Prep Baseball Report

Player Analysis: Team Green from the Top Prospect Games



By Chris Fuller
Kentucky Scouting Director

Previously we released the complete statistical analysis from the 2013 Top Prospect Games.

Team Green featured some impressive performances on the mound led by 2014 RHP Kyle Fisher who showed an 84-86 mph fastball to go along with a solid curveball and a nasty splitter.  Fisher was followed closely by a couple of projectable right-handers in 2014 Nathan Cracraft, and 2015 Nicholas Hoffman.

The catchers were solid as 2014 Nick Pope, and 2014 Blake Hart led the group with solid defensive skills.

Outfielder Cameron Ross had one of the more impressive 60 times at 6.72 combined with 88 mph arm strength from the outfield.

The following is a complete analysis of Team Green.

Ben Alexander, 3B, Lexington Catholic HS, 2014
5-foot-11, 170-pound prospect shows solid infield actions at third base, footwork is fluid and shows good hands, registered 76 mph velocity across the infield.   At the plate, hits from an open setup, smooth load, short stride, short path to the ball with a line drive swing, showed moderate bat speed with 81 mph tee exit velocity, ran 7.53 60 yard dash.

Kyle Kruer, C/RHP, Borden HS (IN), 2015
5-foot-10, 175-pound prospect with athletic build, showed solid receiving skills, registered pop times of 2.06-2.13 with 70 mph velocity from the crouch.  At the plate, hits from open setup, smooth load, short stride, shows good rhythm in his swing, registered 83 mph tee exit velocity, ran 7.97 60 yard dash.   On the mound showed a 74-75 mph fastball with little movement and a 68-69 mph curveball that had 11/5 action and good bite from a high ¾ arm slot. 

Cameron Ross, OF/RHP, Conner HS, 2014
6-foot-1, 165-pound athletic prospect, as he did in February, showed very good arm strength and foot speed, registering 88 mph throws from the outfield and running a 6.72 60 yard dash.  Plays through the ball well and shows good movement.  In addition to the strong arm, his throws are accurate with carry.  At the plate, he has made some adjustments to his setup and stride by widening his stance and shortening the length of his stride which should bode well for his ability to adjust to college level off-speed pitches.  On the mound, uses short to medium arm action, fastball sat 80-82 mph with some arm side run, throws 68-69 mph curveball with 11/5 action, slider showed definite improvement with good bite and sat 72-74 mph, also uses a 75 mph changeup that showed some cutting action on this occasion.

Daniel McFarland, OF/LHP, Male HS, 2014
6-foot, 160-pound prospect, athletic build, plays through the ball and shows good actions in the outfield, arm strength is good at 86 mph, registered a 6.91 60 yard dash.  At the plate the left-handed hitter hits from a slightly open stance, short stride, starts with hands high that drop in load at times lengthening swing, good rhythm and balance, shows some bat speed through the zone with a level swing path and some gap to gap power.  Registered 81 mph tee exit velocity.  On the mound, shows long arm action through a high ¾ arm slot, fastball is straight at 74-76 mph, showed good command of 69-70 mph curveball with 1/7 action.

Kyle Moore, SS, Muhlenberg County, 2014
5-foot-11, 155-pound prospect, feet work, showed improved arm strength over winter showcase at 77 mph, accurate arm.  At the plate, uses a balanced, wide setup, no stride, good balance throughout, can incorporate better lower half torque in swing, ran 7.31 60 yard dash, registered 72 mph tee exit  velocity.

Adam Judd, RHP, North Oldham HS, 2014
5-foot-9, 165-pound prospect showed repeatable mechanics and good balance in delivery, uses short arm action through a high ¾ slot, fastball sat 75-77 mph touching 79 and showed occasional cutting action, showed good command of 64-65 mph curveball that had 12/6 action.  Judd showed the ability to consistently throw strikes, cruising through his two innings of work.

Nick Pope, SS/C, Covington Catholic HS, 2014
5-foot-11, 180-pound prospect with athletic/strong build, showed good footwork in the infield, good lateral movement, plays through the ball, 77 mph arm strength.  Behind the plate, sets up well, good receiving and blocking skills, quick feet, quick glove to hand transfer, 75 mph arm strength from the crouch with pop times ranging from 1.90-2.02.  Offensively, uses a balanced setup, short stride, good lower half torque in swing, registered 82 mph tee exit velocity, ran 7.01 60 yard dash, has the potential to be a very good defensive catcher at the next level with athleticism.

Mason Stamm, 1B/OF, Danville HS, 2015
6-foot-2, 180-pound prospect with strong build, shows good athleticism and lateral movement at first base, 79 mph arm strength across the infield.  As an outfielder room to improve footwork and playing through the ball, 80 mph arm strength.  Offensively, left-handed hitter with power potential, tall/narrow setup with short stride, showed good bat speed with 88 mph tee exit velocity and gap to gap power with a double to right-center in game action, would like to see more consistent lower half involvement in swing, left-handed bat to follow in 2015 class.

