TOP 2013 OUTFIELDERS

1. John Crawford, LHP/OF, Wapakoneta, 2013
   Crawford is a talented two-way prospect and definite follow in the Class of 2013. He could potentially play both positions at the next level. In the field, he is aggressive to the ball. He shows quick, effortless arm action that generated a top velocity of 85 mph. At the plate, the left-handed hitter maintains balance throughout his swing. He uses a quick, easy load and a short path to the ball while achieving extension. He shows gap-to-gap power potential. He registered a 7.36 60-yard dash on a slow track. On the mound, the lefty uses a high 3/4 arm slot and long, loose arm action. He possesses quick arm speed and a smooth rhythm throughout his delivery. His fastball sits 80-82 mph while showing late natural sinking action. He showed excellent command of a 69-70 mph sharp, sweeping curveball. His changeup, which sits at 72-73 mph, is thrown near fastball arm speed and shows sinking movement. In addition, he displayed a 70 mph split-finger fastball.
2. Sean Pfeifer, OF/RHP, Springboro, 2013
   Pfeifer is a big, athletic prospect. In the field, he moves well and shows a top velocity of 83 mph from the outfield. He likely projects as a corner outfielder at the next level. At the plate, the left-handed hitter uses a short stride and stays balanced throughout his swing. He has a strong, explosive lower half and quick bat speed. The ball jumps off his bat. He does an excellent job seeing the ball deep into the zone and reaching full extension. He registered a 7.22 60-yard dash on a slow track. On the mound, the right-hander uses an over the top arm slot and short arm action. His fastball sits between 78-81 mph and has slight run. He changes his arm speed when throwing his 65-66 mph curveball. He also changes his arm speed when throwing his 69-70 mph changeup.
3. Roscoe Blackburn, LHP/OF, Thomas Worthington, 2013
   Blackburn is a talented two-way prospect with a lanky, projectable athletic frame. On the mound, he uses a high 3/4 arm slot and short arm action. He shows command of a 81-84 mph fastball with slight run. His 69-70 mph curveball needs to be developed. It shows early 1/7 bit, but lacks consistency. He also uses a 73-75 mph straight changeup. In the field, he moves well. On his throws, he has a tendency to open his front side early, which takes away from his accuracy and potential velocity. His velocity from the outfield topped out at 79 mph. at the plate, he showed a balanced approach with average to quick bat speed. He is a line drive hitter with power potential. He ran a 7.00 60-yard dash on a slow track.
4. Lee Sponseller, OF, Mason, 2013
   Sponseller is an athletic, left-handed outfielder. He uses a high 3/4 arm slot and registers a top velocity of 78 mph from the outfield. At the plate, the left-handed hitter uses a crouched setup and short stride. He shows excellent balance throughout his swing. With an easy, short load, explosive lower half, and quick bat speed, he hits consistent line drives to all fields. He registered a 7.3 60-yard dash on a slow track.
5. Alex Lind, OF, Elder, 2013
   Lind is well-built, athletic prospect. He plays through the baseball in the outfield. He shows a live arm and carry on his throws with a top velocity of 84 mph. At the plate, he uses a balanced setup, smooth load, and a short stride. He uses a short path to the ball and average to quick bat speed. He registered a 7.02 60-yard dash on a slow track.
6. Bradley Wiemken, OF/LHP, Strongsville, 2013
   Wiemken a lanky, athletic prospect with room to fill out. He plays through the ball in the outfield and reaches a top velocity of 76 mph with a long and easy arm action. At the plate, he uses a balanced setup, smooth load, and short stride. He shows quick bat speed and uses his lower half. He should continue to add power as he becomes stronger. He registered a 7.15 60-yard dash on a slow track.
7. Jerad Kitzler, OF/RHP, St. Charles, 2013
   Kitzler is an athletic, lanky prospect. Using long, controlled strides, he shows good actions as he plays through the ball in the outfield. He uses a high 3/4 arm slot and long arm action to reach a top velocity of 79 from the outfield. At the plate, the left-handed hitter uses an open, narrow stance with a fluid rhythm and loose hands. He registered a velocity of 7.01 on a slow track.

