Prep Baseball Report

KY Winter College Prospect Showcase: Pitcher Analysis



KY TP Games

By Chris Fuller
PBR Kentucky

The Winter College Prospect Showcase took place on Sunday, January 24 at Legends Sports Academy in Louisville and afforded nearly 60 players from around the state the opportunity to showcase their abilities. The event included many players attending their first PBR event while others improved on their performances at previous events.

The complete results and top statistical performers were posted on the PBR website shortly after the event. CLICK HERE to view that information.

The following is a look at the group of pitchers who attended the event. This is pitching analysis only. Those pitchers who also participated as a position player at the event had that performance featured in a previous article.

pitchers

Brandon Pfaadt, RHP/3B, Trinity, 2017
Max FB: 85, FB: 83-84, CB: 73-75, CH: 70-75, SL- 74-75
6-foot-1, 185-pound RHP has a strong and athletic frame, arm is quick and athletic and works through a ¾ slot, fastball displayed very good arm-side life and will get on hitters quickly, throws a hard curveball with sharp 11/5 action, and his changeup is solid with good sinking action, also showed a slider with similar velocity as his curveball but more lateral movement. Would not be surprised to see Pfaadt touching the high-80’s this spring. If he does, he will certainly jump into the conversation of top Class of 2017 arms.

Connor Holden, RHP, St. Xavier, 2017
Max FB: 89, FB: 82-86, CB: , CH: 77-78, CT- 73-75
6-foot-4, 210-pound RHP who just began pitching is a very intriguing and promising prospect, uses long arm action and occasionally hooks some on the backside, quick arm, regular effort, fastball jumps out of hand, throws a cutter in place of a breaking ball that shows good, late action, tends to get around the changeup at times but it shows solid sink and fade when he stays behind it and has potential to be a very good pitch. The converted catcher has big upside, and with more repetition could certainly become a top arm in the 2017 class.

Nolan Melton, SS/RHP, Henderson County, 2018
Max FB: 84, FB: 81-83, CB: 66-69, CH: 70-75,
6-foot, 175-pound RHP continues to make a jump in velocity, arm is quick and works through a high-3/4 to over the top arm a lot, fastball showed occasional arm-side run and is thrown for strikes at the bottom of the zone, solid 12/6 action on curveball with good feel for the pitch, has good feel for a very solid changeup with good deception. Melton continues to evolve into a top 2018 prospect.

Jonathan Allen, LHP, St. Xavier, 2017
Max FB: 81, FB: 79-81, CB: 67-71, CH: 75-77
6-foot, 175-pound LHP has shown a steady increase in velocity. Arm works cleanly and is athletic through a high-3/4 slot, fastball shows occasional cutting action and is consistent in the strike zone, has good feel for sharp 1/7 curveball with tight spin, changeup is solid but will be more effective with bigger velocity difference off fastball. Allen continues to improve each time we see him with additional velocity likely to come.

Dallas Glass, 1B/RHP, Pleasure Ridge Park, 2019
Max FB: 84, FB: 80-82, CB: 61-64, CH: 58-64,
6-foot-1, 190-pound RHP with strong/athletic frame, arm is quick and works cleanly through a ¾ slot with regular effort, shows premium velocity for age, fastball showed occasional arm-side run, secondary pitches need development (not uncommon for his age), tends to slow arm on curveball and get under it leaving it up in the zone, slows arm on changeup  that is mostly straight. Glass has potential to be a high-level 2019 prospect.

Matthew Logsdon, RHP, St. Xavier, 2017
Max FB: 81, FB: 78-81, CB: 68-71, CH: 70-72,
6-foot-4, 185-pound RHP with ideal frame that projects well at the next level, uses long arm action that works cleanly through a 3/4 slot, has a very deliberate delivery to balance point before accelerating to the plate, throws the fastball consistently for strikes with good sinking action, curveball showed 11/5 action but tended to bury it, changeup was the best of the day, a great pitch thrown with good arm action and deception with sink and fade through the zone. Expect to see velocity gains from Logsdon in the near future.

