Today, we recap the top prospects from the Class of 2015 at the Pre-Season Underclass Showcase II in Dayton, Ohio. 

1. Nick Conner, OF/RHP, Dublin Scioto, 2015
Athletic, strong body 6'3" 200 who offers solid two-shot potential. Ran a 5.22 40 yard dash. The righty slugger hits from an open stance and squares front side well. Good load, bat is quick into the zone (81 mph bat velo) with long finish. He will increase his power potential with some lower body torque enhancement. Defensively, has active actions with good hands and an over the top 84 mph arm velocity. On the mound, the right-hander uses quick arm action through a high ¾ arm slot. He displays an easy fastball that sits at 80-81 mph and shows some run. He shows a 60-63 mph slider with late 11/5 break. His changeup is thrown near fastball arm speed and sits between 67-70 mph. It shows some fade, but he lacks complete command. There is definitely more velocity to come with his size and arm speed. 

2. Aron Mowery, SS/RHP, Marysville HS, 2015
Smallish 5'8" 160 body but athletic with quick twitch. Shows good baseball sense for a young player. Ran a 5.23 40 yard dash (concrete surface). Shows very good infield skills with good feet and lateral range. Accepts ball very nicely with 82 mph arm strength from all angles. The righty hitter hits with an open stance, has bat speed (80 mph bat velo) and some upper cut in swing. His bat will enhance more with more lower body torque. On the mound, the right-hander displays quick arm speed through a high ¾ arm slot. His fastball sits 82-83 mph and shows good arm side run. His curveball sits 63-64 mph and shows late, 11/5 break. He throws his changeup near fastball arm speed. It sits 67-72 mph with good fading action.
 
3. Drew Morrison, 1B/LHP, Licking Valley, 2015
Good athletic body with that nervous twitch. The 6'1" 175 has physical projection, ran a 5.44 40 yard dash (concrete) and potentially offers a school a two-shot player. Shows good feet and lateral movement defensively, accepts ball well with a playable 68 mph arm velocity. His bat is his ticket as the switch hitter swings well from both sides, Good hand load and directional path to hitting zone. Shows excellent bat speed (89 mph bat velo). He will enhance his power with some lower half tweaking. On the mound, the southpaw uses quick arm speed and long arm action through a high ¾ arm slot. His velocity sat between 76-79 mph (but, we have seen him into the low 80’s in January). He shows a plus 62-63 mph curveball with sharp 2/6 breaking action. He shows command of a fading 66-68 mph changeup that is thrown near fastball arm speed.

4. Christian Steele, 1B/OF/RHP, Lebanon, 2015
6-foot-5, 195-pound prospect with big, athletic frame. He registered a 5.26 40-yard dash. At the next level, he likely projects as a first baseman, but he has plenty of time to develop and potentially play a corner outfield spot. He uses long arm action through a high ¾ slot to register a top velocity of 72 mph from the outfield. At the plate, the left-handed hitter shows his best tool. He uses a slightly closed stance with a short stride and smooth load. He displays quick bat speed and a slightly uphill path to the ball that produces pull power. He will enhance his swing by incorporating more of his lower half. On the mound, he uses moderate arm speed through a ¾ arm slot. His fastball sits 76-78 mph and shows some life. He displays a gradual 56-58 mph curveball and a 65-70 mph changeup.

5. Dalton Stambaugh, 1B/LHP, Highland Sparta, 2015
6-foot, 200-pound left-handed prospect with big, solid build. Registered a 5.77 40-yard dash. Reached a top velocity of 70 mph in the infield. At the plate, he uses a slightly open stance with a short stride. Shows average bat speed (70 mph) with short, slightly uphill path to the ball. Displays line drive, pull tendencies. On the mound, the southpaw uses a low ¾ arm slot with quick arm speed as his fastball sits 77-79 mph and shows some arm side run. His curveball sits between 68-72 and shows slurvy type movement. His changeup shows similar ASR to his fastball and sits at 64-67 mph.

 

Best of the Rest

Brad Croy, IF/RHP/C, Ottawa-Glandorff, 2015
5-foot-6, 135-pound prospect with small, thin frame. He registered a 6.01 40-yard dash. He has plenty of time to grow and mature, but projects as second base type right now. In the infield, he shows 65 mph velocity with long arm action through a high ¾ slot. Behind the plate, his pop times sat 2.16-2.37 and his velocity reached 63 mph. At the plate, he uses a slightly open stance. He has a tendency to bar his front arm, which creates some drag to his swing. Should improve with increased physical strength and minor adjustments. On the mound, he uses quick arm speed while sitting 71-74 mph with arm side run. His curveball shows little movement and sits at 61 mph. His changeup shows similar run to his fastball and sits 62-64 mph.

