By Chris Fuller
PBR Kentucky

The Winter College Prospect Showcase took place on Sunday, January 24 at Legends Sports Academy in Louisville and afforded nearly 60 players from around the state the opportunity to showcase their abilities. The event included many players attending their first PBR event while others improved on their performances at previous events.

The complete results and top statistical performers were posted on the PBR website shortly after the event. CLICK HERE to view that information.

The following is a look at the group of Middle Infielders who attended the event.

Nolan Melton, SS/RHP, Henderson County HS, 2018
6-foot, 175-pound right-handed hitter continues to progress as one of the top 2018 prospects in the state. Hits from a slightly open stance, a leg kick and short stride initiate the swing, good use of lower half and quick hands generate good bat speed, short swing path with good extension through contact, ball jumps off the barrel with good gap to gap power, 84 mph exit velocity off the tee, ran 4.76 down the line. Moves fluidly with athletic defensive actions, soft hands, good body control with ability to throw accurately on the move, showed an increase in arm strength at 83 mph across the infield with mostly accurate throws.

Clayton Mehlbauer, SS, Trinity HS, 2017
5-foot-11, 160-pound right-handed hitter hits from an open stance and squares up with a long stride to initiate swing, level swing path produces line drives to the gaps, showed some quickness in hands in a good round of BP, 81 mph exit velocity off the tee, showed improved speed from previous event running 4.64 down the line. Shows athletic defensive actions, uses soft hands to field out front and funnel to body, moves fluidly and works through the baseball well, quick exchange and release with ability to throw accurately from multiple arm angles, 77 mph velocity across the infield.

Thomas Emberton, 2B, Western Hills HS, 2017
5-foot-10, 155-pound switch hitter has a similar approach from both sides of the plate. Hits from a balanced stance and utilizes a short stride, line drive type hitter with ability to use all fields from both sides, shows slightly more pop from the right side (natural side), 75 mph exit velocity from the right side, 77 mph from the left side, ran 4.57 down the line (4.48 at previous event). Solid defender with good athleticism, displays soft hands and works through the ball well, quick exchange with a ¾ release, 73 mph velocity across the infield.

Jacob Cochrum, RHP/2B, Jeffersonville HS (IN), 2017
6-foot, 180-pound right-handed hitter hits from a slightly open stance and squares up with a short stride, uses strong lower half well and maintains good balance through contact, good strength in swing, path works uphill at times, creates lift at contact and shows good power as the ball jumps off his barrel with some carry, generates good bat speed, 85 mph exit velocity off the tee, ran 4.82 down the line. Shows solid defensive actions with sure hands, gets rid of the ball with a quick exchange and high-3/4 release, mostly accurate throws across the diamond with a big jump in arm strength from previous event at 78 mph.

Chase Keller, SS, Bishop Brossart HS, 2017
5-foot-10, 155-pound right handed hitter hits from a balanced and wide base with minimal stride to initiate swing, has a flat bat path through the zone that produces line drives to the gaps, flashes occasional pop, registered a 79 mph exit velocity off the tee, ran 4.82 down the line. Showed to be one of the more polished defensive middle infielders of the event, has soft hands with fluid footwork that allows him to work through the ball well, quick exchange with a high-3/4 release produced accurate throws with 75 mph velocity, shows excellent body control and the ability to throw on the move from multiple arm angles.

Dylan Wilson, 2B, Male HS, 2018
5-foot-5, 145-pound left-handed was one of the more impressive young hitters at the event. Hits from a balanced and slightly crouched stance, utilizes a toe tap timing mechanism with a short stride, good weight transfer and use of lower half drives the barrel through the zone, shows good pop for his size with short swing path, showed better bat speed in BP than 73 mph exit velocity suggests, ran 4.47 down the line. Shows average defensive hands, tends to field ball on heels with room for improvement working through the baseball, average arm strength at 70 mph from a short high-3/4 release with accurate throws.

Chyran Cruse, SS, Male HS, 2019
5-foot-7, 138-pound switch-hitter possesses good athleticism and will be a freshman to watch closely. Hits from an open stance from the left side and squares up with a short stride, swing is a little longer from the left side but his hand quickness gets the barrel through the zone producing line drive contact to the middle and opposite field, ruses a more balanced stance from the right side and showed more pop from that side, 75 mph exit velocity off the tee, ran a 4.63 down the line from the left side. Shows soft hands with good lateral movement, athletic defender, has a quick release from a short, high-3/4 slot that produced accurate throws, 71 mph velocity across the infield will continue to improve.

