TOP 2013 INFIELDERS

1. Jalen Washington, IF/RHP, Solon, 2013
   Washington is a talented two-sport athlete, who also plays quarterback for his high school’s varsity team. He is a definite follow. In the field, he shows fluid footwork and soft hands as he plays through the ball.  He registered a top velocity of 81 mph across the infield. At the plate, he displays a short stride and good balance throughout his swing. With quick bat speed and a strong lower half, he will only improve and power. He registered a 7.66 60-yard dash on a slow track. (Washington was coming off a long football season).
2. JP Sorma III, IF, Independence, 2013
   Sorma is a physical, well-built prospect. At the next level, he likely projects as a third baseman or second baseman. He shows average to good hands and footwork in the infield, but needs to improve his arm strength. Using a short arm action, he reached a top velocity of 78 mph. At the plate, he uses a rotational-based swing, but lacks hip separation at times. He displays quick hands and sporadic power. He registered a 6.91 60-yard dash time on a slow track.
3. James Thomas, IF/OF, Newark Catholic, 2013
   Thomas projects as a second baseman at the next level. He plays through the ball and shows quick arm action and above average arm strength with a velocity of 83 mph across the infield. At the plate, he displays consistent, solid contact with the occasional power. He registered a 7.17 60-yard dash time on a slow track.
4. Ben Spitznagel, IF, Colerain, 2013
   Spitznagel projects as a second baseman at the next level. In the field, he shows average to soft hands. Using a short arm action, he threw a consistent and accurate 73-74 mph from shortstop. At the plate, the left-handed hitting prospect using a short, compact swing with a slight-uphill bat path. At times, he shows a heavy front side and tendency to dive into the pitch. He registered a 7.02 60-yard dash on a slow track.
5. Ben Schloss, RHP/3B, Brush, 2013
   Schloss has a tall, athletic build. In the field, Schloss shows fluid footwork and solid glovework. Across the diamond, he shows short arm action from a 3/4 arm slot as he registers a top velocity of 79 mph. At the plate, the right-handed hitter shows quick bat speed and power potential. He needs to incorporate more of his lower half into his swing. He registered a 7.59 60-yard dash. On the mound, he uses an over the top arm slot and average arm speed. He locates his 79-81 mph fastball. Likewise, he shows command of his 68-70 mph curveball, which has 11/5 breaking action. He needs to continue to develop his 68-70 mph changeup. With both off-speed pitches, he tends to slow down his arm speed.
6. Derek Hendrixson, IF/RHP, Centerville, 2013
   Hendrixson is an athletic prospect that likely projects as a middle infielder at the next level. He shows smooth and fluid footwork at shortstop while consistently playing through the baseball. With quick arm action, he registered a top velocity of 83 mph across the infield. At the plate, the contact hitter uses an open setup. He has the tendency to wrap his bat during his load, which slows down his bat speed and creates a long path to the ball. On the mound, he shows a fluid delivery and quick arm action. He displayed an easy 80-81 mph fastball along with a tight breaking 12/6 curveball that sat at 70-71 mph. His changeup, which needs additional development, registered at 75-76 mph.

 

