

 

Joseph Murray, OF, Waynesville HS, Class of 2015:
In the outfield, the 5-foot-10, 170-pound Murray shows controlled movements to the ball with sure hands and a clean transfer. He has long arm action with a top throw of 72-mph. At the plate, Murray has a closed stance and uses a strong upper body to produce a long swing that takes an uphill bat path. He showed ability to make consistent contact with some glimpses of power.

 

Colin Pecoraro, C/OF, Ft. Zumwalt West, Class of 2015:
Pecoraro is a strong bodied 6-foot, 185-pound player who recently began catching, and looks to have some ability behind the plate as he continues to progress. Behind the plate, Pecoraro has a wide, balanced base and showed ability to handle pitches in all parts of the zone, receiving with a firm wrist. He also showed good instincts and body control while blocking during bullpens. Pecoraro showed a clean transfer, with pop times ranging from 2.14 to 2.28. At the plate, the left handed hitting Pecoraro has a balanced stance with a short stride and smooth load. He has  looseness in his swing and a strong lower half which helps to generate explosive bat speed through the zone, showing pull side power. Additionally, he had a top exit velocity of 81-mph off the bat.

 

John Smith, OF, DeSmet, Class of 2015:
Smith has a lanky 6-foot-1, 170-pound frame. Offensively, he showed quick hands with a long, level line drive swing, creating some barrel whip through the zone. When he extended through contact, he was much more consistent driving the ball. In the outfield, Smith showed good range while getting to the ball quickly with soft hands. Smith is coming off of arm surgery a few months ago and did not throw, but should be ready for the high school season.

 

Zachary Smith, 1B/3B, Ft. Zumwalt West HS, Class of 2015:
Smith has an strong 5-foot-10, 185-pound frame who showed good footwork and a sure glove at first base while turning double plays. At the plate, Smith has strong hands and some looseness in his swing, with good bat control and a level path to the ball. He showed ability to hit the ball to all fields, and had a top exit velocity of 82-mph off the bat, leading us to believe there is some power in his swing.

 

Tommy Zoellner, 1B/3B, CBC, Class of 2015:
Zoellner is a well built 6-foot-3, 215-pound corner infielder who at third base displayed quick instincts, good approach to the ball, and a quick transfer, delivering accurate throws across the diamond, with a top throw of 71-mph. At the plate, Zoellner has a balanced stance with a long stride and good rhythm. He looks to have strong hands and looseness in his swing, creating some barrel whip through the zone. His bat takes a slightly uphill bat path, showing ability to hit line drives, with some power potential, as evidenced by his 86-mph exit velocity. With his size and strength, Zoellner could find some consistent power as he continues to progress.

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