By Chris Fuller and Mike Clark

As we continue our in depth look and player write-ups from the Pre-Season All State Showcase, today we take a look at the last position group from the event, the corner infielders. 

As with the other position groups, there were some impressive performances and the emergence of some high-level prospects.  The 2014 class produced a number of solid performances led by Dale Gumm.  The left-handed hitting 3B showed an 84 mph arm across the infield and an event best 91 mph tee exit velocity.  His explosive lower half makes him a potential left-handed power bat. 

The 2015 class saw several solid performances as well, led by Maxx Mahon.  Mahon showed solid action at first base, with 80 mph arm strength and an advanced approach at the plate.  He shows the potential to be a power bat in the 2015 class with a 90 mph tee exit velocity and ability to square the ball up consistently. 

Let’s see how the corner infield group shakes out.

Top 2014 Corner Infielders

1. Dale Gumm, 3B, John Hardin HS, Class of 2014
5-foot-10, 190-pound, left-handed hitting prospect, strong legs, good arm strength at 84 mph across the field, some stiffness in movement.  At the plate, starts with a balanced athletic stance, front foot turned in and uses a toe tap, explosive use of lower half generates plus bat speed, showed the ability to consistently square the ball up, good power potential, registered an event best 91 mph tee exit velocity, potential left-handed power bat.

2. Taylor Henley, 1B,Lexington Catholic HS, Class of 2014
6-foot-4, 235-pound, big-bodied frame, hands work okay, room to improve footwork, arm strength at 73 mph across the infield.  At the plate, uses balanced setup, smooth load, short stride, good use of lower half creates good bat speed through the zone, ball shows some backspin and carry off the bat, good power potential, 86 mph tee exit velocity. 

3. Zachary Barker, LHP/1B, Western Hills HS, Class of 2014
6-foot-1, 180-pound, left-handed hitting prospect, strong legs, shows good actions and feet around the bag, soft hands, good arm strength at 81 mph.  Starts with a balanced stance and uses a toe tap trigger, has a short, quick swing that allows him to get hands inside the ball, uses good lower half in swing, stays behind the ball well at contact.  His big frame, quick bat path and follow through should allow him to be a hitter at the next level, 82 mph tee exit velocity.  Solid 2014 prospect shows potential as LHP as well.

4. Blake Rose, 3B, Tates Creek HS, Class of 2014
5-foot-11, 183-pound, left-handed hitting prospect with athletic build, shows good infield actions, soft hands, fluid feet, good lateral movement, 73 mph arm strength, needs to improve arm strength.  At the plate, hits from a slightly open stance with a short stride, smooth load and good balance through the swing.  He hits with a stiff front side at contact and gets some lower half torque in swing, stays inside the ball well with a short swing path, could benefit from more lower half torque in swing, solid left-handed bat, 82 mph tee exit velocity, ran 7.44 60 yard dash.

5. Nick King, RHP/3B/OF, Dixie Heights HS, Class of 2014
6-foot-2, 180-pound prospect, athletic frame, feet a little heavy but gets to the ball, 82 mph arm strength across the infield with carry, plays outfield as well, very good arm strength from the outfield at 88 mph.  Uses a tall stance, knees straight with a high leg kick trigger, has short bat path and uses lower half to create moderate bat speed, line drive swing, 79 mph tee exit velocity, ran 7.32 60 yard dash, shows potential as RHP as well.

6. Kyle Fisher, 3B/RHP, Western Hills HS, Class of 2014
6-foot-3, 230-pound prospect, shows soft hands, heavy feet, solid arm strength across the field at 82 mph, accurate arm.  At the plate, uses a tall athletic stance with a short stride, smooth load, has a quick bat path and good lower half, gets extension through the ball with a stiff front side.  Had an 87 mph exit tee velocity, with big frame and approach has power potential.

Top 2015 Corner Infielders

1. Maxx Mahon, RHP/1B,West Jessamine HS, Class of 2015
6-foot-1, 230-pound prospect, strong build and lower half, feet work around the bag, soft hands, solid arm strength at 80 mph across the field.  At the plate, hits from a slightly open setup, short stride, good lower half torque in swing, looseness in swing with good barrel whip though the zone, good weight transfer, shows power potential, 90 mph tee exit velocity, potential to be a high-level 2015 prospect. 

