By Brian Feekin
Prep Baseball Report Nebraska

Prep Baseball Report's NE Fall Review took place on Sunday, October 30, 2016. The event was held at Ultimate Baseball Academy in Omaha, NE. The event featured prospects from Nebraska, Iowa and South Dakota from the 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020 classes who showcased their talents in front of our scouting staff. 

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Below we have highlighted the prospects at their respective positions with evaluations; listed alphabetically.

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pitching Prospects

Brennan Askew, LHP, Millard West, 2018
6-foot-1,166-pound left-handed pitcher, athletic build, should continue to fill out physically. Up and over delivery, some downhill plane, uncontrolled front leg, throws strikes, elevated at times. Fastball topped out at 75 mph. Slower arm action on 59-60 mph breaking ball, 12/6 break, got better the more he threw it, early break out of hand. 68-69 mph Changeup was thrown with Ok arm speed, late running action, did good job of working bottom of zone.

Joel Benes, 1B/LHP, Norris, 2020
5-foot-11, 180-pound first basemen ran a 5.5 40 yard sprint. Solid build with present strength in his lower half. Square stance at the plate, some lean in chest over the plate. Leg kick triggers uphill swing path. Solid contact to pull side. Posted an exit velocity 76 mph off a tee. Active feet at first base. Plays through the ball, presents early, threw accurately across at 64 mph.

Evan Beran, RHP/OF, Gretna, 2019
6-foot-2, 150-pound, athletic build, long limbs, should continue to fill out physically. Ran a 5.37 40 yard sprint. Low side arm action on the mound that topped out at 76 mph. FB has heavy sink and run to his arm side. 65-67 mph sweeping breaking ball has a chance to develop into an above average out pitch at the high school level. Change up runs; has similar sink/run action as fastball. Mechanically repeats everything well, stays online to home plate. At the plate, square stance, slight bend in upper body, line drive swing plane. Posted an exit velocity of 73 mph off a tee. Threw across the infield at 72 mph from a buggy whip low arm action. Active feet, fields the ball deep in stance. 

Cooper Beving, LHP/1B, Norwalk, 2018
6-foot-1, 200-pound two-way player ran a 5.56 40 yard sprint. On the mound, topped out at 78 mph with his fastball. Average command, funky arm action and mechanics, head jerk, varying run and cut on FB. Early break on curveball, some shape, loose spin to plate. Pushes changeup, flat action, firm velocity. At the plate, tall open stance, toe tap trigger, compact line drive swing plane. Ground Ball/line drive contact during round of BP. Posted an exit velocity of 80 mph off a tee. Average feet and playable hands for first base. Topped out at 72 mph across the infield.

Tanner Black, OF/RHP, Elkhorn South, 2019
5-foot-9, 165-pound two-way player ran 5.35 40 yard sprint. Compact athletic build. Crouched wide stance at the plate, long uphill swing plane, all fields approach, hard contact. Posted an exit velocity of 74 mph off a tee. Aggressive approach in the outfield, high energy actions, fields the ball out front, quick clean transfer to high ¾ arm slot. Posted an outfield velocity of 77 mph. On the mound, drop and drive max effort mechanics, aggressive front side stays closed and online with the catcher. Topped out at 77 mph with his fastball Arm is short on the backside and long out front, changeup has run and sink to his arm side, 68-69 breaking ball showed 11/7 shape with tight spin.

Grant Carl, OF/RHP, Bennington, 2018
5-foot-11, 150-pound two-way player ran a 5.15 40 yard sprint. At the plate, wide base, open stance, high hands with leg kick trigger, hand wiggle, to line drive swing plane. Ground ball contact during his round of BP. In the outfield, slow reaction to reads, fields the ball out front, long transfer and release, topped out at 78 mph to home plate. On the mound, mixed in three pitches for strikes, fastball has heavy sinking action to his arm side, topped out at 81 mph. Repeats mechanics well, good drive from backside, athletic finish, arm is long on backside and out front. 70-71 mph breaking ball has depth across two planes in the zone. 

