Prep Baseball Report

PBR Bloomington Prospect Identification Showcase Results



 

The PBR Bloomington Prospect Identification Showcase at Bloomington North HS was full of talented prospects projected to play at the next level. Below is a list of the top players in each class that participated in the event.
 
(Listed in alphabetical order)
Top Class of 2012 Prospects
Andrew Brown, RHP/3B, Speedway HS, 2012: Brown is a 6-foot-3 inch, 200 pound senior pitcher. His fastball ranges from 78-82 mph, topping out at 83 mph. He shows good spin on his breaking ball at 67-70 mph, to go along with a 71-74 mph changeup. He is still raw, but with a refined deliver could become a steal in the 2012 class.
Bryce Stratton, C/RHP, Bloomington North HS, 2012: Stratton is a 6-foot-3 inch, 200 pound senior catcher committed to play at Franklin College. From the crouching position he’s 75-76 mph. His pop times are consistently in the 2.05-2.11 range. On the mound he shows good arm strength, with a fastball consistently at 80-84 mph, topping out at 85-86 mph. At the plate he shows a wide base, with good bat speed. He keeps his hands inside the ball and gets to extension well on balls on the inner half of the plate producing good pop. 
Top Class of 2013 Prospects
Conner Beidelman, OF/RHP, Greenwood HS, 2013: Beidelman is a 5-foot-9 inch, 160 pound junior that is 74-76 from the OF. On the mound he’s 76-78 mph with his fastball with good arm action. He works slightly uphill on the mound. He throws two plus off speed pitches; a 68 mph breaking ball and 68-70 mph changeup. At the plate he shows a good base with an uphill swing plane. Beidleman has short and compact swing.
Adam Cornwell, OF/RHP, Bloomington North HS, 2013: Cornwell is a 5-foot-10 inch, 160 pound junior. From the OF, he shows good range and a strong arm with good carry at 82-86 mph. On the mound he’s 80-83 mph with his fastball, topping out at 84 mph. He throws two off speed pitches; a 69-73 mph breaking ball and 74-76 mph changeup. At the plate he shows a downward swing plane with a good load. When getting to extension he shows the ability to drive the ball up the middle and to left. Cornwell ran a 7.12 sixty at the event (in the rain).
D.J. Eckert, RHP/3B, Danville HS, 2013: Eckert is a 6-foot-3 inch, 175 pound junior pitcher. He shows good arm action working from a high 3/4. He consistently was 82-84 and touched 85. Eckert consistently showed great arm side run suggesting he can get in against any righty. Expect Eckert to make jump velocity wise this spring and place himself amongst the elite arms in the 2013 class. He throws a plus changeup at 73-74 mph along with a 65-69 mph breaking ball. As his frame continues to fill out, his strength should increase along with a jump in velocity. Eckert is a high follow in the junior class.
Landon Fink, MIF/RHP, Greenwood HS, 2013: Fink is a 6-foot, 180 pound junior projects more on the mound he is long and loose working from a ¾ arm slot. He was consistently 80-82. Fink had not thrown in several weeks prior to the showcase, but it’s easy to see him sitting in the mid 80’s next spring. He showed good arm side run on his fastball and changeup. Both pitches are above average high school pitches. At the plate, Fink was compact and short to the ball. Mechanically, he has a controlled load with a slightly uphill swing path and gets to extension well.   He displayed the ability to drive the ball to all fields and could potentially hit for power. His foot speed suggests he will move to a corner position at the next level.
Dylan Jones, C, Avon HS, 2013: Jones is a 6-foot, 210 pound junior big bodied catcher. From the crouching position he shows good arm strength at 75-77 mph. He showed an event best, 1.89 pop time and is consistently in the 1.90-2.0 range. He shows good mechanics behind the plate and blocks the ball well. At the plate he displays a slightly open stance with good bat speed. He gets to extension well and shows gap to gap power. He projects to hit for power as he refines his swing. Jones is a top catcher in the 2013 class.
Austin Kiracofe, OF, McCutcheon HS, 2013: Kiracofe is a 5-foot-9 inch, 170 pound junior with a strong build. From the outfield he shows good actions and is 77-82 mph. At the plate he shows a wide base and good swing plane. He possesses good bat speed and gets to extension well when getting his front foot down early. He shows good pop and the ability to hit to all fields.