Nathan Cracraft, RHP/OF, Mason County HS, 2014
6-foot-3, 185-pound prospect, room to fill on frame with good projectability, shows good movement and feet in the outfield, plays through the ball well, good arm strength at 86 mph with online carry.  At the plate, hits from an open stance, has a tendency to wrap in his load, good use of lower half, showed good bat speed with 88 mph tee exit velocity, ran 7.14 60 yard dash.  Projects well as a pitcher at the next level, arm is loose through a high ¾ arm slot, shows good rhythm in delivery and easy effort, fastball sat 81-84 mph touching 85 a few times with some arm side run, throws curveball for strikes that shows slurvy type action at 70-74 mph, showed confidence in throwing a 3-2 curveball, projectable frame with more velocity potential.

Barron Blackford, 2B, East Jessamine HS, 2015
6-foot, 150-pound prospect with lanky build, shows solid footwork and plays through the ball, throws registered 67 mph across the infield.  Has a balanced setup at the plate, short stride, tends to wrap in his load, shows good balance, showed the ability to go the other way with a double to right-center in game action, improved 60 time significantly over previous event to 7.57, registered 81 mph tee exit velocity.

Ryan Blevens, 2B, Butler HS, 2014
6-foot, 170-pound prospect with athletic build, shows fluid footwork and soft hands, quick exchange with short arm action, throws registered 68 mph across the infield (73 mph previous event).  Has a balanced setup at the plate, level swing plane, gets some lower half involvement in swing, creates moderate bat speed, ran 7.15 60 yard dash and registered 81 mph tee exit velocity.

Alex Briney, LHP, Nelson County HS, 2014
6-foot-1, 172-pound prospect with lanky build and room to fill out, uses long arm action through a high ¾ arm slot, good rhythm in delivery, easy effort, loose arm, fastball sat 76-78 mph touching 79, 2-seamer shows some arm side run, showed two different curveballs, one with sweeping action, and one with 12/6 break, good command of curveball at 57-60 mph, showed the ability to consistently throw strikes, has gained some velocity since previous event.

Jacob Crouch, 3B/RHP, Paul Laurence Dunbar HS, 2015
6-foot-2, 185-pound prospect with athletic build, showed improved footwork in infield over previous event, accurate arm at 75 mph across the infield.  Hits from an open stance, hands start high, good rhythm to swing, makes solid contact, showed improved 60 time of 7.84, registered 78 mph tee exit velocity.  In the mound, uses long arm action through high ¾ arm slot, fastball sat 74-77 mph, curveball sat 66-67 mph with sharp 11/5 action, showed good command of 72 mph changeup with arm side run.

Dylan Givens, RHP/1B, Reidland HS, 2015
6-foot-5, 220-pound prospect, projects best on the mound, shows repeatable mechanics with long.loose arm action, fastball sat 79-81 mph (was up to 83 previous event), shows good feel for slider that sat 72-73 mph, changeup is solid with arm side run and sink at 72-73 mph.  As position player, shows soft hands and 73 mph arm.  Hits from balanced setup, toe tap trigger, short stride, showed improved  lower half involvement in swing, shows raw strength, ran 8.66 60 yard dash, registered 86 mph tee exit velocity.

Britton Elmore, 1B, Central Hardin HS, 2015
6-foot-1, 195-pound prospect, with solid build, feet work okay around the bag, 71 mph arm strength across the infield, hits from balanced setup, smooth load, short stride, short path to the ball, good hand quickness, showed the ability to consistently square the ball up and go the other way with a double down the right field line in game play, ran 7.75 60 yard dash, registered 81 mph tee exit velocity.

Kyle Fisher, RHP, Western Hills HS, 2014
6-foot-2, 225-pound prospect, uses long arm action, high ¾ arm slot, good rhythm in delivery, throws downhill, fastball shows good arm side run and velocity improved from previous event to 84-86 mph, good command of curveball that sat 71-73 mph with sharp 11/5 action, good feel for very good splitter that he uses as a changeup that sat 76-79 mph thrown with good arm action.  Fisher pounds the zone with all 3 of his pitches.

Nicholas Hoffman, RHP, Trinity HS, 2015
6-foot-3, 185-pound prospect with projectable frame, long, loose arm action through a high ¾ arm slot, on-line mechanics, fastball sat 81-83 mph touching 84 and was straight, curveball shows sharp 11/5 break at 66-67 mph, struggled with command of fastball (up in zone) from the stretch in first inning of work but settled in nicely in his second inning, definite potential to be a high-level pitching prospect in the 2015 class.

Brandon Lawlor, OF, Scott County HS, 2015
6-foot-4, 190-pound prospect, lanky frame with projectability, showed some hesitancy in playing through the ball, throws registered 79 mph.  At the plate, starts in a balanced, athletic setup, slight load, long swing path, showed pull tendencies in game play, improved every statistical category from previous event, r an 7.12 60 yard dash, showed some bat speed with 86 mph tee exit velocity, threw out runner at 2nd base with on the bag throw from left field line in game action.

Blake Hart, C/1B, Conner HS, 2014
6-foot-1, 210-pound left-handed hitting catcher with strong build, shows very good defensive skills behind the plate, good receiver and blocker, quick glove to hand transfer, accurate arm at 73 mph from the crouch, pop times consistent between 2.0 – 2.03, threw out runner stealing in game play.  At the plate uses a balanced setup, smooth load, gets good lower half torque in swing that generates bat speed through the zone, ran 7.75 60 yard dash, solid left-handed hitting catching prospect.