Indiana Scout Blog : Hoosier State Draft Follows
April 15, 2024
Our state has a handful of seniors that have been receiving attention from professional scouts early in the spring season. Read along for notes, video, and updates from what our staff has seen of these prospects.
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By : Cooper Trinkle
Brayton Thomas, LHP, Fort Wayne Dwenger
FROM (4/13/24) - Thomas showed loud stuff and offered an uber-physical presence to match in my look. It's a big league frame at 6-foot-5, 235 pounds, and Thomas lived at 90-94 mph throughout his 38-pitch outing, touching 95 on his best bullet. The arm works clean, in a compact fashion, and there's more athleticism in the imposing frame than the eye test suggests. Thomas gets near seven feet of extension on his heavy fastball, and mixes with feel for two breaking balls. Thomas showed a wipeout slider at 77-81, a pitch with sharp horizontal break, and also subtracts with a bigger, 1/7 shaped curveball at 73-76 mph w/ depth and feel to land. To round out a starter's mix, the Indiana recruit showed an 83-84 mph straight change, predominantly to RHH's, and he got a K in the first with it. Thomas' fastball command in this one was average at best, however it is encouraging to see the stuff where it is so early in the spring.
Cameron Sullivan, RHP, Mt. Vernon
FROM (4/9/24) - I caught Sullivan's first start, a rain-shortened, two inning stint versus Shelbyville. The 6-foot-1, 200 pound Notre Dame recruit followed a breakout performance at this years' Super 60 by grabbing a 96 early in his senior year, living at 92-95 mph with his cut/ride heater. For me - the separator for Sullivan is his ability to spin a present-plus slider at 87-90, a pitch with devastating late bite. He has more feel for spin than he does with his fastball, and subtracted with a sweeper at 82-85 mph w/ significant horizontal shape. Sullivan also flashed feel for a fading, upper-80s change that is a usable fourth pitch. Presently - Sullivan's stuff is best of this group of arms. Sullivan is a short strider with a controlled violence to the athletic delivery. His arm speed is outstanding, working to a 3/4 arm slot.
FROM (3/28/24) - I only saw Brown for a brief outing, but he was electric nonetheless, drawing a crowd of professional scouts to his start. A physical, athletic, 6-foot-1, 205 pounder - Brown uses an athletic lift before riding the back hip down the slope. The ball jumps out of his hand from a 3/4 slot - allowing for turbo sink on a 91-94 mph fastball. The fastball is a weapon that he uses to get in on righties, and should induce tons of groundball contact as he advances levels. In this look, Brown's best offspeed offering was his 84-85 mph changeup. He throws it with fastball arm speed and it falls off the table with late fade. Brown showed a loose, 77-79 mph curveball that he can command, and also showed a tighter, mid-80s slider in warmups. As the weather warms, expect Brown to tick further into the mid-90s and he looks primed for a big senior season.
FROM (4/6/24) - Brown was electric in this outing, going 7 IP, allowing just two hits, two walks, and one unearned run, striking out 12. Brown worked at 90-94 mph early, settling at 90-92 for the extent of his outing, sinking the fastball in to righties on command. A mid-80s change was again his best offspeed offering, a pitch with out-pitch upside as he advances levels. Brown used more of his upper-70s, slurvey breaking ball than he did his firmer, tighter, low-80s slider. 65% strikes (59 of 91).
FROM (4/13/24) - Brown did not have his best stuff in this one, exiting with six walks in three innings pitched, allowing one hit and three earned runs. He worked at 89-92 T 93 mph with his fastball in this look. Arm-side misses were prevelant in this one for the athletic, 6-foot-1 right-hander. He was unable to get into counts to use his changeup, and missed glove-side with the mid-to-upper 70s breaking ball. Brown worked around two consecutive rainouts this week, pushing his start back twice.
Jayce Lee, OF, South Bend Saint Joseph
FROM (4/8/24) - Coming off a state championship run on the hardwood, Lee now shifts focus to the baseball diamond and I was able to catch the first start of this senior season. Lee came up hitless in this one, just missing a homer that was knocked down at the centerfield track in 40 degree weather with wind blowing in. A high-upside prospect with an ultra-athletic, 6-foot-3, 190 pound frame - Lee had a handful of scouts in attendance during this look, a potential draft prospect with a tooled-out profile. The Notre Dame recruit creates loads of bat speed in a fluid, uphill stroke that holds significant power potential. He showed plus arm strength during pre-game I/O and turned in a 4.4 H-1st on a groundout.
Griffin Tobias, RHP, Lake Central
FROM (4/8/24) - Tobias showed well in a two-inning stint, striking out five. A top-ranked arm in the senior class, currently signed to play at Indiana University, Tobias is an athletic mover with electric arm speed that works to a high 3/4 arm slot. Tobias sat 90-92, touching 93 mph on his best bullet, on a fastball with late arm-side life. His fastball was paired with a wipeout, 77-80 mph slider that he used as a put-away pitch in this look. The slider tunnels well off the fastball, coming out of the hand with a fastball look, before taking a late, sharp turn to miss barrels. Griffin provided a different look with a mid-80s cutter, as well. The Indiana recruit pitches with a competitive moxie and is one of the most reliable arms in the Hoosier State, currently.