Jeremy McKinney, RHP/OF, Franklin Community HS, 2013: McKinney is a 6-foot, 185 pound junior with good athleticism. He shows good actions in the outfield along with a plus arm at 84-87 mph (at the Bloomington Showcase he touched 89 mph). McKinney had not pitched for 2 months prior to the showcase because he is the running back for his HS team. At the showcase he was a consistent 81-84 mph with his fastball, but has been clocked as high as 87mph this past summer. He throws a 71-73 mph tight slider with good movement and a 70-75 mph changeup. At the plate he’s athletic, with an uphill swing plane and good bat speed. When getting to extension he shows good pop. At the event, McKinney ran a 7.19 sixty (in the rain).
Peter Ripke, IF/RHP, Lafayette Jefferson, 2013: Ripke is a 6-foot-3 inch, 205 pound big bodied junior. Across the infield he’s 76-78 mph. On the mound his arm action is short and shows arm side run on his fastball (82-84 mph). He shows a plus changeup at 72-76 mph along with a 67-68 mph breaking ball. At the plate he shows a wide base and good swing plane. He gets to extension well, producing line drives with good pop. 
Baron Ryan, OF, Bloomington North HS, 2013: Ryan is a 6-foot, 182 pound junior outfielder. His body is very projectable. He shows good actions and mechanics in the OF, with a good arm, accurate arm (78-79 mph). At the plate he shows a wide stance that is slightly open. He shows a good swing plane with good balance, and the ability to drive the ball up the middle and to the right center gap with some pop. 
Colby Stratten, MIF, Bloomington North, 2013: Stratten is a 6-foot, 150 pound junior. In the field he shows good defensive actions, with soft hands and good range. Across the diamond he is 76-78 mph. He projects as a 2B at the next level. At the plate Stratten shows a wide base that is slightly open. He shows a level to slightly up hill swing plane with good pop to the left side and up the middle. Stratten projects to hit for average.
Top Class of 2014 Prospects
Bryce Aldridge, C/OF, Bloomington North HS, 2014: Aldridge is a 6-foot-2 inch, 190 pound sophomore catcher. Aldridge is consistently in the 2.0’s with his pop time, even showing a 1.97 at the Bloomington event. At the plate he shows good bat speed and the ability to drive the ball up the middle. When getting to extension he displays good pop.
Blake Richardson, MIF, Bloomington North HS, 2014: Richardson is a 5-foot-11 inch, 155 pound sophomore. Across the diamond he’s 68-72 mph. At the plate he shows a wide base and gets to extension well. He shows the ability to hit to all fields with some pop. 
Khristian Reynolds, SS/RHP, Avon HS, 2014: Reynolds is a 5-foot-11 inch, 165 pound sophomore. In the infield he shows plus defensive actions, with soft hands, good range and a strong arm (81-82 mph). On the mound he shows good arm action with a fastball at 82-85 mph. He shows a plus breaking ball at 64-66 mph, along with a 73-76 mph changeup. He projects as a shortstop, who also pitches because he possesses a strong arm. At the plate he displays a good load and gets to extension well. He shows good pop to all fields. Reynolds is a must follow in the 2014 class.
Jordan Young, RHP/1B, McCutcheon HS, 2014: Young is a 6-foot-2 inch, 210 pound sophomore with a great frame. He will continue to grow into his body making him a prototypical college first baseman. Young hits for power and shows quick hands at the plate. Defensively, he demonstrates good hands and enough athleticism to play in the field. On the mound Jordan displayed a short arm action that produced a consistent 81-83mph fastball with some arm side run. He touched 84 mph once and projects to be a power hitter with a potential power arm. Young is a high follow in the 2014 class. 
Top Class of 2015 Prospects
Evan Giles, RHP/MIF/OF, Cathedral HS, 2015: Giles is a 6-foot, 155 pound freshman, with tons of projectablity. On the mound his arm is loose and shows a fastball at 83-84 mph. He shows two plus off speed pitches that he throws consistently for a strike; a 71-73 mph breaking ball and 65-67 mph knuckle ball. For a freshman he shows an advanced knowledge of how to pitch. His delivery is smooth; he stays behind the ball, and is effortless in everything he does. He is one of the top 2015 arms in the state. Defensively, Giles shows good actions both from the OF and IF, with a strong arm from both positions at 80-85 mph. At the plate he displays an open stance with an inside out swing. He gets to extension well on balls on the outside 1/3 of the plate, producing line drives up the middle to the right side. Giles is a high follow in the 2015 class.