By Chris Fuller
Kentucky Scouting Director

The PBR Kentucky Top Prospect Games took place June 16-17 at Western Kentucky University and afforded close to 120 players from around the state the opportunity to showcase their abilities to the PBR Kentucky staff and many college coaches in attendance. The following is a look at the position players from Team Maroon. This is position player analysis only. Those position players who also pitched at the event had that evaluation featured in a previous article.

Middle Infielders

Jed Arend, SS, R/R, Daviess County HS, 2016
5-foot-11, 165-pound right-handed hitter had his best showing at a PBR event, hits from an open stance and gets to square with a short stride, maintains good balance, showed big jump in exit velocity at 91 mph, line drive type hitter with gap to gap approach, hit well in game play going 3-for-4 with three solid singles, ran 4.62 down the line. Shows soft hands, works through the ball with fluid footwork, quick exchange with short high-3/4 release, 81 mph velocity, accurate throws, good body control and the ability to throw from multiple arm angles.

Thomas Bennett, SS, R/R, Western Hills HS, 2017
5-foot-10, 170-pound right-handed hitter hits from a balanced stance, short stride, line drive type hitter, 87 mph exit velocity, ran 4.70 down the line, hit well in game play going 2-for-4 with singles to right and center. Shows soft hands, fluid footwork with good lateral movement, good body control with ability to throw accurately on the move, short ¾ to high-3/4 release, accurate throws, 83 mph velocity across the infield, has potential to be a high-level SS in 2017 class.

Tanner Robins, RHP/MIF, R/R, Mercer County HS, 2017
6-foot, 180-pound right-handed hitter hits from a tall stance with a leg kick trigger, has an uphill swing path which creates some lift, flashes pull-side power in BP, 86 mph exit velocity, runs well, 4.32 down the line, went 0-for-3 in game play. Shows soft hands with fluid footwork and good lateral movement, high-3/4 release with 85 mph velocity across the infield, accurate throws, good body control with ability to throw on the move from multiple arm angles.

Tyler Franklin, SS, R/R, Taylor County HS, 2017
5-foot-10, 165-pound right-handed hitter hits from a balanced stance, short stride, tends to bar arm in load phase creating some length in swing, level swing path, ran 4.55 down the line, 72 mph exit velocity, went 1-for-4 in game play with an infield single. Shows playable hands defensively, good lateral movement, short ¾ release with 78 mph velocity across the infield, good body control with ability to throw from different arm slots, offensive game will continue to develop with added physical strength.

Corner Infielders

Austin Madry, 3B, R/R, Lexington Catholic HS, 2016
6-foot-1, 185-pound right-handed hitter hits from a slightly open stance and squares with a short stride, generates bat speed with strong frame and hand quickness, shot swing path with good extension, impressive round of BP showing some power to all fields, would like to see him be more aggressive in game play, 90 mph exit velocity, went 0-for-3 and ran a 4.62 down the line. Shows soft hands and moves well laterally, 79 mph velocity across the infield with accurate throws, has potential to be a power-hitting 3B at the next level.

Dixon Craft, RHP/1B, R/R, Christian County HS, 2016
6-foot-2, 205-pound right-handed hitter hits from a balanced stance with a short stride, good balance, uses strong lower half, shows occasional pull-side power as ball jumps of his bat, good bat speed, 92 mph exit velocity, runs well for size 4.59 down the line, went 1-for-3 in game play with a single to center. Shows soft hands at first base, above average footwork around the bag, quick exchange with 82 mph velocity and accurate throws.

Chase Collins, 1B/LHP, R/L, St, Xavier HS, 2017
6-foot, 160-pound right-handed hitter hits from a balanced stance, loads back, short stride, significant pre-pitch movement, maintains good balance, line drive type hitter with 81 mph exit velocity, ran 4.95 down the line, went 0-for-4 in game play. Shows soft hands defensively, moves well around the first base bag, ¾ arm slot with 75 mph velocity across the infield, athletic first baseman.

Nicholas Stevens, 3B/RHP, R/R, Southern HS, 2016
6-foot-2, 195-pound right handed hitter hits from an open stance with a short stride, flashes some pull side power and ball jumps when he squares it up, 82 mph exit velocity, ran 5.02 down the line, went 1-for-3 in game play with a single to left. Shows average hands, long low-3/4 to ¾ release with some stiffness, inconsistent throws across the field with 70 mph arm strength, bat is current best tool, will need to improve arm strength for the 3B position.