Brandon Creps, RHP, Papillion LaVista South, 2020
5-foot-4, 112-pound right-handed pitcher topped out at 65 mph with his fastball. Small build.  On the mound has a lot effort in delivery, hands break clean on the backside and stay online towards the catcher. Sinking action short of plate with fastball. On side of breaking ball, loose spin, early break. Flat action on changeup thrown with stiff wrist. Throws strikes with all three pitches.

Zach Devine, 3B/RHP, Gretna, 2019
5-foot-8, 160-pound two-way player ran a 5.53 40 yard sprint. Small athletic compact build, at the plate, square stance, high hands, long line drive swing plane. Posted an exit velocity of 71 mph off a tee. Ground ball, line drive approach to the pull side. In the infield, presents early, receives on heals and deep in stance, heavy feet, threw accurately across topping out at 68 mph. On the mound, repeats mechanics well, drops and drives off backside, front side stays closed and online to home. Breaking ball and changeup were consistently down in the zone. Breaking ball should continue to develop depth with velocity increases and slider shape.

Sayer Diedrich, LHP/OF, Elkhorn South, 2019
5-foot-11, 165-pound left-handed outfielder/pitcher ran a 4.86 40 yard sprint. At the plate, slightly open tall stance, quick compact smooth line drive swing path. Constant hard contact, posted an exit velocity of 78 mph off a tee. Aggressive athletic actions in the outfield, clean transfer and quick release, throws were online. On the mound, has buggy whip arm action. Varying run and cut on FB, FB has life on end of it. Slight head jerk and effort in release. 1/7 breaking ball with ok depth, has feel for zone, flashed couple with sharp break. CH has heavy feel with late action- occasionally cuts.

Keaton Duckett, RHP, Johnston, 2018
6-foot-1, 165-pound right-handed pitcher ranked #41 in the 2018 class for Iowa. Repeats mechanics well, arm is long on the backside and out front. Quick arm, athletic finish, some effort in delivery, 75-76 mph slider spin has potential to be an above average out pitch at the high school level. Breaks along two planes with heavy late depth. 73-74 mph changeup was consistently down in the strike zone with good depth.

Jacob Frazier, RHP, Bellevue West, 2019
6-foot, 215-pound right-handed pitcher topped out at 71 mph with his fastball. Works exclusively from the stretch during bullpen.  Funky pie arm action, slight run on fastball to his arm side. Side spin on curveball early break, 11/5 shape, small break. Avg. fade on 64-65 mph change up, pushes out of hand and doesn’t turn it over.

Kyle Gulbrandson, RHP/OF, Sioux Falls Roosevelt, 2017
5-foot-10, 175-pound University of Sioux Falls commit ran a 5.47 40 yard sprint. Tall open, narrow stance at the plate, Hands drop down through the baseball after a slight arm bar, uphill swing path. Posted an exit velocity of 81 mph off a tee. Aggressive actions in the outfield, plays the ball out front with a quick transfer to a mid ¾ arm slot. Topped out to home at 71 mph. On the mound, topped out at 81 mph with his fastball. Some funk in his delivery, throws across his body with throwing shoulder dropping below parallel. Arm slot causes heavy sinking action to his arm side. 68-70 mph slider has hard breaking late sweep.

Dalton Hews, SS/RHP, Adel Desoto Minburn, 2018
5-foot-10, 145-pound left-handed hitting two-way player ran a 5.09 40 yard sprint. #32 ranked player in Iowa 2018 class. Athletic compact build. Tall square stance, quiet approach, quick hands through the zone, slightly uphill swing path. Hard contact to pull side repeatedly during round of BP. Posted an exit velocity of 80 mph off a tee. Athletic actions in the outfield. Plays the ball out front, and threw accurately from a mid ¾ arm action with clean transfers. Topped out at 81 mph from the outfield. On the mound, topped out at 82 mph with his fastball. Repeated mechanics well with a clean hand break on the backside. Stays online to home plate. 65-68 mph breaking ball had tight spin and good depth, consistently down in the zone. Changeup runs to his arm side with a fastball arm action.

