The All State Invitational Showcase at Rock Bridge HS in Columbia drew some of the top talent in the state, and put a few players on the map, while other solidified themselves as top level players in their respective class.

The pitchers put on quite a show, with several two way talents separating themselves from the group and several pitcher only's leaving a lasting impression.

Write ups of the pitchers from the All State Invitational Showcase (by class).

Class of 2013:

Davis Vanderslice, Westminster, Class of 2013:
Vanderslice is a 5-foot-11, 185-pound left handed pitcher who exhibited good rhythm and a quick arm coming from a high ¾ arm slot.  He showed feel for three pitches; his curveball has the potential to be a plus pitch, as it demonstrated sharp, two-plane break in the 70-71 range. He also threw his changeup with fastball arm speed, which showed some arm-side sink, consistently thrown for strikes. Vanderslice’s heavy fastball sat 80-82 mph, with some late sink.

Trey Tigert, Sikeston HS, Class of 2013:
One of the most polished pitchers of the event, the lanky 6-foot, 164-pound Tigert showed to be an effective and efficient pitcher who showed the ability to command three pitchers. While not overpowering, Tigert seems like the kind of pitcher that keeps batters off balance and gets outs. Coming from a high ¾ arm slot, Tigert’s fastball sat in the 82-84 mph range with heavy, late life.  He showed good feel for his off-speed pitches as well, with a curveball that had an 10-to-4 shape with late action in the 73-75 mph range, and a changeup in the 72-74 mph with arm side movement and down in the zone.

Kyler Maxey, Blair Oaks, Class of 2013:
The top pitcher of the event, the 6-foot, 198-pound left handed pitcher comes from a high ¾ arms slot with quick, loose arm and repeatable mechanics. Maxey’s fastball sat at 82-86 mph, topping at 87 mph with good, late run. His breaking ball was 62-64 mph with two-plane break and late movement. Maxey’s best pitch was his 73-75 mph change up, which he showed good arm speed and generated arm side movement and late sink. Maxey was relatively unknown before the showcase, and has the ability to be one of the top Class of 2013 pitchers next season.

Evan Payne, Glendale HS, Class of 2013:
Payne is a lanky 6-foot-2, 185-pound two-way player who showed to be a versatile player on the mound and in the outfield. In the outfield, Payne move to the ball with a purpose, fielding the ball cleanly with a good transfer and strong arm with some carry (79-83 mph). Offensively, Payne has the potential to be a consistent hitter with some power. He has a good load and level, line drive producing swing. At times he tried to muscle the ball; when he relaxed and controlled his swing, he showed to be much more consistent. On the mound, Payne has repeatable mechanics with good rhythm and a long, loose arm. Payne’s fastball sat 80-82 mph, topping at 83 mph and was consistently down in the zone. He also showed a 11-to-5 breaking ball (62-65 mph) and a change up (70-72), both with fastball arm speed.

Ben Mitchell, Westminster, Class of 2013:
A veteran of PBR events, Mitchell continues to progress in all facets of his game from showcase to showcase. Most impressively, Mitchell ran a 7.2 in the 60, his previous best was a 7.43 last fall. The 6-foot-1, 190-pound Mitchell proved to be one of the most consistent overall hitters. Mitchell has an advanced approach and showcased extremely fast hands and barrel whip through the zone. He maintains balance and rhythm throughout his swing, and gets excellent extension through contact with no wasted movement. The ball jumps off his bat with backspin carry. Defensively at first base, Mitchell is athletic to the ball and moves well on and off the base, with good footwork and accurate throws (75-78 mph) to second and third base. On the mound, the right-hander has a short backside arm action and operates from a high-3/4 slot with a fastball that topped at 83 mph. Mitchell also displayed a sharp 10-to-4 breaking ball (72-73 mph) which has the potential to be an out pitch.

Matt Kellis, CBC, Class of 2013:
A projectable 6-foot-3, 185-pound right-hander, Kellis has the potential to be one of the more promising power arms in the Class of 2013. His arm works with little effort, with a fastball that sat at 84 mph, topping at 85. His curveball has the potential to be a plus pitch with continued development, as it had late, sharp action, in the 67-68 mph range. Kellis also displayed a 73 mph changeup that displayed some arm-side sink. With continued physical development, Kellis has the potential to be a high-level recruit in the Class of 2013.

Aaron Patton, Monett HS, Class of 2013:
Left handed throwing Patton has a lanky 6-foot-5, 190-pound frame, and showed the ability to throw three pitches for strikes. Coming from an over the top arm slot with short arm action, Patton’s fast ball sat an easy 78-81, leading us to believe there is more in the tank. Patton also flashed a 65-67 mph breaking ball with gradual movement and an effective change up (71-73 mph) with late fade. As Patton continues to fill his frame, he should see a spike in velocity as he continues to progress.

 

Class of 2014:
Peter Wiliams, Lafayette HS, Class of 2014:
Williams is a two-way player who showed well in all facets of the game. On the mound, Williams has quick arm speed from a high ¾ arm slot and showed the ability to keep all of his pitches down in the zone and throw all for strikes. His fastball sat 80-81 mph, and with his deceptive delivery seemed to jump out of his hand. His breaking (64-67) has near fastball arm action and had a 11-to-5 shape with early movement, while his change up (70-73) also had near fastball arm action with late fade.  In the outfield, Williams has a long, loose arm with consistently accurate throws (78-84 mph). If he showed more aggressiveness to the ball and use more of his lower half on his throws, he could see a few more miles per hour on the throws and a bit more carry. Offensively, Williams has quick hands and produced barrel whip through the zone, showing the ability to hit line drives. At times, his hands got a bit loopy, but when he brought them down to the ball with out the loop, he was very consistent.