Caden McCoy, LHP, Bloomington North
FROM (4/16/24) - A physical, 6-foot-2, 225 pound southpaw - McCoy came out of the 'pen in a closer's role in my look, working 1.2 IP with 3 BB, 3 K, and 1 ER. McCoy lifts to a strong, inward turn at balance point and lands crossfired to create deception. The arm action is clean with significant arm strength behind it. The Texas A&M recruit sat 88-91 mph on a fastball with carry / run properties, a pitch that he generated lots of swings-and-misses with. McCoy flashed sharp spin at 78-83, showing the ability to subtract and manipulate shape, however he lacked feel with it in this stint. He also flashed an upper-70s change, using it sparingly.
Ethan Lund, LHP, Hamilton Southeastern
FROM (4/6/24) - An ultra-projectable, 6-foot-5, 200 pounder - Lund has gained helium this spring with scouts and has had nearly a dozen at his early spring starts. I have seen quite a bit of the projectable southpaw over the past few years, and he showed the best I've seen of him in the first three innings of this look. The Oklahoma State recruit worked at 90-94 mph on a fastball that showed above average carry, and the frame and arm action should be able to hold even more velo as he matures further. His breaking ball is the separator - a tightly-spun, next-level out-pitch that worked at 81-85 mph with two-plane shape and late break. The fastball and breaking ball have similiar looks out of the hand, and his ability to land the breaking ball causes chase on the fastball up. Lund owns an exceptionally high ceiling and flashed premier stuff in this one, however the command fell apart in the fourth and he exited with seven walks, and seven strikeouts, in a 3.2 IP.
FROM (4/13/24) - Lund did not have his best stuff in this look, exiting after 2.2 IP with a final line of 3 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 7 BB, and 5 K. His overall command (50% strikes, 38 of 76) wasn't there in this look and his fastball worked at 88-92 mph. Lund also worked around two consecutive rainouts this week, pushing his start back twice.
FROM (3/26/24) - Denny took a professional round of pre-game batting practice, showing the ability to work gap to gap with plus-strength. The stocky, 6-foot, 205 pound Indiana recruit delivers a heavy barrel due to ultra-quick hands and works behind the baseball to create natural lift. Denny let a couple loose towards the end of his round, showing big pull-side juice with multiple homers clearing the scoreboard. In game, Denny worked two walks and picked up a Sac Fly. Bat-first profile.
FROM (3/28/24) - The Baylor recruit hit a long home run in my look this week, also working a walk in a 1 for 3 night. Snow looks the part of an upside prospect with a long-legged, athletic, 6-foot-2, 190 pound frame. An athletic mover, Snow has plenty of room to add mass that will only add to the power projections that I have on him. At the dish, Snow missed underneath a few fastballs early in the game, but when he got on-time he was able to catch one out front with a smooth left-handed swing that creates natural loft, clubbing a long pull-side homer. Snow looks the part of a future-power bat and has had a handful of pro scouts to see him early this spring.
FROM (4/13/24) - Snow is another helium '24 that has had plenty of scouts in to see him. The projectable, athletic, 6-foot-2, 190 pound frame, paired with athletic bloodlines (father played 12 years in the NFL) and the fact that Hunter is young for his draft class (still 17 years old), creates excitement. As mentioned above, its easy to dream on future power with the frame and athletic left-handed stroke, however Snow was on-time more consistently in this look, on the barrel in three of the four trips I saw of him.
Cole Decker, OF, Evansville North
FROM (3/28/24) - Decker didn't have the loudest day at the dish in my look this week, but he still showed why he is such a dynamic player. The left-handed hitting centerfielder went 2 for 3 on the night, collecting a single up the middle, an infield single, two walks, four runs scored, and four stolen bases. The run tool is loud, as the Indiana recruit blazed a 4.00 H-1st on an infield single, and stole bases with ease. Decker showed off his foot speed in CF by going over-the-shoulder on a ball that he ran down at the warning track. Decker has a table-setter's approach at the dish, unafraid to work deep into counts. The swing is handsy - short & quick on a level plane. The twitchy, athletic, 5-foot-11, 175 pounder does have some strength at impact, but the swing is geared more towards line drive contact than lift.
By : Conner Madding
Isaac VanderWoude, INF, 2024, Illiana Christian
FROM (4/13/24) - VanderWoude is a proven in-game hitter and that was blatantly clear in my look at the left-handed hitter. The Virginia recruit went 2 for 2 with a ground-rule double to RCF and a triple off the center field fence. VanderWoude was intentionally walked his next two plate appearances - he finished with three runs batted in and two runs scored. The swing works short and tight on a slightly uphill plane with strength at impact. There is bat speed in the swing with present gap-to-gap power. The athletic, 6-foot-0, 190 pounder showed soft hands and above average body control in pre-game IO with average arm strength across the diamond. VanderWoude is off to a hot start in his senior campaign, collecting ten hits and eleven runs batted in while slashing .769/.842/.1538.