Prep Baseball Report

Unsigned Senior Games: Red Team Analysis



By PBR Staff

The Unsigned Senior Games saw lots of good players take the field.  The Red team in particular had many good players who should be given the chance to play at the next level.  Well-known names like Aidan Cullen (Notre Dame Prep HS) and Jake Lincoln (Jackson Lumen Christi HS) continued to show well.  Many others made names for themselves for the first time and saw their stock skyrocket.  See the complete breakdown of the team below.

RED TEAM

Joe Giacalone, LHP, Orchard Lake St. Mary’s, 2014

Giacalone certainly will not jump off the page when you see his stats. However, this kid can pitch and will compete.  Fastball sat 78-80 mph. Have seen him 83-84mph in a relief scenario.  Good breaking ball.  Change is best pitch.  Will get hitters out.  Lots of strikes and works fast. 

Guilio Fantasia, C, Alpena HS, 2014-

Fantasia hails from a small town way up north, Alpena. The 5-foot-11 , 178-pound catcher threw the ball well.  Throws were accurate and on the bag.  Pop times ranged between 2.09-2.25 with most of them around 2.1.  Shorter arm action. Soft hands.  Left-handed stick with pop.  Picked up a few hits on the weekend as well.  Can play 3B/1B if needed. 

Dean Emmanuele, 2B/MIF, Sterling Heights Stevenson HS, 2014

Emmanuele was one of the biggest risers in from the Unsigned Senior Games. Son of a coach. Knows the game extremely well.  Solid runner (7.27).  Makes all of the plays. Shows good lateral movement.  Soft, sure hands.  Natural instincts.  At the plate shows athletic stance with slight crouch.  Fast bat with line drive results. Hit several balls on the screws.  Should draw plenty of attention from smaller schools.

Nolan Clenney, SS, Detroit Catholic Central HS, 2014

Clenney was a pleasant surprise who significantly improved his stock.  Big strong body.  Long limbs with good frame  Arm is above-average across the diamond at 86mph.  Longer arm action. Projects more at 3B at the next level.  Balanced approach at the plate.  Hit big opposite-field double and made several nice plays in the games.  Solid runner 7.27. Almost want to see him on the mound with his arm strength.

Jake Lincoln, RHP, Jackson Lumen Christi HS, 2014

Lincoln was good overall.  His velocity was solid at 82-83mph. There should be more in the tank still. Had one of the best breaking balls at the games.  Showed well. Improved his stock.  Clean innings.

Joey Knapp, OF/LHP, Mattawan HS, 2014

First time for us seeing Knapp. Definitely something there.  Long lever proportional bodied athlete at 6-foot-2, 180-pounds. Arm worked well.  Despite velocity not being there liked him on the mound. Struck out three in a row at one point.  Fastball ranged between 77-81mph.  Over the top slot and fairly straight.  84mph from the outfield.  Clean exchanges. Ball carried well on mound.  Picked up a 2B in the games.

Ryan Kasprzyk, OF/RHP, Sterling Heights Stevenson HS, 2014

Comes from baseball background and good bloodlines.  Late bloomer.  One of the sleepers of Unsigned Senior Games.  6.9 runner.  Threw the ball well from OF.  At the plate has some looseness in swing.  When he physically matures more he will be a high follow.  Very good athlete.  On the mound threw the ball well at 79-80 mph. Had good command of his breaking ball. Three up, three down in his inning of work.

Austin Guss, RHP, Hudsonville HS, 2014

Thicker-bodied RHP at 5-foot-10, 180-pounds. Wasn’t his best day velocity-wise but threw strikes and filled up the strike zone true to his form.  

Chad Large, OF/C, Ludington HS, 2014

Large has been hampered this summer by a hamstring issue.  He has rounded back into form.  Strong arm all around. 84mph from OF.  Long arm action with carry. Hit several balls hard.  Can definitely play. 

Joe Wolf, RHP, Sterling Heights Stevenson HS, 2014

The slender Wolf has an arm that is extremely quick and works well.  Still waiting for him to make his big jump in velocity.  Has always had good pitchability. This day was no exception. Spun it well with tight spin. Late bloomer. 

Noah Robart, C/1B, Whitehall HS, 2014

Robart threw the ball well in the workout portion.  Pop times around 2.09 consistently.  Good feet behind plate.  Short arm action with good carry and four-seam backspin.  Small school kind of player.  Solid ball player. 

Ben London, SS/RHP, Groves HS, 2014

Have seen London in games prior to this event.  Liked his arm and actions.  85mph across the diamond was one of the best at the event.  Good lateral movement.  7.46 runner.  Turned a nice 6-4-3 double play. May make a switch to 3B in college. Occasional pop at the plate. Fast bat. Got to extension well.  Also picked up a base knock. On the mound has upside because of arm strength. Primarily 80-83mph.  Our guess is there is more in the tank. Breaking ball registered at 70mph.

Christian Keller, 1B/RHP, Grand Ledge HS, 2014

Keller shows promise.  Strong kid with pop at the plate.  Solid defender.  Should hit for power.  On the mound got several swing and miss strikeouts.  Keeps ball down for the most part.

Connor Glick, C/3B, Niles HS, 2014

Glick was very intriguing. First time we have seen him.  Looks the part. Passes the eye-test with his 6-foot-4, 197-pound frame.  Liked him the most at 3B but can do it behind the dish as well.  Picked up several hits on the weekend.  Pop times ranged between 2.07-2.25.  At the plate has some juice in the bat.  Power to opposite-field gap.  Gets a bit heavy on front side.

Jacob Rogers, 3B/RHP, Sterling Heights Stevenson HS, 2014

Rogers continues to improve.  Accurate throws from 3B. Corner player.  Never going to be an above-average runner but speed is serviceable.  Looseness in swing. Pop in the bat. Looked comfortable all weekend.

Jonathon Forster, RHP/MIF, Brother Rice HS, 2014

Big kid at 6-foot-2, 190-pounds.  Ran well at 7.12 in the 60.  Solid actions in the middle infield. Threw the ball well from short.  79mph across the diamond.  Looks to drive the baseball. Uphill at times with swing.  Hit the ball on the screws a few times but didn’t get much to show for it. 

Aidan Cullen, OF, Notre Dame Prep HS, 2014

Cullen has seen his stock skyrocket this summer.  Athletic outfielder that will move from center to a corner.  Arm is solid and was 79mph on this day.  7.31 runner.  Power bat with a chance to hit for a lot of power.  Drives ball to the gaps.  Hit a triple down the the right field line.

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