Outfielders

Garrett Wilson, OF/RHP, R/R, Bullitt East HS, 2016
5-foot-11, 165-pound right-handed hitter hits from a tall and open stance, has an aggressive stride, quick-twitch athlete with hand quickness, good bat speed, 93mph exit velocity, good round of BP with hard line drives and flashed power potential, showed off his speed running 4.16 down the line, went 2-for-4 in game play with two hard hit singles and a line out to center field. Athletic outfielder who plays through the ball well, Has a quick over the top release with 85 mph velocity and online carry to the bag, very good athlete with solid baseball skills.

Rook Ellington, OF/RHP, R/R, McCracken County HS, 2018
6-foot, 160-pound right-handed hitter, hits from a balanced stance with a short stride, good use of lower half, generates good bat speed through the zone, shows good power for age that should continue to develop with physical strength, flashed his speed with 4.17 home to first time, 86 mph exit velocity, went 0-for-4 in game play. Attacks and plays through the ball well with athletic actions, long high-3/4 release with accurate throws to the bag, good arm strength at 84 mph with carry, potential high-level 2018 prospect.

Thomas Emberton, OF/SS, S/R, Western Hills HS, 2017
5-foot-10, 150-pound switch-hitter, has a similar setup from both sides of the plate, balanced stance with short stride, generates slightly more bat speed from the right side, 75 mph from the left side, 77 mph from the right side, tends to roll over on the left side, shows some speed with 4.48 home to first time from right side, went 1-for-4 in game play with a single to center field. AS an outfielder, shows quick and athletic feet and attacks the ball aggressively, good set up on fly balls, long high-3/4 release, 81 mph OF velocity with some carry. As a SS, works through the ball well with fluid footwork, ¾ release with 73 mph velocity across the infield and accurate throws.

Sam Hedges, OF, R/R, St. Xavier HS, 2017
5-foot-10,170-pound right-handed hitter hits from a balanced stance, short stride, maintains good balance through swing, short swing path with above average bat speed, 84 mph exit velocity, line drive type hitter with gap to gap approach, ran 4.68 down the line, went 0-for-4 in game play. Plays through the ball well with fluid footwork and athletic actions, long high-3/4 to over the top release, average arm strength at 77 mph with some accurate throws, 2017 prospect to follow.

Andrew Byers, OF, R/L, North Oldham HS, 2016
5-foot-10, 170-pound right-handed hitter hits from a balanced stance, short stride, tends to bar arm in load phase, long swing path but gets through the zone with some bat speed, good round of BP consistently squaring it up, 87 mph exit velocity, showed speed with 4.37 home to first time, went 0-for-4 in game play. Has a hesitant, two-handed approach to the ball in the outfield, long exchange, high-3/4 release with 68 mph velocity, bat and speed are current best tools.

Catchers

Christian Gough, C, R/R, Graves County HS, 2016
6-foot-5, 220-pound right-handed hitter hits from a balances stance, short stride, ball jumps off his bat when squared up, shows power to the pull side, 84 mph exit velocity, good speed for size running 4.48 down the line, went 1-for-3 in game play with a single to left field. Shows big arm strength behind the plate at 83 mph, solid transfer and release, 1.95-2.03 pop times with room to get even better with quicker footwork, size and arm strength make him an intriguing prospect behind the plate.

Garryn Wood, C, L/R, Franklin County HS, 2017
6-foot, 170 pound left-handed hitter hits from a balanced stance with a leg kick trigger, generates bat speed through the zone with loose and quick hands, 85 mph exit velocity, line drive type hitter with a solid approach and ability to use all fields, ran 4.63 down the line, went 1-for-4 in game play with a single to left field.  Has quick feet behind the plate with a quick release, 72 mph velocity from the crouch, pop times ranged from 2.02-2.10 with mostly accurate throws to the bag, has made impressive strides in overall game.

Adam Stone, C/RHP, R/R, University Heights, 2016
6-foot-3, 200-pound right-handed hitter hits from an open stance with a long stride, strong frame generates some bat speed, 84 mph exit velocity, line drive type hitter with gap to gap approach and good barrel awareness in BP, ran 4.97 down the line, went 2-for-3 in game play with line drive singles to center and right. Showcased 71 mph velocity from behind the plate with 2.21-2.36 pop times, hard-nosed catcher with good blocking ability.