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Elite Prospect Showcase Results

November 3, 2013

By Greg Williams
PA Director of Scouting

The Elite Prospect Showcase took place yesterday at B2B Baseball Academy in Manheim, PA with 68 prospects from four states displaying their skills. Following is a look at some of the top performances on the day. A complete analysis of prospects at each position will be coming in the week ahead.

Pitchers

Justin Vardian+ RHP Justin Vardian (Bishop McCort HS) was the 23rd pitcher to toe the rubber out of a total of 25 bullpen sessions on the afternoon. The wait was more than worth it. The 6-foot, 175-pound righty sat 88-89 with a loose arm action and total command of the strike zone. He showed a 77 mph slider and a 75 mph curveball that he threw for strikes and his 76 mph changeup showed arm side run. Vardian made a verbal commitment to Penn State shortly after the completion of the event. Ranked No. 34 in the PA Class of 2014, Vardian becomes the latest in a host of top ranked PA players to make commitments to the Nittany Lions program in the past month.

+ RHP Rhett Jacoby (Parkland HS), ranked No. 46 in the PA Class of 2015, sat at 85 mph with a quality 76 mph slider and a 78 mph changeup. The 6-foot-3, 195-pound righty is free and easy with his arm action and showed no velocity decline out of the stretch.

+ RHP Jacob Potock (Shaler Area HS) sat 85-87 with command of his complimentary pitches. The 6-foot-5, 225-pound righty has an extremely projectable frame with a slider, curveball, changeup mix to compliment a high 3/4 arm slot fastball with arm side run. Potock is ranked No. 47 in the PA Class of 2015.

+ RHP Travis Wickard (Boiling Springs HS) sat 81-82 with a developing 73 mph changeup at 73 mph. The 5-foot-11, 165-pound sophomore has made steady strides in the past six months. Wickard is ranked No. 50 in the PA Class of 2016.

+ SS/RHP Matt Gorman (William Penn Charter HS) served notice that he will be one of the top ranked prospects in the state when the initial Class of 2017 rankings are released in June. The 5-foot-11, 160-pound righty sat 84-85 with late life to his fastball and a two-plane 70 mph curveball. The secondary pitchers showed the potential to be a heavily recruited two-way prospect in the PA Class of 2017.


Position Players

+ C/3B/RHP Zach Minnick (Logan HS) stood out as the top position player in attendance. Minnick showcased 2.00 pop times, down for 1.85 pop times he displayed at previous PBR events in the past six months, with throws of 82 mph from the crouch. Minnick also displayed a bat exit velocity of 94 mph and topped at 87 mph from the mound.

+ C Wes Carson (Marriots Ridge HS, MD) showed a power bat from both sides of the plate with a 95 mph bat exit velocity from the left side and a 91 mph velocity from the right. Carson also turned in a top pop time of 1.95 on throws of 77 mph from the crouch.

+ 3B Connor Hood (Susquehannock HS) showcased athletic actions and a 78 mph arm across the diamond from 3B. The 6-foot, 165-pound right-handed hitter showcased some gap power and a 90 mph bat exit velocity at the plate. Hood is ranked No. 21 in the PA Class of 2016.

Complete results

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