Tanner Brown, OF/RHP, St Xavier, 2017
Max FB: 81, FB: 78-81, CB: 65-67, CH: 72-73, KN- 66
6-foot-2, 170-pound RHP with a good, projectable frame, uses long  arm action through a high-3/4 to over the top slot with regular effort, showed good pitchability in filling up the strike zone with all pitches, fastball has some downward tilt, curveball shows solid 12/6 action and he locates it well at the bottom of the strike zone, solid changeup thrown with good arm action that shows late fade in the zone, also showed a knuckleball . Brown’s frame and arm action should allow him to see velocity gains in the near future.

Maclaine Morris, RHP/3B, Henderson County, 2018
Max FB: 81, FB: 79-81, CB: 68-69, CH: 72-74, SL-71-72
6-foot-1, 145-pound RHP with lanky and projectable frame showed a slight uptick in velocity from previous event. Uses long arm action through a ¾ slot that produces good arm-side run on fastball, occasionally had trouble harnessing the run and missed arm-side, showed the ability to throw curveball for strikes with solid 11/5 action, settled in nicely with his changeup and located it well at the bottom of the strike zone with good arm action, also flashed a slider with shorter/late break.

Price Adams, RHP, Trinity, 2017
Max FB: 82, FB: 78-80, CB: 60-63, CH: 65-69,
6-foot, 160-pound RHP with lanky build, arm action is long and stabs some on the backside, works through a high3/4 slot with regular effort, fastball showed good, late sinking action when down in the zone, throws a slower curveball with gradual action that varied between 11/5 and 12/6, changeup is thrown with good arm action and shows some sink and deception off the fastball, fills up the strike zone with all three pitches.

Tanner Brown, RHP/OF, Collins, 2017
Max FB: 80, FB: 78-80, CB: 67-69, CH: N/A
6-foot-3, 170-pound RHP with highly projectable frame, arm action is short and quick while working  through a high-3/4 slot with regular effort, fastball shows occasional hard arm-side run, though it wasn’t always in the strike zone he showed improvement with his curveball that showed better 11/5 action over his last event in the fall, did not throw a changeup but would benefit from the development of one, especially at the next level.

Manny Henschen, RHP, Conner, 2018
Max FB: 80, FB: 79-80, CB: 60-62, CH: 62-63,
5-foot-11, 175-pound RHP did a good job of filling up the strike zone with all pitches, shorter backside arm action works through a high-3/4 slot with regular effort in delivery, fastball shows some arm-side run and sink, shows excellent feel for his curveball with 11/5 action and some depth, changeup is a solid pitch and he does a good job staying behind it to produce good sink and fade. Current velocity and ability to pitch make Henschen a 2018 prospect to keep an eye on.

Jackson Haga, RHP, Bowling Green, 2019
Max FB: 78, FB: 76-77, CB: 61-64, CH: 66-69,
6-foot-1, 180-pound RHP with strong/athletic frame for age, uses short/quick arm action and works through a high-3/4 slot with regular effort, shows above average velocity for age, fastball was thrown for strikes with occasional slight arm-side run, solid 11/5 action on curveball and shows some feel for it, gets around changeup at times, scattered command of changeup, will be one to watch closely from the 2019 class.

Jacob Frankel, RHP, Waggener, 2017
Max FB: 79, FB: 78-79, CB: 64-67, CH: 68-70, CT- 68-69
6-foot, 165-pound RHP uses long arm action that works through a high-3/4 slot with regular effort, aggressive hip turn in delivery, fastball comes in on downward plane and shows some late arm-side sink, throws the curveball for strikes with sharp 11/5 action on most, showed limited feel for his changeup as it was erratic, also flashed a cutter with gradual lateral movement, has potential to add velocity moving forward.

