By Chris Fuller
Kentucky Scouting Director

The Class of 2015/2016 Fall Prospect Games took place on October 19 at Bellarmine University and afforded prospects to showcase their abilities in a showcase/game play format.  Players were split into two teams with position players taking extended infield/outfield and batting practice on the field prior to playing a double-header.

The following is a look at Team Gray position players.  This is position player analysis only.  Those players who also pitched for Team Gray during the event had their pitching analysis featured in a previous article.

middle infielders

Jeffrey Purnell, RHP/SS, Boone County HS, 2016
6-foot-3, 175-pound prospect, right-handed hitter hits from a balanced stance with a short stride, flat bat path with a pull approach, 80 mph exit velocity off the tee, hit well in game play going 3-for-4 with two singles to left and a double down the left field line.  Defensively, showed the best infield arm of the event at 84 mph across the infield with long high-3/4 release, hands play well, long exchange, accurate throws, good arm from the hole.

Bailey Sutton, SS, R/R, Eastern HS, 2016
6-foot-1, 155-pound prospect, right-handed hitter hits from a balanced stance with a short stride, maintains good balance through swing, line drive type hitter,75 mph exit velocity off the tee, offensive game will continue to develop with added strength to frame, did not run 60-yard dash, went 0-for-5 in game play with a pull approach.  Defensively, shows athletic actions and works through the baseball well, soft hands, good arm strength at 81 mph across the infield, accurate throws, ability to throw on the move from different arm angles with good body control.

Clayton Stallings, 2B, R/R, Bullitt East HS, 2016
5-foot-9, 140-pound prospect, right-handed hitter hits from a slightly open stance and squares front side with a short stride, uses lower half well, tends to wrap some in load, shows the ability to square the ball up with line drives to all fields, 7.73 60-yard dash represented a slight improvement, 78 mph exit velocity off the tee, hit well in game play going 3-for-5 with a double to right-center.  Defensively, shows soft hands, good body control, ability to throw on the move, short ¾ release, showed increase in arm strength at 71 mph across the infield, accurate throws to first base.

Morgan Sheets, SS, R/R, Woodford County HS, 2015
5-foot-11, 155-pound prospect, right-handed hitter hits from a balanced stance with a short stride, maintains good balance, flat bat path, lower hand finish, line drive type hitter, ran 7.58 60-yard dash, 72 mph exit velocity off the tee, went 0-for-5 making contact in all at bats with a mid-field approach.  Defensively, shows soft hands and works through the baseball, gets rid of the ball with a quick exchange and short ¾ release, 73 mph arm across the infield, projects as second baseman at the next level.

corner infielders

Cam Dacci, 3B, R/R, Henry Clay HS, 2016
6-foot, 170-pound prospect, right-handed hitter hits from a balanced stance with a short stride, gap to gap approach, generates some bat speed with 82 mph exit velocity off the tee, ran 7.53 60-yard dash (7.38 at previous event), shows some aggressiveness on the bases, went 1-for-4 in game play with an infield single.  Defensively, shows soft hands and good footwork at third base, good body control, quick exchange and gets rid of the ball with 75 mph arm strength across the infield (76 at previous event), solid corner defender.

Hunter Turner, RHP/1B, R/R, Cooper HS, 2016
6-foot, 215-pound prospect, right-handed hitter hits from a slightly open and tall stance, medium stride, ball jumps when he squares it up, shows some power to the pull side, 75 mph exit velocity off the tee, ran 8.37 60-yard dash, went 1-for-4 in game play with a bloop single to center field.  Defensively, shows soft hands, decent movement around the bag, 73 mph arm strength across the infield, mostly accurate throws.

Aaron Clark, 1B, R/R, Henry Clay HS, 2015
6-foot-4, 210-pound prospect, right-handed hitter hits from a slightly open stance, short stride, longer swing path, strong frame generates some bat speed, 83 mph exit velocity off the tee, lacks complete use of lower half at times, ball jumps when he squares it with some pull-side power, ran 7.58 60 yard dash, went 0-for-4 in game play with a pull approach.  Defensively, shows average hands and feet, 66 mph arm across the infield from short over the top release, still has some rawness to game but could be a power guy at the next level with continued refinement.