Aaron Sary, SS, DuPont Manual HS, 2018
5-foot-10, 165-pound left-handed hitter has added 15 pounds to frame over the last year, starts with an open stance and loads back aggressively with a leg kick trigger, looks to attack the baseball with an aggressive approach, good extension through contact, good round of BP consistently squaring the baseball, ran 4.90 down the line, 80 mph exit velocity off the tee. Shows solid hands and improved athleticism defensively, has a quick and short low ¾ release that produced some accurate throws, 69 mph velocity across the infield. Sary’s bat is his current best tool.

Chase Thomas, RHP/SS, Eastern HS, 2018
5-foot-11, 146-pound right handed hitter hits from a slightly open stance and utilizes a leg kick and short stride to initiate swing, gets good involvement from lower half, level swing path produces line drive contact to all fields, showed some speed getting down the line in 4.53 seconds, 76 mph exit velocity off the tee. Shows soft defensive hands and moves athletically in both directions, made accurate throws from a short high-3/4 release, 75 mph velocity across the infield, shows good body control and ability to throw on the move accurately on the slow roller.

Mason Lee, SS/RHP, Meade County HS, 2019
5-foot-7, 140-pound right-handed hitter hits from a balanced stance, loads back with front foot and uses a mid-length stride to initiate swing, occasionally gets to front side early, line drive type hitter with a gap to gap approach, shows above average bat speed for age, 79 mph exit velocity off the tee, ran 5.09 down the line. Sure-handed defender who shows some athleticism, high-3/4 release produced accurate throws across the diamond, solid arm strength for age at 76 mph, has a solid foundation to build upon as he gets physically stronger.

Alex Gray, SS, Madisonville-North Hopkins HS, 2019
5-foot-10, 145-pound right-handed hitter hits from a balanced stance and utilizes a short stride, has some pre-pitch hand movement used as a timing mechanism that quiets down before pitch is released, line drive type hitter shows a short swing path and maintains good balance through contact, uses all fields well, lacks some current strength in swing that will continue to improve with maturity, registered 72 mph exit velocity off the tee, ran 4.90 down the line. Has a solid foundation of defensive skills to work from with soft hands and moves athletically, exchange and release have room to get quicker, throws varied between accurate and off-target, 70 mph arm strength from high-3/4 release.

Max Ferguson, 2B/RHP, Harrison County HS, 2018
6-foot, 170-pound right-handed hitter hits from a narrow and open stance and gets to square with an aggressive stride, significant pre-pitch movement in hands and body, creates occasional lift at contact with some flashes of power, 77 mph exit velocity off the tee, ran 4.84 down the line. Shows average defensive hands, good lateral movement in both directions, has room to get rid of the baseball quicker, short high-3/4 release produced mostly accurate throws across the infield with 70 mph velocity.

Reece McElfresh, 2B, Meade County HS, 2019
5-foot-8, 140-pound left-handed hitter hits from a slightly closed stance, has minimal load and hands drop slightly to trigger swing, initiates swing with a mid-length stride, has some length in swing but path is flat and barrel stays in the zone a long time, produced several line drives to the middle of the field in his round, 68 mph exit velocity off the tee, ran 4.68 down the line. Shows average defensive hands with above average lateral movement for age, fields the ball deep at times, made accurate throws across the diamond, has developing arm strength at 64 mph.

Shamel Mooney, 2B/OF, Shelby County HS, 2019
5-foot-6, 120-pound right-handed hitter hits from a balanced stance with a short stride, tends to bar arm which leads to some length in swing, shows occasional hand quickness, line drive type hitter with a gap to gap approach, 71 mph exit velocity off the tee, ran 5.28 down the line. Participated as both a 2B and OF defensively. Shows average hands, short high-3/4 release but takes awhile to get rid of the baseball on the infield, current arm strength is average at 66 mph across the infield and 68 mph from the outfield. Will see strides in overall game with continued growth and maturity.

John Michael Zoglmann, SS, Daviess County HS, 2018
5-foot-8, 140-pound right-handed hitter hits from a balanced/crouched stance with a short stride, has an arm bar in load that creates some length to swing, long swing path, bat speed will improve as he works to add strength, 68 mph exit velocity off the tee, ran 4.88 down the line. Shows average hands defensively, as room to improve footwork and working through the baseball, short high-3/4 release produced accurate throws across the infield, 68 mph velocity across the infield.

Zach Kleinhelter, Ss, Bullitt Central HS, 2019
5-foot-9, 125-pound right-handed hitter shows a developing overall game. Hits from a balanced stance with a leg kick trigger to initiate swing, tends to wrap bat in load producing some length in swing, line drive type hitter with a gap to gap approach, registered a 69 mph exit velocity off the tee, ran 5.10 down the line, will continue to see offensive improvements with added physical strength. Defensively, shows average hands, long high-3/4 release produced some accurate throws across the diamond, has developing 66 mph arm strength.