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Elite Prospect Showcase Analysis: Middle Infielders

November 7, 2014

By Jacob Gill
Philadelphia Region Director of Scouting

The 2014 Elite Prospect Showcase took place Saturday, November 1st at Keystone State Baseball Academy in Manheim, PA with 56 prospects from three states displaying their skills. The following is a look at the middle infielders, sorted alphabetically by graduation class.

Class of 2016


Matt Brooks, SS/RHP, Spring Grove Area HS, PA
6.94 60-yard dash, 85-mph IF arm, 84-mph exit velo
Click here for Sunday's article featuring Brooks as one of the event's top performers.

Noah Clement, SS, Roman Catholic HS, PA
7.04 60-yard dash, 84-mph IF arm, 80-mph exit velo
Clement's athleticism was evident defensively, as he exhibited good feet and hands, a whippy arm action and the ability to throw accurately from multiple arm angles. In his BP round, the 5-foot-9, 170-pounder started slightly open and strode to square and wide. A short raise of his hands in his load got him to a good launch position, from which point he took a short path to the ball, flashing good bat speed and staying inside the ball well.

Andrew Corso, 2B/RHP, Hempfield HS, PA
7.44 60-yard dash, 81-mph IF arm, 78-mph exit velo
Corso showed solid feet and hands and got the ball across the diamond with ease. His 6-foot-3, 200-pound frame caused him to play a bit more upright than some players of shorter stature, which had him fielding the ball deep at times. Offensively, he took loose, easy swings throughout his BP round. He has a high back elbow and a little bit of length, while his eyes stay level and the ball comes off the bat well. Click here for a recap of Corso's bullpen session.

Nate Fassnacht, SS, Ephrata HS, PA
91-mph IF arm, 85-mph exit velo (RHH), 81-mph exit velo (LHH)
Click here for Sunday's article featuring Fassnacht as one of the event's top performers.

Greg Grandelli, 2B/RHP, Roman Catholic HS, PA
7.35 60-yard dash, 81-mph IF arm, 82-mph exit velo
Grandelli showed well defensively, with playable actions and good hands. At the plate, he starts open and takes a quick leg kick to get himself to square. The 6-foot, 180-pounder has a high back elbow, while his head and body come forward with his stride. He showed some length when attacking balls down in the zone, while staying on top of elevated pitches well. Click here for a recap of Grandelli's bullpen session.

Bayley Jamanis, 2B/RHP, Lancaster Catholic HS, PA
7.60 60-yard dash, 85-mph IF arm, 86-mph exit velo
Jamanis compensated for sitting back on ground balls by exhibiting among the best feet and hands at the event. When forced to come get a slow roller, he showed an ability to make plays on the move. The 6-foot, 170-pounder starts from a slightly open stance and strides to square. He stays on top of the ball, exhibits good bat speed, and remains balanced throughout this swing. Click here for a recap of Jamanis' bullpen session.

Riley McGinley, SS, R/R, Owen J Roberts HS, PA
6.93 60-yard dash, 78-mph IF arm, 82-mph exit velo
While his stature (5-foot-9, 155-pounds) and arm strength may portend a move to the other side of the bag at the next level, McGinley bounced around defensively, exhibiting good hands and a quick release. Offensively, he starts slightly open and strides to square. He drops his hands to launch and has a bit of an armbar, which combine to create a bit of stiffness and some loop to his swing, but he did show a feel for consistently barreling the baseball in BP.

Kenny McKeever, 2B, R/R, Northern York HS, PA
7.26 60-yard dash, 74-mph IF arm, 84-mph exit velo
McKeever has the potential to be a very good defender at the next level. He showcased excellent feet, fielded the ball out front, and his arm strength appeared to play better than its velocity because he worked through his throws well. The 5-foot-11, 150-pounder starts from a slightly knock-kneed stance and strides to a wide base, which, at times, has him off balance. He gets his foot down early, and flashed some bat speed, while taking a short path and staying inside the ball.