Braydan Hlavac, RHP/1B, Louisville, 2018
5-foot-10 240-pound two-way player topped out at 73 mph on the mound, Physical compact build. Pie arm action. Fastball has a heavy cut action, effort on release. 63-65 mph curveball has 11/5 shape, early break, average break. 64-66 mph slider has similar shape as curveball with slighter better depth. At the plate, square stance, high leg kick, compact uphill swing plane, ability to drive through the ball with and all fields approach. Posted an exit velocity of 78 mph off a tee. Shows athleticism at first base, feet and hands work, threw accurately across at 70 mph.

Grant Hubka, 3B/RHP, Gretna, 2020
6-foot, 150-pound two-way player ran a 5.41 40 yard sprint.  Slightly open stance at the plate, leg kick triggers a quick barrel through the strike zone, showed the ability to adjust hands with the pitch. All fields approach. Posted an exit velocity of 74 mph off a tee. In the infield, has active feet, funnels through the ball, ball has a tendency to get deep in fielding stance. Low ¾ arm action that topped out at 66 mph across the infield. On the mound, topped out at 76 mph with his fastball. Mechanically repeats well, weight gets stuck on backside, front side stays closed, low ¾ arm action gets sweeping action on 60-62 mph breaking ball. Changeup should continue to improve and was consistently up in the strike zone.

Tanner Hurt, SS/RHP, Gretna, 2018
5-foot-8, 165-pound two-way player ran a 5.01 40 yard sprint. Square stance at the plate, leg kick trigger, slight uphill swing plane, consistently squared balls up during his round of BP. Posted an exit velocity of 76 mph off a tee. In the infield, has active hands and feet, works through the balls, presents out front, threw accurately across topping out at 71 mph across. On the mound, max effort stiff mechanics, falls off to his glove side, throws slightly across his body, good shape on breaking ball with tight spin and sharp break with depth (11/5), Flashed solid fade on CH with run and sink- spiked most of them though short of plate.

Andrew Irvine, SS/RHP, Waukee, 2018
6-foot-2, 155-pound switch-hitter ran a 5.09 40 yard sprint. #39 ranked player in the 2018 class for Iowa. Tall open stance at the plate, high leg kick to close, elevated swing plane on the left side, from the right more compact swing and less movement. All fields approach, solid contact during round of BP. Posted an exit velocity of 78 mph off a tee. In the infielder, has actions of a 3B, strong arm, fields with a flat back, working up through the ball, topped out at 83 mph across the infield. On the mound, athletic actions, with repeatable delivery, stays online to home plate, with an aggressive front side that stays closed. Fastball is on a downhill plane from his high ¾ arm slot. 70-71 mph breaking ball has tight spin and depth down in the strike zone.

Heath Koehler, RHP/OF, Norfolk, 2017
5-foot-10, 165-pound two-way player ran a 5.25 40 yard sprint. At the plate, open stance, compact line drive swing plane, pull side approach. Posted an exit velocity of 73 mph off a tee. In the outfield, had the right idea of fielding the ball out front but struggled to field the ball cleanly. Mid ¾ arm action that topped out at 65 mph. On the mound, Short arm action with slight late life on FB with running action. 11/5 breaking ball, thrown with good velo, avg. depth, but has good shape. Cuts through CH. Cut action, decent fade, stiff wrist occasionally and pushes out of hand.

Jordan Kyle, LHP, Harris-Lake Park, 2017
6-foot-4, 215-pound left-handed pitcher topped out at 78 mph with his fastball. Physical build, very raw. Works exclusively from the stretch. Shows life on FB, heavy running action-late, draws elbow down and in on release. Sweeping break on curveball, OK shape and spin (1/7). Very firm 73-74 mph changeup, hard to differentiate between fastball, misses arm-side consistently.

Jacob Legleiter, 2B/RHP, Omaha Skutt, 2019
6-foot, 170-pound two-way player ran a 5.22 40 yard sprint. Athletic build, wiry, should continue to fill out. Square stance at the plate, toe tap trigger, line drive swing path. Strong contact to pull side. Posted an exit velocity of 71 mph off a tee. In the infield, works through the ball with hands out front and active feet. Topped out at 72 mph across the infield. On the mound, repeatable delivery with some effort. Stays online to home and closed with his front side. Topped out at 78 mph with his fast. Breaking ball has 11/5 shape with loose spin, changeup was runs to arm side with good arm speed.

