By Chris Fuller
Kentucky Scouting Director

A total of ten catchers got the opportunity to showcase their abilities at the Unsigned Senior Games Event at Northern Kentucky University on August 10-11. 

Seth Caple is a guy we first saw at the Western KY Prospect ID Showcase in June.  Caple was very impressive that day with a 79 mph arm from the crouch, pop times of 1.87-1.95, and a round of batting practice that caught everyone’s attention.  While Caple was not as good this time around, which I feel was mostly due to being in football mode for two weeks leading up to the event, he is still one of the top few catching prospects in the 2014 class.  His arm strength was actually slightly better (80 mph), but his transfer and footwork were not as quick, thus the slower pop times.

Tyler Niemann made the trip from Canton High School in Missouri and impressed with his pop from the left-side of the plate.  The 6-foot-3, 160-pound Niemann is a potential power left-handed bat at the next level.

Ian Woodall registered the best pop of the event at 1.90. In fact all of Woodall’s throws ranged between 1.9 and 2.0 with 75 mph arm strength.

Blake Hart showed the best pop time we have seen from him to date with his top at 1.97.

The following is an in depth look at all of the catchers in attendance at the Unsigned Senior Games Event.

royal team

Tyler Niemann, C, L/R, Canton HS (MO), 2014
6-foot-3, 160-pound prospect with lanky frame and room to fill, solid receiving and blocking skills, feet work, arm strength at 73 mph from the crouch, pop times ranged from 2.06-2.16.  At the plate, hits from an open/tall setup, good lower half involvement in swing, shows barrel whip through the zone, flashes pull power, showed bat speed with 88 mph tee exit velocity, ran 4.57 down the line, showed power in game play with long home run that went just foul, a double to deep right-center, and triple deep down the right field line, solid left-handed hitter.

Seth Caple, C, R/R, Dixie Heights HS, 2014
6-foot, 215-pound prospect with strong build, physical catching prospect, good catch and throw skills, blocks well, arm strength at 80 mph from the crouch, pop times ranged from 2.03-2.09 but we saw much better at June event (1.87-1.95).  At the plate, hits from a balanced setup, short stride, uses strong lower half well to create bat speed through the zone, went 1-for-5 in game play with a double to deep left field.  Though Caple didn’t show as well as he did in June, he is still one of the top catching prospects in the 2014 class. 

black team

Brandon Doughty, C, R/R, Mercer County HS, 2014
5-foot-10, 180-pound prospect, strong frame, shows solid receiving and blocking skills, quick glove to hand transfer, average arm strength at 70 mph from the crouch, pop times ranged from 2.06-2.19.  At the plate, hits from a balanced setup with a short stride, doesn’t fully incorporate lower half in swing, shows some strength in swing, showed good bat speed with 89 mph tee exit velocity, ran 4.81 down the line, went 0-for-4 in game play.

Blake Hart, C/1B, L/R, Conner HS, 2014
6-foot-1, 210-pound prospect, strong build, has a quick glove to hand exchange, feet work, continues to improve pop time each time we see him, pop times ranged from 1.97-2.05 with 72 mph arm strength, shows athletic actions at first base with 75 mph arm across the infield.  At the plate, the left-handed hitter hits from an open setup, uses explosive lower half to generate barrel whip through the zone, power potential from the left side, consistently squared the ball up in batting practice, 88 mph tee exit velocity, ran 5.06 down the line, went 0-for-3  in game play with a pull approach.

white team

Ian Woodall, C/OF, R/R, Logan County HS, 2014
5-foot-10, 190-pound, physical prospect, shows fairly quick glove to hand exchange, arm strength at 75 mph from the crouch with pop times ranging from 1.90-2.00.  As an outfielder, shows hesitancy playing through the ball, arm strength at 76 mph.  At the plate, hits from balanced setup, short stride, strong lower half creates some barrel whip, flashed bat speed with 92 mph tee exit velocity, tendency to get foot down late at times, ran 4.50 down the line, went 0-for-4 in game play with 3 K’s.

Lucas Alger, C/3B, R/R, Grant County HS, 2014
5-foot-9, 170-pound prospect, shows solid receiving and blocking skills, quick glove to hand transfer, arm strength at 69 mph from the crouch, pop times ranged from 2.02-2.18.  As third baseman, showed improved hands and feet over previous event, good body control, accurate arm at 76 mph across the infield.  At the plate, hits from a crouched setup, good balance, short stride, shows the ability to use all fields, showed increase in bat speed with 84 mph tee exit velocity (+7), went 2-for-4 in game play with infield single and hard single to right field.

Jacob Roll, C, R/R, Hazard HS, 2014
6-foot-2, 190-pound prospect, room for quicker footwork, arm strength at 75 mph from the crouch, pop times ranged from 2.03-2.10, can continue to work on receiving skills.  At the plate, hits from an open setup, squares front side with a long stride, hands start high and drop in load, flat bat path, gets lower half torque involved in swing, registered 85 mph tee exit velocity, ran 5.25 down the line, went 0-for-3 in game play with two ground ball outs and a strikeout.

navy team

Blake Hill, C, R/R, Kings HS (OH), 2014
6-foot-3, 175-pound prospect, lanky build with room to fill, has a long release, arm strength at 73 mph from the crouch, pop times ranged from 2.22-2.35.  At the plate, hits from an open setup, short stride, gap to gap approach, showed good barrel awareness second half of round, registered 81 mph tee exit velocity, ran 5.00 down the line, went 1-for-3 in game play with line drive single to right field, projectable frame, will see better pop times with quicker release.

Tanner Davis, C, L/R, Little Miami HS (OH), 2014
6-foot, 195-pound prospect, solid receiving skills, 74 mph arm strength from the crouch, pop times ranged from 2.09-2.20.  At the plate, hits from a slightly open setup, short stride, hands start high and drop some in load, hands show some quickness, has a pull approach with some pop, barreled up several balls in his round, registered 85 mph tee exit velocity, ran 5.13 down the line, went 2-for-4 in game play with 2 doubles (one lost in sun), potential to hit for power.

Joseph Smallwood, C, L/R, Bryan Station HS, 2014
5-foot-10, 160-pound prospect, average build, room for improvement in receiving skills, arm strength at 67 mph from the crouch, pop times ranged from 2.30-2.38.  At the plate, hits from a closed setup, foot gets down late at times, long swing path, needs better use of lower half, 72 mph tee exit velocity, ran 4.72 down the line, went 0-for-5 in game play with 5 strikeouts.