By Chris Fuller
Kentucky Scouting Director

The PBR Kentucky Underclass Games event was held August 24 and 25 at Madison Central HS and Eastern Kentucky University.  The talent on Team Gray did not disappoint as several players showed well, led by Easton McGee (erroneously included in Team White’s report yesterday).

A few performances to note:

Easton McGee (2016 RHP/1B, Hopkinsville HS) established himself as the top prospect in the 2016 class.  The 6-foot-5, 180-pound right-handed pitcher has big projectability on the mound and showed a fastball that sat 85-87 mph and touched 88.  His slider is becoming a swing-and-miss type pitch.

Mitchell Jones (2015 RHP, Highlands HS) showed a fastball that topped out at 83 mph with a solid curveball and very good changeup.

Several players saw a notable jump in measurables from previous events including Chris Crotzer, Hunter Perry, Kyler Dugle, and Sam Jiunta.

The following is an in depth look at all of the players on Team Gray: 

Clayton Stallings, R/R, 2B, Bullitt East HS, 2016
5-foot-7, 143-pound prospect, hands work, has a quick exchange and shows the ability to throw from different arm angles, arm strength at 67 mph which should continue to improve with physical development.  At the plate, hits from an open stance, squares front side with a short stride, line drive type hitter with a pull approach, went 0-for-2 in game play, ran 8.18 60 and registered 79 mph tee exit velocity.

Mitchell Jones, RHP, Highlands HS, 2015
6-foot, 160-pound prospect, uses long arm action through a ¾ arm slot, fastball sat 80-83 mph with good arm-side run, curveball shows sharp 11/5 action at 66-70 mph, changeup is solid at 72-73 moh with good sink and fade, has room to add to his frame, velocity has been consistent at summer events, would expect to see some velocity gains in the near future.

Jacob Bates, R/R, 1B/3B, Oldham County HS, 2016
6-foot-3, 160-pound prospect, shows good lateral movement, gets rid of the ball quickly with short arm action, arm strength at 74 mph across the infield.  At the plate, hits from a balanced setup with a short stride, flat bat path, line drive type hitter, went 1-for-4 with an infield single in game play making hard contact in 3 of his 4 at bats, ran 7.66 60, 80 mph tee exit velocity.

Chris Crotzer, R/R, C/1B, Collins HS, 2015
6-foot, 170-pound prospect, good receiving and blocking skills, has a quick glove to hand transfer, room for quicker release, arm strength at 71 mph from the crouch with pop times ranging from 2.16 – 2.22, shows athletic actions at first base with 73 mph arm across the infield.  At the plate, hits from a balanced setup, good rhythm in swing, showed improved use of lower half and big increase in tee exit velocity at 88 mph (+9 mph from previous event), went hitless in game play, ran 8.00 60.

Marshall Rich, R/R, C/OF, Ryle HS, 2015
5-foot-9, 160-pound prospect, solid receiver and blocker behind the plate, quick glove to hand transfer and footwork, 67 mph arm strength from the crouch, pop times ranged from 2.12-2.22, moves wellin outfield, plays through the ball, arm strength at 77 mph.  At the plate, hits from a balanced setup, short stride, short path to the ball, gets some use of lower half involved in swing, showed improved bat speed with 74 mph tee exit velocity (+6 from previous event), went 0-for-4 in game play, ran 7.25 60.

Clay Druin, R/R, OF, Thomas Nelson HS, 2015
5-foot-11, 140-pound prospect with lanky build, plays through the ball, arm strength at 83 mph with online carry.  At the plate, hits from a balanced setup with a short stride, hands are set low, flat bat path, went 1-for-4 in game play with a single up the middle, ran 7.26 60, registered 73 mph tee exit velocity.

Hunter Perry, R/R, 2B, Collins HS, 2015
5-foot-11, 150-pound prospect, shows soft hands and fluid footwork, accurate arm with big jump in arm strength at 80 mph (+5 from previous event), solid defensive skills.  At the plate, hits from a wide set up with minimal stride, gets some lower half involved in swing, line drive type hitter, went 0-for-3 in game play with an opposite field approach, ran 7.15 60 and saw big increase in tee exit velocity at 85 mph (+7 mph from previous event).

Kyler Dugle, R/R, 3B, Shelby County HS, 2015
5-foot-11, 175-pound prospect shows athletic actions and soft hands, very good lateral movement, good body control with ability to throw accurately on the move, 77 mph arm across the infield (+2 mph from previous event),very solid defensively.  At the plate, hits from a balanced setup with a short stride, showed improved use of lower half and better backside turn, big increase in tee exit velocity at 86 mph (+10 mph from previous event), went 1-for-4 in game play with a single.

Sam Jiunta, L/R, SS, Henry Clay HS, 2015
5-foot-9, 150-pound prospect, good lateral movement in the infield, hands work, showed improved arm strength at 78 mph (+3 mph), accurate arm, good body control.  At the plate, hits from a balanced setup, short stride, good balance, short path to the ball, uses all fields well, solid round of batting practice, registered 82 mph tee exit velocity (+4 mph from previous event), showed improved 60 time at 7.46, went 0-for-3 in game play.

Matthew Gammon, L/R, SS, Shelby County HS, 2016
5-foot-11, 160-pound prospect, plays through the ball, has a quick exchange with 76 mph arm across the infield, accurate arm.  At the plate, the left-handed hitter hits from a balanced setup with a short stride, slight uphill path to the ball creates some lift, solid round of batting practice consistently barreling up the baseball, went 1-for-3 in game play with a double, ran 8.03 60, 80 mph exit velocity off the tee, potential to be solid hitter from the left side.

Brandon Lawlor, R/R, OF, Scott County HS, 2015
6-foot-4, 190-pound prospect, lanky frame with projectability, showed improvement in playing through the baseball, arm strength at 77 mph.  At the plate, hits from a balanced setup with minimal stride, needs more consistent lower half use in swing, went 0-for-3 in game play, ran the best 60 we have seen to date from him at 7.07 (7.12 previous event).

Gavin Wood, R/R, RHP/OF, Elizabethtown HS, 2015
6-foot-3, 185-pound prospect, lanky and projectable frame, shows an accurate arm from the outfield at 77 mph.  At the plate, hits from an open setup, uses a leg kick trigger, gets some lower half involved in swing, registered 82 mph tee exit velocity, ran 7.47 60, went 0-for-4 in game action.  On the mound, uses long arm action through a high ¾ arm slot, fastball sat 78-81 and touched 82, 2-seamer shows some arm-side run, throws a 73-76 mph splitter that he has a tendency to slow arm on, throws a 77-78 mph cutter with some slight action, has potential on the mound, needs to develop breaking ball.

Easton McGee, R/R, RHP/1B, Hopkinsville HS, 2016
6-foot-5, 180-pound prospect with long and lanky frame is the top prospect in the 2016 class, big projectability on the mound, uses medium arm action through a high ¾ arm slot, fastball sat 85-87 mph and touched 88, curveball sat 64-68 mph, very good slider with late bite at 72-74 mph, good command of solid 76-77 mph changeup with run and sink.  As position player shows soft hands at first base with 82 mph arm across the infield.  At the plate, hits from a balanced setup, short stride, showed improved bat speed from previous event, 88 mph tee exit velocity, went 0-for3 in game play.  McGee is a definite high-level pitching prospect.