By Chris Fuller and PBR Kentucky Staff

The 2014 Kentucky Top Prospect Games featured more than 120 players over the two-day event.  Today we begin our team-by-team analysis of each player that participated in the event.  The following is an in depth look at the position players from Team White.  This is position player analysis only.  Those players who pitched for Team White will be featured in a subsequent article. 

CLICK HERE to view the top statistical performers and complete stats from the event.

middle infielders

Justin Rouse, SS, R/R, Central Hardin HS, 2016
6-foot, 185-pound prospect with athletic build and strong lower half, hands are soft and plays through the ball well with fluid feet, throws through a ¾ slot with accurate throws across the infield, decent arm strength at 78 mph with a quick exchange, shows good body control and ability to throw on the run from different arm angles on slow roller.  At the plate, hits from a slightly open setup with slight leg kick, drops hands some in load, line drive type hitter with level swing path, gap-to-gap approach, shows some present bat speed with 84 mph tee exit velocity, ran 4.57 down the first base line, went 0-for-4 in game play, has chance to be high-level prospect with continued development.

Grant Noble, 2B, L/R, South Warren HS, 2015
5-foot-11, 170-pound prospect with athletic build, shows soft hands and good lateral movement, gets rid of the ball quickly with a quick exchange and throws through ¾ slot, shows good body control on slow roller with the ability to throw on the move from different arm angle, throws were accurate with top velocity 77 mph across the infield.  At the plate, left-handed hitter hits from an open setup, squares frontside with a short stride, wraps some in load but able to get barrel through the zone with some hand quickness and use of lower half, ran 4.45 down the first base line, showed an increase in tee exit velocity from previous event at 84 mph, went 1-for-5 in game play with a single to left field, also made nice diving play defensively in game action.

CJ Phillips, SS, R/R, Holy Cross HS (Louisville), 2015
6-foot-1, 160-pound prospect with lanky build, hands show some softness, room to improve footwork, throw were accurate across the infield with a top velocity of 77 mph.  At the plate, hits from a balanced setup with a short stride, shows some hand quickness with some bat speed through the zone, line drive type hitter, went 1-for-5 in game play with a single to right-center, ran 4.52 down the first base line, 83 mph tee exit velocity.

Cody Milliner, 2B, R/R, Holy Cross HS (Louisville), 2015
5-foot-10, 180-pound prospect with strong legs, showed average hands with good lateral movement, plays through the ball, shows a quick exchange especially on the backhand play, accurate arm at 77 mph across the infield.  At the plate, hits from a balanced setup, uses a toe tap with medium stride, arm bar creates some length in swing, showed some bat speed with 82 mph tee exit velocity, showed some speed with a 4.46 time down the first base line, went 0-for4 in game play with three strikeouts, shorter swing path will lead to more consistency at the plate.

corner infielders

Logan Mallory, RHP/1B, R/R, North Laurel HS, 2015
6-foot-3, 198-pound prospect with athletic frame, shows soft hands, feet work well around the bag, tied for event best infield arm strength at 84 mph.  At the plate, hits from an open setup, takes an aggressive stride, wraps some in load, shows strength in swing with some pull-side power, showed present bat speed tying for event best 91 mph tee exit velocity, ran 5.01 down the first base line, went 3-for-4 with a double in game play.

Ean Barker, 3B/RHP, Central Hardin HS, 2016
5-foot-10, 195-pound prospect with strong legs, hands play at third base, shows good lateral movement, accurate throws across the infield at 77 mph (80 at previous event).  At the plate, hits from a wide and balanced setup with no stride, minimal load, short/quick path to the ball with some hand quickness, gap to gap approach, squared up several pitched in his round of batting practice, showed improved speed from previous event running a 4.64 down the first base line, bat speed present with 88 mph tee exit velocity, went 0-for-4 in game play making contact in each of his plate appearances.

Spencer Cross, 1B/RHP, R/R, Calhoun HS (GA), 2015
6-foot-1, 230-pound prospect with strong lower half, shows average hands defensively, 75 mph arm across the infield.  At the plate, hits from an open setup with a short stride, strong frame creates good bat speed, is short and quick to the ball showing some gap-to-gap power, good barrel awareness as he consistently squared the ball up in batting practice, good rhythm and balance in swing, ran 4.76 down the first base line, 83 mph tee exit velocity, went 0-for-4 in game play reaching base twice on errors, has potential to hit for power at next level.

Andrew Hayden, LHP/1B, L/L, Daviess County HS, 2016
6-foot-3, 165-pound prospect with lanky build and room to fill on frame.  As position player shows soft hands with average footwork around the bag, 79 mph arm across the infield, accurate throws to second base to start double play.  At the plate, hits from a balanced setup with short stride, limited use of lower half, line drive type hitter, ran 4.41 down the first base line, 85 mph tee exit velocity, went 0-for-5 in game play with a pull approach.

