IA Preseason All-State: Left-handed Pitching Evaluations

April 18, 2016

By Rob Allison
Prep Baseball Report Iowa

Prep Baseball Report's IA Preseason All-State event took place on Sunday, March 13, 2016. The event was held at the SportsPlex West Facility in Waukee, IA. The event featured prospects from the 2017 and 2018 classes from Iowa, Minnesota and Nebraska who showcased their talents in front of our scouting staff. Thank you to the players, parents, my staff and SportsPlex West and the Iowa Sticks for such a great event.

There were a number of great individual performances this year at the IA Preseason All-State. Also of note is the fact that official high school practices don't start in Minnesota for another week; and Iowa players aren't near their peak performance with their season beginning in May. Look for many of these player's numbers to continue to improve as they get closer to actually playing.

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Below we have highlighted the top prospects at their respective positions with evaluations.

top pitching Prospects

1. Benjamin Beutel, LHP/OF, Davenport North, 2017
5-foot-11, 160-pound left-handed pitcher/2-way player. 7.19 runner. Uptempo delivery. Aggressive to plate. Clean ¾ arm action with good run at 81-84 mph. Sharp 11/7 breaking ball with tight spin. Has potential to be plus pitch when out front on release. Changeup for strikes with ASR. Quiet in box. Short load. Some disconnect with arm bar to swing. Hard middle/away contact. Repeats swing well. Short finish occasionally after contact. 82 mph exit velocity. Plays fast in the OF with aggressive routes. Quick release with above avg. high school arm strength. Will rush throws occasionally from ¾ slot. 86 mph arm strength.

2. Danny Kapala, LHP, Eastview (MN), 2017
6-foot-3, 190-pound left-handed pitcher. Projectable frame on mound. Uptempo delivery. Lands slightly across body in stride. Clean mechanics with aggressive front side. Stays online producing 81-84 mph fastball with run. Tends to finish upright and will benefit from better finish on release. Breaking ball has 1/7 shape with tight rotation and is an above avg. pitch when released out front. Heavy action on changeup with good sink. Pounded zone with 3 pitches for strikes.

3. Jared Thompson, LHP/1B, Vinton-Shellsburg, 2017
6-foot-4, 180-pound left-handed hitting pitcher/first baseman. 7.21 runner. Athletic projectable frame for junior in high school. Some crouch and hitch in delivery. Clean arm action and long out front. Front side stays closed and has good direction to plate. Avg. run on fastball at 80-83 mph. Curveball has sharp break and is thrown in the zone. Changeup was firm and flat in upper half of zone. Quiet actions in box. Some length to swing with solid pop in bat. Mid/pull approach. Bat exits zone early after contact. Has projectable hitting tools with clean path to contact. 88 mph exit velocity. Above avg. athleticism for position. Sure hands with long release and clean arm action. 83 mph arm strength.

4. Bryce Frantz, LHP, Iowa City, 2017
5-foot-10, 195-pound left-handed pitcher. Hand breaks early from glove. Fastball is heavy with arm-side run at 82-84 mph. Slight jerk in motion adds deception. Hard slider with decent spin; flashing 75-77 mph slider. Does good job with firm changeup working down in the zone consistently. Throws 3 pitches for strikes.

5. Ethan Chipps, LHP, Ankeny Centennial, 2017
6-foot-1, 195-pound left-handed pitcher. Short ¼ back turn delivery. Comes out of hand easy with low effort velocity. Fastball was downhill at 80-83 mph. Breaking ball has tight spin with 11/7 shape. Changeup was average. Overall repeats delivery well and threw strikes with 3 pitches and solid athleticism.

pitching follow Prospects

Jared Beck, LHP/1B, Davenport North, 2018
6-foot-9, 180-pound left-handed pitcher/first baseman. 7.35 runner. Shows body control for size. High leg kick with foot outside knee. Slight collapse in delivery with hips tending to open early. Shows Fastball at 79-81 mph with downhill plane and throws strikes. Flashes solid breaking ball when on top and out front at release. Above avg. feel for changeup with occasional run. Slight crouch with simple stride. Tends to stand up in swing. Arm bar in load causes length in swing. Solid contact with pull approach. 82 mph exit velocity. Shows good hands with quick release in field. Shows fielding ability with avg. range and solid footwork around bag. Good body coordination for size/age. 72 mph arm strength across infield.