PJ Loucks, RHP/1B, Creighton Prep, 2020
5-foot-10, 140-pound two-way player ran a 5.67 40 yard sprint. Athletic build, should continue to develop. At the plate, slightly open wide stance, short toe tab triggers quick hands with a long barrel through the strike zone. Ground ball, line drive contact. Posted an exit velocity of 71 mph off a tee. Playable hands and feet for 1st base, ¾ arm action that topped out at 69 mph. On the mound, topped out at 70 mph with his fastball that was consistently down in the strike zone. Breaking ball had loose spin with little break. Change up was down in the zone with heavy arm side run. Mechanically, low effort slow twitched and repeated consistently. Arm has a tendency to get long on the back side. Stays online to home plate with his finish.

Tanner Lukoski, RHP/C, Omaha Skutt, 2019
5-foot-11, 180-pound two-way player ran a 5.16 40 yard sprint. Present strength in lower half. At the plate, tall open stance, top tap rhythm with hands, line drive swing plane, pull side approach, line drive swing plate. Some stiffness. Posted an exit velocity of 81 mph off a tee. Behind the plate, threw in the 2.06-2.28 range. Square stance behind the plate, receives well, slides well to block, quiet feet pre pitch, receives deep and adjusts well to misses in the strike zone. On the mound, topped out at 84 mph with his fastball. High ¾ arm slot on a downhill plane. Aggressive front side, slight fall off to glove side. 69-71 mph breaking ball has late depth in the strike zone. Arm is short on the backside and long out front. Strong follow for the 2019 class.

Ryan Martin, LHP, Millard West, 2019
6-foot, 140-pound left-handed pitcher topped out 68 mph with his fastball. Mechanically, has a short arm action, head jerk, high ¾ arm action. Release point has a tendency to be inconsistent, falls off to glove side, struggle with finding the strike zone on this day. Fastball has occasional slight run and cut action on FB. 12/6 breaking ball. Changeup thrown around the plate- never to a spot, avg. fade, with fastball arm action.

JT Olsen, OF/RHP, Elkhorn South, 2018
6-foot, 175-pound two-way player ran a 4.9 40 yard sprint. Athletic wiry frame with broad shoulders. Square wide stance at the plate, high leg kick trigger. Hands work back with a quick uphill swing plane. Pull side approach, line drive contact. Plays the ball out front in the outfield, clean reads, extra hop to release, high ¾ arm slot that topped out at 79 mph to home. On the mound sat in the 71-73 mph range with his fastball, compact delivery with some effort. Arm is short on the backside and long out front. 63-64 mph breaking ball has loose spin with average depth across the strike zone. Changeup was thrown for strikes, up in the zone.

Jerrad O’Malley, RHP/3B, Yutan, 2017
6-foot-1, 190-pound two-way player ran a 5.44 40 yard sprint. Strong build with wide hips, and present strength in lower half. At the plate, slightly open stance, short stride triggers quick line drive swing plane. Showed hard contact to pull side and middle during round of BP. Posted an exit velocity of 79 mph off a tee. Projects to corner spot of the infielder, feet are active and works through his throws, presents early and works down and up to a mid ¾ arm slot that topped at 67. Threw controlled and accurately across. On the mound, over the top arm slot, clean arm action, FB is straight on slight downhill plane. Varying action on CB. 11/5 shape, sweeping at times, flat at times, thrown with velo, early break out of hand, small shape. Heavy action on changeup with run and sink.

Brendan Roder, RHP, Sioux City Heelan, 2018
6-foot-6, 180-pound right-handed pitcher topped out at 79 mph. Tall lanky kid, hard stab down on backside, okay finish out front. Head jerk with avg. command, run and sink on 77-79 mph fastball, misses arm-side consistently. 69-72 mph slider has depth, works arm-side away surprisingly well, 11/5 shape. Change up- upright on release, slight run, avg. fade, mostly elevated in zone.

