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By Chris Fuller
Kentucky Scouting Director

On Saturday, February 14, more than 100 players from all corners of the state convened at Champions Baseball Academy in Nicholasville for the third annual Preseason All-State Showcase. Over the coming days we will continue to take a look at all players who participated in the event.

Below we take a look at the Class of 2017/2018 outfielders who were in attendance. This is position player analysis only. Those players who also pitched at the event will have their pitching performance featured in a separate article.

class of 2017

Cam Hill, OF/SS, L/R, Scott County HS, 2017
5-foot-10, 170-pound prospect who continues to show strength gains, quick-twitch athlete, left-handed hitter hits from an open stance, gets to square with a short stride, short/compact swing with quick hands, works the middle of the field and shows ability to drive the ball to the left-center gap, ran his best 60-yard dash at 6.81, recorded his top exit velocity at 90 mph. Defensively, attacks the ball very aggressively, plays through it with athleticism, quick/clean exchange, big-time arm strength at 95 mph with plus carry, continues to prove himself to be one of the top prospects in Kentucky.

Josh Morgan, OF, R/R, Sayre HS, 2017
6-foot-1, 165-pound prospect, right-handed hitter hits from a balanced stance with a short stride, good lower half torque produces good bat speed through the zone, good extension through contact, creates some lift and ball jumps off bat, shows some pull side power, has potential to develop into consistent power threat with additional strength gains, ran 7.22 60-yard dash, 84 mph exit velocity. Defensively, plays through the ball with athletic actions, clean exchange, long arm action, high-3/4 release with 78 mph arm strength.

Jaren Lovely, OF/LHP, L/L, Magoffin County HS, 2017
6-foot, 160-pound prospect has grown two inches and added five pounds to frame since last summer, left-handed hitter hits from a balanced stance with a short stride, maintains good balance through finish, line drive type hitter who is beginning to develop occasional gap power, solid approach with the ability to use all fields, ran a 7.50 60-yard dash, 82 mph exit velocity was the best he has recorded. Defensively, plays through the ball with athletic actions, attacks the ball aggressively, long arm action with high-3/4 to over the top release, continues to show an increase in arm strength, 82 mph with some carry.

Edward Alexander, OF, R/R, Jeffersontown HS, 2017
5-foot-8, 145-pound prospect, right-handed hitter hits from a balanced stance with a short stride, level swing path, line drive type hitter, gets to front side early at times, shows potential with some hand quickness, ran a 7.33 60-yard dash, 69 mph exit velocity, offensive game will evolve with added physical strength. Defensively, takes short/choppy steps to the ball, can be more aggressive in playing through it, arm is loose, shorter arm action with over the top release, 73 mph velocity.

John Sizemore, OF, L/R, Clay County HS, 2017
6-foot-1, 175-pound prospect , left-handed hitter hits from a balanced stance, short stride, hands are set low, flat swing path, line drive type hitter with gap to gap approach, showed improved use of lower half and finish through the baseball than previous event, ran a 7.50 60-yard dash, showed some bat speed with 86 mph exit velocity (77 at previous event in the fall). Defensively, plays through the ball well with an aggressive approach, long arm action with an over the top release, showed a slight increase in arm strength at 79 mph.

class of 2018

Will McClurg, OF, R/R, Lexington Catholic HS, 2018
5-foot-11, 165-pound prospect showed a jump across the board in all measurables since last event in the fall. Right-handed hitter hits from a slightly open stance with a short stride, showed increase in bat speed and strength, line drive type hitter with gap to gap approach, good speed for age with 7.16 60-yard dash, 81mph exit velocity (73 at previous event). Defensively, plays through the baseball, clean exchange, short arm action with high-3/4 release, 76 mph arm strength (71 at previous event), has a chance to be a high-level prospect with continued development.