Prep Baseball Report

NWPA Thanksgiving Review Analysis: Class of 2018


Dan Williams
Western Pennsylvania / West Virginia Director of Scouting

The Western Pennsylvania 2017 showcase schedule concluded last Saturday with the Western Pennsylvania Thanksgiving Review. Gannon University's Recreation and Wellness Center in Erie played host to the event with 20 prospects from three states participating. Today we conclude our analysis by taking a look at those prospects from the Class of 2018 in attendance.

+ For complete results from all prospects in attendance - CLICK HERE.

roster in alphabetical order

Shil AminShil Amin, 2018, Lenape HS (NJ), 3B
5-foot-10, 185-pound right-handed hitter initiates swing from a neutral set up with short stride staying neutral. Weight shift and hip turn are aggressive achieving good separation. Swing is short and hands work directly to the baseball. Height is reduced substantially during swing resulting in significant head movement. Amin would benefit from reducing head movement through better maintenance of posture. A bat exit velocity of 80 mph was recorded.

Defensively, fields ball bottom up and out front. Hands and feet are adequate. Throwing motion is somewhat long on throws of 78 mph across the diamond. Amin ran a 7.50 60-yard dash.

Tyler CerjanTyler Cerjan, 2018, Geneva HS (OH), LHP
5-foot-9, 150-pound LHP worked out of mid-to-high 3/4 arm slot with a knee to chest leg kick. Delivery shows good balance, rhythm and repeatability. Arm action is long and loose with deception being created through high leg kick. Fastball sat 73-75 with demonstrated ability to cut to both glove and arm side. Curveball thrown at 63-65 mph showed 2/8 shape with sweeping action and limited depth. Changeup at 68-69 was thrown with good sell but lacked movement. Cerjan also featured a cutter at 67 mph with 2/8 short, late movement.

Dylan DingelDylan Dingel, 2018, Slippery Rock HS, RHP/SS
5-foot-10, 170-pound right-handed hitter initiates his swing from a neutral set up with controlled stride staying neutral. There is an aggressive weight shift and initiation of hip turn achieving good separation. Hands are quick and work directly to the baseball with a solid feel for the barrel present. There is a tendency to push upward with stride leg in association with front knee locking creating some blocking of hip rotation. Would benefit from rotating around a firm front side without the aforementioned upward push of front leg. An 85 mph bat exit speed was recorded.

On the mound, the right-hander works out of mid-3/4 arm slot. He creates deception through turning back to hitter and utilizing an exaggerated hip coil. Deception is further enhanced by stepping and landing closed with stride leg resulting in crossfire action. Despite these exaggerated movements Dingel is able to consistently repeat his delivery. Fastball sat 78-79 with considerable run and sink. Curveball thrown at 72-73 had an 11/5 shape with late, short break. Changeup at 68 mph was thrown at fastball arm speed and flashed late fade and sink. Excellent command of all offerings was present.

Defensively, plays ball bottom up and out front. Shows soft, confident glove hand. He would benefit from being more aggressive in attacking and playing through ball. Overall, Dingel is a very interesting uncommitted senior two-way prospect who will likely find an academic and baseball fit in the coming weeks.

Hayden ParkerHayden Parker, 2018, Howland HS (OH), 3B
5-foot-11, 200-pound right-handed hitter initiates swing from neutral set up and utilizes a short stride to open. While significant separation is achieved in striding to open there is difficulty in covering the pitch away. Hands are quick and there is good feel for the barrel. Back elbow leak in front of hands results in barrelt drag. There is power potential as evidenced by recorded bat exit velocity of 91 mph. Would benefit from striding to neutral and working back elbow up and back in load.

Defensively, hands, feet and range are adequate. However, arm strength of 74 mph across the diamond may precipitate a move to first base. Parker ran a 7.41 60-yard dash.

 

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