TOP 2014 AND 2015 INFIELDERS

1. Zach Shannon, 1B/OF/RHP, Moeller, 2014
   Shannon is a big, physical prospect. He shows the potential to be a two-way player at the next level. In the field, he shows athleticism, but likely projects as a first baseman or corner outfielder at the next level. His velocity from the outfield was 88 mph, and his velocity across the infield was 83 mph. At the plate, the right-handed hitter starts with an open, athletic stance. He uses an explosive lower half, quick bat speed, and slight uphill bat path to generate gap-to-gap power. He registered a 7.45 60-yard dash on a slow track. On the mound, the right-hander uses a max effort delivery. At times, his mechanics are disrupted by balance issues. He shows a heavy and sometimes erratic 84-86 mph fastball from a high 3/4 arm slot. His curveball sits at 70-72 mph and shows a sharp 11/5 break. His changeup shows some run, but he cannot locate it consistently in the zone. It sits at 71-72 mph.
2. Cody Callaway, IF/RHP, Midview, 2014
   Callaway is a talented, athletic two-way prospect and definite follow in the Class of 2014. In the field, he likely projects as a third baseman at the next level, but shows range and good lateral movement at shortstop. He displays soft hands and good glove work, especially to his backhand side. He reached a top velocity of 80 mph across the infield. At the plate, the right-handed hitter uses rotational mechanics. He uses a smooth, easy load along with quick hands and a slight uphill bat path that creates a consistent line drive swing. With his size and frame, he will continue to add power. On the mound, he uses quick arm action to generate a 79-83 mph fastball. His curveball, which has a tight 11/4 break, sits between 66-68 mph, and his slider sits at 70 mph. He shows good command of his 73 mph changeup, which lacks movement, but is thrown near the same arm speed of his fastball.
3. Casey Demko, IF, Bellbrook, 2015
   Demko is an athletic prospect and definite follow in the years to come. At shortstop, he shows fluid, natural actions. He consistently attacks and plays through the baseball. He uses a quick transfer and arm action to generate a velocity of 77 mph across the infield. At the plate, the switch-hitting prospect uses a short, compact swing on both sides of the plate. He projects as a top of the order, line drive hitter. He registered a 7.14 60-yard dash on a slow track. (Casey’s father Rich played at Kent State and his older brother Christian plays at Marietta).
4. Wesley Noble, RHP/IF, Lebanon, 2014
   Noble is an athletic, undersized prospect that projects as pitcher at the next level. He shows all the makings of a future Division I pitcher. The 5-foot-11, 168-pound righty uses a high ¾ arm slot with quick arm speed. His delivery is smooth and easy. His fastball sits at 84-86 mph and touches at 87 while showing effective hard, arm side run. His curveball stays between 71-72 mph. It has 11/5, sharp breaking action, but he struggles with consistent command. His 75-76 mph changeup shows arm side run and sink, similar to his fastball. In the field, Noble shows a relaxed confidence and registers a top velocity of 83 mph on his throws. At the plate, he still has room to develop. He tends to drift on to his front side and become a slappy, contact hitter. He registered a 7.42 60-yard dash.
5. Austin Hancock, RHP/IF, Defiance, 2014
   Hancock is a solid two-way prospect. At the next level, he likely projects as a pitcher (following in the steps of his older brothers who are playing collegiately). On the mound, the right-handed pitcher displays an over the top arm slot with quick arm speed. His fastball sits between 77-79 mph. His curveball, which has 10/4 gradual break, sits around 68-69 mph. Lastly, his changeup, which has sink and is thrown near fastball arm speed, sits between 71-73 mph. In the field, he shows fluid footwork and soft hands from the shortstop position. Using short, quick arm action, he registers a top velocity of 78 mph across the infield. At the plate, he needs to clean up some mechanical issues as his hands tend to drop early in his load. Likewise, he needs to improve his overall balance as he has a tendency to fall over the plate. He registered a 7.21 60-yard dash.
6. Dom Gentile, IF/RHP, Defiance, 2014
   Gentile is a definite follow in the Class of 2014. At the next level, he likely projects as a pitcher, but shows the athleticism to potentially play in the field as well. On the mound, he uses a max effort delivery to generate an 83-84 mph that will only improve with time. His curveball, which sits at 68-69 mph, has a hard 12/6 bite. His changeup, which sit at 67-68 mph, show some arm side run. In the field, Gentile must improve the fluidity of his footwork and exchange. He uses a 3/4 arm slot and lively arm to generate a velocity of 80 mph across the infield. At the plate, he starts open and has a tendency to drift with his front side. The line-driver hitter has potential, but needs to clean up some mechanical issues. He registered a 7.23 69-yard dash.
7. Ben Hughes, IF/RHP, Tippecanoe, 2014
   Hughes is an undersized, athletic prospect and definite follow in the Class of 2014. Right now, he shows command of three pitches and likely projects as a pitcher at the next level. On the mound, he uses a 3/4 arm slot and short, quick arm action to generate an 80-82 mph fastball. He shows excellent command of curveball, which as a sharp, 12/6 break and sits around 69-70 mph. Finally, his 74-76 changeup, which shows is thrown near his fastball’s arm speed. In the field, he tends to be flat footed and doesn’t play through the baseball. Across the infield, he shows a top velocity of 78 mph. At the plate, the right-handed hitter shows a long path to the ball, which hinders his bat speed and power.
8. Jacob Ball, 3B/OF, Mason, 2014
   Ball is an athletic infield prospect that displays soft hands, fluid footwork, and good body control. He projects as a third baseman or second baseman at the next level. He uses a quick, clean transfer as he generates a velocity of 78 mph across the infield. At the plate, the right-handed hitter displays a short, level bat path and quick bat speed to create a line drive swing. He registered a 7.60 60-yard dash time.

 

BEST OF THE REST

Adam DeLaet, IF, Lakota East, 2013
DaLaet projects as a second baseman at the next level. In the field, he shows a high ¾ arm slot while reaching a velocity of 77 mph across the infield. He will only continue to improve defensively as his footwork and exchange become more fluid. At the plate, the left-handed hitting prospect uses an open stance with a short stride. The line-driving hitter shows good balance and short path to the ball. He registered a 7.34 time with the 60-yard dash.

Brandon Malofksy, IF/RHP, Seven Hills, 2013
Malofsky is an undersized infielder that lacks fluid footwork. With a hitch in his throwing motion, Malofsky displayed a velocity of 61 mph from third base. At the plate, he uses a narrow setup and even to downward bat path. He lacks complete use of his lower half. He registered a 7.29 60-yard dash. On the mound, he uses an over the top arm slot and max effort delivery to register a velocity of 64-65 mph for his fastball, 59 mph for his curveball, and 64-65 for his cutter.

Todd Reichard, IF/RHP, Vandalia Butler, 2013
Reichard still has room to develop as an infielder. At times, he appears stiff and doesn’t play through the baseball. He registered a velocity of 77 mph across the infield. At the plate, he has a tendency to open early, which slows down his hands and bat.

Jeremy Brinegar, IF/RHP, Stebbins, 2013
Brinegar uses short, quick arm action to register a velocity of 77 mph across the infield. Mechanically, his hands appear stiff at times, which disrupts the fluidity of his actions. At the plate, the right-handed hitting prospect uses an open stance and choppy rhythm that results in his bat dragging. On the mound, he uses a max effort delivery and tends to throw across his body. His fastball sat between 75-78 mph while his curveball sat at 52-54 mph and his changeup at 64-65 mph.

Jordan Simmons, IF/OF, Marysville, 2013
Simmons likely projects as an outfielder at the next level due to his speed. In the infield, he lacks fluid footwork and softness in his hands. He uses a short arm action to register a velocity of 78 mph across the infield. At the plate, the small, but muscular right-handed hitter uses rotational mechanics. He is a line drive type hitter that uses an inside/outside swing to consistently hit balls to the opposite field. He registered a 7.0 60-yard dash on a slow track.

Joseph Swisher, IF, Westerville Central, 2013
Swisher projects as a second baseman at the next level. He shows quick, fluid footwork. He registered a velocity of 76 mph across the infield. At the plate, the right-handed hitter uses a balanced setup and small leg kick. His hands have a tendency to get away from his body, which creates a longer bat path. He registered a 7.19 60-yard dash time.

Kody Edwards, IF/C, Tallmadge, 2013
Edwards displays heavy feet and a slow exchange. He needs to improve the fluidity of his footwork. From shortstop, he displayed a velocity of 67 mph. At the plate, the right-handed hitter uses a short path to the ball. He needs to better incorporate the use of his lower half. He registered a 7.73 60-yard dash.

Matt Deskins, IF/RHP, Northmont, 2014
Deskins lacks fluid footwork and tends to throw flat-footed after fielding the baseball.  From the outfield, he registered a top velocity of 69 mph and across the infield, he registered a top velocity of 67 mph. At the plate, he uses a closed stance, high leg kick, and lacks the use of his lower half. He registered a 7.1 60-yard dash time.

