By Ethan Silverman
Missouri Scouting Director

Today, we are recapping the Top Upperclass Prospects (Classes of 2013 and 2014) from the Preseason Prospect Showcase. Later this week, we will recap the best of the rest from the Upperclass participants.

1. Dalton Horstmeier, OF/SS, Fulton HS, Class of 2014:
A member of Team Missouri at the Midwest Future Games, Horstmeier is a projectable 6-foot-3, 182-pound who shows ability both in the outfield and at shortstop. In the outfield, Horstmeier is quick and aggressive to the ball, with good range and the ability to get into good throwing position while playing through the ball. His top throw was 85-mph. In the infield, Horstmeier showed to be a sure handed fielder with a quick exchange and short, quick arm action across the diamond, with accurate throws (81-mph). Offensively, Horstmeier has a easy, level swing with quick hands through the zone generating fast bat speed. He shows good extension through contact driving the ball on a line gap to gap, and a top exit velocity of 85-mph off the bat. Horstmeier should continue to be one of the top Class of 2014 players. 

2. Nick Allgeyer, OF/LHP, Vianney, Class of 2014:
A two-way player, the 6-foot-3, 190-pound Allgeyer continues to see his stock rise as he keeps progressing over multiple PBR events. In the outfield, Allgeyer shows fluid and controlled footwork to the ball, while playing through the ball with all throws on a line and a top throw of 85-mph. At the plate, the left handed hitter has a slightly open stance with a smooth load and good rhythm and balance throughout his swing. He takes a level path to the baseball and showed ability to hit line drives to all fields.  Allgeyer had a top exit velocity of 87-mph. On the mound, the left handed throwing Allgeyer has a loose, quick arm with easy effort on all pitches. His velocity continues to creep up and all pitches showed good movement. Allgeyer showed a heavy fastball that topped at 82-mph with arm side run and sink action. He also showed a sharp, two-plane breaking ball (67-70 mph) with fastball arm speed and a 70-72 mph change up down in the zone with late arm side run.

3. Trey Baur, 3B. MICDS, Class of 2014:
Baur is a physically imposing 6-foot-5, 215-pound player. At the plate, Baur impressed with his power.  With a slightly crouched stance, Baur showed an explosive lower half to generate a powerful, yet controlled swing. He had some barrel whip through the zone, punishing the ball with backspin carry primarily to the left side, but showing some power to the right center power alley as well.  His top exit velocity was 87-mph off the bat. In the infield, Baur shows quick, soft hands with good footwork and a quick, clean exchange. He plays through the ball, with short, quick arm speed and accurate throws (83-mph).

4. Brennan Hehner, 1B/RHP, Westminster, Class of 2014:
Hehner is a physically imposing 6-foot-4, 215-pound two way player. At first base, Henher moves well for a player is his size, with good footwork around the bag while turning double plays, as well as some arm strength (82-mph). At the plate, Hehner has a short, compact swing with extension through contact while attacking the gaps. With his strong lower half and quick hand speed, it looks as though there may be some more power in his swing than what he showwed. On the mound, Hehner comes from a high ¾ arm slot with a long, loose arm. He has a long stride, and good down hill action. His fastball topped at 84-mph with hard sink action. His breaking ball (69-73 mph) showed gradual 10-to-4 break, thrown with near fastball arm speed. He also showed a straight change up (68-72 mph) that stayed down in the zone. Hehner is a strong player with a good strong arm. 

5. Peter Williams, OF/LHP, Lafayette, Class of 2014:
Williams keeps quietly continuing to impress in all facets of his game. The athletically built 5-foot-10, 185-pound two way player showed good fundamentals and overall acumen for the game. In the outfield, Williams moves well to the ball with a quick, clean exchange and accurate throws all on a line. He has a very fast arm, with a top throw of 84-mph. Offensively, the left handed hitting Williams has a balanced stance with a short stride and good rhythm at the plate. He shows a short, compact swing that remains level throughout producing gap to gap line drives. On the mound, Williams shows feel for three pitches. With a short, quick arm action and good rhythm and mound presence, Williams' fastball topped at 82-mph with late, hard run. He also showed a 71-74 mph change up with near fastball arm speed that has arm side run and some depth to it, while hitting all of his spots. Williams also showed a sharp two-plane breaking ball (65-67) that consistently found the strike zone. 

