Prep Baseball Report

Pre-Season All-State Showcase Scouting Notes: Top Outfielders



By Mike Penn
Michigan Director of Scouting

In the article Sneak Peak: Top Position Players from the Pre-Season All-State Showcase we highlighted some of the top outfielders from the Pre-Season All-State Showcase, namely AJ Montoya (St. Joseph HS), Michael Reid (Bishop Foley HS), Daniel Jipping (Parkway Christian HS), Zack McGuire (Sterling Heights Stevenson HS), and Devin Rose (Orchard Lake St. Mary’s HS). 

Today we look at some of the other top performing outfielders from the showcase.

Greg Antoine, OF/RHP, Romeo HS, 2014- Antoine, from Romeo HS, ran a 7.54 60 and worked out both in the outfield and on the mound.  Antoine is an athletic 6-foot-1, 180-pound player.  He has a long arm action from a 3/4 slot.  His tranfers were clean.  His arm registered 76mph.  At the plate he had one of the best bat speeds (86mph). He was balanced and athletic.  Takes a short stride and stays simple.  His bat was fast with good whip through the zone.   

Nathan Bethel, OF, Jackson HS, 2014- Bethel is a good athlete and an above average runner (6.8).  The 6-foot, 165-pound Bethel shows promise. His arm registered 79 mph from the OF. He played through the ball well and threw from an over-the-top slot.  At the plate he wraps his bat a bit and needs to improve his lower half. He does get the bathead through the zone. Exit velocity 82 mph.

Devin Clifford, OF/C, Bay City Central HS, 2013-  Clifford once again showed really well in the outfield.  He has intriguing possibilities. A late bloomer with plenty of room to grow. Only 165-pounds. From the outfield shows good arm strength (85mph).  Throws were accurate had good carry and backspin. Shows good instincts and natural tendencies.  At the plate, he is athletic but starts with a closed stance.  Bat is fast and demonstrates good pop. 87mph exit velocity.  Shows good hands and gets the bathead through the zone well getting to extension.

Nick Cowen, RHP/OF, Tecumseh HS, 2014- Cowen has a prototypical projectable body.  The 6-foot-4, 170-pound Cowen has more left in the tank.  He worked out both in the outfield and on the mound.  Has a long arm action from the outfield.  Threw 80mph from OF.  Kept the ball low utilizing the long hop well.  Shows good instincts. At the plate, he was balanced.  Has good levers to work with.  Hands are lower at setup.  Uphill tilt to his swing looking to drive the baseball.  

Kyle Houts, OF/INF, Spring Lake HS, 2014-  Houts continues to show improvement in all areas of his game.  Shows solid arm strength from the OF (83mph).  Throws were accurate and online. Hands are soft and demonstrates fluid footwork.  Occasionally a bit hesitant in the OF and used two hands to play through.  Improved his 60 to 7.09.  At the plate shows balance and smooth load.  Starts from upright position and has high one hand finish.  Physically he is athletic and is gaining strength.

Tommy Lentz, OF/RHP, Brother Rice HS, 2014- Lentz is starting to come into his own and shows a considerable amount of promise.  The 6-foot-1, 185-pound Lentz has more room to grow.  He ran a 7.2 in the 60.  From the outfield he showed a nice long arm action with good carry (83mph). His hands were soft and he was aggressive playing through the ball well. At the plate he showed good balance and a short stroke.  His hands worked well and everything was compact and repeated well.  He showed good bat speed and the ability to elevate the baseball.

Jackson Overlund, OF/INF, Forrest Hills Central HS, 2014- Overlund has dedicated himself to improving and has done just that.  His arm strength was noticeably improved from 75mph to 80mph. In the infield he shows really good progress for only starting to play it in the fall.  He showed soft hands and quick footwork. He ran one of the best 60's at the showcase at 6.94. Overlund really excels at the plate. He is athletic and shows good extremely fast hands.  He explodes with his lower half and is short and compact.  He can hit the ball to all fields.  At 88mph his exit velo was one of the best at the showcase.

Kevin Suwarsky, OF/RHP, Paw Paw HS, 2014- Suwarsky is an impressive athlete.  Solid Runner around 7.0.  His arm is his biggest separator.  He was 87mph from the outfield.  Throws from a high 3/4 slot.  Aggressively attacked the baseball.  Has good carry. His actions are a bit stiff.  At the plate he has a fast bat and level swing path. He finishes out on his front foot and gets a bit heavy on it.  

 

 

Related News: