By Phil Wade & Blake Hibler
PBR Indiana 

On Saturday, October 19th,  PBR Indiana hosted the 2015 Underclass Preview Showcase on Indianapolis' north-side at Bishop Chatard High School's all-turf baseball field.  Despite rainy conditions in the morning, the showcase was a huge success with 60 players from across the state participating including 17 outfielders.

Below we analyze each outfielder.

Top 10

1. Brian McLean, OF, Noblesville HS, 2015: 5-foot-11, 170 pound junior starts open at the plate from a tall, narrow setup.  He’s an athletic LHH.  High back elbow with a long stride.  Good swing plane.  Quiet approach overall.  More of a singles/doubles type hitter and gets out of the box well.  From the OF moves well with a good arm.  Was 84 mph.  Ability to play any outfield position.  Very strong defensively. One of the top OF at the event.  7.15 60.  Good follow in the 2015 class.

2. Dylan Kiracofe, OF, Central Catholic HS, 2015: 5-foot-10, 160 pound junior is solid defensively.  Moves well.  Top OF arm at the event at 88 mph.  Needs to quicken up his release.  Ran a 6.9 60.  Offensively starts in a crouch with a short stride.  Clean, simple approach.  Can improve on keeping his lower half connected.  Hands work.  Ball jumps off his bat.  Good athleticism overall. Good follow in the 2015 class.

3. Ryan Jones, OF, Charlestown HS, 2015: 5-foot-10, 185 pound junior hits from a crouch with a strong lower half.  Smooth load.  Uphill swing path.  Above average bat speed and gets to extenstion.  86 mph exit velo.  Possesess projectable power.  Strong upper body. From the OF plays through the ball and shows a quick release.  Solid mechanically.  Clean arm action at 82 mph.  Ran a 7.07 60. 

4. Joe Bryant, OF, Munster HS, 2015: 6-foot, 185 pound junior is raw mechanically at the plate, but did show good bat speed with a lot of quick twitch.  85 mph exit velo.  Gets wide with his swing and needs to clean up his load.  Has the tools to be successful offensively, just needs refined.  Ran a 6.9 60.  From the OF he was 81 mph.  Fields it well with a small crow hop.  Arm action is short. Plenty of arm strength to remain in the OF. 

5. Nolan Fertig, OF, Jeffersonville HS, 2015: 6-foot-1, 180 pound junior has a quiet simple approach at the plate.  Hits from the crouch with an uphill swing plane.  Lower half is inconsistent.  Good barrel control with gap to gap power.  Hands are quick.  Defensively is a stiff and needs to improve on playing through the ball.  Short arm action at 76 mph. Projects as a LF.  

6. Brooks Ullery, OF, Penn HS, 2015: 5-foot-8, 145 pound junior starts with an open stance at the plate from the left side.  Smooth load with a short, compact swing.  Swing plane is slightly uphill. Good rhythm throughout his swing with athleticism.  Exit velo of 77 mph.  Ran a 7.29 60.  From the OF was 83 mph.  Plays through the baseball with a clean exchange and quick release.  Solid in the OF but projects more as a MIF. 

7. Matthew Chernoff, OF, Carmel HS, 2015: 6-foot-175 pound junior starts from an open stance with a rigid load.  Stride is short.  Shows average bat speed with good balance throughout.  Good strong frame. Line drive type hitter.  From the OF was 82 mph.   A little slow on his exchange but gets ride of the ball quick.  Average overall actions.  Ran a 7.15 60. 

8. Jack Schmidt, OF, Cathedral HS, 2015: 6-foot-3, 175 pound junior has a lean frame with long levers.  At the plate the LHH starts with his back knee over his foot in a crouch position.  From there he is short and compact.  Stays inside the ball.  Average bat speed.  Gets to extension.  From the OF remains tall through his throws from a ¾ arm action at 80 mph.  Fields it well with a  clean exchange.  Interesting follow in the 2015 class.  Ran a 7.58 60. 

9. Jared Burke, OF, Jeffersonville HS, 2015: 6-foot-1, 185 pound junior starts from an open stance.  Short and quick to the baseball.  Needs better use of the lower half.  Toe tap for timing.  Exit velo was 83 mph.  Pull side hitter.  Shows projectable power which makes up for lack of use of lower half.  From the OF was 79 mph from an over the top slot.  

10. Corey Brown, OF, Crown Point HS, 2015: 6-foot-1, 160 pound junior hits from the left side.  Starts open with a wide base at the plate.  Starts with a high back elbow and works uphill.  Good hand speed and makes solid contact.  A lot of leverage, just raw mechanically.  From the OF was 78 mph with good arm speed and a quick release.  Solid defensive actions. 

Best of the Rest (In Alphabetical Order)

Brooks Bailey, OF, Hauser HS, 2015: 5-foot-10, 166 pound junior starts in athletic crouch at the plate.  Uses a small toe-tap during the load.  High contact hitter.  Handles the bat well with a consistent swing plane.  Good balance throughout.  From the OF shows average actions.  Lacks right field arm strength, projects to be more of a LF.  Ran a 7.56.

Stone Brogan, OF, Andrean HS, 2015: 5-foot-11, 175 pound junior starts with an athletic setup at the plate with a short stride.  Shows an arm bar, but does possess hand speed and some quick twitch. Is raw but possesses some power. Defensively, is fluid through the ball with arm speed (82 mph). Brogran ran a 7.65, but should see that decrease as he matures.

Dan Connolly, OF, Bishop Dwenger HS, 2015: 5-foot-8, 160 pound junior hits from the right side. Uses a short stride.  Lower half lacks involvement.  Average bat speed (78 Exit Velo).  Throws uphill from the OF at 80 mph.  Quick release.  Ran a 7.53 60. 

Jacob Flispart, OF, Jeffersonville HS, 2015: 5-foot-8, 155 pound junior uses a slight start with a smooth load back at the plate.  Lacks quick twitch.  Good balance throughout his swing.  Drops his hands to make contact.  Barrels up a lot of baseballs.  From the OF needs to improve on playing though the baseball and overall arm strength (66 mph).

Braxton Hunt, OF, Western HS, 2015: 5-foot-11, 160 pound junior starts with a wide base and high hands at the plate.  No stride. Drops hands during load.  Possesses balance throughout his swing.  High contact hitter with a flat bat.  Runs a 7.18 60.  From the OF was 83 mph.  Lacks a crow hop, but gets rid of the ball quickly.  Moves well.

James Mays, OF, Lake Central HS, 2015: 5-foot-6, 170 pound junior possesses a quiet swing with explosive hands at the plate. Athletic, short and simple swing, barrels up a lot of baseballs.  Aggressive lower half.  From the OF was75 mph.  Throws over the top.  Arm projects to be more of a LF. 

Tanner Sizemore, OF, Hamilton Southeastern HS, 2015: 5-foot-11, 150 pound junior shows a lean frame.  Offensively shows a tall, athletic setup with a quiet load.  Currently does not possess a lot of strength, but has a good mechanical swing.  Defensively was 81 mph from the OF and ran a 7.47 60.  Throws from a shoulder tilt, average arm speed.  Actions are raw, needs to get rid of the ball quicker. 

Related News

• IN 2015 Underclass Preview: Catchers Analysis10.24.13
• IN 2015 Underclass Preview Results10.21.13