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Top Prospect Games: Team Columbia Blue Analysis

June 25, 2013

By Ethan Silverman
Missouri Scouting Director

The Class of 2015 and 2016 Top Prospect Games had a number of players who turned in top level performances over two days. The following is an analysis of the skill and ability of members of Team Columbia Blue.

Dylan Jones, INF/OF, Parkway South, Class of 2015:
Jones is a 5-foot-11, 155-pound multi-positional player who impressed with quality rounds of batting practice, as well as play in the field. At the plate, Jones displayed looseness in his hands and a smooth, level swing with some bat speed that produced consistent line drives. As his frame continues to fill out, there looks to be some potential for power in his bat. In the outfield, Jones shows fluid footwork to the ball with a quick exchange while playing through the ball and a top throw of 76-mph.

Mitch Mobley, RHP/OF, Kirkwood HS, Class of 2015:
On the mound, the 5-foot-10, 157-pound Mobley displayed a quick, loose arm and good movement on all of his pitches. His fastball was 78-82 mph with hard sink and run action. Mobley’s breaking ball (62-64 mph) had 11-to-5 shape with gradual two plane break and his change up (70-72 mph) showed some cut action. He was a bit erratic at times, and with some more use of his legs could probably find a bit more control. In the outfield, Mobley displayed a strong, accurate arm with a top throw of 84 mph. He moves quickly to the ball and all of his throws were on a line. Offensively, Mobley takes a slightly uphill path to the ball, at times getting out in front. When he kept his weight back, he showed good ability to barrel up the ball and drive it.

Mike Million, INF/OF/C, CBC, Class of 2015:
Million is a solidly built 5-foot-10, 150-pound player who showed ability to play multiple positions and play them all well. Behind the plate, Million showed ability to receive and stick balls in all parts of the zone as well as fundamental blocking mechanics. His pop times ranged from 1.91 to 1.99, with good footwork and a quick exchange. In the outfield, Million is aggressive to the ball with good range. He gets a good jump on the ball and gets in good position to throw to his target with accurate throws. His top throw was 84-mph. In the infield, Million has smooth fielding mechanics and sure hands. He fields the ball cleanly with a clean transfer, quick release, and accuracy (top throw of 80-mph). At the plate, Million has an open stance and takes a hard but controlled swing. He shows some pull side power for a player of his size, as indicated by is 86-mph exit velocity off the bat.

Michael Wielansky, MIF/RHP, Ladue HS, Class of 2015:
While a bit undersized at 5-foot-9, 125-pounds, Wielansky has advanced tools in the field, and as his frame fills out, he could turn into a top level fielder. We have had numerous college coaches inquire about Wielanky at this juncture in his career. In the field, Wielansky has good range to both sides with quick footwork and soft hands. He fields his position well with soft hands, a clean, quick transfer, and quick arm speed. His top throw was 79-mph. At the plate, Wielansky has good rhythm with a controlled, level swing that consistently makes contact with the ball. On the mound, Wielansky commands all three of his pitches, including a 78-81 mph fastball with late arm side run, a 65-69 mph breaking ball with 11-to-5 shape thrown with fastball arm speed, and a 72-74 mph change up that stays down in the zone.

John Howard, RHP/3B/C, Clayton HS, Class of 2015:
Howard is an athletic 6-foot, 180-pound two way player. We believe his future is on the mound, where he displays repeatable mechanics with good tempo, and the ability to consistently throw strikes. Howard had one of the top arms, with his fastball topping at 85-mph with late life and hard arm side run. His breaking ball (66-69 mph) had 10-to-4 shape with tight spin and late two plane break thrown with fastball arm speed. Howard’s change up could be his out pitch, throw in the 70-73 mph range with late arm side movement and producing plenty of swings and misses. In the field, Howard shows some athleticism and sure hands. He has a strong, quick arm (81-mph across the diamond) and accuracy. Behind the plate, Howard’s top pop time was 2.03 with a velocity of 78-mph and he showed ability to receive and block, all in all showing good fundamentals. At the plate, Howard has looseness in his hands and quick bat speed. His swing is long and level with extension through contact and ability to hit the ball to all fields.

Peter Klug, 1B/OF, DeSmet HS, Class of 2015:
Klug is a strong bodied 6-foot, 200-pound left handed hitter with an extremely strong lower half who impressed during batting practice with quick hand speed through the zone while taking a short, uphill path to the ball and driving hit hard to the right side. He shows good extension through contact with some glimpses of power. Klug’s top exit velocity off the bat was 80-mph. While he plays both first base and outfield, Klug projects as a first baseman showing concise footwork and ability to come off the bag while turning double plays with accuracy.

