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Preseason All-State Showcase: Class of 2016 Outfielders

March 3, 2015

By Chris Fuller
Kentucky Scouting Director

On Saturday, February 14, more than 100 players from all corners of the state convened at Champions Baseball Academy in Nicholasville for the third annual Preseason All-State Showcase. Over the coming days we will continue to take a look at all players who participated in the event.

Below we take a look at the Class of 2016 outfielders who were in attendance. This is position player analysis only. Those players who also pitched at the event will have their pitching performance featured in a separate article.

Reid Pope, OF/RHP, R/R, McCracken County HS, 2016
6-foot, 185-pound prospect, right-handed hitter hits from tall and open stance with an aggressive stride, hands are loose and quick and he is able to drive the baseball to the gaps with little effort. His 95 mph exit velocity off the tee put him in the top three for the event, ran a 7.00 60-yard dash. Defensively, shows athleticism, attacks and plays through the baseball well with a clean exchange, high-3/4 release, 89 mph arm strength from the outfield was good for the second best velocity of the day, has developed into a prospect with good combination of athleticism, arm strength, and power potential at the plate.

Aidan Elias, OF/RHP, R/R, Sayre HS, 2016
6-foot-2, 170-pound prospect, right-handed hitter hits from an open stance and gets to square with a short stride, loose and easy swing, line drive type hitter with flashes of gap to gap power, will have some power potential at the next level as he adds physical strength to frame, showed 86 mph exit velocity (87 last month) good speed with 6.80 60-yard dash. Defensively, plays through the ball well, has a quick exchange, good arm strength at 86 mph with carry and high-3/4 release, good combination of speed, arm strength, and offensive ability.

Luke Thatcher, OF, R/R, East Jessamine HS, 2016
6-foot-3, 170-pound prospect, right-handed hitter hits from a balanced stance with a short stride, very good balance through finish, has a shorter/compact swing, line drive type hitter, shows ability to make hard contact to the opposite field, could develop power with addition of physical strength, runs well with 6.80 60-yard dash, 85 mph exit velocity. Defensively, attacks the ball aggressively playing through it with athletic actions, clean exchange, high-3/4 release with good arm strength, 86 mph velocity with carry, good combination of speed, arm strength, and size that projects well at the next level.

Jackson Boggs, OF, R/R, Lafayette HS, 2016
6-foot, 165-pound prospect hits from a balanced stance with a short stride, maintains good balance through finish, level swing path with line drive production, has a middle of the field approach, 83 mph exit velocity, showed improved speed from previous event with a 7.00 60-yard dash. Defensively, shows good athleticism, plays through the ball with athletic actions, clean exchange, long high-3/4 release on throws, 84 mph arm strength with carry.

Seth Johnson, OF/RHP, R/R, Franklin Simpson HS, 2016
6-foot-1, 160-pound prospect, right-handed hitter hits from a slightly open stance, gets to square with a short stride, has a slight wrap in load, generates bat speed with some hand quickness, line drive type hitter with potential to develop gap to gap power, 87 mph exit velocity, ran a 7.16 60-yard dash. Defensively, plays through the ball well with athletic actions, good footwork, clean exchange, long high-3/4 arm action, good arm strength at 86 mph with carry, interesting prospect with athleticism and arm strength.

Langston Watkins, OF, L/L, Male HS, 2016
5-foot-10, 170-pound prospect showcased his speed with a 6.68 60-yard dash. Left-handed hitter hits from an open stance, gets to square with a slight leg kick trigger and short stride, short swing path, good balance through finish, hit several line drives to the middle and opposite field in his round, could be an ideal lead-off hitter at the next level with his speed from the left side. Defensively, plays through the ball with athletic actions, short arm action, high-3/4 release, 70 mph arm strength that will need to continue to improve.

Ty Stephens, OF, R/R, Lexington Christian Academy, 2016
5-foot-8, 145-pound prospect, right-handed hitter hits from a balanced stance, minimal stride, good balance, hands are fairly loose, line drive type hitter with mid to opposite field approach, showed some speed with 7.01 60-yard dash, 80 mph exit velocity. Defensively, plays through the ball with a two-handed approach, long high-3/4 arm action, loose arm, 82 mph velocity from the outfield with some carry.

Kori Embs, OF, L/R, Bishop Brossart HS, 2016
6-foot, 165-pound prospect, left-handed hitter hits from a wide stance, toe tap with no stride, short/compact swing with extension through contact, line drive type hitter, middle to opposite field approach with ability to make hard contact to opposite field, showed some bat speed with 85 mph exit velocity, ran 7.38 60-yard dash. Defensively, plays through the ball well, long arm action, over the top release, 80 mph arm strength with some carry.

Drew Borman, OF/RHP, R/R, Conner HS, 2016
5-foot-11, 170-pound prospect, right-handed hitter hits from a balanced stance with a short stride, line drive type hitter, showed improved bat speed from last summer with 85 mph exit velocity, slight uphill swing path, slight improvement in speed with a 7.40 60-yard dash. Defensively, plays through the baseball, average footwork, short arm action with a high-3/4 release, showed 79 mph arm strength from the outfield with average carry.

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