With Prep Baseball Report’s coverage, it is easy to put players on a pedestal.

It is even easier to highlight individual accomplishments while neglecting the importance of teamwork, leadership, and even the integrity of the game.

It isn’t intentional. It is just a part of the process of covering prospects.

Some players can handle the notoriety that comes along with success.

Some players simply are not mature enough.

As a high school sophomore, Caleb Potter shows the maturity, character, and discipline of an individual far beyond his age. 

Potter, who is one of the top prospects in the Class of 2014 in Ohio and within the Midwest, is quickly garnering attention from college coaches from across the nation.

The 6-foot-3, 210-pound does not look like your typical sophomore.

And, he doesn’t play like one either.

“Stepping on the field just relaxes me,” he says.

Blessed with a solid, muscular frame, Potter looks the part.

In the 60-yard dash, he regularly displays sub 6.9 speed.

From the outfield, the right-handed thrower uses easy, quick arm action to generate a velocity of 88 mph.

At the plate, his rotational mechanics feature a balanced setup without the use of a stride. The right-handed hitter uses a strong lower half and a short, compact load to generate exceptional bat speed. There is little wasted movement in his swing and the ball jumps off his bat.

In September, Potter displayed his skills at USA Baseball’s NTIS event in North Carolina. His performance placed him on USA Baseball’s “Top 25 Players to Watch List” as well as an invitation to the Team USA Trials in Jupiter, Florida next June. He also received an invitation and will be attending the East Coast Pro Tryouts next June in Dayton.

While it is early in the process, Potter is receiving interest from many local programs, such as Ohio State, Kent State, and Cincinnati.

Already, he has received invitations for unofficial visits to national programs such as Stanford and Clemson.

When asked if distanced will be a factor in his decision making process, he says, “No, unless my parents want it to be. But for now, they feel as long as my spiritual and academic priorities are in order, I can choose whatever school is best for me.”

The son of a pastor, Potter is clearly grounded in his faith.

“I have grown up around church,” he says. “So, it would be nice to find a church like my faith near the school that I go to.”

Currently, the sophomore is carrying a 3.5 grade point average. In college, he says, “I am interested in business or sports management.”

At this point, Potter is far from even having a top list of schools, but one thing is for sure: “I want to be in a program that is really interested in me as a person and not just an athlete … I am a people person, and I want to get involved in the community and in people’s lives wherever I go.”