Matt Donahoe, INF, Chaminade, Class of 2015
Donahoe has a lanky 6-foot-2, 162-pound frame and primarily plays middle infield, though he projects better at one of the corner infield positions. In the middle infield, Donahoe shows fluid footwork and sure hands while playing through the ball with accurate throws to first (70-71 mph). At the plate, Donahoe has a slightly open stance and some rhythm. He showed the tendency to hit off his front foot at times, but does a good job of keeping his hands back and producing a level swing.

Mark Gorman, CIF/RHP, Chaminade, Class of 2015:
Gorman has a projectable 6-foot-4, 210-pound frame who, with further progression, showed some tools that could carry over to college ball in a few years. At the plate, Gorman has strong hands and looseness in his swing that creates some barrel whip through the zone. He has a strong upper half and showed ability to drive the ball and use the middle of the field well. At third base, Gorman fields the ball cleanly, with long, over the top arm action and accuracy in his throws. Gorman also showed ability to throw two pitches on the mound. His fastball topped at 79-mph with late sink action, while his breaking ball had 11-to-5 shape and was thrown in the 66-71 mph range. If he can find some more command of his pitches, he could effectively be used in a middle relief role, and with his frame, we have to think he could see a spike in velocity with some fine-tuning.

Bryan Nolan, LHP/OF, SLUH, Class of 2015:
Nolan is a projectable 6-foot-1, 163-pound left hand pitcher who, as his frame fills, out has potential to be a front of the line starter. On the mound, Nolan comes from a high ¾ arm slot with a long, loose arm. He showed ability to consistently throw strikes with all of his pitches. While his velocity was a bit down due to some soreness in his arm (topped out at 77-mph), he showed an effective fastball thrown on both sides of the plate with arm side movement. His breaking ball had gradual two plane break in the 60-62 mph range and stayed down in the zone. In the outfield, Nolan finds the ball quickly and keeps his momentum toward his target with good footwork. His throws were accurate (top throw of 78-mph) and on a line. At the plate, Nolan showed improvement in his swing mechanics from his last showcase with good rhythm, fast bat speed and a level bat path that produced line drives to all fields.

John Cihota, LHP/1B, SLUH, Class of 2015:
The 6-foot-1, 175-pound Cihota showed ability to throw strikes on the mound and keep hitters off balance by effectively changing speeds. He doesn’t throw hard, (72-75 mph) but pounds all parts the zone. His fastball has late arm side movement while his 65-66 mph breaking ball had gradual two plane sweeping movement.  At the plate, the left handed hitter uses his upper half to produce a consistent, slightly uphill swing. With some more use of his lower half, he could generate some more bat speed and power. At first base, Cihota displays good footwork and sure hands around the bag.

Shane Combs, RHP, MICDS, Class of 2015:
Combs has a strong, projectable 6-foot-2, 195-pound pitchers frame. He comes from a high ¾ arm slot with quick arm action, some rhythm, and easy effort. Combs showed one of the top fastballs of the event, topping at 86, with a heavy ball that had hard arm side movement. His breaking ball was one of the best that we saw, when he was able to command it, with tight spin and 11-to-5 movement. His change up is a work in progress, and as he continues to develop it, has the potential to be a top level Class of 2015 pitcher. With some mechanical tweaks, Combs could a consistent lights out arm on the mound.

Josh Estes, C/3B, Vianney, Class of 2015:
Estes is a strong bodied 6-foot-1, 203-pound multi-positional player. While primarily a catcher, Estes also showed some ability at third base. Behind the plate, Estes looks to be a workhorse, showing strong receiving skills and fundamental blocking form. He displays a quick and clean transfer on his throws to second base with a top pop time of 1.94 (76-mph). At third base, where he will see some time during high school ball to keep his bat in the lineup, Estes fields everything out in front while fielding the ball cleanly. He has short arm action and some arm strength with a top throw of 80-mph. Offensively, Estes has a balanced stance and strong, quick hands. His swing is long and powerful, with ability to hit the ball with power to all fields. Estes had one of the hardest hits during game play, a long line drive with backspin carry over the center fielder’s head. Estes also had one of the top exit velocities off the bat at 88-mph.

Michael Bruhin, LHP/OF, Class of 2015:
Bruhin looks to be one of the more projectbale pitchers in the Class of 2015, while showing some ability in the outfield highlighted by a strong arm, but his future will be on the mound. The 6-foot-1, 185-pound lefty thrower comes from a high ¾ arm slot with a quick, loose arm. His fastball shows good life jumping out of his hand, sitting 84-85 mph and topping at 86 with hard sink action. He also displayed an 11-to-5 breaking ball thrown in the 66-69 mph range with two plane break and a 71-72 mph change up thrown with near fastball arm speed that had some arm side run and depth. Bruhin has the potential to be the top left-handed pitcher in the Class of 2015. In the outfield, Bruhin moves well to the ball and does a good job of keeping his momentum toward his target, with a top throw of 85-mph. At the plate, Bruhin has a long swing with a uphill bat path, and when he barreled the ball, hit it hard, with a top exit velocity of 82-mph off the bat.

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