Grand Park Fall Championships : Uncommitted '26s (IN)
September 19, 2024
We saw a large majority of the top uncommitted juniors in the state at last week's Grand Park Fall Championships. Now that recruiting has opened back up for this group, and we are beginning to see '26s come off the board, we take a look at some impact, uncommitted prospects from the state of Indiana that showed particularly well at the event.
Check out some notes below, with a power rankings list of twenty of my favorite uncommitted '26s from the weekend.
Quick Notes
+ On the offensive side - two prospects stuck out to provide the most complete weekends, CF Dez Francis (Park Tudor) and MIF Eli Sinsabaugh (Cathedral).
Francis shined in front of multiple members of our staff with athleticism oozing in all parts of his game. Fresh off a big performance at the Prep Baseball Future Games - Dez showed off the same offensive production this weekend, grabbing several barrels with a short, repeatable stroke and quiet movements throughout, while showing off his 6.4 speed on balls in the gap.
Sinsabaugh, while playing up a grade, provided a tablesetters' look with five hits in total on the weekend, including a double and triple, while showing of his high-end foot speed from the top of a strong lineup. Sinsabaugh has made positive refinements in the swing compared to looks last spring, a more grounded lower half that puts him in a stronger position at launch, that appears to be paying dividends after quality looks this past weekend, and at the Future Games.
+ I am super bullish on two '26 arms after the weekend, LHP Ryan Murphy (Brownsburg) & RHP Logan Johnston (Crown Point).
Murphy was my favorite Indiana-born, uncommitted arm of the weekend. Toeing the rubber at 6-foot, 165 pounds with an athletic look, Murphy showed four pitches for strikes with dynamic balance in the delivery to go along with one of the classes' best arm actions. His carry fastball worked up to 86 mph, playing with 18 to 21 inches of IVB, and was able to work above bats. He showed tons of feel for spin, flashing a sharp, mid-70s slider, and a low-70s curveball, both spinning north of 2600. He showed a changeup as a usable fourth to round out a starters' mix.
Johnston, though not a finished product, brings real exciting upside in the form of an ultra-projectable, 6-foot-5, 170 pound frame, 7-feet of extension, and a clean-armed look. I saw Johnston for only an inning, but he reaffirmed my thoughts after the summer as a real "pick to click" arm in this class. The fastball is lighter for now, up to 85 mph in this look, but it is easy to dream on more with the frame and he does show the balance and athleticism in the delivery to throw his secondary offerings for strikes. SLV 74, CH 74 - warmups
+ I was happy to see a quality outing from RHP Jeremy Lowrey (Harrison), an arm that I'm high on with starters' upside. The projectable, 6-foot-2 righty worked his fastball up to 88 a handful of times while showing multiple offspeed offerings for strikes. RHP Sam Gooch (Greencastle) was another impressive watch. Bouncing back from a knee injury that sidelined him this summer, Gooch worked at 86-90 to pair with a mid-70s curveball while moving with obvious athleticism. Grabbing tons of helium this weekend, Gooch is a must-see arm for recruiters.
In terms of upside, two more names jump out to me immediately : RHP Collin Marcum (Bloomington South) and RHP Eric McAtee (Center Grove). Marcum brings an ultra-athletic, high-waisted look at 6-foot-2, 175 pounds. Cutting a fastball in the mid-to-upper 80s, Marcum grabbed a 91 on his best bullet, though command came and went. He showed a mid-70s breaking ball, but lacked consistency. All that being said, Marcum has a real chance to develop with several traits to dream - an arm to keep tabs on undoubtedly. Another arm with similiar traits is McAtee - a lanky, 6-foot-3 right-hander with hands to his knees and an arm that really works. McAtee shows a bit more feel, but a touch lesser velocity with a fastball up to 88. McAtee also shows an upside breaking ball, flashing a looser, mid-70s sweeper that is inconsistent for now.
+ A pair of bat-first corners stuck out with a weekend full of barrels : 3B Gavin Jackson (Providence) and 3B Aidan Creasbaum (Hanover Central). Jackson collected multiple extra base hits, including a walk-off home run, while showing the same silky right-handed swing that earned him an invite to this years' Future Games and continues to show run-producing traits. Creasbaum is another right-handed bat that I like, a physical presence in the box at 6-foot, 210 pounds, hitting out of a wider, strong stance and showing a quality mix of barrel strength and accuracy. Creasbaum adds above average foot speed and arm strength, as well.
Two more position players that impressed this weekend were 3B Liam Smith (Bloomington North) and MIF Vince Painter (Brownsburg). Smith, a super projectable, already somewhat physical, 6-foot-4, 195 pound right handed hitter provided a run-producer's look while showing some bat speed to go along with arm strength from the hot-corner. Painter hit a homer in our looks, a wiry, 6-foot-1, right-handed hitter that appears to be getting more physical. He swung the bat with more bat speed this weekend and provides above average foot speed and actions in the middle.
Smith
POWER 20
*Click on the player's name to find hyperlinked highlights from the weekend*
1 | Dez Francis | CF |
2 | Jake Winger | OF/1B |
3 | Ryan Murphy | LHP |
4 | Eli Sinsabaugh | MIF |
5 | Logan Johnston | RHP |
6 | Sam Gooch | RHP |
7 | Owen Lukac | LHP |
8 | Jeremy Lowrey | RHP |
9 | Collin Marcum | RHP |
10 | Eric McAtee | RHP |
11 | Gavin Jackson | 3B |
12 | Aidan Creasbaum | 3B |
13 | Blake Cope | 1B |
14 | Trey Deckman | SS |
15 | Reis Bellar | OF |
16 | Liam Smith | 3B |
17 | Lyrik Neal | RHP |
18 | Hudson Stewart | OF |
19 | Brock Kintner | OF |
20 | Vincent Painter | MIF |