2. Connor O’Neil, 3B, Lexington Catholic HS, Class of 2015
5-foot-11, 175-pound, athletic prospect, soft hands, fluid feet, moves well laterally, good body control, accurate arm at 74 mph across the field,needs to continue to improve arm strength.  At the plate, balanced setup, short stride, gets front foot down early, good use of lower half in swing, fluid rhythm, line drive swing plane.  We have seen O’Neil at multiple events and each time he impresses with his approach and ability to square the ball up.  Potential high-level 2015 prospect, ran 6.98 60 yard dash, 84 mph tee exit velocity.

3. Tyler Neeley, 1B/OF, Trinity HS, Class of 2015
6-foot-2, 220-pound prospect, strong-bodied frame, hands work ok, 73 mph arm strength across infield, 76 mph from outfield.  At the plate, uses an athletic, balanced stance, with a heel lift and good hip transfer into the ball.  He bars the arm and gets locked out early on some swings.  Shows plus bat speed, has a quick powerful swing with a stiff front side and big follow through, explosive use of strong lower half, big power potential, registered 86 mph tee exit velocity, ran 7.51 60 yard dash.

4. Logan Mallory, RHP/1B,North Laurel HS, Class of 2015
6-foot-3, 190-pound prospect, athletic build, fields ball deep, decent feet around the bag, 78 mph arm strength across the infield.  At the plate, hits from a wide base, short stride, good lower half torque creates good bat speed though the zone, showed the ability to hit line drives to all fields, 85 mph tee exit velocity, showed well as RHP as well, solid 2015 prospect.

Best of the rest (Alphabetical Order)

Alex Conradi, 3B/RHP, St. Henry HS, Class of 2013
5-foot-9, 160-pound prospect, good lateral movement at 3B, 76 mph arm strength across the field, plays outfield as well, 79 mph arm strength from outfield.  At the plate, uses a crouched setup, has a short stride, bat wrap and arm bar as he swings causing a roll over on his swing.  Finishes with a bent front knee, needs better use of lower half torque in swing, 79 mph tee exit velocity.

Jacob Crouch, 3B, Paul Laurence Dunbar HS, Class of 2015
6-foot-3, 184-pound prospect, hands work ok, room to improve footwork and lateral movement, arm strength at 74 mph across the field.  Uses a shoulder width stance with pinched in knees, short stride and hand load trigger, stiff frontside,  has tendency to cut off lower half in swing, more bat speed to come with better lower half torque, showed ability to square the ball up with good barrel awareness.

Michael Faul, 3B, Bullitt East HS, Class of 2013
5-foot-11, 170-pound prospect, strong legs, room to improve footwork and lateral movement, hands work okay, 75 mph arm strength across the infield.  Has an athletic stance at the plate, leg kick trigger, wraps bat in load, uses lower half well and gets weight transferred into swing, showed ability to square the ball up, 83 mph tee exit velocity.

Nate Getzin, 3B/RHP, Whitfield Academy, Class of 2014
6-foot-1, 180-pound prospect, athletic frame, hands work ok, accurate arm at 74 mph across the field.
Starts in a balanced stance, no load, no stride, uses a short, quick swing path, gets some lower half involved in swing, needs better lower half torque to create additional bat speed, ran 7.49 60 yard dash.

Dylan Givens, RHP/1B, Reidland HS, Class of 2015
6-foot-5, 220-pound prospect, hands are ok, heavy feet, accurate arm, 74 mph across the field. At the plate, starts with balanced, wide base, bars arm in load, no stride approach, long swing path, can incorporate more lower half torque in swing, 83 mph tee exit velocity, very good potential as RHP featured in top 2015 pitchers article.

Ryan Hinkley, 3B, Glasgow HS, Class of 2014
6-foot, 190-pound prospect, strong legs, hands work ok, feet are heavy, accurate arm across the field at 72 mph.  Uses a wide stance and low hand position at the plate.  Has a short explosive swing the produces line drives.  Has good weight transfer with a good backside turn and extension off a stiff front side, 86 mph tee exit velocity, ran 7.51 60 yard dash.

Jake Purkins, 1B, West Jessamine HS, Class of 2014
6-foot-2, 186-pound, left-handed hitting prospect, solid build, moves ok, 68 mph arm across the infield.  At the plate, uses a balanced setup, hands start low, short stride, bars arm in load, some rhythm in swing, good lower half involvement in swing, swing can be long due to low hands and chest level hand trigger, tee exit velocity of 81 mph.

Ben Wilhite, 3B, Lexington Catholic HS, Class of 2015
5-foot-10, 175-pound prospect, shows good hands, room to improve footwork and lateral movement, accurate arm at 74 mph across the field.  At the plate, starts with open stance, small stride, gets some lower half involved in swing, long swing path, registered 80 mph tee exit velocity.