The 2013 Midwest Futures Games is complete. Indiana entered as one of the favorites featuring multiple power arms combined with a few of the more prolific hitters in the Futures Games. While Indiana’s record did not live up to the hype,  some of the individual performances did. Nolan Watson was named MVP of the event and Devin Mann and Brady Cherry were spotlighted as two of the biggest risers in the event. 

Below is a look at some of the players from Team Indiana. 

Noah Burkholder, a right hander pitcher from Crown Point, entered as the most touted player in the event. It was easy to see why when he toed the rubber.  The 6-foot-6 frame combined with high athletic leg kick are the first thing you notice. Then Burkholder threw his first two pitches at 90. Burkholder sat 86-89 and flashed a sharp breaking ball. As Burkholder continues to develop and throw strikes, he is one of the top arms in the country. 

Chris Ayers, a left handed hitting out fielder from Westfield, was one of the my favorites in the outfield.  Ayers improves everytime out. The outfielder runs well, 4.18 down the line. Ayers threw the ball better at the event, 89 from the outfield and 86 on the mound. Ayers also played the outfield better. With it being his first year roaming the outfield there is still room to develop out there, but Ayers made a great play cutting a ball off in the gap and almost ran down a sure double. Offensivley, Ayers was 2-2 in game one with tough left on left matchups. 

Jordan Poore, left handed outfielder and pitcher from Muncie Central, will never be the kid that jumps out at you but everything he does, he does well. The bat speed is the first thing I notice. He handles velocity and recognizes spin on pitches very well. Poore is one the few kids that will do both in college. Poore on the mound is 82-85 from the left side with a good breaking ball. Poore is a competitor too which is a forgotten tool. 

Nick Podkul's, shortstop from Andrean, actions are the first thing that jump out at you. Podkul is smooth at short and gets to a lot more balls than his foot speed suggests he will get too. At the plate, Podkul game hits with the best of them. Nothing flashy just barrels balls and hits to all sides of the field. As Podkul’s strength increases look for the middle infielder to get quicker and begin to hit more balls in gaps. Podkul is one of the top middle infielder’s in the class. 

Jesse Wilkening, catcher from Hanover Central, is a top catch and throw guy in the 2013 class. Consistently, around a 1.9 or less in the workout. Wilkening receives well and blocks the baseball. Wilkening had an exit velocity of 90. Wilkening swings hard in game and barrels a lot of balls to his pull side. Wilkening should not be overlooked because of height as he is one of the better catching prospects in the class. 

Braden Giroux, a left handed outfielder from McCutcheon, is another quiet competitor. Giroux plays the game aggressively evident by his single on the first pitch he saw of the game off a lefty none the less. Giroux runs a 4.2 to first and displays occasional power. The outfielder throws well enough to play left or center in college, takes good routes to baseball and runs well enough to track down balls in the gap. Offensively, his simple setup with no stride allows him to barrel up the baseball and use the whole field.