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Unsigned Senior Showcase: Top Corner Infield Prospects

January 28, 2015

By Ryan Quigley
Illinois Scouting Director

The Prep Baseball Report’s final Unsigned Senior Showcase for the 2015 class took place on Sunday January 11th at the Max in McCook, IL. 91 prospects strutted their stuff in front of over 40 collegiate programs in attendance. Over the next several days the PBR Scouting staff will roll out position-by-position rankings of the event, culminating with the Top Ten Overall Prospects from the showcase.

Click Here to view the article on top statistical performers from the event.

We also broke down the Top Tools of the event. Click Here to view the Top Tools based on various commonly used scouting criteria for analyzing prospects.

Yesterday we posted the Top Outfield Prospects from the event, and today we’ll take a look at the top corner infielders led by Jersey 3B/RHP Christian Kimble. Kimble impressed as one of the top two-way talents at the event. He has a physical presences in the batters box, thick thighs and lower half, and impressed with his left-handed swing with pull side power. His speed limits him to the corners, but he showed nimble feet and moves well enough side to side to remain at first base. He’ll be a highly ranked pitcher from the event as well.

Benet’s Conor Hayes proved to be the top defensive first baseman from the event, and plus defensive left-lefty first basemen are hard to come by. Hayes moves extremely well around the bag, and showed soft hands scooping several throws during infield evaluations. He also possesses a loose and athletic swing, with a frame to add weight.

St. Laurence’s John Riordan was another impressive two-way prospect at 3B and on the mound. He took perhaps the best infield at third, impressing with his soft hands and loose, athletic arm across the diamond. Riordan showed a patient approach at the plate, letting the ball travel, and peppering right-center field with line drives during batting practice.

Let’s take a look at the Top Corner Infield Prospects from this January’s Unsigned Senior Showcase.

Top Corner Infield Prospects

1. Christian Kimble, 3B/RHP, Jersey, 2015
6-foot-2, 220-pound left-handed hitting two-way player, large body, thick build, mature, good athleticism. Left-handed hitter, slightly open stance, loads hands back and up into slot, slight leg lift stride. Bat speed present, strong pull side pop, strong swing. 89 mph exit velocity from the tee. Defensively at third base showed nimble feet to play the position, hands worked well, soft. Short arm action, high ¾ arm slot, accurate arm across the diamond, showed carry at 82 mph across. On the mound reached 87 mph, sat 85-86 mph. High ¾ arm slot, long arm action with slight wrap, drop and drive style pitcher, up tempo. Breaking ball had slurve type action, 11/5, 70-73 mph. Changeup showed some sink, good control, 79-82 mph. Kimble ran a 7.61 60, so is limited to corner infield spots, but feet move well from side to side.

2. Conor Hayes, 1B, Benet Academy, 2015
Athletic frame, 6-foot-2, 190-pound left-handed first-baseman. Offensively hits from the left side, balanced setup, smooth loading action, short stride, good hitting stance, loose and athletic. Lower half works, maintains strong balance through contact. Line drive gap to gap hitter, hits with rhythm, loose hands, good approach and bat speed. 84 mph exit velocity from the tee. Defensively showed good feel around the bag, feet worked well, has length around the bag, hands have a soft feel, good infield actions. Arm action is short, high ¾ slot, gets rid of it efficiently with accuracy, 75 mph across the diamond. Ran the 60 in 7.64.

3. John Riordan, 3B/RHP, St. Laurence, 2015
5-foot-11, 180-pound right-handed hitting 3B/RHP was one of the top two-way talents at the Unsigned Senior Showcase. Riordan hits from an open setup, short stride, hands load smoothly, short, level bat path gets extension, fluid rhythm, line drives to right-center field during batting practice with 88 mph exit velocity off the tee. Defensively, threw 79 mph across the diamond from short, loose, high ¾ arm slot with accuracy and carry, soft hands fielding, fluid footwork, clean exchanges, ran a 7.5 60. On the mound, showed feel for three pitches, highlighted by an 81-83 mph fastball with arm side run and a late breaking 66-69 mph curveball with occasional 12/6 shape. Also flashed a 74-75 mph changeup with fade to his arm side. Repeats delivery well, short, high ¾ arm slot, regular effort, slight drop-and-drive, shoulders stay level throughout delivery, lands slightly closed at foot strike.

4. Steven Lindsey, 3B, Indian Trail (WI), 2015
5-foot-10, 175-pound right-handed hitting third baseman hits from a balanced setup, short stride, back elbow raises up as hands load, average bat speed, firm front foot into stride, pull tendencies during batting practice, 81 mph exit velocity off the tee. Defensively, threw 78 mph across the diamond from short, high ¾ arm slot with accuracy, soft hands fielding the baseball, clean exchanges, uses one hand fielding the baseball at times, moves athletically side to side, ran a 7.23 60.

5. Michael Homan, 3B, York, 2015
6-foot, 175-pound right-handed hitting 3B hits from an open setup, short stride, short, level bat path with occasional extension, opposite field tendencies, late getting started during batting practice. Defensively, threw 81 mph across the diamond from short, high ¾ arm slot. Ran a 7.54 60.

Best of the Rest (Listed Alphabetically)

Jonathan Keane, RHP/3B, Brookfield Central (WI), 2015
6-foot, 160-pound athletic right-handed hitting RHP/3B impressed as one of the top two-way talents at the Unsigned Senior Showcase. Hits from a balanced setup, hands load smoothly, high back elbow setup, short stride, quiet simple approach, average bat speed, sprays the ball from gap-to-gap, 86 mph exit velocity off the tee. Defensively, threw 78 mph across the diamond from loose, high ¾ slot with accuracy, average hands fielding. On the mound, fastball sat 82-84 mph from the windup from long, loose, high ¾ arm slot, high leg kick out of the windup, elevates front side, lands square in line with home plate, athletic finish. Slider sat 72-76 mph from windup for strikes, late breaking, 10/4 shape. 73-74 mph changeup flashed cutting action. Fastball drops to 80-83 from stretch, fails to load over the rubber as well as in windup, cuts down leg kick, tuck and go approach, slider also lost some power at 70-71 mph, athletic to make adjustments.

Mitchell Krippel, 1B, Plainfield Central, 2015
5-foot-11, 175-pound right-handed hitting 1B hits from a tall, narrow setup, short, toe tap stride, opposite field tendencies during batting practice, 76 mph exit velocity off the tee. Defensively, threw 70 mph across the diamond from short, over the top arm slot. Ran a 7.95 60.

Kevin Lochner, 3B/OF/RHP, Niles West, 2015
6-foot, 170-pound lanky left-handed hitting 3B/OF/RHP hits from an open setup, straight up and down leg kick, long, level bat path, 79 mph exit velocity off the tee. Defensively, threw 78 mph across the diamond from third base from short, high ¾ arm slot. Impressed more in the outfield from longer arm slot, 78 mph from outfield. Ran a 7.28 60. On the mound, fastball ranged from 74-80 mph from long, high ¾ arm slot, separates hands high, regular effort, also threw a 10/4 shaped breaking ball, lateral break, 64-68 mph range, 65-69 mph knuckle ball with some vertical drop.

Jake Morgan, LHP/1B, Lincoln-Way Central, 2015
6-foot-1, 200-pound left-handed two-way player. Offensively hits from a balanced stance, drops hands at load, short stride, path works uphill. 71 mph exit velocity from the tee, up the middle of the field approach. Defensively arm plays at 71 mph across the diamond, short arm action, ¾ slot. On the mound delivery has regular effort, high ¾ slot, short arm action. Showed control of fastball, 76-78 mph. Curveball has 1/7 shape, loose action, 68-69 mph. Changeup stayed arm side, 72-73 mph. Showed the ability to throw strikes with three pitches.

Ryan Morgan, 3B, Lincoln-Way Central, 2015
Large build with strength, wide shouldered, 6-foot-3, 215-pound corner infielder. Strength was evident by his 92 mph exit velocity from the tee. Hit from a balanced stance, short stride, drops hands at load. Path has length, muscular swing, loud contact when barrel was found, flashed power. Defensively arm played at 77 mph across the diamond, high ¾ slot, footwork keeps him at a corner position. Ran an 8.1 in the 60, laser timed.

Lucas Robbins, RHP/1B, Manteno, 2015
Thick build with strength, 6-foot, 220-pound right-handed two-way player. On the mound delivery showed some effort, longer arm action, over the top slot. Fastball topped out at 82 mph, sat 78-81 mph. Curveball has 12/6 plane, gradual action, threw it for strikes, 63-64 mph. Changeup has slight sink, 70-73 mph. Offensively hits from a closed stance, short stride, slight leg kick. Muscular swing, pull side approach, longer path, lifts the baseball, occasional pull side pop. 75 mph exit velocity from the tee. Defensively used a long arm action across the diamond, 79 mph.

Victor Rodriguez, 3B, Bolingbrook, 2015
6-foot-1, 205-pound third-baseman, body showed some strength. Offensively hits from a tall setup, slight leg kick stride. Longer path to the baseball, 79 mph exit velocity from the tee. Defensively used a longer, firm arm action, ¾ slot, played at 71 mph across the diamond. Ran a 7.68 in the 60, laser timed.

Larry Warr, 1B, Morgan Park, 2015
6-foot-1, 235-pound first-baseman. Right-handed hitter, balanced stance, slightly open, short stride, lower half can get more involved. Looks to lift the baseball, longer path, 78 mph exit velocity from the tee. Defensively uses a short arm action, 71 mph arm strength across the diamond.

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