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Eau Claire Prospect Identification 7.16.13: Event Analysis

July 25, 2013

By Steve Nielsen
Scouting Director - Wisconsin

Today we break down the Prospect Identification Showcase in Eau Claire by highlighting the top five overall prospects as well as the best of the rest. Logan Berg stood out as the top overall prospect as the lanky left-hander showcase an 84 mph fastball with a clean, athletic arm action. Drew Steinmetz also made a name for himself as maybe one of the top defensive middle infielders in the Class of 2014. Here's a look at the scouting reports from the top prospects at the event.

Top Overall Prospects

1. Logan Berg, LHP, Eau Claire North, 2014
Athletic frame with length, 6-foot, 170-pounds. Delivery works out of a tall and fall approach, some rhythm, stays online. Arm action is clean, shows regular effort, loose quick arm from a high ¾ arm slot. Fastball has run, flashes hard action, 82-84 mph, showed command of the zone. Curveball has 11/5 action, flashes sharp bite, thrown with near fastball arm action, showed control, tight spin, 67-69 mph. Change up has arm side run, showed command, fastball arm speed, 75-76 mph. Berg is one of the top left handed pitcher in the Class of 2014. He showed a loose arm action that works well and has projectability. Berg is a high follow in Wisconsin and looks to be a high level recruit in the state.

2. Drew Steinmetz, SS, Chippewa Falls, 2014
Athletic build, 5-foot-11, 175-pound middle infielder. Steinmetz looks to be one of the better infield defenders in the 2014 class. Defensively shows advanced defensive actions, his transfer is quick and clean and can release the baseball from multiple angles. Displayed soft hands, fields the baseball athletically with quick hands, and plays through the baseball well. Arm showed carry and accuracy with a loose athletic arm action. Showed body control with the ability to play on the move. Offensively hits from a balanced setup, short stride, minimal load. Showed above average bat speed, 84 mph exit velocity, gap to gap tendencies, lacked pre pitch rhythm. Steinmetz looks to be one of the better middle infielders in his class. He possesses above average athleticism, 7.02 runner and should be a highly sought after defender.

3. Luke Eide, RHP, Osseo-Fairchild, 2015
Solid build, strong lower half, 6-foot, 200-pound right handed pitcher. Tall and fall style delivery, minimal effort, smooth delivery, works on line with an athletic finish. High ¾ arm slot, loose arm action, showed quickness. Fastball sat at 77-79 mph, pounded the zone working downhill, mostly straight with a heavy feel. Curveball had 11/5 action, gradual bend, 59-62 mph, showed control. Change up had occasional sink, mostly straight, 59-62 mph, decelerated arm action.

4. Tyler Moua, MIF, La Crosse Logan, 2015
5-foot-8, 155-pound middle infielder, smaller build. Offensively worked from a tall setup with a narrow open stance, arm bar load. Simple approach, maintains excellent balance throughout. Short bat path, occasionally flat through contact, gap to gap hitter, lacks top hand, excellent rhythm throughout. Athletic hitter, 78 mph exit velocity. Defensively showed a playable arm across the diamond, 67 mph arm strength, showed accuracy and stayed on line from an over the top slot, tall release point. 7.46 runner in the 60.

5. Drake Durham, LHP/1B/OF, New Richmond, 2016
Long lanky frame, 6-foot-1, 175-pound left handed pitcher. On the mound used a deceptive delivery, sweeping leg lift, little effort. Arm action is long, high ¾ slot, some quickness. Fastball showed erratic life, mostly sink with occasional run and cut, 75-77 mph, topped out at 79 mph. Change showed excellent action, above average feel, showed command at 65-67 mph, fastball arm action. Curveball worked on 11/5 plane, 60-62 mph. Offensively hits from the left side, open stance, long stride, arm bar load. Flashes raw pull side power, lower half works hard, bat speed present, 69 mph exit velocity. High follow 2016, highly projectable.

Best of the Rest (Listed Alphabetically)

Jacob Giordana, OF, Hudson, 2014
6-foot-1, 180-pound outfielder, athletic frame, 6.99 runner. Defensively showed a playable arm, 77 mph from the outfield, showed accuracy and stayed on line. At the plate hits from a slightly open stance, wider than most, short stride. Showed bat speed, 77 mph exit velocity from the tee, pull side approach, occasional pop.

Jensen Hinton, C/RHP, La Crosse Logan, 2015
6-foot, 175-pound left handed hitting catcher, athletic lanky build. Defensively showed excellent fundamentals blocking the baseball, clean exchange, hesitant transfer, fluid footwork. Arm action is short, over the top slot, showed accuracy, 2.08-2.22 pop times, 70 mph arm strength from the crouch. Offensively hits from the left side, open stance, short stride. Lower half has little involvement, solid balance, quiet approach. Short bat path, 72 mph exit velocity from the tee. On the mound worked from a high 3/4 arm slot, short loose arm action, delivery showed little effort, tall and fall approach. Fastball was mostly straight, showed control, 77-78 mph touching 81 mph. Curveball flashed 12/6 plane, 63-65 mph, gradual bend with control. Slider sat at 67-70 mph flashing downward action. Showed a straight change, 75-76 mph, lacked deception, occasionally cuts, better velocity split from fastball will see better results.

