By Chris Fuller and PBR Kentucky Staff

The 2014 Kentucky Top Prospect Games featured more than 120 players over the two-day event. The following is an in depth look at the position players from Team Royal.  This is position player analysis only.  Those players who pitched for Team Royal were featured in a previous article.  You can CLICK HERE to view that article.

CLICK HERE to view the top statistical performers and complete stats from the event.

middle infielders

Jacob Bowles, MIF/RHP, R/R, Bullitt East HS, 2015
5-foot-10, 170-pound prospect shows solid middle infield actions with soft hands and good lateral movement in both directions, has a quick exchange with short arm action, showed good arm strength at 83 mph across the infield with carry.  At the plate, hits from an open stance and squares front side with a short stride, slight uphill path to the baseball, good lower half torque in swing, showed bat speed with 89 mph tee exit velocity, ran 4.65 down the first base line, went 1-for-4 in game play with a double smoked down the left field line, interesting prospect with two-way potential at the next level.

Joshua Blancet, SS, R/R, West Jessamine HS, 2015
5-foot-8, 145-pound prospect had a good round of batting practice consistently squaring the baseball with line drive production to all fields, hits from a balanced setup with a short stride, has a short and direct path to the ball, will benefit offensively from additional strength to frame, registered 74 mph tee exit velocity and showed some speed running 4.42 down the first base line, went 0-for-5 in game play that included a hard line out.  Defensively, Blancet displays solid middle infield actions with good lateral movement and athletic feet, gets rid of the ball quickly with short arm action and showed the ability to throw accurately from different arm angles, reached a top velocity of 76 mph across the infield, solid defender.

Dylan Ladd, RHP/2B, R/R, Madisonville North Hopkins HS, 2015
6-foot, 165-pound prospect with athletic frame, hits from a wide base with a short stride, has an uphill swing path, gets some lower half torque in swing, line drive type hitter registered 77 mph tee exit velocity, ran 4.52 down the first base line, went 1-for-5 in game play with a single and two strikeouts.  Defensively, showed 79 mph arm strength across the infield, accurate throws with some carry, displays adequate hands while showing good lateral movement and some body control.

Kenny Rideout, SS, R/R, Apollo HS, 2015
5-foot-11, 186-pound prospect showed solid infield actions with soft hands, works through the baseball, lacks some arm strength at 71 mph across the infield but gets rid of the ball quickly and is able to throw from multiple arm angles, good body control.  At the plate, hits from an open stance with a short stride, wraps some in load which creates some length to swing, line drive type hitter with gap to gap approach, showed the ability to generate some bat speed with 85 mph tee exit velocity, went 0-for-4 in game play with three strikeouts reaching base once on an error, ran 4.92 down the first base line.

corner infielders

Jack Wilson, 3B, L/R, Elizabethtown HS, 2016
6-foot-1, 190-pound prospect with strong and athletic frame, shows solid corner actions with soft hands and good lateral movement, accurate arm across the infield at 77 mph.  At the plate, the left-handed hitter hits from a balanced stance with a short stride, maintains good balance, has a short path to the ball and shows gap to gap power, registered 84 mph tee exit velocity and ran 4.57 down the first base line, went 2-for-4 in game play with a single up the middle and double to left-center showing the ability to use all fields, potential left-handed power bat in 2016 class.

Griffin McLarty, RHP/3B, L/R, Oldham County HS, 2016
6-foot-2, 165-pound prospect with lanky frame that projects well, hits from a balanced setup with a short stride, good lower half torque in swing, hands are quick, swing path creates some lift, consistently barreled the baseball up in batting practice, has potential to hit for power, registered 81 mph tee exit velocity and ran 4.58 down the first base line.  Defensively, shows solid actions and lateral movement, 77 mph arm across the infield with accurate throws, went 0-for-4 in game play lining out hard in one at bat.

Todd Ramey, 1B, R/R, Highlands HS, 2015
6-foot-3, 220-pound prospect with strong frame who shows good athleticism for his size, shows soft hands and good feet around the first base bag, 79 mph arm strength across the diamond.  At the plate, hits from a balanced stance with a short stride, raw strength in swing, uses strong frame to generate bat speed, shows raw power and more to come with more consistent use of lower half, registered 84 mph tee exit velocity, showed some speed for size running 4.68 down the first base line, has potential to be a power corner guy at the next level, went 2-for-4 with two doubles in game play, one to deep center and one to right-center.