Cody Arwood, RHP, Sandusky, 2015
Young prospect with a tall, soft build. Uses short arm action in the field to reach a top velocity of 66 mph. At the plate, he shows average bat speed with a flat path to the ball. He registered a 5.94 40-yard dash.

Collin Moeller, OF, Troy, 2015
6-foot-1,150-pound prospect with lanky build. Registered a 5.20 40-yard dash. In the field, he uses short arm action through an over the top arm slot to reach a top velocity of 70 mph. Tends to be stiff and needs to play through the ball. At the plate, he uses a tall, narrow stance with a slightly open setup. He uses a flat path to the ball.

Colin Culbertson, 1B/RHP, Bellbrook, 2015
6-foot-2, 139-pound prospect with thin build. Registered a 5.73 40-yard dash. In the field, he needs to improve his footwork around the bag. Reached a top velocity of 60 mph. At the plate, he shows average to below average bat speed. Needs to improve physical strength. Takes a short, level path to the ball.

Cole Brandenburg, RHP/3B, Miamisburg, 2015
5-foot-9, 155-pound prospect with small, athletic build. Shows moderate arm speed through ¾ to high ¾ arm slot. His fastball sits 78-81 with arm side run. He uses a slider that sits at 72-73 mph and stays on one plane. His changeup is thrown near fastball arm speed and sits at 75-76 mph. Interesting follow if he continues to develop his physical strength and off-speed pitches.

Dylan Shockley, C, Minford, 2015
5-foot-9, 180-pound catcher with small, sold build. He registered a 5.89 40-yard dash. From the crouch, his pop time sits at 2.11 to 2.28 seconds while his top velocity reached 67 mph. At the plate, he uses an open stance with a short stride. He uses a short, quick path to the ball that produces a line drive swing with pull tendencies.

Evan McDonald, C/3B, Logan Elm, 2015
6-foot, 160-pound prospect with an average build. He registered a 5.56 40-yard dash. From the crouch, he registered a 2.08-2.21 pop time along with a top velocity of 70 mph. in the infield, he uses short arm action through a high ¾ arm slot to reach a top velocity of 73 mph. Shows flat footwork and tends to field the ball deep. At the plate, he shows some potential with a balance setup, short stride, and quick bat speed. Produces gap-to-gap type swing with some occasional power.

Gabe Surgeon, LHP, Crestwood-Mantua, 2015
5-foot-9, 165-pound left-handed pitcher with small, thin build. Uses above average arm action through a high ¾ arm slot. Fastball sits 72-74. Curveball sits 58-60 mph with 1/7, sharp breaking action. Changeup is thrown near fastball arm speed and sits at 63-65 mph.

Graham Parsley, C, Granville, 2015
5-foot-11, 175-pound prospect with soft build. Registered a 5.77 40-yard dash. From the crouch, he held a consistent 2.42-2.44 pop time and a top velocity of 67 mph. At the plate, he shows pull tendencies in his swing with average bat speed. Needs to better incorporate his lower half and increase physical strength.

Hunter Ackerman, OF, Madison Comprehensive, 2015
6-foot-2, 185-pound prospect has a tall, athletic build with room to fill out. Registered a 5.19 40-yard dash. Uses a short stride and short, uphill path to the ball. Displays fluid rhythm to swing, but could enhance with more use of lower half. Shows line drive tendencies with power potential. In the field, he uses short arm action through a ¾ arm slot while reaching a top velocity of 71 mph. Needs to play through the baseball.  

Justin Haerr, IF/RHP, Kenton Ridge, 2015
5-foot-8, 140-pound prospect with small frame. Registered a 5.40 40-yard dash. From the outfield, he shows long arm action through a high ¾ arm slot while reaching a top velocity of 75 mph. At the plate, he displays a lot of movement in his swing that leads to a lack of consistency. Shows below average bat speed and a short path to the ball. On the mound, he shows average arm speed through a high ¾ arm slot. Fastball is flat and sits at 71-72 mph. Shows some feel for 63-69 mph curveball, but lacks complete command. Changeup is thrown near fastball arm speed and sits at 62-66 mph with some fade.

Kyle Pennington, SS, Wadsworth, 2015
6-foot, 150-pound prospect with a lanky build. Registered a 5.27 40-yard dash. In the infield, shows short arm action while reaching a top velocity of 68 mph. Displays average glovework and needs to improve foot speed. Tends to get tall earlier during his transfer and exchange. At the plate, the right-handed hitter uses a tall setup with a short stride and partial use of the lower half. Takes a short, level path to the ball.