Payton Schmalz, RHP/2B, Holdrege, 2017
5-foot-10, 159-pound two-way player ran a 5.01 60 yard sprint. At the plate, has a slightly open stance, short leg kick trigger, ground ball/line drive middle of the field approach. Posted an exit velocity of 74 mph off a tee. Playable hands and feet in the infield, feet have a tendency to get heavy when working up the middle. Plays the ball out front of his body, works down and up with his hands, Mid ¾ arm action at that topped out at 74 mph across. Topped out on the mound at 78 mph, repeats controlled mechanics well. Arm is really long on the backside and out front, 60-62 mph breaking ball has 11/5 shape with depth, loose spin.  Change up was consistently thrown with fastball arm speed down in the zone.

Rece Snyder, LHP/1B, Lincoln East, 2018
6-foot, 200-pound left-handed two-way player ran a 5.72 40 yard sprint. On the mound, topped out at 78 mph with his fastball. Long arm action. Heavy action when down in zone, Fastball shows run, mostly elevated in zone during bullpen. 65-67 mph breaking ball has good 1/7 shape, tight spin, and shows feel for zone.  Has feel for 68-71 mph changeup, flashes sink, thrown with stiff wrist. At the plate, tall slight open stance, compact simple approach and line drive swing plane, all fields approach with solid contact, posted an exit velocity of 78 mph off a tee. Playable actions for first base, solid feet and soft hands.

Andrew Staebell, 1B/LHP, Millard South, 2018
6-foot-1, 205-pound two-way player ran a 5.54 40 yard sprint. Physical frame with present strength in lower half. Tall stance at the plate, high leg kick, solid weight shift through contact. Pull side approach, line drive contact. Posted an exit velocity 83 mph off a tee. Active feet and actions at first base, quick hands and transfers to high ¾ arm slot. Throws were sporadic topping out at 68 mph across the infield. On the mound, clean hand out front, big wiggle in back, cut action on FB. 1/7 CB has tight spin and flashes sharp break. Above avg. action on breaking ball. Will leave arm-side occasionally. Avg. feel for changeup; thrown hard with avg. action and fade.

Thomas Webster, RHP, Omaha Gross, 2017
6-foot-9, 195-pound right-handed pitcher topped out at 87 mph with his fastball. Currently ranked #20 in the 2017 class for Nebraska. Showed major improvement in velocity since Top Prospect Showcase in May. Throws from mid ¾ arm slot with a long finish out front. Shows body control for size. High leg kick with foot outside knee. Steep downhill plane. 68-69 mph breaking ball had sharp 2/8 late break down in the strike zone.

Cameron Wynne, RHP/SS, Lincoln High, 2017
6-foot-4, 185-pound two-way player ran a 5.22 40 yard sprint. Tall lanky build with some present strength. Open stance at the plate, stride triggers hands to arm bar, sporadic contact during round of BP. Posted an exit velocity of 72 mph off a tee.  Feet are active in the infield, presents late and fields deep in his stance, clean transfers, mid ¾ arm slot that topped out at 76 mph across the infield. On the mound, topped out at 87 mph, sat in the 83-86 mph range. Repeats mechanics well, effort in delivery, throws slightly across his body on a downhill plane. 75-78 mph changeup was thrown for strikes down in the strike zone, arm has tendency to slow on this pitch.  64-66 mph breaking ball has loose spin, some horizontal movement across the zone, shape of a slider.

Jamie Young, LHP, Norris, 2017
6-foot-2, 170-pound left-handed pitcher topped out at 89 mph with his fastball. Athletic build, wide shoulders, lower half should continue to develop. #1 ranked prospect in the 2017 class for Nebraska & #140 PBR National rankings. High ¾ arm slot. Short clean arm action on the backside and clean out front. Quick twitched. Late life on fastball to his arm side. 1/7 shape on breaking ball, tight spin, sharp break with depth. Sharp cutting action on 73-77 mph changeup.

 

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