Kenton Hibbard, 1B/RHP, R/R, Boone County HS, 2016
6-foot-2, 210-pound prospect, right-handed hitter hits from a balanced stance, slight load back with front foot, short stride, showed pull tendencies in batting practice with more of an opposite field approach in game play, 78 mph exit velocity off the tee, ran 7.74 60-yard dash, went 0-for-4 in game play making contact to the right side in each at bat. Shows good movement around the first base bag, hands work, 74 mph arm across the infield with accurate throws.

Ryan Baskent, 1B/RHP, R/R, Diamond Ranch Academy (UT), 2015
6-foot-3, 180-pound prospect, right-handed hitter hits from a slightly open stance with a shorter stride, takes a slight uphill path at times, 71 mph exit velocity off the tee, ran 8.02 60-yard dash, went 1-for-4 in game play with a bloop single to right field and reached base twice on errors.  Defensively, shows soft hands, moves well around the bag, 69 mph arm across the infield, accurate throws.

catchers

Chris Lynch, C, R/R, Southwestern HS, 2015
5-foot-10, 185-pound prospect, right-handed hitter hits balanced stance with a short stride, maintains good balance through finish, 77 mph exit velocity was down from previous event (84 mph), line drive type hitter with high hand finish, ran 7.59 60-yard dash, went 2-for-4 in game play showing an opposite field approach with a bloop single to right field and double to right-center.  Defensively, showed 75 mph arm strength from the crouch, short high-3/4 release, has room for quicker transfer, some inconsistent accuracy on throws to second base, pop times ranged from 2.08-2.22.

Brian Johnston, C, R/R, St. Mary HS, 2015
6-foot, 190-pound prospect, right-handed hitter hits from a balanced stance with a short stride, generates bat some speed with strong frame, 77 mph exit velocity off the tee was down from previous event (85 mph), tends to cut off finish with lower half, shows some gap power, ran 7.81 60-yard dash, went 1-for-4 in game play with a double to left-center and gap to gap approach.  Defensively, showed 74 mph arm strength from behind the plate(77 at previous event) pop times ranged from 2.09-2.18 with some accurate throws to the bag, solid defensive catcher.

Bradley Hammers, C, R/R, Garrard County HS, 2016
5-foot-9, 160-pound prospect, right-handed hitter hits from an open stance and squares front side with a toe tap and short stride, displays good balance in swing, line drive type hitter with gap to gap approach, consistently squared the baseball in a good round of batting practice, 80 mph exit velocity off the tee, ran a 7.57 60-yard dash, went 1-for-4 with an infield single in game play.  Defensively, showed 71 mph arm strength from the crouch, short high ¾ release, 2.10-2.19 pop times with some accurate throws to the bag.

outfielders

Jackson Boggs, OF/RHP, R/R, Lafayette HS, 2016
6-foot, 165-pound prospect, right-handed hitter hits from a balanced stance, loads back with front foot, uses lower half well, flat bat path produces line drives, one-hand finish, consistently squared the baseball in batting practice, shows some gap power, 83 mph exit velocity off the tee, ran 7.25 60-yard dash, went 1-for-4 in game play with a double to left-center and hard line drive out.  Defensively, showed 82 mph arm from the outfield with carry to the bag from high-3/4 release, plays through the ball with athletic actions, moves well and takes good routes to the ball, solid defender.

Tyler Estes, OF, R/R, Trigg County HS, 2016
6-foot, 175-pound prospect, right-handed hitter hits from an open stance, squares front side with an aggressive stride, pre-pitch hand movement, hands load back with slight bat wrap, displays some hand quickness that generates some bat speed, 81 mph exit velocity off the tee, went 1-for-4 in game play with an infield single, ran 7.25 60-yard dash.  Defensively, moves well in the outfield and plays through the ball with athletic actions, good arm strength from high-3/4 slot at 84 mph with online carry, very accurate throws to the third base bag, solid 2016 prospect.