Fall Prospect Showcase: Outfield Analysis
December 10, 2018
The Fall Prospect Showcase took place on Sunday, October 14th at Brazell Field, home of the Grand Canyon Antelopes. The event freshman through junior prospects an opportunity to be evaluated in a college stadium in front of a number of college coaches. The showcase marked the biggest event to date in Arizona, with nearly 140 players registered. This event will become a staple for PBR every October, due to the response and large number of college coaches that travel to the area this week every year. Today, we continue the event coverage with our Outfield Analysis. In our first extended look at 2020 Braden Miltenberger, he grabbed the top spot after a standout round of BP from the left side, combined with an athletic, projectable frame. He's followed by a group of athletic 2021 prospects and high-end 2022 athlete Kaleb Duncan. We also posted tons of brief notes and videos throughout the day on Twitter.
Complete video, data and pictures will be posted soon to players' individual profiles with scouting reports to follow in the coming weeks. As always contact [email protected] or direct message @PBRArizona on Twitter with any questions and/or information.
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Braden Miltenberger OF / LHP / Horizon, AZ / 2020Rankings StateRank: 46 / POS: 7
6-foot-0, 160-pound frame. Lean, athletic build. The switch-hitting two-way prospect got more varsity time on the mound, but showed best as a LHH OF on this look. Shows easy bat speed in the box, starting from a slightly closed setup. Made hard line drive contact during BP and the 79 mph exit velocity was not at all indicative of the type of contact he made. Right-handed swing was more mechanical and rigid, jerking his hands back to load, but still creating a flat bat path and some hard line drive contact. More of a project as RHH. From the OF shows quick twitch actions and solid feet with 77 mph arm strength. Ran solid 7.06 60-yard dash. All testing metrics should tick up with added strength/mass. On the mound, Miltenberger worked exclusively from the stretch and shows some inefficiency in his lower half, landing on his toe and never posting on his lead leg; some stiffness in hips. Fastball sat 76-78 mph from high-3/4 arm slot with some effort. Changeup is the most polished secondary pitch, thrown to both sides of the plate at 68-70 mph with more fading action to the arm side. 63-65 mph showed proper rotation at times with 1-7 shape. Based solely on this event, Miltenberger is a significantly better prospect as a position player.
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John Lauinger OF / SS / Pinnacle, AZ / 2021Rankings StateRank: 26 / POS: 3
5-foot-11, 145-pound frame. Has clearly made a point to get stronger as noted by his big improvement in exit velocity, 86 mph. Body still has room to fill out with some broadness in shoulders and a lean, athletic build. Barrel continues to work inside out and is focused on driving the ball through the middle of the field. Lauinger doesn’t have the prettiest swing out there but has been a consistent producer and really keeps the barrel in the hitting zone. Ran 7.01 60-yard dash and has previously shown sub-7.0 times. Shows solid outfield actions and more of a LF type arm at present. High ceiling with continued physical development.
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Jake Terry OF / 2B / Valley Christian , AZ / 2021Rankings StateRank: 32 / POS: 4
5-foot-10, 145-pound frame. Athletic build. Has been on our radar since the summer and has continued to improve, posting a very solid 6.90 60-yard dash and 89 mph exit velocity. Combination of athleticism and ability to generate power are very intriguing. Showed well across the board on this day. Offensively, Terry nearly bars his arm, but does an outstanding job keeping the barrel in the zone with a flat plane. Makes a significant forward move and could benefit from swinging in a smaller window. Feet work well to the baseball in the outfield and fields the ball with confidence, but shows a slower release. Lower half is extremely closed, sapping some velocity (83 mph from OF).
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Crew Edwards OF / RHP / Arcadia, AZ / 2021Rankings StateRank: 38 / POS: 5
High-waisted 5-foot-11, 155-pound frame with broad shoulders and significant room to add strength/mass. Short, simple swing with minimal load. Line drive approach. Needs to add strength and make some mechanical adjustments to create more separation and drive the baseball with more authority; 83 mph exit velo. Defensively profiles as a left fielder, where his arm (77 mph OF velo) fits best, although some mechanical improvements should make it more playable. 6.81 60-yard dash was one of the top times regardless of class and makes Edwards a very projectable follow. Offensive development will dictate ceiling as a prospect.
