By Chris Fuller
Kentucky Scouting Director

Today we take a look at the first base prospects from the July 9 Showcase at Bellarmine University.  A few of the highlights:

A couple of 2014 left-handed hitting prospects showed well at the plate as Nick Nonos (Ballard HS) and Casey Klein (Kentucky Country Day) took solid rounds of bating practice on the field.  Nonos registered an 87 mph tee exit velocity.

Kyle Beach (Floyd Central IN HS) led the 2015 group, showing athletic actions in the infield and power at the plate.

Ean Barker emerged as an impressive hitter in the 2016 class and showcased his bat speed with an event best 88 mph tee exit velocity.

The following is an in depth look at all of the first base prospects in attendance at the showcase.

2014 prospects

Nick Nonos, 1B, Ballard HS, 2014
5-foot-11, 200-pound, left-handed hitting prospect with strong lower half, shows some athleticism, average hands, 77 mph arm across the infield.  At the plate, hits from balanced setup, smooth load, short stride, good lower half torque creates barrel whip through the zone, consistently barreled up the baseball with a gap to gap approach, one of the best rounds of the day, solid left-handed hitter, ran 7.70 60, showcased bat speed with 87 mph tee exit velocity.

Casey Klein, 1B/LHP, Kentucky Country Day HS, 2014
5-foot-11, 180-pound, left-handed hitting prospect, shows athletic actions and feet around the bag, soft hands, accurate arm at 77 mph across the field.  At the plate, hits from open setup, squares frontside with short stride, good use of lower half torque in swing generates bat speed through the zone, middle of the field approach, barreled up several pitches in his round, line drive type hitter, 80 mph tee exit velocity, also pitches (will be featured in pitcher write-ups).

2015 prospects

Kyle Beach, RHP/1B, Floyd Central HS (IN), 2015
6-foot-2, 195-pound prospect, good frame, shows athletic feet and soft hands, 74 mph arm across the infield.  At the plate, hits from open setup, short stride, explosive lower half generates barrel whip through the zone, shows some pull pop driving a few balls off the left field fence, ran 7.18 60 yard dash, 81 mph tee exit velocity, showed big potential on the mound (featured in pitcher write-ups), potential high-level 2015 prospect.

Blake Hamilton, 1B, Beechwood HS, 2015
6-foot-, 225-pound prospect, shows soft hands and good feet around the bag, 72 mph arm across the infield.  At the plate, hits from open stance, uses a leg kick trigger, short stride, good lower half torque in swing, pull approach with some pop, barreled up several pitches in his round, ran 7.70 60 yard dash, 80 mph tee exit velocity.

Michael Reynolds, RHP/1B, DeSales HS, 2015
6-foot-3,205-pound prospect, projectable frame, shows average infield actions, hands work, loose arm across the infield at 72 mph.  At the plate, hits from balanced setup, very little load, hands show some quickness, shows a pull approach, ran 8.12 60 yard dash, 75 mph tee exit velocity, also pitches (featured in pitcher write-ups).

Colin Gatz, 1B, TatesCreek HS, 2015
5-foot-10, 180-pound prospect with athletic build, shows soft hands, average infield actions, 67 mph arm across the infield.  At the plate, hits from slightly open stance, smooth load, short stride, short path to the ball, hands show quickness, consistently barreled up the baseball with a middle of the field approach, line drive hitter, ran 7.68 60, 80 mph tee exit velocity.

Joseph Hampton, 1B, Richmond Model HS, 2015
6-foot, 185-pound, left-handed hitting prospect with strong build, needs to continue working on hands and footwork, 69 mph arm across the infield.  At the plate, hits from balanced stance, short stride, good balance, arm bar in load, flat bat path, had a solid round barreling up several pitches with middle of the field approach, ran 8.50 60 yard dash, showed some bat speed with 82 mph tee exit velocity.

2016 prospects

Ean Barker, 1B/RHP, Central Hardin HS, 2016
5-foot-10, 185-pound prospect with strong legs, shows solid glove around the 1B bag, 76 mph arm across the infield.  At the plate, hits from balanced setup, quiet approach, good use of lower half generates bat speed, consistently barreled the baseball up in his round, showed the ability to hit the ball to all fields, ran 7.88 60 yard dash, registered the top tee exit velocity of the event at 88 mph, impressive young hitter with potential to hit for power, also pitches (featured in pitcher write-ups).

Kyle Pomeroy, 1B, Whitefield Academy, 2016
6-foot-1, 140-pound prospect with lanky build, projectable frame, shows average 1B actions, 64 mph arm across the infield.  At the plate, hits from a crouch setup, short stride, uphill path to the ball, needs better use of lower half and backside turn to generate more bat speed, shows middle of the field approach, ran 7.88 60, 69 mph tee exit velocity.