Prep Baseball Report

Crown Point Showcase sees good, young talent



he Prep Baseball Report Open ID showcase on August 2 at Crown Point High School featured several talented players from north-west Indiana.  A few young players established themselves as prospects to play close attention to in the coming years. 

Here is a quick look at the top 5 players at the event: 

1. Joe Kennedy, RHP/OF, Mt. Carmel HS (IL), 2013:  Kennedy is a RHP/OF.  On the mound he shows a fastball consistently in the low 80’s, topping out at 84 mph.  Along with his fastball he throws two off speed pitches; a 64-65 mph breaking ball, and 68-71 mph changeup.  Kennedy is still a little raw when it comes to his mechanics, but shows signs of being a true pitcher.  At the plate is where Kennedy shined at the event.  He displayed good power up the middle and to the left side, hitting several pitches out.  He shows the capability of spraying the ball to all fields with pop.  Kennedy also ran a 6.94 sixty.  

2.  Noah Burkholder, RHP, Crown Point HS, 2015:  Burkholder is a 6-foot-4 inch incoming freshman pitcher at Crown Point HS.  He was easily the biggest surprise at the event.  As an incoming freshman he showed advanced feel on the mound.  He was a consistent 78-81 with his fastball, touching 82 mph.  As his bullpen session went along, he showed a good 12/6-11/5 breaking ball with the ability to keep it in the strike zone.  He also displayed good arm action on his changeup (66-68 mph), however it was a little too straight at times.  Burkholder is a prospect to pay close attention to as he enters his high school baseball career. 

3.  Alex Del Rio, C, Munster HS, 2014:  Del Rio is a lanky 6-foot 150 pound sophomore catcher.  Behind the plate he was a consistent 2.16-2.18 with his pop time.  His mechanics are raw, but shows considerable upside.  At the plate he hits from the left side, looks athletic and showed a quick bat.  He took several pitches out over the right field fence during the event.  On occasion he has a long swing, but was able to barrel up the ball on most pitches.  Del Rio is another young prospect worth following in the coming years.     

4.  Andrew Price, 3B/RHP, Mishawaka Marian HS, 2012:  Price, 6-foot-1 inch, 190 pounds, was a 2011 PBR Indiana All-State selection.  Price’s best attribute is his hitting; .552, 4 HRs, 37 RBI last season.  He shows a good approach at the plate with a short and compact swing.  Across the diamond he is 77-80 mph.  On the mound Price shows a fastball consistently in the low 80’s.  His best pitch is a 64-69 mph changeup that shows good movement. 

5.  Antonio Majstorov, RHP, Lake Central HS, 2013:  Majstorov is a stocky 5-foot-10 inch, 205 pound RHP.  He works at a quick pace with good arm action. Majstorov displayed a heavy fastball at 78-81 mph.  His out pitch is a sweeping breaking ball with sharp bite, coming in at 67-70 mph.  Majstorov also showed a good changeup in at 65-66 mph, that he consistently can throw for a strike.