Aaron Hemmelgarn, RHP/SS, Sidney Lehman Catholic, 2015
Hemmelgarn is a long and lanky prospect. In the field, he needs to improve his footwork and play through the baseball. He registered a top velocity of 68 mph while throwing off his back leg. At the plate, the right-handed hitter is a contact hitter that lacks overall power due to his size and strength.  He registered a 7.97 60-yard dash.

Allan Medovic, IF/RHP, Holy Name, 2013
Medovic shows good hands, but lacks quick footwork in the field. Across the infield, he uses short arm action and registers a top velocity of 71 mph. At the plate, the right-handed hitter starts his setup with high hands. He shows a long, flat path to the ball. He registered a 7.63 60-yard dash.

Anthony Hopkins, OF/IF, Wayne, 2014
Hopkins projects as an infielder at the next level. He uses a 3/4 arm slot to register a velocity of 73-75 mph from both the infield and outfield. Defensively, he must improve his foot-work and exchange. At the plate, he lacks balance and needs to simplify his swing to become a better contact hitter. He registered a 7.6 60-yard dash time.

Braydon Focht, IF/OF/RHP, Northmont, 2014
Focht is a strong, athletic prospect that projects as an outfielder. From the outfield, he shows a top velocity of 79 mph with a quick, easy arm action. In the infield, he tends to be stiff and lacks fluidity in his actions. He registered a velocity of 76 mph from shortstop. At the plate, he uses an open setup and starts with his hands high. He registered a 7.65 60-yard dash.

Christophe Brake, IF, St. Charles, 2013
Brake is a long legged infield prospect. In the field, he tends to field the ball deep and flat-footed. He reached a top velocity of 73 mph across the infield. At the plate, he the right-handed hitter uses a short, compact, level swing. He registered a 7.77 60-yard dash.

Clay Rice, 1B/RHP, Findlay, 2014
Rice needs to improve his foot-work and quickness of his exchange. He reached a top velocity of 67 mph from a high 3/4  arm slot. At the plate, the right-handed hitter lacks the use of his lower half, which takes away from his power and overall rhythm of his swing. As a result, he has a slappy type swing. He registered a 7.72 60-yard dash. On the mound, the right-hander uses short arm action and a choppy rhythm. His fastball sits between 65-68 mph. His curveball, which lacks effective bite, sits around 59-61 mph while his changeup is between 55-58 mph.

Ethan Bryant, IF/OF, Lakota East, 2013
Bryant uses short arm action to generate a top velocity 76 mph from the outfield. In the infield, he reached a top velocity of 77 mph. At the plate, the right-handed hitter uses a crouch setup. He displays short, compact swing that generates consistent line drives to the backside. He registered a 7.47 60-yard dash time.

Kyle Holdsworth, IF, Walsh Jesuit, 2014
Holdsworth shows good footwork, but uses a long exchange. With short arm action, he reached a top velocity of 70 mph across the infield. At the plate, the right-handed hitter tends to be slappy, contact hitter. He has a tendency to collapse the backside, and he need to improve his bat speed. He registered a 7.86 60-yard dash.

Kyle Richardson, RHP/3B, Wayne, 2014
Richardson shows heavy feet and tends to field the ball deep in the field. He needs to improve the speed of his transfer and exchange. He uses an over the top arm slot with short arm action to reach a top velocity of 71 mph. At the plate, the right- handed hitter has room for development as he appears stiff and lacks rhythm in his swing. He registered a 8.36 60-yard dash time. On the mound, the right-hander uses short arm action and a slow rhythm. He displays a straight 66 mph fastball, 56-57 mph curveball, and a 62-64 mph changeup that needs additional development.

Logan Mann, 1B, Vandalia Butler, 2013
Mann has a solid, muscular frame. In the field, he lacks fluidity in his motions. Using an over the top arm slot and short arm action, he reached a velocity of 71 mph across the infield. At the plate, the right-handed hitter displays quick hands and balance, but appears stiff. He made hard contact, but it was inconsistent. He registered a 7.57 60-yard dash.