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Kaleb Duncan OF / SS / Millennium, AZ / 2022Fast-twitch athlete. Turned in the top 60-time at the entire event with a 6.74, all the more impressive when you consider he's an incoming freshman. At the plate Duncan starts and loads his hands very high, really hitting down through the baseball, but squared up some balls during BP and certainly seems to have enough offensive ability to take advantage of the likely future plus speed. Athleticism shows on defense. Quick to balls in the outfield and displayed an accurate throwing arm at 78mph. Ceiling is potentially very high as one of the top athletes in class.
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Levi Padilla OF / LHP / Salpointe Catholic , AZ / 2020Rankings StateRank: 70 / POS: 12
5-foot-7, 165-pound frame. Has added muscle since our last look and the increased power and bat speed show. Exit Velocity up to 88 mph from 80 less than a year ago. Starts from a wider set-up; looking to elevate. Has a very active, somewhat jerky load, but makes it work and finds the barrel. Shows solid pop for size and advanced hand/eye. Defensively, Padilla profiles as a likely left fielder. Feet work well in the outfield and arm strength (81 mph) has room for improvement as lower half becomes more efficient. Ran 7.26 60-yard dash, which is a hair slower, possibly due to the added strength/mass. Bat is best tool and we’ve seen it show up in game action.
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Gillis Champagne OF / RHP / Verrado, AZ / 2020Rankings StateRank: 47 / POS: 8
Very lean 5-foot-10, 140-pound frame with strength in forearms. Two-way prospect. Plays with a noticeable energy and is another guy who has clearly worked hard to make a jump. Everything Champagne does is quick twitch and that makes it easy to dream on what he could become despite the slight frame. He ran a solid 6.88 60-yard dash and posted the top outfield velocity at the event of 89 mph. As a hitter contains strong forearms, good bat speed with a balanced approach and rhythm. On the mound he shows excellent arm speed and threw easily the top breaking ball at the event, a 68-70 mph hammer curveball with 11-5 shape and tight rotation that looks like a true out pitch. Shows a balanced approach in the box with intriguing bat speed, but lacks overall physical strength/mass at only 140-pounds. Development of hit tool will dictate whether Champagne is a pitcher or hitter at the next level.
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Valentin Flores Jr LHP / OF / Mountain Pointe, AZ / 2021Rankings StateRank: 27 / POS: 5
5-foot-9, 160-pound frame. Flores is an intriguing 2-way prospect. On the mound, a low 3/4 arm slot and 80-82 mph fastball generates heavy arm side run and sink. A slightly closed front side help him hide the ball well and creates big angle/deception. Consistently threw sweeping curveball in zone at 65-66 mph. Change-up at 69-71 mph, is still developing and floats out of the hand at times. Profiles as left-on-left reliever at the nexy level. Offensively, shows rhythm and balance in aggressive swing; 85 mph exit velo. Possesses strong forearms and generates impressive bat speed with a short path to the ball. Ran 7.58 60-yard dash that could make Flores more of a pitching prospect or possible 1B/DH who can contribute as a two-way player.
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Jake Kingsbury OF / LHP / Brophy College Prep, AZ / 2021Rankings StateRank: 69 / POS: 12
Strong 5-foot-11, 185-pound frame. Right-handed hitting, left-handed throwing LHP/OF. Confident delivery with running FB at 77-78 mph that also flashes sink when not thrown uphill. Can really get out over soft front side at times. 71-72 mph breaking ball shows proper rotation, but is also thrown uphill often with a low elbow as stride is very long and he again doesn’t post on front leg. Developing change up rounds out the arsenal at 68-70 mph. As a hitter, Kingsbury shows strength and made some hard contact, but really cheats with the front side to get the barrel out. Power generated more by strength than bat speed. In the OF, tends to push the ball uphill to the arm side at 80 mph. Posted 7.46 60-yard dash that may profile better to 1B. Shows some intriguing tools on both sides with continued mechanical refinement.
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Ashton Perez OF / C / Estrella Foothills, AZ / 2020Rankings StateRank: 79 / POS: 14
Athletic, 5-foot-10, 160-pound frame. Stood out as outfield defender, posting 85 mph velo (second-highest at event) and showing confident actions. Ran 7.21 60-yard dash. Likely corner OF at next level where he should be a solid defender. As a hitter, works hard to get the barrel out. Upright setup with longer stride and varying lower half triggers (leg kick, toe tap, traditional stride). Big swing for size; looking to elevate. Top hand comes off very early at times. Approach and skillset don’t completely match. 78 mph exit velocity.
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