Luke DeGrammont, LHP/1B, Lakeville North (MN), 2017
5-foot-10, 180-pound left-handed hitting 2-way player. 7.41 runner. Ball comes out clean from ¾ slot with solid run at 80-83 mph. Downhill plane to fastball. Breaking ball has short sharp break with good depth. Changeup has good ASR and works bottom of zone. Follow on mound for 2017 class. Open stance and strides to square. Shoulder load creates some length in swing. Flat clean swing plane. Middle/pull approach and uses hands well to go to opposite field. 85 mph exit velocity. Light on his feet with good footwork and soft glove. Above avg. defender at position. Long release with accuracy at 74 mph.

Ross Hingst, LHP/1B, Waukee, 2017
5-foot-10, 185-pound right-handed hitting 2-way player. 7.56 runner. Back turn delivery. Picks up target late on release. Arm action is clean and balls comes out well in front at 79-81 mph. Loose spin on breaking ball and struggled to repeat. Shows solid/avg. changeup with decent feel. Deep load creating length to contact. Aggressive swinger with mid/pull approach. Hit several hard line drives middle/away with above avg. pop in bat. 89 mph exit velocity. Plays first base with good energy and quickness. Above avg. hands for position with good footwork. Good accuracy across diamond with 74 mph arm strength.

Luke Golla, LHP, Marion, 2018
5-foot-9, 170-pound left-handed pitcher. Solid rhythm and tempo to delivery. Stronger lower half. Tends to land across body in stride creating cross-fire delivery. Some effort on release. Attacks zone. Quick arm and ball jumps out of hand at 76-78 mph; touching 81 mph. Hard breaking ball with tight spin and 2/7 shape. Changeup is firm and heavy with some ASR.

Ryne Schooley, LHP, Iowa City Regina, 2018
6-foot-2, 180-pound left-handed pitcher. Good build with solid lower half. Arm works well when hand comes out of glove clean. Leaks out of balance point occasionally. Strike thrower with good fastball life. Fastball was 81-82 mph with run and sink. Slider has good shape with short break. Changeup has heavy ASR with avg. command of zone. Shows good tempo with life on fastball with ability to work in and out. Secondary should continue to improve. Strong follow in 2018 class.

Ross Swinton, LHP, Lone Tree, 2017
6-foot, 161-pound left-handed pitcher. Quick arm from mid ¾ slot. Tends to open hips early with short arm stroke across body; but maintains good direction plate. Fastball was 78-81 mph. Curveball had slider tilt at 60-63 mph. Changeup showed some of the best ASR at event; in bottom of zone at 64-65 mph. Has minor mechanical issues to iron out; but showed overall good stuff in bullpen.

pitching Prospects

Cooper Beving, LHP/1B, Norwalk, 2018
6-foot, 185-pound left-handed pitcher/first baseman. 7.84 runner. Solid balance in delivery with direction to plate. Slight crouch in balance point. Short on backside/long arm action out front producing 74-77 mph fastballs. Short arms breaking ball causing loopy break. Tends to slow arm down on changeup for strikes. Open stance and strides to square. Stiff lower half in swing. Spray contact with occasional flashes of pop in bat from mid/pull approach. 80 mph exit velocity. Soft hands with good glove. Quick release to target with solid athleticism for position. 71 mph arm strength across infield.

Jake Huff, OF/LHP, Pekin, 2017
6-foot-3, 180-pound left-handed hitting 2-way player. 7.19 runner at this event. Crouched stance. Has made offensive improvements since August. Flat slashy swing plane. Spray contact with gap to gap approach. 82 mph exit velocity off tee. Plays fast in the outfield with aggressive routes and shows good glove. Throws are accurate to target with quick release and avg. carry. 76 mph arm strength from outfield. Extra movement in delivery with uncontrolled front side. Lands across body in delivery. Avg. command of zone with fastball at 73-75 mph; touching 77 mph. Curveball was 59-62 mph with loose spin. Shows solid changeup with good action at 64-67 mph.

Mac Prior, LHP, Sioux Central, 2017
6-foot, 172-pound left-handed pitcher. Clean arm action- balls comes out well. Minimal use of front side. Opens early occasionally and falls away from arm. Shows ability to command fastball at 78-80 mph. Breaking ball is thrown for strikes at 67-68 mph. Changeup is solid pitch with good arm speed and deception at 68-71 mph.

IA Preseason All-State: Left-handed Pitching Evaluations

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