Caleb Hurt, C, Eau Claire North, 2015
Sturdy build, solid lower half, wide shouldered, 6-foot, 195-pound catcher. Hits from a balanced stance, short stride. Shows strength at the plate, lower half works. Bat speed present, 79 mph exit velocity from the tee, level path, gap to gap approach, showed the ability to make hard contact. Defensively used a short over the top arm action, 70 mph from the crouch, accurate arm. Showed solid footwork retrieving the bunt, 7.34 runner. Posted 2.26-2.36 pop times.

Sam Kohnle, 1B, Kewanee, 2015
Solid build, 6-foot-1, 185-pound, right handed first baseman. Hits from an open stance, short stride. Lower half showed involvement, gap to gap tendencies, showed barrel awareness, occasional pull pop. Showed solid defensive mechanics, hands worked, showed awareness around the bag, above average footwork. Arm played from a high ¾ slot, long action with accuracy. 67 mph across the diamond.

Josh Lisney, RHP/SS, La Farge, 2014
Smaller frame, 5-foot-5, 160-pound two way player. On the mound works from a high ¾ arm slot with regular effort. Fastball displayed well above average run, showed control, 72-74 mph. Curveball worked on 11/5 plane at 66-67 mph. Flashed a slider at 65-66 mph, lateral rotation. Change up featured sink, showed control, fastball similar arm speed, 68 mph. Defensively arm played at 68 mph across the diamond, showed the ability to make a clean exchange with solid hands. Offensively hits from a balanced stance, slight bat wrap load, long stride. Barrel works uphill on occasion, lays barrel back early in swing. Line drive approach with occasional gap to gap tendencies. 7.76 runner.

Juan Moreno, MIF, Appleton West, 2014
5-foot-8, 175-pound middle infielder. Defensively flashed some defensive actions, exchange was clean, showed the ability to play through the baseball. Arm action is short, high ¾ slot, occasional carry, 72 mph across the diamond. 7.29 runner in the 60. Offensively hits from an open stance, short stride, smooth load. Lower half worked, showed balance, uphill tendencies, some whip. Showed the ability to make quick adjustments.

Connor Nelson, RHP/1B, La Crescent-Hokah, 2015
6-foot-3, 185-pound two way player, athletic frame, long arms. On the mound worked from a high ¾ arm slot, long arm action, easy effort. Fastball sat 73-75 mph, touched 77, showed command, some run down in the zone. Curveball had 11/5 action, 62-64 mph. Slider showed similar action to curveball, lacked identity, flashed action at 65-66 mph. Change up sat at 59-63  mph. Hits from a wide stance, slightly open, short stride. Solid balance throughout, level path, 74 mph exit velocity.

Zach Slowiak, MIF, Chippewa Falls, 2014
Average build, 5-foot-8, 155-pound left handed hitting middle infielder. Defensively showed above average defensive actions, hands played well. Showed an athletic arm action, ability to release the baseball on the move, 68 mph across the diamond, high ¾ slot. At the plate hits from the left side, tall stance, narrow setup, high back elbow, smooth load with short stride. Lower half worked, bat speed present, uphill path, above average contact, 75 mph exit velocity from the tee.

Sam Sorensen, MIF, Chippewa Falls McDonnell, 2014
Sorensen is a 5-foot-9, 175-pound middle infielder. Defensively showed solid hands, with an accurate arm across the diamond. Showed the ability to play on the move, 65 mph across the diamond. Offensively hits from the right side, toe tap trigger. Showed the ability to hit where pitched, showed occasional barrel awareness, short path, late timing, occasional opposite field approach. 7.18 runner, 77 mph exit velocity from the tee.

Evan Smaby, C/MIF, Melrose Mindoro, 2014
5-foot-8, 160-pound catcher. Defensively he showed a highly accurate arm from an over the top slot with a traditional short catchers arm action. He posted pop times of 2.26-2.33, with a 71 mph arm from the crouch. Showed above average foot speed for a catcher, 7.03 runner. Offensively hits from a wide stance, balanced setup, short stride. Level bat path, occasional line drive approach, 68 mph exit velocity.

Nathan Thyssen, OF, Kimberly, 2014
Shows strength, 5-foot-11, 180-pound left handed hitting outfielder. Hits from an open stance, smooth load, short leg lift stride. Lower half worked, showed balance throughout. Bat speed present, some pull side tendencies, flashed pull side pop, 81 mph exit velocity, made hard contact throughout his round. Defensively uses a long arm action at 78 mph from the outfield. Used a two handed funnel action in the outfield, above average feet, 7.01 runner, doesn’t play through the baseball.

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