Ben Ginter, LHP/OF, Bowling Green, 2018
Max FB: 76, FB: 73-76, CB: 64-67, CH: 65-68, SL- 66
5-foot-9, 150-pound LHP is one to follow from the 2018 class. Arm action is long and works cleanly through an over the top slot, works across body at times, showed an interesting ability to drop down to a sidearm fastball that produced better arm-side action without losing velocity, throws 12/6 curveball for strikes that showed good depth, good deception on his changeup  and shows feel for it, dropped down to throw his slider with sweeping action.

William Undershute, LHP/OF, Holy Trinity (Okotoks, Alberta Canada), 2017
Max FB: 76, FB: 74-76, CB: 64-66, CH: 70-71
6-foot-1, 170-pound LHP, arm action is long and works cleanly through a high-3/4 slot, good rhythm and tempo in delivery with regular effort, showed ability to fill up the strike zone with all pitches, fastball showed occasional slight arm-side run, curveball showed inconsistent shape with the best ones showing good 1/7 action, changeup could use a little more velocity difference off the fastball but was an impressive pitch with good sink and fade throuwn with very good arm action.

Chase Thomas, RHP/SS, Eastern, 2018
Max FB: 78, FB: 74-77, CB: 65-68, CH: 67-69
5-foot-11, 146-pound RHP showed the ability to throw consistent strikes with his three-pitch mix. Uses long arm action and shows some quickness in arm through a high-3/4 slot, occasional effort in delivery, good tempo, fastball is mainly straight, got around a few curveballs but most showed sharp 11/5 action in the strike zone, throws a sold changeup with good sink and fade at fastball arm speed, would expect additional velocity to come for the young right-hander.

Jacob Cochrum, RHP/2B, Jeffersonville (IN), 2017
Max FB: 79, FB: 75-79, CB: 59-66, CH: 55-60
6-foot, 180-pound RHP uses long arm action and works through a high-3/4 slot with regular effort, arm works cleanly, uses leverage well  and showed the ability to pound the zone with all pitches, fastball is mostly straight, curveball showed sharp 11/5 action and is a solid pitch, slows arm some on changeup but does locate it in the strike zone with some tumbling action. Cochrum’s fastball velocity represented a significant increase since we last saw him.

Michael Yates, LHP, South Warren, 2018
Max FB: 75, FB: 73-74, CB: 55-58, CH: 65-67,
6-foot, 154-pound LHP with long legs, long arm action works cleanly through a ¾ to at times high-3/4 slot, showed ability to throw strikes with all three pitches, fastball showed occasional arm-side run, throws a slow curveball that he tends to slow arm on, curveball showed gradual 1/7 action, changeup was impressive, thrown with good arm action that produced some late sink and fade and plays well off his fastball, would not be surprised to see Yates touching 80 mph in the near future.

Johnathan Morris, RHP, Henry Clay, 2016
Max FB: 78, FB: 75-76, CB: 66-69, CH: 72
6-foot-2, 180-pound RHP with good frame, uses a slinging type arm action through a ¾ arm slot, showed the ability to throw his fastball for strikes with some late sinking action, threw some curveballs that displayed sharp 11/5 action when he didn’t get around the pitch, changeup is a solid pitch with good sink and fade when he stays behind it consistently.

Jameson Arnold, OF/RHP, Daviess County, 2019
Max FB: 75, FB: 71-72, CB: 60-62, CH: 58-60, CT- 66
6-foot-1, 174-pound RHP uses long arm action and works through a high-3/4 slot, deliberate delivery that requires some effort, fastball shows slight arm-side run on occasion and is thrown for strikes, shows occasional feel for 12/6 curveball, shows ability to throw  changeup for strikes with some sink, also showed a cutter with slight and late lateral action.

Noah Nelson, 1B/RHP, St Xavier, 2019
Max FB: 74, FB: 69-73, CB: 56-57, CH: 57-61,
6-foot-1, 195-pound RHP with strong/physical frame for age, uses long arm action through a high-3/4 slot with regular effort in delivery, showed a very good ability to pound the zone with all pitches, fastball is straight, curveball has solid 11/5 action and some depth, slows arm slightly on changeup that is straight but shows good feel for the pitch, will undoubtedly be more velocity to come for the young right-hander.