Luke Smith, IF, St. Clairesville, 2013
Smith is an athletic prospect. In the field, he needs to improve his foot work and play through the baseball as he tends to be flat in his fielding position. Likewise, he will improve his abilities as an infielder by improving the speed of his exchange and transfer. He uses a high 3/4 arm slot and short arm action to generate a velocity of 68 mph across the infield. He registered a 7.46 60-yard dash time.

Michale Hudec, 3B/1B, North Royalton, 2013
Hudec, is a solid corner infield prospect. He shows average to soft hands while show good foot-work and consistently playing through the baseball. He uses a ¾ arm slot as he generates a top velocity of 74 mph. At the plate, the left-handed hitter is a consistent backside, line drive hitter. He registered a 7.2 60-yard dash on a slow track.

Brian Marsh, IF, Piqua, 2013
Marsh uses a low ¾ arm slot while displaying a top velocity of 73 mph across the infield. The right-handed hitter uses an open stance and has lots of moving parts in his swing. Still, he shows some bat quickness as he makes hard contact with pull tendencies. He registered a 7.78 60-yard dash.

Trey Kelhoffer III, 1B/P, Springboro
Kelhoffer uses a low 3/4 arm slot and tends to open his front side early. He reached a top velocity of 61 mph in the field. At the plate, he sets up in the crouch and displays rotational mechanics. He shows surprising bat speed and pull power. He registered an 8.24 60-yard dash.

Ronnie Roberts, IF/RHP, Franklin, 2013
Roberts shows good hands and fluid footwork at third base. From a 3/4 arm slot, he generates a velocity of 72 mph across the infield. At the plate, the right-handed hitter sets up with an open stance. His bat tends to drag through the zone. He registered an 8.43 60-yard dash.

Damon Wade, IF, Massillon Jackson, 2014
Wade is an athletic prospect, but needs to improve his actions in the field. His feet tend to be slow and his glove work lacks consistency. He reached a top velocity of 74 mph across the infield. At the plate, Wade uses a short stride and short bat path, but lacks overall power. He registered a 7.76 60-yard dash.

Ross Etgen, IF, Bishop Ready, 2013
Etgen is an undersized, athletic infield prospect. He shows good actions in the field. At the plate, Etgen displays a balanced setup and short, slight uphill path to the ball. He is a contact hitter that will improve his with additional strength development and better incorporation of his lower half. He registered a 6.91 60-yard dash.

Ryan Miller, IF, Pickerington North, 2013
Miller is a solid, athletic prospect best suited for third base or second base at the next level. In the field, he shows good lateral movement, but needs to consistently keep his feet moving through the ball. He uses a high 3/4 arm slot while reaching a velocity of 76 mph across the infield. At the plate, the right-handed hitter uses a high leg kick with a short stride. He shows pull tendencies while using an explosive lower half and average to quick bat speed. He registered a 7.1 60-yard dash on a slow track.

Tate Stewart, IF, Granville, 2013
Stewart projects as a second baseman at the next level. He gets the job done, but lacks fluidity through his actions in the field. He uses an over the top arm slot to reach a top velocity of 75 mph across the infield. At the plate, he shows a balanced, open setup with a short stride. He registered a 7.56 60-yard dash.

Zachary Keese, 3B/RHP, Lafayette, 2013
Keese is a long, lanky prospect. In the field, his footwork tends to be slow and prevents him from playing through the baseball. He uses a 3/4 arm slot and long, loose arm action to generate a top velocity of 79 mph across the infield. At the plate, the right-handed hitter sets up in an open stance. He tends to bar his arm during his load, which creates a longer swing and slows down his bat speed. He registered a 7.39 60-yard dash. On the mound, he displays long, loose arm action to generate a 70-72 mph fastball. He tends to cuff his curveball, which lacks effective breaking action and sits at 61-62 mph. He uses a straight changeup, which fluctuates between 62-65 mph.