Ryan Mantle, Linn HS, Class of 2014:
Mantle was the top two-way prospects at the event, as he showed extremely well both at third base and on the mound. Standing a solid 5-foot-10, 200-pounds, Mantle displayed one of the strongest arms across the diamond, posting a velocity of 79 mph.  Aside from his arm strength, he showed fundamental defensive actions, as he took efficient routes, demonstrated quiet, soft hands and played through the ball well. Offensively, he has a balanced approach and showed good rhythm with loose hands and a powerful swing. Using his strong lower half, Mantle produced some barrel whip and squared up the ball, driving it hard with gap to gap power. On the mound, Mantle operates from a over the top arm slot. He showed good hand acceleration and fluid mechanics throughout while showing the ability to command three pitches for strikes. His arm works with little effort on all pitches and the ball jumped out of his hand. His fastball showed some arm side run and was down in the zone; sitting in the 82-83 mph range and topping at 84 mph. His 70-72 mph curveball demonstrated sharp two-plane break. Mantle’s change up had some depth, at 71-73 mph.

Brad Archer, Lebanon HS, Class of 2014:
Archer is a strong, athletically built two-way player who has a projectable build for the next level.  With his 6-foot-1, 152-pound frame that is no where near it’s maturity, Archer has the potential to be a top level player by the time is his done growing. On the mound, Archer has an over the top arm slot and was sitting at 79-81 mph with his fastball, with more in the tank.  He also showed feel for his sharp 11-to-5 breaking ball, which has the potential to be a legitimate out pitch as it gets more consistent. Archer also throws a change up with some late sink, a pitch that he is still developing and learning to throw. In the field, he showed concise lateral footwork and soft hands at third base with a quick transfer. Offensively, Archer features a balanced setup at the plate with quick hands that creates some whip through the zone with his level bat path. He also ran 7.16 60.

Kyle Teter, Rock Bridge HS, Class of 2014:
Teter is a lanky 6-foot-1, 165-pound two-way player who showed solidly in all facets. On the mound, Teter’s arm works with little effort, coming from a high 3/4 slot. He showed feel for three pitches, including a fastball that topped at 82 mph. His 72-73 mph changeup showed some depth; as it had some late fade. Teter also showed a sharp, late moving 63-64 mph breaking ball with 11-to-5 shape. As a position player Teter ran a 7.06 60 and was clocked at 80 mph from the third base. He consistently fielded the ball out in front and showed some good range. Offensively, Teter has a balanced approach with a loose swing making consistent contact and showing the ability to hit the ball to the opposite field.

Dalton Horstmeier, Fulton HS, Class of 2014:
One of the most impressive and versatile participants of the event, the 6-foot-2, 175-pound Horstmeier has the ability to be a top Class of 2014 player. In the outfield, Horstmeier moved with purpose to the baseball, taking quick routes and being in position to have his momentum toward his target. He demonstrated solid arm strength (81 mph) with accurate throws from the outfield and played through the ball. At shortstop, he plays through the ball well, in addition to showing soft hands and an accurate arm across the infield (78 mph). At the plate, Horstmeier continued to impress with his balanced approach. He showed excellent hand acceleration through the zone, which produced consistent hard line drives. He also demonstrated repeatable rhythm throughout his swing. Horstmeier continued to show his athleticism with an impressive 6.72 60. Horstmeier also showed promise on the mound, as his arm works with ease and quickness. Coming from a high 3/4 slot, his fastball sat at 78-81 mph, topping at 83 mph with some sinking action. His 65-66 mph breaking ball demonstrated late, sharp bite, and could develop into a legitimate out pitch once he commands it. Horstmeier also showed feel for his changeup, which has arm side run and some depth.

Ryan Bernskoetter, Rock Bridge HS, Class of 2014:
At 6-foot-4, 195-pounds, the left handed throwing Bernskoetter possesses a lot of upside. The big left-hander operates from a low ¾ arm slot with a fastball that sat at 77-79 mph. topping at 80 mph. Bernskoetter also showed a slow 57-58 mph curveball, a real change of pace pitch that for sure will have batters way out in front.  He also threw a 63-65 mph changeup with arms side movement. With his size and some mechanical adjustments, Bernskoetter should see his velocity climb in the coming years.

Class of 2015:
Logan Wiley, Kickapoo HS, Class of 2015:
Wiley is a wiry 5-foot-11, 140-pound right-hander who showed long, loose arm action on his pitches.  Wiley comes from a high ¾ arm angle and has quick arm speed.  Wiley’s fastball sat 80-81 mph, topping out at 82 and showed some late cut movement. His 66-69 breaking ball had late, sharp movement with an 11-to-5 shape. Wiley also threw a 71-75 mph change up that was down in the zone and thrown for a strike. Wiley has a projectable frame and should see a spike in velocity as he continues to mature physically.

Joey Cooner, Warsaw HS, Class of 2015:
Cooner is a very projectable 6-foot-1, 160-pound left handed pitcher, who as he matures physically, has the tools and ability to be a front of the line starter. The youngest pitcher of the event, Cooner showed a 75 mph fastball with arm side run and was consistently down in the strike zone. His breaking ball (63-65) was a bit erratic to start his bullpen, but got better and more consistent the more he throw it and made his adjustments with an 11-to-5 shape.  Cooner also has a 62-63 mph change up with arm side run and depth.