Class of 2017


Alex Bendzlowicz, SS, Central Bucks South HS (PA)
7.29 60-yard dash, 82-mph IF arm, 84-mph exit velo
Bendzlowicz showed improved arm strength from the summer with solid feet and an ability to make the slow roller play. Offensively, he has raised his hands in his stance, so they are now traveling a much shorter distance to get to his launch point. He starts his 6-foot, 180-pound frame with a wide base, takes a short, negative stride, and works down into the zone.

Tim Dezzi, SS, Clearview Regional (NJ)
7.08 60-yard dash, 84-mph IF arm, 80-mph exit velo
Dezzi showcased good feet and hands on defense, while playing below the baseball well. His whippy arm action generated solid arm strength, although some effort throwing to the radar gun caused the occasional errant toss. The 5-foot-11, 175-pounder starts open and strides to square with a high back elbow and hands in a good launch position. He tends to spin a little bit, but maintains good balance and shows the ability to drive the baseball when he stays through the zone long enough.

Christian Fedko, SS, Vincentian Academy (PA)
7.43 60-yard dash, 85-mph IF arm, 78-mph exit velo
Fedko showed solid feet and hands, plus good arm strength from an over-the-top slot, while gaining ground well toward his target. The 5-foot-11, 175-pounder employs a big back-to-front leg kick to take himself from open and narrow to square and wide. A barrel wrap necessitates some length in his swing, but he has bat speed and stays through contact well. He attacks the baseball and has a chance to hit for some pop (exit velo has been up to 84-mph in the past).

Brandon Miller, 2B, Wilson Area (PA)
7.11 60-yard dash, 80-mph IF arm, 82-mph exit velo
Miller featured a long, whippy arm action coupled with good feet and hands on defense. The 5-foot-10, 155-pounder starts slightly open and strides to square with his hands in a good launch position. At times, he was late to get his front foot down due to striding on his toe with his heel in the air. When he was on time, he stayed on top of the ball and got extension through contact.

Anthony Ruggieri, SS, North Hills (PA)
7.07 60-yard dash, 78-mph IF arm, 80-mph exit velo
Ruggieri showed good feet and a whippy arm action, while tending to field the ball off the right side of his 5-foot-11, 155-pound frame. At the plate, he starts with an open stance and toe-taps to square, while staying inside the ball well with a slightly uphill path.

Nick Stoner, SS/RHP, Elizabethtown (PA)
6.81 60-yard dash, 82-mph IF arm, 81-mph exit velo
Click here for Sunday's article featuring Stoner as one of the event's top performers.

Jake Swank, SS, Portage Area (PA)
7.48 60-yard dash, 78-mph IF arm, 77-mph exit velo
Swank showcased solid infield actions, although his current arm strength is more suited for second base than shortstop. The 5-foot-11, 170-pounder starts with low hands and raises them to launch. He employs a quick toe-tap and his head stays fairly still throughout his swing, although he would benefit from controlling his stride more to more consistently stay on balance.

Peter Vaccaro, SS, Oley Valley (PA)
7.47 60-yard dash, 79-mph IF arm, 82-mph exit velo
Vaccaro exhibited good feet defensively, and, while he would benefit from shortening his release time (he wound up to make throws across the diamond), he played through his throws well. At the plate, he employs a medium leg kick and loads his hands to a good launch position. The 5-foot-9, 170-pounder attacks the ball with a pull-oriented, slightly uphill stroke.

Class of 2018


Roberto Barranca, 2B, Dallastown Area (PA)
7.12 60-yard dash, 70-mph IF arm, 72-mph exit velo

Sky Duff, 2B, Bishop Eustace Prep (NJ)
7.52 60-yard dash, 81-mph IF arm, 77-mph exit velo

Click here for Monday's article on Barranca, Duff, and the four other freshman participants.


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