TOP 2014 OUTFIELDERS

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. Zach Logue, OF/LHP, Moeller, 2014
   Logue is a definite follow and projectable player in the Class of 2014.  In the outfield, he is aggressive, but under control. He shows a clean and easy arm action that reaches a velocity of 79 mph. At the plate, Logue displays a swing that you could watch all day. He uses excellence balance, short stride, and fluid rhythm. He uses quick bat speed and gets extension to creates consistent gap-to-gap power that will only increase in time. On the mound, his fastball shows slight action as it registers between 77-79 mph. His curveball, which lacked consistent movement and accuracy, sat between 61-62 mph. Finally, he throws his 64-66 mph straight changeup for strikes, but he tends to slow down his arm speed.
3. Nicholas Longo, OF, St. Ignatius, 2014
   Longo is an athletic prospect and one of the top outfielders in Ohio’s class of 2014. He shows a high motor and natural feel for the position. The left-hander uses a 3/4 arm slot and short, easy arm action to generate a top velocity of 84 mph. At the plate, the left-handed hitter uses a short stride and medium to high leg kick that disrupts his consistency at times. Still, he uses an explosive lower half and above average bat speed to generate consistent line drives. He registered a 7.5 60-yard dash on a slow track.

BEST OF THE REST

Matt Staudigel, OF/LHP, Fairfield, 2014
Staudigel is a young left-handed outfielder that moves well in the field. He uses a high ¾ arm slot. From the outfield, he registered a velocity of 72 mph that lacked carry. At the plate, he displays an easy, compact left-handed swing. Using a smooth load, explosive lower half and quick bat speed, Staudigel shows a consistent line drive swing. He registered a 7.77 time with the 60-yard dash.

Kyle Judd, OF/RHP, Goshen, 2014
Judd lacks aggressiveness and doesn’t consistently play through the baseball. As a result, he tends to appear stiff and reduces his ability to reach top velocity from the outfield. He reached 71 mph from the outfield. At the plate, he starts from the crouch and uses a closed setup.  He lacks the use of his lower half and shows a slappy type swing. He registered a 7.39 60-yard dash.

Brendan Woodruff, OF/RHP, Mariemont, 2014
Woodruff is a long and lanky prospect. From the outfield, he slows an easy, long arm action to generate a top velocity of 76 mph. At the plate, he uses a wide base and medium leg lift to trigger his swing. In the process, he has the tendency to wrap his bat during his load, which slows down his bat speed and disrupts his path to the ball. He registered a 7.04 60-yard dash on a slow track.

Brett Gerbec, OF/3B, Midview, 2013
Gerbec has a solid frame. In the field, he lacks aggression and doesn’t play through the baseball. He uses a low 3/4 arm slot as he generates a top velocity of 69 mph from the outfield. At the plate, he uses a tall, upright setup. He lacks fluidity and rhythm in his swing and needs to better incorporate his lower half. He registered a 8.5 60-yard dash time.

Chad Roberts, OF/3B, Wilmington, 2014
Roberts uses a 3/4 arm slot and short arm action to generate a velocity of 75 mph from the outfield. In the infield, he needs to show some aggression and play through the baseball as he tends to field the ball flat footed. His velocity registered at 75 mph in the infield as well. At the plate, the left-handed hitting prospect shows good balance and a short stride. He generates hard contact with a strong lower half and quick bat speed. He registered a 7.38 60-yard dash.

Danny Hentz, OF/RHP, Northwest, 2014
Hentz is a lanky, athletic prospect. While he worked at third base, he is better suited for the outfield. He uses a 3/4  arm slot and easy arm action to generate a top velocity of 77 mph from the outfield. At the plate, the right-handed hitter uses a balanced, open setup. Despite a tendency to bar his arm during his load, Hentz shows quick bat speed and generates some pop. He registered a 7.87 60-yard dash.

Matthew Machamer, OF/1B, North Canton Hoover, 2014
Machamer is athletic prospect with a solid skill set. From the outfield, he uses a 3/4 arm slot and long, loose arm action to generate a top velocity of 79 mph. At the plate, the right-handed hitter uses a short stride and smooth load. While he has a small hitch in his swing, he still shows quick bat speed and a short, slightly uphill path to the ball that creates decent power. He registered a 7.25 60-yard dash time.

Devin McPherson, OF/RHP, Lakota West, 2014
McPherson has a big, athletic frame. He needs to improve his footwork and play through the ball in the outfield. He uses short arm action to generate a top velocity of 72 mph. At the plate, the right-handed hitter is heavy on his front side. At times, his bat speed drags as he consistently hits the ball backside. He registered a 7.52 60-yard dash. On the mound, the right-hander uses an over the top arm slot and slow rhythm. His fastball sits at 68-70 mph. His curveball sits at 63-65 and needs to develop better breaking action. He slows down his arm speed on changeup, which sits at 60-62 mph.