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 Royal. This is position player analysis only. Those position players who also pitched at the event had their pitching evaluation featured in a previous article.

middle infielders

Ryan Layne, SS, L/R, West Jessamine HS, 2016
5-foot-11, 170-pound left-handed hitter hits from a balanced stance with a short stride, maintains good balance through swing, short swing path with some hand quickness, line drive type hitter who uses all fields and incorporates some speed in game, impressed in BP, 83 mph exit velocity, ran 4.34 down the line, went 0-for-4 in game play reaching base on an error. Advanced defender at the SS position, soft hands, good footwork and works through the ball well, very athletic with excellent body control and ability to throw from multiple arm angles, 86 mph velocity plays well on the left side of the infield, has the tools to stay at SS at the next level.

Trip Lockhart, RHP/SS, R/R, Lexington Catholic HS, 2017
6-foot-2, 165-pound right-handed hitter hits from an open stance and gets to square with a short stride, good balance through swing, short swing path with line drive production, 82 mph exit velocity, has significant pre-pitch hand movement, ran 4.64 down the line, went 0-for-1 in game play (injured hand). Shows soft defensive hands, good footwork with a quick exchange, high-3/4 release with accurate throws, above average arm strength at 82 mph across the infield, good body control with ability to throw accurately on the move.

Kendall Covington, 2B, R/R, Scott County HS, 2016
5-foot-8, 160-pound right-handed hitter hits from a wide and balanced stance, loads back with front foot and has a short stride, generates well above average bat speed with hand quickness, 88 mph exit velocity, line drive type hitter impressed in BP, ran 4.53 down the line, went 1-for-3 in game lay with a single to left field and a SAC fly. Has average hands defensively, gets rid of the ball quickly with a short high-3/4 release, good lateral movement, showed an increase in arm strength with 76 mph velocity across the infield.

corner infielders

Hunter Shiarella, 3B, R/R, Grayson County HS, 2017
6-foot-1, 200-pound right-handed hitter hits from a tall stance with a long stride, short swing path with a pull approach in BP, generates bat speed with strong frame, 91 mph exit velocity, ran 4.78 down the line, went 1-for-3 in game play with a single to center field. Shows average hands at third base, moves well for size, long high-3/4 release with 78 mph velocity across the infield, accurate throws across the diamond.

Kyle Rowe, 3B, R/R, Beechwood HS, 2016
5-foot-10, 235-pound right-handed hitter hits from an open stance and squares front side with a mid-length stride, uses lower half torque well to generate bat speed though the zone, 88 mph exit velocity, ball jumps off his bat and shows good pull side power, went 0-for-3 in game play with a hard line out to SS. Defensively, shows good athleticism for size, soft hands, short ¾ to high-3/4 release with 77 mph velocity across the infield with some accuracy.

Brian Baxa, RHP/1B, R/R, Danville HS, 2017
6-foot-2, 205-pound right-handed hitter hits from a balanced stance with a short stride, loads front foot back slightly with a short stride, tended to get foot down late in BP but showed better timing in game play, ha some power potential, 90 mph exit velocity, went 2-for-3 in game play with two singles. Shows soft hands defensively, average footwork around the bag, good arm strength with accurate throws, 82 mph velocity across the infield.

Tanner Maple, 1B/RHP, R/R, Greenwood HS, 2016
5-foot-11, 180-pound right-handed hitter hits from a balanced stance, short stride, has an uphill swing path with flashes of power to the pull side, has some strength in swing, ran 5.14 down the line, went 0-for-3 in game play. Showed average hands defensively, average feet around the bag, accurate throws with 74 mph velocity across the infield.

outfielders

John Sizemore, OF, L/R, Clay County HS, 2016
6-foot-1, 175-pound left-handed hitter hits from a balanced stance, short stride, line drive type hitter who will use all fields, ran 4.44 down the line, went 0-for-4 in game play making contact in each at bat and lined out hard to left field. Plays through the ball well in the outfield, short high-3/4 release with accurate throws, showed 77 mph arm strength from the outfield with average carry.

Steven Bender, OF/RHP, R/R, Lexington Catholic HS, 2017
6-foot, 160-pound right-handed hitter hits from an open stance and gets to square with a short stride, shows present bat speed with some hand quickness, 86 mph exit velocity, line drive type hitter with flashes of gap power, uses all fields well, ran 4.57 down the line, went 1-for-4 in game play with a single to center and a long fly out to center field. Shows athletic outfield actions, plays through the baseball well, long high-3/4 release, shoes some arm strength with 83 mph velocity, most throws accurate to the third base bag.

Justin Ray, OF, S/L, Carroll County HS, 2016
5-foot-10, 150-pound switch-hitter with a similar approach from both sides of the plate, balanced stance, short stride with excellent balance, line drive type hitter with ability to spray line drives to all fields, shows occasional gap power for size, went 2-for-4 with a single to right and double to centerfield, 81 mph exit velocity from the left side, 77 from right side, ran 4.51 down the line from the right side. Shows good athleticism defensively, plays through the ball well, long over the-top release with 79 mph velocity, very accurate throws to the third base bag with some carry.

Mason Schroeder, OF, L/R, Danville HS, 2017
5-foot-10, 150-pound left-handed hitter hits from a balanced stance with no stride, loose hands with some quickness, line drive type hitter with a gap to gap approach, average bat speed, 77 mph exit velocity, ran 4.63 down the line, went 1-for-4 in game play with a single to left field making contact in all at bats. Shows a two-handed approach to the ball on the ground, some hesitancy in playing through the ball at times, long over the top release, 70 mph velocity from the outfield.

catchers

Dalton Dedas, C, R/R, St. Xavier HS, 2016
5-foot-11, 185-pound right-handed hitter hits from a balanced stance with a short stride, explodes with lower half and maintains good balance, line drive type hitter with occasional pull side power, shows good bat speed through the zone, 91mph exit velocity, ran 4.54 down the line, went 2-for-3 in game play with a single to center and single to right. Very solid defensive catcher, good receiver and blocker, 73 mph arm strength with a quick release, pop times ranged from 1.96-2.03 with solid throws to the bag, solid all-around 2016 prospect.

Austin Brinkman, C/RHP, R/R, Russell HS, 2017
5-foot-11, 170-pound right-handed hitter hits from a balanced/wide stance with no stride, has a tendency to wrap bat in load with an arm bar, long swing path with average bat speed, 80 mph exit velocity, ran 4.90 down the line, went 0-for-4 in game play. Showed significant increase in velocity at 73 mph behind the plate, showed an improved transfer and release, 2.02-2.11 pop times with most throws accurate, solid receiver behind the plate.

Daniel Carney, C, R/R, Taylor County HS, 2017
5-foot-9, 160-pound right-handed hitter hits from a balances stance with a short stride, has a short swing path with average bat speed, 77 mph exit velocity, line drive type hitter, showed some speed for the catcher position running 4.53 down the line, went 1-for-4 in game play with a line drive single to center field. Defensively, showed improved arm strength and pop times, 71 mph velocity, 2.08-2.14 pop times, solid receiver and blocking ability behind the plate.