By Phil Wade & Blake Hibler

Prep Baseball Report Indiana

The Goshen Underclass Showcase, held on Sunday January 27^th at Goshen College, featured some talented underclassman from across the state led by 2014 SS/RHP Colin Brockhouse.  Today we analyze the top 10 prospects from the event. 

Top 10 Performers

1. Colin Brockhouse, SS/RHP, Northrop HS, 2014 

6-foot-3 inch, 185 pound SS who shows good athleticism.  Brockhouse possesses good arm strength at 89 mph across the diamond.  His hands work, and displays good lateral quickness, posting an event best 4.28 in the pro agility drill, which tests a player’s speed in changing direction.  He runs a 6.77 60, which was the second best time at the event.  At the plate he starts with a tall, open stance, and uses a high leg kick for timing.  He barrels up most balls, showing projectable power.  He had an event best 93 mph exit velo.  On the mound he possesses a quick, loose arm sitting 88-89 mph with his fastball, touching 91.  The breaking ball, currently a slurve, is 74-77 mph, and thrown consistently for a strike.  He shows enough athleticism and tools to develop the breaking ball into a swing-and-miss pitch.  Brockhouse is a legitimate two-way prospect at the next level.  (To Read More on Brockhouse click here)

2.  Chris Ayers, OF/RHP, Westfield HS, 2015

6-foot-2, 170 pound sophomore who shows good athleticism.  From the OF he displays a strong, accurate arm at 83 mph.  His arm action is short and quick.  At the plate he shows a balanced approach with a short stride.  Ayers uses a short path to the baseball producing line drives.  He had the third best exit velo at the event, 86 mph. On the mound he throws from a high ¾ arm slot with a heavy fastball at 82-86 mph.  He throws a 12/6 curveball at 63-66 mph, along with a 69-71 mph changeup that shows some sink action.  Ayers ran an event best 6.72 60, and had the top vertical leap of 31.5 inches. 

3. Braden Niksich RHP Hobart HS 2016

6-foot, 150 pound RHP with a pitcher’s build.  He possesses long limbs, but will need to fill out with time. The freshman has tilt combined with a long, loose, whippy arm action. His fastball is heavy and sat 79-81 mph. The breaking ball is advanced for his age. Niksich is a high follow in the 2016 class.

4. Jonathan Azar LHP Munster 2014

6-foot-1, 210 pound LHP shows plus movement on his fastball. Arm side run combined with sink make him easy to like. The lefty was 79-82 mph consistently with his fastball.  At times Azar’s breaking ball showed a tight rotation, but was inconsistent.  As Azar learns to harness movement and increase his strength, he becomes a sleeper that could be poised for a jump.

5. Jake Vernon C Concord HS 2015

6- foot-1, 155 pound catcher with all of the physical makeup to be a plus catcher.  He has a firm front side behind the plate and throws a straight ball from an over the top arm action. His best pop time at the event was a 2.03. He is still too tall from the squat, and mechanically needs to be cleaned up. At the plate Vernon hits from a crouch with a wide base.  His hands are quick, and shows potential power. Vernon will have to continue to grow as a receiver to become an elite catcher.

6. Hunter Clark LHP Penn 2014

6-foot-2, 190 pound LHP that is polished mechanically, and works from an over the top arm angle.  Clark shows some arm side run with a plus breaking ball.  Clark’s fastball sat 79-82 mph and his breaking ball was 69-72. Clark was consistently in the strike zone with all three pitches.    

7.  Tanner Cleveland, C/3B, Northwood HS, 2016

5-foot-7, 170 pound freshman with a 2.13 pop time.  Behind the plate shows a quick arm at 72 mph and a quick transfer.  At third he shows good infield instincts for a freshman and was 74 across the field.  At the plate he displays an athletic, balanced approach with a smooth load and short stride.  His lower half is explosive and possesses good pop with quick hands.

8.  Josh Turnock C Mishawaka Marian 2014

5-foot-10, 180 pound left handed hitting catcher. Turnock will surprise you with his athleticism. Turnock runs a 7.15 and showed lateral quickness in the pro agility drill as well. Turnock had an event best pop time of 2.01 and was consistently around a 2.1. Offensively, Turnock is explosive and shows pop.  In game or in showcase, Turnock lives in the left center gap.

9. Logan Kaletha, 2B/OF, Michigan City HS, 2014

6-foot, 180 pound 2B who possesses a loose arm with carry at 83 mph.  He moves well and plays through the ball.  Kaletha shows a good glove with a quick, clean exchange.  At the plate he starts from a crouch position with average balance.  He tends to spin, and is a little stiff within his rhythm, but possesses some projectable pop.  Kaletha runs a 7.17 60.

10. Luke Palmer OF/LHP, Bishop Dwenger 2014

6-foot, 200 pound Palmer displayed an advanced approach to the game.  Defensively, Palmer has an accurate average college arm (82MPH), and moves well in the outfield (7.1 60). At the plate, Palmer hits from an open crouch with a smooth load. His stride is short and displays strong hands. On the mound, Palmer was 79-82 mph from the left side. He displayed an 11-5 breaking ball (66-69).  Mechanically, Palmer works from a high ¾ arm slot with good rhythm and direction.