6. John Ceriotti, MIF, SLUH, Class of 2014:
In his second PBR event since relocating from Tennessee last summer, Ceriotti has shown improvement in his game. In the field, Ceriotti shows fundamental footwork with a good approach to the ball and extremely quick, soft hands along with short, quick arm action, and range to his glove hand side. He consistently plays through the ball with a top throw of 81-mph across the diamond. At the plate, Ceriotti has good rhythm with looseness in his swing and hand speed through the zone. His swing is level throughout, with extension through contact producing gap-to-gap line drives. Additionally, Ceriotti had an exit velocity of 86-mph off the bat.

7. Cole Donaldson, C/MIF, Francis Howell North, Class of 2014:
Donaldson is a versatile player who showed ability behind the plate and in the field. Behind the plate, Donaldson shows ability to receive with a stiff wrist and soft hands, and has a confident presence while handling pitchers. He had a top pop time of 1.86, showing quick footwork and clean exchange with strong throws right on the bag. In the field, Donaldson shows a good approach to the ball with a clean exchange. He is a sure handed fielder and showed range to his glove hand side. At the plate Donaldson has a quiet, controlled swing with level extension through contact. He shows the ability to let the ball get deep, and spray it to all fields. Additionally, Donaldson had a top exit velocity of 86-mph off the bat. 

KEEP AN EYE ON…

Danny Biggs, OF, Ft. Zumwalt West, Class of 2014:
Biggs is an athletic looking 5-foot-9, 168-pounds player with a strong upper body. In the outfield, Biggs showed fundamental movements to the ball, getting to it quickly and showing a quick, clean exchange.  All of his throws were on a line, with a top throw of 85-mph, one of the top outfield arms of the event. At the plate, Biggs uses his strong upper half to generate quick bat speed. His swing is short and compact, showing the ability to work the middle of the field well, with some glimpses of power. He also had a top exit velocity of 87-mph off the bat. 

Jake Cowan, OF, Hickman HS, Class of 2013:
In the outfield, the athletic 6-foot, 165-pound Cowan showed fluid footwork to the baseball with a quick, clean exchange while playing through the ball on all throws. He has a long, high ¾ arm slot and all throws were on a line, with a top throw of 82-mph with some carry. At the plate, Cowan takes an economical path to the baseball with quick hands and use of a strong upper half, with the ability to hit the ball to all fields. With more use of his lower half, there is potential for his power to improve, though he did have a top exit velocity of 87-mph off the bat, which leads us to think there is some power in his swing. 

Lawson Hughes, SS/RHP, Rolla HS, Class of 2013:
The athletic 6-foot, 180-pound Hughes impressed with his scope of work at shortstop. One of the top fielders of the event, Hughes shows a good approach to the ball with soft hands and one of the quickest exchanges we saw at the event. He also showed quick arm speed and throws on a line across the diamond. Hughes fields his position well and looks to be a very confident fielder. Offensively, Hughes has a long stride and uses his lower half to generate some bat speed through the zone. He shows some strength in his hands (88 mph exit velocity) and keeps his hands inside the ball.  At times he had the tendency to drop his bat head in his swing. On the mound, Hughes showed the ability to command three pitches for a strike. Hughes comes from a ¾ arm slot with good rhythm, quick arm speed and a deceptive delivery as the ball jumps out of his hand. Hughes’ heavy fastball sat 75-79 mph, topping at 79-mph mph and showed some late arm side action. He also displayed a breaking ball (61-65 mph) with 11-to-5 shape and sharp break, thrown at near fastball arm speed and stayed down in the zone. Hughes also showed a 69-72 mph change up with some sink action.

Ben Huffman, OF, Westminster, Class of 2014:
Huffman has a lanky 6-foot-1, 165-pound frame, and as he continues to fill out, has a high ceiling. At the plate, Huffman has a smooth load with a short stride and good use of his lower half. His hands move to the ball quickly and swing plane stays level with an uphill finish. He showed ability to work the right side of the field with ease, as well as ability to pull the ball, with some potential for power (top exit velocity of 83-mph off the bat). In the outfield, Huffman is aggressive to the baseball, giving a max effort every time. He has a quick arm and generated a top throw of 84-mph. 

Shane Strohm, RHP, Timberland HS, Class of 2014:
Strohm is a 6-foot, 185-pound RHP who showed ability to throw three pitches for a strike. Strohm showed good rhythm and a loose arm with easy effort on all pitches. His fastball topped at 83-mph and consistently stayed down in the zone, working both sides of the plate. He also showed a 10-to-4 breaking ball thrown in the 66-69 mph range with late movement. Out of the stretch, the breaking ball was more of a sweeping breaking ball, still around the strike zone. He also showed a 71-73 mph straight change up with good arm speed, perhaps the better of his offspeed pitches.