By Mike Penn
Michigan Director of Scouting

The East Coast Prospect Showcase had players from all four current recruiting classes (2014-2017).  Typically it is difficult to gauge what the level of talent for this type of showcase will be (since there are so many unknown players), but when it was all said and done it was evident that many players made a name for themselves.

Per the usual, the pitchers who attended the event were very good.  Brendan Schmitz (Dakota HS, 2015) was the hardest thrower at the event, topping out at 86mph.  The 6-foot-4 junior has some serious upside with his live arm and size but has a ways to go before he reaches his full potential. 

Both Lukas Veinbergs (Pinckeney HS, 2015) and Jordan Swiss (Petoskey HS, 2015) proved why their stock is climbing in the state.  Veinbergs and Swiss ran well at 6.72 and 6.84 respectively.  Veinbergs, who is a catcher and pitcher, showed an above-average arm behind the dish with a pop time consistently in the 1.9's and then proceeded to touch 85mph on the mound. Meanwhile, Swiss showed good actions with an above-average arm across the diamond (83mph) as well as showing good pop at the plate.

Two sophomore players that earned high marks were Caleb Scoles (Gull Lake HS, 2016) and Malcolm Harris (Henry Ford Academy, 2016).  Scoles may be the next big name to emerge from Gull Lake HS and make a dynamic combination with battery mate Drew Blakely.  The 6-foot-1, 190-pound righty featured an easy 82-84mph fastball and good secondary stuff. 

Harris, like Scoles, stood out because of his arm. A good athlete, he ran a 7.01 in the 60 and was 81mph from the outfield, but he may be the best on the mound long term.  He quickly drew comparisons to a young Sterling Sharp (North Farmington HS, 2013).  Sharp happened to be a draft pick by the Atlanta Braves last June and is currently playing at Eastern Michigan University, not to mention being a top five player in our 2013 Rankings.  Harris has the same long, loose, athletic, whippy arm that Sharp has.  Obviously that is a lofty comparison. However, there is a lot of time between now and his senior year, so he has plenty of time to develop. He certainly has a good start and will be a high follow for years to come.

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