Michael Green, OF/LHP, Wheelersburg, 2015
6-foot, 155-pound prospect with thin frame. Registered a 5.13 40-yard dash. From the outfield, he uses short arm action through a high ¾ arm slot while reaching a top velocity of 73 mph. Needs to play through the ball. At the plate, he sets up in a slight crouch and uses a short stride. Displays rotational foundation to his swing, but only incorporates partial use of the lower half. Shows line drive type production.

Michael Pagano, C/RHP, Pickerington North, 2015
5-foot-10, 165-pound prospect with average, athletic build. Registered a 5.68 40-yard dash. From the crouch, his pop time ranged between 2.35 to 2.53 seconds with a top velocity of 67 mph. At the plate, he uses a slightly open stance with average bat speed while producing consistent line drives. On the mound, he shows moderate arm speed through an upper ¾ arm slot. Fastball sits 76-78 mph. Curveball sits 65-67 mph. Changeup sits at 68 mph.

Nick Williams, LHP, Piketon, 2015
6-foot, 160-pound left-handed pitcher with thin frame. Uses average arm speed and long arm action through a high ¾ arm slot. Fastball shows natural cut and sits at 67-69 mph. Curveball shows gradual 12/6 movement and sits at 58-59 mph. Changeup is erratic, but shows potential with occasional arm side movement while sitting at 62 mph.

Rick Phillips, LHP/OF, Pickerington Central, 2015
5-foot-8, 155-pound prospect has a small, athletic build. Registered a 5.64 40-yard dash. From the outfield, he uses short arm action through a high ¾ arm slot to reach a top velocity of 70 mph. At the plate, he uses a slightly open setup with a smooth load and short stride. He is a contact hitter that sprays line drives to all fields. On the mound, the southpaw

Taylor Lane, C/1B, Oak Hills, 2015
6-foot-1, 157-pound prospect with thin build. Registered a 5.71 40-yard dash. In the infield, he reached a top velocity of 63 mph. From the crouch, he reached a top velocity of 69 mph and registered a pop time between 2.24-2.31. At the plate, he uses a slight crouch from an open stance. He takes a medium size strong with incorporates his lower-half well. Shows a slight, uphill path to the ball. Displays some pop in his swing.

Tyler Ruhl, C/OF, Fredericktown, 2015
5-foot-9, 155-pound prospect with solid, athletic build. Registered a 5.17 40-yard dash. From the crouch, his pop time ranged between 2.2 to 2.25 and he reached a top velocity of 67 mph. Will easily reduce pop time by improve glove to hand exchange. At the plate, the right-handed hitter shows rotational mechanics. Starts with an open stance and takes a short, slight uphill path to the ball. Shows surprising power for his size.

Tyler Shortridge, P/OF, Jackson, 2015
5-foot-10, 142-pound prospect with small, athletic build. Registered a 5.13 40-yard dash. From the outfield, he shows long arm action through a high ¾ arm slot while reaching a top velocity of 72 mph. At the plate, the left-handed hiter uses an athletic, balanced setup. He features a smooth load and easy rhythm to his swing. He displays a line drive swing that should add power as he physically develops. On the mound, the left-hander uses average arm speed through a ¾ arm slot. Shows tendency to wrap his wrist. Fastball is flat and sits 69-72 mph. Curveball sits 60-66 mph with 10/4 movement. Changeup is 64-67 mph with some fade, but tends to slow down his arm speed.

Tyler Spriggs, C/SS, Jackson, 2015
5-foot-8, 145-pound prospect with short build. Registered a 5.7 40-yard dash. In the infield, he shows average hands and needs to improve his foot speed. Reached a top velocity of 67 mph with long arm action through a high ¾ arm slot. From the crouch, he reached a top velocity of 62 mph and his pop time sat between 2.36-2.39. At the plate, he uses a slightly open setup with rotational mechanics. He takes a long path to the ball, but still manages to achieve surprising bat speed (73 mph).

Wade Deffinger, 3B/OF, Oak Hills, 2015
6-foot, 155-pound prospect with thin frame. Registered a 5.12 40-yard dash. In the infield, he needs to improve his hands and foot speed. He reached a top velocity of 62 mph across the infield with short arm action through a high ¾ slot. From the outfield, he reached a top velocity of 71 mph. At the plate, he starts with a slight crouch. He takes a long path to the ball and incorporates partial use of his lower-half.

Zack Jordan, IF, Piketon, 2015
5-foot-8, 130-pound prospect with small, thin frame. Registered a 5.56 40-yard dash. In the infield, he reached a top velocity of 63 mph. At the plate, he starts with a tall, upright stance. Displays partial use of lower-half. Takes short, flat path to the baseball. Still young with plenty of time to improve and get stronger.