By Chris Fuller
Kentucky Scouting Director

The 2016 Top Prospect Games took place on June 14-15 and afforded more than 150 players from around the state the opportunity to showcase their abilities to the PBR Kentucky staff and numerous college coaches in a combination showcase/game play event.

CLICK HERE to view the top statistical performers and statistics for all players in attendance.

The following is an in-depth look at the position players from Team 5 (White). Please note that this is position analysis only. Those position players who also participated as a pitcher at the event had their pitching performance featured in a previous article.

Middle Infielders

Austin Wise, SS, Butler Traditional, 2017
60 Time: 6.97, Position Velocity:  IF-81, Exit Velocity: 88
6-foot-1, 185-pound RHH had an impressive all-around showing. Hits from a balanced stance and utilizes a toe tap and short stride, rhythmic hand load triggers into a compact swing, showed hard line drive contact to all fields in BP with good bat speed, went 0-for-3 in game play making solid contact, 60 time was his best to date. Stood out defensively with soft hands and fluid footwork, works through the ball well, showed solid arm strength with accurate throws, good body control. Wise has developed into one of the top uncommitted SS in the 2017 class.

Kirk Liebert, 2B, Daviess County, 2018
60 Time: 7.27, Position Velocity:  IF-78, Exit Velocity: 83
5-foot-9, 150-pound LHH showed an improvement in all measurables. Hits from a balanced setup with a mid-length stride, front side hitter at times, creates some bat speed with loose hands, line drive type hitter, went 0-for-4 in game play. Shows some athleticism defensively with good lateral movement, average hands, accurate throws from a long high-3/4 release, above average arm strength that continues to improve.

Catchers

Brent Lovell, C, Rockcastle County, 2018
60 Time: 7.03, Pop Time: 1.92-2.00, Position Velocity:  C-78, Exit Velocity: 92
At 5-foot-11, 190-pounds, Lovell is an athletic presence behind the plate. He flashed good speed and shows active feet with a quick release to produce consistent sub-2.0 pop times on 78 mph arm strength. The right-handed hitter hits from a balanced stance and loads back with a toe tap and short stride,  shows good bat speed and the ball jumps off his barrel as he displayed good gap to gap power. He went 1-for-3 in game play with a single to right field. The 2018 catching class is deep, and Lovell is one of the guys who adds to it.

Alex Kennedy, C, Covington Catholic, 2018
60 Time: 7.46, Pop Time: 1.94-2.00, Position Velocity:  C-74, Exit Velocity: 86
6-foot-2, 205-pound RHH with strong and physical frame. Hits from a balanced stance, short stride, short swing path with frame-generated bat speed, line drive type hitter with gap to gap approach, went 0-for-3 in game play reaching base once on an error. Shows very good catch and throw ability behind the plate, with a quick release and solid footwork, registered consistent sub-2.0 pop times with accurate throws. Kennedy adds to the depth of the 2018 catching class.

Corner Infielders

Bradley Taylor, 3B, Logan County, 2018
60 Time: 6.89, Position Velocity:  IF-86, Exit Velocity: 78
6-foot, 170-pound RHH hits from a balanced stance with an aggressive stride, uses lower half well and showed good bat speed with loose hands in BP, had occasional timing issues but ball jumps off the barrel when everything is in sync, shows good speed, went  2-for-4 in game play that included a well-hit double to left field. Showed well defensively with athletic actions and very good arm strength with strong and accurate throws across the diamond. Taylor is one to keep a close eye on in the 2018 class.

Hale Sims, 1B/RHP, St. Mary, 2018
60 Time: 8.94, Position Velocity:  IF-78, Exit Velocity: 78
6-foot-3, 235-pound LHH hits from an open stance and squares up with a short stride, has a loose swing with fluid rhythm, generates better bat speed in BP than exit velocity would indicate, flashes occasional pop, went 1-for-3 in game play with a single. Defensively, shows good hands and decent athleticism for size, solid arm strength with accurate throws. Sims has good potential, especially as a hitter. He will need to work some on his body and foot speed moving forward to maximize his potential.

Dominick Lawson, LHP/1B, Nelson County, 2017
60 Time: 7.33, Position Velocity:  IF-74, Exit Velocity: 84
6-foot-1, 185-pound LHH hits from a balanced and narrow stance with a mid-length stride, has an uphill swing path that generates some lift and shows pull side power, took a solid round of BP showing above average bat speed, went 0-for-3 in game play. Athletic first baseman with good hands and feet around the bag, made accurate throws. Lawson’s left-handed power is intriguing.

Nathan LeMieux, 3B, Model laboratory, 2017
60 Time: 7.93, Position Velocity:  IF-82, Exit Velocity: 91
6-foot, 250-pound RHH hits from a balanced stance with minimal stride, has raw strength and power in swing, short swing path, shows pull side home run power in BP, went 1-for-3 in game play with a single to CF. Arm strength is his best tool defensively as it plays well on the left side of the infield from a long high-3/4 release, shows average hands with a long exchange. Lemieux has potential, especially as a hitter. Will need to work some on his body to maximize it and improve defensively.

Outfielders

Will McClurg, OF, Lexington Christian Academy, 2018
60 Time: 7.33, Position Velocity:  OF-81, Exit Velocity: 87
5-foot-10, 168-pound RHH showed big jumps in arm strength and exit velocity, hits from a slightly open stance and uses a short stride, slight hand load, maintains good balance through contact, short swing path with good bat speed produced a good round of BP, ball jumps off the barrel with some lift, went 1-for-4 in game play with a single to LF and a pull approach. Showed the ability to work through the ball in the outfield, made mostly accurate throws to the third base bag from a short high-3/4 release.

Jackson Caudill, OF, Franklin-Simpson, 2017
60 Time: 7.33, Position Velocity:  OF-88, Exit Velocity: 88
6-foot, 185-pound RHH showed big jumps in arm strength and exit velocity. Hits from a wide base with a toe tap and short stride, deep hand load, has a fairly flat path through the zone, flashes occasional gap to gap power, went 1-for-3 in game play with a double to LF. Solid outfielder who works through the ball well, arm strength is a plus from a long high-3/4 release with strong throws to the bag. Caudill has made noticeable improvements in his overall game.

Ryan Kearney, OF/LHP, Campbellsville, 2019
60 Time: 7.38, Position Velocity:  OF-75, Exit Velocity: 74
5-foot-8, 140-pound LHH hits from a balanced stance with a short stride, has an arm bar in load that creates some length in swing, line drive type hitter with gap to gap approach, average bat speed for age, went 0-for-4 in game play reaching on an error once. Should see offensive game continue to evolve as he gets physically stronger. Very solid fundamental outfielder who lays through the ball well and takes good routes, average arm strength from a long high-3/4 release.