Jacob Sheaf, 1B/P, Wilmington, 2013
Sheaf is a tall, athletic prospect. He shows good footwork around the bag at first base. At the plate, he hits from both side of the plate, but showed more power and consistency from the right side. He starts with an open stance in his setup. He is short to the ball with a slightly uphill bat path from both sides. On the mound, the right-hander uses an over the top arm slot and average arm speed. He shows short arm action and choppy rhythm to his delivery. His fastball sits at 77-79 mph. He tends to slow down his arm action on his 65-67 mph curveball. His changeup fluctuates betweens 65-69 mph.

Mikel Merker, RHP/1B, West Carrollton, 2014
Merker is a tall, well-built prospect. On the mound, he uses an over the top arm slot and average arm speed. At times, he appears stiff and lacks fluidity through his delivery. His fastball sits at 77-78 mph and shows slight arm side run. His curveball fluctuates between 63-67 mph, but he changes his arm speed in the process. He also uses a 73-74 mph slider and a 69-70 mph changeup. At the plate, he needs to better use his lower half. He has a tendency to drift onto his front side instead of letting the ball get deeper into the zone. He registered a 7.78 60-yard dash.

Tyler Smolinski, IF, North Royalton, 2013
Smolinski is a long, athletic prospect. In the field, he shows quick feet as he is aggressive to the ball. He needs to improve his glove work and softness of his hands. He shows long, loose arm action that generates a top velocity of 76 mph across the infield. At the plate, the right-handed hitter has lots of movement before and during his swing. His hands tend to drop, which affects the consistency of his bat speed and path to the ball. He registered a 7.68 60-yard dash.

Corbon Angermeir, RHP/1B, NDCL, 2013
Angermeir is a long, lanky prospect that is still growing into his body. He uses an over the top arm sloot and average arm speed. The rhythm of his delivery tends to be choppy. His fastball sits at 77-78 mph. His curveball shows early, gradual break and sits at 66-69 mph. He tends to slow down his arm speed when throwing it. His changeup is straight and sits between 68-70 mph. At the plate, the right-handed hitter tends to be stiff. He needs to shorten his path to the ball as his swing tends to get long.

Ethan Schmidt, IF/RHP, Granville, 2013
Schmidt is a tall, lanky prospect with plenty of room to fill out. At first base, he shows good footwork and athleticism around the bag. His top velocity reached 76 mph. At the plate, he uses an open, wide stance. At times, he struggles with his balance as he falls over the plate. He shows a slightly uphill bat path that produces solid contact with more power to come.

Miccoy Drzwiecki, 3B/RHP, Toledo St. Francis DeSales, 2013
Drzwiecki is a tall, athletic prospect. In the field, he shows good footwork for his size, but likely projects as a first baseman if he is a position player at the next level. He uses a max effort and over the top arm slot to generate a top velocity of 83 mph. At the plate, the right-handed hitter shows a power bat with pull tendencies. He uses a tall, upright stance with a swing that has a tendency to get long at times. He registered a 7.5 60-yard dash. On the mound, he uses a slow rhythm and short arm action. His 79-80 mph has some arm side run. He has a tendency to cuff his curveball. It sits at 64-66 mph and has a small 11/4 break. His 63-66 mph changeup is thrown near fastball speed and lacks movement.

Nick Pauley, RHP/3B, Thomas Worthington, 2014
Pauley is a tall, soft prospect with a projectable frame. At the next level, he projects as a pitcher. On the mound, he uses a quick rhythm from a high 3/4 arm slot with long, loose arm action. He shows an easy 79-81 mph fastball. His curveball has sharp, late 11/4 break and fluctuates between 63-67 mph. He uses near fastball speed arm action with his 71-73 mph changeup, but lacks overall command. In the field, he worked out at third base, but likely projects as a first baseman at the next level. He shows average foot speed and lateral movement. His top velocity across the infield registered at 80 mph. At the plate, he starts open and struggles with balance issues. He has a tendency to dive at the ball and be heavy on the front side. He registered an 8.47 60-yard dash.