Raekwon Qualls, 1B, R/R, Madisonville North Hopkins HS, 2015
5-foot-11, 228-pound prospect showed 68 mph arm across the infield, accurate throws , some stiffness defensively.  At the plate, hits from a balanced setup with a toe tap, line drive type hitter, registered 83 mph tee exit velocity, ran 4.78 down the first base line, went 1-for-4 in game play with two strikeouts and a single up the middle and hard line out to short.

catchers

Zechariah Maulden, C/3B, R/R, Nelson County HS, 2015
6-foot-1, 175-pound prospect with athletic frame, shows good athleticism and movement behind the plate, good blocking skills, showcased 78 mph arm strength from the crouch with pop times ranging from 2.02-2.14, has room to improve pop times with quicker release, participated as 3B in pre-game workout and shows good lateral movement with soft hands and an accurate arm across the diamond at 82 mph.  At the plate, hits from a slightly open and tall stance with a long stride, swing gets long at times but generates some bat speed as evidenced by 87 exit velocity off the tee, ran 4.79 down the first base line, went 0-for-3 in game play.

Adam Stone, C, R/R, University Heights Academy, 2016
6-foot-3, 220-pound prospect  with strong lower half, showed 69 mph arm strength from the crouch with pop times ranging from 2.22-2.30, has room to improve pop times with quicker footwork and release.  At the plate, hits from a slightly open and tall stance, uses a long stride, shows some raw strength in swing, registered 75 mph tee exit velocity, ran 5.32 down the first base line, went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in game play.

outfielders

Seth Murphy, RHP/OF, R/R, Garrard County HS, 2015
6-foot-2, 180-pound prospect with athletic frame, hits from a balanced setup, arm bar in load creates some length to swing but is able to get the barrel through the zone with quick hands, has projectable power, flashed bat speed tying for event best 91 mph tee exit velocity, runs well with 4.31 down the first base line.  As an outfielder, shows athletic actions and moves well to the ball, plays through the ball well on the ground, showed very good arm strength at 89 mph, accurate throws with online carry to the third base bag, athletic two-way prospect committed to Eastern Kentucky following the event.

Chase Bright, OF, R/R, Marshall County HS, 2015
5-foot-7, 135-pound prospect hits from a slightly open stance with a smooth load and short stride, good balance throughout swing, line drive type hitter who incorporates speed on the bases as part of his game, went 1-for-5 in game play with a single up the middle, ran 4.34 down the first base line.  Defensively Bright showed a big increase in arm strength at 81 mph (74 mph at winter event) and shows athletic actions while playing through the baseball well, continued to show well defensively in game play, high energy player who plays the game hard.

John Zinobile, OF, R/R, Greenwood HS, 2015
5-foot-11, 160-pound prospect with broad shoulders and strong/athletic frame, hits from a wide stance with no stride, has a longer and uphill path to the ball, shows good strength in swing with occasional power, registered 79 mph tee exit velocity and ran 4.94 down the first base line, showed a pull approach going 2-for-5 in game play with a single and double to left field.  Defensively, showed some athleticism in playing through the baseball, uses a big crow hop and showed 80 mph arm strength with some accuracy.

Johnthan Dukes, RHP/OF, R/R, Muhlenberg County HS, 2015
6-foot-1, 210-pound prospect with strong lower half, participated as a position player in the hitting portion of pre-game only, registered one of the top exit velocities of the event at 90 mph, shows some strength in swing that creates bat speed, long swing path, hits from a balanced and wide base with a short stride, went 2-for-4 in game play with a single to left and a single up the middle.

Noah Dockery, OF, R/R, Spencer County HS, 2016
6-foot, 150-pound prospect with lanky build, hits from a balanced stance with a short stride, has a long swing path, can incorporate more consistent lower half torque in swing, line drive type hitter showed some bat speed with 84 mph tee exit velocity, showed good speed running 4.33 down the first base line, went 0-for-5 in game play reaching base once on error.  Defensively, showed 71 mph arm strength from a high ¾ arm slot while playing through the baseball.

Ben Cole, LHP/OF, L/L, Greenwood HS, 2015
5-foot-8, 140-pound prospect hits from a balanced setup with a short stride, drops hands and has a long swing path with an opposite field approach, registered 84 mph tee exit velocity and ran 4.63 down the first base line, went 1-for-5 in game play with an infield single and four strikeouts.  Defensively, showed average footwork and 69 mph arm strength from the outfield.