Hunter Jaco, RHP/3B, R/R, Marshall County HS, 2015
6-foot, 170-pound prospect with room to fill on frame, shows soft hands defensively with decent lateral movement, gets rid of the ball quickly with shorter arm action, average body control on slow roller, accurate throws across the infield with top velocity of 72 mph, would like to see additional arm strength.  At the plate, hits from a balanced setup with a short stride, tends to wrap in load, mid-field approach, ran 4.88 down the first base line, 77 mph tee exit velocity, went 1-for-5 in game play with a single up the middle.

catchers

Chance Bodine, C, R/R, Bethlehem HS, 2015
6-foot-1, 190-pound prospect with strong and athletic frame, shows good athleticism behind the plate with athletic feet, 74 mph arm strength from the crouch with pop times consistent between 2.06-2.09, solid receiver that showed very good lateral blocking skills in game play.  At the plate, hits from a balanced setup with a short stride, good use of lower half torque, slight uphill path creates some lift in swing, solid power potential, ran 4.66 down the first base line, 89 mph tee exit velocity, went 0-for-4 in game play but squared the baseball up a few times, solid 2015 catching prospect.

Josh Finerty, C/RHP, R/R, St. Xavier HS, 2015
6-foot-2, 190-pound prospect with strong and athletic frame, good athleticism behind the plate, quick glove to hand transfer, room for quicker release, good arm strength at 77 mph from the crouch, pop times ranged from 2.02-2.13.  At the plate, hits from a balanced setup with a toe tap and minimal stride, good balance throughout, drops hands in load, strong frame creates bat speed through the zone, showed good barrel awareness in consistently squaring up the ball in batting practice, good speed with 4.37 time down the first base line, 84 mph tee exit velocity, went 1-for-4 in game play with a single.

outfielders

Britton Elmore, OF, R/R, Central Hardin HS, 2015
6-foot-1, 195-pound prospect with strong frame, attacks and plays through the ball well, quick/clean exchange and showed an increase in arm strength from previous event at 83 mph with good carry through over the top slot, every throw was accurate and on the third base bag.  At the plate, hits from a balances setup with short stride, good rhythm in swing, uses strong lower half, generates good bat speed through the zone, had a solid round consistently squaring up the ball with a gap to gap approach, went 0-for-4 in game play hitting the ball hard on a few occasions, showed improved speed running 4.51 down the first base line, slight improvement in tee exit velocity over previous event at 84 mph, continues to get better at each event.

Nate Hopewell, OF, R/R, Apollo HS, 2015
6-foot-3, 190-pound prospect with strong and athletic frame, still has some room to fill, sets up well on fly balls, some hesitancy approaching ball on the ground, uses shorter arm action through high ¾ slot, top velocity of 76 mph.  At the plate, hits from a balanced setup with a short stride, drops hands some in load, slight uphill path creates some lift, shows pull-side power, ball really jumps when barreled up, ran 4.72 down the first base line, showed ability to generate bat speed with 89 mph tee exit velocity, went 2-for-4 in game play with two sharp singles, projects as LF with present arm strength.

Xavier Arnette, OF, L/L, Central Hardin HS, 2016
5-foot-11, 195-pound prospect with strong lower half and wide shoulders, somewhat tentative approach to the ball on the ground, throws through a ¾ arm slot with 74 mph arm strength.  At the plate, hits from a balanced setup with minimal stride, drops hands in load with an arm bar creating some length to swing, shows some quickness in hands, line drive type hitter, showed very good speed with a 4.10 time down the first base line, 81 mph tee exit velocity, went 1-for-4 beating out an infield single in game play, will need to work on arm strength moving forward, has some raw tools that should continue to develop.

John Halcomb, OF, R/R, Greenwood HS, 2015
5-foot-10, 145-pound prospect with lanky build, takes good routes to the ball in the air, some hesitation in playing through the ball on the ground, throws through high ¾ slot, loose arm with 75 mph arm strength, accurate throws on the third base bag.  At the plate, hits from a balanced setup with a short stride, maintains good balance throughout swing, line drive type hitter uses all fields well, some bat speed present with 82 mph tee exit velocity, went 3-for-5 in game play that included a double down the left field line and infield single, ran 4.52 down the first base line, will benefit from additional strength, present arm strength makes him LF at the next level.

Blake Urbanek, OF, R/R, Henry Clay HS, 2015
6-foot-3, 165-pound prospect with lanky build and room to add to frame, plays through the ball, arm shows some looseness through high ¾ slot, top velocity reached 77 mph, throws show some accuracy. At the plate, hits from a balanced setup with a short stride, hands show improved quickness, level swing path, line drive type hitter gets lower half involvement in swing, ran 4.82 down the first base line, 83 mph tee exit velocity, went 1-for-5 in game play with an infield single.