Mason Lee, SS/RHP, Meade County, 2019
Max FB: 76, FB: 72-75, CB: 58-62, CH: 61-65
5-foot-7, 140-pound RHP shows some arm strength for age, works through a ¾ arm slot with short and quick arm action, has some effort in delivery, consistently located the fastball in the strike zone with slight arm-side run, curveball has gradual 11/5 action and missed up on multiple occasions (will need further development), does a good job with the changeup throwing it for strikes with solid fading action, solid young mound prospect.

Mathew Kirkland, LHP/OF, Male, 2019
Max FB: 71, FB: 69-71, CB: 60-62, CH: 64-67,
6-foot-1, 160-pound LHP with long/lanky frame, arm action is loose and works through a high-3/4 slot, fastball is mostly straight and thrown for strikes, throws a solid curveball for age with good depth and 1/7 action for strikes, arm action is good on changeup though he had a tendency to miss up in the zone with it. With his frame and arm action, Kirkland will be a young lefty to watch moving forward.

Harrison Vereb, LHP, Bullitt East, 2019
Max FB: 72, FB: 67-70, CB: 55-59, CH: 61-64,
6-foot, 170-pound LHP uses long arm action and throws from a low-3/4 slot, minimal effort in delivery, arm slot produces very good arm-side run on his fastball that he throws consistently for strikes, showed a sweeping curveball with gradual movement and the ability to throw it for strikes, has good feel for his changeup that mimics his fastball action. Young prospect with good potential.

Clay Satterly, OF/RHP, South Oldham, 2018
Max FB: 71, FB: 69-71, CB: 59-63, CH: 63-66,
5-foot-8, 150-pound RHP uses long and loose arm action through a high-3/4 slot, good rhythm and tempo in delivery with regular effort, fastball is straight and thrown for strikes, curveball was somewhat impressive with tight spin and sharp action that varied between 10/4 and 11/5, changeup was straight and thrown for occasional strikes with fastball arm speed. Satterly’s arm works well and should see significant velocity gains as he continues to mature.

Max Ferguson, 2B/RHP, Harrison County, 2018
Max FB: 73, FB: 70-73, CB: 61-63, CH: 64-66,
6-foot-, 170-pound RHP uses shorter arm action and works through a high-3/4 slot with regular effort, has some tempo and rhythm in delivery that he repeats well, throws fastball for strikes that showed some late sink, has some feel for curveball with gradual 11/5 action, changeup is thrown with good arm action though tends to get around it causing some cutting action at times.

Hunter Ahlbrand, LHP, Seymour (IN), 2019
Max FB: 67, FB: 65-67, CB: 52-57, CH: 61-63,
6-foot-2, 150-pound LHP with long and lanky frame, uses fairly short arm action that works through a high-3/4 slot with minimal effort, fastball is mostly straight and thrown for strikes, showed limited feel for curveball which tended to miss down with 12/6 action, will need to work on throwing curveball with fastball arm speed, changeup was best secondary pitch with good fading action through the zone.

Bryson Jones, LHP/1B, Covington Catholic, 2019

Max FB: 69, FB: 65-67, CB: 55-59, CH: 55-57
5-foot-9, 150-pound, young LHP works through a high-3/4 slot with short arm action and regular effort in delivery, fastball showed occasional very good arm-side run, tended to get under some curveballs leaving them up in the zone but threw some for strikes with gradual 1/7 action, showed limited feel for changeup that will need continued development.

Chase Arehart, RHP/3B, Cooper, 2017
Max FB: 72, FB: 69-72, CB: 56-62, CH: 63-65,
6-foot-5, 185-pound RHP with large/projectable frame, arm action is long and works through a high-3/4 slot, throws strikes with all three pitches, fastball is straight, throws a slow curveball with gradual 11/5 action, changeup shows some sink and is thrown with fastball arm speed.